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Some things are not just meant to be left lying around, including hazardous materials including needles/syringes and other types of paraphernalia. Staff at our Ward 28 office and Toronto Public Health have advised us that we can contact 311 to pick up hazardous material like needles or other paraphernalia. They move pretty quickly when it is reported that needles or pipes have been found in our parks and laneways. 311 is staffed 24/7. They have also suggested that people can use a pair of kitchen tongs to safely pick up an item if you need to dispose of it before the city arrives. If you are attempting to pick up a needle, please put it in some kind of a hard container (ex. metal coffee can, Tupperware container) before throwing it in the trash. When contacting 311, make note of your reference number and if making multiple reports keep referencing that prior reference number. This helps the city track requests and ultimately deploy more resources where they are needed. Disposing of a small baggie that might have contained drugs requires less caution than a needle. Certainly do wash your hands after handling, and you may wish to use gloves or tongs, but there is little danger to just picking up and throwing away an empty bag. Street drugs, even when cut or laced with fentanyl and other adulterants, do not pose a significant risk of opioid toxicity unless ingested. However, spotting a bag might be a sign that a needle or pipe is nearby. Below are images of what a harm reduction kit might contain. In the images you will see two “spoons” used in the injection of drugs, as well as a blue tie off, alcohol wipes, and needles. Spotting one of these items on the street might mean there is other paraphernalia nearby. Other kinds of spoons are illustrated in the other image.

Today I’m sharing my My Pretty Zombie Gangrenous Dead by Dawn Tutorial. These colors are from my My Pretty Zombie Black Friday / Cyber Monday order. My Pretty Zombie Gangrenous Dead by Dawn Tutorial Pr + purchased by me. Fashion PattyBoutik Keyhole shirt (I love this so much I have it in black and purple) Bunny Paige Dragonfly Necklace Eyes Urban Decay Primer Potion in Enigma NARS Light Reflecting Loose Setting Powder – base shade My Pretty Zombie Dead By Dawn – crease, outer v, lower lid My Pretty Zombie Grimdeva – damp as liner at lower and upper lash line My Pretty Zombie Gangrenous – damp on lid and inner v Aromaleigh Heloderma Suspectum – crease, lower lid Tarte Black Clay Paint Liner – liner at upper and lower lash line, winged out NARS Olympia (vanilla side) – to blend out edges Makeup Geek Moon Phase – highlight under brows and at inner corner Chella Ebony Brow Cream Face Flower Erase Everything Foundation in Sheer as Primer Kat Von D Light 41 Foundation mixed Nyx Pro Foundation Mixer in Opalescent Aromaleigh Digitalis Purpurea – contour My Pretty Zombie Niacin– blush Makeup Geek Moon Phase – highlight Lips Colour Pop Marshmallow pencil Sugarpill Kimchi lipstick Before you start, make sure you apply eyeshadow primer. I used Urban Decay Primer Potion in Enigma and then set it with NARS Light Reflecting Loose Setting Powder. My Pretty Zombie Gangrenous Dead by Dawn Tutorial Use a big fluffy brush to start building up My Pretty Zombie Dead By Dawn in the crease and outer v, as well as the lower lid. Deepen the lower crease and lower lid with Aromaleigh Heloderma Suspectum. Apply My Pretty Zombie Gangrenous to the lid and inner v with a damp brush. Smudge My Pretty Zombie Grimdeva along the outer upper and outer lower lash line on a damp angled brush to create winged liner. With the Sigma E06 Winged eyeliner brush, apply Tarte Black Clay liner on top of Grimdeva to darken the liner. Blend out the edges of the crease color with NARS Olympia (vanilla side). Highlight at the inner corner and directly under the outer brow with Makeup Geek Moon Phase. Shop Your Stash for Similar Shades Dead By Dawn – dark brown matte Grimdeva – dark purple satin matte Gangrenous – dark lavender purple to blue green duochrome Heloderma Suspectum – greyed mauve buff matte Olympia – vanilla matte Moon Phase – iridescent white with blue and purple duochrome This turned out to be a fun neutral look. The taupe brown crease color makes it very appropriate for people who have more conservative office environments, while the duochrome lid adds interest without being too flashy. Of course the wing does push it over the top, but sometimes it’s fun to wing it out. I haven’t done the eyeliner mapping with eyeshadow in a while. The theory is you map out your wing with eyeshadow, then go back over it with gel or liquid liner so that you can apply it more precisely. I think it’s a nice alternative to using medical tape. What do you think of these My Pretty Zombie shades? More to See

CLOSE A dad who was tired of cars speeding through his neighborhood while children were at play took matters into his own hands. VPC A Douglas County Sheriff Department deputy removes one of the stop signs. (Photo11: KUSA-TV) A Douglas County, Colo., father fed up with cars speeding in his neighborhood took matters into his own hands and installed two stop signs. Kurt Smith is a father of two and works for a sign company. He placed the signs in front of his house but they only lasted one day once the Douglas County Sheriff Department found out. However, neighbors may see them again, soon. Smith said he's sick of seeing people speed in on his street -- especially as kids dart in and out of the roadway on scooters and skateboards. "Car! You guys all out of the street," he warned the neighborhood children. "I want to keep them safe, as well as my own," he said. Andrew Tschetter, 11, said he was almost hit earlier this summer, but still likes to play in the friendly community. "You don't have to worry about too many bad things happening, that's the only thing you may have to worry about is cars speeding," Tschetter said. To protect kids like Andrew, Smith did something unconventional. "I put up some legal stop signs but illegally placed them," Smith said. A Douglas County Sheriff's deputy ended up taking them down by hand. But these aren't the first signs Smith put up. He started with "slowdown" safety signs. Neighbor Joey Herrera said he saw people slow down when they saw the signs. "They looked a little confused," he said. Herrera said that he liked they were paying attention. "People fly up and down the street sometimes 50 miles an hour," he said. Smith knows he can get in trouble, but said if it can prevent an accident this won't be the last of the stop signs. Smith has not been charged with a crime but Douglas County Sheriff's officials say he could face a misdemeanor for hindering transportation. Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1UR1oyG

As GMO’s spread across the globe, farmers are developing difficulties keeping their crops separate. GM pollen can easily mix in with near by non-GM plants. Our project’s purpose is to protect organic farmers from major companies by raising awareness for this problem. We will do this through an agreement. This agreement will state that major GMO seed corporations will not be able to sue smaller organic farms over the spread of seeds into their land. This idea we are trying to pass will boost farmers into action because they are unaware of the consequences being created. Once they realize the mistakes that could happen, they will be shown how this act will benefit them and help them plant their crop using their belief as GMO or not. Farmers will also want to work in action because this law will prevent many lawsuits and save the hassle between many farms and corporations.

# PingTab v1.3.0 # AutoUpdate: Enable/Disable auto update checking AutoUpdate : true # AutoDownloadUpdate: Enable/Disable auto downloading new updates, when disabled warns # you about new versions AutoDownloadUpdate : false # Interval: Ping Measurement interval in seconds Interval : 3 # DisableTab: Disable the tab portion of the plugin. DisableTab : false # ShowPluginNameOnMessages: Show the plugin name on messages sent to the players # and console. Please leave this option enabled so # more people will know about this plugin! ShowPluginNameOnMessages : false # ColoredPingParameter: Make the %ping parameter on messages to be automatically # colored based on it's value. ColoredPingParameter : true # GoodPing: Pings below this number will be printed as green in the /ping command. GoodPing : 200 # MediumPing: Pings below this number will be printed as gold in the /ping command. # If the ping gets over this number, it will be printed in red . MediumPing : 500 # OwnPingMessage: Message that is sent to the player when he check it's own # ping with /ping. Color codes are supported using & character. # Parameters: %ping - Ping Measured OwnPingMessage : "Your ping is %ping ms" # PingMessage: Message that is sent to player when he check anothe player's # ping with /ping. Color codes are supported using & character. # Parameters: %playername - Player Name # %ping - Ping Measured PingMessage : "%playername's ping is %ping ms" # AlertPlayers: Alert players about high latency (Default: true) AlertPlayers : true # AlertThreshold: Players with the ping higher than this will be alerted. AlertThreshold : 1000 # AlertInterval: The interval, in minutes, for the alerts to be sent. AlertInterval : 5 # AlertMessage: The message that will be sent to the user on the alert event. # Color codes are supported using & character. # Parameters: %playername - Player Name # %ping - Ping Measured # %threshold - Threshold Set AlertMessage : "%playername, your latency of %ping is above %threshold!"

Joseph Cramarossa was in a reclined plastic chair overlooking an infinity pool, overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, with three minutes until the 2017 trade deadline. He didn’t get a call from the Anaheim Ducks letting him know he’d been placed on waivers, so he wasn’t expecting a call if someone claimed him. Insert Twitter. Alongside Ducks defenceman Josh Manson, Cramarossa scrolled and scrolled and scrolled. “I left Twitter because I got a text and of course that’s when news dropped. Manson turned to me and said Vancouver! I was so excited.” Cramarossa’s agent called a few minutes later confirming the news, asking when his NHL bye week vacation to Mexico was over. “The Canucks want you in San Jose asap. You’re playing tomorrow night.” From lounging in the sun to meeting a room full of new teammates, “it’s definitely been a fun 24 hours!” The 24-year-old packed his sombrero and flew to San Jose through Los Angeles, getting in at 10 pm Wednesday night. He was introduced to his new brothers in arms Thursday morning at breakfast and outside the dressing room pre-practice he laughed about how the deadline played out. “At least it was at the end of my trip,” he laughed. “But seriously, it’s good to know a team wants you. The last thing I wanted was to go down to the AHL, so my attitude now is to prove myself here and make the Ducks regret putting me on waivers.” He chose number 26 – “a big number for a big last name” – and despite four days off coming in to Thursday’s morning skate, was flying. Cramarossa, who hails from Toronto, Ontario, played with Brendan Gaunce in the OHL and Chris Tanev in Junior A. He was quick to catch-up with Gaunce, swapping stories throughout the morning, but he has yet to talk one-on-one with Tanev. “I was 15 or 16 when we played together, but he was older. He wasn’t very talkative back then, maybe he is now.” LOL Speaking of Gaunce, he also had an interesting countdown to the trade deadline. Walking through Yaletown during a team day off in Vancouver, Gaunce’s phone rang. It was Stan Smyl, Canucks Senior Advisor to GM & Director of Player Development. Gulp. “I was his name come up and thought I’d been traded. I didn’t want to answer it.” When Gaunce did finally pick up, Smyl merely told him he’d been sent down to the Utica Comets and also recalled to the Canucks; the paper transaction means Gaunce is eligible to play for the Comets in the AHL playoffs. “You picked a great time to call Stan,” Gaunce laughed. “He came over to me on the plane, laughing, and apologized. I didn’t think it was as funny. I told him he owes me a new pair of underwear!” ***** Cramarossa is fitting right in already and judging by the response we got on Twitter when acquiring him, we’ve got our hands on a hardworking, fan favourite. We’ll take great care of him, Ducks fans! Derek Jory – @NoJoryous Facebook Comments

There was a hugely telling exchange Monday between CNN's Jim Sciutto and former CIA director James Woolsey, an adviser to Donald Trump on national. The president-elect had just claimed to have information about Russia's alleged hacking during the 2016 election that others didn't. Woolsey, remarkably, basically admitted it might be B.S. Here's their exchange: SCIUTTO: So, Mr. Ambassador, you heard that Donald Trump claiming there to have new information that, in effect, no one else knows. What information could he have that the 17 intelligence agencies do not and that, for instance, he hasn't already received in his presidential daily briefing or that House members who have been briefed on the intelligence don't have? WOOLSEY: Hacking leaves a lot of room for weaving around like this. And Donald Trump is an expert at this kind of weaving around and attracting everybody's attention. It's exactly what he did during the campaign. SCIUTTO: You're saying he is weaving around by talking about this putative new information? WOOLSEY: First talk about what I know, and then after talking to somebody else, what I know is a little different. And each one gets a headline, each one . .. SCIUTTO: Right. WOOLSEY: I think the point is… SCIUTTO: You are saying he is playing us, in effect? WOOLSEY: There is a possibility that he is a little bit, yes. Woolsey emphasized that he didn't really have a problem with what Trump was doing. ("Why not?” Woolsey reasoned. “He is not interfering with anything. He's not talking about anything classified.") But it's pretty clear that Trump's own adviser was suggesting that Trump says things just to say things, in an effort to shift the narrative. That's a pretty striking admission. It also completely comports with the evidence at hand. To this day, Trump continues to provide an ever-shifting string of theories about Russia's hacking. Trump has gone further in doubting the intelligence communities' conclusions than just about any Republican in Washington. He suggested during the campaign that maybe there was no hacking at all. He's suggested it could have been “some guy in his home in New Jersey.” He's suggested Democrats are pursuing Russian hacking allegations to excuse their loss. Arriving at an annual New Year's Eve celebration at his Mar-a-lago, Fla., estate, President-elect Donald Trump left open the possibility of a meeting with Taiwan's president if she visits the United States after he is sworn in on Jan. 20. Trump also pushed back on intelligence claims about Russian hacking. (Reuters) And it's now gone beyond merely casting doubt upon the conclusions of the intelligence community and the FBI. On Tuesday night, Trump offered a potentially sinister motive — a conspiracy theory, really — involving intelligence officials. The "Intelligence" briefing on so-called "Russian hacking" was delayed until Friday, perhaps more time needed to build a case. Very strange! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2017 There are two problems with this tweet. One is that there is no evidence that such a briefing was delayed (the intelligence community says it wasn't scheduled earlier than Friday), and the second is that Trump is basically suggesting the intelligence community may be out to get him — “building a case” and “very strange!” As with many of his tweets, this was the equivalent of Trump dropping a match on a pile of dry leaves and walking away. And then on Wednesday morning, he furthered the idea that a pretty amateur operation could be to blame, not Russia, by citing something WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Tuesday night on Fox News. Julian Assange said "a 14 year old could have hacked Podesta" - why was DNC so careless? Also said Russians did not give him the info! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 4, 2017 This is Trump “weaving around,” as Woolsey put it, sowing doubt about the whole matter with his supporters. As Woolsey noted, the nature of intelligence is that it's rarely 100 percent certain. Trump has exploited this uncertainty and combined it with his penchant for conspiracy theorizing and saying pretty much whatever he wants, regardless of the facts at hand. He's obfuscating. And it seems to be working to some degree, as Republicans have increasingly rallied to the idea that this is a political effort to undermine him and cast doubt on the intelligence community's findings. But he's also increasingly pitted himself against the intelligence community, which reportedly (and I would argue rightly) viewed the tweet as an attack on their neutrality and work. The question is at what point does Trump's theorizing and obfuscating go too far for his fellow Republicans, many of whom have very real worries about alleged Russian hacking and what it did to influence the election. Far be it from anyone to say this is the moment Trump went too far — we've been down that road before — but Trump is really drawing this out right now, taking things further than many in his party must be comfortable with. And that an incoming president is casting doubt on the intelligence community's neutrality is just remarkable.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia’s parliament on Tuesday voted to expand the country’s definition of high treason in a move that critics said meant any Russian citizen who had contacts with a foreigner could be accused of trying to undermine the state. The proposed changes - that still need to be approved by the upper house of parliament and President Vladimir Putin before they become law - redefine high treason to include “granting financial, technical, consulting or other help” to those seeking to damage Russia’s security, including its “constitutional system, sovereignty, territorial and state integrity.” The vote follows Putin’s return to the presidency in May which was preceded by the biggest anti-Putin protests of his 12-year rule. The Kremlin has pushed a raft of laws through parliament since May that opposition politicians and activists have described as a tough crackdown on dissent. The parliament’s lower chamber, or Duma, voted 375-2 to expand the definitions of high treason and espionage and to introduce prison terms of up to eight years for illegally obtaining secret state information. The opposition Just Russia party said it opposed the changes, saying such a wide definition of high treason meant “almost any Russian citizen with any contacts with any foreigner” could be accused of betraying the state. Rights activists have warned that the law could be used to sanction anyone who incurs the wrath of the authorities. “This law is designed for arbitrary interpretation,” said Alexander Cherkasov, an activist at the rights group Memorial. “Imagine they will start taking all this seriously and apply all these laws to everybody. This would mean writing off all social and political life as well as international ties.” Recently approved legislation hikes fines for protesters and forces foreign-sponsored non-governmental organizations to register as “foreign agents”, a term echoing the Cold War era. Russia’s Human Rights Ombudsman Vladimir Lukin, who was originally appointed by Putin, sided with the treason bill’s critics, saying it contradicted international law and Russia’s constitution by choosing a definition that was too broad to fairly determine a person’s guilt. The proposal also adds multinational organizations to a list of bodies that could benefit from state secrets. Previously, the list had only named the governments and organizations of foreign states. “In obtaining information constituting a state secret in regard to the Russian Federation various international organizations may act in their own interests or for the benefit of secret services of various foreign countries,” a document explaining the proposed changes read. It also mentioned unspecified attempts by various international organizations to obtain Russia’s state secrets “by illegal means”. Moscow ordered the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to close at the start of this month, accusing Washington of using its international aid mission in Russia to meddle in Russian politics and influence elections.

Mike Harmon, driver in NASCAR's Nationwide Series and truck series, might be in a bit of trouble. He was found with five racing trucks and two racing cars, apparently belonging to his former business associate—the same one he allegedly stole a trailer from two weeks ago, leading to an arrest. Harmon and truck series driver Jennifer Jo Cobb had a falling-out last year, a particularly acrimonious one that's still caught up in litigation. Earlier this month, Cobb's hauler disappeared just before a race, and she told police that Harmon had taken it. He denied it, but was arrested on felony larceny and breaking and entering charges. Fast-forward to Tuesday. Deputies executed a search warrant and seized seven vehicles found at Harmon's shop in Mooresville, N.C., and at a storage shed he owns. Investigators believe all seven belong to Cobb. They will soon meet with the district attorney to determine if and when further charges will be filed. [Charlotte Observer]

Mitch McConnell is moving swiftly to consolidate political power — and cash. Before he even takes the reins as Senate majority leader, McConnell and his allies are quietly trying to engineer a bold plan that would enable party leaders to rely more on major contributions to independent groups while also removing restrictions on the ability of the National Republican Senatorial Committee and other party committees to interact with candidates. Story Continued Below The outside cash would be raised by a pair of linked groups — a super PAC and 501(c)4 nonprofit — that could accept unlimited cash to boost key GOP Senate candidates, according to sources familiar with the plan. The inside cash would flow to the NRSC, which could operate more freely under an election law change McConnell began pushing this week. The two-pronged campaign finance initiative, coming only a month after the GOP’s midterm triumph, reflects McConnell’s intense interest in the money side of politics and his desire to strengthen the hand of the Republican establishment against more ideologically rigid conservative outside groups. It also underscores the difficult plight facing Republicans in 2016, when the party must defend a whopping 24 seats to the Democrats’ 10. ( Also on POLITICO: GOP unlikely to reverse 'nuclear option') McConnell’s efforts are by no means guaranteed to succeed. In fact, they represent an early test of whether the Kentucky senator will be able to translate his increased power within Congress into a robust national political operation like the one presided over by the man he’s replacing as majority leader, Nevada Sen. Harry Reid. “He’s trying to create Mitch McConnell, Inc.,” said David Donnelly, executive director of a group called Every Voice, which — ironically — spends big money in politics to reduce the role of big money in politics. It spent $400,000 in the midterms attacking McConnell as beholden to wealthy donors. Donnelly’s group, and other activists working to limit the influence of money in politics, are urging senators to reject the rule change, which McConnell is trying to attach to a massive spending bill. Reid strongly opposes the McConnell proposal and intends to fight it, according to his office. But Democrats also hinted at the possibility of a trade-off for a provision requiring senators to file their campaign finance reports in a way that would allow electronic searching, which most other federal political committees are already required to do. The fate of both proposals could be decided by what the House includes in its spending package. But campaign-finance activists say the trade-off of e-filing for the McConnell coordination change is not in the public interest. ( Also on POLITICO: Ryan's plan: Broad vision and small steps) “E-filing is something that should have been done 20 years ago — it’s like ‘welcome to the 1990s!’” said Donnelly, who asserted McConnell’s goal is not transparency, but consolidating power on the big-money right. “He’s recreating what Harry Reid had, except he’s strengthening it with a gaping hole in coordination rules.” What Reid has is a robust party committee supporting his party’s Senate candidates — the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which significantly outraised the NRSC in 2014 — complemented by outside big-money outfits that Reid has blessed, and for which he has helped raise money. There’s the major donor-backed super PAC called Senate Majority PAC, which spent the most of all such groups in 2014, and a nonprofit group called Patriot Majority, which is registered under a section of the Tax Code — 501(c)4 — that allows it to shield its donors’ identities. Such outside groups are barred from coordinating their spending with candidates’ campaigns or their party committees, but the two groups are run by Reid’s close allies and usually seem to be able to find ways to act in harmony with the official party apparatus. By contrast, Republicans have a confusing web of big-money groups that overlap with one other and often compete for cash and step on one another’s toes. The groups also have in some ways cut into the power and control once exercised by the party and its leaders like McConnell. Some of the party’s biggest donors complained to McConnell after the midterms about being solicited by all manner of groups without knowing which they could trust. He dispatched his top political aide, Josh Holmes, to explore the possibility of creating a single big-money outfit focused on supporting the party’s Senate candidates. Holmes has been meeting with donors to gauge support, and has found them to be receptive, according to sources familiar with the planning. They say it’s now more than likely that a McConnell-blessed outside outfit will form to help the party headed into 2016 — it’s just a question of what it will look like and who will run it. One of the leading possibilities being discussed includes forming a linked super PAC-501(c)4 model that mimics the Democratic one. ( Also on POLITICO: House votes to renew 'tax extender' breaks) Another possibility talked about in GOP finance circles is running the outfit as an offshoot of American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS, the Karl Rove-conceived groups run by McConnell confidant Steven Law. It was among the biggest outside spenders supporting Republican Senate candidates in 2014. While Holmes has met with Rove and Law, according to the sources, the McConnell project is seen in some quarters as a threat to Crossroads. Neither Holmes nor McConnell’s office would discuss the plans. A political operative close to McConnell pointed out that Crossroads’ Law is an insider in McConnell world and suggested that Crossroads would be a part of whatever McConnell’s team does. But the operative also stressed the need for a new Senate-specific outside group in 2016, when many donors and groups like Crossroads will be at least partly focused on the presidential campaign. McConnell is uniquely positioned to help create a strong and orderly GOP outside effort to help all the party’s Senate candidates, asserted the operative. “Every state has two senators, but not all senators are created equal. He has a different standing with donors than others,” said the operative. “If it’s a McConnell-backed operation, donors will have confidence that the money is being put to good use, and there will be extremely smart people running it.” McConnell’s gravitation to campaign finance issues as among his first orders of business post-election seems motivated by equal parts shrewd political strategy and career-long crusade against campaign cash restrictions. McConnell has long argued that such rules, which he sees as unconstitutional infringements on free speech, have hurt the political process by weakening the parties and empowering outside groups like super PACs. This summer, he told an audience of wealthy donors at the Koch brothers’ seminar that the day in 2002 that President George W. Bush signed into law the McCain-Feingold law barring the party committees from accepting unlimited so-called soft money checks was “the worst day of my political life.” McConnell sued unsuccessfully to overturn McCain-Feingold, and applauded when part of it was struck down by the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision, which paved the way for super PACs. Taken together, McConnell’s plans to bless a super PAC and to try to increase the effectiveness of the party committees should be thought of as a way for him to wrestle control away from more strident conservative outside groups, said Ray La Raja, an academic who specializes in studying the role of political parties. “It’s hard for the party leadership to govern when all these groups within their own parties are trying to pick off their members,” said La Raja, an associate political science professor at the University of Massachusetts. “It gives ammunition to some of the most extreme elements of these parties to prevent party leaders from striking deals. McConnell is trying to get back power so he can actually govern. He’s very conservative, but he’s not an ideologue, and now even more conservative groups are trying to prevent him from cutting deals.” It’s not dissimilar from an argument McConnell made himself during fights with tea party-oriented outside groups during the 2013 government shutdown and other fiscal skirmishes. Having a super PAC “will allow McConnell to say ‘I’ve got your back’” to his members when he asks them to buck the more rigid outside groups, said La Raja. He further cast the proposed coordination change as another way to bolster the party’s effectiveness, and dismissed opposition to it from advocates for tighter rules as misguided. “The campaign finance reformers don’t understand there are trade-offs,” he said. “You can’t just unilaterally try to combat corruption without affecting other aspects of the system in bad ways. Transparency is going to suffer. And the system is going to become fragmented.” For McConnell, though, it’s at least as much about trying to enhance free speech, asserted former Federal Election Commission Chairman Brad Smith, a leading adviser to conservatives on campaign finance issues who’s spoken to McConnell often about the issue. “I think Sen. McConnell very seriously believes in First Amendment rights, but he’s also a good practitioner. And good practitioners will use the tools available to them,” said Smith.

Use Mozilla Firefox DevTools in Chrome I shared on Twitter last week that I do casual browsing in Google Chrome but do most of my development work in Firefox. I can't give a great reason for doing so but Firefox has seemed like a development "security blanket" since I was in college (over a decade ago!). The only time I use Chrome's development tools is when I have a Chrome-specific bug. Only recently I found out about Mozilla's Valence project; Valence allows developers to use Firefox Developer Tools in projects other than Firefox. Valence is available as a standalone utility but also gets installed when you open Firefox's WebIDE, commonly used to debug Firefox OS apps. Assuming you have both Firefox and Chrome on your machine, you can kick off the process with the following shell command: $ /Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --remote-debugging-port=9222 --no-first-run --no-default-browser-check --user-data-dir=$(mktemp -d -t 'chrome-remote_data_dir') That command opens Chrome with port 9222 open for debugging connection. With the connection open, you can open Firefox's WebIDE, select "Chrome Desktop", and you now have access to debug Chrome with Firefox's DevTools as such: Awesome on both Mozilla and Google's part to allow this type of functionality. The browser wars are (mostly) over and we're now focused on making web development easier on ... brace yourselves ... web developers. I'm thankful that this type of functionality exists -- now I get the best of both worlds!

It was just two days ago when we reported that according to Goldman calculations, the world was dangerously close to an almost unprecedented event (with two exceptions: 1998 and 2009): running out of space to store crude distillate products. As a reminder, this is what Goldman said: "the build in Atlantic distillate inventories this year has been large, following near-record refinery utilization in both the US and Europe, only modest demand growth, especially relative to gasoline, and increased imports from the East on refinery expansion and rising Chinese exports." As a result, and despite a cold winter in both Europe and the US last year, European and US distillate storage utilization is reaching historically elevated levels, driving a sharp weakening in heating oil and gasoil time spreads. Such high distillate storage utilization has two precedents, leading in both cases to storage capacity running out in the springs of 1998 and 2009, pushing runs and crude oil prices and timespreads sharply lower. This raises the question of whether today’s oil market oversupply can rebalance simply through financial stress – prices remaining near their current low level through 2016 – or if operational stress – breaching storage capacity constraints and forcing prices below cash costs like in 1998 and 2009 – is ineluctable. Then moments ago the EIA reported that despite Goldman's concerns, and despite yet another inventory build in the U.S., which rose by a further 3.4 million barrels, as US production rose once again, Cushing inventories actually declined further, dropping by 785K, following a -78K decline a week earlier. The DOE update, together with the algo trade documented earlier, led to a massive surge in oil. This data was fitting with what we have seen outside the US. Earlier this month, we reported that supertanker day-rates has soared to over $100,000 for the first time since 2008 even as Saudi Arabia was slashing its price (to a $3.20 discount to the benchmark with the largest price cut since 2012) which suggested that in an effort to shore up its reserves and capture more market share amid dwindling demand (and excess supply) - a price war has begun led by US ally Saudi Arabia, and China is hoarding crude at these low-low prices. * * * And then something very unexpected happened: the world quietly hit a tipping point when, according to Reuters, China ran out of space to store oil. In a report explaining why "oil cargoes bought for state reserve stranded at China port" Reuters notes that "about 4 million barrels of crude oil bought by a Chinese state trader for the country's strategic reserves have been stranded in two tankers off an eastern port for nearly two months due to a lack of storage, two trade sources said." One tanker, the Ocean Lily, loaded oil from the Omani port of Mina Al Fahal, Reuters' shipping data on Eikon showed. It is unclear what crude Plata Glory is carrying. The oil was part of a total of at least 6 million barrels of crude bought by Sinochem for government stockpiles, but destined for a commercial tank farm in the city of Weifang, connected with Huangdao with a pipeline, the trader and port source said. The tank farm, with total storage of about 25 million barrels, is mainly owned by Shandong Hongrun Petrochemical Co, an independent refinery partly owned by Sinochem. The delays will cost millions of dollars and indicate how China is struggling to import record amounts of crude if storage and port capacity at Qingdao, its largest oil import terminal, are unable to keep pace. Ocean Lily and Plata Glory, two very large crude carriers carrying oil for Sinochem Corp, arrived at Huangdao, Qingdao's main oil terminal, in early September, and both were still at anchor this week, waiting to unload, according to Reuters' shipping data, and trade and port sources. Qingdao Port Meanwhile, as noted above, China has been scrambling to buy ever more oil, which is currently en route to Qingdao and other ports, where it took will remain inert as there is absolutely no uptake capacity at this moment. According to a senior trader familiar with Sinochem's oil trading and cited by Reuters, the tankers "are both for SPR (strategic petroleum reserve), but no tank space is available to take that oil in." As reported previously, China's crude oil imports rose nearly 9 percent in the first nine months of the year over a year earlier to 6.65 million bpd, driven partly by reserve building. The problem, as this incident reveals, is that while China has been doing what it does best: stockpiling commodities, it has had far less end demand for the raw material, and as a result the crude pipeline has gotten clogged up. And now, it appears that even oil meant to fill up its SPR (coming at a time when the US announced it would begin selling millions of barrells from its own Strategic Petroleum Reserve), is unable to get to its destination. China said late last year the first phase of the government's emergency stockpile is storing about 90 million barrels of crude oil, with the construction of a second phase due by 2020, partly through private investment. Huangdao is the site of one of China's first SPR tanks, with space for 20 million barrels of oil and also has plans for a second phase of similar size. A recent move to increase competition for oil imports by granting quotas to independent refineries has added to congestion at Huangdao, where operations were already hampered following a pipeline accident two years ago. "Storage and berths were not ready for such a quick market opening," the trader said. * * * Broker reports show that Sinochem owns Ocean Lily, while Plata Glory was fixed on a six-month charter at around $37,750 a day in April, with an option to extend for another six months, putting the cost of keeping the two vessels idle at several million dollars. * * * And just like that China has, if only for the time being, run out of storage facilities. How long until this translates into an actual drop in oil purchases, and even more importantly, how long until the U.S. itself finds itself in a comparable "overflow" bottleneck, leading to the next, and sharpest yet, drop in oil prices?

The gift started with a solid upvote; on the box. (Personalized packing, FANTASTIC!) I'm a contractor at a pretty professional engineering firm so there's not much I can do to my cube but this gifter delivered. Inside the box I got a personal note, a unique clock and some friendly transformers. The clock is AWESOME and will make my job of waiting till 5 much more entertaining. It also has a nice click every minute as the card drops which will be soothing to me but is sure to piss off my OCD cube mate. Not only did he give me a great clock that will improve my work day, but he included a pun on Transformers. Got to love puns. Finally, or firstly, was the note; A lot of guys ignore the note and that’s about standards. I mean, if you’re going to get into the gifter hall of fame you HAVE to have a memorable note. I mean do you think Bad Horse didn’t work on his note? His awesome... gift... note.

Golfer Jordan Spieth announced this morning that he will not play in the Olympic Games because of concerns over the Zika virus, meaning the world’s top four players in his sport have now opted out of going to Brazil. Savannah Guthrie, who hosts Today on NBC, will not be there either. The golfers are self-employed and need answer to no one, while Guthrie is pregnant. All enjoy the power of celebrity. But what of the rank-and-file employees who work for major technology companies sending large contingents to Brazil to provide services and show off their wares? Are they being asked – or compelled -- to ignore the risks? Conversely, could women of child-bearing age be denied the opportunity to go at an employer’s discretion? We asked a number of vendors and an expert in employment law. Cisco is an official supporter of the Olympics and devotes a special section of its website to its participation, including a countdown clock (25 days and change). “Zika has not impacted our plans, nor our participation,” a Cisco spokesperson says via email. “We are aware of it and we have provided information and preventative measures for our employees, including links to (the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization). As always, employees have the ability to decline travel to any region if they have any concerns.” Has anyone declined to go? “We’re not in a position to confirm whether employees have opted out (that is between them and their manager), but we provide for that option.” General Electric is another Olympic partner providing extensive technological support in Brazil. “GE has over 100 technical staff to support projects around the Olympic Games,” says a GE spokesman. “GE leaders and global medical teams are closely monitoring the Zika situation and following guidance issued by health authorities such as the WHO.” Have any GE employees decided against traveling to Brazil? “No GE employees have opted out of going, but GE employees are free to opt out at any time.” A Microsoft spokesperson says “the company does not have anything to share” on this topic, while Samsung and Panasonic did not respond. Patricia Pryor, an attorney at Jackson Lewis P.C. in Cincinnati, addressed these issues in a piece for The National Law Review earlier this year. I asked her if she has heard of any instances in the intervening months of conflict between workers and their bosses. “I am not aware of any particular situations where employees have been prevented from going or forced to go to an area where the Zika virus is prevalent,” Pryor tells me. “Certainly employers can decide that no one is going to travel for (the company) to a certain location, but they cannot decide to only prevent pregnant employees or women of child-bearing years from whatever work opportunity is present in one of these areas if they allow others to go.” However, the decision-making is not always simple or clear-cut, Pryor says. “Employers are wise to be flexible with travel requirements to Zika-infested areas when they can and when doing so is reasonable. However, there are some jobs where the purpose of the job and/or the essential functions of the job require travel to these areas. If it is not reasonable or possible to delay travel to the area, an employer generally can require employees to travel.” [MORE: For sale: The nuclear bunker of your dreams.] And then there are the unwritten, unspoken and maybe even unintended pressures on employees to step up and do their jobs – even among the mosquitos in Brazil – because there are important business considerations at stake and/or higher-ups to impress. Jordan Spieth and his fellow golf stars can just say no, thanks, and stay home. Others face more complicated decisions. Welcome regulars and passersby. Here are a few more recent buzzblog items. And, if you’d like to receive Buzzblog via e-mail newsletter, here’s where to sign up. You can follow me on Twitter here and on Google+ here.

FOXBORO, MA - JANUARY 14: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots reacts after being hit by Jadeveon Clowney #90 of the Houston Texans in the first half during the AFC Divisional Playoff Game at Gillette Stadium on January 14, 2017 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) – Jadeveon Clowney didn’t fill up the stat sheet with sacks or tackles; having none of the former and only two fo the latter. That doesn’t mean his play wasn’t impactful. Clowney was constantly in the backfield harassing New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Along with linebacker Whitney Mercilus when the Texans blitzed they were in the face of the Patriots leader. “He was rattled,” Clowney said after the 34-16 loss. “We were getting them in third down and long he was throwing the ball up and getting deep catches.” Clowney stopped short of saying Brady and his receivers were getting lucky on those plays, but Clowney was getting after Brady a lot. At one point in the 3rd quarter, Clowney hit Brady and the Patriots quarterback tried to push the 6’6″ defensive end off of him before complaining to the refs for a late hit call. Clowney finished with two official hits on Brady for the game but no sacks.

Ready to fight back? Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Subscribe now for as little as $2 a month! Support Progressive Journalism The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. The Nation is reader supported: Chip in $10 or more to help us continue to write about the issues that matter. Fight Back! Sign up for Take Action Now and we’ll send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and we’ll send you three meaningful actions you can take each week. Thank you for signing up. For more from The Nation, check out our latest issue Travel With The Nation Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Be the first to hear about Nation Travels destinations, and explore the world with kindred spirits. Sign up for our Wine Club today. Did you know you can support The Nation by drinking wine? A decidedly off-message statement from Ann Romney on Sunday’s Meet the Press was overlooked by the media, since everyone focused on Mitt Romney’s false claim that he would make sure people with prior conditions can purchase health insurance. Ad Policy Ann Romney made a noteworthy admission in the same interview, and the Progressive Change Committee is launching a targeted online ad campaign in Ohio to make sure voters there see it. Ann said, “Mitt and I do recognize that we have not had a financial struggle in our lives.” This is a classic “Kinsley gaffe,” defined as a when a politician accidentally tells the truth. Of course, the Romneys—who grew up wealthy and became far wealthier—have not had a financial struggle. But just two weeks ago when Ann addressed the Republican National Convention, she pretended otherwise. Recalling their newlywed days, as part of her speech’s effort to humanize her husband, Ann said: “We got married and moved into a basement apartment. We walked to class together, shared the housekeeping, and ate a lot of pasta and tuna fish. Our desk was a door propped up on sawhorses. Our dining room table was a fold-down ironing board in the kitchen. Those were very special days.” Ann has been hawking a variation of the idea that they got by on very little money when they were young for years. Here’s what she said on the subject during Mitt’s unsuccessful senatorial campaign in 1994: They were not easy years. You have to understand, I was raised in a lovely neighborhood, as was Mitt, and at BYU, we moved into a $62-a-month basement apartment with a cement floor and lived there two years as students with no income. It was tiny. And I didn’t have money to carpet the floor. But you can get remnants, samples, so I glued them together, all different colors. It looked awful, but it was carpeting. We were happy, studying hard. Neither one of us had a job, because Mitt had enough of an investment from stock that we could sell off a little at a time. The stock came from Mitt’s father. When he took over American Motors, the stock was worth nothing. But he invested Mitt’s birthday money year to year—it wasn’t much, a few thousand, but he put it into American Motors because he believed in himself. Five years later, stock that had been $6 a share was $96 and Mitt cashed it so we could live and pay for education. This reflects a remarkably out-of-touch class privilege. In the 1950s and 1960s, someone who could pass onto his son “a few thousand dollars” worth of stock was wealthy and his son was quite fortunate. Ann describes it as “not much.” How much was this “not much” we’re talking about? As Andrew Sabl, a professor of political science and public policy and UCLA observes, “By Ann’s own account, the stock amounted to ‘a few thousand’ dollars when bought, but it had gone up by a factor of sixteen. So let’s conservatively say that they got through five years as students—neither one of them working—only by ‘chipping away at’ assets of $60,000 in 1969 dollars (about $377,000 today).” Ann’s spoiled attitude is echoed by Mitt’s dismissal of $374,326.62 in speaking fees in 2010 as “not very much.” The Romneys tried very hard in the Republican National Convention to create a false image of themselves as regular Americans who understand the tribulations of struggling families. Since Mitt’s proposes to raise taxes on the middle class to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy, this is a very important con game for him and his wife to play. But as soon as they go off script, the truth comes out.

Zee Media Bureau/Himanshu Kapoor Jakarta: A young copywriter after working continuously for 30 hours met with a tragic end. Mita Diran from Jakarta, Indonesia died over the last weekend after she collapsed and slipped in a coma. On December 14 she had tweeted about working for ridiculously long hours for her employer Young & Rubicam Indonesia, an ad agency. "30 hours of working and still going strooong, (sic)" she had tweeted. 30 hours of working and still going strooong. — Mita Diran (@mitdoq) December 14, 2013 After few hours she suffered a heart attack and slipped into a coma from which it is said she would never wake up. As the death was attributed to overwork, her father, who himself is an employee with an ad agency, suggested that Diran could have been working for around three days straight. Local media reports say that her regular consumption of the energy drink Krating Daeng could also be one of the reasons for her sudden demise. The following statement was released by the company after the death: - Dear Friends and Colleagues in the Advertising & Marketing community, It is with a heavy heart and deep sadness that we have to inform you we have lost our friend, sister, and work colleague, Mita Diran, earlier this evening. Mita was a talented copywriter with a gentle smile who will always live on in our hearts. We have been to Mita`s family residence tonight and expressed our sincere condolences on behalf of Y&R Group Indonesia. It is a great loss and we wish Mita`s family the faith and strength in each other in going through this extremely difficult time. Tomorrow, December 16, we will close the office for the day to pay our last respects to Mita at her funeral at Jeruk Purut cemetery at 10 AM. Let us all take a day of silence tomorrow and give Mita`s family the support and prayers that they need, from the bottom of our hearts. Sincerely, Y&R Group Indonesia

France has risen from fifth to first in the space of a year, according to researchers for the Soft Power 30 index published on Tuesday. Germany fell from fourth to fifth over the same period. "France's soft power has no doubt seen a boost with the defeat of the National Front and election of its youngest ever president, Emmanuel Macron," the report's authors noted. The Soft Power 30 is not just about political leadership - it also makes reference to the number of Michelin-starred restaurants a country has. France's vast diplomatic network was also given credit for its growing global influence. In noting France's rise, the report also acknowledged threats to its security: "The threat of terrorism has not stopped tourists flocking to France and enjoying its rich cultural offering, cuisine, and lifestyle - France's restaurant scene is unrivalled, its film sector continues to flourish, and its museums and galleries are some of the most visited in the world." Melania Trump, Presidents Trump and Macron, Brigitte Macron in Paris Using data and polls in 25 countries, PR firm Portland Communications working with the University of Southern California school of public diplomacy looked at data from six categories: government, culture, global engagement, education, digital and enterprise. It also included a country's attractiveness for both tourists and foreign students. In its introduction, the report explains power in the past was determined largely by armies and economic might. Today, it argues, power has become more diffuse and has also moved away from governments as "more non-state actors leverage international influence," due largely to the digital revolution. To achieve foreign policy goals and influence outcomes, countries are encouraging collaboration and building networks and relationships. Bastille Day celebrations in Paris France's Bastille Day Troops parading for the traditional military parade. Bastille Day celebrations in Paris Arrival in a military jeep French President Emmanuel Macron and Chief of the Defense Staff of the French Army General Pierre de Villiers arrive on the Champs-Elysess avenue. Bastille Day celebrations in Paris Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump The Trumps are honorary guests at this year's celebrations. Bastille Day celebrations in Paris US troops in WWI uniforms US troops were taking part in the parade. Bastille Day celebrations in Paris US troops leading parade About 200 troops from US European Command were leading the parade to mark the centennial of the US entry into World War I. Bastille Day celebrations in Paris French Republican Guard Members of the French Republican Guard march as they arrive for the traditional Bastille day military parade. Bastille Day celebrations in Paris Arc de Triomphe The parade marks 100 years since the Americans entered World War One. Bastille Day celebrations in Paris The French Tricolore Jets from the Air Force Patrouille de France flying over the French sky. Bastille Day celebrations in Paris Security first! Tight security measures were high priority. Author: Rey Azizi Germany falls slightly While Germany held on to its top-five ranking, it did fall from second place in 2015, through third in 2016 to fourth in 2017 "despite an improved overall score." The report described it as "a difficult year for the Germans" dealing with the impact of terror, an increase in the number of migrant arrivals and emergence of a far-right political party. Read: 10 things to know about the AfD While Germany improved or maintained its ranking across data in sub-indices, it fell in polling and the report noted for the future: "All eyes will be on Germany as it seeks to reassert its position as the primary driver of Europe's agenda." G20 leaders attend a Beethoven concert in Hamburg US and UK on the decline The report noted a decline in soft power for the US under the administration of President Donald Trump. "Trump's ‘America First' doctrine has played poorly abroad, alienating allies, and damaging links with the rest of the world," it noted. While the UK held on to second place in 2016, which was down from first place the year before, the decision to leave the European Union has been consequential for its soft power. "Despite the looming public negotiations, the UK's objective soft power assets both state and privately owned remain strong" the report said. But a decline in favorability among European countries showed Britain's ranking was falling. EU Brexit ministers with documents meet UK Brexit ministers without documents Soft powers ahead Looking forward, the report noted, "As the European Union looks beyond Brexit and recommits to deeper integration and cooperation, perhaps the resurgence of 'Old Europe' - in terms of soft power - rests on presently being the most stable, level-headed region of the world." "China's now three-year march up the rankings seems to match its ever-expanding global presence. At the same time, America's protectionist zeal and apparent withdrawal from the world has seen it slip down the rankings." China is ranked 25, just one point ahead of Russia but it has climbed ten points and five places since 2015. The bottom five in the index are Russia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Brazil and Turkey. Soft Power 30 authors Portland Communication's General Manager for Asia, Jonathan McClory, is Soft Power 30's author and contributors include academics, former government and current NGO personnel, diplomats and PR experts. Named contributors include Sir Martin Davidson, Chairman of the Great Britain-China Center, Moira Whelan who worked at the US State Department and Agency for International Development, Tomas Kroyer of Argentina's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, former UK diplomat Victoria Dean and Nicholas J. Cull, Professor of Public Diplomacy and the founding director of the Master of Public Diplomacy program at USC.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The head of Europe’s food safety watchdog has written to a group of nearly 100 senior scientists strongly rejecting their criticisms in a row about the safety of weed-killer ingredient glyphosate. Monsanto's Roundup weedkiller atomizers are displayed for sale at a garden shop at Bonneuil-Sur-Marne near Paris, France, June 16, 2015. REUTERS/Charles Platiau The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which advises European Union policymakers, issued an opinion in November that glyphosate is unlikely to cause cancer. That was at odds with a view from the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), sparked outrage among environmental campaigners and divided the scientific community. The IARC said in March that glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans” while environmental groups have been calling for a ban on glyphosate. Ninety-six academics from around the world signed an open letter to European Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis, dated Nov. 27, urging EU authorities to ignore the European watchdogs’s opinion. “We urge you and the European Commission to disregard the flawed EFSA finding on glyphosate in your formulation of glyphosate health and environmental policy for Europe,” the letter said. It was written by Christopher Portier from the U.S.-based non-governmental organisation the Environmental Defense Fund. Portier was also a specialist consulted during the IARC’s research on glyphosate. The letter called for “a transparent, open and credible review of the scientific literature”. EFSA’s opinion could lead the 28-member European Union to renew approval for glyphosate, which was brought into use by Monsanto in the 1970s and is used in its top-selling product Roundup and many other herbicides around the world. In a reply to Portier dated Jan. 13, EFSA Executive Director Bernhard Url described glyphosate as “a keenly debated issue”. “I strongly disagree with your contention that EFSA has not applied open and objective criteria to its assessment,” Url wrote in the letter, seen by Reuters. Url said representatives of EFSA and the IARC would meet early this year to clarify differences of view between the two bodies and that the IARC evaluations “represent a first step”. EU sources said the meeting would probably take place in Brussels in mid-February. EFSA, based in Parma, Italy, also noted its reply was to Portier and the scientists who signed the letter, not the IARC. “We should not compare this first screening assessment with the more comprehensive hazard assessment done by authorities such as EFSA, which are designed to support the regulatory process for pesticides in close cooperation with member states in the EU,” Url said. No one at the European Commission or Monsanto was immediately available for comment. A spokeswoman for IARC told Reuters the Lyon-based agency did not wish to comment at this point.

A development boom in Downtown Los Angeles continues to reshape the city’s skyline, and a new report from real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield shows that much of the growth in Downtown and beyond has been shaped by Chinese investment. Los Angeles trails only New York and San Francisco in terms of popularity with Chinese real estate groups looking for American investment opportunities. Seven percent of all Chinese investment in American real estate in 2016 was centered in the LA area, with over $1.5 billion of total spending. That’s a big dropoff from 2014, which saw $2.625 billion of total investment, but it’s a huge increase from 2012, when Chinese investors put just $74 million into the LA real estate market. 2015 also saw over $1.5 billion in Chinese investment. The visible effects of this uptick in Chinese investment are massive projects like Downtown’s Metropolis towers and the forthcoming Oceanwide Plaza. The report notes that both projects, backed by Chinese capital, “are transforming LA’s skyline, revitalizing neighborhoods and inspiring additional investment.” One could certainly argue that projects like Metropolis, which cater to the ultra-wealthy, could, in fact, have a devitalizing effect on the South Park neighborhood, but it’s hard to deny that foreign investment is playing a major role in the area’s ongoing transformation. Just a few months ago, City Century (a subsidiary of Shanghai-based development firm ShengLong Group) announced plans for a massive complex near LA Live that will include three skyscrapers—among them a 65-story tower that will be among the tallest in the city. The report predicts the influx of Chinese capital will continue into 2017 as China’s economy slows, though new rules blocking foreign investment deals of over $10 billion could prevent a few of the most ambitious acquisitions.

Claim: Alka-Seltzer dramatically increased its sales by instructing consumers to use two tablets instead of one. TRUE Origins: The history of corporate America is replete with examples (both real and apocryphal) of schemes to manipulate consumers into not only purchasing new products, but into buying more of the products they already use. Nearly everyone has heard the tale of the clever marketing man who doubled his company’s sales of its shampoo product by adding the final word to the instructions “Lather. Rinse. Repeat.” Umpteen comedians have mused on the deliberate waste promoted by selling hot dogs in packs of eight, but buns in packages of twelve. And “artificial obsolescence” — the yearly introduction of superficial stylistic changes in big-ticket items such as automobiles and appliances in order to lure status-conscious consumers into replacing perfectly functional products — dates from the 1920s: In the 1920s the auto industry had been faced with a crisis: by 1926, according to reliable estimates, everyone who could afford a car already had one, and in 1927 production and sales declined for the first time. The answer was not Fordism — the durable, dependable, unchanging Model-T. No, the solution was Sloanism, or the annual style change named for Alfred P. Sloan, president of General Motors. The object of superficial changes in detail on a yearly basis, Sloan said, was “to create demand for new value and, so to speak, create a certain amount of dissatisfaction with past models as compared with the new one.” In the 1920s the auto industry had been faced with a crisis: by 1926, according to reliable estimates, everyone who could afford a car already had one, and in 1927 production and sales declined for the first time. The answer was not Fordism — the durable, dependable, unchangingNo, the solution was Sloanism, or the annual style change named forSloan, president of General Motors. The object of superficial changes in detail on a yearly basis, Sloan said, was “to create demand for new value and, so to speak, create a certain amount of dissatisfaction with past models as compared with the new one.” When Sloanism began back in the 20s, the notion that a serviceable product could be rendered obsolete by appearance alone was transferred from the apparel of the upper class to the single most important industrial product in America. With the help of the ad copywriter, status and symbolism became compelling reasons for buying a new car, even though the old, black Ford out in the yard still ran like a top. 1 In the early 1960s, Alka-Seltzer , the venerable fizzy heartburn and acid indigestion pain-relief tablet, was in a fix similar to that of auto makers in the late 1920s. As exemplified by Speedy, the “cartoon disk with a squeaky voice and pop eyes” who had been introduced in the early days of television and by the 1960s was one of the corniest mascots still in use to sell an adult product, Alka-Seltzer had fallen out of favor with the younger segment of the drug-buying public. Alka-Seltzer’s customers were mostly older folks, and the product was not attracting many new buyers among American youth, for whom it “had become the symbol of people who drank too much and ate too much … the unforgivable symbol of a slob, a hangover cure.” Nor was the typical advertising of the era likely to appeal to them: Traditionally, pain-relief products had been advertised in gruesome commercials filled with horrors that would have given you pain if you didn’t already have it. People ran around groaning, clutching their heads and stomachs, men and women crawled into corners and shrieked “Pain! Pain! Pain!” at television viewers who immediately turned off their sets. In one Frankensteinian commercial an ugly Neanderthal man went through a series of tortures, hammers dropped from the skies to pound his head, hoses appeared like snakes to whip him with water, straitjackets tied him up, you wanted to scream at him to “get off my telly!” People did not watch proprietary drug advertising unless they already had a headache or stomach problem and were looking for a quick fix, so most of the time, from the advertiser’s point of view, advertising was like throwing money into a black hole. 2 The creative minds at the (Jack) Tinker & Partners advertising think tank solved the problem by coming up with different reasons for people to take Alka-Seltzer and fashioning a series of entertaining commercials around those themes: [We] created the kickoff commercial that set the style for all the variety of commercials that followed. It was a truly wonderful, iconic commercial, an ovation to stomachs, a sweet-natured montage of big ones, little ones, slim ones, fat ones, all filmed at stomach level. There was a street digger’s jackhammer stomach, a young chick’s bare midriff, two men talking, facing each other, one with a flat stomach and one with a big round one, an array of stomachs presented with self-deprecating humor and sweet humanness to a happy, bouncy [We] created the kickoff commercial that set the style for all the variety of commercials that followed. It was a truly wonderful, iconic commercial, an ovation to stomachs, a sweet-natured montage of big ones, little ones, slim ones, fat ones, all filmed at stomach level. There was a street digger’s jackhammer stomach, a young chick’s bare midriff, two men talking, facing each other, one with a flat stomach and one with a big round one, an array of stomachs presented with self-deprecating humor and sweet humanness to a happy, bouncy tune . “No matter what shape your stomach’s in” was its opening phrase. Self-deprecating humor was new and popular in the sixties and unheard-of in drug commercials, when it appeared it was news. It was followed by 16 completely different commercials, each entertaining and stylish, each giving you a different reason to take Alka-Seltzer. 2 One of these 16 commercials was based on an “ Alka-Seltzer on the Rocks” theme, for which Tinker & Partners created “a frothy, luminous commercial composed of nothing but two Alka-Seltzers dropping into a crystal glass of water.” The key phrase here was “two Alka-Seltzers” — up until this series of ads, both the Speedy commercials and Alka-Seltzer’s packaging had promoted the use of but a single tablet at a time: We met an attractive doctor at Miles [Laboratories], Dorothy Carter, who demonstrated to us that in order for aspirin to break through the pain barrier it often required two aspirins, not one, to do the job. As aspirin is one of the ingredients that make Alka-Seltzer effective, we asked her if two Alka-Seltzers would be better than one. Yes, two would work better than one. We met an attractive doctor at Miles [Laboratories], Dorothy Carter, who demonstrated to us that in order for aspirin to break through the pain barrier it often required two aspirins, not one, to do the job. As aspirin is one of the ingredients that makeeffective, we asked her if twowould be better than one. Yes, two would work better than one. But the directions on the package said to take only one. And all the old Speedy commercials demonstrated only one fizzing in water. [We] did a little dance with Dorothy Carter in the laboratory. What a stroke of good fortune that was! We changed the directions on the packages and began showing two Alka-Seltzers dropping into a glass of water in every commercial. Miles created portable foil packs that held two Alka-Seltzers each and sold them in new places, magazine stands, bars, fast-food restaurants, powder rooms — they became ubiquitous — and, naturally, Miles began selling twice as much Alka-Seltzer . 2 Alka-Seltzer’s sales didn’t quite double, and not all of the increase was directly attributable to consumers’ using two tablets instead of one, but Alka-Seltzer did experience a dramatic reversal of fortune due to the Tinker & Partners commercials and their emphasis on two tablets — an emphasis that was later fortified with the catchy and enduring “Plop, plop; fizz fizz” jingle, which drove from the public consciousness any thought that anyone had ever used anything less than two Alka-Seltzers at a time. A common bit of trivia claims that Alka-Seltzer’s famous “Plop, plop; fizz, fizz” jingle was written by the father of actress Julianna Margulies (of TV medical drama ER and The Good Wife fame). Although Julianna’s father, Paul Margulies, was an advertising executive who helped create the “Plop-plop, fizz-fizz, oh what a relief it is” campaign for Alka-Seltzer , the jingle was actually composed by musician Tom Dawes, a former member of The Cyrkle , who toured America with the Beatles in 1966 after scoring a #2 hit with a recording of Paul Simon’s “Red Rubber Ball.” Last updated: 27 October 2013

With the “Arab Spring” protests of the past year or two serving as inspiration, Twitter and Facebook have been used to organize a large group of protestors on Wall Street and an “occupation” of Wall Street is currently underway. Twitter is currently also being used as a platform for non-attendees to weigh in on the controversy, with a steady stream of “for” and “against” tweets either lauding the efforts or dismissing protesters as about to get bored and seek a Starbucks on their iPhones or “burn daddy’s money.” Web activist groups and collectives including The Other 98% (an organization lobbying for corporate and top 2% tax reforms and the like) and the formidable Anonymous have been linked with the protests- more of which are occurring in satellite locations. One circulated statement urging participation said: “On the 17th of September, we want to see 20,000 people to flood into lower Manhattan, set up beds, kitchens, peaceful barricades and occupy Wall Street for a few months. Like our brothers and sisters in Egypt, Greece, Spain, and Iceland, we plan to use the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic of mass occupation to restore democracy in America. We also encourage the use of nonviolence to achieve our ends and maximize the safety of all participants.” Currently, #takewallstreet has overtaken #occupywallst as a trending topic on the microblogging service and even celebrities are getting in on the fray. Roseanne Barr has tweeted on her feed, @therealroseanne, and rapper Lupe Fiasco posted: Total headcount estimates for the event have not been attempted yet. The protest’s official site is located here.

I am the mother of two boys 11 and 6, attending public school. Last week, my 6-year-old exclaimed that his female friend told him Santa wasn’t real. I was completely caught off-guard; my 11-year-old just figured it out this year! I am unaware of this family’s beliefs and religion but I am very upset that a 6-year-old passed such extensive knowledge on to my child. I teach my children to respect other religions. Should I speak to the parents? Absolutely not. The odds are slim to none that a modern 11-year-old still believes in Santa Claus, says Ken Gallinger. ( Stuparyk, Michael ) I have two things to say; you won’t like either. First, my wife and I have a wonderful 10-year-old in our life; I can tell you, without a shred of doubt, that unless your 11-year-old lives in a different universe than our Sarah, he didn’t just find out about Santa. No way. Perhaps your son just wanted to keep you happy. More likely, he decided that perpetuating your Santa-shtick leads to more presents. In any event, the odds of a modern 11-year-old believing in Santa are worse than the likelihood of St. Nick actually existing. The second thing is more important. You make reference, twice, to “beliefs and religion” — as if faith in the fat fellow were a matter of religious conviction. It isn’t. Article Continued Below Let me clarify: Jesus is the holy guy conceived by Mary; Santa’s the money-making dude conceived by Coke. Your confusion, however, substantiates my main point. It’s this: ethically, it is wrong to tell any child, at any age, that Santa Claus is a real person. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t narrate the wonderful stories of the season; if that’s your thing, go right ahead. But you’ll also read the Grinch, without trying to convince your kids there really are Whos down in Whoville. You’ll talk about Rudolph, without saying “Oh, yes, there actually are reindeer with nasal LEDs.” You may even share the Bethlehem story, hopefully without trying to convince your kid that stars really move and virgins procreate. Your kids don’t care whether these stories are literally true; they just love the yarn and the telling. So why lie about Santa? I’ve never understood this deceit, this foolishness. Is it really wise to convince your child that an old guy can enter your house without being noticed, in the middle of the night, prowl around, eat your cookies — and that this is a good thing? Is it smart to teach that this intruder is “watching you” at school, in the playground, wherever — and that’s fine? And especially — is it ethically OK to teach that good children get lots of blessings, while bad ones get curses? That girl in their class who got cancer must have been wicked! Thank God other kids will set your kids straight. But when they do, their conclusion will be “Mom and Dad have been lying; I wonder what else they lie about?” Article Continued Below Long before now, your kids figured out that Santa is a character in a wonderful story — but it’s just a story. But they should have learned this from you before they heard it from friends. If your 6-year-old needs a “female friend” to tell him the truth about Santa, I wonder where he’ll learn about sex? Send your questions to star.ethics@yahoo.ca

A new study has suggested the 'war on drugs' to be a failure. Compiled by medical journal The Lancet and Johns Hopkins University, an Ivy League establishment, it points out that harsh laws and anti-drugs policies have had a negative effect on public health, even suggesting prison terms for minor drug offenders is a major contributor to HIV and and hepatitis C infection. Taking aim at the United Kingdom and United States, the authors want a "regulated market" for cannabis, meaning personal use of the drug would be decriminalised, in a similar way to places such as Colorado. Dr Chris Beyrer from John Hopkins said: “The global 'war on drugs' has harmed public health, human rights and development. “It's time for us to rethink our approach to global drug policies, and put scientific evidence and public health at the heart of drug policy discussions.” Portugal decriminalised personal use of drugs such as weed, cocaine and heroin in 2001, with possession leading to the option of health care rather than being arrested, and the report writes “public health benefits, cost savings, lower incarceration [rates] and no significant increase in problematic drug use” have resulted from it. This is yet another push for drug law changes, following arguments by former Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, Richard Branson and the estimation that legalising cannabis in the UK could be worth £1 billion in taxes. [Via: the Independent] Dave Turner is Mixmag's Digital News Editor, follow him on Twitter

Two small children were the victims of a double homicide in the community of Oak Bay near Victoria on Christmas Day, according to police. The bodies of the four- and six-year-old were found inside an apartment on Beach Drive near Goodwin Street on Monday evening, RCMP said in a press release. An injured man was also found at the scene and is being treated in hospital. Investigators say there are no other suspects in the slaying. "This is a devastating incident and we cannot begin to express our sympathy to all those touched by this tragedy." RCMP Cpl. Shane Rappel said. The victims' bodies were found in an apartment on Beach Drive in Oak Bay. (CHEK News) The integrated major crime unit for Vancouver Island RCMP has been called in to investigate, and they were on scene Tuesday, searching the apartment. Police expect to be on the scene for the rest of the week. Investigators are not releasing further information. The family of the two young victims has asked for privacy.

I realize that this post might offend some religious people. This is not my intention. Rather, I am here to report some scientific findings, which in so doing might indeed ruffle some religious feathers. Several years ago, James Watson, a Nobel Laureate and co-discoverer of the double helix structure of , along with E. O. Wilson, the two-time Pulitzer prize winner and world-renowned Harvard entomologist, were the guests on the Charlie Rose Show. They were discussing the importance of Charles Darwin and evolutionary theory in the pantheon of human thought. At one point, the discussion turned to religion wherein Charlie Rose asked the two scientists whether they knew many scientists who believed in a personal God. After a befuddled pause at such a question, both luminaries were able to come up with only one name (Francis Collins). I ask you to stop and ponder this response: These two giants of 20th century science were together able to think of only one scientist who believed in God. Sarah Palin believes in a personal God. Who do you think is right? Scientists have explored the relationship between and , as well as between level attained and religiosity for many decades (see the following article that summarizes some of the relevant research). Unfortunately, for religious folks, the news is not good. IQ and religiosity are negatively correlated, at both the individual as well as national levels. Religiosity and educational attainment are also negatively correlated. Amongst the educated classes, professors are the least likely to be religious, and finally within the academe, the more eminent the professor is, the less he/she is likely to be religious. The evidence could not be any clearer. Please bear in mind that providing an instance wherein your uncle Joe is a physicist who is also a devout Christian does not falsify the latter evidence (see my previous post on using singular exemplars to attempt to falsify phenomena that hold true at the population level). Religion requires that one suspend rational thought and instead take the proverbial leap of faith. Hence, that which is considered a hallmark of intelligence namely the ability to arrive at veridical conclusions based on the presented evidence is denigrated as irrelevant when it comes to swallowing whole religious narratives. It would seem that God is one hell of a trickster as he has apparently endowed us with the most complex computational system known to mankind (our brain) and then has asked that we refrain from using it, as per His edict to believe in Him. The bottom line is that God is striking the following deal with us: "If you truly believe in me, I command you to refrain from using the brain that I have given you. Accept me by rejecting your brain." God, I have prayed to you repeatedly to land me in the Promised Land (Southern California). Why have you not answered my prayers? I suppose that God is able to distinguish between those who truly believe and the atheists masquerading as believers. He is omnipotent after all. Source for Image: http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/P/0593055489.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_V3719527...

Two journalists have been cleared by a Vatican court of publishing leaked documents claiming the top of the Catholic Church was plagued by corruption. The court in the so-called “Vatileaks II” trial said it had no jurisdiction over Gianluigi Nuzzi and Emiliano Fittipaldi because the journalists, who had been accused of seeking to make money, were not Vatican officials. One of the acquitted journalists spoke outside the court afterwards. “I think the Vatican judges have been courageous because this sentence in a way shows that even here the right to work as a journalist is respected, to recount things that are true and verified, important news,” Emiliano Fittipaldi said. A Spanish priest, Angel Lucio Vallejo Balda, was given an 18-month sentence and a public relations expert, Francesca Chaouqui, a 10-month suspended term. They had been accused of leaking confidential documents. “Today my ordeal finishes anyway. The court said I was not guilty of the crime of divulging news. And so the Holy Father, when he reads this sentence, he will know that I have not betrayed him,” said Chaouqui, who has a three-week-old son. A fifth defendant, Nicola Maio, an assistant to Vallejo, was acquitted. The two reporters published books last year that depicted a Vatican afflicted by corruption and greed, where Pope Francis faced stiff resistance from the old guard to his reforms. Media watchdogs accused the Roman Catholic Church of looking to stifle press freedom.

The Risky Eclipse of Statisticians If statisticians have historically been leaders of data, why was there a need for a brand new breed of data scientists? While the world is exploding with bounties of valuable data, statisticians are strangely working quietly in the shadows. Statistics is the science of learning from data, so why aren’t statisticians reigning as kings of today’s Big Data revolution? In 2009, when Google was still fine tuning its PageRank algorithm based on the statistical innovation Markov Chain, Google’s Chief Economist Hal Varian declared statistician as the sexiest job of the decade. We’re about halfway through, and it seems that Varian missed the target. “Professional statisticians are milling at the back of the church, mesmerized by the gaudy spectacle of [Big Data] before them.” – David Walker, statistician, Aug 2013. Google Trends shows us that while the popularity of Big Data is thriving, statisticians’ popularity has been declining over the years. Back in 2010, predictive modeling and analytics website Kaggle proudly dangled Varian’s prediction as a carrot on their careers page to lure people to join their team. But today the quote curiously vanished–no longer deemed worthy. What speaks even louder volumes is that statisticians are often left out of some of the biggest national discussions happening around Big Data today. For instance, UC Berkeley’s Terry Speed observes: US National Science Foundation invited 100 experts to talk about Big Data in 2012. Total number of statisticians present? 0. The US Department of Health and Human Services has a 17-person Big Data committee. Total number of statisticians? You guessed it…0. Justin Strauss, co-founder at Storyhackers, who previously led data science programs in the healthcare industry, can attest to this more generally. He says he has “seen an underrepresentation” of statisticians at conferences and other events related to Big Data. But statistics is the foundation of understanding Big Data. This was supposed to be their decade–their time to shine in the limelight. So, what changed? As renowned statistician Gerry Hahn once said: “This is a Golden Age of statistics, but not necessarily for statisticians.” Instead of crowning statisticians king, the Big Data revolution borrowed the foundational elements of applied statistics, married it with computer science and birthed an entirely new heir: The Data Scientist. But this underrepresentation of statisticians puts the future of Big Data at risk. The accurate evaluation of data that comes from a strong foundation of statistics could be lost in the hype. Why Didn’t Statisticians Own Big Data? Plenty has been written about the recent rise of data scientists, but the application of data science to the industry is ancient. In the 1900s, statistician William Gosset studied yeast for the Guinness Brewing Company and invented the t-distribution in the process. Statistician Kaiser Fung points out that one of the most notable examples of a business built upon statistical algorithms came decades before Google. Fair Isaac Company introduced the analytics of credit scoring in the 1950s. Not to mention the US government has been performing census calculations with incredible precision for hundreds of years as well. There are three plausible reasons why statisticians aren’t leading Big Data today. First, computational statistics of Big Data never flourished in mainstream statistical sciences. “The area of massive datasets, though currently of great interest to Computational statisticians and to many data analysts, has not yet become part of mainstream statistical science.” – Buja A. Keller-McNulty This quote was published in 1999. And, a decade later, it never happened. Although early statisticians recognized and discussed Big Data, many of them were ignored. Speed points out that statisticians have published books and papers about the techniques of wrangling large datasets. But they collected dust, evident by the number of citations earned. For instance: Second, statistics is a crucial part of data science, but it–alone–is insufficient in making sense of exponential amounts of messy data we are producing daily. It requires computational power that can only be charged by the advanced technology we have today. In 2010, the world stored about 6 exabytes of data, a stat so incomprehensible that it’s borderline meaningless. For a frame of reference, if you converted all words ever spoken by humans into text, that’s about 5 exabytes! Here are some more quick Big Data stats: Machine learning is deeply rooted in statistics, but few statisticians have the technical skills to manipulate a dataset of 10 billion in which each data point has a dimension of 10,000. But it’s not that statisticians lack computational knowledge. It’s that the field of statistics simply wasn’t equipped with the computing power we have today. For instance, data scientist David Hardtke lead the invention of the Bright Score, an algorithm that assesses your fit for a job, which was acquired by LinkedIn. But he says none of these ideas are really new. Back when he first started in the space, he met a senior researcher at Recruit Holdings, a japanese recruiting firm. “He told me he’s really interested in what I’m doing because he tried to do the same thing in the 80s. He said, frankly, it was way too expensive back then. You had to buy these massive computers and it wasn’t cost effective,” Hardtke says. But now, we’re at this convergence of super cheap, high-speed computing that’s helping data scientists process powerful insights and find answers to questions that remained a mystery 20 years ago. With Big Data booming, pure statistics is fading into the background relative to the demand of data science. Third, some statisticians simply have no interest in carrying out scientific methods for business-oriented data science. If you look at online discussions, pure statisticians often scoff at the hype surrounding the rise of data scientists in the industry. Some say it’s a buzzword with good marketing (here), other say it’s a made up title (here) and some call them folks who sold out to shareholders (here). Statisticians’ Absence Could Lead to Misuse of Data Even without a prominent presence of statisticians, educational institutions are churning out entirely new curriculums devoted to the so-called “new” field of data science in just the last few years. But when dealing with Big Data, someone on the team needs to have a strong grasp of statistics to avoid reaching inaccurate conclusions. The elevated hype about data scientists is undeniable. The WSJ reports that these jobs are so in-demand that data scientists with two years of experience are earning between $200,000 and $300,000 annually. It was dubbed the sexiest job of the 21st century in 2012. Universities are having to turn down data science students because of the outpour in popularity. As a result, there are at least a dozen new data science bootcamps that aim to prepare graduates for data science jobs. And universities across the nation are creating brand new courses and programs for data science or business analytics. Here’s a visualization thanks to Columbia Data Science: But, as with any new curriculum, space is limited. This is where it gets risky. Ben Reddy, PhD in Statistics, at Columbia University finds that the foundation of statistics often takes a backseat to learning the technical tools of the trade in data science classes. And even if students are carrying out statistical models in classes, doing statistics doesn’t guarantee that you understand statistics. Since learning R or NumPy is usually the gateway to getting your hands on real-world data, understanding statistical analysis is often less interesting comparatively. “Anyone who can type <t.test(data)> into R (not to mention <lm()>, <knn()>, <gbm()>, etc.) can “do” statistics, even if they misuse those methods in ways that William Sealy Gosset wouldn’t approve on his booziest days at the Guinness brewery.” Reddy writes. The worst part is, you can usually get away with carrying out subpar analysis because it’s hard to identify the quality of statistics without examining analysis in detail, he adds. And, usually, there’s not enough transparency to do this in the real-world. So, with the absence of statisticians in Big Data today, how well are the fundamentals of statistics carried over in this new data science boom? Most students haven’t even graduated from these brand new data science courses yet, so it remains to be seen. But this risk in losing the fundamentals is largely why Hardtke, a physicist himself, is opposed to these new degree programs. He makes a compelling point: It’s better to have someone who’s really passionate about geology, physics or any other science because they’ll pick up the tools of data manipulation as part of a bigger mission. “I’d rather have someone major to get some answer and learn the tools along the way rather than learn the tools as the terminal point,” Hardtke says. But the Most Powerful Data Science Teams are Multidimensional Folks outside of the space often don’t realize that the most astonishing achievements in data science weren’t accomplished by just one superstar, unicorn data scientist. When Hardtke was tasked with building a strong data science team at startup Bright.com several years ago, he couldn’t afford to recruit the best data scientist away from the likes of Google and Facebook. But he knew something most data scientist-crazed recruiters don’t understand: At its core, it’s all about learning how to ingest data using statistical methodology and computational techniques to find an answer. Most scientific disciplines require this knowledge. So, he hired scientists across disciplines: physicist, mechanical engineer, statistician, astrophysicist–basically anyone who wasn’t a computer scientist or data scientist. The most successful, passionate data science teams in Silicon Valley comprise of a combination of different scientific disciplines that look at one problem from unique angles. It’s the only way to work through seemingly impossible problems in data science. If you ask Nitin Sharma, for instance, about his data science team at the early days of Google, his eyes instantly light up. With experts from psychology, computer science, statistics and several other disciplines, Sharma’s diverse team offered perspectives from every dimension possible. Google’s head of search Amit Singhal once asked him: “How do you know if people are happy with the search results?” Tracking the simple act of clicks on links can’t determine whether or not the searcher was happy with his result. And so, the challenge was on for Sharma’s team. “I can’t tell you the details of what Google did, but conceptually, we looked at what sequence do these clicks have? How much time they’re spending? How often do they refine queries? How often do they click on results? How many results? How does it depend on the type of query?” Sharma says. And, ultimately, Sharma’s team was able to work together to find a successful plan to monitor a user’s happiness, which offered deeper insight into search behavior and satisfaction with search results. While both data science and statistics share a common goal of extracting meaningful insight from data, the evolution of data science in the last 10 years emphasizes a demand for a combination of interdisciplinary skill. Data science is making statistics–alone–irrelevant in industry. Hence, eclipsing statisticians, or fathers of data science. On a scale of 1-10, Sharma says we’ve only inched maybe 1-2 in terms of progress in data science. With the forthcoming revolution of the Internet of Things, there’s infinite possibilities before us. The biggest challenge will be: How do we process and understand this unsurmountable data? The onus can’t be on “rockstar, unicorn” data scientists alone. And it can’t fall onto statisticians either. Although the demand for pure statistics will shrink relative to data science and over time, it’s going to be more important than ever to have interdisciplinary knowledge from a variety of fields. And to ensure quality and foundational understanding of applied statistics, it’s crucial to save a seat for statisticians at the Big Data table. Have you noticed an underrepresentation of statisticians in Big Data? Tell us what you think in the comments below!

Richie Hawtin has just concluded his first Ibiza residency and is now ready to take on North America with a 17 day multi-city musical experience called 'CNTRL: Beyond EDM' which aims to educate the younger EDM generation as to what lies beyond the more mainstream EDM sound that dominates the various mega festivals and major events across the country right now. The CNTRL series is much more ambitious than simply a multi-stop tour of various DJs, but rather an opportunity for Richie Hawtin and like minded artists to showcase their talents and style and hopefully create new life long fans before EDM truly becomes mainstream. Richie Hawtin: "the resurgence of electronic music in America and how different it is to what we did or where we came from. It just seems to me like it’s the right time to step up and be part of this continuum and this momentum that’s gathering....I expect to live and breathe CNTRL for those 22 days and try to inspire and educate, but also learn and get re-inspired by the people that we meet at the conferences and at the clubs." (Source: Beatport Interview) This is truly an exciting time to be an EDM fan as you have the CNTRL and the Sonar Festival traveling across North America this Fall as these legends try to bring underground music to the forefront. Guys like Richie Hawtin, Seth Troxler, Loco Dice, Paul Karlbrenner, and many others would like to expand the consciousness of new fans and find out whether this North American awakening towards electronic music also includes their unique brand and sound. If Europe acts as a guide to what the North American EDM boom might become in a few years then it is only a matter of time until the minimal, techno, house, tech house genres that currently dominate Ibiza will filter through and appeal to the wider audience here. Or will it? Only time will tell. To hear what Richie Hawtin and Loco Dice have to say about their upcoming CNTRL tour, listen to this:

PORTLAND, Ore. – After a report that the Department of Environmental Quality knew there were high levels of toxics in Southeast Portland near public schools, state and local agencies have been working to quell fears from residents worried the cancer-causing elements could impact their health. The issue was first reported by the Portland Mercury on Feb. 3. A news release was issued by the Department of Environmental Quality that same day, confirming it had found potentially concerning levels of the toxic metals at Bullseye Glass in Southeast Portland. Gov Brown to DEQ, OHA: 'I want answers' High levels of cadmium near Uroboros Glass Studio in North Portland were also found. The DEQ asked the glass factories to stop using cadmium and arsenic, as well as two forms of chromium. The factories complied, but Portlanders continue to voice their concerns. Group protests SE Portland glass company over toxics What are the potential dangers of these toxics, and should you be concerned for your health? KGW talked with the DEQ and Oregon Health Authority about what you need to know. View: Preliminary map of elevated cadmium levels Note: The DEQ has not yet released a map of arsenic hot spots What are cadmium, arsenic and chromium, and why should we be concerned? Cadmium, arsenic and chromium are naturally occurring elements found in the environment. Cadmium and chromium are metals, and arsenic is a metalloid, meaning it has metal-like properties. Portland actually has relatively high levels of arsenic that occur naturally, but health officials don’t believe those levels are significant enough to impact residents’ health. Cadmium, chromium and arsenic are sometimes used to make colored glass. At high levels, all can be toxic to people. The DEQ said it’s likely the elevated levels of metals were coming from the manufacturing plants. Why were Bullseye and Uroboros Glass allowed to use these toxic chemicals? The glass companies were both permitted by the DEQ and operating legally. The state agency said permits like this are usually focused on larger-scale productions, and there may be holes in state regulations. How were the toxics found? The toxics were actually detected through a relatively new technique, by testing moss and drawing a correlation between toxics in the moss and those in the air. “We just fortunately discovered this new way of identifying cadmium levels in moss,” said Jennifer Flynt, spokeswoman for DEQ. “We have been very excited about this discovery and we knew cadmium was a problem.” The DEQ said neither the state nor the companies knew about the toxics before the moss testing. Documents showed the DEQ knew about elevated toxics as early as 2011. Flynt said the DEQ was working to figure out exactly what the health issues were and how to inform the public when the Mercury article was published. Are these companies still using cadmium, chromium and arsenic to manufacture glass? No. Even though it’s technically legal for the factories to use the toxics based on their permits, both companies have voluntarily stopped using the metals. Uroboros said it never used arsenic in the first place, just cadmium and chromium. Should I be concerned for my health? Maybe. The levels of cadmium and arsenic were found to be between 50 and 150 times higher than what the DEQ sets as its benchmark for safety. An air test taken inside schools near Bullseye Glass showed no detectable arsenic or chromium, according to Portland Public Schools. Additional air tests near Bullseye Glass and Uroboros Glass taken in early March, a month after the factories stopped using the heavy metals, found the air was again safe to breathe. Soil samples taken from around Bullseye Glass found that heavy metals were below naturally occurring levels, the DEQ said March 9. DEQ: Heavy metals risk low for Portlanders, soil samples show More soil and air samples were expected later this spring. Cadmium and arsenic can be dangerous to breathe, ingest through food and through skin contact. Cadmium is associated with lung cancer, osteoporosis and chronic kidney disease. Arsenic exposure is linked to lung, liver, bladder and skin cancers. Hexavalent chromium (chromium-6) is toxic and chronic, low-level exposure can increase the risk of certain lung cancers and asthma, according to the DEQ. Chromium-3, or trivalent chromium, is an essential nutrient found in human bodies but the state is concerned about the possibility of chromium-3 oxidizing into chromium-6. The Oregon Health Authority said it is not sure how significant the health risk is in this case and the agency is monitoring urine samples. “The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, the Oregon Health Authority and Multnomah County Health Department are working together to determine the significance to public health and how to communicate the potential risk to affected people. So far, data show that these metals are at levels above short- and long-term health benchmarks,” the organization said. OHA toxicologist David Farrer said it would take 70 years of constant exposure to see an increase in the risk of cancers from arsenic and cadmium. He said cadmium can increase the risk of chronic kidney disease, but only after years of exposure. There are no immediate signs of exposure and there are multiple causes of cancer and kidney disease, not just from encountering cadmium, arsenic or hexavalent chromium. If you’re worried you or your family members have been exposed, you can get tested at your doctor’s office. What about soil? Should I stop eating vegetables grown in my garden? The DEQ is testing soil around the two businesses but isn’t monitoring people’s backyards. If you live near the hotspots, you can get your soil tested at a local facility such as A&L Western Labs in Portland. It costs $54 to test a sample of your soil for the metals. But a spokesman with OHA said metals in the soil don’t necessarily mean you’re ingesting them in food. Some plants absorb toxins more than others. The DEQ said it’s important to wash dirt off of your vegetables and peel skin from root vegetables before eating them. Initial soil tests around Bullseye Glass did not show elevated levels of toxic metals. The DEQ said it will continue to monitor air quality and release weekly reports here. Are we safe now? The DEQ says yes. Air pollution clears with wind and rain, and the glass makers are no longer using cadmium, chromium or arsenic. No toxics were detected in the air at Southeast Portland schools. Is there any other area of concern? Flynt said she didn’t know. The DEQ only has one person who works on air quality planning, instead of the five it used to employ, and there are many areas that could be concerning. For instance, the DEQ still hasn’t figured out what is causing an offensive smell on Hayden Island. But Flynt told KGW the agency is working on a plan to monitor air toxics around the city. Have other questions? The DEQ set up an email address specifically for this issue: OregonAirToxics@deq.state.or.us. Related: Cadmium, arsenic detected in SE Portland Glass company calls DEQ requests to halt chromium use 'bizarre' Bullseye Glass: Toxic air reports hit 'like a ton of bricks' This article was originally published Feb. 10, 2016

Larry Ellison announced a new database during Oracle's opening keynote on Sunday. Oracle Larry Ellison didn't wait long after coming onto the Oracle OpenWorld conference stage in San Francisco on Sunday before announcing a new set of cybersecurity-oriented products. In his first keynote of Oracle's annual use conference, the executive chairman announced a new autonomous database that can patch itself from cybersecurity flaws without having to go offline. The automated database, called Oracle 18c, can instantly patch itself while still running, which Ellison says is a big advantage over the current system, in which humans have to schedule downtime for a database. "It didn't work at Equifax," Ellison said, in reference to the consumer credit reporting company that announced a major security breach in early September. "It doesn't work. We have to automate our cyber defenses. And you have to be able to defend yourselves without taking all of your computer systems offline or shutting down your databases," Ellison said. At the heart of this new database machine learning, which Ellison said will continuously tune itself without human intervention. "There is no pilot error anymore, because there is no pilot," Ellison said. "Therefore, we can guarantee an availability time of 99.95%. That's less than 30 minutes a year of planned or unplanned downtime." While the idea of a human-free database maintenance is compelling on its own, Ellison spent the second half of his presentation comparing Oracle 18c to Amazon Web Service's database product, Redshift. Ellison claimed that Oracle's new database is more elastic than Redshift, which means it can quickly adapt to workloads without wasting resources in the process. "Amazon's database, Redshift, cannot automatically increase the number of processors to run a bigger workload and then free up those processors. It just can't do it," Ellison said. Another important point for Ellison was the price comparison between the two products. He said that because Oracle is able to process data faster, it costs less to use than Amazon. He followed up his point with several case studies, and two live demos which illustrated Oracle's speed. "It will be less than one half of what Amazon charges you. We will write that in your contract," he said to applause. His final point also related to cost. Ellison said that because the new database is automated, customers will also save money on labor costs, since the database is supposed to patch and maintain itself. Oracle will also announce a new security product on Tuesday.

The International Space Station celebrates its 15th birthday Wednesday, marking the day in 1998 when a Russian rocket lifted the first piece of what is now the largest manmade structure ever built in space. The launch of the module named Zarya ("sunrise" in Russian) kicked off an unprecedented international undertaking to build the astronaut outpost one piece at a time. Five different space agencies representing 15 countries contributed to the project, and by 2000, rotating crews of spaceflyers were — and still are — living on the $100 billion International Space Station. Today, the space station is about the size of a football field with roughly the same amount of liveable space as a six-bedroom house. It ranks second only to the moon among bright objects in the night sky. SEE ALSO: Cosmic Quiz: Do You really Know the International Space Station? The module that started it all, Zarya, also known as the Functional Cargo Block (FGB), is mostly used for storage now. But initially it was intended to serve as a central node of orientation control, communications and electrical power as other parts of the space station were added, according to NASA. In light of the launch anniversary, space industry leaders reminisced about Zarya's historic day. "We were in the control center in Houston that night to watch Zarya launch, along with a good number of people from the program," said Bill Bastedo, who was the launch package manager for the next piece of the space station, the U.S.-built module Unity, in a statement. "It was actually, for us, exciting to have Zarya on orbit so we could get our chance to execute our mission," Bastedo, now senior vice president of Booz Allen Hamilton, said in a statement. Two weeks after Zarya was carried into orbit, on Dec. 4, 1998, NASA's space shuttle Endeavour launched Unity, sometimes called Node 1, during the STS-88 mission, and the two modules were linked together. "I was very confident in our ability to dock the two," Bastedo added in a statement from NASA. "I was most worried about making sure we could verify that Unity, the mating adaptors and Zarya all worked as a system together and we could safely leave it on orbit, because it was going to be about a six-month gap until the next flight. It turns out it was a lot of worry about nothing, because it almost went flawlessly." SEE ALSO: International Space Station by the Numbers Less than two years later, on Oct. 31, 2000, the first crew to live inside the International Space Station launched on a Russian Soyuz capsule. Expedition 1 consisted of NASA astronaut Bill Shepherd and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko. The three spaceflyers climbed on board the station on Nov. 2, 2000, kicking off humanity's continuous presence in space. The space station is currently occupied by the six crewmembers of the station's Expedition 38 mission. They are Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata; Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kotov, Mikhail Tyurin and Sergey Ryazanskiy; and NASA astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Michael Hopkins. "It's hard to believe it's been 15 years since we joined Unity and Zarya in orbit and laid the cornerstone for the International Space Station,"said Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, who was the STS-88 mission's commander. He described the outpost as "an engineering marvel and a testament to what we can accomplish when we all work together." "I think one of the most enduring legacies will be the international cooperation we have achieved in building and operating it," Cabana said in a statement from NASA. "It has provided us the framework for how we will move forward as we explore beyond our home planet, not as explorers from any one country, but as explorers from planet Earth. We have seen great results in areas such as biotechnology, Earth and space sciences, human research, the physical sciences and technology being accomplished in this remarkable laboratory in space." Image: NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center This article originally published at Space.com here

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PITTSBURGH - A former United States postmaster and resident of Glassport, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to four years imprisonment and five years supervised release on his conviction of conspiracy to distribute kilograms of cocaine, Acting United States Attorney Soo C. Song announced today. United States District Judge Arthur Schwab imposed the sentence on Joseph Borrelli, age 49, of Glassport, Pennsylvania. According to information presented to the court, between 2011 and 2015, Dante Lozano of Brownsville, Texas shipped dozens of cocaine packages, totaling approximately 8 kilograms (about 18 pounds), via the U.S. Postal Service to Jeffrey Turner and April Racan, who were living in the Elizabeth/McKeesport, Pennsylvania area. Borrelli, who was Postmaster in West Newton, Pennsylvania at the time, aided the conspiracy by advising Turner how to minimize the chances of their drug packages being detected by law enforcement. The addresses of vacant homes were provided to Turner by Borrelli, and Turner then emailed these to Lozano, so that the packages could bear valid addresses. Borrelli also opened an untraceable post office box for Turner, and intercepted drug packages when they arrived at the post office, delivering them to Turner. These packages were usually intercepted by Borrelli before they went out for delivery by the mail carrier. Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Schwab stated that Borrelli abused his position of trust as postmaster to aid the drug conspiracy. Eight individuals were named in this indictment. Three others were previously sentenced, and four defendants – including Lozano, Turner, and Racan – will be sentenced in April and June. Assistant United States Attorney Gregory J. Nescott prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. Acting United States Attorney Song commended the United States Postal Service in Pittsburgh, the Drug Enforcement Administration in Brownsville, Texas, and the Pennsylvania State Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Borrelli.

“Early November 1969: Cosmosis he named me after seeing me just once,” reads an excerpt from Cosey Fanni Tutti’s diary, published in her forthcoming autobiography Art Sex Music. The nickname given to the artist born Christine Newby, one of the founding members of industrial pioneers Throbbing Gristle, is indeed evocative of her life and career. She eventually found harmony and wholeness, alone and with longtime partner/collaborator Chris Carter, following a number of traumatizing periods in her life: a difficult upbringing in Yorkshire, an abusive relationship with her COUM Transmissions/Throbbing Gristle co-founder Genesis P-Orridge, and ongoing backlash to her more transgressive work as a pornographic performer. As Tutti writes in Art Sex Music, the past few years have found her making peace with her past, via exhibitions of her performance art with COUM and her hardcore magazine collages, as well as Throbbing Gristle’s reunion in the latter half of the ’00s. But Art Sex Music challenges assumptions about Tutti’s radical contributions, sharing the oft-missing humanity of a woman once dubbed one of the “Wreckers of Civilization” by a Tory MP in 1976. The book is a raw, moving testament to how Tutti’s resourcefulness and dedication have helped her end up an avant-garde art icon. We spoke with Tutti about her memories of and lessons from a life spent making brutal noise. Pitchfork: You write that Genesis P-Orridge tried to control your diary entries. Did that change how you felt about Genesis, or the voice you wrote with? Cosey Fanni Tutti: Yes, it did. It was quite a shock to suddenly come across a page that had been written in by someone else in a critical way. My diaries weren’t about hiding anything. They’re about the everyday. It was quite crushing. What was it like to return to some of the more difficult moments in your past, like your relationship with Gen? It wasn’t too difficult at all. A lot of people have asked me why I put up with it, instead of asking why did [Gen] do it. I have to excuse my behavior, because of someone who behaved to me in a way that they shouldn’t have. It’s almost like victim blaming, although I never felt like a victim. I always felt pretty strong. I’ve taken it as a challenge, to turn it around into something positive. TG came out of all of that. **Genesis and Cosey circa 1969. (Photo by John Krivine) Your father and Genesis both assumed a position of authority over you, and your art is often about breaking apart those established systems. You’ve said that conflict was essential to the success of Throbbing Gristle, but I still have to wonder how you made music in such a difficult setting. I just transcended that. Other people’s problems with me weren’t my problem. I was on a different trajectory. It was about creating and being myself. Whatever people did to me along the way, that was their problem, not mine. That’s not easy for a lot of people. How do you transcend something like that? A belief in yourself and a belief in the reality that you are equal to other people, and you have the right to do what you want to do, as long as you don’t harm anyone. Even in my childhood I had to deal with that kind of oppression and expectation. But I had the mindset of a male entering into the world—that it was my oyster. I attribute that to my father treating me more like a boy than a girl. I don’t think he intended that to happen. It was a side effect of how he brought me up. You describe growing up in Hull, England, with all the bombed-out houses and post-war rubble of the 1950s. It was as though you were born into a kind of violence, which became a big part of your work. Do you still need an element of that when creating? I suppose I’ll always need it. That element in my work is a foundation of what we’re all made from. Our base instincts of survival, sexuality... when you take away all the superficiality of the internet, consumerism, and everything else we’re given, we are just beings who need to interact with one another, to physically feel one another. That’s what I always tap into. I love technology—and I would embrace anything if it would help me do what I want to do—but I don’t see it as a lifestyle. As far as accessing the dark side of the human condition, which is what I’m really talking about, it’s all over the internet. If anything, it’s in our faces more than ever. What do people misunderstand most about Throbbing Gristle and industrial music as a whole? There was a lot of irony in TG. “Hot on the Heels of Love” was a Donna Summer meets Martin Denny kind of thing. Industrial music for us was about being industrious. It wasn’t about industrial sounds, literally, which is what I think people interpreted it as. The amount of cassettes we got sent of people doing so-called industrial music… you’re sort of thinking, “Well, we’ve done that. Why would we want to hear someone else trying to do it?” It’s not the sound—it’s the attitude and approach to their work. I’d like to hear some music in the industrial genre that keeps with what it should have been and was originally—it doesn’t even have to sound like TG. TG songs like “Hamburger Lady” and “Hit By a Rock” evoke disturbing imagery in their language, but it’s the hisses and other noise that become even more abject. How do you strike a balance between work that’s both inherently mechanical and attempting to recreate visceral sounds that affect the body? You do it by creating sounds that are visceral to you and actually express how you feel physically about the subject matter. Playing a guitar and never being taught to play a guitar is a bit of a bonus, because it just becomes an instrument of sound for me. Lately, it’s become an extension of myself. When you’re dealing with those kinds of subjects that are really dark, they’re about the deepest feelings that people internalize. To externalize those feelings, you have to use very basic language like we did with the lyrics and deliver them in a way that’s uncompromising. On top of that, you bring the sounds with it that express all the vomiting-inducing feelings of the horrendous moment that you’re trying to tell people about. You have to connect on that very base level. It’s exhausting at times, but it’s also really fulfilling. After COUM Transmissions’ infamous Prostitution art show at the ICA in 1976, there was kickback from feminist circles regarding your work. They didn’t necessarily see you posing in pornographic photos as reclaiming your body and image. Were you conscious of those reactions at the time? I didn’t think about it at the time at all. Feminism of the ’70s was very different than how it is now. It didn’t cater to the differences amongst women. It tended to focus on hating men, and I’ve never hated men. It seemed pretty divisive to me, rather than bringing people together on the same equal standing. It didn’t do it for me back in the ’70s. ____ TG’s first gig, at the Prostitution art show. (Photo by Paul Buck) How does it feel to find acceptance in circles that weren’t so welcoming initially? When you do something that is regarded as unacceptable, extreme, or transgressive, it is that very thing, because it’s out of its time—before its time, even. So there has to be logically a point at which it meets with people’s minds and understanding. That’s not a problem for me. My biggest problem is that if I do something now and it’s accepted straight away, I think, “Oh my god, what have I done? I’ve betrayed myself.” [Laughs] Acceptance doesn’t figure in when I’m at the point of making anything. I want to get across how I feel and hope that someone has some kind of… not even empathy, but that they find it interesting. How does a transgressive artist avoid cliché once people think they have them pegged? In the early ’80s, I did a performance piece in Holland. I came out on stage, and it was quite late at night. I immediately picked up on the fact that they were waiting for me to strip off and do the cliché thing that they were expecting. So I did the opposite, because I thought, “I’m just not here to pander to what you want to see me do. I’m here because I have something to say.” And so I ended up doing a piece where I destroyed images of everything they were expecting instead. It was like an exorcism, really. You write about how live shows were essential to fostering your love of experimental music. When you went and saw who was actually listening to this music, did you ever feel disconnected from that scene? Audiences affect something, for sure. The only time I felt like that was when I saw John Cale at the Hammersmith Odeon [in London] in the ’70s. I went to see him, and it was just like, “Who the hell are these people?” He was trending at that point. I thought, “They don’t even know about his early material, his history, or anything.” I was quite disgusted, so I walked out. ** Recording TG’s ‘Journey Through a Body’ in 1981. (Photo by Chris Carter) Art Sex Music is out May 1. Tutti launches the book today (April 26) in conversation with Lenny Kaye at NYC’s McNally Jackson.

Photo Researchers via Getty Images The EpiPen increased in price from about $100 for a pack of two pens in 2008 to $500 this year. Two senior lawmakers on the U.S. Senate’s Judiciary Committee on Monday pushed for information regarding sharp price increases for EpiPens, drug-filled injectable devices used by people to counter potentially deadly allergic reactions. Senator Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote Mylan Chief Executive Heather Bresch on Monday to ask how Mylan determined the price of EpiPens and what changes had been made to the product to account for the higher price. The top Democrat on the committee’s antitrust subcommittee, Senator Amy Klobuchar, urged the Federal Trade Commission on Monday to investigate the prices, citing news reports showing that the price of a pack of two EpiPens had gone from $100 in 2008 to $500 this year. Mylan acquired the product in 2007. “Although the antitrust laws do not prohibit price gouging, regardless of how unseemly it may be, they do prohibit the use of unreasonable restraints of trade to facilitate or protect a price increase,” wrote Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat who said her daughter relies on an EpiPen. “The FTC should investigate whether Mylan Pharmaceuticals engaged in activity, such as using incentives or exclusionary contracts with insurers, distributors, or pharmacies, to deny an alternative product access to the market.” An EpiPen injects a pre-measured dose of epinephrine (adrenaline) that people use if they are having a dangerous allergic reaction. The FTC did not say whether an investigation was under way. “The commission takes seriously its obligation to take action where pharmaceutical companies have violated the antitrust laws,” a spokesman said. Mylan did not immediately comment on the letters but noted in an email that nearly 80 percent of people with commercial insurance who use a savings card can get the medicine for free. “With changes in the healthcare insurance landscape, an increasing number of people and families are enrolled in high deductible health plans, and deductible amounts continue to rise. This shift has presented new challenges for consumers, and they are bearing more of the cost,” Mylan also said. The FTC opened a probe into Turing Pharmaceuticals for possible antitrust violations in connection with the company’s decision to sharply raise the price of a life-saving drug. Turing had raised the price of Daraprim to $750 a tablet from $13.50.

The Democrat party is in disarray. It is led by a pathological liar who has no credibility with the nation or with anyone but the most mindless partisans in the media and Congress. As Obamacare continues to be a veritable Pandora’s Box of evils seemingly designed to drive insurance companies out of the business and strip most Americans of their health insurance, vulnerable Democrat officials are looking for ways to distance themselves from both the man and his plan. Louisiana Senatory Mary Landrieu found an urgent engagement elsewhere when Obama showed up to give a speech in New Orleans. Arkansas Senator Mark Pryor has been reduced to blaming Jesus for his Obamacare vote. In face of this the Democrats have returned to their old standby: misrepresentation and diversion. Some weeks ago I wrote about how the Democrats were attempting to use a three-pronged strategy. First, they were conflating Obamacare with the Healthcare.gov website (see Healthcare.gov: Beware the Shiny Object). Second, they intended to challenging us to “fix” it (See Obamacare and the Governing Trap). Third, they are attempting to change the national conversation from Obamacare to some other shiny object. The first strategy is deadly because even the feckless gits in the White House will eventually figure out how to get the Healthcare.gov website running. No matter that they are giving your personal information to the Russian Mob or anyone else with the ambition to crack their non-existent security protocols. The second is positively lethal because it would make the GOP complicit in the insurance meltdown and give the GOP a vested interest in saving Obamacare. The third is equally lethal in that it results in us fighting 2014 and 2016 on turf of the Democrats’ choosing, not the ground we wish to fight on. With the dependability of a high quality chronometer Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker weighed in yesterday on the subject. Apologies for the extended quote but there is a lot of good stuff in here. As the government health-care Web site chugs along, the Obama administration has begun a counter-initiative to combat Republican naysaying — and its weapons are of superior grade. […] Even if the president at times resemblesBaghdad Bob, the Iraqi spokesman who said everything’s fine here as U.S. bombs exploded in the background, Republicans are the shock-and-awe gang with no plan for the day after. Democrats have targeted the GOP’s soft spot, which is a hard line on social services. Thus, when Republicans want to drastically cut food stamps, it is a piece of cake (and not the moldy sort Marie Antoinette suggested the peasants eat) to designate conservatives as cruel and heartless. When Republicans say the health-care plan is doomed, a train wreck, a disaster, etc. — and offer no hopeful options — they appear to be rooting only for failure. […] What Democrats know keenly — and Republicans seem never to learn — is that positive beats negative every time. Thus, we see MSNBC’s clever montage of Republican negativity: A series of unfriendly faces decrying the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with apocalyptic language. Which would any everyday American prefer? The healer or the doomsayer? The elves or the orcs? […] Then what? What alternative solutions are Republicans hiding behind their backs? Frank Macchiarola, former Republican staff director of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (and my patient guide through the ACA) proposes in a commentary , co-written with Republican former senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, that the GOP lead with solutions rather than piling on criticism. The authors agree with Democrats’ goal to expand access to care, including to those with preexisting conditions. But the cure, they suggest, is in targeted policy solutions rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. Given the president’s low favorability rating these days — with 52 percent of voters saying they don’t trust him and 60 percent disapproving of his handling of health care, according to last month’s Quinnipiac poll — Democrats are scurrying to shift attention from Republican opportunity to the hope formula that worked so well in the past. The same aspirational attitude could work for Republicans, too, if they can stop shaking their heads long enough. “No” gets you nothing but nothing — and gloating floats no boats. This leave this for a moment and go to yet another utterly banal, lie-laced speech by Obama yesterday you see the strategy trotted out. And that’s why, even as I will keep on offering my own ideas for expanding opportunity, I’ll also keep challenging and welcoming those who oppose my ideas to offer their own. If Republicans have concrete plans that will actually reduce inequality, build the middle class, provide more ladders of opportunity to the poor, let’s hear them. I want to know what they are. If you don’t think we should raise the minimum wage, let’s hear your idea to increase people’s earnings. If you don’t think every child should have access to preschool, tell us what you’d do differently to give them a better shot. If you still don’t like Obamacare — and I know you don’t — (laughter) — even though it’s built on market-based ideas of choice and competition in the private sector, then you should explain how, exactly, you’d cut costs, and cover more people, and make insurance more secure. You owe it to the American people to tell us what you are for, not just what you’re against. (Applause.) That way we can have a vigorous and meaningful debate. That’s what the American people deserve. That’s what the times demand. It’s not enough anymore to just say we should just get our government out of the way and let the unfettered market take care of it — for our experience tells us that’s just not true. (Applause.) To underscore the futility of actually doing anything in regards to Obamacare, we have his vow to not repeal it. “We’re not repealing it as long as I’m president,” said Obama, who was flanked by Americans who have benefited from aspects of the law. He said, “If I have to fight another three years to make sure that this law works, then that’s what I’ll do.” So, really the only option he is offering the GOP is to work within a framework that is showing itself to be unworkable. This is not a good faith offer. Back to the Parker article, I’m not sure why any sane person would want to be associated with anything produced by Kay Bailey Hutchinson or her hangers-on but is shows that there is a substantial portion of the GOP, mostly in the Senate, that is willing to go the Vichy route. When it comes to Obamacare we can win by doing nothing but highlighting the way it is bringing fire and sword to the American economy. That the rent-seekers that helped craft this bill are being hit hardest is a feature not a bug. The worst thing we can do is to let attention lapse on the way this has hurt American families. We can do this with clean conscience because the only real solution is to repeal Obamacare and start from scratch. As repeal has been taken off the table there is nothing to talk about. We can’t get sucked into other battles on social programs and we don’t have to. There is no reason why the House has to take up a minimum wage bill. Extended unemployment benefits sunset on December 31 and unless the House brings up the issue there is no reason to address it. Likewise with the food stamp program. Rather than get dragged into a no-win debate on food stamps, not that we shouldn’t have the debate but that we have to realize it is a fight that will result is a huge diversion of attention from the real prize, the House should take no action on the Farm Bill. What we have to realize is that we are dealing with a president who is devoid of integrity or respect for the institutions of United States government. The same can been said for Senator Harry Reid. There is no way you can negotiate with such men. There is no way you can participate in governance with them. You can only oppose them. The good news is that opposing them is easy. Obamacare will continue as a suppurating wound. Absent a thermonuclear war, Obama’s approval numbers will continue to slide. His lack of integrity is leaving him politically isolated. Once we start floating alternatives or policies we are giving them a piñata to whack at. Our goal should be that Obama gets not a single piece of legislation approved before he leaves office.

A week after Facebook activated its Safety Check feature in the wake of the Paris terror attacks, the social network is facing new criticism for not activating the feature in Mali after gunmen took more than hundred people hostage in an attack on a Radisson Blu hotel. Until last week, Facebook had only used the feature during natural disasters like Hurricane Patricia and after earthquakes in Nepal and Chile. But Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Saturday the company would use tool in "more human disasters" going forward. At the time, he was responding to critics who questioned why the tool had not been used after bombings in Beirut, Lebanon and other areas. "We care about all people equally, and we will work hard to help people suffering in as many of these situations as we can," he wrote. This left many Facebook users confused about the company's decision to not activate the feature in Mali Friday, after gunmen took more than 150 hotel guests and employees hostage in an attack that left 27 people dead. Others questioned why Facebook did not release a special profile photo filter like it did after the Paris attacks. (The feature was also used after the U.S Supreme Court's marriage equality ruling in June and during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Facebook HQ in September. Dear @Facebook: those of us with friends in #Mali would love it if you could activate the Safety Check feature. — Vanessa Wyeth (@vwyeth) November 20, 2015 Was waiting for Mali flag filter and a safety check on the same whole day.Didnt see it.This is the double standards I... Posted by Victor Kariuki on Friday, November 20, 2015 What, no #Mali flag or safety check, Facebook Safety, Facebook? Posted by Nicole Healing on Friday, November 20, 2015 @facebook @MarkZuckerbergF Mark Zuckerberg where is the safety check for Bamako? (ou est le "safety check" pour Bamako?) #Mali #Radisson #Bamako #PrayforMali #MaliansLivesMatter Posted by Abba Sky Toure on Friday, November 20, 2015 Why didn't Facebook activate the safety check for Mali??? — Sidibe (@SidibeSings) November 20, 2015 Safety Check was introduced in 2014 and Zuckerberg has said it was inspired by the earthquake that hit Japan in 2011. The feature allows people in affected areas to mark themselves as "safe" and sends alerts to their friends when they do so. Its use had previously been limited to natural disasters until last week when the company activated it in Paris. More than 4 million Facebook users marked themselves a safe after the Paris attacks, and more than 360 million users received notifications about their friends as a result of the feature, according to Facebook. The company also activated the feature in Nigeria Wednesday, after 32 people were killed in a bombing in the city of Yola. When reached for comment, a Facebook spokesperson directed Mashable to an earlier statement from Facebook head of growth Alex Schultz. Schultz previously explained some of the reasoning behind the decision to activate the feature in Paris and the plan to use it in future non-natural disaster emergencies. "We chose to activate Safety Check in Paris because we observed a lot of activity on Facebook as the events were unfolding," he wrote in a post on Facebook's Safety page Saturday. "This activation will change our policy around Safety Check and when we activate it for other serious and tragic incidents in the future. We want this tool to be available whenever and wherever it can help." Schultz, however, offered few specifics on what criteria the company would take into account for future incidents. "During an ongoing crisis, like war or epidemic, Safety Check in its current form is not that useful for people: Because there isn't a clear start or end point and, unfortunately, it's impossible to know when someone is truly 'safe.' " Updated at 2:40 p.m. PT

French street artist Kashink has created murals with young people, challenging attitudes about the female body to support My Body My Rights. Here she takes us back to where her art activism began. I started with stickers when I moved to Paris in 1998. I grew up in the banlieue – the outskirts of Paris – and I was familiar with graffiti. It wasn't until 2006 that I started painting big walls. At first I wasn't hoping to make any difference. I just wanted to paint. Then I realized I could also share messages. I thought there was some conservatism in the representation of genders for example, and I wanted to share another perspective. My activism is about celebrating human diversity. When I started “50 cakes of gay” two years ago, the situation in France was scary. People put so much energy into protesting for other people not to have rights. I don't know if painting more than 300 gay wedding cakes in nine different countries really changed the way people think, but at least I got a lot of support on that project. Kashink, wearing her infamous moustache, paints her first mural for Amnesty. "KASHINK is an onomatopoeic word from a comic book," she says. "When I was a teenager I used to borrow American comic books like Marvel from my friends, and I remember reading this word and liking its sound and spelling. I started using it, even before painting walls." ©Charles Devoyer What it means to be a woman Being a woman comes with having to potentially find ourselves in situations where our bodies are involved, inside and outside. It’s crazy that some of our sexual and reproductive rights are still somehow taboo. Women are “not supposed” to have a moustache. I think it's interesting to see the impact that two simple lines can have. I started doing it for fun at first. But at some point I decided to wear it every day. That was almost two years ago. I like the idea of questioning the traditions of female make-up in our society, where two symmetrical lines above the eyes are accepted, but the same lines on another part of the face are not. I think it's up to artists to question the absurdity of these social codes. Kashink’s first mural for Amnesty My idea was to use classical paintings that everybody knows, such as La Grande Odalisque by Ingres. I remember seeing it in Le Louvre as a kid. The person next to me said that Ingres added extra vertebrae so her back would look longer and nicer. Her skin looks particularly smooth too, and flawless. I'm interested in using images that involve this kind of body modification. Ingres' techniques are somehow similar to Photoshop. The fact that I changed the character, making it look bigger, adding this spotted pattern on the skin and a confusing gender aspect to it, made the idea funny, too. Kashink at work on her second mural for Amnesty. ©Charles Devoyer I love to sit in public places like a café terrace and watch people do their thing, interact with one another. People inspire me. I'm a humanist, I'm interested in people's experiences, how they were as a kid, how they live now. I'm touched by people who try their best. The most important thing is to embrace the idea that everybody should be free to make their own decisions in life, and to celebrate humanity in the beauty of its diversity. Not everyone has the chance to freely decide about their bodies and lives. In Burkina Faso, women and girls are too often prevented from getting life-changing and sometimes life-saving contraception. Sign our petition calling on the authorities to change this. A version of this blog first appeared in the July-September edition of WIRE.

Chrisann Brennan first met Steve Jobs in 1972, while they were both students at Homestead HS in Cupertino, Calif. Over the next five years, they dated off and on throughout their teens and early 20s. The two were living together with their friend Daniel Kottke, a computer engineer and one of the earliest employees of Apple, in 1977, when the company took off. The two finally ended their romantic relationship for good in late 1977, after Brennan became pregnant with their daughter, Lisa. Brennan worked as a waitress and collected welfare checks to support herself and their baby daughter. Jobs publicly denied he was Lisa’s father for years, even though he took a paternity test in 1979 proving he was the dad. He was paying $500 a month in child support when he told Time magazine in 1983, “28 percent of the male population in the United States could be the father.” Today, Brennan is a painter and graphic designer living in Monterey, Calif., and Lisa is a Harvard-educated journalist. Here, in an exclusive excerpt from Brennan’s first-person tale, “The Bite in the Apple: A Memoir of My Life With Steve Jobs” (on sale Oct. 29), she describes her frustrating, difficult and passionate years with the business visionary… Steve often said that he had a strong sense of having had a past life as a World War II pilot. He’d tell me how, when driving, he felt a strong impulse to pull the steering wheel back as if for takeoff. It was a curious thing for him to say, but he did have that sense of unadorned glamour from the forties. He loved the big band sound of Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, and Count Basie. At the first Apple party he even danced like he was from the forties. So I could see the fit: Steve as a young man with all that American ingenuity from a less encumbered time, with that simple sense of right and wrong. But that’s not how I pictured him in 1977. Apple was taking off and Steve wasn’t in an airplane, he was in a rocket ship blasting out beyond the atmosphere of what anyone imagined possible. And he was changing. It was around this time that Steve, Daniel, and I moved into a rental in Cupertino. It was a four-bedroom ranch style house on Presidio Drive, close to Apple’s first offices. Steve told me that he didn’t want to get a house with just the two of us because it felt insufficient to him. Steve wanted his buddy Daniel to live with him because he believed it would break up the intensity of what wasn’t working between us. Our relationship was running hot and cold. We were completely crazy about each other and utterly bored in turns. I had suggested to Steve that we separate, but he told me that he just couldn’t bring himself to say goodbye. I was glad to hear this but I was also, by this time, deferring to his ideas way too often. Steve also didn’t want us to share a room at the Presidio house. He said he didn’t want us to play assumed roles and that he wanted to choose when we would be together. I was hurt by this, but reasoned that he had a point, that we both needed a sense of space and choice. And so I went along with it. Steve selected the bedroom in the front of the house. It was like him to want to position himself as the captain of the ship — in front. He was always vying for that superior position. I chose the master bedroom and settled in, knowing I had the best room. Daniel, who was sort of charmingly odd, slept in the living room on the floor next to his piano. But after a month Steve literally picked me up and moved everything I owned and took over the master bedroom. He’d finally realized that I had the better deal: a larger room with an en suite bath and the privacy of the backyard. Steve had paid the security deposit for the rental so was, in fact, entitled to the room he wanted. But he was so graceless that I felt humiliated and outraged. Even after swapping rooms in this way, Steve and I still shared nights of lovemaking so profound that, astonishingly, some fifteen years later, he called me out of the blue to thank me for them. He was married at the time of his call and all I could think of was, Whoa . . . men . . . are . . . really . . . different. Imagine if I had called him to say such a thing. We remembered different things. Mainly I recalled how awful he was becoming and how I was starting to flounder. But he was right: our lovemaking had been sublime. At the time of Steve’s phone call, I found that as I listened I was as awed by the memory as by his strange need to risk an expression of such intimacy. After I hung up I stood still and thought, Maybe Steve thinks that love has its own laws and imperative. But why call now? His timing had always been so particular. Living with Steve in Cupertino was not as I had expected it to be. We shared nice dinners and some beautiful evenings, but we could barely sustain a sense of emotional intimacy, much less build on it. It was like a game of Snakes and Ladders, with Steve as the game master. The ups were hopeful and the downs were extreme. I didn’t know how to hold my own with him because he didn’t play fair. He just played to win — and win at any cost. I knew that a solid relationship couldn’t be built on any one person winning, but I couldn’t understand why things kept slip-sliding away and breaking into pieces. When we first moved into that house, I was by myself during the days when Steve and Daniel went off to Apple. I was deeply frustrated by my lack of creative focus. I had made the commitment to myself to be an artist but I had no idea how to do it. There was so much pain between me and my work that I didn’t know where to begin or how to direct myself. So when my friend Ellen offered to help me get a waitressing job at a restaurant in Palo Alto, I jumped at the chance. I wanted to be around others, to make money, and to wash Steve and Daniel out of my hair on a regular basis. I needed my own independent life and perspective away from that house. I wanted to be around other people so I could remember who I was and what interested me. I also thought that it would help Steve and me to get on a better footing or, if we couldn’t, for me to find my own feet to walk out of the relationship if that’s what I needed to do. Unfortunately I had to turn down that job because I didn’t have a car and so couldn’t get to Palo Alto. So I ended up working at Apple in Cupertino, driving in the mornings with Steve and Daniel and walking home in the evenings if we didn’t have plans together after work. Eventually I started to take art classes at De Anza, which was conveniently located between Apple and our home. At Apple I worked in the shipping department where, if I remember correctly, I soldered disconnected chips onto boards and also screwed those same boards into Apple II cases for final assembly. The work wasn’t interesting, but the banter and laughter with my cohorts, Richard Johnson and Bob Martinengo, kept me amused. At that time Apple had about one thousand square feet to its name, divided into three rooms total: one for shipping, one as a kind of tech lab for R & D, and one larger office for all the executives and secretaries. One day I remember a bunch of us standing around Steve’s desk when John Draper, aka Captain Crunch, called. (Draper is well known for his contribution to the blue box technology.) Steve put Draper on the speakerphone so that everyone could hear without Draper’s knowing we were all listening. Draper was full of anxiety, pleading with Steve to do something for him. I don’t remember what now, but I do know that people were quietly laughing at him. This is nothing in the annals of Steve Jobs stories, but I remember it because Steve’s lack of fair play seemed shameless to me. I didn’t care who he was making fun of. I just didn’t like it. On the nights when Steve and I didn’t have something to do together — and there were more and more of these — he would often come home late and wake me up to talk and make love. On the nights he just wanted to talk, I knew he had been with Kobun [Japanese Zen master Kobun Chino Otogawa was a longtime spiritual adviser to Jobs]. I would wake up to find Steve gently ecstatic, speaking to me in symbolic language with the Zen master’s distinct speech pattern. A number of times he spoke to me about how he had been given “five brilliant flowers.” His demeanor would gleam when he said this, and I would listen to find out what the symbol meant to him. My best guess after months of these reveries was that the flowers were five different people whose enlightenment Steve would be involved in. These blooms apparently included me. In the beginning he talked about “one brilliant flower” and he would touch my nose when he said it, as if to say, “That’s you!” but then it rose to three and then five. I’d wondered who the others were. Steve was assuming the role of my spiritual master once again and I felt uneasy about it. What if I didn’t want to be one of his brilliant flowers. Beyond this, the general lack of transparency when it came to Steve and Kobun didn’t feel right, especially when it involved me. A few years earlier Steve had tried to get me to primal scream “Mommy, Daddy, Mommy, Daddy” when we had taken LSD because he thought he was fit to oversee that kind of opening up in me just from having read a book. The fact that he had never gone through primal therapy himself didn’t seem to concern him. It was that Pygmalion thing again. Now he and Kobun thought Steve should oversee my enlightenment? Also during this time Steve bragged about being lazy. He was working like a maniac but he’d throw his head back with his eyes unfocused and croon, “I am just the laziest man in the world.” After about the tenth refrain I quietly translated this to mean that he was only active in response to inspiration, and so in this way, action was effortless, thus, he was lazy. It smacked of the coded language between him and Kobun. Further, it felt self-aggrandizing. I was left out of the late-night conversations between master and student, but I got these trailers when I was half asleep. Some of it was beautiful and I was glad Steve wanted to share it with me, but some of it felt really skewed. Steve had a way of being spiritually advanced while also being emotionally underdeveloped, and I started to wonder why Kobun didn’t understand this. Why indeed. I was wary because I didn’t think enlightened people bragged, and I sensed that these two were too infatuated with themselves. The touch on the nose was patronizing. Steve, who was my boyfriend, not my guru, had some confusion about me surrendering to his ego instead of to my own higher purpose and presence. In the end, I think he may have been jealous of me for having my own power and insight. He seemed to want either to own everything or diminish its value. One evening, Steve and I had a party at the Presidio house. I don’t remember much about the party or who was there — likely, Bill Fernandez, Woz [Steve Wozniak], and Daniel, and their girlfriends. What I do remember is that the next morning there was a confusing moment when Steve, looking around and squinting, asked what we should do with “it.” I didn’t understand the question until I realized that he was asking if there was a service we could call in to take care of the dirty dishes. Doing the dishes ourselves was simply no longer an option for Steve. He had entered into an elite world where others took care of the lower-level functions so that he could operate with more efficiency, on his presumably higher plane. I not too happily cleaned them up by myself. This put me into the wrong kind of position with him, because in no world should I ever have been in a service role to Steve in this way. I just didn’t understand how to take care of myself in the face of his enlarged sense of self importance. A few weeks after the party Steve started telling me that I had too many wrinkles on my forehead. I’m of Irish and French descent and have thin skin from the Irish side. In my early twenties, I had a wrinkle-free face, but when I raised my eyebrows, I had a bazillion tiny lines, like pages of a book. Steve would point this out and then, like a stage mother, literally reach over and smooth my forehead whenever I furrowed my brow. This was a new Steve. I have never liked this sort of thing in mothers, much less in boyfriends. I am not the kind of woman who places high stakes in her appearance. That’s not a natural outcome of who I am. But I was puzzled. Steve had always really liked the way I looked before, but now my very face was not okay? I fell to tears, rejected and burdened by it all. I now understand that Steve was learning how to gain power by insinuating negative self-images onto others. He was starting to define me more by what I wasn’t, than by what I was. This was a whole new category of unkindness and it confused me. It was mean and I felt rejected, but I just didn’t have a comeback. As Apple grew, so did Steve’s sense of self-entitlement; in parallel they both seemed to take on lives of their own. And his behaviors didn’t improve with success, they changed from adolescent and dopey to just plain vicious. For example, in the pre-Apple days whenever we’d go out for dinner (which wasn’t that often), Steve would often be sarcastic toward the restaurant staff. The host would say, “Two?” and Steve would reply, “No, fifteen!” driving for the implicit “DUH!” But after Apple started we ate out a lot more and Steve’s behavior toward service people changed into a different kind of disempowerment. Steve would order the same meal night after night, yet he’d complain bitterly each evening about the little side sauces that were served with it, cutting the air with disdain for the waitstaff who would serve up such greasy-salty-tasteless-mock-fine cuisine. He seemed to assume that everyone at the restaurant should know better than to serve up such wallpaper paste — not only to him, but at all. Steve would run down the waitstaff like a demon, detailing the finer points of good service, which included the notion that “they should be seen only when he needed them.” Steve was uncontrollably critical. His reactions had a Tourette’s quality — as if he couldn’t stop himself. Of course, it must have been sort of wild to have your genius recognized at the age of twenty-two, to be thrust into such a role of authority. Steve had always been a brilliant misfit, but at this time — to be generous — he wasn’t managing his growing power very well. In fact, he was positively despotic. Excellence had always been a gorgeous thing in Steve, but now he was using it like a weapon. He’d look for excellence and when he didn’t find it, he’d behave badly and take it out on people. As Steve’s first girlfriend I increasingly experienced what it felt like to have him turn against me. And so it was at this time that I began to perceive that awesome and awful could be but a hair’s breadth apart. And where Steve’s fullness met mine with staggering beauty (there was a reason he called fifteen years later to acknowledge the importance of the nights we’d shared), he was also becoming so creatively unstable, so out of integrity with himself that everything could slip out of alignment in an instant. That’s when my heart would freeze over. That’s when I’d be left speechless and gasping. Though I would try to adapt to the change, it all soon outweighed his value to me. From “The Bite in the Apple” by Chrisann Brennan. Copyright © 2013 by the author and reprinted by permission of St. Martin’s Press, LLC.

Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations BATMAN #25 Written by SCOTT SNYDER Art by GREG CAPULLO and DANNY MIKI Cover by GREG CAPULLO 1:25 Variant cover by KEN HUNT 1:100 B&W Variant cover by GREG CAPULLO On sale NOVEMBER 13 • 40 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T Combo pack edition: $5.99 US Retailers: This issue will ship with four covers. Please see the order form for more information. BATMAN: ZERO YEAR reaches a new level as The Riddler sends Gotham City into total darkness! “Dark City” begins in this issue that features an embossed cover. And the ZERO YEAR blackout spreads into other titles this month, affecting heroes across the DC Universe! This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations ACTION COMICS #25 Written by GREG PAK Art and cover by AARON KUDER 1:25 B&W Variant cover by AARON KUDER On sale NOVEMBER 6 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information. This BATMAN: ZERO YEAR tie-in features the reintroduction of a major character! A cocky young Superman battles the forces of nature to save Gotham City, while a woman from his past tries to do the same thing on a smaller scale. But both are headed for a collision course... Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations BATGIRL #25 Written by MARGUERITE BENNETT Art by FERNANDO PASARIN and JONATHAN GLAPION Cover by ALEX GARNER On sale NOVEMBER 13 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T A BATMAN: ZERO YEAR tie-in! Barbara Gordon is forced to protect her brother and her homestead in anticipation of the upcoming storm—but it’s here that she learns the true meaning of “home” and “hero.” Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations BATWING #25 Written by JUSTIN GRAY and JIMMY PALMIOTTI Art by EDUARDO PANSICA and JULIO FERREIRA Cover by AMANDA CONNER On sale NOVEMBER 6 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T A BATMAN: ZERO YEAR tie-in! As Gotham City descends into chaos, young Luke Fox is the only one who can stop one of his classmates from causing more destruction—but he didn’t count on his friend being so… VENOMOUS! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations BIRDS OF PREY #25 Written by CHRISTY MARX Art by ROMANO MOLENAAR and JONATHAN GLAPION Cover by JORGE MOLINA On sale NOVEMBER 20 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T BLACK CANARY: ZERO YEAR?! Well, it’s definitely a BATMAN: ZERO YEAR tie-in issue as we look into a pivotal moment in Black Canary’s history! Don’t miss assassins, mystery men and an ancient evil in Gotham City! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations CATWOMAN #25 Written by JOHN LAYMAN Art by AARON LOPRESTI Cover by TERRY DODSON and RACHEL DODSON On sale NOVEMBER 27 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T+ An untold tale of Catwoman in this tie-in to BATMAN: ZERO YEAR! Journey back to Selina’s early days as a thief, and find out why she’s always worked alone! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations NIGHTWING #25 Written by KYLE HIGGINS Art and cover by WILL CONRAD On sale NOVEMBER 13 • 40 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T A BATMAN: ZERO YEAR tie-in! Dick Grayson frantically tries to find Haly’s Circus—and his parents—as Gotham City is plunged into total darkness! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations DETECTIVE COMICS #25 Written by JOHN LAYMAN Art and cover by JASON FABOK 1:25 B&W Variant cover by JASON FABOK On sale NOVEMBER 6 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T Combo pack edition: $4.99 US Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information. A BATMAN: ZERO YEAR tie-in! James Gordon confronts the corrupt elements in the G.C.P.D.—and the vigilante known as Batman! This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations THE FLASH #25 Written by FRANCIS MANAPUL and BRIAN BUCCELLATO Art by CHRIS SPROUSE and KARL STORY Cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL 1:25 B&W Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL On sale NOVEMBER 27 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information. A BATMAN: ZERO YEAR tie-in! What crucial part did Barry Allen play in the Zero Year saga, and how did it shape his future as The Flash? Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations GREEN LANTERN CORPS #25 Written by VAN JENSEN and ROBERT VENDITTI Art and cover by BERNARD CHANG 1:25 B&W Variant cover by BERNARD CHANG On sale NOVEMBER 13 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information. A BATMAN: ZERO YEAR tie-in! When The Riddler throws Gotham City into total darkness, a young Marine named John Stewart is deployed as part of the peacekeeping measures. But he gets much more than he expected when he must deal with the costumed chaos known as ANARKY! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations GREEN ARROW #25 Written by JEFF LEMIRE Art and cover by ANDREA SORRENTINO 1:25 B&W Variant cover by ANDREA SORRENTINO On sale NOVEMBER 6 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information. A BATMAN: ZERO YEAR tie-in! He’s just returned from the island and must try to find his place in the world! Now, Oliver Queen becomes Green Arrow for the first time as he battles Killer Moth in Gotham City! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #25 Written by JAMES TYNION IV Art by JULIUS GOPEZ and RAY McCARTHY Cover by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI and CAM SMITH On sale NOVEMBER 20 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T A BATMAN: ZERO YEAR tie-in! There’s a dark force of nature that’s forming in Gotham City...A face laughing in the dark that will one day tear Jason Todd’s life apart. What are his plans for the Red Hood Gang? And who else will rise out of the shadows to guide Jason Todd one step closer to his destiny? Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations FOREVER EVIL #3 Written by GEOFF JOHNS Art and cover by DAVID FINCH and RICHARD FRIEND 1:25 Villain A cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER 1:25 Villain B cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER 1:25 Villain C cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER 1:200 B&W Variant cover by DAVID FINCH and RICHARD FRIEND On sale NOVEMBER 6 • 32 pg, FC, 3 of 7, $3.99 US • RATED T Combo pack edition: $4.99 US Retailers: This issue will ship with six covers. Please see the order form for more information. The first universe-wide event of The New 52 continues to explode across the DC Universe! With the world under the rule of the mysterious and deadly Crime Syndicate and our greatest heroes dead, it’s up to the unlikeliest of defenders to rise up to save us—humanity’s only hope—Lex Luthor?! Plus, a startling revelation about the dark secret of the Syndicate’s mission on Earth—and what it means for the future of the DC Universe and its heroes and villains. This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations JUSTICE LEAGUE #25 Written by GEOFF JOHNS Art and cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO 1:25 Variant cover by AARON KUDER 1:100 B&W Variant cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO On sale NOVEMBER 20 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T Combo pack edition: $4.99 US Retailers: This issue will ship with four covers. Please see the order form for more information. FOREVER EVIL continues as the Crime Syndicate hunts down the few heroes left foolish enough to challenge them—including Batman’s protege, Dick Grayson. But Owlman has other plans for Nightwing...and Owlman’s teammate: the most deadly being on the planet: Ultraman! This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #9 Written by MATT KINDT Art by DOUG MAHNKE and CHRISTIAN ALAMY Cover by DOUG MAHNKE 1:25 Variant cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER 1:100 B&W Variant cover by DOUG MAHNKE On sale NOVEMBER 13 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T Combo pack edition: $4.99 US Retailers: This issue will ship with four covers. Please see the order form for more information. A FOREVER EVIL tie-in! Martian Manhunter literally claws his way out of the fire, with one other member of the JLA at his side. But what are their chances of survival on a world being run by the deadliest Super-Villians? This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #25 Written by J.M. DeMATTEIS Art and cover by MIKEL JANIN 1:25 B&W Variant cover by MIKEL JANIN On sale NOVEMBER 27 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information. A FOREVER EVIL tie-in! Alone in a world where Super-Villains reign, John Constantine must enlist the aid of Swamp Thing in order to turn the tide. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations FOREVER EVIL: ARKHAM WAR #2 Written by PETER J. TOMASI Art by SCOT EATON and JAIME MENDOZA Cover by JASON FABOK 1:25 B&W Variant cover by JASON FABOK On sale NOVEMBER 13 • 32 pg, FC, 2 of 6, $2.99 US RATED T Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information. As Scarecrow tips the balance of power between Arkham and Blackgate, The Penguin is made an offer he can’t refuse. Who will be Gotham City’s protector now? One word: BANE! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations FOREVER EVIL: ROGUES REBELLION #2 Written by BRIAN BUCCELLATO Art by PATRICK ZIRCHER Cover by DECLAN SHALVEY 1:25 B&W Variant cover by DECLAN SHALVEY On sale NOVEMBER 20 • 32 pg, FC, 2 of 6, $2.99 US RATED T Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information. Separated from their leader Captain Cold and trapped in Metropolis, the Rogues must fight for their lives against the Secret Society's secret weapon: the horrifying Parasite! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations FOREVER EVIL: A.R.G.U.S. #2 Written by MATT KINDT Art by PHILIP TAN and JASON PAZ Cover by MIKEL JANIN 1:25 B&W Variant cover by MIKEL JANIN On sale NOVEMBER 27 • 32 pg, FC, 2 of 6, $2.99 US RATED T Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information. As the world adjusts to its new status quo, Col. Steve Trevor and A.R.G.U.S. go on the offensive to stop the rise of evil! The first obstacle in Trevor’s path? Deathstroke! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations SUICIDE SQUAD #25 Written by MATT KINDT Art by PATRICK ZIRCHER Cover by JASON PEARSON On sale NOVEMBER 13 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+ A FOREVER EVIL tie-in! A villain from the early days of The New 52 has taken over Belle Reve, and he’s formed the Reverse Suicide Squad! But who—or what—is the Reverse Suicide Squad? Harley Quinn is about to learn the hard way that Power Girl is one of its members… Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations TEEN TITANS #25 Written by SCOTT LOBDELL Art by TYLER KIRKHAM and ART THIBERT Cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND 1:25 B&W Variant cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND On sale NOVEMBER 27 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information. A FOREVER EVIL tie-in! The Titans’ fall through the time stream is stopped by Echo! But is this the help they’ve been looking for, or are things about to go from bad to worse? Plus: The secrets of Kid Flash’s origin begin here! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations TRINITY OF SIN: PANDORA #5 Written by RAY FAWKES Art by FRANCIS PORTELA Cover by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO On sale NOVEMBER 20 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T Following the shocking events of TRINITY WAR, Pandora can now physically harm the Seven Deadly Sins! But by going after Greed and Sloth at the same time, she may have bitten off more than she can chew. Plus: A surprising new player takes the stage, determined to end the immortal Pandora’s life! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations AQUAMAN #25 Written by GEOFF JOHNS Art and cover by PAUL PELLETIER and SEAN PARSONS 1:25 B&W Variant cover by PAUL PELLETIER and SEAN PARSONS On sale NOVEMBER 27 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information. THE EXTRA-SIZED CONCLUSION TO “DEATH OF A KING”! Aquaman now knows the true responsibility that comes with being King of Atlantis. But that means he and Mera face a difficult choice—one that could destroy the love that’s defined their lives! Villains become allies, friends become enemies, and the scope of Aquaman’s undersea world grows bigger than ever! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations KATANA #9 Written by ANN NOCENTI Art and cover by FABIZIO FIORENTINO On sale NOVEMBER 13 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T In order to join the Sword Clan, Katana must hunt down and kill Mona Shard—but how do you kill a centuries-old ghost girl? Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA’S VIBE #9 Written by STERLING GATES Art by ANDRES GUINALDO and MARK IRWIN Cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND On sale NOVEMBER 20 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T Vibe is stuck in another dimension, where he must stop an alien invasion of Earth and rescue his brother—who is busy trying to kill Vibe! No problem, right? Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations CONSTANTINE #8 Written by RAY FAWKES Art and cover by EDDY BARROWS and EBER FERREIRA On sale NOVEMBER 13 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+ Caught in a twisted romance with the sadistic Sargon the Sorceress, John Constantine must make a painful choice: lose everything or join forces with his greatest enemies! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations TRINITY OF SIN: THE PHANTOM STRANGER #13 Written by J.M. DeMATTEIS Art by FERNANDO BLANCO Cover by GUILLEM MARCH On sale NOVEMBER 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T Months ago, The Question came close to ending the Stranger’s life—and now the Stranger wants some payback! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations WONDER WOMAN #25 Written by BRIAN AZZARELLO Art by GORAN SUDZUKA Cover by CLIFF CHIANG 1:25 B&W Variant cover by CLIFF CHIANG On sale NOVEMBER 20 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information. There’s no time for Wonder Woman to fully comprehend the fallout from last issue’s shocking turn of events as her family gathers to prepare for an assault on Olympus! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations WORLDS’ FINEST #17 Written by PAUL LEVITZ Art by R.B. SILVA and JOE WEEMS Cover by EMANUAL LUPACCINO On sale NOVEMBER 13 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T Power Girl tries to restore her powers to full strength with the super hero equivalent of sunbathing…in space…with disastrous results! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations EARTH 2 #17 Written by TOM TAYLOR Art by NICOLAS SCOTT and TREVOR SCOTT Cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER 1:25 Variant cover by DOUG MAHNKE 1:100 B&W Variant cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER On sale NOVEMBER 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T Retailers: This issue will ship with three covers. Please see the order form for more information. Batman fights to keep Brutal and the forces of Darkseid from taking complete control of Earth! Beginning a new story by Tom Taylor (INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US)! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN #2 Written by CHARLES SOULE Art and cover by TONY S. DANIEL and BATT 1:25 Variant cover by SHANE DAVIS 1:100 B&W Variant cover by TONY S. DANIEL and BATT On sale NOVEMBER 13 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T Combo pack edition: $4.99 US Retailers: This issue will ship with four covers. Please see the order form for more information. Whom the gods destroy, first they piss off! Seeking help against Doomsday, Diana turns to her brother Hephaestus for weapons—but a more immediate threat is Apollo and the other gods. They do not approve of Superman as a consort to Diana, and he will have to prove himself in combat! This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #5 Written by SCOTT SNYDER Art and cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS Backup story art by DUSTIN NGUYEN 1:300 B&W Variant cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS On sale NOVEMBER 20 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T Combo pack edition: $4.99 US Retailers: This issue will ship with eleven covers. Please see the order form for more information. Superman and Wraith form an alliance to rescue a hostage and strike at the heart of Ascension, but the mission goes awry when it becomes clear the Man of Tomorrow and the soldier from beyond the stars have very different methodologies—and objectives! Plus, secrets are revealed about Wraith’s people! This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations SUPERBOY #25 Written by SCOTT LOBDELL and JUSTIN JORDAN Art by ROBSON ROCHA Cover by KENNETH ROCAFORT On sale NOVEMBER 13 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T “KRYPTON RETURNS,” and our heroes have been sent on missions through Krypton’s history to stop H’El from dooming the universe! Superboy’s mission? Stop H’El from tampering with the history of Krypton days before its explosion. But he must also see to it that Kara Zor-El is kept safe and that the forces of the Eradicator don’t get him first. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations SUPERGIRL #25 Written by SCOTT LOBDELL and MICHAEL ALAN NELSON Art by PAULO SIQUERIA Cover by KENNETH ROCAFORT On sale NOVEMBER 20 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T “KRYPTON RETURNS” continues as Supergirl faces the clone wars of Krypton. Just as she was starting to accept Superboy’s clone origins, she faces the horrible past of her home planet. And she must once again face H’El. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations SUPERMAN #25 Written by SCOTT LOBDELL Art and cover by KENNETH ROCAFORT 1:25 B&W Variant cover by KENNETH ROCAFORT On sale NOVEMBER 27 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information. “KRYPTON RETURNS” concludes! Months before its explosion, Superman finds himself locked in combat against H’El! Can he find a way to save the planet? A most unexpected foe stands in his path: Jor-El! A hero will fall during this epic adventure! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations BATMAN/SUPERMAN #5 Written by GREG PAK Art and cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND 1:25 Variant cover by JON BOGDANOVE 1:100 B&W Variant cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND On sale NOVEMBER 6 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T Combo pack edition: $4.99 US Retailers: This issue will ship with four covers. Please see the order form for more information. When the new Toymaster uses a secret, potentially deadly element in his new video game, the characters created by players manifest in real life! The ultimate fighting game results—and a world-wide network of players must team up to create the most powerful, skilled Super Heroes imaginable with one goal: To kill Batman. Can Superman come to the rescue before the game claims its victim? Find out in this amazing issue that’s printed in a special horizontal storytelling format. This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations HARLEY QUINN #0 Written by AMANDA CONNER and JIMMY PALMIOTTI Art by DARWYN COOKE, SAM KIETH, TONY S. DANIEL, PAUL POPE, WALTER SIMONSON, ART BALTAZAR and others Cover by AMANDA CONNER 1:25 Variant cover by STEPHANE ROUX “WE CAN BE HEROES” Blank variant cover also available On sale NOVEMBER 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T Retailers: This issue will ship with three covers. Please see the order form for more information. This bombastic debut issue features art by award-winning illustrators including Darwyn Cooke, Sam Kieth, Tony S. Daniel, Paul Pope, Walter Simonson, Art Baltazar and others—but will any of them measure up to the exacting standards of the Clown Princess of Crime? Don’t miss the thrilling return of Harley Quinn in her own monthly series! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations DAMIAN: SON OF BATMAN #2 Written by ANDY KUBERT Art and cover by ANDY KUBERT 1:25 Variant cover by CHRIS BURNHAM 1:100 B&W Variant cover by ANDY KUBERT On sale NOVEMBER 27 • 32 pg, FC, 2 of 4, $3.99 US RATED T Retailers: This issue will ship with three covers. Please see the order form for more information. Damian Wayne faces the most important decision of his adult life after a dangerous confrontation with someone dear to him. Plus, a soul-searching journey into the madness of Arkham Asylum! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations BATMAN AND CARRIE KELLEY #25 Written by PETER J. TOMASI Art and cover by PATRICK GLEASON and MICK GRAY 1:25 Variant cover by BRIAN BOLLAND 1:100 B&W Variant cover by PATRICK GLEASON and MICK GRAY On sale NOVEMBER 20 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US RATED T Retailers: This issue will ship with three covers. Please see the order form for more information. As Two-Face continues his rampage through Gotham City, more light is shed on his past. Who is Carrie Kelley and how can her mysterious connection to Harvey Dent help Batman? Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #25 Written by GREGG HURWITZ Art and cover by ALEX MALEEV 1:25 B&W Variant cover by ALEX MALEEV Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information. On sale NOVEMBER 27 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T Time and time again, Clayface has proven to be one of Batman’s most elusive adversaries. On the loose once more, it’s time for the Dark Knight to call in some back-up! Guest starring Black Canary and Condor! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations BATWOMAN #25 Written by J.H. WILLIAMS III and W. HADEN BLACKMAN Art by TREVOR McCARTHY and JEREMY HAUN Cover by J.H. WILLIAMS III 1:25 B&W Variant cover by J.H. WILLIAMS III On sale NOVEMBER 20 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US RATED T+ Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information. The no-holds-barred battle between Batwoman and Batman threatens to kill them both! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations TALON #13 Written by JAMES TYNION IV Art by EMANUEL SIMEONI Cover by KEN HUNT On sale NOVEMBER 27 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T Sebastian Clarke’s endgame for the Court of Owls is unleashed upon Gotham City, with thousands of lives in the balance. How can Talon stand up and finally become the hero he never wanted to be? Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations GREEN LANTERN #25 Written by ROBERT VENDITTI Art by BILLY TAN and ROB HUNTER Cover by BILLY TAN 1:25 B&W Variant cover by BILLY TAN On sale NOVEMBER 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T Combo pack edition: $3.99 US Retailers: This issue will ship with three covers. Please see the order form for more information. The shockwaves of “Lights Out” are just starting to be felt, as Hal Jordan makes a controversial decision that will change the mission of the Green Lantern Corps! But not everyone agrees with Hal’s goals, and the dissent could weaken the Corps further! This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS #25 Written by JUSTIN JORDAN Art by BRAD WALKER and DREW HENNESSY Cover by STEPHEN SEGOVIA 1:25 B&W Variant cover by STEPHEN SEGOVIA On sale NOVEMBER 20 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US RATED T Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information. After the stunning end of “Lights Out,” where is Kyle Rayner?! Or...WHEN is Kyle Rayner? And more important, WHY is Kyle Rayner? Answers to all these questions and more as the series rockets off to the outer limits of the DC Universe! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations LARFLEEZE #5 Written by KEITH GIFFEN and J.M. DeMATTEIS Art by SCOTT KOLINS Cover by TYLER KIRKHAM On sale NOVEMBER 27 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T In the wake of the revolt of the Orange Lanterns, Larfleeze faces his worst nightmare: living as the possession of someone else! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations RED LANTERNS #25 Written by CHARLES SOULE Art and cover by ALESSANDRO VITTI 1:25 B&W Variant cover by ALESSANDRO VITTI Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information. On sale NOVEMBER 27 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+ As the dust settles from “Lights Out,” Earth is no longer under the protection of the Green Lanterns. Sector 2814 is now the sole province of Guy Gardner and the RED LANTERNS! Criminals beware…psychopaths beware…hell, EVERYONE beware! How did this happen, you ask? Jump onboard with this issue and find out! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations ALL-STAR WESTERN #25 Written by JUSTIN GRAY and JIMMY PALMIOTTI Art by MORITAT Cover by HOWARD PORTER On sale NOVEMBER 27 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T+ Jonah Hex goes from bounty hunter to wanted criminal due to the events of last issue. Can Hex survive long enough to make it back to his own place in time? Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations ANIMAL MAN #25 Written by JEFF LEMIRE Art and cover by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE On sale NOVEMBER 20 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+ Buddy Baker invades Hollywood to battle Brother Blood—and that’s before things get really weird! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations THE GREEN TEAM: TEEN TRILLIONAIRES #6 Written by ART BALTAZAR and FRANCO Art and cover by IG GUARA and J.P. MAYER On sale NOVEMBER 27 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T The Green Team is trapped in space, and a meteor’s headed toward Earth! Who will make the supreme sacrifice to save the world? Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations THE MOVEMENT #6 Written by GAIL SIMONE Art by FREDDIE WILLIAMS III Cover by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE On sale NOVEMBER 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+ As the Graveyard Faction terrorizes Coral City, the Movement is nowhere to be found! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations STORMWATCH #25 Written by JIM STARLIN Art by YVEL GUICHET and LeBEAU UNDERWOOD Cover by JIM STARLIN and ROB HUNTER On sale NOVEMBER 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+ Midnighter recalls the final pieces of his and Apollo’s origin just as the Lobo and the Stormwatch team are getting their faces kicked in by The Exec! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations SWAMP THING #25 Written by CHARLES SOULE Art and cover by JESUS SAIZ On sale NOVEMBER 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T+ The evolution of Swamp Thing that began in SWAMP THING ANNUAL #2 is complete! But is it enough to defeat Seeder, who is so much more than he seems? Plus: A twist ending that will reshape Swamp Thing’s world! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #7 Written by DAVID LAPHAM and TIM SEELEY Art by DAVID LAPHAM and MIKE NORTON Cover by CHRIS SPROUSE and KARL STORY On sale NOVEMBER 27 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T • DIGITAL FIRST Join comics’ finest talents as they celebrate The Man of Steel himself: Superman! First, in a story written and illustrated by Eisner Award-winner David Lapham, Superman discovers a mysterious new cult that worships him as a god! Then, the Last Son of Krypton squares off against Darkseid and visits a very special fan, brought to you by Tim Seeley and Mike Norton! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations BATMAN BLACK AND WHITE #3 Written by LEE BERMEJO, RIAN HUGHES, DAMION SCOTT, PAUL DINI and MARV WOLFMAN Art by LEE BERMEJO, RIAN HUGHES, DAMION SCOTT, STEPHANE ROUX and RICCARDO BURCHIELLI Cover by OLLY MOSS On sale NOVEMBER 6 • 48 pg, B&W, 3 of 6, $4.99 US • RATED T It’s another spectacular selection of adventures by some of comics’ top talents, with tales of The Dark Knight by Lee Bermejo, Marv Wolfman and Riccardo Burchielli, Rian Hughes, Damion Scott, and Paul Dini and Stephane Roux. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations BATMAN BEYOND UNIVERSE #4 Written by KYLE HIGGINS and CHRISTOS N. GAGE Art by THONY SILAS and IBAN COELLO Cover by KHARY RANDOLPH On sale NOVEMBER 20 • 48 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T • DIGITAL FIRST The Justice League makes a desperate move to save Superman from being trapped in the Phantom Zone forever. Don’t miss the shocking revelation in the final pages of this story arc! Meanwhile, in Batman Beyond, Rewire raises the stakes! Can anyone stand between this dastardly dynamo and the destruction of Neo-Gotham? Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations BATMAN ‘66 #5 Written by JEFF PARKER Art by RUBEN PROCOPIO and COLLEEN COOVER Cover by MICHAEL ALLRED 1:25 Variant cover by DAVE JOHNSON On sale NOVEMBER 20 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED E • DIGITAL FIRST Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information. Are the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder asleep on the job? No, they are under the spell of that sinister somnambulist, the Sandman. (No, not THAT one!) Is it bedtime for all of Gotham City? Will the Dynamic Duo wake up in time to put out his lights? Don’t miss this issue’s story illustrated by 2013 Eisner Award-winner Colleen Coover! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations BATMAN: ARKHAM UNHINGED #20 Written by KAREN TRAVISS Art by CHRISTIAN DUCE and BENI LOBEL Cover by CHRISTOPHER MITTEN On sale NOVEMBER 13 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T • DIGITAL FIRST • FINAL ISSUE Bruce Wayne debates Mayor Sharp over the true purpose of Arkham City. Meanwhile, Catwoman provides a valuable clue to the identity of the Bookbinder. Batman may finally have his man—but will he be able to do anything about it? Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations SMALLVILLE SEASON 11 #19 Written by BRYAN Q. MILLER Art by JORGE JIMENEZ Cover by CAT STAGGS On sale NOVEMBER 13 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T • DIGITAL FIRST With Washington, D.C., on lockdown, Air Force One under attack and the dead rising from the grave, Superman and a newly armored “Wonder Woman” take the fight to Hades and Faust. Plus, as “Olympus” concludes, Clark’s journey as Superman takes a dramatic turn! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US ANNUAL #1 Written by TOM TAYLOR Art by XERMANICO Cover by JUAN JOSE RYP On sale NOVEMBER 13 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T • DIGITAL FIRST Lobo invades the world of Injustice in “The Main Man Among Us.” When Superman’s world was cruelly taken from him, his retribution was swift. But one of the perpetrators is still out there, and her freedom gnaws at him. But The Man of Steel can’t spend time tracking down one person—not when the entire world needs him. So he enlists the help of Lobo, one of the greatest bounty hunters in the universe, to track down a now super-powered Harley Quinn! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US #11 Written by TOM TAYLOR Art by JHEREMY RAAPACK, MIKE S. MILLER and TOM DERENICK Cover by MICO SUAYAN 1:10 DC Collectibles photo variant cover On sale NOVEMBER 27 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T • DIGITAL FIRST Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information. Batman has inside information on the pill Lex Luthor’s developed to build an army of super soldiers. He knows where to get it, but it’s in the most dangerous place on Earth: Superman’s Fortress of Solitude. He and his team are about to take their biggest risk yet, and tragedy lies ahead! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations DC UNIVERSE VS. THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE #4 Written by KEITH GIFFEN and TONY BEDARD Art by DEXTER SOY Cover by ED BENES On sale NOVEMBER 27 • 32 pg, FC, 4 of 6, $2.99 US • RATED T At long last, the identity of Skeletor’s dark master is revealed! Can the combined forces of the Masters of the Universe and the Justice League withstand the power of his dark magic? Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE #8 Written by DAN ABNETT Art by RAFAEL KAYANAN Cover by JOE BENNETT On sale NOVEMBER 20 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US He-Man and a small team of Masters set off toward Mount Zoar to undertake King Randor’s desperate plan to free Eternia from the Horde Occupation. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations GREEN LANTERN CORPS VOL. 2: ALPHA WAR TP Written by PETER J. TOMASI Art by FERNANDO PASARIN, CAFU, SCOTT HANNA and MARC DEERING Cover by FERNANDO PASARIN On sale DECEMBER 4 • 192 pg, FC, $16.99 US When the Alpha Lanterns, the internal police force for the Corps, arrest Green Lantern John Stewart for the murder of a fellow Lantern, it sends shock waves throughout the entire Corps—especially since Stewart refuses to defend himself against the charges. Now, in these tales from issues #8-14 and 0, it’s up to Guy Gardner and the rest of the Green Lanterns to break Stewart out and bring down the emotionless Alpha Lanterns. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS VOL. 3: LOVE AND DEATH HC Written by TONY BEDARD Art by AARON KUDER, ANDREI BRESSAN, ANDRES GUINALDO and others Cover by AARON KUDER On sale JANUARY 29 • 288 pg, FC, $24.99 US In this new hardcover collecting issues #0 and 13-20 of the hit series, Kyle Rayner and his fellow Lanterns must join forces to beat back “The Third Army” and survive “The Wrath of the First Lantern!” Green Lantern Kyle Rayner must master the emotional spectrum to stand a chance against The Third Army. But even then, a more dangerous threat lurks in the shadows: The First Lantern! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations BATMAN—THE DARK KNIGHT VOL. 3: MAD HC Written by GREGG HURWITZ Art by ETHAN VAN SCIVER and SZYMON KUDRANSKI Cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER On sale JANUARY 15 • 176 pg, FC, $24.99 US In this new collection of issues #16-21 and BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT ANNUAL #1, Batman discovers a trail of bodies but no leads. His detective skills are put to the test as the Mad Hatter begins kidnapping Gotham City citizens for an unknown purpose. But as The Dark Knight delves deeper into this mystery, he soon realizes that this is unlike any other Mad Hatter case. The Hatter’s gory past will be revealed, and Batman’s resolve will be put to the test! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations BIRDS OF PREY VOL. 3: A CLASH OF DAGGERS TP Written by DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI and GAIL SIMONE Art by ROMANO MOLENAAR, VICENTE CIFUENTES, JUAN JOSE RYP, DANIEL SAMPERE and ADMIRA WIJAYA Cover by ROMANO MOLENAAR On sale DECEMBER 18 • 160 pg, FC, $14.99 US The Birds of Prey lose one member but gain another in these tales from issue #13-17 and BATGIRL ANNUAL #1, all while the team itself is pulled apart by personal demons and a traitor in their midst. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations THE FLASH VOL. 2: ROGUES REVOLUTION TP Written by FRANCIS MANAPUL and BRIAN BUCCELLATO Art by FRANCIS MANAPUL, MARCUS TO, MARCIO TAKARA, SCOTT KOLINS and others Cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL On sale DECEMBER 4 • 176 pg, FC, $16.99 US The Rogues Gallery is united for the first time in The New 52 in this title collecting issues #0, 9-12 and THE FLASH ANNUAL #1! Who is behind their sudden organization, and why are they after their Captain Cold? Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations THE FURY OF FIRESTORM, THE NUCLEAR MAN VOL. 3: TAKEOVER TP Written by DAN JURGENS Art and cover by DAN JURGENS and RAY McCARTHY On sale DECEMBER 18 • 176 pg, FC, $16.99 US In these stories from issues #13-20, Ronnie and Jason have managed to get their superpowered alias in check, but with Super-Villains like Multiplex and agents of Project N.O.W.H.E.R.E., Firestorm’s future is uncertain. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN VOL. 2: WANTED TP Written by TOM DeFALCO and ROB LIEFELD Art by JOE BENNETT and ART THIBERT Cover by JOE BENNETT On sale DECEMBER 4 • 288 pg, FC, $19.99 US Hawkman is closer to discovering who he really is and why he is being hunted, but with deadly assassins at his throat, he may never learn the entire truth! Collecting THE SAVAGE HAWKMAN #0 and 9-20! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations NIGHTWING VOL. 3: DEATH OF THE FAMILY TP Written by TOM DeFALCO, KYLE HIGGINS and SCOTT SNYDER Art by ANDRES GUINALDO, EDDY BARROWS, JUAN JOSE RYP, GREG CAPULLO and others Cover by EDDY BARROWS and EBER FERREIRA On sale DECEMBER 25 • 176 pg, FC, $16.99 US In this title collecting NIGHTWING #13-18 and BATMAN #17, The Joker returns to Gotham City, and he’s more dangerous than ever! The Joker sets his twisted sights on the members of the Bat-Family and hits them where it hurts—and for Dick Grayson, that means going after the family he’s built up for the past year at Haly’s Circus! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations TEEN TITANS VOL. 3: DEATH OF THE FAMILY TP Written by SCOTT LOBDELL and FABIAN NICIEZA Art by BRETT BOOTH, NORM RAPMUND, TYLER KIRKHAM, EDDY BARROWS and EBER FERREIRA Cover by BRETT BOOTH On sale DECEMBER 18 • 160 pg, FC, $14.99 US The team is finally reunited in the wake of “DEATH OF THE FAMILY,” but something is very wrong with Red Robin! What did The Joker do? As Red Robin’s condition worsens, he and the team must face an even greater threat when the new Dr. Light is sent for Solstice! Learn more in these stories from TEEN TITANS #0, 15-17, BATMAN #17 and RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #16! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations SUPERMAN—ACTION COMICS VOL. 2: BULLETPROOF TP Written by GRANT MORRISON, SHOLLY FISCH and MAX LANDIS Art by RAGS MORALES, GENE HA, CULLY HAMNER, BEN OLIVER, CAFU, BRAD WALKER, RYAN SOOK and others Cover by RAGS MORALES On sale DECEMBER 11 • 224 pg, FC, $16.99 US This new ACTION COMICS title features President Superman, Nimrod the Hunter, The Forgotten Superman and much more! Plus: meet “The Boy Who Stole Superman’s Cape,” in a tale from Clark Kent’s early days in Metropolis. Collecting ACTION COMICS #9-12, 0 and ACTION COMICS ANNUAL #1. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations SUPERMAN VOL. 3: FURY AT THE WORLD’S END HC Written by SCOTT LOBDELL Art by KENNETH ROCAFORT, AARON KUDER, TYLER KIRKHAM and others Cover by KENNETH ROCAFORT On sale JANUARY 8 • 144 pg, FC, $22.99 US H’El has come to Earth in these stories from SUPERMAN #0 and 13-17! When a mysterious ghost from Krypton’s past comes to Metropolis in hopes of finding the lost planet’s last son, his arrival comes with disastrous consequences for not just Superman, but also for Superboy and Supergirl. H’El has decided that Earth is the place to resurrect Krypton, but the price the lives of everyone on the planet! Guest-starring the Justice League, Wonder Woman, Orion and more! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations THE BATMAN/JUDGE DREDD COLLECTION TP Written by ALAN GRANT and JOHN WAGNER Art by SIMON BISLEY, CAM KENNEDY, CARL CRITCHLOW, GLENN FABRY, and others Cover by MIKE MIGNOLA Advance solicited • On sale DECEMBER 4 288 pg, FC, $19.99 US When Batman crosses paths with the grim and gritty Judge Dredd, things are bound to get ugly! In these tales from the 1990s, the two crimefighters face The Riddler and The Joker and battle extradimensional gladiators. Plus: Don’t miss Judge Dredd’s battle with the Main Man himself – Lobo! This amazing title collects BATMAN/JUDGE DREDD: JUDGMENT ON GOTHAM, BATMAN/JUDGE DREDD: VENDETTA IN GOTHAM, BATMAN/JUDGE DREDD: THE ULTIMATE RIDDLE, BATMAN/JUDGE DREDD: DIE LAUGHING #1-2 and LOBO/JUDGE DREDD: PSYCHO BIKERS VS. MUTANTS FROM HELL! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations THE PLANETARY OMNIBUS HC Written by WARREN ELLIS Art by JOHN CASSADAY, JERRY ORDWAY, PHIL JIMENEZ and ANDY LANNING Cover by JOHN CASSADAY On sale JANUARY 22 • 864 pg, FC, $75.00 US Hailed as a timeless story that turned modern super hero conventions on their heads, PLANETARY stars an inter-dimensional peace-keeping force including Elijah Snow, Jakita Wagner, and The Drummer. Tasked with tracking down evidence of super-human activity, these mystery archaeologists uncover unknown paranormal secrets and histories, such as a World War II supercomputer that can access other universes, a ghostly spirit of vengeance, and a lost island of dying monsters. Now, the entire series is collected in hardcover, including PLANETARY #1-27, PLANETARY/BATMAN #1, PLANETARY/JLA #1 and PLANETARY/AUTHORITY #1. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations GEARS OF WAR BOOK THREE TP Written by KAREN TRAVISS and JOSHUA ORTEGA Art by LEONARDO MANCO, COLIN WILSON and others Cover by COLIN WILSON On sale DECEMBER 25 • 256 pg, FC, $19.99 US The best-selling Epic Games franchise continues with these tales from issues #14-24 featuring the story “Dirty Little Secrets” from best-selling author Karen Traviss that bridges the gap between the Gears of War 2 and Gears of War 3 video games. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations CREATURE COMMANDOS TP Written by J.M. DeMATTEIS, MIKE W. BARR and ROBERT KANIGHER Art by PAT BRODERICK, JOHN CELARDO, FRED CARILLO and others Cover by JOE KUBERT On sale JANUARY 25 • 288 pg, FC, $19.99 US In one of DC’s strangest comics ever, a werewolf, a vampire, a gorgon, and Frankenstein’s monster fight against the German forces during World War II. Collecting stories from WEIRD WAR TALES #93, 97, 100, 102, 105, 108-112, 114-119, 121 and 124! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations DEADMAN BOOK FOUR TP Written by BOB HANEY, LEN WEIN and GERRY CONWAY Art by RIC ESTRADA, JOSE LUIS GARCIA-LOPEZ, JIM APARO and others Cover by JIM APARO On sale JANUARY 4 • 168 pg, FC, $14.99 US Deadman continue his quest to bring his killer to justice while battling occult menaces in stories from DC SPECIAL SERIES #8, DC COMICS PRESENTS #24 and stories from ADVENTURE COMICS #459-466, guest starring Superman, Batman, Sgt. Rock and more! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations DOCTOR MID-NITE TP NEW PRINTING Written by MATT WAGNER Art and cover by JOHN K. SNYDER III On sale DECEMBER 11 • 160 pg, FC, $14.99 US The classic adventure is back in print! Dr. Pieter Cross uses his scientific genius and acquired wealth to assume the identity of vigilante Doctor Mid-Nite. As Doctor Mid-Nite, he swears to protect the downtrodden from the vermin that prey on them. But in order to fulfill his mission, he must take down an evil criminal triumvirate bent on profiting from the demise of his city. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations SHOWCASE PRESENTS: STRANGE ADVENTURES VOL. 2 TP Written by various Art by various Cover by GIL KANE and JOE GIELLA RESOLICIT • On sale DECEMBER 18 • 520 pg, B&W, $19.99 US These 1950s science fiction tales from STRANGE ADVENTURES #74-93 star weird alien creatures and intrepid space explorers. Stories include “The Metal Spy from Space,” “The Secret of the Man-Ape,” “The Hungry Meteorite,” “The Day Science Ran Wild,” and many more. This title is resolicited. All previous orders are canceled. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations SUPERMAN VS. MONGUL TP Written by LEN WEIN, PAUL LEVITZ and ALAN MOORE Art by JIM STARLIN, CURT SWAN, DAVE GIBBONS and others Cover by RYAN SOOK On sale DECEMBER 18 • 144 pg, FC, $14.99 US Superman battles the intergalactic conqueror known as Mongul in these tales from the late 1970s and early 1980s from DC COMICS PRESENTS #27-28, 36 and 43 and SUPERMAN ANNUAL #11. Guest-starring Wonder Woman, Batman, Supergirl and more! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations DC COMICS ESSENTIALS: JUSTICE LEAGUE #1 Written by GEOFF JOHNS Art and cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS On sale OCTOBER 2 • 64 pg, FC, $1.00 US • RATED T The issue that kicked of DC Comics—The New 52 is reprinted in this promotionally priced special! Don’t miss the start of the story that brought together Batman, Green Lantern, and the rest of the Justice League! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations DC COMICS ESSENTIALS: GREEN LANTERN #1 Written by GEOFF JOHNS Art by DOUG MAHNKE, CHRISTIAN ALAMY and TOM NGUYEN Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO On sale OCTOBER 16 • 64 pg, FC, $1.00 US • RATED T This first DC Comics—The New 52 issue stars Sinestro, who must enlist the help of Hal Jordan to free the people of Korugar from the grip of his former army of Yellow Lanterns! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations VERTIGO ESSENTIALS: FABLES #1 Written by BILL WILLINGHAM Art by LAN MEDINA and STEVE LEIALOHA Cover by JAMES JEAN On sale OCTOBER 23 • 64 pg, FC, $1.00 US • MATURE READERS The first issue of Bill Willingham’s Eisner Award-winning series is reprinted in this new edition. Don’t miss the issue that introduced the Fables of legend into New York City—and asked the question “Who killed Rose Red?” Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations VERTIGO ESSENTIALS: Y: THE LAST MAN #1 Written by BRIAN K. VAUGHAN Art by PIA GUERRA and JOSE MARZAN, JR. Cover by J.G. JONES On sale OCTOBER 30 • 64 pg, FC, $1.00 US • MATURE READERS A science-fiction epic begins in the first issue of the hit series Y: THE LAST MAN, as a mysterious plague wipes out every male on Earth—with the exception of escape artist Yorick Brown and his pet monkey, Ampersand. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations SCOOBY-DOO TEAM-UP #1 Written by SHOLLY FISCH Art and cover by DARIO BRIZUELA On sale NOVEMBER 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED E Rumors of a giant bat-creature bring Scooby and the gang on the run—but Batman and Robin are already on the trail of their old foe, the monstrous Man-Bat. Before long, the crooks behind a fake bat-creature will come face-to-face with the real thing…with the good guys caught in the middle! Don’t miss the start of this new, bimonthly miniseries! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations BEWARE THE BATMAN #2 Written by MATT MANNING Art and cover by DARIO BRIZUELA On sale NOVEMBER 27 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED E Professor Pyg has planned a series of heists—and Batman needs reinforcements! But even as Alfred and Katana take on two of Pyg’s targets, the Professor himself careens around the city, threatening the lives of a young boy and his parents. Will Batman rescue him in time? Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations BATMAN: LI’L GOTHAM #8 Written by DEREK FRIDOLFS and DUSTIN NGUYEN Art and cover by DUSTIN NGUYEN On sale NOVEMBER 13 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED E • DIGITAL FIRST It’s August, which means no holidays! But Alfred thinks Bruce could use a break, so he sends The Dark Knight on a strange and wonderful trip: a vacation! And while the Bat’s away, the villains come out to play, and the rest of the family has a hot time in Gotham City! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU? #39 Written by HEATHER NUHFER Art by ROBERT POPE and SCOTT McRAE Cover by SCOTT NEELY On sale NOVEMBER 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED E Shaggy and Scooby weren’t excited about the Dog Show, but when some of the pooches go missing, the gang has to solve the mystery. And Scooby’s not just AT the Dog Show—he’s going to be a contestant! YOUNG JUSTICE VOL. 4: INVASION TP Written by GREG WEISMAN • Art and cover by CHRISTOPHER JONES On sale DECEMBER 11 • 128 pg, FC, $12.99 US In this action-packed collection from issues #20-25 of the all-ages series, Young Justice adds to its ranks in an effort to battle the impending invasion by The Collector of Worlds and Brainiac! DEAD BOY DETECTIVES #1 Written by TOBY LITT Art by MARK BUCKINGHAM and GARY ERSKINE Cover by MARK BUCKINGHAM 1:13 Variant cover by TK TK On sale NOVEMBER 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information. From the pages of THE SANDMAN, Neil Gaiman’s dead boys get their own monthly series! As fans of storybook detectives, Edwin Paine (died 1916) and Charles Rowland (died 1990) will take on any and all mysteries—including their own untimely deaths! The dead boys head back to St. Hilarions, where bullying headmasters continue to rule the school. But when they investigate the lingering mysteries of their own deaths, they meet a young girl named Crystal whose tech skills and strange link to the undead earn her a place as a new detective. DEAD BOY DETECTIVES is a fast-paced adventure series that takes us from the bustling streets of contemporary London to Japanese-inspired video games and dangerous worlds perched somewhere between the now and nevermore. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations THE SANDMAN: OVERTURE SPECIAL EDITION #1 Written by NEIL GAIMAN Art and cover by J.H. WILLIAMS III On sale NOVEMBER 27 • 42 pg, FC, $5.99 US • MATURE READERS Each of the six issues of THE SANDMAN: OVERTURE will be followed the next month by its own Special Edition which will include an interview with a member of the creative team, plus rare artwork and more. This issue starts things off with an interview with J.H. Williams. This issue will include the entire first issue of the new miniseries, including the gatefold in its original form before coloring, giving readers a behind-the-scenes at J.H. Williams’ unique process. Williams’ original coloring will be shown in addition to the black, white and gray tones of the original work. In addition, the lettering will be translucent, allowing the reader to see the exquisite artwork behind the word balloons. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations COFFIN HILL #2 Written by CAITLIN KITTREDGE Art by INAKI MIRANDA Cover by DAVE JOHNSON On sale NOVEMBER 13 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS Ten years ago, the sleepy town of Coffin Hill, MA, was infiltrated by a curse that dated back to the Salem Witch trials. Ex-high society lowlife/black magic user Eve Coffin returns to her hometown as a wounded ex-cop with a huge grudge and a hell of a mission: to take back the terror she unleashed long ago. The dark horror that seeped through the Coffin Hill woods left one of her friends missing, one in the local mental ward, and one as the head of police. Now the horror continues to spread through Eve’s crumbling family mansion, taking more of the town’s teenagers who stumble in its path. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations HINTERKIND #2 Written by IAN EDGINTON Art by FRANCESCO TRIFOGLI Cover by GREG TOCCHINI On sale NOVEMBER 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS Having left the sanctuary of their Central Park village, Prosper and Angus find “the wild” lives up to its name as they run for their lives from the cannibal troll who lives under the Queensboro bridge. Meanwhile, on the West Coast, the Queen of the Sidhe, the first family of the fair folk discovers her daughter Tersia has more than a passing interest in her crown. When you’re near immortal and almost ageless, advancement via assassination is the only way to get ahead. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations FBP: FEDERAL BUREAU OF PHYSICS #5 Written by SIMON OLIVER Art by ROBBI RODRIGUEZ Cover by NATHAN FOX On sale NOVEMBER 13 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS With the dust still settling on the BubbleVerse disaster, Adam takes a trip into the desert to look for answers about his past and the father he never knew. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations ASTRO CITY #6 Written by KURT BUSIEK Art by BRENT ANDERSON Cover by ALEX ROSS On sale NOVEMBER 13 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T The Ambassador, Cleopatra, The Ore-Master…what do they have to do with Thatcher Jerome, a mid-level mobster involved with business on Astro City’s rivers? And how does all-out Super Hero battle change his world? A tale of opportunity, ambition and family ties—in a world where even the sky’s not the limit. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations FABLES #135 Written by BILL WILLINGHAM Art by MARK BUCKINGHAM and RUSS BRAUN Cover by GREG RUTH On sale NOVEMBER 20 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS A new era is beginning for the Farm as knights begin to arrive from every corner of countless worlds. In the old version of Camelot, the brief shining moment was destroyed by infidelity, infighting and the evil machinations of the king’s sister. If Rose Red is the king this time, does that mean Snow White is the one destined to bring it all crashing down around them? Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations FABLES VOL. 19: SNOW WHITE TP Written by BILL WILLINGHAM Art by MARK BUCKINGHAM, STEVE LEIALOHA and SHAWN McMANUS Cover by MARK BUCKINGHAM On sale DECEMBER 18 • 176 pg, FC, $16.99 US • MATURE READERS In these stories from FABLES #124-129, Castle Dark is back in the hands of the Fables as Bigby sets off from Fabletown in Brian Rose’s blood-fueled sports car to track down two abducted cubs. Unfortunately for Snow White, besides suffering the trauma of her missing cubs, a long-forgotten secret threatens to sabotage her marriage to Bigby. This volume also collects the backup stories starring Bufkin and Lily from issues #122-134 and the full-length tale from #124. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations FAIREST #21 Written by BILL WILLINGHAM Art by MEGHAN HETRICK-MURANTE Cover by ADAM HUGHES On sale NOVEMBER 6 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS A special one-off story written by Bill Willingham and featuring the return of fan-favorite gun-toting maniac Goldilocks Illustrated by exciting newcomer Meghan Hetrick-Murante! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING BOOK FIVE TP Written by ALAN MOORE Art by RICK VEITCH, JOHN TOTLEBEN and ALFREDO ALCALA Cover by RICK VEITCH and JOHN TOTLEBEN On sale DECEMBER 25 • 168 pg, FC, $14.99 US • MATURE READERS This volume continues Alan Moore’s award-winning run on SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING with issues #51-56! Swamp Thing returns from hell only to learn that Abby has fled Gotham City, where he runs afoul of Batman, Lex Luthor and the Gotham City Police Department. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations DMZ DELUXE EDITION BOOK ONE HC Written by BRIAN WOOD Art by RICCARDO BURCHIELLI Cover by BRIAN WOOD On sale JANUARY 15 • 304 pg, FC, 7.0625” x 10.875”, $29.99 US • MATURE READERS The first 12 issues of Brian Wood’s acclaimed series are collected in hardcover for the first time! In this near future epic, photojournalist Matty Roth lands a dream gig following a war journalist into the heart of the DMZ. Things soon go terribly wrong, and Matty finds himself lost and alone in a world he’s only seen on television. Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations 100 BULLETS: BROTHER LONO #6 Written by BRIAN AZZARELLO Art by EDUARDO RISSO Cover by DAVE JOHNSON On sale NOVEMBER 20 • 32 pg, FC, 6 of 8, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS The action continues in the book IGN calls “Amazing. 100 BULLETS is back and just as great as you remember. Violent, dark, and beautiful; buy this book now.” Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations TRILLIUM #4 Written by JEFF LEMIRE Art and cover by JEFF LEMIRE On sale NOVEMBER 6 • 32 pg, FC, 4 of 8, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS Everything Nika and William thought they knew is thrown into question as the world of Trillium is twisted inside out. New universes emerge in the wake of last issue’s shocking ending, and William and Nika find themselves more lost than ever! Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations TOM STRONG AND THE PLANET OF PERIL #5 Written by PETER HOGAN Art and cover by CHRIS SPROUSE and KARL STORY On sale NOVEMBER 27 • 32 pg, FC, 5 of 6, $2.99 US • RATED T After attending a service for a fallen comrade, Tom Strong and Val Var Garm return to their mission: find Tom Strange, and ask him for the elixir that will save Tesla’s life. But this time, they have to go a little farther than the Grand Canyon… Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations DC COMICS ICONS BATMAN 1:6 SCALE STATUE SCULPTED BY GENTLE GIANT STUDIOS The first, striking statue in an all-new line from the pages of the best-selling JUSTICE LEAGUE comic book and graphic novels by comics superstars Geoff Johns and Jim Lee features the Dark Knight standing ready to take on the forces of evil! Limited Edition of 5200 Measures Approximately 10.25" Tall * $99.95 US * On Sale February 2014 * Allocations May Occur Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations WONDER WOMAN: THE ART OF WAR WONDER WOMAN BY JIM LEE STATUE BASED ON THE ART OF JIM LEE SCULPTED BY CLAYBURN MOORE Fans of the BATMAN: BLACK & WHITE and SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL statue lines will want to get in on the ground floor with this first in a brand-new series of statues featuring breathtaking sculpts of the Amazon Warrior based on the designs of acclaimed comic book artists, starting with the legendary Jim Lee. Limited Edition of 5200 Measures Approximately 7.25" Tall $79.95 US • On Sale February 2014 * Allocations May Occur Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations BATMAN: HUSH BATMAN & CATWOMAN KISS STATUE Sculpted by TIM BRUCKNER The Dark Knight and the Feline Fatale steal a kiss in this intricately sculpted statue ripped from the pages of the best-selling BATMAN: HUSH graphic novel, illustrated by superstar artist Jim Lee. Limited Edition of 2500 Measures Approximately 11" Tall $249.95 US • On Sale January 2014 * Allocations May Occur Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations DC COMICS SUPER-VILLAINS ULTRAMAN, POWER RING AND SUPERWOMAN CRIME SYNDICATE ACTION FIGURES From their Earth to ours, the villainous members of the Crime Syndicate—Ultraman, Superwoman, Power Ring, and more—invade your home with all-new action figures based on designs by superstar artist David Finch! EACH SOLD SEPARATELY $24.95 US • On Sale February 2014 * Allocations May Occur Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations DC COMICS SUPER-VILLAINS SUICIDE SQUAD: DEADSHOT, HARLEY QUINN AND CAPTAIN BOOMERANG ACTION FIGURES Don't miss your shot at adding 3 of the most sadistic members of the Suicide Squad to your action figure collection! Based on their new designs from DC Comics—The New 52. EACH SOLD SEPARATELY! * Action Figure * $24.95 US On Sale February 2014 *Allocations May Occur Deadshot-6.7" Captain Boomerang-6.75" Harley Quinn-6.6" Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations DC COMICS—THE NEW 52 JUSTICE LEAGUE: SHAZAM! ACTION FIGURE From DC COMICS—THE NEW 52 and the pages of JUSTICE LEAGUE comes an action figure of Earth's Mightiest Mortal based on the designs of comics superstar Gary Frank. * Action Figure * $24.95 US On Sale December 2013 *Allocations May Occur Shazam!-6.75" Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations SUPER BEST FRIENDS FOREVER WONDER GIRL, SUPERGIRL AND BATGIRL SUPER SECRET STORAGE BOXES BASED ON THE DESIGNS BY LAUREN FAUST SCULPTED BY IRENE MATAR DC Collectibles brings to life the girls of DC Nation's Super Best Friends Forever with these unique storage boxes. Each figure comes with 3 interchangeable faces to best suit your mood! EACH SOLD SEPARATELY $24.95 US • On Sale December 2013 * Allocations May Occur Batgirl-6.75" Supergirl-7.5" Wonder Girl-7.85" BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY THE RIDDLER STATUE SCULPTED BY PHIL RAMIREZ What’s black and white and green all over? This brand-new statue of the Dark Knight’s enigmatic rival, the Riddler, based on his appearance from the best-selling, critically acclaimed video game, Batman: Arkham City. Measures Approximately 10" Tall $124.95 US • On Sale November 2013 *Allocations May Occur Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations 1:1 SCALE VIOLET POWER BATTERY & RING PROP REPLICA For hearts long lost and full of fright, for those alone in blackest night, accept our ring and join the fight, love conquers all—with violet light. Keep love burning bright with this full-scale replica of the Violet Power Battery that comics complete with a Power Ring. Measures Approximately 11" Tall $199.95 US • On Sale February 2014 * Allocations May Occur Credit: DC Comics' November 2013 solicitations SCRIBBLENAUTS: UNMASKED MINI FIGURES BLIND BOXES SERIES 1 From the imaginative and expansive Scribblenauts Unmasked—A DC Comics Adventure comes the World's Greatest Super-Heroes in Scribblenauts style! Each box contains one of 11 different figures (some rarer than others), including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Joker, Aquaman, Vampire Batman, Deadman, and more! Measures Approximately 2.25" Tall $4.95 US Each • On Sale January 2014 * Allocations May Occur

It’s been a while since I joined a Blogathon but when Bubbawheat from Flights, Tights and Movie Nights came up with this superfun idea, I couldn’t resist joining in. I’m a bit late to the event, sorry Bubba! Well, the idea of the blogathon is based around actors who have appeared in more than one superhero or comic book movie as different roles. I signed up for Chris Evans not only because he’s the only comic-book superhero I’ve actually met in person, but because he’s done not one but three comic-book characters in his relatively young career. The most famous one obviously being Captain America, The First Avenger. Now, I’m not fond of the Fantastic Four movie so I picked the other comic-book character that’s not from Marvel’s canon. The Losers is not exactly a good movie, heck it actually boasts one of the lamest villains to date IMO, but Evans’ character as Jensen is actually pretty hilarious. Steve Rogers – Captain America (2012) With his boyish good looks and affable personality, Chris Evans seems to be the perfect choice for an all-American hero. He’s got the looks obviously, thanks to the endless training to create that sculpted body with massive biceps and even more massive pecks. That scene of Peggy Carter impulsively reaching out and touching his um, man boob as soon as he gets out of the vita-ray chamber is a hoot. I mean, who could blame her? 😉 But the right physique alone isn’t enough doesn’t make it perfect. Evans’ also got the right temperament and sensibility to portray the character, that altruistic nobility that comes across so naturally. Evans was convincing in portraying both sides of the character, even with the computer-generated effects to make him look like he barely weighs 90 pounds, he somehow captures the essence of who Steve Rogers is. He made us believe heroism is not just about brawn and magnitude, but it’s more about one’s integrity and character. The Capt. might be lacking the snarky quips of Tony Stark, I mean Steve is no billionaire playboy, beneath that ‘perfect specimen’ physique, he’s still a straight-laced regular guy. Yet Evans managed to inject some sense of fun into the character with his endearing charm and also comic timing. Evans also nailed the emotional scenes of the film, conveying deep pathos that humanizes any superhero character. I especially like the scene where Steve realizes the super serum makes him unable to get drunk as he’s trying to cope with his best friend Bucky’s death. His mourning was genuine and so is his romance with Agent Carter, aided by his strong chemistry with Hayley Atwell. So yeah, thanks to Evans for saving the patriotic champion from being mind-numbingly boring. Being that he is the first Avenger, it’s important that we have an actor who’s compelling enough to do the character justice and I think Evans did just that. I like what this Forbes writer said in his very favorable review of the movie: “Captain America: The First Avenger isn’t dominated by a costume, or by special effects, or by action scenes. It’s dominated by a great performance in a strong characterization of Steve Rogers, a young man who spent his life refusing to back down no matter how beaten and outnumbered he was in life“ Memorable scene: … Jensen – The Losers (2010) Ok, I don’t know any tech geek with a six pack, other than the craft of beer he’s consuming. Evans must’ve already been in training for Captain America in this movie. Well I suppose his character, Corporal Jake Jensen, is a military figure too. He plays a hacker with spiky blonde hair, glasses and goatee. His strength is more brain than brawn, able to crack the most complex encryption algorithms. Jensen is such a complete opposite from Steve Rogers in every possible way. I mean, he’s goofy, irreverent and smart-mouthed, not exactly a patriot nor does he have much altruistic notion. Chris seems to have a lot of fun playing the geeky rascal. I never thought he’d by my favorite character in the ensemble, after all there’s Idris Elba and Jeffrey Dean Morgan in this movie. But the wisecrackin’ Jensen definitely stole the show with and comical moments. I love how goofy he was here and his penchant for Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing becomes the highlight of an otherwise meh action flick. The elevator scene alone is worth the rental fee, ahah. In fact, that whole building infiltration scene is pretty awesome, if only the whole movie is THIS good! After having seen him in half a dozen movies now, I think Chris is quite a versatile actor and more talented than I initially gave him credit for. I may not ever rent this movie again but from time to time I’d go to Youtube just to watch his scenes which I think are the most memorable ones for me. I’d love to see Chris do more comedic roles as he’s obviously got the chops. Memorable scenes: Have you seen either one of these movies? Would love to hear your thoughts on Chris Evans! Advertisements

Part of a miscellany of serious thoughts, animal gifs, and anecdotage from the realm of MOBAs/hero brawlers/lane-pushers/ARTS/tactical wizard-em-ups. One day Pip might even tell you the story of how she bumped into Na’Vi’s Dendi at a dessert buffet cart. A few days back I was reading through Skeleton King’s lore and picking over his evolution through the years. It pulled me into a wider train of thought about Dota lore and how the game itself doesn’t go in for a particular obvious narrative conceit. You are a team of wizards – some of whom know each other – and you want to kick over the other team’s base. What the base does, what the team does after winning or losing, why the characters are on Radiant or Dire side – none of that gets addressed over the course of a match. But why is that the case, and would Dota 2 benefit from a little more lore? Dota 2 started life not as a Valve property but as a part of Blizzard’s gaming scene. Not even in Warcraft 3 but StarCraft where a player-created map called Aeon of Strife ignored base building in favour of using a selection of hero units to push lanes against an enemy AI. This StarCraft map then got remade in Warcraft 3 using that game’s assets as Defence of the Ancients. It was then maintained and tweaked over the years by the stewards of DotA and its popular variant, DotA: All Stars. Eventually Valve hired mod developer IceFrog and acquired the rights to produce Dota 2 (although the process was not without a spot of legal wrangling over the trademark ‘Dota’ and a heap of copyright-related tweaks). The more you pick through the history and stories of Dota 2 the more it reminds me of a sprawling city. Over time it has changed shape, bits have been reworked, events have left a mark on the world, people have moved on – Eul, Guinsoo… – but their names remain known. The important lore in Dota for me and a lot of other people is this stuff – the bits that involve an aggregation of real gaming history and real people rather than storytelling. It’s because a lot of it is very prominent in-game. You wonder why someone is calling Nature’s Prophet Furion so you end up reading about Warcraft’s Malfurion Stormrage. You have no idea why the sheepstick turns people into pigs so you look that up too. Then you add “why do these weirdos call a donkey ‘the chick’?” to your search history. (Sidenote: my search history also includes “what’s so great about yachts?” “what the fuck is a salt pig?” and “best owls”) There is actually some real in-game lore which attempts to explain what you’re doing with regard to protecting or destroying these Ancients. It’s hidden away in the Archronicus; a collection of short stories you’ll unlock in the tutorial section. The Mad Moon and the Ancients tells the story of warring ancient intelligences trapped in a glowing moon. Eventually the moon shatters and the shards which fall to earth turn out to have separated into either pure Radiant or pure Dire form. Those nearby become dependent on the shards’ energy and develop strange powers. Eventually the influence of the shards spreads sufficiently that it encounters its opposite and causes conflict. This lore was only added into the game very recently (although it was present on the developer forum over a year before that). It sits in the tutorial section so it seems to be almost entirely for the benefit of new players. But as someone who got to grips with Dota without any unifying or justifying lore, reading The Mad Moon and the Ancients feels a little odd. I got into this game about battling five other wizards across three lanes because there’s a great deal of pleasure in the rhythms and interactions this map and those heroes create. Because it lets you show off skill and pick a preferred playstyle. Because it’s video games-y as all hell. You get touches of lore in that some characters have dialogue lines specifically aimed at one another but it’s a light touch and one I enjoy encountering. Or rather it is once I’d sunk a certain amount of time into it. Dota is also obscure and inaccessible, with a steep difficulty curve. The jargon is so rooted in its own history it makes no sense. Why is someone shouting at you to “recrow” when what you’re trying to do is summon a donkey? The popularity of the Newcomer Stream at TI4 speaks volumes about how difficult people find it to parse a match or follow the regular commentator dialogue. I’ve wondered whether similar games use a central conceit to help players out at all so I ended up digging into League of Legends lore too. League didn’t start life as a mod. It wasn’t a weird rebuilding of a different user generated map using someone else’s Lego so it was logical to start with a central, coherent idea rather than retrospectively apply one. (I should say that with League of Legends I watch and enjoy the pro scene but I don’t play the game myself.) As it goes, the pro scene doesn’t reference the lore beyond a few character interaction points so clearly it’s not central to the enjoyment or understanding of the game, but the basic idea is that you play a neutral magician working on conflict resolution for the wizard UN. The slightly longer version is that there were a couple of Rune wars which left the world in a sorry state. As a third war loomed the League of Legends was set up to prevent direct and catastrophic conflict and to mediate. Summoners (which is what the players are) are neutral forces in this but they mind meld with Champions who come from the various city states and control them in battle on the various Fields of Justice. These battles are used as part of the dispute resolution process and are also broadcast around the land as a kind of future sport – sort of rugby meets the wizard Hunger Games. I’ve spoken to friends who play regularly and the general consensus is that none of that story is part of playing the game. It informs a few of the character interactions but you could play for thousands of hours and never know anything about the conflict situation in the land of Runeterra. Reading through all of it was interesting but the overall impression was that the lore was a remnant – a concept intended to head off any ludonarrative dissonance at the pass but which never developed into anything more. Perhaps that was because the players didn’t particularly need it, or perhaps Riot decided to prioritise esports and community development. Maybe a little from column A and a little from column B. Regardless, beyond explaining the runes and summoner development side of playing LoL, the value of that central lore seems to be more in giving content creators and artists something to work from. The lore helps keep a semblance of internal consistency and offers a framework for the development of new ideas. Riot used to produce the Journal of Justice which offered “news” and other snippets from the wider world of Runeterra. The Journal was discontinued though and as far as I am aware, nothing ever took its place. Dota does that sort of thing too – you can find out more about the lives of the characters in side-projects like Valve’s “Are We Heroes Yet?” comic. But I did find myself thinking about the political side of the LoL. The League of Legends was set up to mediate conflict but nothing ever changes on that front. You just pick characters you have unlocked or which are on free rotation and play those with no sense of what conflict they might be trying to resolve. It’s easier to just shrug off the lore as something irrelevant at that juncture (or as a trite comment on human nature). But I’d have liked it if Riot had tried to incorporate an ongoing sense of impact. Nothing massive, and not a temporary in-game event but maybe letting the overall number of wins for Champions from a particular city state dictate some change to that area’s story over time. It’s still superfluous to playing the game, but ties the two together and rewards anyone who does like to dig into that side of a game. On that note, Games of Glory (a MOBA in super super early development) has been talking about exactly that. The battles in Games of Glory are pitched as recreations of a famous space battle and are fought in play arenas using clones from different factions (the main inspiration is the gladiatorial arenas of the Roman Empire). Lightbulb Crew who are developing the game want the losses and victories to mean something for the evolution of the story of the game although the exact form that will take will probably shift as the game progresses. When I spoke to the devs it sounded like they were keeping the way the game actually plays from being affected by those changes, though. There’s an understanding that lore is subordinate to game. A narrative will help you stitch the elements of a game together and maintain internal consistency. It can also help a developer carve out a space of their own, giving a newer game its own identity regardless of its mechanical similarities to other games in the genre. Finally, it has a lot of value when it comes to the creative elements of the community who might want to use the backstory to inform comics or videos or fan art. But with MOBAs the unifying lore tends to be about set dressing and battle justification while the games create their own narrative across each match. You’ll likely pick up snippets of wizard bios or magic politics after a few hundred hours but they’re not key to playing. I also don’t think making that lore more prominent would ultimately help newcomers. I do think there might be some value in including the other kind of lore – the weird history of Dota and its main protagonists because that opens up a lot of the language. It makes it easier to understand and be understood. But really, all you need to know is that computer wizards want to fight.

It’s the biggest mystery on Wall Street. Hurricane Sandy floodwaters inundated a 10,000-square-foot underground vault downtown, soaking 1.3 million bond and stock certificates — including bearer bonds that function like cash — and putting them in danger of turning to mush. A contractor working for the vault owner, the Depository Trust and Clearing Corp., is feverishly working to restore the paper. But the value of the threatened notes under 55 Water St. remains unknown to all but the innermost circle of Wall Street bankers. One source said $70 billion in bearer bonds were in jeopardy. DTCC — a depository controlled by the biggest financial firms on Wall Street — won’t say exactly what was in its vaults, how much the notes are worth, and who owns what. Most of its member firms, including Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, UBS and Citi did not return calls. The exception was Goldman Sachs, whose spokesman Michael DuVally confirmed Friday to The Post that his firm stored bearer bonds in the DTCC vaults. He acknowledged they would be nearly impossible to redeem if destroyed. Yesterday morning, DuVally elaborated, and said the value of the Goldman bonds was “less than $1 million.” An hour later, he called back to say, “The market value of bearer bonds potentially impacted is less than $10,000.” DTCC spokeswoman Judy Inosanto would say only that “a variety of equities and bonds” were damaged. “I can’t go into details. We do not provide values for security reasons.” Even a contractor who bid on the cleanup and recovery job — the notes were drenched in diesel- and sewage-tinged water that filled 55 Water Street’s three sub-basements — clammed up when asked about the damage. “It’s nobody’s business,” he said. “The public doesn’t need to know what’s in that vault. It’s between them and their customers.” What is known is that for decades the vault housed millions of bearer bonds — worth many times that amount in dollars. In 1990, two-thirds of the 32 million notes in the vault were bearer bonds, DTCC records showed. Even as bearer bonds matured and the notes were removed, the vault continued to hold 5.4 million bearer bonds at late as 2003. Experts say the only hope for saving the stacks of bonds would be to freeze-dry them in a cold vacuum chamber. As the air pressure in the chamber is reduced, and heat is increased, moisture in the documents would evaporate. Security would have to oversee a tight chain of custody during the procedure, and the entire process could cost upward of $2 million. Belfor, a Texas-based recovery firm rumored to have won the job, had a trailer parked outside 55 Water St. yesterday. When asked about a contract with Goldman to recover $70 billion in bearer bonds, Belfor spokeswoman Alex Gort said, “We have very strict confidentiality.” Belfor workers at the site yesterday described a “complete restoration job” under “very high security,” but claimed to know nothing about the bonds. “There are three vaults,” a hardhat said outside the building. “I wasn’t in the vault where the bonds are. Security is very tight down there. I know they were all under water. Billions of dollars’ worth, soaked. I know they are trying to pack them up.” Bearer bonds are paper certificates, usually issued by governments, that are redeemable after a prescribed term. The bearer submits an attached coupon to receive payment. Because they are typically unregistered and can be used like cash, they were commonly used by those wishing to hide, and not pay taxes on, assets. They were banned in 1982. But those that haven’t been fully redeemed remain in circulation. Andrew Kintzinger, a securities lawyer, said that if a Wall Street firm were holding bonds as a custodian for investors, there would be electronic records documenting payments that would provide investors with proof of ownership. But if Goldman or the other banks owned the damaged bonds themselves, redeeming them could be “a problem,” he said. Additional reporting by Mark DeCambre and Kevin Fasick.

Alex Jones The UK has faced more than 10 cyber attacks per week on average in the last two years, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) today revealed, with most coming from “hostile” nation states. Since it became operational in 2016, GCHQ’s cyber crime defence centre has been forced to defend Britain against 1,167 threats, 557 of which happened in the last year, it said in its second annual report. Read more: UK and Dutch agencies put Russia behind five cyber attacks The majority of the attacks were carried out by hackers “directed, sponsored or tolerated” by foreign governments, NCSC chief executive Ciaran Martin said in the report. “These groups constitute the most acute and direct cyber threat to our national security,” he said. Meanwhile, the NCSC has more than halved the UK’s share of global phishing attacks - where hackers attempt to trick victims into sharing personal data - from 5.3 per cent to 2.4 per cent, said the report. The NCSC said it worked to prevent “high-volume commodity attacks that affect people’s everyday lives”, removing 138,398 phishing sites between September 2017 and August 2018. Cabinet Office minister David Lidington praised the NCSC, saying it had “risen to the challenge”, but experts warned business against complacency. Chris O’Brien, director of intelligence operations at threat intelligence firm EclecticIQ, called cyber security a “never-ending battle on a constantly changing battlefield”. Despite NCSC efforts, he said, major incidents such as last year’s Wannacry attack on the NHS were inevitable. “There needs to be a plan in place for every public or private organisation to limit the impact of such disruption to essential services over a prolonged period of time,” he added. Read more: Tesco Bank slapped with £16.4m fine for data breach Emily Orton, director of cyber security firm Darktrace, said cyber attacks were getting “faster and more furious”. “As guardians of our data, companies of all sizes need to take responsibility and embrace more sophisticated technologies to protect themselves from advanced attacks,” she added. “The increasing trend towards AI is going a long way to bolster businesses’ cyber resilience.”

After months of focusing on the high end, Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 10-series is finally trickling down to the masses. The $109 GeForce GTX 1050 and its bigger brother, the $139 GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, are a pair of affordable new graphics cards designed to ease introductions into PC gaming. At those prices, it’s clear that Nvidia’s aiming directly at the Radeon RX 460’s jugular—prompting AMD to launch preemptive price cuts. But the GTX 1050 and GTX 1050 Ti are more than fresh foot soldiers in the never-ending war between AMD and Nvidia. While the older GTX 950 required the use of an extra six-pin power connector for most of its life, the GTX 1050 and GTX 1050 Ti assume the mantle of the popular GTX 750 Ti by sipping a mere 75 watts of power, allowing them to draw all needed energy via your motherboard alone. That means you can slap Nvidia’s new cards into a prebuilt “big box” PC from the likes of HP and Dell to transform them into full-fledged gaming machines with minimal hassle—a trick that 2GB variants of the Radeon RX 460 can also perform. Can Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1050 and GTX 1050 Ti dethrone their Radeon rival, much less live up to the GTX 750 Ti’s immense legacy? Let’s dig in. Meet the GeForce GTX 1050 and GTX 1050 Ti To add to the intrigue, the GTX 1050 family isn’t built on the same underlying technology as the rest of Nvidia’s GTX 10-series. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) fabricates the GTX 1080, GTX 1070, and GTX 1060 using the 16nm manufacturing process and Nvidia’s “Pascal” GPU architecture, but the GTX 1050’s brand-new “GP107” graphics processor is built using the 14nm process at an undisclosed manufacturer (likely Samsung). The benchmarks will reveal whether that makes a difference in performance. At first blush, the GTX 1050 and GTX 1050 Ti hit far lower overall clock speeds than the rest of the GTX 10-series, all of which boast at least 1,500MHz base clocks and boost clocks hovering around 1,700MHz or higher. By contrast, neither GTX 1050 card achieves 1,500MHz even when boosting, though Nvidia says it was able to “hit speeds in excess of 1,900MHz with ease” when overclocking the cards internally. Check out the $110 GTX 1050 and $140 GTX 1050 Ti’s full specs below. The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 and GTX 1050 Ti’s full technical specifications. (Click on any image in this article to enlarge it.) AMD’s $110 Radeon RX 460 and $140 RX 460 differ only in memory capacity—at their heart, the “Polaris” GPU in both versions are the same. Nvidia also uses 2GB (GTX 1050) and 4GB (GTX 1050 Ti) memory capacities to differentiate between its two cards, but each offers different performance levels as well. The pricier GTX 1050 Ti packs the full-fat version of the GP107 GPU, with 768 CUDA cores and 48 texture units across its six Pascal streaming multiprocessors. The cheaper GTX 1050 features a higher clock speed, but shaves off a streaming multiprocessor, resulting in 640 CUDA cores and 40 texture units—exactly half the internal hardware of the $250 GTX 1060. Both cards offer 7Gbps memory speeds over a 128-bit bus, buoyed by Nvidia’s superb bandwidth-saving delta color memory compression. But more importantly, both cards draw under 75W of power, allowing them to slip seamlessly into many prebuilt boxed PCs. The 2GB Radeon RX 460 can too, of course, though the majority released at launch bolstered performance by requiring an additional six-pin power connect, negating that upgradability advantage. Card makers will be able to add six-pin power connectors to customized GTX 1050 and 1050 Ti variants, as well, but both of the cards tested today draw their full power from a motherboard. Adding a discrete GPU to a prebuilt PC provides a massive boost in gaming performance, as illustrated in the Nvidia-supplied graphic below. The GTX 1050 and GTX 1050 Ti offer all the same features as Nvidia’s other “Pascal”-based GTX 10-series cards, including goodies such as HDR support, Ansel super screenshots, Fast Sync, simultaneous multi-projection, performance-boosting multi-resolution shading, and more (again, all of which we covered in detail in PCWorld’s GeForce GTX 1080 review). The default port configuration consists of one DisplayPort 1.4, one HDMI 2.0, and one DVI-D connector, but as with the GTX 1060, the GTX 1050 family doesn’t support multi-GPU SLI configurations. Nvidia isn’t releasing a Founders Edition version of the GTX 1050 or GTX 1050 Ti, and a wide variety of custom boards from a wide variety of graphics card makers will be available when the lineup launches Tuesday. We tested two no-frills, single-fan graphics cards. Brad Chacos The $110 MSI GTX 1050 OC. The MSI GTX 1050 OC with 2GB of RAM adds a roughly 50MHz overclock (to 1,404MHz base/1,518MHz boost) without any extra cost. It will be priced at $110 when it launches at some point before November 8. Brad Chacos The $140 EVGA GTX 1050 Ti SC Gaming. The EVGA GTX 1050 Ti SC Gaming ($150 on Newegg) with 4GB of memory ups things a bit further over the stock GTX 1050 Ti, to 1,354MHz base/1,468MHz boost, with the help of EVGA’s ACX 2.0 cooling technology. Nvidia says the GTX 1050 lineup is capable of playing modern games at 60-plus frames per second at 1080p resolution, at either Medium or High graphics settings. Is it true? Onto the fun stuff! Next page: System configuration, performance benchmarks

Why Rex Tillerson Stands Out There’s an article in the Wall Street Journal about Rex Tillerson, ExxonMobil’s departing CEO and the man who Trump has picked for the role of Secretary of State. The whole article is worth reading, but this bit caught my eye: Mr. Sechin came to like Mr. Tillerson because he was transparent and forceful in his communications—and was one of the few Western executives strong enough to push back against Mr. Sechin, said people familiar with the matter. … Mr. Putin, who had come to trust Mr. Tillerson as a man of his word, blessed the deal and said investment could eventually reach $500 billion. … “Over the years, I think we have earned each other’s respect,” Mr. Tillerson told students at an event in March 2015 at Texas Tech University. When Exxon says “yes,” he told them, the Russians would know that the company would “follow through on that yes. Your commitment means something. And so I think it’s the most important attribute.” The first point to note is that the Russians respect those who push back against them. Anyone who has spent time among Russians would know this, and they would also know that Russians dislike sycophantic grovelling with a passion. This is a lesson that Shell seems determined not to learn. How many years is it since they caved in over Sakhalin II and have been waiting pathetically for another major project in Russia? It’s coming on a decade now. Secondly, it appears that an oil executive being transparent in their communications and delivering on promises is a rarity in Russia. That speaks volumes about BP’s Bob Dudley who bungled the Arctic exploration deal with Rosneft by either not bothering to tell their AAR partners about it, or hoping Rosneft or the Russian government would pressure them into going along with it. It also says a lot about Total, who sold their stake in Kharyaga after spending years trying and failing to deliver the Phase 3 expansion. It also confirms what I said at the time of his death, that Christophe de Margerie’s enormous character and penchant for honest, direct talking made him genuinely popular among the Russian leadership. It’s a bit of a damning statement all told, isn’t it? Except for Mr Tillerson, of course. Major Comparison 2015 Similarly to what I did last year, now all the 2015 annual reports are out I thought it would be interesting to create tables showing revenues, profits, number of employees, and profit per employee for each of the majors. ExxonMobil 2015 Financial Year Revenue(bn) Profit(bn) No. of Employees Profit per Employee 2015 $259.5 $16.2 73,500 $220,408 2014 $394.1 $32.5 75,300 $431,606 2013 $420.8 $32.5 75,000 $433,333 2012 $451.5 $44.9 76,900 $583,875 Source Despite the prolonged downturn, ExxonMobil is still doing very well as a company. True, revenues are down and profits halved but any company that can make north of $16bn clear profit in the biggest slump in a generation must be doing something right. They are still not shedding staff, probably because they were not bloated in the first place, and the average added value of each employee is still a very healthy $220k. Investors might be grumbling, but the company is doing very well in the circumstances. Shell 2015 Financial Year Revenue(bn) Profit(bn) No. of Employees Profit per Employee 2015 $265.0 $1.94 93,000 $20,860 2014 $421.1 $14.9 94,000 $158.510 2013 $451.2 $16.4 92,000 $178,260 2012 $467.2 $26.7 87,000 $306,896 Source Shell are in the shit. Having seen their revenues reduced by almost 40%, they cut the headcount by a measly 1,000 people – just over 1% – as profits collapsed by 87%. With their purchase of BG for $70bn only adding to the problem, it could well be that the lumbering giant that is Shell is ill-suited for the industry of today and the future. Could Prelude FLNG, like the Spruce Goose, be the only one of such size ever built? All the talk of their rivaling ExxonMobil as the world’s No. 1 private oil company must seem like distant memories right now. Total 2015 Financial Year Revenue(bn) Profit(bn) No. of Employees Profit per Employee 2015 $143.4 $5.1 96,019 $53,114 2014 $212.0 $4.2 100,307 $41,871 2013 $228.0 $11.5 98,799 $116,398 2012 $234.2 $13.8 97,126 $142,083 Source Total continue to surprise, actually increasing their profits since 2014 – the only major to do so. Their overall performance is still not very impressive, but they are at least keeping their heads above water. What their 96,000 employees do all day is anyone’s guess, but at least their numbers have been trimmed to the tune of 4% since last year. Let’s hope this hasn’t been achieved only by selling assets along with the workforce, or maintaining production is going to be a serious challenge in the near future. BP 2015 Financial Year Revenue(bn) Profit(bn) No. of Employees Profit per Employee 2015 $226.0 -$6.4 79,800 -$80,200 2014 $358.7 $4.0 84,500 $47,337 2013 $396.2 $23.8 83,900 $283,671 2012 $388.1 $11.3 86,400 $130,787 Source BP’s management might want to consider quitting the oil business and find something that perhaps they’ll be good at. They are looking by far the most vulnerable major at the moment, and they need to turn things around in short order. Chevron 2015 Financial Year Revenue(bn) Profit(bn) No. of Employees Profit per Employee 2015 $129.9 $4.6 61,494 $74,804 2014 $200.5 $19.2 64,715 $296,685 2013 $220.2 $21.4 64,550 $331,525 2012 $230.6 $26.2 61,942 $422,976 Source 1,Source 2 Chevron are being outperformed by Total, and if their revenues and profits don’t start to pick up they may have to shed yet more staff. To what extent their poor performance is down to the weak oil price or poor management remains to be seen. “They’re starting to look like the good old days!” Total’s new strategy? Via Phil in the comments under this post, I see that Total has bought a battery company for just under a billion Euros: ‘The combination of Saft and Total will enable Saft to become the Group’s spearhead in electricity storage’, said Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of Total. ‘The acquisition of Saft is part of Total’s ambition to accelerate its development in the fields of renewable energy and electricity, initiated in 2011 with the acquisition of SunPower. Saft’s renowned technological know-how and unique expertise have allowed it to develop innovative and competitive solutions for its clients. It will notably allow us to complement our portfolio with electricity storage solutions, a key component of the future growth of renewable energy. This transaction will also enable Saft, its management and employees to benefit from Total’s technical, industrial, commercial and financial support. In addition, this transaction will enable Saft to successfully accelerate its development.’ This is yet more evidence of Total’s stated goal of shifting away from oil and gas production, especially when considered alongside their announcement in February that they don’t intend to reach FID on any projects this year. Here’s what I reckon is happening. The recent protests in France, which have brought most transport to a standstill and left filling stations empty due to the refinery workers having walked out, are over labour reforms which are pretty minor by the measure of most developed countries (albeit less -publicised proposals would severely hamper the unions’ ability to incite industry-wide unrest, and would allow companies to consult with all employees, not just the unionised ones). The CGT union is the main force behind the strikes, and seems to be a throwback to the days when the Soviet Union was still going strong and a good half of the world’s idiots thought Communism was a viable system of government. Yet despite the CGT representing a small minority of the French population, they appear to have plenty of support: The survey carried out on Thursday and Friday showed that 54 percent of French people interviewed were against the protests. The same number backed the protests in May. Only 45 percent currently support the protest movement, BVA said. The poll showed 29 percent wanted the government to maintain the bill, which aims to make hiring and firing easier, in an attempt to get stubbornly high unemployment falling, with presidential elections a year away. The same percentage want the bill withdrawn, while 41 percent want a negotiated solution. 45% of the population support the protests, while only 29% support the bill. Unless those figures are really <15% and >80%, France as a country is fucked. The issue here is fairly obvious: French people think the primary purpose of a company is to employ French people. The provision of a useful service may come in at a distant second, but it is likely to be a mystery to most of them that a company’s owners expect a return on their capital invested. Total clearly understands that investors expect a return on their investment which is why they’ve pulled out all the stops to maintain the dividend. But they are also aware that the general public will not allow them to shed jobs, and so have refrained from engaging in the sort of axe-swinging carried out by the rest of the industry. At some point, unless oil prices rise far higher than anyone is expecting, maintaining these two positions simultaneously will become impossible and one of them will have to give. And Total being a French national champion, have a guess – in a choice between investors or unionised employees – which is going to be handed the shitty end of the stick. Uh-huh. At this point I’m going to repeat myself: Patrick Pouyanne, being well-versed in French politics, is therefore attempting to position the company such that it is viewed as an integral part of a green, sustainable, responsible French societal landscape whereby what is good for Total is also good for France and the rest of the world. Then when the time comes for Total to beg the government for French taxpayers’ cash or state favours, as seemingly every other large French industry eventually does, it will be all the more easy to justify. Patrick Pouyanne was first a politician, and later got parachuted into Total in a senior position. Bear in mind that he found himself CEO only because of Christophe de Margerie’s untimely death, and it’s not too hard to envisage a scenario whereby a centre-right government gains power in the elections next year and Pouyanne is made Minister of Energy. From there it’s simply a matter of throwing everything in the lap of a new CEO, bringing Total closer to the government bosom where jobs are protected, taxpayer cash is injected where required “for the good of France”, and the investors can go whistle. “Hello! Total? Yes, we have a new strategy for you!” ExxonMobil Resists Real-world stuff has kept me away from the keyboard for the past month or so. This will happen occasionally, but I have no intention of quitting the blog permanently. If I do I’ll let you know, so please do keep checking back. While I was away ExxonMobil came under pressure from a minority of shareholders to adopt various climate change policies: After a long battle to even get on the agenda for ExxonMobil’s 2016 Annual Meeting, the company’s shareholders on Wednesday voted against four initiatives to address climate change, even while the company is facing an investigation for its climate denial activities. Investors were hoping to force Exxon to add a climate expert to its board, to enact a policy to avoid 2°C warming, to increase capital distributions (with the understanding that continued investment in assets likely to be stranded is not a good long-term strategy), and to report on the impact climate change policies worldwide to the company’s bottom line. Each shareholder proposal failed. “We know the path that Exxon is on, and the business strategy as it exists today, and as it existed for the last 50 years, is not a business strategy that is going to work in the 21st century,” Natasha Lamb, Arjuna Capital’s director of equity research and shareholder engagement, told ThinkProgress after the meeting. “It is not in line with a low carbon scenario where we limit the burning of fossil fuels.” This is something I don’t quite understand. I remember years ago meeting a childless, middle-aged woman who worked as a freelance journalist in London complaining that England should be more like Germany and France in relation to social policy, labour laws, housing, foreign policy, approach to sex and alcohol, and a whole host of other criteria. She spent half her life campaigning on behalf of fringe political parties who she thought might bring this about. What I never understood is why she didn’t move to Germany or France. That’s not to say I think anyone who disagrees with aspects of a country and prefers how things are done elsewhere should be invited to move in the first instance. But if somebody wants to see wholesale changes such that their Country X becomes much more like Country Y, then why not simply move to Country Y? I was reminded of this woman when I read the story of people – both investors and outsiders – clamouring for ExxonMobil to adopt various climate change policies. But we already have major oil companies doing just that: Shell and Total, to name two. They have already embraced the climate change narrative and are putting emissions at the centre of their corporate strategies, so why do those who are not happy with ExxonMobil’s strategy not simply sell their stock and invest in those majors who share their strategic vision? I would have thought it would be better to have the majors pursuing several different strategies on climate change in order to spread risk and to properly ascertain which one turns out to be the most sensible. If, for example, government-induced emissions targets and other climate initiatives prove to be extremely expensive, unpopular, and ineffective then ExxonMobil’s stubborn insistence on producing oil and gas in the most cost-effective manner might turn out to be the best approach, with other majors left wondering why they bet everything on the promises of politicians. If people genuinely think ExxonMobil are pursuing a poor strategy, then switch to Total. Simple. But I don’t think this has anything to do with investors’ concerns for the value of their stock. To me it looks more like a minority of activists wanting to browbeat ExxonMobil into conformity regardless of their financial performance, backed by larger groups (including politicians) who are concerned that ExxonMobil’s financial performance might outstrip those majors who have chosen to sink billions into what will probably be a highly expensive campaign of virtue-signalling and arse-licking. If they can force ExxonMobil to adopt the same strategy, it will be a lot harder to blame the resulting mess on specific policies. In other words, the last thing the elites and the environmentalists want is to see a competition: they want to put an equally heavy millstone around everybody’s neck. “It’s for your own good.” Roundup In what is becoming a regular occurrence in that company, Mexican state-owned oil company PEMEX experienced another deadly explosion, this time in one of its petrochemical plants: Four more people have been found dead after last week’s explosion at a petrochemical plant in southeastern Mexico, raising the death toll to 32, state oil giant Pemex and Mexican plastic pipe maker Mexichem said in a joint statement on Sunday. The vinyl petrochemical plant in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz is a joint venture between Pemex’s petrochemical unit and majority owner Mexichem. Pemex’s CEO has said that last week’s blast was caused by a leak but he did not how the leak had happened exactly. It was the latest in a series of fatal accidents at the company. Mexicans continue to be happy to pay this steep price to keep the company from reforming and letting “imperialist” foreigners in. I wrote about the shambles that is PEMEX here. Total’s Patrick Pouyanne once again takes time off from being CEO and confusing me over his company’s strategy to play blogger on LinkedIn, this time informing us which countries will be the key energy players in the future. Lord only knows why Pouyanne feels the need to write articles telling us what is widely known and is adequately covered by dozens of other energy-focussed websites, blogs, and publications, but then I’ve always suspected he isn’t entirely sure what a CEO’s job entails. Key quote: While the profitability of offshore wind farms is still somewhat in question, notably because of the huge maintenance costs involved, onshore wind energy is now profitable without subsidies. Total has tested onshore wind power a few times in the past and intends to take a second look to see if this is an area in which it wants to invest. So Total is shifting away from fossil fuels and seriously looking at wind farms. Let’s see how that works out. The following picture accompanies the article, no doubt to reinforce the point that Total takes diversity hiring very seriously: 14 women out of 25 people, 9 ethnic minorities, and 4 who look old enough to remember the last oil crash. How many of these, do you suppose, are diverse enough in opinions to speak out against management-driven stupidity? Via Ed Crooks of the FT, S&P have stripped ExxonMobil of their coveted AAA rating, with a key passage in their reasoning highlighted below: One would expect that all the majors are facing the same problems. This graph has been doing the rounds of social medial, comparing the crude oil production cost of various countries: Those at the very top are probably okay because their economies are diverse enough to withstand a drop in oil production, although Norway might need to scale back its umpteen social welfare programs a bit. Those near the bottom are probably okay because oil isn’t likely to stay rock-bottom for very long. But those in the middle – particularly Angola and Nigeria – are pretty fucked. I don’t know whether this graph represents the technical cost of oil production, or whether it includes the additional costs that come with doing business in these sort of countries. In any case, these costs will almost certainly be under-represented in any calculation, and will likely only increase. Total surrender? On Tuesday France’s Total presented a new organisation which purports to achieve its ambition of “becoming the responsible energy major”. I must confess, if I thought Total’s strategy was rather unclear before, it is doubly so now. Total spent 2015 meeting the short-term goals set in response to the ongoing imbalances resulting from the fall in oil prices that began in June 2014. Yet even as it addresses these immediate challenges, the Group must also prepare for the medium and longer term and work to strengthen its position as a global energy leader. By carrying out its core business more efficiently? By emulating the practices of ExxonMobil, which is more successful an oil company on every measure which matters to an investor? Apparently not: Total’s ambition is to meet the energy needs of a growing world population, tackle climate change and provide solutions that match changing customer expectations. Lofty goals do not a corporate strategy make. You’d never guess that Total’s CEO Patrick Pouyanne started his career in politics, would you? Accordingly, as part of its “One Total” company project, on April 19, 2016 the Group presented a wide-ranging new organization plan to employee representatives. Beware any company that launches a “One <Insert Company Name Here>” campaign: if unity within a company needs to be emphasised, things have likely already gotten pretty bad. The reorganisation itself is made up of 3 parts: 1. Creation of the Gas, Renewables & Power Segment Gas, Renewables & Power will spearhead Total’s ambitions in the electricity value chain by expanding in gas midstream and downstream, renewable energies and energy efficiency. … We intend to deploy a proactive strategy in gas markets to meet demand and identify new outlets for our production. We will also produce and sell power from renewable sources. Electricity will be the energy of the 21st century and the growth of gas and renewables is pushing us to take a value chain approach to electricity. We have multiple ambitions in renewables in 20 years’ time: be in the top three in solar power, expand in electricity trading and energy storage, be a leader in biofuels, especially biojet fuel, and consider potential development opportunities in other renewable energies. So Total is going to shift its focus away from oil and gas production towards electricity generation. There are two reasons why I think this should concern an investor. Firstly, this sort of strategy should come about on its own merits, not as a result of a crash in the oil price. If this is a sensible strategy now, why was it not considered 2 years ago instead of “we need to produce 5m barrels per day” or whatever the figure (which was never met) was? This smacks of a company having underperformed at at its core business opening new product lines instead of fixing the underlying issues. Secondly, what makes Total think it can generate and trade electricity more efficiently and profitably than those who do this as a core business? Sure, there is a link with the gas production and Total has long been an investor in solar power, but the structure and nature of the company is hardly suited to activities which will almost certainly have fine margins. And this: We intend to deploy a proactive strategy in gas markets to meet demand and identify new outlets for our production. Might I ask what you were doing before? 2. Creation of the Total Global Services Segment Total Global Services will continuously improve Total’s efficiency — thereby benefiting all businesses — by pooling support services globally: Accounting, Purchasing, Information Systems, Training, Human Resources and Facilities Management. Ah, so Total is finally going to do what everyone else did a decade ago: offshore the support functions to somewhere cheaper than Central Paris. Oh wait, this is France: No jobs will be lost and there will be no mandatory geographic relocation. Total is committed to conducting this project in close collaboration with employee representatives and unions, with the intention it will be supported by all. Naturellement. So these giant, global centres of support to the coal-face will be working a 35 hour week and absent for the whole of August. 3. Holding re-centered on strategic functions; Human Resources and Corporate Social Responsibility which lies at the heart of Total’s Ambition People & Social Responsibility This division will consist of Human Resources; Health, Safety & Environment, which will combine all Segment central HSE departments in order to deploy a strong, uniform environmental and safety model; the Security Division; and a new Civil Society Engagement Division, which will manage all of Total’s initiatives in this area. The Senior Vice President, People & Social Responsibility, will be a member of the Executive Committee. Rejigging the corporate overheads with additional expenditure on the stuff that Social Justice Warriors like. Strategy & Innovation Strategy & Innovation will comprise the new Strategy & Climate Division, responsible for assuring the 2° C global warming scenario is incorporated into Total’s strategy; Oh Dear Lord. Total’s adopted virtue-signalling as a corporate strategy. The new organization will underpin an even more efficient Total, one that also listens and welcomes dialogue with its customers and stakeholders. Our teams make Total who we are today and will shape who we will be tomorrow — a leading energy player. They are the architects of our success, which is why Human Resources and Civil Society Engagement are cornerstones of this project and will be represented on the Executive Committee. I am dearly hoping the remaining cornerstones include profitability. Civil Society Engagement sounds wonderful, but it’s not quite the same as a nice, fat, monthly dividend cheque. If I were to be deeply cynical – and I am – I would say that the oil price crash has revealed that Total has major structural issues that it cannot address due to a combination of French politics and a senior management who has no idea where to begin. Patrick Pouyanne, being well-versed in French politics, is therefore attempting to position the company such that it is viewed as an integral part of a green, sustainable, responsible French societal landscape whereby what is good for Total is also good for France and the rest of the world. Then when the time comes for Total to beg the government for French taxpayers’ cash or state favours, as seemingly every other large French industry eventually does, it will be all the more easy to justify. I guess running a good, old-fashioned oil company while turning a profit was all a bit too difficult. “Let’s do as they say.” The value of promises for the future When I was 18 years old and first got my driving license, all the talk among my peers was about insurance costs. When you’re a young male – and by definition a total idiot – car insurance is understandably very high, and you can end up being quoted premiums of $2,000 per year on a $700 car. The standard refrain from the insurance companies was “it’s high because you’re under 21”, and 21 was the magic age at which car insurance suddenly became cheaper. Only it didn’t. By the time I got to 21 I was still being quoted premiums several times the value of the car, only the line trotted out by the insurance companies had changed slightly: “it’s high because you’re under 25”. When I got to 25 I found I was still being treated as a “young” driver, and the premiums didn’t come down any (although the cars I was driving were considerably better, in that the brakes actually worked, the window didn’t keep falling out, and gaffer tape was not a component of the vehicle’s overall structural integrity). I became aware that the goalposts were being shifted every time I reached a previously-cited milestone, and that I’d be better off ignoring promises of future discounts and just shopping around for the best quote I can get today. I was reminded of this recently when I was talking to a young engineer who in turn had been talking to what laughably gets called his Career Manager. He was being put under considerable pressure to take a position which was, in short, shit: it was a crap role in a dodgy location and would have put substantial strain on his family. Even the monetary uplift wasn’t that great. One of the levers his management was using to encourage him was the promise that if he took the position better opportunities “might” open up for him “later”, and the company would look upon his decision to go favourably and hinted he would be rewarded in some unspecified manner in the future. Perhaps because he knew I am the most cynical person in the entire oil industry, he came to me for advice. I told him he ought to ignore any promises or hints of future opportunities, as they are nothing more than empty words spoken to try to get him to do something that may not be in his own interests. He asked whether he could get something in writing, and I said that was a complete waste of time. Modern oil and gas managers are as slippery as hagfish, especially those that end up in an HR-type role. Even in the highly unlikely event these individuals (who are in no position to make such promises) occupy the same position in the company at the time he needs them to make good on their commitments, they will dismiss him with a wave of the hand telling him “things have changed” within 10 seconds of his initial overture. In fact, no they won’t: they’ll simply ignore his emails and not answer his phone calls. Anyone who’s done 10 years in a large oil company ought to know that genuine career progression is reserved for a handful of favoured sons and daughters who tick all the right boxes in terms of social background, school, nationality, compliance, and above all an ability to brown-tongue the hierarchy. They are the ones for whom opportunities present themselves, doors open, and high-profile positions become available. And they don’t get told to do shit roles in dodgy locations. Sure, they do the dodgy locations, but the roles they get given are good and they are whisked out of the place long before the plebs, who are lectured on the importance of completing a full x-years of an assignment. I told him he ought to understand that these individuals want him to take the position for their benefit, which might not even align with those of the company. They sure as hell aren’t interested in what’s good for him. My advice was to understand what his own interests were, professionally and personally, in the context of the global oil and gas industry. In doing so, he might well realise that an assignment in some shithole will look good on the CV and boost his prospects for future employment outside the company; that this should dovetail with what his management want him to do is nothing more than a happy coincidence. Alternatively, he might find that it is not in his interests to take the assignment. I gave him as much advice on this topic as I was able. My point was not that you should disregard the future impact an assignment will have on your career and job prospects, but that the analysis should be carried out based on your criteria and what is good for you, disregarding the self-serving empty promises of people who claim to be managing your career. For they, just like the insurance companies when I was a spotty teenager, are adept at picking up the goalposts and wandering off with them. “Are they heavy?” The Varying Standard of Expats In among a series of rather haphazard comments on this post, reader Kale Sid raises a point which is worth discussing further: the … system that perpetuate mediocrity over excellence in the name of local content allows some nitwit from elsewhere that are not qualified to be painters in their countries to lord themselves around as ” expats”. Unless I am mistaken, what I think Kale Sid is saying is that countries which have stringent local content laws end up employing useless Western expats. On this point, I can do little but agree wholeheartedly. Where we probably differ, though, is why that is and whether I benefit from this state of affairs. It is no secret that a hefty proportion of Western expats employed in the oil industries of Africa, South America, Asia, and the former Soviet Union are utterly useless and – in the words of Kale Sid – not fit to paint a wall. A large chunk of these are alcoholic womanisers who are more sex tourists than migrant workers, and it is worth having a look at how these people can find themselves in positions which, in theory, require experienced professionals. In my experience, the standard of expat one can find in any oil town is related to the following two factors: 1. The general competence and work ethic of the local population. 2. The strength and pervasiveness of prevailing local content legislation. In places like Aberdeen, Houston, and Stavanger the foreigners are roughly of the same standard as the locals in terms of experience, competence, and general behaviour. This is because the local standards are high and underperforming foreigners would not be tolerated in any great numbers. With companies always preferring to employ a competent local hire over an expatriate all things being equal, the number of truly expatriate positions in these places are relatively few (most foreigners are on local contracts, or they are secondees of international firms on assignment for professional reasons: rarely are foreigners required to bring in technical expertise). In places like Russia, Kazakhstan, Brazil, and Indonesia the local standards are lower and as such the requirement for expatriate expertise and competence is higher. Local content laws are also more stringent, both in terms of employees that must be hired and company ownership. In line with what I said above, the standard of expatriate is somewhat lower but there are plenty of good ones to be found. In places like Africa and the Middle East, the local standards range from low to extremely low and they are highly dependent on an expatriate workforce to get anything done. Because of this, local content legislation is very strong and companies are forced to take on large numbers of locals and use locally-owned companies (Africa) or route all their operations through a local sponsor (the Middle East). The standard of expat in these places tends to be lower still, and in many instances can be embarrassingly bad. The root cause of a country finding itself infested with poor-quality expats can be found by looking at why they need expats in the first place. Usually this is because the country is simply badly governed, and has been for a long time: competence, hard work, initiative, and transparency are not rewarded and personal progress (e.g. wealth, status, recognition) is achieved via family connections, tribalism, corruption, dishonesty, and violence. The more this is the case the more a country will need foreign workers to get anything done. The trouble is, if the criteria for individual success in any given country lead to the wrong outcomes overall, it is unlikely different criteria will be applied when it comes to inviting in foreign companies and hiring foreign workers. Those charged with drawing up and enforcing local content legislation not only hijack the system to enrich themselves, but they are also completely unable to judge whether a company or individual meets any kind of international standard. If bribery and toadying behaviour are rewarded among the locals, why would anyone think hard work and transparency are appreciated in foreigners? The results of this are severe. Hardworking, competent, and honest locals find themselves working alongside and reporting to useless, bone-idle, and exceptionally dim compatriots, and those that can leave to work in an environment more appreciative of their abilities, i.e. the West. This reduces the numbers of much-needed competent locals, and ensures the upper ranks are stuffed full of mediocrity and incompetence. The more competent expats learn to avoid certain countries and companies, or demand sky-high salaries to work there. If the job market is booming, even handsome day-rates can’t attract enough of them. This results in expatriate positions being filled with people who may struggle to get a job elsewhere, or are there for completely the wrong reasons (which range from dodging alimony or the taxman to getting cheap pussy. And don’t for one minute be fooled into thinking that this does not apply to senior managers in very well known international companies, either). The locals have little or no idea how to differentiate between a useless expat and a good one, and usually congratulate themselves on being able to find somebody calling himself an engineer who only wants $300 per day instead of the $700 that the other candidates wanted. At the extreme end of the scale one finds that even the most useless expat can outperform most locals, as regular commenter Adam points out rather bluntly here. But in most places, even in the very worst, you still get useless expatriates being outperformed by locals who are on a fraction of their salary. This, in my opinion, has been a major failing of foreign companies in the developing world, and will probably do more long-term harm than any other policy they have adopted (the reasons they continue to assign such people is, as in the host country, the criteria for success in their own organisations are equally warped). I suppose if I was from a complete basketcase and my countrymen unable to run a whelk-stall, I would grudgingly admit we needed foreign help from people who would turn up, live like kings, and take off with the local womenfolk. But the flip side of the deal is that these foreigners had better be an order of magnitude better than what can be found locally, or I think I’d be looking to join a guerrilla movement: I can’t think of anything more humiliating than being told what to do in my own country by a useless, incompetent foreigner who has been hired specifically because he supposedly knows better. I’ve seen locals in this situation, and I admire their restraint. It is appalling, and Kale Sid is right to point it out, and he is also to be commended for noticing the connection between this and local content laws. That said, he made the assumption that I, by virtue of my being an expat, must therefore benefit from this. This implies that I am a useless expat, and I might well be, but it should not be assumed that professional expatriates benefit in any way from countries and companies which cannot see beyond the white face to judge competence. They would rather see the back of the charlatans which infest the oil industry and depress standards and salaries for the rest. Kale Sid’s remarks implied that he or she thinks all expatriates are useless, which is quite simply wrong. So my advice to Kale Sid and others like him would be to quit doing what his compatriots have been doing for years – judging people by their pasty face and/or passport – and put themselves in a position where they can recognise genuine competence and evaluate which people are adding value and which are not. They can then lobby their own management, hierarchy, policy makers, and governments to ensure that people who are not fit to paint a wall are not employed in their country. It might be a tough task, but that’s the only solution I can see. “I’d be an OIM in Nigeria.” PENGASSHOLES piqued Barry Morgan, writing on the proposed reforms to Nigeria’s oil industry in Upstream Online, manages to get in a wonderful snark at the end of his article: Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Ibe Kachikwu, who doubles as Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) group managing director, will over the coming days lay out plans to split the state company into 30 standalone units before a proposed initial public offering in 2018. After four decades, the NNPC is clearly in a bit of a mess, haemorrhaging $1.3 billion last year alone. … Petroleum & Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria general secretary Lumumba Okugbawa has hit out at the reform plan as “a display of arbitrariness”, that is riding roughshod over enabling laws that created the NNPC and trashing the long-delayed Petroleum Industry Bill. Sounds like an effective strategy. When it comes to the Nigerian oil industry, it is a useful rule of thumb that if the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) is complaining about something then that something is invariably good for the Nigerian oil industry and the majority of Nigerians. So does NNPC need reforming? This article would suggest so: Nigeria’s state-owned oil company has failed to pay the government $16bn (£11bn) in a suspected fraud, according to an official audit. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) provided no explanation for the missing funds, the auditor general told MPs. This finding by the auditor general, while shocking, is not a surprise. Officials from the previous administration allegedly indulged in wholesale corruption where billions of dollars of oil funds simply disappeared. At which point long-serving observers of Nigerian politics stifle a yawn and return to playing Minesweeper. Nigeria’s oil reserves should have been blessing for Nigeria to be used to build infrastructure and invest in social services. Instead, it has been a curse, a lubricant that has produced massive corruption and dysfunctional governments. And, of course, an enormous source of wealth, privilege, and influence for the tiny number of Nigerians who happen to be PENGASSAN members at the expense of tens of millions of ordinary Nigerians. I was reminded of PENGASSAN, and their role in expanding Nigeria’s disastrous local content laws, when I read this article on ships choosing to take the longer route around the Cape of Good Hope rather than transit through the Suez canal: Shipping firms pay what amounts to several billion dollars every year to the Suez Canal Authority, an Egyptian state-owned entity, for the privilege of travelling via the canal. … However, more and more some ships are deciding not to take the Suez route. Instead, they are travelling around the Cape of Good Hope, right at the southern tip of Africa. … There are other costs, too. Rose George, author of Deep Sea and Foreign Going, was on board a ship using the Canal a few years ago. She notes that vessels must agree to taking on a Suez crew for the transit. “[The Suez crew] seem to do nothing but listen to tinny radio and try to sell souvenirs,” says George, adding the ships often have to pay a cigarette ‘tax’. “On each voyage, Suez costs a ship about £400 ($560) of cigarettes, as well as dozens of chocolate bars from the bond locker.” Laziness and theft resulting from local content legislation? Who would have thunk it? Only I can’t help thinking the shipping companies are getting off lightly: if the idiots at PENGASSAN were running the canal, they’d insist on their own incompetent members taking the wheel and command of the ship itself right up to the home port where they would demand hotel accommodation for a week before being flown home with an excess baggage allowance of 150kg per person. And if they crashed into Gibraltar and sent the ship to the bottom, they’d demand a meeting with the company heads and, foaming at the mouth, bemoan their lack of training while ignoring the millions of dollars spent on just that. Let’s hope Nigeria’s president Buhari takes to NNPC with a flamethrower before turning his sights on PENGASSAN. “We did this all by ourselves!”

If you are the parent of a child under 18, chances are you've had one or two moments -- maybe even 2,000 moments -- when you've wondered how you're going to keep your sanity until your kid reaches adulthood. This doubt creeps into the crevices of parents' minds like Georgia kudzu. At the oddest times, too. During a 4-in-the-morning feeding, say, when you're so tired you moo instead of coo. In the middle of any show on Nick Jr., which you're sure is never, ever, going to end. Or when your teenager has just crossed every line you've ever drawn just to see if your head will explode. It's amazing, really, how entertaining we parents become once puberty takes our children hostage. I was downright hilarious, I'm told. Smart alecks. If you're as lucky as I was when my kids were young, you have at least one older, wiser friend who is willing to pull you aside in the heat of exasperation and assure you the day will come when you will miss every last minute of this mayhem. In case you don't have that friend, I am here to tell you: It is so. As for my being here, that's why I'm feeling a little mopey. I'm not supposed to be here. I should be hundreds of miles away in Providence, R.I., where my daughter is celebrating her first birthday without me. "You just saw me a week ago, Mom," she said over the phone last week. "And you're going to see me again next month." When did she get all logical on me? And what could logic possibly have to do with me, her mother? Twenty-four years ago today, a nurse placed a little baby girl on my chest. Almost immediately, she lifted her tiny head and stared into my eyes, as if to say, "Huh. So, this is you." Less than an hour old, and she already had me worrying how I would ever measure up. The nurse patted the crown of Caitlin's head. "Well, look at you," she said, laughing. "Don't you know you're too young to be doing that?" It is the theme song for our relationship. She is relentlessly her own person. Always loving me, often confounding me, never afraid to take me on. Me. Her mother. I mentioned that, right? One of my favorite photos of Cait is at age 3. She is standing with her hands on her nonexistent hips, staring straight into the camera after I'd asked her repeatedly to take off her big brother's beloved sweatband. She had swiped it from his bedside while he was showering, and claimed it as her own. My teenage son screamed: How? How could I ask him to live with such a thief? "Caitlin," I said, "take off your brother's sweatband." "No." I put my hands on my hips. "Cait, take it off. Now. " "No," she said, and then imitated my stand. By the time she was 14, she had already become an expert at throwing my words back at me. Don't you love how they do that? "You're the one who taught me to speak my mind!" she yelled from across the room. "You're the one who said I should give my opinion!" Grrrr. "Not with me," I shouted back. Golly, I miss those fights. You know what else I miss? Her stack of flip-flops by the door. Why did I ever complain about that? And the way she left the bread bag open. "It's going to get stale!" I shouted. "OK!" she shouted back. I even miss the stress. All those nights of changing my clothes in the minivan as I raced home from work to coach her softball team. I never felt so needed. I miss that stupid van, too. Or maybe what I mean is, I miss the reasons I needed one. I was the car-poolin' mama, back in the day. Listen to me. Pathetic. I have a great life. As an editor friend once scolded, "No whining on the yacht." Ouch. Point taken. Overnight, it seems, my baby girl went from a gangly 13-year-old hiding behind a curtain of hair to a confident young woman bent on trying to change the world. Or at least her patch of it, which right now is full of underprivileged middle-schoolers. "My kids," she calls them. Once in a while, one of them slips and calls her "Mom." Oh, my. I sure do miss my kid. So, I'm just here to warn you, dear parents. One day, you will, too.

By Brad Segall and Elizabeth Hur MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CBS) — Fire officials in Bucks County are investigating what caused a laptop computer to explode, injuring the woman who was using it inside her Langhorne Manor home. READ: Secret Facebook Study Angers Large Number Of Users “It blew up. It flipped my computer back and the battery pack and all came out this way,” Loretta Luff recalled, “The next thing I knew, my shirt was on fire, I grabbed that and took that off and I think that’s when I singed my hair.” MUST READ: Del. Driver Severely Burned When Cigarette Ignites Car Even with her singed hair, burned face, arm and foot, Luff considers herself lucky. She says she is grateful she and her disabled husband escaped worse injuries when her Dell laptop exploded Sunday afternoon. Langhorne-Middletown Fire Company Chief Frank Farry has been fighting fires for 25 years and says he’s never seen anything like it. Farry says the evidence has been collected, but it appears the battery pack inside the computer went off like a bomb, sending debris six to eight feet away. READ: Scholarship Offered In Honor Of World’s Ugliest Dog “The battery pack was on the floor. It was in pieces,” he says. “And then there were various plastic parts that landed in different areas within her living room.” Luff extinguished the fire by dumping water on the computer. Doctors told the 72-year-old, her burns are chemical related. She continues to recover from her injuries. Fire experts say fires involving lithium-ion batteries in laptops are rare, but can happen. They say problems can occur when a laptop is being used with a fully charged battery while it’s plugged in. Dell’s spokesperson released a statement: “Dell places the highest priority on the evaluation and investigation of all safety and potential safety issues for the products that we and our suppliers produce. When Dell becomes aware of an incident, we handle it with the goals of assuring customer safety and a thorough failure analysis. Dell will take appropriate steps to investigate this incident. It’s also important to note that, in our product documentation, Dell tells customers that “using an incompatible battery or a third-party battery may increase the risk of fire or explosion and that they should replace the battery only with a battery purchased from Dell that is designed to work with their Dell computer.” Luff says she did replace the battery about three years ago. She is not sure if the replacement is from Dell. She says she is not opposed to getting another laptop but she will not be testing her luck again. “I would take the battery out every night because whoever thought this would happen once? I would never take the chance of happening a second time because I was lucky this time,” Luff said. You may also be interested in these stories:

VICTORIA — The B.C. government has exempted the province’s six major junior hockey teams from having to pay their players minimum wage, after threats from the Western Hockey League that teams might not survive a class-action lawsuit on the issue unless the government quickly changed the law in their favour. Freedom of Information documents reveal an intense behind-the-scenes lobbying effort from WHL officials on behalf of teams in Kelowna, Kamloops, Cranbrook, Prince George, Vancouver and Victoria. In letters to Premier Christy Clark and cabinet, as well as in emails to top-level bureaucrats, the league claimed the teams might have to close without government help, because of a class-action lawsuit by former players who have been demanding at least minimum wage pay rather than the existing small monthly stipend. The class action lawsuit, filed in Toronto and Calgary, has yet to be certified in either location. Related The premier’s cabinet moved quickly to exempt the league, internal records show, by passing a little-known cabinet order Feb. 16 that meant the Employment Standards Act “does not apply to a player on a major junior ice hockey team” and effectively frees them from the future risk of having to comply with rules on minimum wage, statutory holiday pay and set work hours. Labour Minister Shirley Bond — whose riding is home to the WHL’s Prince George Cougars — defended the decision, saying it was not in response to any threat from the league but rather part of an internal policy debate over how to classify the players amid legal challenges and similar changes in other provinces. “This discussion is about whether or not amateur hockey players, and in this case those who play major junior hockey, are employees,” she said Thursday. “We consider them amateur athletes, but we have made it clear the WHL must provide a minimum standard of scholarship package for those players at the completion of their career.” She argued that B.C. was able to enshrine in law that the WHL must give each player a one-year post-secondary school scholarship for every year played — though such a deal is already part of the league’s standard player agreement. The lawsuits claim that players (aged 16 to 20) are employees and deserve better pay than the current $250 a month average reimbursement for travel and training expenses. They are seeking millions in damages. The league and owners insist the players are amateur student athletes, exempt from pay rules, and that their organizations aren’t profitable enough to afford compensation beyond the stipend. It could cost a B.C. team approximately $228,000 annually to pay a 24-player roster the province’s $10.85 an hour minimum wage, assuming a 35-hour work week during 25 weeks of the year. The governments of Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia have also legally exempted players from employment law. Washington State passed a bill in 2015 to exempt its four WHL teams. Yet the Alberta government said Thursday it has no plans to follow B.C. in passing similar exemptions for its WHL franchises. “In absence of this protection we’d not be in a position to ensure that our teams could continue to operate, because quite frankly if minimum wage was to be added to the wide range of benefits we offer players right now the majority of our teams would not be viable,” WHL commissioner Ron Robison said in an interview. He applauded the B.C. government for its quick action to assist the league, saying it was “very evident from the outset that they were prepared to support us” and the certainty would help protect the economic benefits in host communities and the 350 players who receive scholarships. The government move was a “pre-emptive strike” in case a future judge or tribunal rules that players are employees, said University of Victoria labour law professor Ken Thornicroft. By acting, the B.C. government has helped protect the league in case it has to fight a lengthy appeal against a court ruling, which could take up to seven or eight years, he said. “Governments are always making policy choices, and they don’t necessarily want to leave it to the vagaries of the legal system,” said Thornicroft. He said there are arguments on both sides of the issue, but he finds a more compelling case to be made that these are student athletes not subject to minimum wage regardless of government’s legal change. Bond disputed that government made the change quietly, noting she spoke to TV sports network TSN at the time and communicated the change to WHL families. “We don’t do a press conference for every single exemption we make,” she said. Several WHL owners are major donors to the governing B.C. Liberal Party, accounting for in excess of $300,000 in political donations in recent years. Bond bristled at any suggestion political donations factored into the decision. “I do not make it a practice to ask who they make donations to or not,” she said. NDP labour critic Shane Simpson, who was unaware of the cabinet order until Thursday, said government shouldn’t exempt hockey teams from minimum labour requirements that are there to protect vulnerable young players. The Canadian Hockey League Players’ Association — a proposed labour union seeking to represent major junior players — said in a statement it was “appalled by the under-handed actions of the B.C. government” to quietly change the labour code while a major court challenge was underway. It said B.C. made a “grave error in judgement” by not asking to see detailed financial records from the teams claiming to be unable to afford the minimum wage. Bond admitted government did not see WHL financial records, because that is “proprietary” information. Thornicroft said it would have been reasonable for government to ask for proof from the WHL of the financial hardship it claimed. Commissioner Robison said only one of B.C.’s teams — Kelowna — is what he’d call in a “stable” financial position. Vancouver Giants majority owner Ron Toigo said his team has lost on average between $300,000 and $400,000 each of the last four years. “Last year was significantly worse than that,” he said, noting the team moved from Vancouver’s Pacific Coliseum to the smaller Langley Events Centre to reduce costs. “It’s not a viable business, per se, not from our perspective to make a living out of. But we’re fortunate we’ve had other careers to fund these things, and develop players and move on as good citizens,” said Toigo. rshaw@postmedia.com Twitter.com/robshaw_vansun

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mr Sipila sent a string of emails to an investigative journalist at YLE, as well as its chief editor Finland's Prime Minister Juha Sipila has denied allegations that he tried to suppress coverage of allegations against him and his family. Mr Sipila has already rejected claims of a conflict of interest over a contract awarded by a state-run mine to a steel company owned by his relatives. But the case has now also placed him at the heart of a censorship row. It has emerged that Mr Sipila sent a series of emails to public broadcaster YLE to complain about its coverage. Finland has been rated highest in the World Press Freedom index for the past five years. The prime minister told reporters on Wednesday that he had not tried to limit press freedom or influence the broadcaster, but said he had not been given a fair opportunity to comment on the allegations against him. According to YLE, Mr Sipila also felt that its coverage had given an impression that he or his relatives had acted fraudulently. A conflict of interest? Image copyright EPA Image caption Mr Sipila became prime minister in 2015 Finnish government injected €100m (£85m; $106m) into struggling, taxpayer-funded mining company Terrafame in eastern Finland Terrafame awarded €500,000 contract to Katera Steel, owned by relatives of Juha Sipila Mr Sipila denies wrongdoing: "I know I have not been improper or biased in this case" Finland's chancellor of justice and parliamentary ombudsman have been asked to investigate allegations of conflict of interest The Suomen Kuvalehti website reported on Wednesday that the prime minister had sent a string of critical messages late on 25 November to a YLE reporter covering the story. A news story written by the public broadcaster on Friday night assessing allegations of a conflict of interest involving Mr Sipila was dropped, the website said. A further story written on Monday morning about the prime minister's emails was also shelved, it added, citing three sources at YLE. Finnish talk show host Ruben Stiller complained on Twitter on Friday that he had been barred from raising the issue on his weekly programme. YLE's news and current affairs editor Atte Jaaskelainen responded to the allegations with a lengthy piece denying that the broadcaster had been silenced. The story had led all YLE's platforms for four days, he argued, insisting that the prime minister's emails had played no part in its coverage. However, he said the broadcaster had decided not to publish stories questioning whether Mr Sipila should have not taken part in decisions on contracts awarded to his relatives' steel company. That was because YLE had decided to wait until investigations had been carried out into whether there had been a conflict of interest. Mr Stiller returned to Twitter on Wednesday to say the ban on him covering the story had been lifted.

Uber has launched a new patent purchase program, called UP3, which will seek to expedite the process of purchasing patents with an open application windows opening April 24, 2017 and closing May 23, 2017. The idea is to get patent holders to propose a simple price they’re willing to take for their patents, which Uber can then take or leave, as a means to sidestep the often long and complicated process of buying and selling intellectual property. “It is a buying program intended to really eliminate the friction of the secondary patent market,” explained Uber’s Patent Transactions Lead Kurt Brasch in an interview. “So the typical secondary patent market is challenging, valuations are difficult to identify for both buyers and sellers. Sellers tend to start out really high and buyers tend to start out really low, and negotiations can take years instead of months. So what this program really does is smooth that out. The buyer, in this case Uber, gets one price from the seller – they have to give us one price they’re willing to sell for, no negotiations – and the seller gets speed to close.” From submission to close, Uber says the whole process should take around four months, which is a dramatic reduction from the typical pace at which these deals unfold. The nature of the arrangement means that sellers will likely have to give up some ground in terms of negotiating power, but the expedited process might suit some patent-holders just fine; it means an actual payday much quicker, after all. Uber previously participated in the IP3 patent program, which was run by Allied Security Trust and involved cross-licensing resulting IP across a consortium of companies. The UP3 program is designed specifically for purchase with resulting ownership by Uber, as opposed to licensing. This, according to Brasch, is part of the company’s overall drive to build its owned IP portfolio, which also includes acquisition strategies, and in-house IP development from the engineering team. “We are very actively growing our portfolio,” Brasch said. “We’re doing it organically through our engineering teams, and obviously that effort takes time, and we’re supplementing that with an acquisition team to basically buoy us in the near-term. It is part of our broader efforts to grow the portfolio growing forward and protect our business.” The strategy is a key one for any tech business – a robust library of patents provides a solid legal defense in cases where there’s any question as to the origin of any kind of technology innovation. Uber is facing ongoing legal action from Waymo regarding and intellectual property dispute, and while this isn’t directly related, you can likely bet its experience there is helping inform this aggressive new IP acquisition strategy.

After a blistering, snowy winter on the East Coast and a year in which San Francisco has captured a lot of the national spotlight for its booming economy, Instagram-filtered gay people, and enduring beauty, New York Magazine has just produced an 11-part series of articles taglined, "Dispatches from a city that doesn't quite know what to do with its wealth." They're joking, right? The lead piece by Kevin Roose notes that "[i]n many ways, San Francisco is the nation’s new success theater," discussing how New York has lost some glamor since the financial crash and they just elected "a tax-the-rich progressive" as mayor while San Francisco is experiencing its third gold rush attracting former finance bros in droves. But, he concludes, we're never going to "become New York" as it's presumed we always want to be, in part because we're not a city that's comfortable with flaunting wealth. "San Francisco is too earnest, too eager to be liked, to truly wallow in its wealth like Bloomberg’s New York. (If Martin Scorsese had made The Wolf of Silicon Valley, it would have been two hours of Leonardo DiCaprio apologizing for spilling the Dom Pérignon.)" Cue the mentions of the Google bus protests, $4 toast, and that moron getting her Google glass slapped off her because she's "killing the city." There's also the imagined story of how Mark Zuckerberg went knocking on doors on Liberty Hill and paid someone $10 million for their house that wasn't even on the market. There's a portrait of the Marina dubbed "Murray Hill West," depicting San Francisco's brand of frat bro jackassery; a discussion of restaurant reservation bots. And an ugly story about getting evicted from an apartment by a callous young woman who worked at Google and had recently bought the building for $1 million. She coerced the tenants into signing away their rights just in time for her to leave for Burning Man. There's also a pointless piece by an anonymous Google engineer about the hook-up culture of the tech world, and how easy it is to score an attractive female "founder hounder." And one about the recent meet-up of Tech Workers Against Displacement at Virgil's Sea Room at which one self-described techie read a self-flagellating poem. But things get downright petty in this little war of words with a column titled "The Stubborn Uncoolness of San Francisco Style," which suggests that every male who lives here wears formal sweatpants, "wind-resistant cycling shells and antimicrobial stink-resistant pants from Levi's Commuter Collection." Having gone through all these pieces, I'm still not clear on the part about how we "don't quite know what to do with [our] wealth," apart from the digs about how SF men don't dress up very much. We clearly spend all of our money on rent, food, and booze, and many of us do buy nice clothes and cars and things, and those with lots of money go buy houses in Napa or in Tahoe. But it's true, we are less inclined to embrace asshole behavior, unapologetic displays, and the giddy capitalist fervor that has made Manhattan a bohemia-free retail Disneyland where no one ever thought twice about bulldozing a building to build something newer and bigger. It's hard if you've lived in both cities not to compare them, but I would argue that while most San Franciscans might long for the nightlife of certain eras of New York's past, they've never wanted the city to become New York. And while many a trapped New Yorker who has visited or lived here dreams of an easier life in the west, they usually resign themselves to the fact that economically, and career-wise, there isn't enough happening here. If that changes permanently, and there are more and more opportunities here, what excuses will they have left for staying in New York? At least they'll have New York Magazine to join them in looking down their noses. While they freeze. And eat inferior vegetables. [NY Mag]

Today, I’m pleased to announce the launch of The ONE Habit Course, but before you learn all about it, I want to introduce you to Peter’s story . . . In 2009, Peter Bregman decided he needed to change. [1] 18 pounds overweight, he realised he was going to have to change his eating habits, but dieting wasn’t enough. Bregman was a seasoned ‘veteran’ of dieting. He’d tried everything; exercising, planning meals and reading research-backed books. And although some worked, none lasted. That is until he made one simple change. But before we learn what that change was, we need to understand how dieting works. Any Diet Will Do A study published in the February 2009 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, put 811 overweight adults through four different diets, each one with a different proportion of fat, carbohydrates and protein. [2] On average, participants lost 12 pounds after six months and kept nine pounds off after two years regardless of which diet they followed. The reason? All popular diets do exactly the same thing: they restrict your calorie intake. Simple: when you eat fewer calories, you lose weight. Granted, some diets are healthier than others, but ultimately: the simpler the diet, the easier it is to lose weight. Bregman realised in order to create lasting change he needed to simplify his behaviour. He needed to change just one thing. The Focusing Question Bregman asked himself an adapted version of The Focusing Question so he could achieve his goal. He asked himself: What’s the one thing I can change that will make the biggest difference in my calorie consumption? “Everyone has one thing”, writes Bregman, “Mine was sugar”. So Bregman cut sugar out of his diet. No ice cream, cookies, candies or cake. Nothing. That was all he did. 6 weeks later, he lost 18 pounds – and kept it off. ‘Everyone Has One Thing’ I’ve written about The Focusing Question before and for one reason: if you can narrow your focus, you can produce extraordinary results. A reminder: What’s the ONE Thing you can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary? That ONE Thing is often ONE Habit. I asked myself the Focusing Question in 2013 and my answer was, ‘Sleep 7-9 hours a night’. I had a lot of bad habits back then, but I knew if I could sleep 7-9 hours a night and become a morning person, everything else – my diet, my happiness, my productivity and my strength training – would all become easier. That ONE Habit become a keystone habit and had the power to start a chain reaction and change my other habits as well. Everything in my life changed because I changed ONE Habit . . . And that’s why today, I’m proud to announce the launch of The ONE Habit Course. Who Will Find This Course Useful If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to create new behaviours in your life, overcome resistance to change and achieve your goals, you’ll want to enrol on The ONE Habit 28-day online course, exclusive to Coach.me. One of the most common problems people encounter when changing their habits is trying to change too much, too fast. The secret to long-term behaviour change, as we’ve seen, is focusing on one change a time, in other words, focusing on The ONE Habit. The ONE Habit is the one behaviour you can do such that by doing it everything else becomes easier or unnecessary. Once a behaviour becomes a habit, then you can add another one. Success is built sequentially, one habit at a time. Click here to enrol now. What This Course Will Address Informed by the latest research and combining cutting-edge insights from psychology, economics and neuroscience, the ONE Habit Course is a simple, step-by-step, 28-day program that will help you form a new habit and make it stick – without overwhelming yourself. The ONE Habit address three of the most common challenges in behaviour change: 1. ‘I don’t have willpower’ Here’s a secret no one ever talks about: You don’t need willpower. Think about it, you never have to ‘will’ yourself to brush your teeth, do you? That’s because it’s a habit. But more significantly, it’s a behaviour you’ve practiced a lot because it was easy to do. To key to successful behaviour change is chunking down behaviours and making them as simple as possible. The ONE Habit Course will help you understand why willpower isn’t as important as you think and what you need to focus on instead. 2. ‘I’m afraid of change’ All changes, even positive ones, are scary. Attempts to reach goals through big leaps often fail because they heighten fear. But by simplifying your ONE Habit, you disarm the brain’s fear response, stimulating rational thought and creative play. Your brain is programmed to resist change, but by taking small steps, you effectively rewire your nervous system. This creates new connections between neurons so that your brain enthusiastically takes over the process of change and you progress rapidly toward your goals. 3. ‘I can never stick to new behaviours’ Simple: what looks like a behavioural problem is often a situational problem. In other words, it’s not you that’s the problem; it’s the strategy you’re using (or not using). The ONE Habit course distils practical and proven techniques to help you be consistent in forming habits that actually stick. This is just scratching the surface. What Else You’ll Learn Here are 10 more things you’ll learn . . . The science of behaviour change, why it’s important and how you can harness it to improve your health, happiness and productivity. How to change things when change is hard and develop a growth mindset so you turn your obstacles into opportunities. How to form habits that actually stick – without overwhelming yourself. How to overcome resistance to change and reach your full potential. How to be consistent so you build momentum and achieve your goals faster. How to anticipate roadblocks and avoid obstacles so you keep on track with your goals. How to track your behaviours so you can identify your weaknesses and strengthen them. How to redesign your environment so you’re habits are easier to do. The most common problems we encounter with behaviour change (and what to do about them). The easiest way to learn new habits (*HINT* See it as a skill you practice). And much more. Click here to sign up now. In Closing I’m really excited to introduce to you The ONE Habit Course. Studying how habits work has changed my life and helped me achieve my goals. Habits aren’t destiny; you can break them into parts and rebuild them to your specification. If you can change your habits, you can change your life. Register now and find your ONE Habit and become a master of your destiny. I’ll see you in class. Sources [1] Bregman, P. (2009) To Change Effectively, Change Just One Thing, Available at: https://hbr.org/2009/10/i-lost-18-pounds-in.html (Accessed: February 12, 2015). [2] Sacks F.M., Bray G.A., Carey V.J., et al. (2009) ‘Comparison of Weight-Loss Diets with Different Compositions of Fat, Protein, and Carbohydrates’, The New England Journal of Medicine, 360(9), pp. 859-73. Did you enjoy this article? Please pass it onto others by clicking a social share button below.

Experts say that the bill filed by a Texas House Member Jason Villalba, which outlaws filming law enforcement officers within 25 feet, will make it more difficult for victims of excessive police force to seek justice. WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The bill filed by a Texas House Member Jason Villalba, which outlaws filming law enforcement officers within 25 feet, will make it more difficult for victims of excessive police force to seek justice, experts told Sputnik. “It [the bill] makes it more difficult to identify exactly what is happening in these incidents that we see repeatedly, with, for example, unarmed citizens who are being subjected to excessive police force or even being killed,” Center for Civil Rights Director Theodore Shaw said on Friday. Shaw referred to the Wednesday incident involving University of Virginia African-American student Martese Johnson and two white police officers, who forced Johnson to the ground while striking his head on the pavement causing him to bleed profusely. A video of the brutal encounter outside a local bar was posted online on Wednesday. “If someone didn’t record it with a cell phone… we wouldn’t be able to get that picture,” Shaw noted. © REUTERS / Victor Calzada/El Paso Times Texas Bill Aimed at Limiting Police Oversight Infringes Citizens' Rights – Watchdog The Villalba bill suggests a maximum 180-day jail term and $2,000 fine for interference with police officers on public duty. Under the legislation, only licensed news media would be allowed to film the police within 25 feet. “The media is granted an exception. If they can film the police and do it without interfering, I don’t know why citizens shouldn’t,” Shaw said. International law firm Haynes and Boone attorney Alicia Calzada argued that the right to photograph the police on duty is firmly established in the US Constitution, and the bill infringes on that right by placing unreasonable restrictions. “The act of photographing alone does not constitute interference,” Calzada said. It is important to ensure the safety of police officers, but the motivation behind the legislation is questionable, Wake Forest University Criminal Justice Program Director Kami Chavis Simmons told Sputnik. “It could have negative impact on police accountability,” Simmons said. “It seems to me that it could be an unnecessary piece of litigation that unnecessarily restricts the rights of citizens to capture public disturbances.” The experts noted that the United States already has regulations in place that prevent bystanders from interfering with police carrying out their duties. On March 12, Villalba said that his bill just asks individuals that film “to stand back a little” so as not to interfere with law enforcement. Despite his explanation, the movement against the proposed legislation has gained a momentum on social media. On March 13, Texas resident that oppose the bill created a Facebook page named Recall Jason Villalba, seeking to remove the lawmaker from office for being “unfit for duty,” and presenting “danger to freedom.” Within a week, the page gathered 4,115 likes.

SEATTLE – Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is coming to Seattle next week for a fundraiser. Seattle Theater Group is promoting “An Afternoon With Hillary Clinton” at the Paramount Theater on Friday, Oct. 14. The exact time has not been announced. Ticket prices range from $250 for a seat in the balcony to $25,000. The high price grants you a photo opportunity with Clinton and preferred floor seating. Clinton will not have open press availability or take interviews while she's in town according to a campaign spokesperson. Republican nominee Donald Trump last visited the state in late August for a fundraiser and rally. The news comes the same day as a Seattle Times report that shows some 99 percent of people who contributed to Bernie Sanders’ primary campaign are not contributing to anyone else since he dropped out. The Times reports out of 24,700 Seattle residents who gave money to Sanders, just 261 have since given money to another candidate. Most of that has gone to Clinton with 20 giving money to Green Party nominee Jill Stein. Political experts expect Clinton to win Washington state in November’s general election. Nate Silver's Fivethirtyeight.com gives Clinton a 94.8% chance to win the Evergreen State. Washington has not gone to a Republican since Ronald Reagan 1984. Copyright 2016 KING

0 Police search for armed men who robbed CVS ATLANTA - Atlanta police asked for help identifying two men caught on surveillance video robbing a CVS Pharmacy on Boulevard in Southeast Atlanta. One of the men is seen holding a rifle in the video, which shows two men with their faces covered. The men rob a customer about to pay for his purchase and steal cash from the register. "They just came in the store, at that point one of them had an assault rifles, the other had his hands tucked into his hoodie," customer Paul Shivers told Channel 2's Amy Napier Viteri. Shivers said he was in the store buying cold medicine. He had just gotten off work and was carrying more than 200 dollars in cash. He said he put his hands up, and that's when one of the men took his cash and then robbed the cashier. "It was such a ridiculously comically large gun, I sort of felt like, my brain was like, they shouldn't be bringing that toy gun in here because somebody's going to think they're robbing the place," Shiver said of his initial thoughts. According to police the men left without hurting anyone. Witnesses said the men had parked their car in a vacant lot nearby and left driving northbound on Boulevard.

Share. Starting with Rogue One. Starting with Rogue One. The standalone Star Wars films, including Rogue One, will fall under the "Anthology films" banner. Lucasfilm's VP of Development, Kiri Hart, announced the news today at Star Wars Celebration. Any stand-alone films that Lucasfilm is developing outside of the numbered, episodic series will be called Anthology films. Hart said Star Wars is a place to be explored, and these new movies are a great place to do that. Exit Theatre Mode Rogue One, directed by Gareth Edwards, is the first Anthology film. During the event, several Rogue One movie details were also revealed. It's set between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope in an era without Jedi. The official Star Wars Twitter account shared the film's synopsis: A band of resistance fighters unite for a daring mission to steal the Death Star plans in Star Wars anthology film, Rogue One #RogueOne. — Star Wars (@starwars) April 19, 2015 Brian is an Editor at IGN. You can follow him @albinoalbert on Twitter.

Although King was already an executive member of the NAACP, his leadership role in the fight for equality in the American South occurred seemingly by chance.Picked to host a meeting to support an African American woman, Rosa Parks , who had been arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus, King’s church was chosen not for the young pastor’s words or deeds, but because it was located closest to downtown. However, King answered fate with a call to action that would launch a 13-year period of activism and leadership solidifying his name in history.Led by King, Alabama boycotted the bus system for over a year. The Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 was King’s first taste of what it would be like as a controversial public voice challenging the status quo. His life was threatened, his house was bombed and he was incarcerated on numerous occasions.However, inspired by the nonviolent mantra of his spiritual and political inspiration, Mahatma Gandhi , whose teachings King first discovered while studying at the Crozer Theological Seminary, King persisted in the face of anger and opposition, eventually bringing about the Supreme Court ruling outlawing bus segregation . The boycott was one of the first victories for the civil rights movement and it established a model for nonviolent protest.Another of King’s influences was Frederick Douglass , called the “forefather of the civil rights movement.” An activist and former slave, Douglass was a key figure in the journey from emancipation to desegregation.Having become a family man, King shifted his efforts to a larger struggle for racial equality, helping to create the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957 to organize churches to further the cause.King appeared on national television for the first time in February 1957 on the talk show “Open Mind.” He was introduced as a “new negro,” one who is willing to stand up and demand his rights, rather than act submissively like a “happy, acquiescent slave.”Using his faith to anchor his words and deeds, King fast became the spiritual and political voice of African Americans, rallying supporters to his side in a flurry of appearances and demonstrations demanding change, though his efforts never strayed from his pledge to nonviolence.The years that followed would be his most prolific, travelling 6 million miles, writing five books and garnering international acclaim that led to him becoming the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Email Share +1 106 Shares WASHINGTON — Attorney General Loretta Lynch made a reference to transgender rights in a speech she delivered at the White House. “The Department of Justice as a whole is remaining vigilant in protecting the rights of transgender women in American prisons,” she said on March 30 in remarks she delivered at a conference that focused on women and criminal justice. “In the past, being trans has too often meant a life of intolerance and isolation, not just in prison, but in life.” “Even recently, we have seen state and local efforts to impose on trans people an identity that they do not recognize as their own,” added Lynch. “But I want to make clear that the Department of Justice and the Obama administration is determined to ensure that transgender individuals can live the lives they were born to lead — fully, without discrimination and with the support of their community and their country.” Lynch’s remarks come two days after LGBT North Carolinians and advocacy groups filed a lawsuit against the state’s law that prohibits people from using public restrooms based on their gender identity and bans local governments from enacting anti-LGBT nondiscrimination measures.

Saturday is D-Day for a number of QPR players. A defeat, or at least a lack of performance against Bolton tomorrow, and the management will reconvene on Monday to look for temporary replacements. Director of football Les Ferdinand laid it on the line for a squad that folded at last Friday’s west London derby with Fulham, but first wants to see if those on the bench so far can plug any gaps. If the answer is no, Rangers are prepared to dip into the transfer market. “There’s no money set aside, but we’ll find it if we need to. “We brought new faces in. There’s people who haven’t played, and have had to sit on the sidelines, and may now get an opportunity and stake a claim for a spot. “After the Bolton game, we’re going into the international break and we’ll sit down and see if we do need to bring people in. “Look at Fulham they got relegated the year before and nearly went down last year. They understood where they were and we understand where we are.” Ferdinand confirmed Sebastian Polter, who has not featured since last month’s League Cup defeat against Carlisle will be pencilled in against the Trotters after recovery from a hamstring injury “He’s had a good week’s training and he should be there or thereabouts,” added Ferdinand. Hotshot Charlie Austin is sidelined for a month with a hamstring injury, and Polter would be his natural replacement.

That we might disagree about the attractions of communism or socialism, that's fine. It would indeed be a boring world if we all had the same goals and aspirations. But to actually be entirely ignorant of who has benefited from the death of socialism, that attempt to build communism, is rather a different matter. Most especially if you're trying to discuss the relative desirability of socialism as against capitalism. But that is what we've got here, a ghastly idiocy brought about by pure ignorance. The particular subject under discussion here is the Frankfurt School, what is more commonly known as critical studies these days. This is the basic starting point for pretty much every university and college department not entirely focused upon sums these days. It's very much the bedrock of just about all of the arts and social sciences other than economics and is invading that too. The idiocy is the contention that it is the average Chinese worker who has lost out from the rise of capitalism in that country. No, really - the largest reduction in absolute poverty in the history of our entire species is regarded as having made them worse off. And I really am not joking: In our age, to be sure, anyone reviving critical theory needs a sense of irony. Among capitalism’s losers are overworked, underpaid staff in China, ostensibly liberated by the largest socialist revolution in history, but driven to the brink of suicide to keep those in the west playing with their iPads. The proletariat, far from burying capitalism as Marx predicted, are keeping it on life support. “The domination of capitalism globally depends today on the existence of a Chinese Communist party that gives delocalised capitalist enterprises cheap labour to lower prices and deprive workers of the rights of self-organisation,” Jacques Rancière, the French Marxist and professor of philosophy at the University of Paris VIII, told me. “Happily, it is possible to hope for a world less absurd and more just than today’s.” Personally I'd be happy with an observation even marginally less absurd than this. Because the idea that capitalism has been a losing proposition for China's workers is simply absurd. Totally so in fact. We could use Angus Madddison's numbers which show that China in 1978, just on the cusp of the arrival of that capitalism, was at about the same level of wealth as England in 1600 AD. Poorer than the United States has ever been since the European arrival. Today China is about as rich as Britain was in 1950, perhaps 1955 by now. That's 350 years of economic development in only 40 years. Capitalism has been doing what capitalism does, which is make the lives of the poor better. We could also do this another way. Which is to look at Chinese wages over this period of time. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics: That's wages up by nearly three times in only 8 years. Looks like the average worker is doing pretty well from this capitalism thing, doesn't it? Or across the longer time period: We document dramatic rising wages in China for the period 1978-2007 based on multiple sources of aggregate statistics. Although real wages increased seven-fold during the period, growth was uneven across ownership types, industries and regions. Note that that is real wages, after we account for inflation. So that's up to only 2007 (and we can assume another doubling since then) a seven fold increase in the living standards of the average worker. It's really very difficult indeed to think of this as being what happens to the losers from any system of economic management, isn't it? Which shows that the original contention is simply absurd, is ghastly idiocy. The really remarkable thing about capitalism is how much richer it makes the workers. And it would be rather useful if one of the major sects of political thought in our current Academy managed to grasp that. Instead of this awful piffle that people are losers by having their incomes rise 14 fold in only one generation.

A Chinese satellite looking for the missing Malaysia Air plane had 'observed a suspected crash area at sea'. Courtesy CNN/Sky News MALAYISA denies that the hunt for flight MH730 is in disarray after the search veered far from the plane's planned route, while China says conflicting information about its course is "pretty chaotic". The denial comes as Chinese Government satellite looking into the missing flight has "observed a suspected crash area at sea", in what experts say is the first solid lead in the search. The coordinates released by the Chinese agency would place the object in the South China Sea between Malaysia and Vietnam, according to the BBC. This area has been the main focus of the search, and is where the Boeing 777 last made contact on Saturday during its journey from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said that Malaysia would "never give up hope" of finding the plane's 239 passengers and crew, dismissing allegations that efforts were mired in confusion after a series of false alarms, rumours and contradictory statements. "I don't think so. It's far from it. It's only confusion if you want it to be seen as confusion," he said at a press conference where military and civilian officials faced a grilling from journalists. "I think it's not a matter of chaos. There is a lot of speculation that we have answered in the last few days," he said. Six Australians and two New Zealanders are among the missing passengers. The hunt for Malaysia Airlines plane now encompasses nearly 27,000 nautical miles (over 90,000 square kilometres) - roughly the size of Portugal - and involves the navies and air forces of multiple nations. Criticism came when Malaysian authorities said they were expanding the search to the Andaman Sea, north of Indonesia, hundreds of miles away from the main search area after military radar detected an unidentified object early Saturday north of the Malacca Strait off Malaysia's west coast. Air force chief General Rodzali Daud was quoted in a local pro-government newspaper as saying a military base had detected the Malaysia Airlines aircraft near an island in the Malacca Strait, far to the southwest of where it should have been headed. The news injected even more mystery into the investigation of the jetliner's disappearance, with aviation experts theorising about how the plane could have strayed so far off track for so long. But General Daud has since released a statement saying that while authorities have not ruled out the possibility the plane inexplicably changed course before losing contact, reports that it had been detected far from its planned flight path were incorrect "So right now there is a lot of information, and it's pretty chaotic, so up to this point we too have had difficulty confirming whether it is accurate or not," China's foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said of accounts of the jet's course. There were 153 Chinese nationals on the flight. News_Rich_Media: The mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 baffles experts. Courtesy: FOX News The general confusion and poor communication during the search has fuelled perceptions that Malaysian authorities are unable to handle a crisis on this scale and infuriated relatives. Analysts said there were burning questions over what information - if any - Malaysia has gleaned from both military and civilian radar, and the plane's transponders, and over discounted reports it was later detected near Indonesia. Last words: 'All right, good night' The last radio transmission from the cockpit of the plane was "All right, good night'', Kuala Lumpur's ambassador to Beijing reportedly said during a meeting with Chinese relatives. Iskandar Sarudin was speaking to passengers' relatives and friends at a Beijing hotel. MALAYSIA AIRLINES: LATEST MEDIA STATEMENT The "All right, good night'' comment from one of the pilots came as the flight switched from Malaysian to Vietnamese airspace, Singapore's Straits Times newspaper quoted the ambassador as saying. MALAYSIA AIRLINES' FLIGHT MH370'S MYSTERY MISSING HOUR IS MALAYSIA AIRLINES TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT FLIGHT MH370? Anxious and angry, the two-hour long meeting ended with more questions than answers at the Metropark Lido hotel where Mr Sarudin, spoke to the relatives. Officials told them that the pilot should still have sent a secret mayday code, even if the plane was hijacked. The officials also said that there was no reason to suspect the pilot, who was experienced and had passed all relevant checks. News_Rich_Media: More details have been released of the two men travelling with stolen passports on the missing Malaysia jet In a confusing exchange, relatives asked if military-grade radar had picked up the plane. Military air data and technology would go beyond the civilian ones, they said. STOLEN PASSPORT IRANIAN'S CHILLING FACEBOOK POST HOW SAFE ARE BOEING 777 PLANES AFTER FLIGHT MH370 MYSTERY? The official replied that the Malaysian military was assisting investigations "at a high level." Pressed repeatedly on what information the military had given authorities, he finally replied that "now is not the time" to reveal it. The exchange boosted theories among the families that there are ongoing secret negotiations with terrorists who had hijacked the plane. Adding to this was the official's earlier statement that Malaysia hopes that the passengers are alive. Meanwhile, authorities say they now have six reports of possible witnesses to the plane after they lost track of it, instead of five reported earlier. News_Image_File: Last words ... Zaharie Ahmad Shah, a 53-year-old Malaysian, was the pilot of the Malaysia Airlines plane that remains missing. Meanwhile, authorities have identified two passengers travelling on stolen passports and said it was looking less likely that terrorism played a part. The possibility of a passenger somehow sabotaging the flight so their family could benefit from a lucrative insurance policy has even been put forward by Malaysia's police chief. And further adding to the intrigue, the laid-back approach to security of one of the flight's copilots has also come under scrutiny after two women came forward to detail how he broke rules by inviting them into the cockpit during a flight in 2011. READ MORE: THE TRUTH ABOUT BOEING 777s READ MORE: THE ANSWERS TO THE KEY QUESTIONS News_Image_File: Denial ... General Rodzali Daud now says military radar did not track the plane. News_Module: Malaysia Search Area WHERE DID THE PLANE GO? The Boeing 777 had taken off from Kuala Lumpur at 12.41am local time on Saturday (3:41am AEDT) and was scheduled to arrive in Beijing at 6:30am the same day, after a roughly 4,350-kilometre journey. COMMENT: OUR FEARS OF FLYING JUST GOT WORSE It reportedly lost contact with air traffic controllers around 1.30am somewhere midway between the east coast Malaysian town of Kota Bharu and the southern tip of Vietnam, while flying at an altitude of 35,000ft. News_Module: Malaysian airspace activity According to CNN, who cited an unnamed Malaysian air force official, the plane's transponder - which continuously transmits flight information - stopped working near the time flight controllers lost contact. The Malaysian air force was said to have lost track of the aircraft's signal at about 2.40am over Pulau Perak - hundreds of kilometres away from where it should have been. General Daud now denies this. READ MORE: WA WOMAN CLINGS TO HOPE A live relay of commercial aircraft activity in the region - which can be seen above and scrolled through - clearly shows the crowded airspace through which the airliner must have flown if it did suddenly divert west. News_Image_File: Looking ... a helicopter crew member checks a map as the search goes on. THE GRIEF GOES ON The lack of information about its fate is leaving families and relatives increasingly grief-stricken and angry. READ MORE: WHO ARE THE FOUR WHO MISSED FLIGHT MH370? The wife of Paul Weeks, a 39-year-old mechanical engineer from New Zealand based in Perth's northern suburbs, said she was still clinging to the faint hope of a miracle. "We are just waiting. You can think the worst, but in the back of your mind there is that possibility,'' Danica Weeks told 92.9FM in Perth. "There is no conclusion to it." The couple have a three-year-old son named Lincoln and a 10-month-old son named Jack, and Ms Weeks said attempting to explain her husband's absence to her sons was the hardest thing to cope with. News_Image_File: Desperate for news ... relatives of passengers from the missing flight in China. "I had to bring it up with Lincoln, because he had not asked anything - I said to him 'You know Daddy has gone away ... and on the way Daddy got lost','' she said. "And then I broke down. He is young and resilient - he said 'That is okay mummy, I will find Daddy'." MEN WITH STOLEN PASSPORTS IDENTIFIED Interpol released an image of two Iranians who were travelling with stolen passports on the jetliner. After lengthy speculation about the intentions of the pair, they were eventually identified as 19-year-old Pouria Nour Mohammad Mehrdad and 29-year-old Delavar Seyedmohammaderza. Malaysia's Inspector General of Police, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, said Mehrdad was travelling on a stolen Austrian passport and was planning to meet up with his mother in Frankfurt, where he is believed to have planned to seek asylum. Interpol said Seyedmohammaderza was using a stolen Italian passport and was also believed to be heading to Europe in a bid to start a new life. News_Image_File: Passport fraud ... Interpol and police officials during a press conference. Interpol secretary-general Ronald K. Noble said the two men travelled to Malaysia on their Iranian passports, then apparently switched to the stolen Austrian and Italian documents and boarded the plane at the same time. Both bought their tickets in Thailand. READ MORE: THE MH370 CONSPIRACY THEORIES US authorities later said both men had come up clean after a search of terror and criminal databases. A student claiming to be a friend of the two men has told America's ABC News that they stayed at his home in Malaysia the night before the flight vanished. Mohammad Mallaeibasir, 18, said he went to high school with Mehrdad so had them over to his flat before driving the pair to the airport on Saturday. News_Image_File: Identified ... Pouria Mehrdad and Delavar Seyedmohammaderza. He said he did not ask either man why they were in Malaysia but Mehrdad said he was heading to Europe to visit his mother because they were having family problems. The two men were travelling lightly, although both had laptops. It is believed their tickets were purchased by an Iranian man known as "Mr Ali." "The last night when they were in my home they were talking on the phone for a long time," Mallaeibasir said. "They were talking in Persian, in their room, and I heard them say 'OK Ali' like that in Persian. I didn't understand because it was like, five seconds. I went into the room to take water from my fridge and I came out and they said, 'Be quiet, we're talking.'" READ MORE: EERIE CONNECTION TO FLIGHT MH370 Mr Noble said the recent information about the men made terrorism a less likely cause of the plane's disappearance, but that did not allay concerns about the ease of travel involving stolen passports. Authorities said there were now several main areas of investigation: hijack, sabotage, and psychological or personal problems among the passengers and crew. News_Image_File: Theories ... Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar answers questions. "We are looking very closely at the video footage taken at the KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport), we are studying the behavioural pattern of all the passengers," Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar told a press conference. He did not elaborate on exactly what this would entail however. Illustrating the lack of concrete answers to the plane's disappearance coming from officials, Mr Bakar also put forward a theory on what may have happened. "Maybe somebody on the flight has bought a huge sum of insurance, who wants family to gain from it or somebody who has owed somebody so much money, you know, we are looking at all possibilities," he said. News_Rich_Media: Appearing on A Current Affair, a former passenger talks of her meeting with copilot Fariq Ab Hamid from the missing Malaysian airlines plane MH370. Courtesy: ACA Nine Network CO-PILOT SMOKED, TOOK PHOTOS Investigations into the copilot of the flight have discovered he once invited a Melbourne tourist and her friend into the cockpit where he smoked, took photos and entertained the pair during a previous international flight. READ MORE: THE PLAYBOY PILOT In a worrying lapse of security, it's been revealed pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid and his colleague broke Malaysia Airline rules when they invited passengers Jonti Roos and Jaan Maree to join them in the cabin for the one-hour flight from Phuket to Kuala Lumpur in 2011. Ms Roos, who is travelling around Australia, told A Current Affair she and Ms Maree posed for pictures with the pilots, who smoked cigarettes during the midair rendezvous. News_Image_File: Horrible wait for news ... the media surround a Chinese relative of a passenger. "Throughout the entire flight they were talking to us and they were actually smoking throughout the flight which I don't think they're allowed to do," Ms Roos said. Malaysia Airlines said it was "shocked" by allegations. "Malaysia Airlines has become aware of the allegations being made against First Officer Fariq Abdul Hamid which we take very seriously. We are shocked by these allegations," a statement by the airline said. PICTURES: SHOCK AND GRIEF AFTER FLIGHT VANISHES "We have not been able to confirm the validity of the pictures and videos of the alleged incident. As you are aware, we are in the midst of a crisis, and we do not want our attention to be diverted." Meanwhile, colleagues and friends of the flight's pilot, Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, have told of a lovely man so devoted to his career he kept a flight simulator at home. News_Module: callenges News_Module: What we know News_Module: Plane crash theories

Lucknow, Oct 8: Nearly 5,000 state government-run English medium primary schools are likely to come up in Uttar Pradesh soon, Anupama Jaiswal, the minister of state for basic education, said on Saturday while claiming that they may become functional from the next academic session. Reportedly, five or more such schools will be set up in over 820 blocks of the state. Jaiswal said that the huge demand for English medium schools prompted the government to take the decision. She has been quoted by Hindustan Times as saying that the step would cater to the demand of the parents who are seen queuing up in large numbers for English medium schools. Notably, the government will not set up new schools instead, it will convert the existing primary schools into English medium institutions. For this purpose, teachers will be provided with a thorough training and English books will be given to them, basic education director Sarvendra Vikram Bahadur Singh said. Echoing him, Jaiswal said that the government will make efforts and ensure that proper English is being taught to students and that teachers are able to make children pronounce words correctly. Reportedly, a similar step was taken by the previous government in Uttar Pradesh two years back when the Samajwadi Party (SP) government had set up two such schools in every district of the state. The step had received overwhelming response. “The attendance of students went up in a big way. This led the (present) state government to plan more such schools,” an official was quoted by HT as saying.

is a message movie. That's not a bad thing or a good thing, just a description: Jordan Peele's hit movie uses horror and comedy to make deliberately unsubtle points about the dangers of being black in America and the hypocrisy of white liberals. And critics loved it for having a lesson to teach. Get Out is a message movie. That's not a bad thing or a good thing, just a description: Jordan Peele's hit movie uses horror and comedy to make deliberately unsubtle points about the dangers of being black in America and the hypocrisy of white liberals. And critics loved it for having a lesson to teach. From Slate's Aisha Harris, who Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner ? and The Stepford Wives that’s more fun than either and more illuminating, too," almost every writer who reviewed Get Out saw it as a plus that the film wasn't just mindless genre entertainment, that it had a sociopolitical point to make. From Slate'sAisha Harris, who praised Peele for "laying bare the many layers of America’s historic treatment of the black body," to Vulture's David Edelstein, who called the film "a mash-up ofGuess Who’s Coming to DinnerandThe Stepford Wivesthat’s more fun than either and more illuminating, too," almost every writer who reviewedGet Outsaw it as a plus that the film wasn't just mindless genre entertainment, that it had a sociopolitical point to make. But if you look at the older movies that helped inspire Get Out — satirical, unsubtle horror-comedies like But if you look at the older movies that helped inspireGet Out— satirical, unsubtle horror-comedies like The Stepford Wives and They Live — you'll find their critics had much less enthusiasm for social commentary. When John Carpenter released They Live in 1988, his attack on the selfishness and commercialism of 1980s America (the white family in Get Out has the same name, Armitage, as one of the characters in They Live ), the Washington Post that "the heavy artillery of sociological context and political implication" was just a distraction from a silly plot. When John Carpenter releasedThey Livein 1988, his attack on the selfishness and commercialism of 1980s America (the white family inGet Outhas the same name, Armitage, as one of the characters inThey Live), the Washington Post sneered that "the heavy artillery of sociological context and political implication" was just a distraction from a silly plot. The People Under the Stairs , Wes Craven's 1991 horror-satire about a black child who discovers that his white landlord is a murderous monster, was dismissed by Variety as having "a pretense of social responsibility." Back then, mainstream, non-academic pop culture critics often saw a work's political message as unimportant at best, a liability at worst. Something has changed in criticism since then. Critics working today, whether veterans or newcomers, are more likely to praise a work for having a political or social message, and they'll also criticize a work for not confronting its own implications. Today, a nostalgic, lightweight musical like La La Land can inspire discussions of whether the story is what MTV.com's Ira Madison III Something has changed in criticism since then. Critics working today, whether veterans or newcomers, are more likely to praise a work for having a political or social message, and they'll also criticize a work for not confronting its own implications. Today, a nostalgic, lightweight musical likeLa La Landcan inspire discussions of whether the story is what MTV.com's Ira Madison III called "a white-savior film in tap shoes," because the hero is a white jazz fan whose tastes are portrayed as more authentic than a black character's. The Oscar race between La La Land and Moonlight earlier this year was treated in openly political terms, even though neither movie was particularly political: " Moonlight NEEDS to win Best Picture," La La Land win would be Hollywood "rejoicing in its own nostalgic — and white — mythology." The conversation got so heated that Moonlight director Barry Jenkins that La La Land was becoming a victim of "a very superficial read." The Oscar race betweenLa La LandandMoonlightearlier this year was treated in openly political terms, even though neither movie was particularly political: "MoonlightNEEDS to win Best Picture," wrote Amrou Al-Kadhi in the Independent, because aLa La Landwin would be Hollywood "rejoicing in its own nostalgic — and white — mythology." The conversation got so heated thatMoonlightdirector Barry Jenkins told Esquire thatLa La Landwas becoming a victim of "a very superficial read." But whether it’s superficial or perceptive, today’s pop cultural criticism can't seem to ignore social issues. Sometime in the past decade, socially conscious criticism became the norm It’s hard to pinpoint the moment it became evident we’re in a new era of criticism, but a good candidate for that tipping point might be the 2012 controversy over the all-white principal cast of HBO's It’s hard to pinpoint the moment it became evident we’re in a new era of criticism, but a good candidate for that tipping point might be the 2012 controversy over the all-white principal cast of HBO's Girls Some critics had been pointing out for years that TV and movies offered an unrealistically white portrayal of New York City; there was even Friends finally introduced Aisha Tyler as a recurring character near the end of its run in 2003, she Some critics had been pointing out for years that TV and movies offered an unrealistically white portrayal of New York City; there was even a song about the inconsequential parts for black characters on Friends . But the idea that there was something wrong with this never got much traction in the wider media; whenFriendsfinally introduced Aisha Tyler as a recurring character near the end of its run in 2003, she said : "I don't think anyone is trying to redress issues of diversity here." Donald Glover briefly played a black Republican named Sandy on Lena Dunham’s Girls in 2013. | HBO But by 2012, when Girls creator Lena Dunham was Friends in the 1990s, or even How I Met Your Mother in the 2000s. But by 2012, whenGirlscreator Lena Dunham was criticized for her monochromatic vision of Brooklyn , she felt a need to make it clear that she respected those criticisms by addressing them on the show. She began the show’s second season by giving her character, Hannah, a new love interest played by Donald Glover, and later explained it was intended to demonstrate “that there isn’t a political agenda against having black characters in the show.” You didn't see that happening withFriendsin the 1990s, or evenHow I Met Your Motherin the 2000s. Creators have discovered, sometimes painfully, that what critics might have overlooked not that long ago can be central issues today. That's what happened in 2016 to the film Passengers finally came out, nearly all critics — including Creators have discovered, sometimes painfully, that what critics might have overlooked not that long ago can be central issues today. That's what happened in 2016 to the film Passengers , in which Chris Pratt’s hero more or less tricks Jennifer Lawrence’s character into falling in love with him. It was written in 2007, when critics might not have made much of that plot point; back then, a movie like Wedding Crashers was generally accepted as the charming comedy it intended to be, even though it’s about two men who lie and deceive to pick up women, and one of them in turn falls in love with his own rapist. But whenPassengersfinally came out, nearly all critics — including Vox’s Alissa Wilkinson , who called it “a fantasy of Stockholm syndrome” — saw these ethical questions as one of the most important things about the movie. The reaction to Passengers was a sign that critics were fed up with what the Guardian's Andrew Pulver described as a long history of "stalking tactics bolstering romantic comedies." It used to be that most critics wouldn't note that kind of behavior in movie heroes, or wouldn't care; it was just a convention of Hollywood storytelling that they accepted, almost unconsciously. But in 2016, it drove the majority of the conversation around Passengers. In the current decade, outlets like Twitter have helped give a platform to a more diverse range of critical voices, and caused establishment critics and producers to be more aware of the issues they raise. And it helps that these issues tend to draw attention, in an era when arts criticism often struggles to stay relevant. The end of Kaelism Newspaper and magazine critics used to be less interested in these issues, instead embracing a more conventional approach that showed the influence of a critic who was once very unconventional: Newspaper and magazine critics used to be less interested in these issues, instead embracing a more conventional approach that showed the influence of a critic who was once very unconventional: Pauline Kael , film critic for the New Yorker from the late 1960s through the early ’90s. Pauline Kael. | Erin Combs/Toronto Star via Getty Images Most people who don't read film criticism know Kael for her famous Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom , which even anti-anti-racists usually admit is kind of racist. Most people who don't read film criticism know Kael for her famous admission that she only knew one person who voted for Nixon. But as a critic, she usually disliked movies that pandered to liberals, and she had little interest in calling out movies for racism; she lovedIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which even anti-anti-racists usually admit is kind of racist. Occasionally Kael could be so put off by a film's message that she would denounce it, as she did with the authoritarian cop drama Dirty Harry ("a deeply immoral movie"). But she saved many of her best takedowns for movies whose messages she claimed to agree with. Kael hated makers of liberal message movies, like Stanley Kramer ( Guess Who's Coming t o Dinner ), and she loved mocking Hollywood liberals for their attempts to make us better people; she Occasionally Kael could be so put off by a film's message that she would denounce it, as she did with the authoritarian cop dramaDirty Harry("a deeply immoral movie"). But she saved many of her best takedowns for movies whose messages she claimed to agree with. Kael hated makers of liberal message movies, like Stanley Kramer (Guess Who's Comingo Dinner), and she loved mocking Hollywood liberals for their attempts to make us better people; she admonished older film critics for valuing “movies that are 'worthwhile,' that make a 'contribution' — 'serious' messagy movies.” Writers like Kael or Andrew Sarris (who High Noon and Rio Bravo ) had a sort of art-for-art's-sake approach to culture. A work of art — serious or popular — isn't supposed to be judged by how much you agree with it, but by how it makes you feel and whether it can convince you of its validity. An artist who tried to score some sort of political point was cheating, using indignation to achieve things their own technique couldn't. Writers like Kael or Andrew Sarris (who disliked the anti-McCarthyite WesternHigh Noonand preferred its conservative Republican counterpart,Rio Bravo) had a sort of art-for-art's-sake approach to culture. A work of art — serious or popular — isn't supposed to be judged by how much you agree with it, but by how it makes you feel and whether it can convince you of its validity. An artist who tried to score some sort of political point was cheating, using indignation to achieve things their own technique couldn't. Critics often used to take a similar attitude to issues of representation and diversity in the entertainment industry: That was a business issue, separate from art. This March brought a major revival of the musical Miss Saigon , whose original Broadway mounting in 1990 starred white actor Jonathan Pryce in the role of a Eurasian. When Actors' Equity tried to stop that production over the cross-racial casting, the New York Times's lead theater critic, Frank Rich, Critics often used to take a similar attitude to issues of representation and diversity in the entertainment industry: That was a business issue, separate from art. This March brought a major revival of the musicalMiss Saigon, whose original Broadway mounting in 1990 starred white actor Jonathan Pryce in the role of a Eurasian. When Actors' Equity tried to stop that production over the cross-racial casting, the New York Times'slead theater critic, Frank Rich, called it "hypocritical reverse racism" and argued that a producer's only responsibility is "to present the best show he can." Few critics today, of any political orientation, would be so quick to say that an actor's race doesn't matter. That's because while not all today's critics have the same beliefs, they generally take representation — in stories and among people who tell the stories — more seriously. An inspiring message movie like That's because while not all today's critics have the same beliefs, they generally take representation — in stories and among people who tell the stories — more seriously. An inspiring message movie like Hidden Figures might once have been treated like an updated Stanley Kramer “message film,” but modern critics were more likely to agree with A.O. Scott of the New York Times, who approved of it for conveying "the poisonous normalcy of white supremacy." This emphasis on representation has undermined some of the older ideas of what counts as a good story, and when people don't know the rules have changed, they can come off as old-fashioned. Joel and Ethan Coen had been making movies about mostly (though not exclusively) white characters for decades when their most recent film, 2016’s Hail, Caesar , ran into trouble over what one writer described as This emphasis on representation has undermined some of the older ideas of what counts as a good story, and when people don't know the rules have changed, they can come off as old-fashioned. Joel and Ethan Coen had been making movies about mostly (though not exclusively) white characters for decades when their most recent film, 2016’sHail, Caesarran into trouble over what one writer described as “pervasive whiteness.” Asked for a comment by the Daily Beast , Joel Coen wondered “why they would single out a particular movie and say, ‘Why aren’t there black or Chinese or Martians in this movie?’” while Ethan maintained that “it’s important to tell the story you’re telling in the right way, which might involve black people or people of whatever heritage or ethnicity — or it might not.” That response would have raised few eyebrows 30, or even 10, years ago. It’s based on the idea that while ethnic diversity may be good as a general principle, all that matters in an individual work is what the artist thinks is best to serve the story; if these choices are effective, then the work is effective. The potential pitfalls of socially conscious criticism The buzzwords of this kind of criticism (like “problematic”) are easy to mock, maybe too easy. Unlike older forms of criticism, which took shape in little-read journals or newsletters, today’s critical style is being constructed right in front of us, at a time when the worst examples can go viral as easily as the best. One thing most of the bad examples seem to have in common is that they can function like a checklist: The critic praises "good" tropes that are present in the work, and asks whether "bad" tropes are subverted or questioned. If the work conveys messages the critic agrees with, it earns a passing grade. Much of the discussion around the 2017 live-action Beauty and the Beast focused on LeFou (Josh Gad) being openly gay in the updated version of the story. For example, Kate Taylor, longtime critic for Toronto's Globe and Mail , spent nine paragraphs of For example, Kate Taylor, longtime critic for Toronto's Globe and Mail reviewed Disney's new version of Beauty and the Beast by praising the fact that Belle is less of a damsel in distress, calling the film's gay character "a watershed moment for the culture," but concluding that ultimately the message of the story might cause girls to become "shackled to a violent creature in need of reform." Mark Hughes of Forbesspent nine paragraphs of his review discussing whether the remake had done enough to downplay the "more problematic elements of the story," which can't be told straightforwardly because "we’re watching the telling of the story now, today, in the 21st Century." Reviews like these run the risk of giving the impression that certain tropes are always bad, or that doing the opposite is always good. Entertainment corporations can even benefit from this tendency by adding superficial elements that will score them points with critics, or at least dominate the discussion. By making one of the characters in Beauty and the Beast , and adding some mildly feminist touches to the old story, Disney guaranteed that a lot of the reviews would spend time on these issues and not on, say, denouncing the company for creating another pointless remake. Reviews like these run the risk of giving the impression that certain tropes are always bad, or that doing the opposite is always good. Entertainment corporations can even benefit from this tendency by adding superficial elements that will score them points with critics, or at least dominate the discussion. By making one of the characters inBeauty and the Beast openly gay , and adding some mildly feminist touches to the old story, Disney guaranteed that a lot of the reviews would spend time on these issues and not on, say, denouncing the company for creating another pointless remake. Related The boycott against Beauty and the Beast is about much more than the movie The potential pitfalls of socially conscious criticism extend to casting as well. Diverse casting may be a good idea in general, but if you've seen some of the guest characters of color on Friends or Girls , you get an idea of why these shows probably would not have been as effective with a more diverse regular cast: The creators wouldn't have known how to write for them. Glover’s character on Girls , a black Republican introduced solely The potential pitfalls of socially conscious criticism extend to casting as well. Diverse casting may be a good idea in general, but if you've seen some of the guest characters of color onFriendsorGirls, you get an idea of why these shows probably would not have been as effective with a more diverse regular cast: The creators wouldn't have known how to write for them. Glover’s character onGirls, a black Republican introduced solely because there hadn’t been a black or Republican character yet , seemed far less plausible than the characters Dunham had drawn from her life. The Coen brothers’ premise — that the only thing that matters is what works for the artist — sometimes seems to be stood on its head by socially conscious criticism; when it doesn’t work, it can come off as a plea to artists to make society better by potentially making their work a little worse. The big upside: socially conscious criticism compels critics, audiences, and creators to take art seriously But what this type of criticism can do, when it works, is illuminate the lazy, unthinking way stories are often put together. Marvel's latest Netflix show, But what this type of criticism can do, when it works, is illuminate the lazy, unthinking way stories are often put together. Marvel's latest Netflix show, Iron Fist , has provoked enough arguments over its premise — white Western man becomes the world's greatest Eastern mystic — that star Finn Jones wound up quitting Twitter after engaging them . But that premise was an old cliché even before the original comics were published. It’s clear there are story points that creators recycle out of pop culture traditions, and their presence can sometimes be a sign that a story hasn't been fully thought out. A socially conscious critic is sometimes more alert to that. While “cultural appropriation” is a much-mocked buzzword, it may have helped provide a clue to why the American remake of Ghost in the Shell felt so inauthentic (and bombed at the box office): The producers It’s clear there are story points that creators recycle out of pop culture traditions, and their presence can sometimes be a sign that a story hasn't been fully thought out. A socially conscious critic is sometimes more alert to that. While “cultural appropriation” is a much-mocked buzzword, it may have helped provide a clue to why the American remake ofGhost in the Shellfelt so inauthentic (and bombed at the box office): The producers tried to keep elements of the original Japanese version while casting a white American lead , and the result lacked the cultural specificity of the original, something socially conscious critics were able to talk about authoritatively It's not helpful to criticize a story for being told at all, but it's more than fair to criticize artists for telling the same old story the same old way, or for changing a story in a way that doesn’t make any sense. This year’s Ghost in the Shell remake was accompanied by outcry surrounding Scarlett Johansson’s casting as a Japanese character. | Dreamworks/Paramount And the Kaelian approach, focusing mostly on how effective an individual work is, can sometimes seem cut off from questions about broader problems with art. To the point about shows being better off without a poorly written character of color, a newer critic might reply that it's the show's responsibility to hire more writers of color to avoid that kind of poor writing. In this view, what's good for one story might not be what's good for the art or business of storytelling as a whole. The Girls controversy didn't improve Girls , but it might conceivably have improved the TV business in general: Today’s television executives are routinely In this view, what's good for one story might not be what's good for the art or business of storytelling as a whole. TheGirlscontroversy didn't improveGirls, but it might conceivably have improved the TV business in general: Today’s television executives are routinely questioned about the issue of diversity in their casts and crews , and feel a need to claim they’re avoiding the all-white ensembles that were more common on mainstream TV not that long ago. Calling out individual works for being “problematic” may be the only way to improve collective problems. Not that critics should focus solely on those collective problems. A review that only discusses a work’s transgressions is a bore, but BuzzFeed’s La La Land without making it sound like these issues invalidated the film. This kind of criticism may come to embrace one of the more benign Tumblr concepts: the "problematic fave," the idea that if we like a particular work or artist, we won't like them less for thinking about and discussing problems with their art. Not that critics should focus solely on those collective problems. A review that only discusses a work’s transgressions is a bore, but BuzzFeed’s Alison Willmore was one of a number of critics to discuss race andLa La Landwithout making it sound like these issues invalidated the film. This kind of criticism may come to embrace one of the more benign Tumblr concepts: the "problematic fave," the idea that if we like a particular work or artist, we won't like them less for thinking about and discussing problems with their art. And any good critic knows enough to demand that a work will, first of all, be entertaining. Slate's TV critic, Willa Paskin, often praises socially conscious shows like Feud: Bette and Joan for letting its message overwhelm its story, "turning bitchy shenanigans into a repetitive (if true!) object lesson" about Hollywood sexism. And any good critic knows enough to demand that a work will, first of all, be entertaining. Slate's TV critic, Willa Paskin, often praises socially conscious shows like Transparent , but she also ripped Ryan Murphy'sFeud: Bette and Joanfor letting its message overwhelm its story, "turning bitchy shenanigans into a repetitive (if true!) object lesson" about Hollywood sexism. And in a strange way, this new turn of criticism, this emphasis on the politics behind art, may be better for a work's reputation than criticism that ignores politics. La La Land could have been dismissed as a featherweight soufflé of a movie, with no real substance, the way many classic movie musicals were dismissed in their time. Get Out could have been mostly ignored by film critics, as other satirical horror movies were in their time. Instead, critics have been arguing about them, praising them as socially beneficial or disparaging them as socially harmful. If critics hate your favorite movie enough to call it a menace to society — well, at least they're taking it seriously.

The private members' motion put forward by the Independent TD Luke "Ming" Flanagan on the regulation of cannabis was defeated 111-8 in the Dáil this evening. During the debate, Mr Flanagan said there are myths surrounding the drug. The Roscommon-South Leitrim TD outlined statistics he had gathered to counteract claims that cannabis is bad for people's health. Mr Flanagan had urged TDs to vote for the motion because "it's going to be a wonderful thing for the country". He also congratulated Fine Gael TD Paul Connaughton for his speech on the subject, which he said was "the bravest statement yet" from a Government TD. Mr Connaughton had welcomed the debate and said it was wrong not to realise that cannabis is available in every town and village in Ireland. He said he has no issue with legalising it for medical reasons, but he did not support legalising it for the general public. Mr Connaughton said alcohol was just as big a problem and is an area that we need to focus on. Earlier, Sinn Féin's Aengus Ó Snodaigh said the same people bringing guns, cocaine and heroin into Ireland are the ones selling cannabis. He said there has not been enough concentration in the Garda Síochána on the drugs unit. Fine Gael TD Michelle Mulherin said that human health requires a healthy mind. She said prolonged use of cannabis brings about heart and lung disease and other issues. Ms Mulherin described calls for cannabis regulation as "self-indulgence disguised as concern for the ill or the economy". Labour TD Eamon Maloney said: "We should do something about the national drug [alcohol] before we bring another one upon us." United Left Alliance TD Clare Daly welcomed the discussion and said she accepts that it is inevitable that cannabis will be legalised. She said the debate will highlight the importance of cannabis for medical use. Socialist Party leader Joe Higgins welcomed the motion and said he believes regulation would remove "cut-throat gangsters" from the scene. Independent TD John Halligan said the illegal drugs trade makes up 8% of world trade and that he cannot support the legalisation aspect of the motion. Minister for Health James Reilly said he had an issue with Mr Flanagan's attempts to have cannabis legalised, as it does have effects on health. He cited studies in Sweden that showed the rise of schizophrenia.

Thanks to Ugm for letting us know about some surprising news from the official Polish Battle.net forums. A fan asked about sharing MF in parties, and got a reply from CM Wuluxar. In Polish, of course, but the translation is clear enough: Our developers have decided that bonuses + Magic Find, Gold Find + and + XP but will work differently for groups of players. These bonuses will be equal for each character in the group and depending on the sum of bonuses for all players. The group consists of four players. In total, their stats are 50% MF, +20% GF and 10% XP, each of these players will have a 12.5% MF, 5% and 2.5% GF XP being in such a group. Playing with a companion, available for rent, as at present receive 20% bonus to the statistics of type ‘adventure’ with a bonus companion visible on the panel. That last bit of garbled translation was clarified by a Blue post today. The amount displayed is your share of the bonus. You get 20% of your follower’s Magic Find, Gold Find, and + to XP. Currently, Magic Find, Gold Find, and +XP bonuses are averaged across the entire group. This news prompts numerous thoughts and theories, and I’m definitely thinking we need a vote on it to measure the overall impact. A few different quick reactions: 1) It’s another design decision that waters down the game for the benefit of less-skilled players. Now any noob can get MF and +exp benefits from skilled players with better gear, simply by being in the same game. Does this give skilled players *another* reason to play solo in D3? 2) It’s an inevitable “fix” required by D3’s individual item drops, which would have rewarded back row MF leeches who didn’t pull their weight in games. 3) This is great for friends playing in parties. If you go all MF and ranged support while staying in the back, while your friend tanks and takes all the risks (especially if you’re playing Hardcore), you benefit from his killing speed, and he enjoys your MF. Speaking as someone who has always enjoyed MF and did a lot to promote it with a number of huge strategy guides in the early days of D2, I’m curious to hear feedback on the change — especially from MF haters.

Ronaldo left Old Trafford to join Real Madrid in 2009 where he has since broken numerous goal-scoring records and is the current Ballon d'Or holder. But reports in Spain have suggested the Portugal international is considering leaving the Bernabeu due to a worsening relationship with Rafa Benitez and the fans. GETTY Cristiano Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes says he's staying put Things reached a head this weekend following Real's 4-0 humiliation in El Clasico, when the supporters jeered and taunted the star. And Louis van Gaal added more fuel to the fire by revealing his desire to lure the 30-year-old back to Manchester. GETTY Real Madrid were embarrassed by Barcelona in El Clasico "We are looking at all players, not just Ronaldo. But these players are mostly ungettable. With Ronaldo, let's wait and hope," Van Gaal said. The striker has also been linked with a big-money move to Paris Saint-Germain, although his representative Mendes says both outcomes are "impossible". Manchester United's January transfer targets Sun, January 10, 2016 Express Sport takes a look at who Manchester United are lining up for a January move Play slideshow Getty Images 1 of 24 Who will Manchester United sign in January?

When I opened up Google this morning, I saw a refreshing break from the barrage of World Cup related Google doodles. As the daily doodle is based on region, today shows an astronaut, writing in his diary while observing space from his Google-shaped windows. The sleeve of his spacesuit bears an Israeli flag. Today would have been Col. Ilan Ramon’s 60th birthday. In 2003, he perished along with six other astronauts, when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon it’s re-entry to the Earth’s atmosphere somewhere over Texas. My younger brother once said that all the problems of the world could be solved by space exploration. I never understood what he meant until July 2011, when my family and I went to see the launching of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, NASA’s final shuttle launch from the Kennedy Space Center. We arrived early, and made a spot for ourselves in a clearing along the shore of Cape Canaveral. Dawn spilled across the sky, reflecting in the water as we waited. As the sun rose, we could see the launch pad across the water. There was magic in the air that morning, and I felt as though the Universe itself was within my reach. As the minutes and hours passed, more viewers showed up. We were now sharing out little clearing on the shore with a family, a soldier on leave, a hoard of mosquitoes, and a few moon-gazing hopefuls with dreams as big as space itself. We could see the shuttle. It glistened in the morning light as it aimed into the abyss, awaiting it’s final mission. And then it began. I remember the thrill of the countdown as we watched, eyes glued across the water, while massive clouds of smoke erupted from the boosters. Within seconds, there was an enormous roar as the rocket woke and lifted off. We were children, our eyes gazing upward, dreaming of Mars. We shouted and cheered as it soared impossibly fast, and impossibly high. The echo of it’s roar moved through the water, and through us. I felt it move, an actual vibration of sound, as it stretched it’s arms and shook us. “Look,” it seemed to cry. “Look at what we can do, and yet, look at how small we really are.” I watched as the Shuttle climbed across the sky, eventually disappearing as it left our atmosphere. I stood, speechless, gazing at the puff of smoke that it left behind. The roar was right. Suddenly, the world had become remarkably small. I wondered what the astronauts were thinking as they gazed down to the planet they had just left. As the only home that humanity has ever known became nothing more than a pale, blue dot. Col. Ramon was the first Israeli to venture into space. He requested a kosher menu, in order to represent Israel and the Jewish people. He spoke to Rabbis about the strange technicalities of observing Shabbat in space. In his final interview before leaving Earth, he said he hoped to do “something traditional for Friday night–for Erev Shabbat. Like maybe a kiddush.” The son of Holocaust survivors, Col. Ramon asked Yad Vashem, to provide him with something symbolic of the Holocaust to bring with him. He brought a sketch by Petr Ginz, called “Moon Landscape,” drawn while the teen was in Theresienstadt. It depicted a view of Earth from the moon, as Ginz imagined it. The boy was killed in Auschwitz. “It’s a very symbolic act that I can take his drawing, although he is physically not with us. But his spirit will be with us, and with me, in space.” The very idea of space travel somehow puts life in perspective. Before his journey to space, Col. Ramon said that “Wherever you take yourself in nature, you get to think a lot about what we, as a human being, are doing here. What is important? What is not important?” I will never forget looking out across Cape Canaveral to watch the Atlantis soar, as the world and all my problems shrunk into a speck of dust. Col. Ramon, along with all the other men and women who have ventured into space have shown that our world is nothing but a dot. A speck, among an infinite amount specks. They have opened the door to infinity, and yet, still–we fight. We wage war. The search for Israel’s three teens has been going strong for a full week now. People are suffering all over the world, and often, it is suffering inflicted on man, by man. When will the world learn to live together? Col. Ramon said that “There is no better place to emphasize the unity of people in the world than flying in space. We are all human beings, and I believe that most of us, almost all of us, are good people.”

Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) NASA has put its next Mars mission on hold indefinitely because of a leaky instrument. The space agency planned to launch a new Mars lander called InSight in March from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Instead, it's being sent back to its maker -- Lockheed Martin -- in Denver, Colorado. The faulty instrument is a very sensitive seismometer designed to measure movements in the Martian soil as small as the diameter of an atom, NASA said in a statement . The device is provided by France's Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES). NASA says the instrument requires a vacuum seal around its three main sensors to protect it from harsh conditions on Mars. During testing on Monday in extreme cold temperatures the instrument failed to hold a vacuum, the agency said. "The vacuum issue is the only thing that was standing between us and launch," Bruce Banerdt, InSight's principal investigator at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told CNN. "We do not believe that this is a fundamentally difficult problem, given enough time to systematically investigate and resolve it," he said. "The French space agency estimates that a handful of months should suffice, although we will probably take a little longer to make sure there aren't any further subtle problems hiding in the wings." Even if the leak is fixed in a few months, InSight can't be launched anytime soon. The 2016 launch window closes March 30, NASA said. "Everything else about the mission is ready to go, and we are already starting to work toward the possibility of continuing on to Mars at the next orbital opportunity in 2018," Banerdt said. Banerdt says both he and his team are naturally saddened by the setback. "Although I have personally been working toward making these measurements on Mars for 25 years, the actual InSight Mission Project has only been underway since about 2009," he said. "The whole project team has been giving it everything they've got for many months to try to make this launch opportunity, so we are understandably disappointed."

Story highlights Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden has been in Russia since 2013 His supporters have petitioned President Barack Obama to pardon him (CNN) Edward Snowden's leave to remain in Russia has been extended until 2020, Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has confirmed to CNN. Snowden, a former US National Security Agency contractor, sought asylum in Russia in June 2013 after leaking volumes of information on American intelligence and surveillance operations to the media. On Tuesday, Zakharova announced an extension of a "couple of years" in a Facebook post that criticized former CIA acting director Michael Morell for an opinion piece he wrote suggesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin should consider returning Snowden to the United States as "the perfect inauguration gift" to President-elect Donald Trump. Snowden settled in Moscow after initially traveling to Hong Kong following his 2013 public disclosure of classified information. The Russian government granted him asylum soon after. In August 2014, Snowden received a three-year extension to his leave to remain in Russia. That extension was due to expire this year.

Are U.S. Treasuries A Bubble Ready To Pop? The standard theory is that the price/cost of risk-free long-term debt is a function of (a) the cost of short-term debt plus (b) some function of the market's anticipation of the likely course of inflation or deflation over the term of the debt. Governments (the Fed) can control short-term rate but they are at the mercy of markets to fix long-term rates. And of course markets are "efficient", unless of course there is a "bubble", when...Err...they are not. But then US Treasuries cannot be a bubble - who ever heard of such an idea! What is a bubble? A bubble, by definition happens when markets or market participants seriously misprice some class or category of asset, and they have this uncanny ability to pop up and bite you in the backside when you least expect it. Examples from the past include the South Sea Bubble (which Sir Isaac Newton invested in (on a margin), and he was financially wiped out), the 1929 stock market bubble which Sir Winton Churchill invested in (on a margin) and was financially wiped out, more recently there was the S&L and the Dot.com bubble, and if course the house price bubble in which many Americans invested in (on a margin) and they, and many banks and bond-holders that provided the margins, were financially wiped out. It's not just greedy lunatics that get fooled by bubbles, some very smart and otherwise perfectly decent and sane people have got fooled in the past, and every time they tell themselves, "it's different this time". A bubble in Treasuries? Of course there has never been a bubble in long-term Treasuries, so there is nothing to worry about. I talked to a knowledgeable person who is in "bonds" and got told "there is a good appetite now, and of course in the medium term we might see some pull back...but nothing to worry your pretty little head about old chap!" And yet I can't stop remembering being "honored" to be able to have a moment with the senior analyst of a major-major international real estate company in about September 2008, talking about Dubai, those were the exact words he used. Six months later prices had halved. So I said to Mr. Bond, "Well I'm talking about something else...bubbles. And I know about them, that's how on 26th February I could say that the S&P would turn as soon as it pierced 675 and would go up to 1,000 without a major reversal" To which he said, "well if you got that close then you must have been lucky". Can't win. So what's the chance of third-time-"lucky"? Bubbles are ultimately unstable which is why they pop. Often the "pop" is catastrophic, and fast (http://www.marketoracle.co.uk/Article12165.html). The key reasons bubbles are created (no they are not accidents) are: Market participants lose sight of the fundamental value of the assets in question, quite often that's because of a "new" situation, or because they get confused and don't have access to the right information to make rational investment decisions. Often this is facilitated or caused by actions of government. Often credit plays an important part, typically when it is available at a cost less than the inflation in a particular class of asset. Fundamental value Now, I'm going to have to think! Can I think of any instance in the recent past when "market participants" (by that I mean the "professionals") lost sight of the fundamental value? That's a tough one, hang on I remember a conversation wasn't there something to do with housing? But then of course that wasn't anything major, after all the Chairman Greenspan The Great said that was all just a bit of froth. It's coming back...I remember I had a conversation in 2005 about house prices in USA and UK, and someone told me "there is a good appetite now, of course in the medium term we might see some pull back...but nothing to worry your pretty little head about old chap!" What was new then was securitized debt. This time what's "new" is that the financial system had a "near miss". That's new, unless you buy the idea this is a carbon copy of the Great Depression and that by understanding what went wrong then you got a road map to dig out of that hole. Which sounds a bit like the theory that learning the lessons of the first Great War could help you fight the second one, which was the logic behind the Maginot line. Another thing that's "new", is that there is a huge debate going on amongst the gurus and the market participants about whether to expect inflation or deflation in the near, medium or long term. In the old days, that conversation was conducted POLITELY in oak paneled rooms over sherry as the great economists of the time mused of such imponderables as "inflation targeting", and "M" and "V" and "T" and "ABCD". Now the debate is starting to look a bit like a catfight. There are many "schools" all with conflicting positions. Close your eyes and you might be fooled that the "war of words" was one of those debates between high priests in the Middle Ages about how many angels could stand on the tip of a needle. The only contribution that I would like to make to that debate is to remark that (A) there is clearly not a consensus, so it is possible that at least half of the market is going in the wrong direction (whatever that ultimately turns out to be). That sounds "confused" to me, and economists even hinting that they might be confused, is new. (B): What if instead of inflation/deflation affecting the bond price, the bond price affects inflation/deflation, like "is the dog wagging the tail or is the tail wagging the dog? The “Government” has the idea that it is “in control”, but is it? The Government as a facilitator of anarchy and chaos Some commentators have argued that the history of Monetarism is about the government lending, or creating conditions for lending money cheaper than the inflation in assets, thereby creating a frenzy of "economic" activity, which creates bubbles, which then burst, bringing you back to Square One. The fact that gets you to back to square one (or worse) is because of the pesky Second Law of Thermodynamics which says that you can't create something from nothing, not that some people don't get very rich in a bubble (and some get very poor), but it's just a re-distribution of wealth, and the sum of all the parts is zero, or less (due to efficiency losses, which in the case of the housing bubble was the "commission" Wall Street creamed off the top). The current US administration believes that a "bit of froth" is a good thing from time to time, so long as you can control it. Some people think that's crazy, and the passion surrounding that debate is as intense as the passion surrounding the inflation/deflation debate. By the way, I had a friend called David. He was great; you couldn't meet a nicer guy, kind, considerate, funny! He used to take heroin from time to time, "not much mind"; just he felt that now and then it was a "good thing", and he told me, "don't worry your pretty little head about it, I can control it". He's dead now. Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. Credit: What's happening at the moment is that the US Government (as a whole) is borrowing money at about 2% lending that to bankers at less than 1% then the bankers are buying 30-Year-Treasuries at 4%. In the old days they had the 3-6-3 rule (borrow at 3, lend at 6 and be on the golf course at 3), the US Government is evidently going with the 2-1-4 rule; that reminds me of Milo & Milo in Catch 22 (he who bought eggs for $2 and sold them for $1 and made a profit). By the way the logic there is the bankers can "earn" their way out of trouble. I can't understand why they don't just give them money; I suppose that's politics, or perhaps they think that by doing that they can create money out of nothing? Easy money bidding up asset values to "earn on the turn", is a classic cause of bubbles ("plenty of demand out there old chap"), perhaps that's the "bit of froth" that the government is creating, which of course is a "good thing"....from time to time. Big picture: A lot of people are in debt, all over the world, they would like to get out of debt, but they can't sell the assets they hold at a decent price, and even if they did, they might still not be able to pay their debts. So what choice do they have? Well they need to roll over debt but no one wants to lend to them, so what should that be doing for the 30-Year Treasury? Pushing up the yield (i.e. the interest people pay), and pushing down the price. But it's not; could that be a bubble? But don't worry! People much smarter than you have got everything under control! Of course the way to get out of debt is to take on more debt, just like the way to cure a heroin addition is to take more heroin. That's why the US Administration (taken as a whole), is piling on more debt, lots of it. So how much debt we talking about? Some people are getting all hot and bothered about the debt that the American Government (as a whole) is taking on. I hate to be a killjoy, but that's not the half of it, if you think that's a problem, well consider this, the debt that the WHOLE of America has taken on and that is owed to foreigners is a bigger problem, and whether that debt is increased by individuals borrowing or the state borrowing is just detail. This is a chart of how much tradable debt (i.e. bonds) was issued in USA since 2000: It's not exactly apples for apples, "Private Label" comes from the chart presented by Mark Zandi to the Financial Stability Committee in July which was prepared by Thompson Reuters, and is the total value at face of bonds issued and does not include any roll-overs, the Treasuries is the change in the National Debt and is therefore net: The first point that I would like to make is that the total "Private Label" generated from 2000 to 2008 was much more (about $17 trillion) than the total Treasuries ($4.2 trillion), i.e. the amount of debt the private sector was piling on was up to five times what the government was piling on, but of course that wasn't enough to make a little bell go "ding" in someone's head. I have not found reliable data on how much of that was sold to foreigners, but the consensus appears to be about 50%. So that's about $10.6 trillion "exported". A problem right now seems to be that USA can't get enough debt to keep its shaky bicycle on the road because the "shadow banks" aren't making it any more. And most of the debt is being found is being used to pay back or somehow conceal old debts. And the only way America can get debt now appears to be to sell 2-Year Notes, not 30-Year Notes (which would be a more realistic timeframe for paying them back). Perhaps a reason the 2-Year is in such favor is that the Treasury doesn't think it can sell 30-Year in any quantity, and has thus devised a circuitous route that will keep up "demand" for 30 Year stuff? I wonder what's next? Can we expect to see auctions of 1-Year Notes, then 6-Months, then 30-Days? Is this the desperation of an addict in search of one last fix? And of course, something to look forward to, at some point in the not to distant future Americans are going to find $10.6 trillion of Yen, and Yuan, and Euros and Pounds to pay back that debt, or the proportion of it that they did not renege on. AAA Quality: Made in America With Pride That $10.6 trillion of debt was not counted as an "export" (because it was supposed to come back), but it generated foreign exchange all the same, which more than covered the current account deficit in goods and services that was accumulated over that time ($5.2 trillion). So effectively what was happening was that Americans were mortgaging their houses, and via the kind intermediaries on Wall Street, selling the mortgages to foreigners who paid in Euros, Yuan, Yen, Pounds etc, and then they were using the foreign exchange to buy oil so that they could drive Hummers and also to buy nice toys and gizmos from China. And they bought lots of stuff, little of which had the capacity for generating revenue in the future with which the ($10.6 trillion) debt could be paid back, any more than what's left after you sniffed some of that nice "good thing" from Columbia up your nose, i.e. zero. That's a new category of borrowing; in the old days (1) you borrowed to finance CAPEX or working capital (which if you got your sums right had some chance of generating revenue to pay the debt back). Then: (2) you borrowed to finance current expenditure, which you told yourself "might" have some chance of generating income (as if that was some sort of working capital). Then: ((3)-the new category) "what the heck", you borrowed so you could sniff stuff up your nose to tide you over the withdrawal symptoms. That's the bottom of the greasy pole. Is that where USA is right now? Looking at that another way: Setting aside the "Inflationist/Deflationist" arguments for a moment, and also setting aside the notion that the yield on the 30-Year Treasury is somehow an efficient market that magically and mysteriously takes into account all future inflation/deflation, even when market participants (or at least their economists), can't agree these days on the semantics or the definitions. Perhaps there is something else that affects the yield on a 30-Year which depends, not on the infinite wisdom of the market in guiding the decision about how many angels are going to fit on the needle, but on something that happens, in reality, in the real world, right now? Perhaps #1: Perhaps there is a link between (A) the amount of foreign currency that get changed into dollars every year, compared to (B) the amount of dollars that get changed into foreign currency, and (C) the 30-Year Treasury yield? I'm sure there are a multitude of complicated economic and financial theories to explain that, which are easily as complicated as Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. The only difference is those theories have never been subjected to rigorous scientific examination, well two things actually, that; and he fact that they have been used to cause more damage to the world than Einstein's Theories ever did. And I'm sure the Fed has all sorts of complex data, but frankly (a) I can't make head or tail of them and (b) given past experience I think I prefer to deal with figures that I trust and that have been audited. Perhaps #2: Perhaps the big story in any case is just those three numbers, if A>B then there would be spare dollars floating around so yields would go down, and if B > A then it would be the opposite? Just a hypothesis, that's what I want to test. So how much were A and B over the past few years? Well the net of exports less imports is pretty uncontroversial, even the economists don't argue about whether those are reported correctly or not. OK so let's add to those numbers 50% of the tradable debt "manufactured" every year to get what I call the "Virtual Current Account Balance" (and just in case there are any "real" economists left in the audience I will give that the acronym VCAB because economists just love acronyms). VCAB is a simple non-controversial number, three well-known numbers added together with only two assumption (50% of the debt was sold abroad), and net-net that was the main part of the current account balance. How about a plot of that against the average 30-Year Treasury rate since 2000? Now look at that! What a pretty-pretty "S" curve, actually I'm not sure if it's an "S" curve or a line, but the point is when VCAB goes up the rate appears to go down, within the range of data being looked at. OK the "proof of the pudding" is only three points, I suppose I should go back a few years, but big-picture they then hadn't invented the really toxic stuff that everyone loved, and in any case I don't have any clue on how much debt was sold abroad since then. So on that chart, where is USA right now? Err...see that red dot? That's where it is, and a reason for that is in part because those shadow bank boys seem to have lost the knack of selling "AAA Made In America With Pride" Toxic Debt to dumb foreigners, like so many oil tankers full of melanin tainted milk (if they could that red dot would be over to the right). That says something is keeping the 30-Year Treasury yield unnaturally low right now, it could of course be a bit of this it and could be a bit of that and it could be an angel with a sore toe standing on the tip of a needle. Trying to find exactly how that works is like trying to get a drug addict to tell you the truth about their habit, don't even bother. But my guess is it's a lot to do with Milo & Milo or do they call them Goldman Sacks these days? Whatever it is, it's unstable. If this analysis is valid, at some point something has to give, perhaps quite soon no one is going to want to buy a 30-Year Treasury at 4% or something yield, they are going to say "No Thanks" I'll give you 7.5%. Then I wonder what the value of the 30-Years that the Zombies bought at 4.5% will be worth? Of course that's nothing to worry about since FASB and BIS will let them record them at "face" for the purposes or working out their capital adequacy, the other word for that is a "Stress Test". But the way it looks to me, the Greatest And Most Powerful Nation on Earth the one that everyone said was "To Big To Fail", show signs of running out of cash to feed its habit. In which case pretty soon no one is going to want to lend it any more to continue with it's self indulgence, except of course the Fed, thank God for the Fed. Of course perhaps I'm being alarmist, perhaps the "team" that created the housing bubble and the credit crunch, finally figured things out, but is it worth taking that chance? By Andrew Butter Andrew Butter is managing partner of ABMC, an investment advisory firm, based in Dubai ( hbutter@eim.ae ), that he setup in 1999, and is has been involved advising on large scale real estate investments, mainly in Dubai. © 2009 Copyright Andrew Butter- All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors. Andrew Butter Archive © 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.

Roma closing on Mahrez deal By Football Italia staff Italian reports claim Riyad Mahrez has given the all-clear to join Roma and Leicester City are considering a total €38m offer (£34m). The Algeria international quickly emerged as the prime target to replace Mohamed Salah on the right wing of the Giallorossi trident. He is under contract until 2020, but frustrated at the downturn in their fortunes after that fairy-tale Premier League victory. This evening, Sky Sport Italia, LaRoma24 and the Corriere dello Sport claim that the two clubs are closer than they’ve ever been to an agreement. The latest offer on the table is believed to be €35m plus €3m in performance-related bonuses (a total £34m), which is edging towards the €40m (£35.8m) asking price. The most important piece of the puzzle may well be Mahrez himself, who is ready to push for this transfer to go through. Leicester also appear to have found his replacement, as they are in advanced talks with Manchester City for Kelechi Iheanacho.

A doctor found guilty of 28 counts of poor professional performance and six counts of professional misconduct has hit back at claims he mistook an ankle for an elbow. A doctor found guilty of 28 counts of poor professional performance and six counts of professional misconduct has hit back at claims he mistook an ankle for an elbow. Doctor who 'mistook an ankle for an elbow' claims evidence was organised to 'discredit him' Dr Omar Hassan Khalafalla Mohamed (30) claims the Medical Council Fitness-to-Practice inquiry which found against him last night after hearing eleven days of evidence was organised to discredit him, following his attempt to expose colleagues working under falsified documents. The bizarre claim was made during an interview with RTÉ’s Liveline, where Mr Hassan denied all allegations made against him during the Medical Council hearting. Asked about alleged instance in which he mistook an X-ray image of an ankle for that of an elbow, the 30-year repeatedly said he could not recall every making such a mistake. Instead he said that the claim he had related back to a training session where there had been a “lot of confusion”. “I mentioned to the committee that that instance was simply not true,” he said. “It was a teaching meeting where we were discussing up to 15 patients and x-rays, so there was a lot of x-rays around and misunderstandings will occur. “But there were no patients there and a teaching environment is a chance for people to make mistakes and learn more.” Asked by host Joe Duffy on whether he did confuse an ankle for an elbow, Mr Hassan said he remembered the instance but that he had been speaking about a different patient. “[He] mentioned one patient with an x-ray and I was speaking about another… I can not recall the full details because it was years ago.” “I don’t really recall the incident clearly,” he repeated. Pushed on the issue by Joe, Mr Hassan continued to insist he could not recall, saying: “I don’t recall that particular training session. We are in training sessions all the time.” Asked about the ‘audible gasp’ mentioned during the hearing when he is said to have made the mistake, the 30-year-old said that there were many reasons why such a noise would be made during a training session. Dr Hassan, who attended the inquiry yesterday via telephone, was asked by host Joe want he thought of the Medical Council’s verdict against him. Reluctant to answer, he replied that he had not “heard” or could “recall” the president of the committee mentioning the word guilty. “[The committee] were detailing some allegations… and whether the probability of these events took place.” Insisting he was very unhappy with how he had been portrayed as “sloppy” and “unqualified” by those giving evidence against him, Mr Hassan said “exams don’t lie” and went into a detailed account of his educational background. “One of the allegations was that my English wasn’t good enough but I did a national English exam and I sat and passed the exam set by the Medical Council.” Saying that most only score 50pc on the test, Mr Hassan claimed he “passed it with flying colours”. He went on to say that he came from family of doctors, and that his brother and father had both worked in Ireland before returning to their native Sudan. “My father worked here as a surgeon in the late 1970s, and became a fellow of the [Royal] College of Surgeons in the UK afterwards. “He became the National Director of Surgery in Sudan after returning home.” Mr Hassan, whose medical registration has been suspended, said he did not know what his next step would be but said that he would “always be a doctor” regardless of what sanctions the Medical Council decides to take against him. Online Editors

Legend speaks of two staffs, forged by good and evil. The Staff of Light and the Staff of Darkness. These relics hold a powerful secret and they both have new masters... a great wizard and a great warlock. The game starts high atop the evil warlock Zorgamor's castle. With the Staff of Light in possession, you, the wizard Merlicus, have come to stop him from casting a maleficent spell that will turn the kingdoms people to stone. But you're seconds to late! Using the evil power found within the Staff of Darkness, Zorgamor casts his terrible spell. A brilliant shockwave emits from the castle top, spreading across the kingdom and reeking it's evil effects. Fortunately for you, the Staff of Light gave protection but the spells dark power drained it's magic and broke it apart. The wave shatters it into pieces, sending them flying to all parts of the kingdom. With what little magic the Staff of Darkness had, Zorgamor used it to banish you to a remote part of the woods, leaving you defenseless and to perish. Having the last of it's dark power taken, it too broke into pieces, shattering across the kingdom. This was of little concern to Zorgamor, as he had accomplished what he wanted. Little did he know the true strength of these two staffs. Now it's up to you to find the pieces, restore their power and free the kingdoms people from their stone prisons. The game is an adventure-platformer with environmental puzzle elements. You'll need to find the six staff pieces in order to become powerful enough to break the spell. But it won't be easy as each piece is guarded by a powerful boss. You'll be working you're way through five areas, searching for items that will help you on your journey. Gain powerful spells and find useful items to make it through the challenges each area holds. Here are a few of the baddies you'll be facing in the first area of the game, which is the forest. Blobs Blobs come in various colors and depending on the color, their attributes will differ. Most blobs you can jump on to kill but be mindful of their colors. Purple - Remain in one spot. They're easily avoidable in most circumstances. - Remain in one spot. They're easily avoidable in most circumstances. Red - Move back and forth. Some never stop while others will stop momentarily and then continue on at random. - Move back and forth. Some never stop while others will stop momentarily and then continue on at random. Blue - Usually like to remain in one spot but if they see you, they will give chase and attack. - Usually like to remain in one spot but if they see you, they will give chase and attack. Yellow - Capable of strong electric shock upon touch. Usually like to stay in one spot to conserve energy. Give off an electric discharge when killed. - Capable of strong electric shock upon touch. Usually like to stay in one spot to conserve energy. Give off an electric discharge when killed. White/Pink - Perhaps the most deadly of the blob family. Will give off a poisonous cloud if approached that is capable of continual damage until the effect wears off. Will also discharge poison upon death. They also like to stay where they are. - Perhaps the most deadly of the blob family. Will give off a poisonous cloud if approached that is capable of continual damage until the effect wears off. Will also discharge poison upon death. They also like to stay where they are. Black/Green - Have a hard skin with spikes. Invulnerable to most attacks it's best to just leave these guys be. Depending on their mood, they'll be moving around or staying in one spot. Snapper plants Stationary Snappers and walking Snappers. There are two types of Snapper plants. Stationary ones and ones that are able to walk. The bigger stationary Snappers pack a bigger bite causing more damage while the smaller, walking Snappers have a lighter bite but will give chase after you. Walking Snappers can also gain up on you so it's best to be cautious. Spiky Snapper Plants Stationary spiky Snapper and walking spiky Snapper Spiky Snappers act just like their thornless cousin, only they're much more aggressive and require more powerful attacks to harm. Unless you are strong enough, it's best to avoid them. Ghosts Forest Ghosts and Mountain Ghosts Ghosts are curious and like to travel in numbers most times. If you see one, odds are there's more around. Their curiosity can turn to aggression rather quickly though so tread lightly. Unless you have the proper skills, it's best to leave a ghost be. Spiny Fluttershells Fluttershells can be found in cavernous environments. They're not aggressive creatures and usually like floating in place or from side to side. They have a hard, spiky shell and are pretty stubborn but if you have the right skills, you can handle them with ease. Heart Piece - Find 2 of these to gain another life heart. Each area has 3. Blooruet - Combine with a Morning Herb, restores half a life heart. Morning Herb - Combine with a Blooruet, restores half a life heart. Solstice Sap - Combine with a Blooruet & Morning Herb, greatly enhances healing properties by restoring 2 whole life hearts. Bottle - Used for storing liquids. Gem Piece - There are 5 gem pieces, 1 hidden in each area. Collect them all to unlock their secret! Staff Piece - There are 6 pieces, each guarded by a boss. You must collect them all in order to gain the power needed to defeat the evil warlock Zorgamor and his spell. Shown are the main items for area one. Each area will have new Quest Items to find that will help you on your journey. Some Quest Items can even be upgraded by finding enchantments. Captain's Whistle - Used for water based elements such as rafts, whirlpools and spouts. Stone of Pyrence - A key to an ancient shrine. Sun Scroll - A magic spell that gives you command over fire. While I'm a talented, hardworking guy, I do need some help if I really want to get the game done. So without further ado, meet the talent giving me a much needed helping hand. Joel Dalley Joel has a B.A. in Mathematics from MSU and has been working as a programmer for 15 years. He's familiar with a multitude of languages including Python, C++, Java, Javascript, HTML/CSS and Perl. I've known Joel for a very long time and I'm very happy to have him helping me out with the coding. Not only is he an excellent programmer, he's also an award winning film maker! Joe Bredahl Joe is actually my cousin and offered to help when he learned of the game. He has a B.S. in Computer Science and has been working as a programmer for 4 years, 3 of which involved professional software development experience using C#. Very happy to have his help as well. James Thorley James got in touch with me earlier this year and expressed interest in composing the music and handling sound FX. You can check out his work here and you can listen to his latest track for the game below. You can also hear it featured in the Rewards section as part of the games original soundtrack. Trailer music The current goal is to get this game done for PC/Mac/Linux but beyond that I'm also shooting for the Wii U. As a Nintendo kid, I'd love to have a game on their system and now as a certified Nintendo developer, I can actually do just that. Developing for the Wii U will just take more time, work and money. Hopefully I'll not only reach my initial goal but also the stretch goal so I can share the game with the Nintendo audience. I have some ideas on uses for the gamepad and even some exclusive content planned. For the Wii U version I plan to have an exclusive bonus area complete with it's own boss and an exclusive item. It's called The Enchanted Realm and will be playable from the get go, though you may need to come back to it if you find yourself ill equipped to continue. The bonus area will also feature references/nods to many of Nintendo's franchises. $1 - Name in the credits The most basic of Rewards. Anyone who backs the project gets their name in the credits. Not bad for a buck! $5 - Desktop package 11 desktops (1280 x 720). One "Environment" desktop from each of the 5 areas of the game along with 6 other backgrounds. $10 - Copy of the game Receive a digital copy of the game! $ 15 - Deluxe desktop package. 32 high-res desktops (1600 x 900*). You'll get 4 "Environment" desktops from each of the 5 areas (20 total) plus a bonus "Enemies" desktop showcasing all the enemies of the game. This deluxe package also includes pixel art desktops of each level (5 total), re-imagined as a side-scroller of yesteryear. Close-up shots so you can see that it is indeed some pixel art. Package includes the 6 other backgrounds from the $5 reward. *Higher resolution available upon request. $20 - 5 alternative costumes Receive 5 exclusive costumes to wear from the get go! Outfits include: The Serpent Wizard, Rated "M" for Wizard, Wizbot 5000, Curse of the Wizard, and Stick Figure Wizard. $30 - Free OST (Original Sound Track) Digital copy of the game's soundtrack. Here's one of the tracks! PDF scores/sheet music of each track are also included. $50 - T-Shirt Get a stylish t-shirt! Choose between two designs, Wizard or Warlock. Printed with organic water based ink, which offer super soft and durable prints, these 100% cotton crew t-shirts come in two colors. Vintage Royal and Vintage Red. $70 - Hoodie Get a warm and comfy hoodie! Printed with organic water based ink, which offer super soft and durable prints, this cotton blend full zip hoodie has the "ToneRed Studios" logo on it. Available in black and white. Special thanks to my friends at TeeSeeTee for their help with the shirts and hoodies. $100 - Get an in-game dedication Finally, your own virtual statue for people to marvel at! Choose to be a Wizard or Warlock, pick your statue and tell the people of your (in)famous deeds! And by deeds, I mean whatever message you like. It can be some (in)famous deed but it can also be about how awesome your cat is or how you once ate a 20 lb steak and lived! You can even have a picture of yourself, your cat or that meaty steak. It's your statue! Anything too graphic or inappropriate will obviously not be allowed. $250 - Design an alternative outfit Have a cool idea for a costume? Design anything you'd like and I'll work it into an alt. costume. Designs must be within reason though for functionality, and nothing offensive or too explicit. Along with this, you'll get a special spot in the credits, showcasing your design! $500 - Design an enemy Want to see one of your creature designs brought to life? Now's your chance. I'll work with you to iron out attack types and weakness and work your design into the game. Along with this, you'll get a special spot in the credits, showcasing your enemy design, it's concept and final rendition. Your enemy will also be included in the "Enemies" desktop wallpaper. $1000 - Take part in the game's development Get a behind the scenes pass with "A Wizard's Day". Receive builds, help playtest and offer your input about flow, design and gameplay. Help make the game the best it can be! You'll also be listed as an honorary part of the team in the credits. Some fun for the backers! What's a Kickstarter without something a little extra for you to partake in and enjoy? Remember all those bad boxart of games of systems past? Who can forget classics such as MegaMan? Now's your chance to join the ranks by creating your own bad boxart for A Wizard's Day! Just send me your boxart and I'll post them for all to see. If the Kickstarter succeeds, I'll take the best of the bunch to be featured as an extra in the game! If you need inspiration, check out 20 of the Worst Covers of All-Time. All right all you Nintendo fans, this one's for you! Which one of Nintendo's many iconic characters would you like to see given a nod to as an alternative costume? Just leave your vote in the comments or message me and I'll post updates on who's in the lead. You never know, whoever has the most votes just might appear as an alt. costume! That would be for the Wii U version of course. A lot of work has gone into getting "A Wizard's Day" to the final state you see today. The game has been through various iterations and design changes since it's initial prototype. For videos visit my YouTube channel. Version 1 Click for larger image Version 2 Click for larger image Version 3 Click for larger image Final version. It's been a long road to get here but there's still lot of work left to do! If this kickstarter fails, I'll be a pretty sad panda. There's no other shot for me. At least not for a pretty long while. There's just no more funding I can give to this as I've exhausted the money I have. It's been a long and hard road but a journey well worth it. It was something I've wanted to try for sometime and I'm proud of what I've accomplished. My drive for this is to strong to just give it up so I'll definitely keep plugging away when I can. Regardless of if this succeeds or not, I'd like to thank all who've taken interest with this project and made a donation. Whether that is few or many, I Thank You.

So you have been entrusted with a very important mission — in this case, trying to convince several countries in the 1950’s to allow take-off and landing of a new, super-secret aircraft, the U-2, which would allow the U.S. to conduct surveillance over the USSR at such a high altitude that Soviet MiG-17s would be unable to shoot them down. One problem, however — a few key countries, like Pakistan, would not normally allow U.S. spy planes on their territories. What to do, what to do? Such was the dilemma of Anthony Marshall, who worked at the CIA at the very beginning of the U-2 program. (At right, a U-2 with fictitious NASA markings at Edwards Air Force Base, 1960.) Marshall himself led a fascinating but ultimately tragic life. He became Ambassador to Madagascar and Kenya and later was a producer on Broadway beginning in the early 1980’s. However, in 2009 he was convicted of grand larceny in an attempt to bilk his mother, famed blue-blooded philanthropist Brooke Astor, who suffered from Alzheimer’s. He was sentenced to one to three years in prison but only served eight weeks after he was released for medical reasons. He died November 30, 2014. You can read his entire Washington Post obituary here. His ADST interview was conducted by Richard L. Jackson beginning in February 1998. You can also read about the trial of U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers. “I just had a meeting at the CIA. I think there’s a future there.” MARSHALL: I took a look at the Foreign Service and decided that that was probably not what I wanted to do. And I contacted again a friend who gave me good advice, by the name of Bill Donovan. General Donovan was head of the OSS [Office of Strategic Services] during the war, as we all know, and in 1947 helped to create the CIA as a peacetime agency….Then a good friend of mine by the name of James A. Cunningham, Jr., who I met at Brown…. When I came back from General Donovan’s, having sent me down to Washington, I said to him, “You know, I just had a meeting at the CIA and they look like a pretty good organization. I think there’s a future there.” You know, he’d never even heard of it. A lot of people then thought the CIO [Congress of Industrial Organizations, which merged in 1955 to form the AFL-CIO] and the CIA were the same thing and what were they? So he promptly went down there, and they offered him a job to head up recruiting. So, back to 1952, when I was still with the Special Policy Staff, Jim and I had lunch one day and he asked me, “Are you happy in your job? How’s it going?” I said, “Well, it’s not something I want to stay with forever.” He said, “Why don’t you come work with me?” And so I did…. Then Jim left his job as head of recruiting in the Agency because he came to the attention of a man by the name of Richard M. Bissell (at left). Dick Bissell, who had just been assigned the job by [CIA head] Allen Dulles to take on a special extremely, extremely covert U-2 project. And Jim went over to that. I just lost track of him, although we saw each other once in a while. Until after another year or so, Jim and I had another lunch – we seemed to only think when we were eating. It happened in Washington and elsewhere. He said, “You know, would you like to make a change again?” He said, “Dick took me on as his special assistant and made me head of all the administration for the program. We’ll be moving from the little site – a small two-story building (which doesn’t exist anymore now) on Virginia Avenue to much larger quarters – 5000 square feet – across from the Metropolitan Club. Would you consider – I’ve recommended you – that you be a special assistant?” So, I said yes. Then I had probably had three years of the most interesting work. Although I had a lot of interesting times at the Department as ambassador, I really had a marvelous time doing this program. Perhaps, of all of the things he gave me to do, the most interesting was to go abroad to obtain from heads of state permission to operate the U-2 from their country. And this really was quite interesting on occasion, such as when I went to Pakistan. I also went to Turkey. I can’t think of who was Chargé at the time. Anyway, working with him we obtained permission from the Turks to operate from Adana in southern Turkey, which I then visited two or three times later. But I also did briefings in various places. I went with Dick to Tokyo where we set up an operation which became later very successful and branched off. “Naturally, I did not tell him what we were doing; we didn’t do that in the Agency” The one to me which was the most interesting was to get permission from the Pakistanis. I went to Karachi which was still the capital and had an appointment with [Iskander] Mirza, who was then the President. I went to see him and I said (naturally, I did not tell him what we were doing; we didn’t do that in the Agency) we had a special plane that had been adapted to obtain air samples of the atmosphere and could we have permission from his country to do this from an airfield somewhere in the northern part of Pakistan? He told me he didn’t see any reason why not. As far as he was concerned, I had his approval, but he wanted me to see the Prime Minister and I should not tell the Prime Minister that he had seen me or that he had given his approval. So, I went off and through our people there attempted to arrange an appointment to see [at right, Huseyn Shaheed] Suhrawardy, who was the Prime Minister, and was told that he was sick in bed with the flu. Also, they were going to have the Baghdad Pact Meeting shortly and the ministers were already arriving. He would be hosting a party and would probably get up briefly for that, but it would probably be impossible to see him. Nevertheless, they asked for an appointment, and he said he’d see me, so I went around to his home and was shown into his bedroom. He was lying in his bed with a thermometer in his mouth, and I thought this was a hell of a way to meet a Prime Minister. And the room was absolutely frozen, enough to give him a cold and he had phonograph records scattered all over the floor. I had time to look around while I waited for him to take his thermometer out, which he did when a wrist alarm went off. Anyway, I told him my story and he said, “Well, it sounds fine to me. You have my approval. On the other hand, I’d like you to see the Chief of Staff and get his approval, and don’t tell him that you’ve seen me.” I, unparenthetically, thought then and in retrospect feel I should have gotten a darn sight better briefing before going out. I think that probably the reason I didn’t is that there was absolutely no coordination, no contact between any level except the absolute top level, between State and the Agency. Therefore, to have me go over to State and be briefed on this would have been a little obvious. The Agency had an interest in it, but, nevertheless, I think that somehow, I should have been briefed on the politics of the country. Anyway, true to what he said, that evening he was giving a reception in the garden of his house for the Baghdad Pact. It was a very jazzed up reception. The colors of the national flag of each of the countries as lights of each of the trees in the garden. And there were probably three or four hundred people there. So I borrowed a tuxedo from the Chief of Station [head of the CIA at the embassy] which, fortunately, fit me well enough for the occasion and went to this with him. I don’t know what he wore; maybe he borrowed it from somebody else, but anyway we both went because I didn’t know what the Chief of Staff looked like. We finally spotted him, but he was talking to the Chinese ambassador. That was hardly the group we wanted to break up. So we waited for a few minutes. The Chief of Staff walked away, and I then followed him. He was a glorious looking man; all dressed up in his white uniform with a full chest of medals, quite a bit taller than I was. He turned when I addressed him – the moment when I started – and unfortunately I had started to talk to him and was getting to the point, and this was the only opportunity I had, all of which was a bad way of doing diplomacy or clandestine work or whatever you want to call it. If I’d been he and been interrupted at a cocktail party, I wouldn’t have responded too well to a serious conversation. It’s neither the place nor the time, but I hadn’t chosen it. I didn’t choose it, but I had started it, and I saw that he was absolutely drunk as a lord, so I had to continue. Then h e poked his finger into my stomach and said, “You go back and tell your President that we need more tanks.” So I then reported to Suhrawardy exactly what had happened. And he said, “You’ve done that. Leave him to me.” I said, “No. He said no, and I want to be sure of this. And I would appreciate your making arrangements for an appointment for me in his office.” Well, it did take place the next morning. And he was courteous and agreed we could have a strip up in Lahore that we could use. I don’t think he was too happy about seeing me, but nevertheless it was done. It was wrapped up what I considered properly under the circumstances. So, anyway, I hopped on a plane, which we had come down from Europe with some other people on it. We went up to Lahore and looked at the airfield. It really wasn’t that adequate. It turned out that we instead used a strip up in Peshawar. But that certainly was one of the more fun incidents. Q: Was it not in Peshawar that Francis Gary Powers (at left) took off? MARSHALL: Yes, of course it was. And I knew him when he was out at what we called the Ranch in Nevada where all the pilots did their training on the dry lake bed. Yes, it was his takeoff point. Q: This is fascinating. We were talking about your CIA years as prelude to State – three times as ambassador. You certainly were in the heyday of the 50s. MARSHALL: It was the fun time. You could do what was right. You can quote me.

The universal pass or "U-Pass" will cost all full-time Wilfrid Laurier University and University of Waterloo students $81 per term after an increase kicks in Sept. 1. The pass allows unlimited use of Grand River Transit buses. Conestoga students individually pay $218 per term for the same service. Students attending private colleges in the region pay $257 per term. A report received by the region's planning and works committee Tuesday said staff will work with student leaders and administrators from Conestoga, "to develop a draft 2016 budget issue paper" which would reveal how much extending the U-Pass to Conestoga's 11,000 full-time students would cost. Regional planning and works committee chair Tom Galloway said "budgets aren't any easier" to balance than they were in 2011 when council last considered offering Conestoga students the U-Pass. But he suggested the region offer Conestoga students the universal pass, and increase service to meet demand over the years. "We may need to start off with a path that may not have a full level of service, and the fee would have to reflect that," Galloway said. "And then we could build up the service over a period of time." Conestoga Students Inc. president Jeff Scherer said any agreement with the region for a universal bus pass should include a commitment for increased bus service in the future. "If service can't be increased now, what can we be guaranteed or at least talk about once the light rail transit system is put in place?" he said. "I don't want to get (the U-Pass) with no expanded bus service, but my ears are definitely open to what kind of suggestions they have." In 2011, regional staff calculated that extending the U-Pass to Conestoga students would require the purchase of 10 new GRT buses and 18,000 additional service hours. The last referendum conducted at Conestoga in 2011 indicated most students supported a universal bus pass. But regional council balked at the costs associated with extending the U-Pass to Conestoga students.

Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.Click here to view original GIF When Sony says MLB The Show 17 includes a third-person baseball role-playing game, they aren’t exaggerating. I’m not just playing baseball. I’m role-playing a character who’s playing baseball, and he’ll be damned if he’s drafted by the Florida Marlins. It’s not just about playing games, building stats, unlocking perks and making your mark on Major League Baseball. That stuff is all present and accounted for, but this year’s Road to the Show gets more personal. This is done through a series of documentary-style asides in which the player’s player is asked to make important decisions about his baseball career. He’ll consult with his advisor, hire an agent, and role-play out interactions that were all handled through simple menu choices in previous iterations of the popular game mode. Let me tell you about my player, Mike Shirt. Advertisement I named him Mike, after myself, and Shirt, because I wanted the back of his jersey to read like a label from the live-action Batman TV show from the ‘60s. Like me he is bald and bearded. He stands 6'6" and weighs as close to me as the game allows. His beard would have more silver in it, but video games haven’t figured out multicolor beards yet. One day. Mike Shirt is a pitcher, because I enjoy MLB The Show 17's metered pitching mechanic. It is the video game golf swing of pitching mechanics. Tap to set power, tap for accuracy, accidentally hit a guy in the face, repeat. Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag.Click here to view original GIF Advertisement I spent some training points, played a couple of “look what I can do” games and then settled in for the big draft day. Sitting alone in a room that’s far cleaner than I imagine Mike Shirt sitting in, he anxiously awaits the results. MLB The Show 17's role-playing system has dialogue choices that really allow the player to work up a fiction around their baseball player. It’s much more fun than choosing a single menu option as in previous years. For instance, I decided that Mike Shirt was not a fan of warm and/or muggy climates. And then tragedy struck: Advertisement The prospect of being tied to a team based out of Florida with a Triple A affiliate in New Orleans just wasn’t going to work for him. In last year’s Road to the Show, the draft message is followed by a menu asking if the player accepts the draft or goes to college for a year, earning training points that might help him get a better spot the next time around. Here’s what happens in this year’s version: In MLB The Show 2017, the scene plays out as a phone call between Mike Shirt and the general manager of the Marlins, who is probably on the other line eating an apple and wearing a Hawaiian shirt like some sort of asshole. Imagining that made my choices a little earlier. Advertisement This is not an easy choice to make. I knew Mike Shirt did not want to play for the Marlins, but in the interest of getting on with the game, should I settle? Hell no. Advertisement This maudlin reaction to what is supposed to be good news could all be chalked up to bald and bearded teen angst, at least until the next bit. That should do it. Advertisement And so I let my draft offer slide. Into a trashcan. Which I then set on fire. Then I peed on it. My advisor seems a bit taken aback. Advertisement I calmly explain to him that it’s all his fault for building up the dreams of a large burly teen. It’s not perfect—after a year of college I was again approached by the Marlins, which seems unlikely. Then again, maybe their other draft pick got killed or arrested or something, and they had no choice. Advertisement Two more years of college later, Mike Shirt is drafted into the Pittsburgh Pirates. Between the role-playing options and the sweet baseball action, I’m really enjoying MLB The Show 17's Road to the Show mode so far. I’m not normally a big baseball guy, but I’m a huge fan of Mike Shirt. He’ll be one to watch. Advertisement MLB The Show 17 launches tomorrow exclusively for the PlayStation 4.

Below is First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s address to SNP Spring Conference 2017. Check against delivery. It’s great to be here in the Granite City. To look out at a conference hall packed with so many people from all walks of life and from every corner of our country. You reflect the strength and depth of the SNP. You are a reminder that other parties might appeal to one section of our community or one part of our country. Not the SNP. We are a national party. A national party with a truly internationalist outlook. Our priority, now and for the generations who come after us, is to build a better Scotland for everyone who lives here – no matter where you come from. Often, in these times, I am reminded of our dear friend, the late Bashir Ahmad. Bashir came to Scotland from Pakistan in 1961 to work as a bus driver. 46 years later he became Scotland’s first Asian member of our national Parliament. The first time he addressed an SNP conference, Bashir articulated this simple message. ‘It’s not where we come from that’s important…’ he said. ‘It’s where we are going together.” Today, with the forces of intolerance and xenophobia seemingly on the rise across our world, Bashir’s words have never seemed more appropriate. Let us rededicate ourselves, today, to the spirit of that message. Inclusion, tolerance, diversity. Let’s make these the foundation stones of the better Scotland we are seeking to build. Friends, It is great to see so many of you here today. But I hope you will forgive me… …because my speech this afternoon is not really aimed at you. Of course, I could be going out on a limb here… …but I am assuming I already have your support. I am assuming that you need no persuading that Scotland should not be dragged out of Europe by a Tory government intent on a disastrous hard Brexit. And I am guessing that you are already convinced that Scotland has what it takes to join the family of independent nations. Friends, Our job is not to talk to each other. It is to reach out to those not persuaded – to put ourselves in their shoes. To understand the hopes, fears and ambitions of all our fellow citizens. And to do what we can to establish common ground. Always remember Bashir’s words – carry them with you in your heart. What matters is ‘where we are going together’. These words don’t just apply to how we treat those who from other countries. They must apply to how we treat each other – all of us who live here and call Scotland home. We all want the best for our country – we just have different views on how to achieve it. As Scotland’s government, we bear a special responsibility to offer a hand across these differences, to build consensus where we can. So let us resolve to argue our case with passion and commitment, yes, but – at all times – with courtesy, understanding and respect. In that – as in everything else – it is my job to lead you by example. That is why I speak today not just as SNP leader to our party conference. But as the First Minister, to all of Scotland. I know that the plan I set out on Monday was music to the ears of SNP members and independence supporters up and down the country. And let me set out again what that plan is. After the terms of Brexit are clear but while there is still an opportunity to change course, the people of Scotland will have a choice. There will be an independence referendum But I also know that for every one of us who is full of excitement and anticipation, there will be someone else feeling nervous and anxious, perhaps even resentful. In the last few years it has been one big decision after another. You have been bombarded with statistics, claims and counterclaims. You might have had heated discussion with friends and family. Even though you may feel – like we do – that 2014 was a positive and vibrant exercise of democracy, you might not relish going through it all over again. I understand that. So I want you to know that I did not reach the decision lightly. Indeed, for months, I have strived to find compromise and agreement with the Prime Minister. Despite our overwhelming vote for Remain, the Scottish Government accepted that Scotland, within the UK, would leave the EU – but that we should seek to retain our place in the single market. We proposed substantial new powers for the Scottish Parliament – short of independence – that would help protect Scotland’s interests in a post Brexit UK. But instead of meeting us half way or, frankly, any of the way, Westminster chose to dig its heels in. Our efforts at compromise with the Prime Minister met with a brick wall of intransigence. And that is a concern that should resonate far beyond Scotland. The Prime Minister’s attitude should worry all of us hoping that negotiations with Europe will not be a disaster… …because – and let me put this bluntly – if she shows the same condescension and inflexibility, the same tin ear, to other EU countries as she has to Scotland then the Brexit process will hit the rocks. Of course, that’s the outcome that hard line Brexiteers are agitating for. But it would be in no-one’s interests. So as Article 50 is about to be triggered, let me say this to the Prime Minister. Stop putting the interests of the right wing of your own party ahead of the interests of the people of our country. For me, though, the Prime Minister’s refusal to budge an inch meant that I had to make a decision. I could take the easy option. I could let Scotland drift through the next two years, hoping for the best, but knowing that the worst is far more likely… Waiting for the chance to say I told you so….knowing that by then it might be too late to avoid the damage of a hard Brexit. Or I could make a plan now to put the Scottish people in charge of our own future. I choose to put the people in charge. The fact is our country stands at a crossroads. The future of the UK looks very different today than it did two years ago. We know change is coming. The only question is what kind of change. And on that we are not powerless. We can still decide which path we take. Whatever our different opinions on independence, we can all unite around this simple principle. Scotland’s future must be Scotland’s choice. Which brings me to the Prime Minister’s statement on Thursday. To stand in the way of a referendum would deny us that choice. It would mean that the path of our country was determined, not by us, but for us. Decided by an increasingly right wing, Brexit obsessed Tory government. A government that some predict will be in power now until 2030 and beyond… …thanks in no small part to the embarrassing shambles of an opposition that Labour has become. A Tory government, dominated by the likes of Boris Johnson and Liam Fox, deluding themselves about rebuilding the empire and re-floating the Royal Yacht Britannia… It seems they want to go back in time. But it’s not just nostalgia for empire that they are keen on. They clearly long for the days before we had a Scottish Parliament. The days when Tory governments could do anything they wanted to Scotland, no matter how often they were rejected by the voters. The days when they could impose the poll tax, destroy Scottish industry and deny all demands for constitutional change. Well, the Prime Minister should understand this point. And understand it well. Those days are gone and they are not coming back. the mandate Next week, in line withsecured at last May’s election, we will ask the Scottish Parliament to agree that the Scottish people should have the right to choose our own future. We will ask Parliament to agree that this choice should be exercised at a time when we know the terms of Brexit… …but before it is too late to take a different path. And we will ask Parliament’s permission to seek the legal authority that will allow the people of Scotland to have that choice. If a majority in the Scottish Parliament endorses that position, the Prime Minister should be clear about this. At that point a fair, legal and agreed referendum – on a timescale that will allow Scotland an informed choice – ceases to be just my proposal, or that of the SNP. It becomes the will of the democratically elected Parliament of Scotland. To stand in defiance of that would be for the Prime Minister to shatter beyond repair any notion of the UK as a respectful partnership of equals. She has time to think again and I hope she does. If her concern is timing then – within reason – I am happy to have that discussion. But let the Prime Minister be in no doubt. The will of our parliament must and will prevail. Of course, the Tories’ reluctance to allow Scotland a choice is not hard to fathom. They are now terrified of the verdict of the Scottish people. They know, as well as we do, that what is at stake in the years ahead is not just our place in Europe, important though that it is. What is at stake is the kind of country we are going to be. With independence, the country we become is up to us – all of us who live here. We can choose to be a compassionate country – with a big heart and a helping hand for those in need. An open country that doesn’t pull up the drawbridge and look inwards… …but one that encourages the best and brightest from around Europe to make Scotland their home… And not just from the goodness of our hearts, but for reasons of hard headed self interest as well. Scotland needs people to want to work here – in our businesses, our universities and our public services. Of course people have concerns about immigration that need to be addressed. I know that from my own constituency. But as we decide the kind of country we want to be, we must be clear about the choice on offer. For the current UK government, ending free movement comes before everything else – including the health of our economy. It is their number one priority. And make no mistake. For Scotland, the result will be lower living standards and a hit to our prosperity. So, not just for the sake of our values… …but for our economic future as well, it’s time to take a different course. It’s time to stand against the demonisation of migrants. And to stand up for those who choose to join us in building a better Scotland. Of course, we don’t yet know exactly what the Tories want a post Brexit UK to be like. But there are two recent developments that point the way. Last year, under pressure, David Cameron accepted what was called the Dubs amendment. It committed the UK to providing a safe haven for unaccompanied child refugees – some of the most helpless and vulnerable people on our planet. But last month, the UK government called a halt to the Dubs scheme. They said that their new approach to refugees was ‘absolutely right’. Well, I beg to differ. I think it is absolutely wrong. It is inhumane and it must be reversed. The second issue is the status of EU nationals. Men and women who have built lives, families and careers here. People who – overnight in June last year – lost all certainty about their futures. It is a depressing commentary on the state of British democracy that it took the House of Lords to do the right thing. But, fair play to them – they did. They secured an amendment to the Brexit bill guaranteeing the right of EU citizens to stay in the UK. It is therefore even more depressing that the Westminster government then whipped its MPs in the House of Commons to overturn that guarantee. It is indefensible. You cannot lecture others about politics not being a game – while you are using the lives of human beings as pawns. Let me make this clear. In an independent Scotland, the SNP would guarantee – unequivocally – the right to stay here for all EU citizens who do us the honour of making our country their home. Compassionate, open-hearted and hard-headed – that’s the kind of country I want Scotland to be. We must be resourceful and enterprising as well. No-one owes Scotland a living… …but we are more than capable of earning our own success. In the debate about our future, the people of Scotland deserve to hear us speak frankly about the challenges facing the Scottish economy… …the challenges of independence… …and the challenges we will face under an austerity obsessed Tory government pursuing a hard Brexit. We should embrace that scrutiny. Opponents of independence, as is their right, will make their case by highlighting what they see as the difficulties. It will be up to us to demonstrate how those difficulties can be overcome. But as we do so, let’s never forget this… …we have the strongest foundations on which to build. Advantages that few nations can match. Unrivaled energy resources. Some of the world’s best universities. Strength in finance and business services. Cutting edge expertise in life sciences and advanced manufacturing. A truly world class food and drink industry. And the best tourist attractions anywhere in the world. Well, almost the best… …according to Rough Guide, we are actually the second best country in the world to visit this year. But we are aiming for the top spot! The point I’m making is this. As we debate our future, let’s do so openly and honestly. But let no one – for or against independence – ever seek to run down Scotland’s strengths and our nation’s great potential. What we must all do is strive to make our country even better. So, when we look at a fiscal deficit created on Westminster’s watch, let’s decide that allowing Westminster to keep making the same mistakes over and over again is not the best way to deal with it. Instead, let us be a country that works out how to build, grow and innovate our way to a stronger and more sustainable future – in a way that keeps faith with our own values of social justice. A country that makes its own choices. Like choosing to invest in public services and a brighter future for our young people… …not in a new generation of nuclear weapons. Our Growth Commission is currently working on a clear plan for Scotland’s economic future. The Commission will conclude its work over the next few months and we will then present its outcome for public scrutiny and debate. It will address the challenges we face in a hard headed and realistic way. But it will also set out the massive opportunities we have as a country – if we choose to grasp them. You know, since the Brexit vote, I’ve had loads of messages from people in other parts of the UK asking if they can move to Scotland. Now, I’m sure many of them are joking. But there is a serious point. The UK is about to turn its back on membership of the world’s biggest single market. Imagine what will happen if Scotland chooses to stay. We will become a magnet for talent and investment from all across the UK. So let me issue this open invitation today. Scotland isn’t full up. If you are as appalled as we are at the path this Westminster government is taking, come and join us. Come here to live, work, invest or study. Come to Scotland – and be part of building a modern, progressive, outward-looking, compassionate country. It is down to us to make the economic case for independence. To answer, clearly, the questions that people ask. And we will. But we should also be clear about this – those who argue for Scotland to stay in the UK have big economic questions to answer too. We know that down that path lies austerity, cuts and the impact of leaving the single market. The Westminster government is now even openly threatening a race to the bottom in tax, wages and working conditions. That is no basis for a modern economy. The kind of economy we are seeking to build is founded on a different vision. Not a race to the bottom… …but investment to lift people up. That’s our plan, not just with independence, but in the here and now. Since we took office, Scotland’s productivity – so crucial to our economic prospects – has grown by almost ten percent. Productivity in the rest of the UK has grown by just one-tenth of one percent. So we have a good record, but we have more to do. Key to our success will be digital skills. It is estimated that if we make better use of cloud technology and big data, the benefits to our economy could be over £5 billion a year. Recent studies estimate that we need more than 12,000 new workers with digital skills every year. And yet only a quarter of businesses report that they are doing anything at all to develop the technology skills of their current workforces. We need to change that. Scotland can’t afford to lose out on the digital revolution. So I can announce today that we will establish a new, three year, £36 million support fund to meet the upfront costs of digital skills training. Helping business to invest in their staff and build our country’s future. A strong economy is the basis for strong public services. In a few weeks, people across the country will make their judgment on who should run local services. The Tories have based their entire campaign for these council elections on denying the people of Scotland the right to choose our own future. Our campaign is all about improving Scotland’s communities. And here we have a clear choice too. Last month, our budget invested hundreds of millions of pounds of extra resources in local services. The Tories voted against that budget because it didn’t deliver a tax cut for the highest earners. Same old Tories. Tax cuts for the richest and just cuts for the rest. So my message today is clear – don’t let the Tories get their hands on your local services. On May 4th, vote SNP. We work to build a better Scotland every day. In May, as well as contesting the council elections, we will mark ten years of our SNP government. I am proud of the work we have done… …but I know we have much, much more to do. Today, I want to thank everyone, up and down the country, who works in our public services. I want to thank particularly those who work in our NHS. Today, of course, there are more people working in our health service than ever before. The additional staff employed since we took office would fill this auditorium 6 times over! And that is necessary. With populations getting older, pressures on health services across the world are intense. Nowhere, perhaps, do we see that more clearly than in our accident and emergency services. But there we also see the commitment of our NHS professionals. In Scotland, 90.8% of patients are seen within the 4 hour target. That’s still not as good as we want it to be… …but it is better – by a significant distance – than any other part of the UK. In England, the figure is just 77.6%. More than 13 points behind Scotland. Perhaps someone should have informed the Prime Minister of that fact before she had the brass neck to lecture us about governance. But we have more to do. One of the challenges that our NHS faces is the increasing number of people seeking support from mental health services. Actually, that’s a welcome development. It shows that the stigma that stopped people asking for help in years gone by is now fading. But it places an obligation on us to invest more in services to meet that need. Over the next few weeks, we will publish our new, ten year Mental Health Strategy. That strategy will focus not just on traditional mental health services. It will look at what we need to do across the NHS and in wider society too. For example, we know that GP surgeries and A&E services are often the frontline for mental health. And outside the NHS, we know that too many who end up in our prisons and police cells have mental health issues that go untreated. We want to change that. So let me outline today just some of the action we will take. We will increase the mental health workforce, giving access to dedicated mental health professionals – – to all of our A&E departments, 24 hours a day – to all of our GP practices – to every custody suite in every police station – and to our prisons. In total we will increase the budget by £35 million over the next five years to support the employment of 800 additional mental health workers in our hospitals, GP surgeries, prisons and police stations. Providing health care to those who need it is one of our most important responsibilities. But I have made clear that the defining mission of our government is education. I believe Scotland as a country has the right to choose our own future. But we must also make sure that the people who live here have the means and opportunity to make choices about their own lives. That means building a country where every child can make the most of their talents. We are determined to close the attainment gap in our schools. But we know that life chances are too often determined before a child even starts school. Doubling the provision of high quality, state funded childcare – as we intend to do in this parliament – is therefore a key part of our plans. Rightly, when we talk about the childcare revolution, we focus on the benefits for children and parents. But there is another benefit. Delivering our pledge will involve the recruitment of thousands more people to work in our nurseries. We need to demonstrate how much we value this work. I am proud of the steps our government has already taken to extend payment of the Living Wage. We have led by example in the public sector. And we have encouraged businesses to see the benefits, not just for their staff, but also for their bottom line. I can confirm today that we intend to apply that approach to our expansion of childcare. In public sector nurseries, staff already receive the living wage. But there are currently around 1,000 private nurseries helping to deliver our free childcare policy… …and currently around 80% of the childcare staff who work in them don’t earn the living wage. That’s 8000 people in total. There are few more important jobs than caring for our youngest children. So I can announce today that, by the end of this parliament, we will invest £50 million to ensure that all staff working in private nurseries delivering our childcare pledge are paid the real living wage. Friends, We can do all these things to improve the lives of the people of Scotland because we are in government. And it is a privilege to serve. That privilege to serve is something we should never take for granted. We must earn and re-earn the trust of the people each and every day. The opportunity to serve our country in government was something past generations of SNP members could only dream about. But it is down to their efforts that I stand here before you as First Minister. When the story of our party and of Scotland’s independence is written, it will be those who worked so hard against seemingly impossible odds who will take centre stage. And there is little doubt that one person and one date will stand out. Winnie Ewing, 1967. Exactly fifty years ago, Winnie won the Hamilton by-election and made this famous declaration: “Stop the world. Scotland wants to get on.” Let those words resonate today. We are a European, internationalist party, leading a European, internationalist country. We will make sure that our voice is heard here at home. And we will stand up for Scotland’s values abroad. One of those values is self determination… …an unshakeable belief in the sovereign right of the people of Scotland to determine our own future. Last week, I had the very sad honour of speaking at a memorial service for one of the greatest advocates of that principle, the late Canon Kenyon Wright. When he chaired the Constitutional Convention, Kenyon posed this question of the then Tory government’s opposition to devolution – “What happens”, he asked, “if the other voice we know so well responds by saying – we say no and we are the state?” His answer to that question, so relevant again today, was this: “Well we say yes and we are the people”. Friends, As we go forward we must work to win the support of the people and communities we serve. We must always work to build a better Scotland – for everyone who lives here. We must stand up for our country. …and always trust the people. As we approach this crossroads in our national life. Let us resolve to give Scotland a choice. Let this message ring out today. Scotland’s future will be in Scotland’s hands.

View Mt. Washington Incline Railway in a larger map In case you missed it, watch Part 1 on incline railways in downtown L.A. here. Mount Washington: a hill more than a mountain, the landform in northeast Los Angeles is home today to leafy streets and artists' bungalows. But just a century ago, Mount Washington remained carpeted in chaparral, its hilltop land inaccessible to real estate developers and homebuyers. Ultimately, it was the simple Edwardian technology embodied in the Los Angeles and Mount Washington Incline Railway that conquered the hill. Closed more than ninety years ago, the Mt. Washington funicular is one of several Southern California incline railways lost to history, their remains rusting on hillsides or long ago sold for scrap, their memory preserved only in the photographs, films, and maps of the region's archives. Now, discover the story of this lost residential railway -- and other forgotten funiculars --through "Incline L.A.," a new video series showcasing L.A. as Subject member collections and the archivists, historians, and experts who care for them. Collections Featured in Episode Two: Mt. Washington Automobile Club of Southern California Archives Los Angeles Public Library Map Collection Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection Transportation Library & Archives - Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority USC Libraries - California Historical Society Collection UCLA, Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library Experts Featured in Episode Two: Mt. Washington Morgan P. Yates, Automobile Club of Southern California Archives

Egypt's military spokesman says seven soldiers and 59 fighters have been killed in clashes at the Sinai Peninsula. The statement from Brigadier-General Mohammed Samir said Saturday's operations also involved air cover, adding that two explosive storage facilities and two vehicles used by armed groups were destroyed. The spokesman initially said on Sunday that a shell struck a single checkpoint, killing three soldiers and wounding four. Fighting took place in areas around Rafah, El Arish and Sheikh Zuweid in North Sinai governorate. Security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to the Associated Press news agency, said fighters attacked two checkpoints. OPINION: The Sinai is far from stable In its daily radio broadcast, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group said its fighters attacked multiple checkpoints and military installations on Saturday in North Sinai, naming at least two checkpoints and saying clashes took place near a local airport. Last year, the main armed organisation operating in Sinai pledged its allegiance to ISIL, which holds large parts of land in Iraq and Syria. An Egyptian navy vessel was targeted on Thursday by fighters affiliated with ISIL, who claimed they destroyed it with a rocket while it was anchored off the Sinai's Mediterranean coast. Samir, the military spokesman, said at the time that the vessel caught fire in an exchange of fire with "terrorists" on the shore and that there were no fatalities among its crew members.

Poland's foreign minister has said that Vladimir Putin's Russia is a "existential threat" more dangerous than the Islamic State (Isis) in the wake of growing tensions in the Baltic. Witold Waszczykowski made the comments after two Russian SU-24 attack jets made "simulated attacks" on the American warship USS Donald Cook. Both Nato and Russia are strengthening their presence in the Baltic Sea. Waszczykowski described relations between the two as being "very bad". In March 2016, Nato aired plans to send an additional 4,500 US troops to former Soviet Union states in order to "nullify" the Russian threat in the region. Before this, in February, Poland aked Nato to send reinforcements to the region in exchange for assistance on Nato's southern border in Syria – where the fight against Isis (Daesh) continues. The Polish government say they are concerned after the March 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, after which Nato suspended co-operation with Moscow . Nato will meet for crunch talks with Russia in July this year with the Poles are hoping to convince the military bloc to send more troops to former communist eastern Europe. But tensions are threatening to spill over even before then, with the Polish government believing the Russian military build-up is "absolutely unjustified". Eastern members of the Nato bloc including former Soviet-ruled Baltic states have lobbied the organisation to step up its presence in the Baltic. On 15 April, Waszczykowski claimed Russia posed an "existential threat" more dangerous than IS saying they are a very serious threat, but not an "it is not an existential threat for Europe". "By all evidence, Russia's activity is a sort of existential threat, because this activity can destroy countries," said Witold Waszczykowski, while visiting annual Globsec security forum in Bratislava according to Sky News. "We also have non-existential threats like terrorism, like the great waves of migrants," he added. Nato expansion Nato and Russian ambassadors are set to meet next week for the first time in almost two years in an attempt to thaw the increasingly tense relationship. Nato still accuses Moscow of backing pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine against the newly-formed pro-Western government in Kiev, a claim Moscow denies. Russian ambassador Alexander Grushko said he plans to protest at the rare talks in Brussels on 20 April. He said: "Nato has been deploying additional forces, increasing its military activity on a rotational basis, adding equipment, creating permanent storage sites for military weaponry and equipment." Nato's membership has been increasing since 1999 when Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic all joined the military bloc. Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia all joined in 2004. The most recent members include Albania and Croatia which joined in 2009. In 2011, NATO officially recognised Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Macedonia, and Montenegro as aspiring members.

Callum Robinson (left) scored four times in 31 Preston appearances while on loan from Aston Villa Championship side Preston North End have signed Aston Villa forward Callum Robinson and Fulham midfielder Ben Pringle, both on three-year contracts. Robinson, 21, who previously had two loan spells at the Lilywhites, turned down a new deal with Villa and joins for an undisclosed compensation fee. Newcastle-born former Rotherham man Pringle, 26, signs for an undisclosed fee after one year with the Cottagers. Pringle made nine league starts during a short loan spell at Ipswich in 2016. Robinson told the club's website: "It was obviously a big decision for me leaving Aston Villa, I've been there since I was eight-years-old. "But, if there was ever a club for me to settle down with and sign permanently with, it would be Preston North End." Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.

Abdi Jeylani Marshale (pictured here) was a very popular comedian in Solamia who has been tragically murdered by some religious thugs. He was well-known for his parodies of Islamist militants, so you require no psychic powers whatsoever to guess who did this or what their motivation was. Officially nobody knows who did this, but what is known is that he was threatened by the extremist group al-Shabaab. The BBC reports here … Witnesses told the BBC that Marshale was shot several times in the head and chest by two men armed with pistols … “This is a black day for the entire entertainment industry, he was a leader in Somalia comedy and everybody liked his performance,” said Yusuf Keynan, a presenter at Kulmiye radio, where Marshale worked. When recently discussing Islamic Violence with a UK-based Muslim, I was advised that only a small minority of Muslims in the UK are violent extremists, the vast majority are not like this. I believe he is correct because I am 100% convinced that most humans, with or without a belief, are decent honourable individuals who strive to do what is right. However, I was also seriously concerned that even such a small minority are deemed to be ‘Muslim’, and do wonder why they are not being denounced as non-Muslim and rejected the community? In no other context is it acceptable to suggest that the vast majority are OK, and that only a small minority are violent. try these examples … Post Office : Almost all our staff will politely and efficiently deliver your letters, except for a tiny minority that will break into your house and murder you. : Almost all our staff will politely and efficiently deliver your letters, except for a tiny minority that will break into your house and murder you. Supermarket Chain: All the food we sell is safe to consume, except for a tiny percentage that will cause instant death. My point is simple, you don’t get to claim that only a tiny minority are violent, that is not acceptable … period. The only humanly decent response is a zero tolerance policy … for those that advocate violence, and for those that support those that advocate violence. Until the Islamic community deals with violence or threats of violence on those terms, their belief system will face and continue to face a considerable degree of vocal criticism. The huge problem they face with doing this are the core beliefs that are incompatible with taking such a stance. For example the official penalty for Apostasy is death. Let me be clear, that is not a fringe view, today the majority of Muslim scholars hold to the traditional view that apostasy is punishable by death. In other words, if you are a Muslim who decides it is all nonsence and abandons Islam, then they truly believe that it is perfectly OK to murder you. There are of course reformers who do not agree, but they are the minority. Until such basic issues within the belief system itself are reformed, it will continue to breed violent fanatics who embrace such teachings literally and so act upon these beliefs – in other words, the issue is not just about a few bad apples, but rather is about a fatal rather deadly flaw within the belief system itself. Share this: Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Pinterest LinkedIn Pocket Skype WhatsApp Email Print Like this: Like Loading...

A new poll from Rasmussen Reports shows that the Democrats hold some very interesting beliefs regarding Christian persecution and Islamic persecution. Rasmussen says that even though most voters in the U.S. agree that Christians are persecuted in Muslim-majority countries that Democrats think that Muslims are more likely to be mistreated here in the U.S. than Christians are likely to be persecuted in Muslim-majority countries. From Rasmussen Reports: A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 62% of Likely U.S. Voters believe most Christians living in the Islamic world are treated unfairly because of their religion. Just 17% disagree, while 21% more are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.) By comparison, 39% feel most Muslims living in the United States are treated unfairly because of their religion. That’s up from 31% last year and is the highest finding in surveys to date. A plurality (46% ) still believes Muslims are not treated unfairly because of their faith, while 15% more are not sure. Fifty-six percent (56% ) of Democrats, however, believe most Muslims in this country are mistreated, a view shared by only 22% of Republicans and 39% of voters not affiliated with either major party. Fewer Democrats (47% ) think most Christians are mistreated in the Islamic world, compared to 76% of GOP voters and 64% of unaffiliateds.

A routine drive to drop the kids off at school turned into a nightmare for Dalal Boulbol, who says she was called a "terrorist" and threatened by another motorist last week. Boulbol was one stop light away from her children's school when a driver allegedly pulled up alongside her and started yelling. The concerned mother, a Muslim woman who was wearing her hijab at the time, ignored the verbal attack and drove away. But the alleged threats didn't end there. Police say the woman has since apologized for the incident, but no charges are being pursued, according to OPP Const. Stephanie Moniz. S hocked by verbal attack Boulbol and her children were alarmed by the incident that began Thursday morning at the intersection at Howard Avenue and Highway 3, then continued several blocks away at the children's school. The woman yelled words like "terrorist" and uttered phrases like "go back to your country" and "you don't belong here," Boulbol recalled. Shocked by the vulgarity and surprised something like this could happen in the city she grew up in, Boulbol said she initially laughed. "I'm laughing and chuckling to myself and I believe that enraged her even more," Boulbol said. That's when she says the woman started making threatening gestures, "implying she wanted to kill me." The woman followed Boulbol to Al-Hijra Academy on Howard Avenue, where she rolled down her window and continued to yell threats. The principal and teachers at the school also witnessed the incident, but when they came out to inquire, the woman drove away. The OPP confirmed they contacted the driver, who has since apologized to school staff. The woman has not been charged with any criminal activity.

Broken glass covers an armed forces recruiting poster at the scene of an explosion outside the U.S. Armed Forces Career Center in New York's Times Square, March 6, 2008. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson It's becoming increasingly difficult to give the government the benefit of the doubt in regards to dragnet domestic surveillance. Even before Glenn Greenwald published a top secret court order compelling Verizon to give the NSA information on all telephone calls in its systems and interviewed NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, there were credible reports that the NSA was intercepting U.S. communications. The most significant of those occurred in July, when the court that was established to "hear applications for and grant orders approving electronic surveillance," called the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), found that the NSA violated the Fourth Amendment's restriction against unreasonable searches and seizures "on at least one occasion." Here's the letter from Senator Ron Wyden: "… on at least one occasion the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court held that some collection carried out pursuant to section 702 minimization procedures used by the government was unreasonable under the Fourth Amendment." We don't know the details of the classified order, but it's clear that it's a very important aspect of the domestic spying apparatus that even the court overseeing the program found it straying into illegal territory. Here's the relevant text of the amendment: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." So in violating that law, the NSA is violating the constitutional right to privacy provided to Americans. Here's a rundown of the other reports that corroborate Snowden's claims:

Donald Trump Donald John TrumpREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails Trump urges North Korea to denuclearize ahead of summit Venezuela's Maduro says he fears 'bad' people around Trump MORE will give a foreign policy address in Washington, D.C., this week, as the GOP front-runner seeks to shift toward a more traditional campaign that appeals to mainstream Republicans. The Trump campaign announced last week that the billionaire businessman has accepted an invitation from the Center for National Interest to speak on foreign policy at the National Press Club in Washington on Wednesday. ADVERTISEMENT “I am honored to be invited to speak at an organization founded by former President Richard Nixon, and look forward to sharing my views on the many serious foreign policy issues facing our country and our allies around the world,” Trump said in a statement. The day before the event, Trump's campaign sent out a release that changed the location to the Mayflower Hotel "due to overwhelming interest." The GOP front-runner said he’ll address trade, immigration, security policies and his plan for how to develop “clear, consistent long-term foreign policy for making America safe and prosperous." It will be the first in a series of major policy addresses for Trump, who has in recent weeks made a concerted effort to run a more conventional campaign. Trump has revamped his campaign staff with seasoned operatives and plans to open an office in Washington, D.C., that focuses on outreach to Capitol Hill. As part of that effort, he has promised a series of policy speeches that could help him push back on criticism that there’s no substance behind his anti-establishment rhetoric. -- Updated at 3:45 p.m. on April 26

If the gov­ern­ment wants to make pro­gress in lower­ing obesity rates, it needs to start reg­u­lat­ing fatty foods much the way it does to­bacco. That’s the re­com­mend­a­tion from a pair of in­ter­na­tion­al health or­gan­iz­a­tions push­ing policies it says would an­swer the obesity epi­dem­ic. Spe­cific­ally, the groups re­com­mend that the gov­ern­ment con­trol the way the food and bever­age in­dustry ad­vert­ises, to en­sure com­pan­ies aren’t im­ply­ing un­healthy food is good for chil­dren and adults. Ad­di­tion­ally, they ad­vise gov­ern­ments to re­quire state­ments on food pack­aging about how high or low the con­tent of salt, sat­ur­ated fat, and sug­ar is in re­la­tion to di­et­ary guidelines. On a broad­er scale, the or­gan­iz­a­tions call for a re­versal of food policy, call­ing on taxes for un­healthy foods and sub­sidies for healthy ones. Con­sumers In­ter­na­tion­al and World Obesity Fed­er­a­tion are present­ing the glob­al frame­work this week to the World Health As­sembly in Geneva, Switzer­land. Ul­ti­mately, the groups say gov­ern­ments should re­move ar­ti­fi­cial trans fats from all food with­in five years of their guidelines be­ing ad­op­ted. Much of the policy would face a dif­fi­cult, if not im­possible, path to pas­sage in the U.S. Con­gress, but the groups did have one sug­ges­tion that is already be­ing put in­to place. The groups re­com­mend that res­taur­ants be re­quired to post cal­or­ie in­form­a­tion about their food — a re­quire­ment already be­ing im­ple­men­ted in the U.S. as part of the Af­ford­able Care Act. Glob­al deaths re­lated to obesity have ris­en from 2.6 mil­lion in 2005 to 3.4 mil­lion in 2010, ac­cord­ing to the or­gan­iz­a­tions. More than 1.4 bil­lion adults are over­weight and at risk of neg­at­ive health con­sequences, such as car­di­ovas­cu­lar dis­ease, dia­betes, and can­cer, ac­cord­ing to 2008 stat­ist­ics from the World Health Or­gan­iz­a­tion.

Many younger Americans probably know little about Eleanor Roosevelt, and if their first encounter with her is the new film Hyde Park on Hudson, what they’ll learn is incredibly misleading and inaccurate. Other films—including Sunrise at Campobello (1960); the two-part Eleanor and Franklin HBO mini-series (1976); Eleanor, First Lady of the World (1982); and Warm Springs (2005)—have depicted different aspects of her life. Yet not one of these films accurately portrays the depth and influence of Eleanor’s radicalism. The biggest controversy Eleanor deals with in the film is whether to serve hot dogs to the British royals. Hyde Park on Hudson focuses on the relationship between President Franklin Roosevelt (played by Bill Murray) and his distant cousin Margaret “Daisy” Stuckley (Laura Linney) during a weekend in 1939 when the King and Queen of England are visiting the Roosevelts at their second home in upstate New York. The film shows FDR and Stuckley having a sexual love affair, although many historians believe that their relationship was merely a flirtation. Given its focus on the affair, it is perhaps not surprising that the film treats Eleanor (Olivia Williams) primarily as a ceremonial helpmate whose major function is to help FDR negotiate the social rituals of being president. The biggest controversy Eleanor deals with in the film is whether to serve hot dogs to the British royals. In reality, Eleanor’s life—before she met FDR, during the 13 years she served as first lady, and after FDR died in 1945—was filled with important public controversies, including her activism around such issues as workers’ rights, civil rights, women’s rights, and human rights. She became FDR’s most important, and most progressive, advisor. FDR was the most powerful president in American history, and Eleanor (who died in 1962) wielded her own power, sometimes behind the scenes but often in public, breaking the mold for first ladies. No first lady before or since—not even Hillary Clinton—has had as much influence while her husband was president. Eleanor consistently pushed FDR to the left on key issues and appointments. The left-leaning members of FDR’s inner circle (including Labor Secretary Frances Perkins, Agriculture Secretary and later Vice President Henry Wallace, and Harry Hopkins, who formulated and ran many New Deal relief programs) often conspired with Eleanor to make sure he heard the views of progressive activists. Throughout her life, Eleanor fought on behalf of America’s—and the world’s—most vulnerable people. Over time, she became friends with a widening circle of union activists, feminists, civil rights crusaders, and radicals whose ideas she embraced and advocated for, both as FDR’s wife and adviser and as a political figure in her own right. From socialites to solidarity Born in New York City in 1884 and descended from a long line of privilege, Eleanor nevertheless had a difficult childhood. Her father, Elliott Roosevelt, was an early influence on her social consciousness, taking her with him when he visited the Children’s Aid Society or served up Thanksgiving dinner to poor newsboys, where she saw the injustice of child labor. By the time Eleanor was ten, both her parents had died. She was sent to live with her maternal grandmother, a formidable woman who wanted to groom her for New York’s elite society. Her prominent relatives included her uncle, Theodore Roosevelt, who became president when Eleanor was seventeen. Eleanor realized that she preferred volunteering with social reform groups to going to fancy balls. Her early education consisted of a private tutor and a year in an Italian convent school. Her first and most influential mentor was Marie Souvestre, who ran Allenswood, a progressive feminist boarding school for girls outside London, which Eleanor attended from 1898 to 1902. The school taught classical languages and the arts, and Souvestre gave Roosevelt special instruction in history and philosophy. Souvestre was a demanding thinker who challenged her students with her opposition to colonialism and anti-Semitism. She invited Eleanor to be her traveling companion through France and Italy during holiday breaks from school and encouraged her to be an independent and confident woman. In 1902, Eleanor’s grandmother insisted she return to the United States to get down to the business of becoming a debutante. Eleanor was nearly six feet tall and willowy, with prominent teeth and a weak chin—not the social belle that her mother had been and that her grandmother wished her to be. Eleanor quickly realized that she preferred volunteering with social reform groups to going to fancy balls. From 1902 to 1903, she volunteered at the Rivington Street Settlement House on the Lower East Side, teaching exercise and dance to low-income immigrants. Unlike her well-off peers, who arrived in carriages, she insisted on taking public transportation, forcing herself to overcome her fears and walk even at night through the Bowery, a low-rent area. She also became immersed in the National Consumers League (NCL), led by the pioneering social reformer Florence Kelley. Through the NCL, Eleanor investigated and publicized dreadful working conditions in garment sweatshops. She also met many progressive activists who shaped her political consciousness. A unique and lifelong partnership In 1902, Eleanor was riding a train when her distant cousin Franklin, a Harvard student, happened to board, and they spent the next two hours in easy conversation. That began their discreet romance, which he at first kept hidden from his domineering mother. It was by accompanying Eleanor that Franklin was first exposed to New York’s dismal tenements. For the rest of their lives together, she was FDR’s unofficial guide and conscience regarding the suffering of the poor, workers, African Americans, and women. Eleanor was active in several groups that the attorney general, A. Mitchell Palmer, considered dangerously radical. They were married in 1905, when she was twenty and he twenty-two, with her Uncle Theodore walking her down the aisle. During her first years of marriage and young motherhood, she grew increasingly depressed under the thumb of her mother-in-law, Sara Delano Roosevelt, who insisted on running the household. Eleanor was able to escape Sara’s domination when the couple moved to Albany, N.Y., after FDR was elected to the state legislature in 1910. She learned that she had a gift for politics and soon became one of FDR’s most trusted advisers. She lobbied for causes she believed in—eliminating poverty, improving working conditions, women’s rights, and education—and was better at connecting with people than was FDR. By 1916 the couple had six children, including a son who died as a baby. Franklin’s appointment as assistant secretary of the U.S. Navy in 1913 brought the Roosevelts to Washington, D.C., and was the beginning of national prominence. It also marked a difficult turning point in their relationship, when Eleanor discovered Franklin’s long-term affair with her assistant Lucy Mercer, one of FDR’s several extra-marital relationships. Deeply distressed, she offered him a divorce. They remained married, however, in a loyal political partnership. Eleanor turned to others for emotional support and intimacy. According to her biographer, Blanche Wiesen Cook, one of these others was Lorena Hickok, an AP reporter assigned to follow the first lady. Their daily letters included both political observations and expressions of love. Eleanor forged a long-term friendship with a socialist union organizer from New York City, with whom she walked picket lines. World War I offered Eleanor an outlet for her organizing talents. She organized a Union Station canteen for American soldiers on their way to training camps, led Red Cross activities, supervised the knitting rooms at the Navy department, and spoke at patriotic rallies. She visited wounded soldiers in the hospital and led an effort to improve conditions at St. Elizabeths Hospital, a mental hospital in Washington, D.C. During the Red Scare that followed the war, Eleanor renewed her reform impulses. She became active in several groups that the attorney general, A. Mitchell Palmer, considered dangerously radical. She coordinated the League of Women Voters’ legislative efforts, mobilizing members to lobby for bills. In 1922 she joined the Women’s Trade Union League (WTUL), which included wealthy reformers, working-class women, and radical activists. She taught classes, raised money, and participated in the WTUL’s support for bills to require shorter working days and better wages for women workers. Through the WTUL, Eleanor forged a long-term friendship with Rose Schneiderman—a socialist union organizer from New York City—with whom she walked picket lines. J. Edgar Hoover, a close aide to Palmer who later became FBI director, kept a file on Eleanor for many years. A radical voice in the president’s ear As FDR rose through the ranks—first to governor of New York in 1928 and then to president in 1932—Eleanor constantly had to find her footing as a public person. By the time he was elected governor, FDR was stricken with polio, leaving him unable to walk. Eleanor became his eyes and ears, investigating conditions at hospitals, asylums, and prisons. Eleanor not only supported organizing efforts, she joined a union herself. Eleanor’s involvement with reform movements prepared her to become the most influential and politically progressive first lady in American history. “No one who ever saw Eleanor Roosevelt sit down facing her husband and [and say] to him ‘Franklin, I think you should’ or, ‘Franklin surely you will not’ will ever forget the experience,” wrote Rexford Tugwell, a key FDR aide. When she became first lady in 1933, Eleanor devoted considerable time to those hardest hit by poverty, visiting an encampment of World War I veterans (referred to at the time as “Bonus Marchers”) in Washington, sharecroppers in the South, and people on breadlines in San Francisco. Her public support for union organizing drives among coal miners, garment workers, textile workers, and tenant farmers (including the racially integrated and left-wing Southern Tenant Farmers Union) lent visibility and credibility to their efforts. As Brigid O’Farrell documents in her book, She Was One of Us: Eleanor Roosevelt and the American Worker, Eleanor not only supported organizing efforts; she joined a union herself. In 1936, she proudly and publicly became a member of the American Newspaper Guild at a time when workers were being beaten, and some killed, for participating in organizing drives, strikes, and sit-down protests. As first lady, Roosevelt donated the proceeds from her radio broadcasts to the Womens Trade Union League and promoted the WTUL in her columns and speeches. She invited women and union activists, including Schneiderman, to the White House and Hyde Park, seating them next to FDR so he could hear their concerns. As Schneiderman recalled in her autobiography, Eleanor overcame the trappings of privilege to become “a born trade unionist.” She pushed to give women a larger voice in the Democratic Party and urged FDR to appoint women (including Perkins, the first female Cabinet member) to key positions in government. And soon after becoming first lady, she began holding her own press conferences for women reporters only—in part to help preserve their jobs during the Depression. An early friend of the Civil Rights movement Eleanor was much bolder than FDR in opposing racism, segregation, and lynching. She became a close friend of Walter White, head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), serving as his advocate within the White House, and she made a point of publicly joining the civil rights organization. When she urged FDR to support federal legislation to end lynching, he refused to support the bill, worried that southern white voters—almost all of them Democrats—would abandon the party. Eleanor supported and occasionally visited the Highlander Folk School, a controversial left-wing training center for civil rights activists in rural Tennessee. The American people found Eleanor approachable, even as she was ridiculed in the press as being both dowdy and a publicity hound. In November 1938, a racially mixed crowd of 1,500 people packed into the city auditorium in Birmingham, Ala., to kick off the four-day Southern Conference on Human Welfare. The gathering was organized to address the South’s social problems, including poverty, poor education, and the infamous poll tax that prevented black citizens from voting. The next morning the auditorium was surrounded by police. Police Commissioner Bull Connor ordered the integrated crowd to separate according to race or face arrest. The crowd obeyed, with black people sitting on one side, and white people on the other. Eleanor arrived later, accompanied by African American educator Mary McLeod Bethune and Aubrey Williams, head of the New Deal’s National Youth Administration. Eleanor sized up the situation and sat down on the side with the African Americans. One of the policemen tapped her on the shoulder and told her to move. Instead, she calmly moved her chair between the white and black sections, and there she remained. Her husband avoided such direct support for civil rights. But sometimes Eleanor brought him over to her side. In 1939, she resigned in protest from the Daughters of the American Revolution after it refused to rent its Constitution Hall to black opera singer Marian Anderson, who had previously sung at the White House. Instead, Eleanor worked behind the scenes to arrange for Anderson to sing to 75,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial. In 1940, she persuaded FDR to meet with the NAACP’s Walter White and labor and civil rights activist A. Philip Randolph, who were threatening to hold a mass march on Washington to protest the exclusion of African Americans from key defense industry jobs as the nation was preparing for war. After two meetings, FDR agreed to issue an executive order against racial discrimination in defense employment, if the civil rights leaders would cancel their proposed march. He did, and they kept their promise. Eleanor developed a strong voice as a public speaker and prolific writer of magazine articles and books. Her syndicated column, "My Day," about her life in the White House, appeared six times a week in some 180 papers around the country. She also lectured widely and spoke frequently on the radio. Through her column and radio broadcasts, she described the desperate conditions and human suffering she saw during her travels, but she also gave voice to the activists fighting for change and the people helped by the New Deal's relief programs. The American people found Eleanor approachable and caring, even as she was ridiculed in the press as being both dowdy and a publicity hound. During her first year in the White House, more than 300,000 people wrote to her. She personally answered many of the letters and forwarded the rest to federal agencies for a response. Eleanor was involved for decades in promoting peace and international understanding as well. She tried to convince FDR to support the Permanent Court of International Justice, commonly called the World Court, which had been set up after World War I to settle disputes among nations. Privately, FDR agreed with the idea, but he considered it too risky politically and allowed the Senate to reject U.S. membership in the court by a seven-vote margin. Starting in 1939, as the Nazis were engaged in genocide against Jews, Eleanor fought for special legislation to admit Jewish refugees, especially children, to the United States. But without FDR’s public support the idea went nowhere. During World War II—in which all four of the Roosevelt sons served—Eleanor visited troops in London and in the South Pacific. She won over Admiral William Halsey, who had derided her for what he considered her do-goodism and meddling, when she spent exhausting days personally comforting wounded soldiers. “She alone had accomplished more good than any other person, or any group of civilians, who had passed through my area,” Halsey said. An activist in her own right After FDR’s death in 1945, Eleanor assumed she would retire, but the new president, Harry S. Truman, sought her advice. He also appointed her to the five-person U.S. delegation at the first meeting of the U.N. General Assembly held in London in 1946. She played a surprising and pivotal role, addressing the full assembly without notes, and swaying the vote against forced repatriation of refugees, allowing them to choose where they wished to settle. She attacked efforts by business lobby groups to get states to adopt anti-union “right-to-work” laws, similar to the one Michigan passed in 2012. For three years, Eleanor lobbied, debated, and maneuvered to get the United Nations to adopt a statement on human rights. In 1948 she chaired the U.N. Human Rights Commission, and under her leadership the General Assembly, meeting in Paris, passed, at 3:00 a.m. on December 10, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a landmark document that still serves as a benchmark for activists around the world. Working closely with labor leaders, she made sure that workers’ rights were a key part of that document. Eleanor continued to write her newspaper column, endorsed and campaigned for liberal Democrats, appeared frequently on television and radio shows discussing current events, and averaged 150 speaking engagements a year in the United States and the world. Even during the height of the Cold War, Eleanor did not compromise her outspoken progressive views. In 1953, for example, she was a charter subscriber to I.F. Stone’s Weekly, a controversial political newsletter written by the radical journalist, whom conservatives and even some liberals accused of being a subversive. In 1959, on behalf of the National Consumers League, Eleanor testified before Congress in support of increasing the federal minimum wage. That year, she wrote columns attacking efforts by business lobby groups to get states to adopt anti-union “right-to-work” laws (similar to the one Michigan passed in 2012). These campaigns, she wrote, were based on “dishonesty and deception.” Their “real aim is to destroy American labor.” Eleanor Roosevelt was a bold progressive and one of the most well-known and admired people in the United States and around the world. In 1960, she spoke to 20,000 people at Madison Square Garden—along with socialist Norman Thomas, labor leader Walter Reuther, civil rights activist A. Philip Randolph, and singer Harry Belafonte—at a rally against the escalating arms race between the U.S. and Russia, sponsored by the Committee for a SANE Nuclear Policy. That year, Eleanor wrote one of the first checks to the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), a radical civil rights organization that student activists had formed to sustain the momentum of the sit-in movement at southern lunch counters to protest segregation. In 1961, President Kennedy appointed Eleanor as chair of a new Presidential Commission on the Status of Women. Although Eleanor died the next year, just before the commission issued its final report, she had already played an important role in shaping the commission’s work, which helped catalyze the modern feminist movement. Eleanor Roosevelt was a bold progressive and, from the 1930s until her death, one of the most well-known and admired people in the United States and around the world. The Eleanor Roosevelt Leadership Center, located at her former home in Hyde Park, carries out her legacy through leadership and activist training programs for young women. There is probably no person alive today—with the possible exception of Nelson Mandela—who commands that kind of respect. It is time for Hollywood to make a film about the real Eleanor, the radical Roosevelt.

These are shots from Chelsea and Jesse's Big Lebowski themed wedding at Chop's Bowling Alley in Omaha, Nebraska. It looks like it was a great time, and was officiated by a personal friend of theirs who looks a lot like Walter and was recently ordained a Dudist Priest. Plus the owner of the bowling alley was so into the idea that he stripped the wax off some of the lanes so they could dance on them. No word if anybody lost a hand to a ball return machine like Roy Munson. No? Different bowling movie? Geez, calm down, it's hard living with 12-pound balls (sometimes they suck all the blood away from my brain and make me stupid). We both agreed that we wanted the ceremony to be short and sweet. As neither of us are religious, this was pretty easy to achieve. For the processional, each member of our wedding party entered individually to "Looking Out My Back Door" by Creedence Clearwater Revival, while I walked down the lane to "Behave Yourself" by Booker T and the MGs, both songs pulled from the movie's soundtrack. This was followed by a unity cocktail ceremony, where we made White Russians, walked to the end of the lane and toasted our guests while Bob Dylan's "The Man In Me" played in the background. After we said "I Abide" and were announced as husband and wife, we killed the lights and danced into the audience to Kenny Rogers' "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)." Sounds magical. There were also cupcakes with flavors inspired by all the different characters in the movie. Unfortunately, they made the Jesus flavored one white chocolate and raspberry instead something made with an 8-year old liqueur. It's the fine details, you know? That's how I know I'd make a great wedding planner. Plus I'm not afraid to tell anybody they shouldn't go through with it. *sitting down with couple* Listen -- marriage isn't for everyone, and it's definitely not for this guy who asked you. Keep going for a bunch more pictures of the event. Thanks to Lizzy, who informed me she wants a Life Aquatic themed wedding. Hey -- let me know if you need a DJ.

Rep. Ron Paul challenged Newt Gingrich on whether or not he asked for a deferment during the Vietnam War as the two participated in Saturday night's Rebublican candidates' debate in New Hampshire. "I think people who don't serve when they could and they get three or four or even five deferments aren't -- they have no right to send our kids off to war and not be even against the wars we have," Ron Paul said. The Statement: "The fact is, I never asked for deferment. I was married with a child. It was never a question." - Newt Gingrich The facts: Gingrich turned 18 in 1961, as U.S. involvement in Vietnam was escalating. But he continued his studies, getting an undergraduate degree in 1965, his Master's in 1968 and his doctorate in 1971. According to the Selective Service, prior to 1971 "a man could qualify for a student deferment if he could show he was a full-time student making satisfactory progress in virtually any field of study. He could continue to go to school and be deferred from service until he was too old to be drafted." In addition, the fact that Gingrich had two daughters -- born in 1963 and 1966 -- gave him a III-A classification, putting him far back in the line of people who might have been called to serve. Verdict: True, but incomplete. Gingrich is correct, that he was not eligible for the draft. But that does not mean he could not have been one of the 3 million Americans who ultimately served in the war. That fact seems to be something he has considered. "Given everything I believe in, a large part of me thinks I should have gone over," he told Vanity Fair in 1989.

The state Board of Elections voted unanimously Wednesday that there is “reason to believe” Sen. Fletcher Hartsell improperly used campaign donations to pay personal expenses, forwarding the results of a lengthy probe to state and federal prosecutors. The elections board’s staff found that Hartsell, a long-serving Republican from Cabarrus County, used campaign funds to pay speeding tickets, dinners with his family, haircuts, shoe repairs, part of his driver license renewal fee and more, officials said. From 2009 to 2012, Hartsell used his campaign account to pay more than $109,000 in credit card debts that were not associated with campaign expenses, said Kim Westbrook Strach, the board’s executive director. Strach presented the five-member, bipartisan board with a summary of an internal report that is more than 700 pages. The report was not made public and is considered an investigative document. Sign Up and Save Get six months of free digital access to The News & Observer The elections office released a 68-page document related to Strach’s public presentation. Campaign laws have been written to foster transparency, requiring candidates properly report and disclose their expenditures and contributions. But Hartsell’s reports did not do that, officials said Wednesday. Some elections board members said they believed Hartsell had filed vague campaign finance reports with an intention to hide what he was doing. “I think we see a pattern here of opaque and circuitous disclosures,” said board chairman Josh Howard, a Republican. “It bothers me that those go on when the official seems to have generated significant personal debt and is also spending campaign money on what appears to be purely personal purposes.” Hartsell did not appear before the board on Wednesday. He was sitting in the Senate’s chamber as it debated the state budget. His attorney, Roger Knight of Raleigh, appeared before the board and said his client may have made mistakes, but they were unintentional. Hartsell tried to correct those mistakes in meetings with elections staff. “We went through literally thousands of entries,” Knight said. “Of those, we removed many.” Reached for comment, Hartsell said he was disappointed in the board’s decision and declined to comment in detail. Hartsell, now the Senate’s longest serving member, had not had his campaign reports audited by state elections officials before a report in The News & Observer showed Hartsell used campaign funds in 2011 and 2012 to pay nearly $100,000 in debts on personal credit cards. That newspaper article sparked a deep review of Hartsell’s campaign spending. Family also constituents Hartsell spoke with investigators for 18 hours over the past two years as they combed through 24 years of his campaign finance reports. Strach offered board members multiple responses from Hartsell to a range of questions about his campaign spending. Strach told board members that 536 of 1,671 expenses in the 2009 to 2012 period “appear impermissible” after “giving the greatest latitude” to explanations from Hartsell. Most at issue is a state law that prohibits candidates from using campaign money for their personal expenses. It wasn’t always that way. Before October 2006, candidates could use their campaign funds on virtually anything – and they did, buying cars, laptops and trips as well as other monthly expenses. The hearing showed that Hartsell was one who did. The state legislature adopted more restrictive laws as part of campaign and lobbying reforms adopted after high profile criminal cases involving lawmakers. Using campaign accounts for personal items now is allowed only if the expense is connected to the lawmaker’s legislative duties. Strach told board members that Hartsell’s campaign had more expenditures the day before the law changed than on any other day reviewed. In justifying using campaign funds for personal expenses, Strach said Hartsell told elections staff that he used campaign money to pay for dinners with his wife and daughter, and at least one meal with a granddaughter, because he said his family members are also his constituents. Hartsell apparently told elections staff that if he were not a legislator, he might grow his hair long. “If not for being in the Senate, he would grow it out and be a hippie,” Howard said, summarizing a Hartsell exchange with elections staff. Hartsell told elections staff his campaign picked up part of his driver license renewal fee because he might not drive anymore if he were not holding elective office. Hartsell owns five cars, including two vintage cars his lawyer says are in storage. Legislative standing The elections investigation also found Hartsell used campaign funds to pay utility bills and other expenses for property he owned. Hartsell told officials that was because he rented the property to nonprofit organizations and he considered the campaign expenses to be charitable donations. Campaigns are allowed to make charitable contributions when they’re made directly to the charity, and many candidates do that. Hartsell had expenses of more than $13,000 for utilities and insurance from 2009 to 2012 that were associated with his properties, which he said had nonprofits as tenants. In a statement from Hartsell that Strach provided in her report, Hartsell said the property’s upkeep was connected to his standing as a legislator. “In my view, it is beneficial for my campaign and for my public service for the property to be well-kept and for the property to continue to offer services to the community,” the statement said. “At the same time, it would hurt my campaigns and my credibility as a public servant if the property fell vacant and into disrepair.” Hartsell, a lawyer in private practice, also wrote checks to his law firm in apparent reimbursement for charitable contributions. A call to resign The elections board, which has three Republican and two Democratic members, voted to refer the case to prosecutors in Wake and Cabarrus counties, and the state’s three federal districts. That process could lead to no prosecution of Hartsell – or possible criminal charges. The elections board also voted to consider levying civil penalties in the coming months. The decision is a blow for the veteran legislator who has held sway in the Senate and has deep roots in his hometown. He was once the county attorney for Cabarrus County and the local school board. Backers of a controversial online charter school that will begin accepting students in the upcoming school year recently hired Hartsell as their lawyer in a fight that resulted in state approval. Hartsell, who has served in the Senate since 1991, helps lead one of the Senate’s judiciary committees and its Program Evaluation Committee. He is a vice chairman of the Senate’s Finance Committee. A spokeswoman for Senate leader Phil Berger, an Eden Republican, said late Wednesday that it would be premature to comment before Hartsell had a chance to respond. The state Democratic Party called on Republican leaders to seek Hartsell’s resignation if he does not step down. “The State Board of Elections presented an overwhelming amount of evidence today suggesting that Sen. Fletcher Hartsell broke not only the public trust, but North Carolina law,” party executive director Kimberly Reynolds said in a statement. “In the face of these allegations, Senator Hartsell should step down immediately. If not, Gov. (Pat) McCrory and Senate leadership should call for his resignation. Public office should never be used for private gain. Period.” Colin Campbell contributed.

Releasing a second mug shot of accused violated the case's gag order, Holmes's attorneys argue in a new motion. A judge has granted their request for a hearing to investigate. The mug shot was "leaked to the media" on September 20, Holmes's attorneys say -- the same day their client Continue Reading that traded his unruly dyed-orange locks for a conservative brown-haired buzz cut. Holmes is charged with opening fire at the July 20 midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises at a theater in Aurora, killing twelve people and injuring at least 58 others. The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office distributed the photo -- which Holmes's attorneys say "has been widely disseminated in the media." At the time, the sheriff's office told Westword that it was distributing the new mug shot on a request basis. In the motion, which is on view below, Holmes's public defenders say the new booking photo violates the judge's order to limit pre-trial publicity, which says law enforcement agencies shouldn't "exercise their custodial authority" to cause "the deliberate exposure of a person in custody for the purpose of photographing or televising by representatives of the news media." While that could be read as an order not to parade Holmes in front of the cameras while he's in handcuffs, his attorneys point out that because cameras are not allowed in the courtroom, "the public would not have had access to an image of Mr. Holmes but for this leak." (Cameras are banned, but a sketch artist has been allowed to draw Holmes in court.) Holmes's attorneys requested a hearing "to investigate the circumstances under which this photograph of Mr. Holmes was taken and its purpose, the party responsible for distributing the photograph to the media, and what sanctions are an appropriate response to this violation." In an order on view below, the judge granted that request and set the hearing for October 11 at 9 a.m., the date of an already scheduled court appearance in the case. Holmes's attorneys are also seeking sanctions against "the government" for "leaking privileged and confidential information to the media about the contents of a package" that Holmes sent to Dr. Lynne Fenton, a psychiatrist he'd seen when he was a neuroscience student at the University of Colorado. In a motion on view below, they argue that shortly after the judge ordered that no one -- including prosecutors -- view the contents, the media reported what was allegedly inside, "citing unnamed law enforcement sources." Five days after the attack, Fox News first reported that the package contained a notebook featuring drawings of a gun-wielding stick figure shooting other stick figures. "The discovery received thus far supports the defense's concern that the government was responsible for leaking information about the contents of the package to the media," Holmes's attorneys wrote. They requested an "evidentiary hearing" on the matter, but the judge has not yet ruled on whether to hold one. Continue reading to view the documents referenced in this post, and to see a large version of Holmes's original mug shot. More from our Aurora Theater Shooting archive: "Aurora theater shooting: Fund for victim Farrah Soudani gets busty boost from theCHIVE."

The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan transits the Pacific Ocean with ships assigned to the Rim of the Pacific 2010 combined task force as part of an exercise north of Hawaii. US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Dylan McCord China has an aggressive posture in the South China Sea, the world's largest military, an ever modernizing and threatening navy, and a fearsome domestic ballistic- and cruise-missile program. But there is one thing that it can't buy, build, or claim as its own: allies. In the video below, the US leads submarines, destroyers, white hulls, amphibious assault vessels, and more in what has to be one of the most powerful naval formations of all time as part of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2016. Forty-five surface ships, five submarines, and more than 200 aircraft from 26 nations participated in the entire exercise from start to finish, and even China sailed with the group for the early portion. In the clip, you see Japanese and Chinese war ships, South Korean submarines, coast-guard ships, and all manner of naval power in a tight formation in the royal-blue waters of the Pacific. Of course, the formation is led by a US aircraft carrier, the premier source of naval power projection today. The US' allies carried on into the ocean off of Hawaii and carried out high-end warfighting drills to build readiness and interoperability. Though China has an impressive grip on the South China Sea with its militarized islands and radar outposts, unilateral action can get it only so far. With China's immediate neighbors disputing their claims, the only multilateral, peaceful way forward is through international cooperation — the kind on display here at RIMPAC: RIMPAC 2016 runs from June 30 to August 4.

An article posted on Yahoo! Japan earlier this week takes a closer look at the new “Dragon Ball Room” initiative, an interdepartmental collaboration to support and expand upon the Dragon Ball franchise. In particular, section chief Akio Iyoku discusses the natural inception of the team, as well as the challenges they face when marketing to multiple generations of fans in various countries. At a new publication planning press conference held by Shueisha in October 2016, one section had everyone involved talking, even without a “new publication” being announced. Its name is the “Dragon Ball Room”. Shueisha’s first ever section devoted exclusively to a single franchise, it is supposed to “take this globally popular major property and expand it even further”, but in concrete terms what exactly does this section do (or what will it do)? And how exactly did it come to be? We asked the section chief Akio Iyoku. According to materials distributed at the planning conference, the Dragon Ball Room is a section for handling all mediation between the author and foreign or domestic licensees and helping with editorial supervision and contracts relating to filming and commercialization of Dragon Ball and other works by Akira Toriyama. According to Iyoku, it’s hard to define the exact timeline of when this section was created, but there were long-running discussions at Shueisha over how to manage a point of contact for outside companies when it came to Dragon Ball, which has finished its serialization. As a result, “they decided to establish a new section for contacting Toriyama-sensei and other things to keep the franchise going indefinitely”. That raises a question. The TV anime Dragon Ball Super currently airing Sunday mornings is a new series based on Akira Toriyama’s original draft, and is supposed to be running in V-Jump (with artwork by Toyotaro). Iyoku’s answer: “Me and everyone else in charge of Dragon Ball Super are on the V-Jump editorial department and also work at the Dragon Ball Room.” Unpacking that, “The Dragon Ball Room is part of the rights department, and was originally conceived as an integration of the V-Jump editorial department and the rights department. Both were doing the same job, so they decided to do it together.” Iyoku says that one of the Dragon Ball Room’s major roles is “commercialization inspection”. It seems they coordinate with Toei Animation, who make the TV anime, and “handle editorial supervision, official paperwork… as well as merchandise development. We decide the content of games like the arcade game Super Dragon Ball Heroes or the game series Dragon Ball Xenoverse. By taking part in this merchandise development, we try and make the franchise into an even bigger hit.” The 3DS game Dragon Ball Fusions, aimed at a young audience, features fusions of popular characters not seen in the original story. The members of the Dragon Ball Room thought that this would be something children would enjoy. In addition to domestic merchandise development, another major job for this section is expanding overseas. It seems that the basis for what makes a character popular are slightly different overseas than in Japan: “Overseas, ‘strength’ determines popularity”, he says. One particularly large difference between Japan and overseas is the “incredible popularity” of the movie-original character Broli, who appeared as an enemy in three films (one of which featured a clone of him): “He’s got bulging muscles and gives Goku a tough fight, so the Super Saiyan version of Broli is popular.” 2016 marks Dragon Ball‘s 30th anniversary since its debut in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1986. With the passage of 30 years, Iyoku says that among fans, “There’s a generational shift. Parents are from the generation that experienced the series in real time, and I guess you could say they support their children when they get into Dragon Ball. I think it’s precisely because we’ve reached that timeframe that the series is so popular right now.”At the same time, LINE Stamp is getting the “real time generation” buzzing with content like “the ideal boss Freeza” or “Yamcha goes a little too far”. “Recently they’ve become able to consciously make things that have a different style to them, which is another accomplishment of the Dragon Ball Room. Rather than simply making merchandise, we’re at the point where we can plan things out and go create them together.” The birth of the Dragon Ball Room is sure to stimulate the Dragon Ball property to evolve even further in 2017.

Auburn's feeling peachy. The Tigers are headed to the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on New Year's Day to take on No. 12 UCF in the teams' bowl game, which will kick off at 11:30 a.m. on ESPN. Auburn coach Gus Malzahn and UCF interim coach Troy Walters will discuss their teams' matchup during a media conference call this afternoon. Below is a transcrip of their remarks: GUS MALZAHN OPENING STATEMENT: Atlanta is just right up the road, and we've got a lot of fans that live in Atlanta. That's kind of been a home away from home. Excited to return back there. The stadium is unbelievable. And then to get a chance to play the best offense in college football and the only undefeated team in college football left, I think its' a big honor for us. I know our players, our fans, and our coaches will be excited and looking forward to it. MATT GARVEY (Moderator): Coach Walters, we'll take your opening statement and comments now, please. TROY WALTERS: We too are excited to be playing in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl 50th anniversary. We accept the invitation. When our players found out today we would be playing in that game and playing Auburn, they were excited. It's been a wonderful season, a magical season, and we look forward to playing a great Auburn team there in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. The guys are going to prepare, and we just look forward to everything that the bowl represents and the opportunity to play there in Atlanta. MATT GARVEY: Thanks for that, Coach. Members, media, if you'd like to ask a question, we're going to open that up now. Q. Troy, I was wondering whether -- how you thought this was going to work with Coach Frost wanting to coach the guys in the Bowl game. How will the next few weeks go? And do you worry that it will be a little haphazard or a distraction or anything like that? TROY WALTERS: We're still working through the logistics. Coach Frost is a part of this team. He's done a great job in the two years he's been here. He's part of this family. So we're still working through the logistics on how everything's going to work out. But I think the players want him to be a part of this. We want to finish what we started. So we'll just kind of see how it plays out over the coming weeks. Q. Gus, I know yesterday you said you wanted to be at Auburn. I've been told that Arkansas wants to make a decision on its coach very, very quickly. Have you heard anything from them since yesterday? And what's your status, if any, discussions you've had with Auburn since last night? GUS MALZAHN: I'm planning on being at Auburn. I told you last night that's where I wanted to be, and nothing's changed. Q. Hey, Troy, I was just wondering how are the players taking this change? And how do you see going forward from their perspective? How have they accepted this? TROY WALTERS: They understand what Coach Frost has done for this program. They love him to death. They understand that it was one of the toughest decisions he had to make because he cares so much about the players. He's poured his life, his heart into these players the past two years, and they know it was a difficult decision, as he addressed the team last night. It was one of the toughest things he's done. We've got a great group of players, resilient. They're not going to let anything get in the way of them going out and winning this game and ending 13-0. They're focused -- they've been focused all year. They've been able to put distractions out of the way and been able to focus on the opponent at hand, and I don't see it being any different. They love Coach Frost. They know he had to make a tough decision, but they're focused, and our focus is on this upcoming game against Auburn. Q. Then how about for you? Obviously, a coaching search going on. You're the interim head coach. How do you feel about the whole thing? TROY WALTERS: I'm focused on this upcoming game. I take it day by day. And right now my job is to make sure that everything is going in the right direction, that the players are doing what they're supposed to do, and I take that seriously. And I'm honored to be the interim coach. Whatever happens down the line, it's out of my hands. All I can do is prepare the guys right now so that we can go out there January 1st and be prepared to play a good football team and play a good football game. Q. Are you a candidate for the head coaching job? TROY WALTERS: Hope so. I love it here. My family loves it here. I know I have total trust in Danny White and the administration that they'll select the right guy for this program. So we'll see what happens. Q. This is for Gus. I know you've continued to say you plan on being the coach at Auburn next season. Obviously, there's no top seat talks. I'm wondering, when you say hope, are there things you're wanting to get settled with Auburn as far as your contract discussions? How are things going along right now? GUS MALZAHN: Brandon, like I just said, I'm planning on being here at Auburn, and that's where I want to be. Q. Has Auburn -- have you talked to Auburn yet or have they officially talked to you yet about your contract and trying to work something out? GUS MALZAHN: Nothing's changed since last night. MATT GARVEY: For members of the media, I think we have more than covered the coaching scenarios for the two coaches. If possible, I'd like to focus the questions on the matchup in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. I think coaches have asked and answered those questions. Q. Coach Malzahn, how much do you know about UCF? They're the top scoring team in the country, back-to-back very high scoring games. What do you think about them going into the matchup? GUS MALZAHN: Yeah, they've got a lot of speed. I got a chance to watch them on TV a couple times this year, very impressive. Of course, the wins against Memphis. My buddy Mike Norvell spoke so highly of them and what kind of team they are. Coach Frost and his staff just did a super job. They're the No. 1 scoring offense in the country. They've earned that. They've got a lot of weapons. Any time you're undefeated, that is a very, very special thing. So they've got everything going for them, and it's been impressive to watch from the outside. Q. And for you, Coach Walters, so much has gone on just in the last 24 hours. Have you had an opportunity to process it at all with so much going on? TROY WALTERS: Not yet. Yesterday was a whirl wind. Winning a conference championship was one of the greatest feelings in the world, celebrating with the team, with the players. All the hard work they put in, it was just an awesome feeling, awesome experience. And then finding out Coach Frost was leaving was a sad day because we know what he's poured in and what he means to this program. But like I said, our players are resilient. We had a meeting today, came in and watched the Selection Show, saw who we were going to play, and they're excited about this upcoming opportunity to play the SEC West champions, a team that's beaten two No. 1 ranked teams in the country. It's a great opportunity for our players, this football program, this university, and we're looking forward to the challenge. Q. Gus, I don't -- with all due respect, I don't mean to beat a dead horse here, but you said planning. I just want to be 100 percent clear. Can you say unequivocally you will be the coach at Auburn next year? GUS MALZAHN: Yeah, I'm planning on being the coach at Auburn next year. I thought that was the last question we were going to ask about all that. Q. I understand. You say planning. I just want to be 100 percent clear about what you're saying. GUS MALZAHN: That's just what I said. You just heard what I said. MATT GARVEY: Again, media, if you have a question on the game, you can get in the queue. Q. At the risk of ticking everybody off, I've been traveling all day from Houston for basketball, so I'm a little out of it. Gus, the reports are that Arkansas has made a huge offer to you. How flattering is it that -- MATT GARVEY: I'm sorry, Bob. Do you have a question about the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl matchup? Q. I do not have a question about that. MATT GARVEY: Okay. I think we've already covered the coaching questions. If there are no more questions about the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, last chance. Q. Gus, how tough do you think it's going to be to go back to Atlanta to get this thing back -- knowing it's at the same place. You mentioned it's a home away from home, but it's a place they've played a good bit. Do you think it's going to be a challenge getting those guys ready to go back to a place like Atlanta again? GUS MALZAHN: I'll tell you what. They're going to be extremely excited to go back to the same venue and play better than we did. We didn't play our best. Got to give Georgia credit. But I know this team is going to be extremely hungry to win this Bowl game and to finish the season off the right way for our seniors and a chance to win 11 games. So we'll be very excited. We're going to be very motivated. There's no doubt in my mind about that. So we always like playing in Atlanta. Q. Coach, is it an extra challenge to prepare your team to get ready for a team that maybe a lot of people think are going to lose the game, underdog so to speak, maybe a team that your guys might not take so serious? GUS MALZAHN: I promise you we'll take them seriously. They're the No. 12 team in the entire country. They're the only undefeated team. They're the No. 1 scoring offense in the country. And they've earned everybody's respect. Not just ours, but everybody around the country. Our guys, they'll need to be ready, and I expect us to be ready. Q. Guys, I know Kerryon was banged up yesterday. What's his -- what's he feeling like today? I know you've been out on the recruiting trail, but how does he feel today? And what is his status? What is his plan -- your plan for him, I guess, during Bowl practices and for the Bowl game? GUS MALZAHN: I talked to him earlier today. He's definitely still banged up. You talk about he's just really the heart and soul of our team. The courage he showed, and he wasn't 100 percent. He tried his best. The good thing is we've got almost a month before we play, allowing not only him to heal up but some of those other guys to heal up. We'll know more as it goes, but you're talking about a guy that really didn't get a chance to practice hardly at all last week, and he gave it his all last night. Q. How banged up was he during the game? And how much did you have to call plays around that to sort of protect him? GUS MALZAHN: Yeah, we just tried to keep an eye on him as we went, strategically put him in there when we felt was appropriate right there. Then, of course, he helped get us here. [ Indiscernible ]. MATT GARVEY: Coach Malzahn, are you there? GUS MALZAHN: I am. MATT GARVEY: You were just cutting out at the very end there. Q. Coach Walters, just wanted to talk a little bit about the defense. Gave up a lot of points in back-to-back games, bent, but did not break. Talk about not having a bye week. Has fatigue caught up with the team there in the last two games? TROY WALTERS: You know, offense any time -- USF, they've got a dynamic quarterback, play makers on the perimeter, and Memphis, they were the No. 2 ranked scoring offense in the country. So our defense back-to-back games played two pretty explosive offenses. We played Temple on a Saturday, and then we came back with a short week against USF. I think we were a little tired for that game, but we found a way to win. We played 11 straight weeks. Like I said, this team is resilient. We're not going to make any excuses. We're going to go out, and we're going to find a way to win. The defense, they've come up with timely stops. They know that they're going to play a great offensive team in Auburn, great running back, a quarterback that's one of the better quarterbacks in the SEC, and they've got some explosive receivers. I know we've watched, as a staff, them a couple times when we had night games and they've played early. I watched the Texas A&M game. It's a great offense, and our defensive staff will put together a great plan, and our defense, they have to be ready to go. Q. This is actually for both coaches, if I can get you guys to answer one by one. Can you just maybe talk a little bit about the two quarterbacks in this game. It seems like it's probably one of the top Bowls with two of the top quarterbacks for both teams, two highly explosive offenses. What have you guys noticed from them as you went along in the season, and what are you expecting from these guys when they face-off on the field? TROY WALTERS: I'll talk about our quarterback, McKenzie. He's playing at a high level. He's matured from last year to this season. He understands what we're trying to do offensively, schematically, and he's just making plays. He's making plays with his arms. He's making plays with his legs. He's getting the ball into our playmaker's hands, and he's doing everything that we're asking. I think last year he tried to force the ball quite a bit. This year he understands that he has play makers around him, and he's just making great decisions, and he's stepping up on the biggest stage. So I know he's looking forward to this matchup against an SEC defense, as we are as an offense. Excited about his progress and excited what he's going to do January 1st. GUS MALZAHN: Yeah, of course, Jarrett Stidham, first year here at Auburn. I think he's improved each week, really gotten command of the offense. He's done a very good job with his yards, getting yards with his feet the last part of the season, and for the most part, he's really protected the football and played at a high level. So I think you're exactly right. I think you'll see two very, very good quarterbacks in this game. Q. I know it's still early and still several weeks to the Bowl game, but I wanted to see if there was any update on Cameron Pettway and if he might be able to play in this game in January. GUS MALZAHN: I don't know the answer to that quite yet. It's hard for me to answer that right now. Maybe as it gets a little closer, I can be a little more accurate. AL.com will update this post. Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

When we started the Fedora Workstation effort one thing we wanted to do was to drain the proverbial swamp of make sure that running Linux on a laptop is a first rate experience. As you see from my last blog entry we have been working on building a team dedicated to that task. There are many facets to this effort, but one that we kept getting asked about was sorting out hybrid graphics. So be aware that some of this has been covered in previous blog entries, but I want to be thorough here. So this blog will cover the big investments of time and effort we are putting into Wayland and X Windows, GNOME Shell and Nouveau (the open source driver for NVidia GPU hardware). A big part of this story is also that we are trying to make it easier to run the NVidia binary driver on Fedora in general which is actually a fairly large undertaking as there are a lot challenges with trying to do that without requiring any manual configuration from the user and making sure it works fully in the hybrid graphics usecase. This is one of the most requested areas of improvement for Fedora. Many users are trying to run Fedora on their existing laptops or other hardware. Rather than allow this gap to be a reason for people to not run Fedora, we want to provide a better experience. Of course users will have the freedom to make their own choice about installing these drivers, using information provided by Software. Hybrid graphics is the term used for when you have a laptop with two GPUs, usually one Intel and one NVidia GPU, but there are also some laptops available which comes with Intel/AMD CPU + AMD GPU. The purpose of hybrid graphics is to have your (Intel) Integrated GPU be your ‘day to day GPU’ for running your desktop yet not drawing to much power, but then if you want to for instance play a game on your system you can activate your secondary GPU which got a lot more power, but which also draws more electricity. What complicated this even more was the fact that most users who wanted to use this setup wanted to use it in combination with the binary NVidia driver, in order to get top performance from their second GPU, which is not surprising since that is the whole point of switching to it. The main challenge with this was that the Mesa and binary NVidia driver both provided an OpenGL implementation that due to the way things works in the X Window System ended up overwriting each other, basically breaking the overwritten driver. The solution for this was a system called Bumblebee which employed some clever hacks to work around this issue, but Bumblebee is a solution to a problem we shouldn’t have to begin with. Of course dealing with the OpenGL stack wasn’t the only challenge here. For instance different display outputs ended up being connected to different GPUs, with one of the most common setups being that the internal screen is connected to your Intel GPU and your external HDMI and DisplayPort connections are connected to your NVidia or AMD GPU. One some systems there where hardware connectors allowing you to display using either GPU to any screen, but a setup we see becoming more common is that the drivers for both card needs to be initialized in all cases, allowing the display connected GPU to slave itself to the other GPU to allow rendering on one GPU and displaying on the other. Within Mesa this is fairly straightforward to handle, so if both Intel and NVidia as rendering using Mesa things are fairly straightforward. What makes this a lot more challenging here is the NVidia binary driver, so once you install the binary driver we need to find a way to bridge and interoperate between these two stacks. And of course that is just the highlights, like anything complex like this there are a long laundry list of items from the point where you can checkbox having a feature to it working really well and seamless. What to expect in Fedora Workstation 25 Lets start with a word of caution here, we are working on a tight deadline here to get all the pieces lined up, so I can not be 100% sure what will make it for the day of release. What we are confident about though is that we will have all the low level plumbing sorted so that we can improve this over the course of the Fedora 25 lifecycle. As always I hope the community will join us in testing and developing this, to ensure we have even the corner cases worked out for Fedora Workstation 26. The initial step we took and this is quite some time ago was that Dave Airlie worked on making sure we could handle two GPUs within the Mesa stack. As a bit of wordplay on the NVidia solution being called Optimus the open source Mesa solution was named Prime. This work basically allowed you to use Mesa for your Intel card and use Mesa (Nouveau) for your NVidia card and launch applications on the NVidia card while the screen was connected to the Intel card. You can choose which one is used by setting the DRI_PRIME=1 environment variable. The second step was Adam Jackson collaborating with NVidia on something called libglvnd. Libglvnd stands for GL Vendor Neutral Dispatch and it is basically a dispatch layer that allows your OpenGL calls to be dispatched to more than one OpenGL implementation. Nvidia created this specification and have been steadily working on supporting it in their binary driver, but Adam Jackson stepped up to help review their patches and work on supporting glvnd in the Mesa drivers. This means that for Fedora Workstation 25 you should for the first time ever be able to have both the binary NVidia driver and Mesa installed without any file conflicts. So the X server now has the infrastructure to route your OpenGL call to the correct stack when that DRI_PRIME variable is set. That said there is a major catch here, due to the way things currently work once the NVidia binary driver is installed it expects to be rendering the screen all the time. So we need for the short term to figure out a way to allow it to do that, and in the long run we need to work with NVidia to figure out how the Intel open source driver can collaborate with the Nvidia driver to allow us to only use the Intel driver at times (to save on power for instance). We are still pushing hard on trying to have the short term fix in place, but as I write this we haven’t fully nailed this down yet. The third step is work that Ben Skeggs has been doing on dealing with the monitor handling here, which includes adding MST support to Nouveau, because a lot of external ports and docking stations have not been working with these hybrid graphics setups due to the external screens all being routed through the NVidia chip. These patches just got accepted upstream and we will be including them in Fedora Workstation 25. The fourth step has been work that Hans de Goede has been doing around Prime, fixing the modesetting driver and fixing cursor handling with hybrid graphics. In some sense the work Hans has been doing, and check his blog entry linked, is part of that washlist I talked about, the many smaller items that needs to work smoothly for this to go from ‘checkbox works’ to ‘actually works’. He is also working with the DNF team to allow us to control the kernel updates if you use the binary NVidia driver, meaning that we will only bump up your kernel driver when we have the binary NVidia driver module ready too. If for any reason the binary Nvidia driver doesn’t work we want to have graceful fallback to Nouveau. Fifth step has been Jonas Ådahls work on enabling the binary NVidia driver for Wayland. He has put together a set of patches to be able to support NVidias EGLStreams interface, which means that starting from Fedora Workstation 25 you will be able to use Wayland also with NVidias binary driver. You can see his work in progress patches here. Jonas will also be looking at implementing hybrid graphics support in Wayland, so we ensure that also for this usecase Wayland is on par with X for Fedora Workstation 26. The sixth step has been work done by Bastien Nocera to ensure we expose this functionality in the user interface. The idea is that you should be able to configure on a per application basis which GPU they are being launched on. It also means that you can now get all your GPU information in the GNOME about screen also when you have dual-GPU systems. More details in his blog post here. The seventh step is the work that Simone Caronni from Negativo17 has been doing on working with us on packaging the binary NVidia driver in a way that makes all this work. You can find his repo here on Negativo17, but Simone has also been working with Kalev Lember and Richard Hughes to ensure the driver show up correctly in GNOME Software once you have the repository enabled. The plan is to offer the driver in Fedora Workstation 25 as third party software, but we haven’t yet made the formal proposal due to wanting to be sure we ironed out all important bugs first, both on our side and on NVidia side. So as you can see from all of this there are a lot of components involved and since we are trying to support both X and Wayland with all of this the job hasn’t exactly been easy. There are for sure some things that will not be ready in time for Fedora Workstation 25, for instance if you want to use the binary NVidia driver we will not be able to make that work with XWayland. So native Wayland applications will be fine, including games using SDL on top of Wayland, but due to how the stack is architected we haven’t gotten around to implementing bridging OpenGL from Xwayland down to the binary NVidia driver. With Nouveau it should work however. This corner case we will have to figure out for Fedora Workstation 26, but for now we have decided that if we detect a Optimus system we will default you to X instead of Wayland. Get involved As always we love for more people to join us in this effort and one good way to get started with that is to join our Hybrid graphics test day on Thursday the 3rd of November!

While not as hotly anticipated as the list of musicians coming to U.S. Bank Stadium for the Super Bowl next winter, the concerts surrounding next summer’s X Games at Minneapolis’ new NFL mega-palace could earn high kicks from young music fans. Homegrown hip-hop stars Atmosphere, Warped Tour mainstays A Day to Remember and Australian electro-pop producer Flume will each headline a show outside the stadium during the July 13-16 marathon of skateboarding, BMX and motocross contests. Their names were announced in conjunction with the winter version of the X Games, happening this week in Aspen, Colo. Tickets for the Minneapolis concerts are included with $40-$60 admission passes for the games, on sale now via XGames.com/tickets. Here’s the daily rundown: FRIDAY, JULY 14: A Day to Remember SATURDAY, JULY 15: Flume SUNDAY, JULY 16: Atmosphere The X Games will be Atmosphere’s third hometown show of 2017, counting their sold-out March 10 concert to inaugurate the renovated Palace Theatre in downtown St. Paul and their usual set at the Soundset festival on May 28, the lineup for which should be announced by early March. Atmosphere was also picked to perform with Imagine Dragons for the MLB All-Star Game concert at TCF Bank Stadium in 2014. While the hip-hop vets have a mighty draw in their hometown, the summer X Games lineup overall is quite a step down in star power from the winter X Games now going on in Aspen, where Top 10 hip-hop hitmakers Anderson .Paak and G-Eazy and EDM festival headliner Bassnectar are performing.

Why Web Literacy Matters, Too Reading, writing and arithmetic need a 21st century companion: web literacy. Mark Surman Blocked Unblock Follow Following Jun 16, 2015 By Mark Surman On a recent Tuesday afternoon in London, I asked a simple question to a full room: “How many people think of themselves as tech savvy, or digitally literate?” Several hands shot up in response. I posed a second question: “How many people would say knowing how the Internet works has opened opportunity for them?” Here, the reaction was almost unanimous — virtually all attendees raised their hands. The audience agreed that the Internet, when we know how to wield it, indisputably makes our lives better. But the showing of hands suggested something deeper: It’s time we formally introduce web literacy into our education systems around the globe. When the modern education system first emerged, we cast a trio of skills as its bedrock: the three Rs. Reading, writing and arithmetic have proven an indispensable foundation. But in today’s digital world — a world where a room full of strangers can so quickly agree on the web’s potential — one core skill is conspicuously absent from our education system: web literacy. The ability to explore, create and connect online isn’t an inherent part of curricula. That needs to change — web literacy deserves to be enshrined as the fourth R. Timing is key. By 2025, almost five billion individuals will be online — a major increase from the 2.9 billion currently on the web. If equipped with web literacy education, these new users can use the Internet to unlock tremendous social and economic opportunities. The local shopkeeper can reach customers anywhere. A teacher can share and update lesson plans with students remotely. But if there’s limited understanding about how it all works, these new users will probably miss out. Introducing web literacy at scale is an ambitious undertaking, but it starts with a modest task: defining what, precisely, web literacy is. It’s not a single skill, like being handy with HTML. Instead, web literacy is a collection of competencies, perhaps best divided into three categories: read, write and participate. “Read” is how we explore the web. Web literate individuals understand what a browser is, and the difference between a URL and an IP address. They can evaluate web content, separating the useful and trustworthy from the drivel. And they have a grasp on security basics, like maintaining a sound password and avoiding online scams. “Write” is how we build the web. Web literate students can transform a word into a hyperlink and attach media to an email. As they hone their abilities, they become more adept: at remixing other users’ content, writing code, applying a script framework. “Participate” is how we connect on the web. This bucket ranges from the simple — engaging in a discussion on a chat forum, or, say, Medium — to the complex, like controlling what metadata is shared with certain services.