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A public policy analyst is warning that New Brunswick is barrelling toward bankruptcy unless it reins in spending, increases taxes and develops its natural resources. Richard Saillant, of Moncton, director general of the Canadian Institute for Research on Public Policy and Public Administration, urges the provincial government to make immediate changes to its economic policies in his new book, Over the Cliff? Time to rebound is running out, said Saillant, a former vice-president of the Université de Moncton. The province's net debt currently stands at about $11 billion and could jump to about $62 billion by 2035, he said. One major problem is the province's aging of the population, compared to the rest of the country, he told CBC News on Tuesday, following the release of his book in Fredericton. "Median New Brunswicker right now is about 44 years old. Twenty-five years ago, the median New Brunswicker was like 24 years old. "Whereas 20 years from now, it will be golden age, while the median Canadian will only be the same age as the current New Brunswicker." Saillant says that's a recipe for financial disaster. An older population means more money will be required for health care and care for the elderly, he said. In addition, there will be fewer people in the work force, leading to a weaker economy, Saillant said. "In my book, I say about three-quarters of its long-term growth rate is going to be lost just because population is aging so fast." Finance Minister Blaine Higgs has projected the net debt will grow by by more than $530 million next year, pushing it to $12.2 billion. It will be 2017-18 before the province finishes a year in the black, he has said. New Brunswick has the second highest net debt per capita in the country, according to Auditor General Kim MacPherson's 2012-13 report. In essence, it would require every New Brunswicker to pay $14,623 to pay off the net debt, which is less than $100 shy of the net debt per capita in Nova Scotia. MacPherson has called for "significant changes to improve the financial health" of the province, calling the rapid growth of net debt "very concerning." |
IN THIS tiny Dutch village, Jan Voortman’s garden centre has added some new products to its line-up of plants, seeds and wooden clogs: falafel, couscous and water pipes. The enterprising store owner is capitalising on the newest residents of rural Oranje, until recently population 130: Hundreds of asylum seekers from as far away as Syria, Sudan and Eritrea who are being housed in a disused vacation camp. But the resolutely cheerful Voortman sees his fellow townspeople adopting a starkly different attitude. Villagers who a year ago grudgingly accepted the arrival of 700 migrants reacted furiously last week when the government announced it was sending up to 700 more, turning Oranje into the latest flashpoint in an increasingly polarised debate about how this densely populated nation of 17 million can accommodate thousands of migrants pouring into the country. Similar frictions are emerging elsewhere in Europe as the continent struggles to absorb hundreds of thousands of people. Villagers and townsfolk in some parts of Germany also have protested against the arrival of asylum seeker centres, though many others in the country also do plenty to help migrants. In the end, 103 new migrants were bussed into Oranje, bringing the total to 803. The agency responsible for housing asylum seekers called the decision to send more people to Oranje “difficult but unavoidable” given the lack of suitable housing elsewhere. Oranje was chosen because of its 1,400-bed vacation village, but villagers saw the decision as a betrayal by the central government based more than 200 kilometres (125 miles) away in The Hague, which after sending 700 people last year had pledged not to send any more. “It was going well. Everybody was satisfied,” Voortman said. When junior Justice Minister Klaas Dijkhoff broke the news to villagers on Tuesday that hundreds more could be on their way, he said, “everybody flipped.” One woman stood in front of Dijkhoff’s car as he tried to leave the meeting. When she was pulled, screaming, to the side of the road, she fell and injured her arm. A man kicked the car as it drove away. “I’ve had better evenings,” Dijkhoff told reporters at the Dutch Parliament the following day. “But I understand that people were shocked.” Two days after the confrontation, the only trace of anger left in the cluster of houses lining the banks of the local canal was the village sign: The name Oranje had been covered in black spray paint and “Syria” scrawled underneath. It was not clear when the sign was defaced. Many Dutch people are welcoming migrants with open arms, but plenty of others are opposing moves to set up centres for asylum seekers in their towns and villages. Prime Minister Mark Rutte has faced criticism for his handling of the crisis, while anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders has seen his Freedom Party rise in recent polls as he campaigns against new migrant centres. He argues that the Netherlands should simply close its borders. But the asylum seekers keep coming. Some 3,000 arrived last week alone; the previous week saw 2,400 and the week before that 4,200. That has left authorities scrambling for places to put them all. Vacation parks and sports halls are being pressed into service as emergency accommodation centres and local municipalities are being asked to look for other suitable locations. So far, according to locals, problems caused by the massive influx in Oranje are confined to asylum seekers riding bicycles on the wrong side of the road or walking in the middle of streets at night, posing a risk to themselves and local motorists. But Mayor Ton Baas acknowledged that their arrival has radically changed the sleepy rural village. “The people, refugees, come from another culture. They walk on the street more, they are outside. They have nothing to do. There’s nothing to do,” he said. “So they are on the street and that gives (the village) a totally different appearance.” One of this week’s arrivals was Mohamad Ziad, a 28-year-old from Homs in Syria, who crossed Europe in a people-smuggler’s truck after making the risky boat journey from Turkey to the Greek island of Rhodes. As he shopped in Voortman’s store, Ziad had kind words for the village of Oranje. “I really like it. You know, we are having our own room — especially your own bathroom — not sharing with each other,” he said. “It’s quiet and people like each other because, you know, we are all in the same situation.” |
— On the night Tim Duncan played his first game against the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan led all scorers with 29 points. Four future NBA head coaches -- Avery Johnson, Vinny Del Negro, Monty Williams and Steve Kerr -- combined to score 34. Bobby Portis, the Chicago rookie who might find himself matched up against the legendary San Antonio Spurs big man for a few minutes Monday night at United Center (8 ET, NBA TV), was 2 years old on that Nov. 3, 1997 night in the Windy City. Duncan? He scored 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting and grabbed 22 rebounds in only his third NBA game. That same guy scored 10 points, shot 5-of-9 and grabbed 18 rebounds -- 18! -- Friday against Atlanta. Eighteen years, 25 days and 1,585 regular-season and postseason NBA games later. Oh, and five championships and 1,113 victories later too, since that's what Duncan and the Spurs are all about. "I do enjoy playing against one of the best teams, I think, in the history of the game," Bulls center Pau Gasol said Sunday. "They've been incredible for the last 15, 16, 17 years now since they won that first championship. So really impressive what they've done. I think everybody is trying to follow up on what they've accomplished. And building that culture, longevity. So yeah, I still do get very much motivated against a team that's always at the top of the league." Look where the Spurs are again: 14-3, sort of using the frenzy over the unbeaten Golden State Warriors as cover to quietly position themselves once more near the top of the Western Conference. Seventeen months after the so-called "closure" of that fifth NBA title for this core group -- Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili (four rings), coach Gregg Popovich -- San Antonio again sits among the elite group of four or five teams considered most capable of winning the championship next June. The big thing is the buy-in that that team has. They do such a good job of playing to their roles and to their strengths and getting guys the ball in the right spots on the floor and playing off it. – Chicago Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg Basketball mortality started trending big-time Sunday when Kobe Bryant announced that this season would be his last. And yet, here come the Spurs, Ginobili wooed back over the summer, Popovich renewed, Parker and Duncan refreshed. Their roster replenished. Their finish line still vague. "The Spurs are a machine," Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg said. "The biggest thing with them is the consistency they have with their offense and their defense. Those guys have been together for so long. I think it's kind of the model that everyone is looking for, to be able to have that type of roster and sustain success while keeping your core group together as long as they have." Hoiberg got to the NBA in 1995, one year before Popovich moved from the front office to the sidelines as Spurs coach, two years before he and the organization landed Duncan. Hoiberg played 10 NBA seasons, retired a decade ago due to heart issues, worked in Minnesota's front office, coached five seasons at Iowa State and now gets to face them again, all these years later. At least he hired his associate head coach, Jim Boylen, away from the Spurs to help. "They're a fun team to watch the way that ball moves, as unselfish as they are," Hoiberg said. "They play to their strengths. They defend every night. It's a great team to try to model after. With Duncan as your centerpiece and with Ginobili and Parker as your three and then to add the pieces that they have with Kawhi Leonard and with Danny Green, they've just done an unbelievable job building that team and keeping it together." For all the ooh's and ahh's the Spurs generated with the "beautiful basketball" they played in beating Miami Heat in the 2014 Finals, what they have done so far this season has been a return to the defensive-minded style of their early success under Popovich. His longtime lieutenant Mike Budenholzer, now coaching Atlanta, spoke of that after his Hawks succumbed in San Antonio Friday. "Back to the David Robinson and Tim Duncan days," Budenholzer told reporters. "It's interesting. I don't think that's probably what any of us around the league maybe would have thought was going to happen. Probably we thought they would be just as good defensively and better offensively. Just better in general. They're doing a great job on the defensive end of the court. I do think sometimes figuring each other out may take a little longer offensively." The Spurs added veteran bigs LaMarcus Aldridge and David West over the summer. Aldridge, 2015's plum free-agent signing, has seen his numbers droop (14.8 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 42.7 FG%) even more than expected in leaving his alpha-dog spot in Portland. West is a bit player warehoused for the playoffs. But the team again can flex size advantages at most spots when it wants, holding opponents to 7.3 fewer points per game this year. In a league in which coaches are known for "this" style or "that," Popovich has adapted from defense to offense and back, probably a couple times over. "I guess, when the league has gone small, they've kind of gone opposite and gone big to an extent with the lineups that they play," Hoiberg said. "They've got versatility. They can play small at times with Kawhi Leonard at the four. The big thing is the buy-in that that team has. They do such a good job of playing to their roles and to their strengths and getting guys the ball in the right spots on the floor and playing off it. "It's very admirable what Gregg Popovich has done. He's the best coach in the game and I don't think you could get anybody to say otherwise." Pardon Hoiberg if he sounds a little envious on the buy-in front. He's the new piece in Chicago, and despite the 9-5 start, the everyone's-back-this-year Bulls remain a work in progress. They are dealing with personnel limitations -- Gasol and Nikola Mirotic are stronger offensively, Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson defensively, for instance -- and working through some style challenges. It's unsettled enough to serve as a reminder that Gasol, when he had the chance to sign in July 2014 with San Antonio, opted instead for the Bulls. The lanky Spaniard would seem a perfect fit there, a prototype San Antonio player -- long, blessed with finesse, heady, international, adult. He chose Chicago for a little more money, the lure of then-coach Tom Thibodeau, the charms of the city and what might have seemed like a smoother road in the East back to The Finals (other than that half-man, half-barricade in Cleveland). It didn't work out, either, when brother Marc Gasol drew interest from San Antonio before this season but re-signed with Memphis. I do enjoy playing against one of the best teams, I think, in the history of the game. They've been incredible for the last 15, 16, 17 years now since they won that first championship. – Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol "No [regrets]," Pau Gasol said Sunday. "Sometimes circumstances, timing stop things from happening. You kind of make your own path and you stick with your decisions. I had the opportunity to go there two years ago. Marc had the opportunity to go there this summer. Neither of us decided to go for whatever reason. Life goes on." That doesn't mean Gasol -- a connoisseur of art, opera and other fine things in life -- cannot appreciate the qualities that have made the Spurs their own sort of masterpiece. "The way they play. Their unselfishness. Their consistency. Their hunger," Gasol said, ticking through the list. "Chemistry that they've built. The culture. They have a great organization, the way they've set it up." As for his matchups with Duncan over 13 seasons, going on 14, Gasol said: "I would say we've had some good battles where, for the most part, I think they had the upper hand. Except for a few years when I was with the Lakers where we were on top. For the most part, they have had the upper hand on every team in the league." Present tense makes all that past glory even more special. Steve Aschburner has written about the NBA since 1980. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Turner Broadcasting. |
September 12, 2013 at 11:59 AM It has been almost a couple weeks since this was a story, but Thursday marked the first time reporters talked to Sounders FC’s Eddie Johnson since his “Pay me!” goal celebration after a 1-0 road win against the Columbus Crew on Aug. 31. The forward left for the national team after that game — scoring another header in Crew Stadium to help the U.S. advance to the World Cup — but he is back in Seattle and explained his rationale for the controversial celebration. “Sometimes as an athlete or as a human being you go through so much in your life, and no one is perfect,” Johnson said. “It wasn’t anything about me trying to come at the club, just sometimes different people have different upbringings. In my sake, I don’t come from a lot. I come from a mom who was a single mom — I’m one of three — and my whole thing in playing this sport and being a father of two is being able to provide for all of them. When you work hard in life, sometimes you just want to be rewarded. But at the same time you have to be patient. I guess it was the first thing that came to my mind, but that’s behind me. I came off Twitter because a lot of the fans didn’t like that, but just for the fans, I’m happy here in Seattle. I couldn’t be happier to be in a professional environment playing with great players and in a professional organization.” Johnson also noted the uncertainty of life as a professional athlete, where a potential serious injury is always just around the corner. “At the end of the day, when you’re playing your best, you want to try and capitalize on it,” he said. “I keep reiterating to (GM Adrian Hanauer), to (coach Sigi Schmid) and to (sporting director) Chris Henderson, all those guys know my heart is here and I’m happy in Seattle. The success I’m having on the field is just a credit to those guys giving me a second chance to do what I love to do and that’s play soccer.” |
Hang on for a minute...we're trying to find some more stories you might like. Close Email This Story Send email to this address Enter Your Name Add a comment here Verification Send Email Cancel By DAN GARTLAND Executive Sports Editor Entering Saturday night’s game, Fordham hadn’t beaten Villanova since 1920, and the Rams had never won against a team ranked in the top 10. But Fordham’s strong offense and opportune defense hoisted the Rams over eighth-ranked Villanova, 27-24. Fordham quarterback Michael Nebrich called it “one of the biggest games I’ve ever played in,” and the redshirt sophomore rose to the occasion, passing for 190 yards and running for 102 more, with two touchdowns. His 4-yard touchdown run with 10:44 left in the fourth quarter proved to be the game-winning score. “Their quarterback was outstanding,” Villanova head coach Andy Talley said, referring to Nebrich. “He was the star of the game.” The story of the game for Villanova was the Wildcats’ five fumbles. On each of their final three possessions, the Wildcats coughed up the ball. They had five fumbles total. “You can’t win a game against anybody when you’re turning it over five times,” Talley said. “We gave a good team too many opportunities.” |
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The Indian embassy in Kiev has asked all Indians in Ukraine to register on its website with all necessary details so that they could be contacted quickly in case of any eventuality. “Indians in Ukraine, especially students, are strongly advised to register themselves on the embassy’s website and provide necessary contact details therein. This would facilitate embassy’s efforts in disseminating relevant information,” the embassy stated in a fresh advisory. Altogether 3,839 Indian citizens received higher education in Ukraine, mostly in medical sciences, in 2012-13. The number of Indians presently studying in Ukraine is estimated to be close to 4,000. Sources in New Delhi said that the government had not yet planned evacuation of the Indians from Ukraine, although the respective agencies had been instructed to be prepared for any eventuality. |
Editor's note: This story has been updated throughout. Just days after an advisory panel recommended the University of Texas at Austin relocate some or all of its statues of Confederate leaders, UT-Austin President Gregory Fenves announced that the statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis will soon have a new home. UT is relocating the Davis statue to an exhibit in the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History. Four other statues the panel considered relocating — including ones of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Albert Sidney Johnston — will remain on the university’s South Mall, but Fenves will consider adding explanatory plaques to place them in historical context. “While every historical figure leaves a mixed legacy, I believe Jefferson Davis is in a separate category,” Fenves wrote in a letter to the UT-Austin community, “and that it is not in the university’s best interest to continue commemorating him. Davis had few ties to Texas; he played a unique role in the history of the American South that is best explained and understood through an educational exhibit.” The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. Become one. The statue of former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson will also be relocated to another outdoor location, but for symmetrical reasons: He stands opposite Davis on South Mall. The Davis statue will likely be removed in the next two days, UT-Austin spokesman Gary Susswein said. It will be refurbished and relocated to the Briscoe Center in the next 18 months. In June, Fenves assembled a 12-member panel of students, professors and alumni to assess the appropriateness of the statues. The panel solicited more than 3,100 opinions from the public and released its recommendations Monday. Its report presented five options, four of which involved moving some or all of the statues to a history center on campus. Another option would have left the statues in place but called for explanatory plaques. UT-Austin student government President Xavier Rotnofsky and Vice President Rohit Mandalapu made removal of the Davis statue a central part of their platform when running for office. Both served on the advisory panel and said they were happy to see their goal achieved. "If there is a statue to be relocated it should be Jefferson Davis, the leader of the Confederacy," Mandalapu said. "Now it can be moved to a place where it can be contextualized and studied within the scope of history." The other Confederate statues of Lee, Johnston and Confederate Postmaster General John Reagan — and one of former Texas Gov. James Hogg — have strong ties to Texas, Fenves said in his letter, noting Lee's legacy "should not be reduced to his role in the Civil War." Moving the Davis statue, while leaving the other four in place is a respectful decision that still honors the heritage of the United States and the university, Fenves said. The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. Become one. The Davis statue has been the most controversial of the ones commemorating Confederate leaders. In March, the student assembly passed a resolution asking UT to remove the statue of Davis. In April, it was vandalized with the phrase “Davis Must Fall.” A week after June's deadly shooting at a black church in South Carolina, the statues of Davis, Lee and Johnston were tagged with the phrase “Black Lives Matter.” "Statues have layers of meaning: aesthetic, historical, aspirational and educational. History is not innocent; it is the living foundation for the present," the report said. "The university’s approach to changing and replacing monuments on campus should be conservative but not uncritical." While applauding UT's decision, state Sens. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, and Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo reiterated their call for examination of Confederate monuments on the Capitol grounds. "We hope the conversation at UT will encourage state leaders to have a similar debate about the numerous Confederate statues that dot the Capitol grounds," they said in a statement. "We renew our previous request — one that's been echoed by many legislators, both Democrat and Republican — to create a task force to begin a serious conversation about how best to honor Texas' past, ensure historical accuracy and celebrate figures who are relevant to our state and worthy of our praise." Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin is a corporate sponsor of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here. |
Gregg Covin and Louis Birdman of developer 1000 Biscayne Tower along with co-developer the Regalia Group are currently building one of Miami's most visually stunning highrises to date. Featuring a sinuous design by the late architect Zaha Hadid, the 83 units inside the 62-storey One Thousand Museum will offer luxurious living areas and coveted views of Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. One Thousand Museum construction, image courtesy of One Thousand Museum by Zaha Hadid Architects Hadid's architectural trademarks — curvaceous lines and bright facades — are quickly revealing themselves at the site. As crews complete the structural shape of the large podium, the tower floors have begun their intricate assembly. The curving concrete members comprising the thick exoskeleton that will drape the entire volume are becoming the star attraction of the skyscraper. One Thousand Museum construction, image courtesy of One Thousand Museum by Zaha Hadid Architects Though its basic shell doesn't yet give the appearance of luxury, residents will be treated to interiors that ooze sophistication. Holding duplex townhomes, half-floor residences, full-floor penthouses, and a single duplex penthouse, the tower's east-to-west flow-through floor plans range in size from 4,600 to 9,900 square feet and feature 10- to 20-foot ceiling heights. Oversized terraces are framed by the irregularly shaped exterior columns. One Thousand Museum construction, image courtesy of One Thousand Museum by Zaha Hadid Architects With over 30,000 square feet of recreational and relaxation spaces, the ultra-posh development naturally hosts a wide selection of activities for residents to engage in. A sunbathing deck atop the podium, where the roots of the exoskeleton sprout, houses organically outlined pools. Two full levels of wellness and spa services include a spacious fitness centre, a landscaped outdoor area, multimedia theatre, and private rooms for beauty treatments, plunge pools, and saunas. One Thousand Museum, image via Zaha Hadid Architects Coming to an elegant conclusion, One Thousand Museum's crown accommodates a double-height aquatic centre with yet another pool and sunbathing terrace. A sky lounge provides a venue for social gatherings and private events. All amenity spaces are to be lightly perfumed with fragrant scents. If that weren't enough, the project will boast a private helipad, the first of its kind atop a residential tower in Miami. Sun bathing deck, image via Zaha Hadid Architects Additional images and information can be found in the Database file linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion or share your photos? Check out the associated Forum thread or leave a comment at the bottom of this page. |
In a Stunning Counter-Coup, Trump Has Turned the Tables On the Deep State by Dave Hodges – The Common Sense Show Are they or aren’t they? Are several top government officials under sealed indictments or not? Have US marines landed at Langley to arrest Deep State operatives at the CIA headquarters. Is it true that key Deep State operatives have been roughed up in order to gain cooperation? Let’s see where the facts takes us on these topics. Deep-Sourcing the Criminals Much of the information that is in this article comes from two broad categories (1) open source intelligence information from which about 75% of all intelligence comes from; and (2) the publicly disclosed “insider” information from many of my colleagues that has been made public. However, there is one piece of information that has been disclosed that has not been properly cited. I am speaking about Robert Mueller who has turned state’s evidence. The Stunning SGT Report The SGT produced a 12 minute video in which they revealed some of the strategy that has accompanied Trump’s counter-coup against Deep State operatives. The video documentary is very well organized, well-sourced and confirms much of what I already know to be true. However, the report is missing a couple of pieces of the puzzle that are essential to understanding that a state of civil war exists between the Trump administration and the majority of the American people against the subversive operatives of the Deep State and their radical followers. In the following video, SGT alleges that Robert Mueller has led a plot, in conjunction with key members of the Trump administration that will soon turn the tables on the Russian collusion charges. The topic has to do with Clinton’s sale of nuclear grade uranium to the Russians. As I reported in 2015, the uranium was seized by the BLM from ranchers and farmers in the West. The Bundy family would be one of these victimized families. The well done SGT Report did not report on this fact. Here is an excerpt from 2016 in which I alleged with complementary documentation that Hillary obtained the uranium from American ranchers and farmers like the Bundy and the Hammond families. Go to the youtube channel owned by dutchsinse. He makes a very compelling case that several ranches, not just Bundy’s and Hammond’s have been under assault in order to procure precious metals. In the following youtube video, dutchsinse asks the following question: “Let’s just call it what it is. Human greed is at stake here. Who is going to get the gold back there in the back country? Who is going to get the uranium?” One of the big problems in America today is that “public servants” like Hillary Clinton actually represent a foreign enemy masquerading as a domestic public servant. I will go one step further than Donald Trump’s assertion that Clinton and state that Hillary Clinton is this generation’s Ethel Rosenberg. Ethel Rosenberg was convicted and executed for selling nuclear secrets to the Soviets Hillary Clinton, the Ethel Rosenberg of her generation. Clinton sold uranium to the Russians while serving as the Secretary of State and this is what both the Bundy and the Hammond Ranch Affair is all about. And there is nothing to suggest that these nefarious acts are still ongoing. A former key member of the Obama administration and current Presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, has proven herself to be the Ethel Rosenberg of her generation. You may recall your U.S. history as Ethel Rosenberg sold nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War. In an act every bit as egregious as Ethel Rosenberg’s treason, Hillary Clinton sold uranium to the Russians while serving as the Secretary of State. Ironically, the original source on this treasonous act committed by Clinton was none other than the liberal rag we call the New York Times. The rest of this story, along with the relevant history of Uranium One can be accessed by clicking here. As good as the SGT Report is, it does not contain this highly relevant information. There is another piece of evidence that needs to be brought in relation the SGT Report. The topic has to do with the flipping of Robert Mueller and his new-found allegiance to the Trump administration. The Flip Flop of Robert Mueller Robert Mueller is a traitor to this country. Robert Mueller has broken too many federal laws in his role as special prosecutor to even count. On the surface, Robert Mueller belongs in prison for his actions in support of the Clinton Foundation and their Uranium One deal. The SGT Report correctly and without substantiation reveals that Special Prosecutor, Robert Mueller, is engaged in a double-cross to turn the Russian collusion charges back onto Clinton and her associates. Here is what I wrote about Mueller’s invovlement in the Uranium One conspiracy. Former FBI Director Robert Mueller was appointed as Special Counsel for the sole purpose of investigating possible Russian collusion charges between President Trump’s campaign and the Russian government. On the heels of the collusion, Mueller is also looking for the smoking gun for obstruction of justice, on the part of Trump, which is the same charge that ultimately brought down the presidency of Richard Nixon. However, sometimes life is ironic and in a stunning development, Wikileaks, Julian Assange, tweeted a released State Department cable, which clearly and irrefutably proves that then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ordered former FBI Director and present Special Counsel, Robert Mueller to deliver a sample of stolen Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) to Russia in 2009. In the article from the above-referenced statement appears, I also published a memo which ties Mueller into the delivery of the highly enriched uranium to the Russians. The article can be found here. So why has Robert Mueller joined Trump in going after the Deep State operatives? The obvious answer is that he had to in order to avoid prosecution. Robert Mueller has joined Trump, not because he wanted to, but because he had to. Trump in what will become the biggest sting in American political history. The SGT Report does not explain the flip-flop of Robert Mueller. Mueller could be shot as a traitor for delivering nuclear grade material to the Russians. When he was confronted with this evidence, he had no choice but to join the other side. And the SGT Report correctly asserts that the phony investigation into Trump’s alleged Russian connections would eventually land on Hillary’s illegal sale of uranium to the Russians and Mueller was caught up in this. Soon Comey will be singing the praises of Trump as well. These revelations explain why Podesta’s brother has quit his own firm because he was involved. John Podesta was involved as well. Wasserman Shultz hired the Awan brothers to erase as much evidence as they could. This is part of what Seth Rich leaked to W-ikileaks and this is why Podesta had him murdered. I witnessed a sea change in Mueller the last week on October as evidenced by the following report: Please note that the guardians of the Deep State, Youtube (Google), demonitized this video while it was still in the cue. As Steve Quayle likes to say “You know you are over the target when you are getting flac”. On November 9, 2017, I receieved notification that Mueller had flipped sides. On November 12th, I published the following: People have asked me what caused me to suspect that Mueller had flipped sides and was actually pursuing Clinton et al? Besides the fact that the deeper that Mueller dug into Trump’s Russian connections, the more Hillary was implicated, there were media revelations as well. Further, there was a well-placed leak about 3 weeks ago, made to Fox News, in which the Uranium One conspiracy was reported in a very prominent manner. Add to that, the Clinton Foundation and the DNC was being outed by Donna Brazile at the same time on Fox News. I recognized these news releases for what they were, a psyops directed against the Deep State. Why would Fox News air such a thing? Simple, Rupert Murdock has had his disagrements and conflicts with the Deep State and the New World Order. And who could forget that Murdock and Trump had a well-publicized meeting when it was obvious that Trump was going to win the Republican nomination. Trump and Murdoch are allies. Fox News is part of the plan to take down Clinton et al. Conclusion People have asked me how did I get so close to the truth? The simple answer is that I have very good sources. To illustrate this point, please allow me to relate a Larry Nichols and Jeff Sessions encounter. In the early fall, Jack Easum and Paul Martin had befriended Larry Nichols. Larry Nichols told Jack that he had received a call from his old pal, Jeff Sessions. Sessions caled Nichols and screamed at Nichols to stop giving me inside information. However, Nichols informed Sessions that he had not passed along infomration to me, which was true. When this story reached me, I knew I was on the right track. Donald Trump has flipped Mueller. What about the Marines at Langley and the all the rest? Undoubtedly, the empire will strike back and the uncovered topics that were not covered here, will be presented in the next part in this series. Source Link – The Common Sense Show Sharing is caring! |
Image caption The pouch contained less than a gram of heroin in 19 sachets A sealed package containing heroin was found in an 80-year-old Foreign Office file at the National Archives, its managers have said. The Class A drug was filed with a document from the British Consulate in Cairo about a 1928 court case. The off-white powder, discovered by a member of the public who asked to see the file, was sent for analysis. And having been confirmed as heroin, the substance was handed over to the Metropolitan Police. The pouch - which contained less than a gram of heroin in 19 sachets - has been replaced with a photo and the file is now back on public display. 'Extremely rare' National Archives director of operations Jeff James said the discovery hints at more mysteries to be found among the huge bank of archives. "From time to time, unusual and occasionally valuable objects are unexpectedly discovered within our vast collection of 11 million records," he said. "However, finds of this nature are extremely rare." The National Archives makes available to the public records dating back more than 1,000 years. Alongside important historical records like MI5 files and the Domesday Book, researchers have also found unusual items, including a mummified rat and a red pyjama suit. |
You know how in cartoons there’s always some poor schmuck slipping on a banana peel? It’s funny, right? But you’ve probably never given the phenomenon much thought. And we’ll bet you never thought it could be the subject of legitimate research. Scientist Kiyoshi Mabuchi of Japan thought otherwise. He researched whether banana peels are actually as slippery as cartoons depict them to be. His hard work paid off Thursday at the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony at Harvard University, where he won a physics award, according to The Associated Press. “I have gotten … evidence that the friction under banana peels is sufficiently low to make us slip,’’ Mabuchi told the AP in an email. The study was an extension of his research into human joint lubrication system. Advertisement The winners of the 2014 Ig Nobel Prize — not to be confused with The actual Nobel Prize –were honored for their “silly sounding scientific discoveries’’ by the “Annals of Improbable Research,’’ a science humor magazine. Ten awards were given out for studies ranging from how to use pork to stop nosebleeds and whether owning a cat depresses you. The awards are handed out by a panel of real Nobel laureates. The research may not save the world, but some of it seems pretty practical. For example, Dr. Sonal Saraiya — the nosebleed researcher — found that packing strips of cured pork in the noses of children with uncontrollable, life-threatening nosebleeds can stop hemorrhaging. Though you probably shouldn’t go around sticking pork up your nose every time you get a nosebleed because there’s risk of infection, Saraiya’s study has given a serious solution for those who suffer from the rare clotting condition known as Glanzmann thrombasthenia. As for the cat study, scientists found that owning a feline may be “hazardous to your health.’’ Dr. David Hanauer, of the department of pediatrics at the University of Michigan and co-author of one of the studies, said “It may simply be that people with depression get cats because they feel depressed. I am in no way telling people to get rid of their cats.’’ Advertisement So the good news is you don’t have to throw out your cat like day-old litter. And you probably will never slip on a banana peel. Just a couple of things you would never know if not for the Ig Nobel Prize awards. Stay tuned for the real 2014 Nobel Prizes, which will start being awarded in early October. |
Do you think the team’s efforts in the UEFA Super Cup will have an impact on this match? “That is how the calendar is drawn up. There is no choice but to try and overcome it and get the best out of the team. I hope any fatigue is noticed as little as possible.” In the last match against Athletic, Messi was man marked - do you expect the same again? “Both teams know each other well, it may be an option, but there are others. They pressed very well and always make things difficult for their opponents. It will be an uncomfortable match and it will be resolved over two games.” How is Pedro? “He’s the same as he’s been throughout the pre-season. As usual his level of work is very high. We know his position is a special and unusual one but for the time being nothing has happened since the start of pre-season.” What do you hope for this season? “We’re starting with these big targets near and the Super Cup will help us be competitive right from the start. We want to be better than Athletic and then we’ll see how things go in La Liga and the Champions League.” Will Pedro be in the squad? “Nobody knows. I do not make decisions based on the transfer market. He did not play as a starter in Tbilisi because he withdrew from training a few days before, his position is an unusual and difficult one. His situation is a contradiction because he wants to stay but he always wants more minutes. I’ll continue to use the players I deem best to face each particular game. I’m looking forward to the end of the transfer window for everything to be decided.” Can the failures against Sevilla be corrected in training? “There are mistakes in every game and they all must be worked on and improved. These are situations that we can recognise and try not to repeat again. We have to work. To win titles you have to do things well in attack and in defence. We were better than Sevilla but there were also times they were better than us.” Do you understand why Pedro is upset? “I’ve already explained this issue in the past. I won’t go into more controversy. He is a player loved by everyone and you can interpret things however you want to.” How is Iniesta? “He’s fine. He received a knock to the tendon and that’s why we changed him but he has trained well. All the players are available, which is good news after playing such a long game at this stage of the pre-season.” Do you see Athletic motivated to win after what happened in the Copa del Rey? “We didn’t win the cup comfortably, it was a difficult final. Barça is always motivated to face any opponent. Every time we have beat them we have had to play well. I hope that we are ready to meet any surprises they throw at us.” Will the efforts in Tbilisi force you to mix things up? “Every case is unique. What we will do is try to secure a competitive team that will try and win the game.” What do you think to Neymar not being included in the final three to win UEFA’s Best Player? “Ask those who voted. I think that the podium should be Messi, Suárez and Neymar. Does the chance to win the sextuple motivate the team? “It’s a goal we have in mind and one that motivates us but we are focused on is winning the fifth title first, the sixth is far away.” |
Australians overwhelmingly want governments to favour renewable energy over fossil fuels even if it costs more, and concerns about climate change are strengthening, a new Lowy Institute poll finds. The survey of 1202 adults during the first three weeks of March found 81 per cent of respondents wanted policymakers to focus on clean energy sources such as wind and solar, even if it costs more to ensure grid reliability. Fossil fuels deserve less government support than renewables, a Lowy poll finds. Credit:AP Just 17 per cent backed a focus on "traditional energy sources such as coal and gas even if this means the environment may suffer to some extent". The finding was one of Lowy's highest results for a two-option answer and "somewhat surprising" since the poll was conducted soon after blackouts in wind-power dominated South Australia and the heatwave that stretched power supplies in coal-dependent NSW, said Alex Oliver, Lowy's polling director. |
For all the convenience digital games sales have brought us, they've come at the cost of the return policy. Buy a downloadable title you don't like? Tough noogies, kid - no take-backs. Well, unless you bought from Good Old Games. To help stem customer concern that a given title might not run on their computer, GOG has implemented a new money back guarantee that promises a full refund for any unplayable game. The caveat, of course, is you have to try: the team's support group pledges to do everything in its power to get its catalog's game running on your computer. If it can't, you get your cash back. Easy. Perhaps more notable, is the 14-day return policy it's attaching to any PC game the user hasn't downloaded. Sure, two weeks of leeway is kind of a standard, but for digital distribution services it's also a little unprecedented. Steam only offers refunds on pre-orders, and only if the request is processed before the game is released. Origin's policy is a little more forgiving, and gives gamers 24 hours (after a game is first launched) to let buyers remorse set in, or up to a week if the game is unplayed. Comparatively, 14 days almost seems generous. It's not a groundbreaking reform of digital purchase refunds, but at least it's a start - check out the company's announcement video after the break. |
FREETOWN, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Sierra Leone will impose a four-day, countrywide “lockdown” starting Sept. 18, an escalation of efforts to halt the spread of Ebola across the West African nation, a senior official in the president’s office said on Friday. Citizens will not be allowed to leave their homes between Sept. 18-21 in a bid to prevent the disease from spreading further and allow health workers to identify cases in the early stages of the illness, said Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, a presidential advisor on the country’s Ebola task force. “The aggressive approach is necessary to deal with the spread of Ebola once and for all,” he told Reuters. As of Friday, Sierra Leone has recorded 491 of the total of 2,097 deaths blamed on Ebola in West Africa since March, U.N. figures showed. (Reporting by Umaru Fofana, writing by David Lewis, editing by G Crosse) |
Mark Richt and Mike Bobo are notoriously stingy with scholarship offers to high school quarterbacks. The stated reason has always been that they know what they're looking for in a young quarterback. They recruit the relatively few guys who have the physical attributes and mental makeup they're looking for, and have generally been very successful. With the possible exceptions of Joe Tereshinski, III and Joe Cox, there haven't been a lot of guys brought in and groomed for the starting role in Athens who did not turn into exceptional college QBs. Richt and Bobo have a template. But is the template changing? The last three quarterbacks signed by the 'Dawgs (Faton Bauta, Brice Ramsey, and Jacob Park) all ran the ball frequently in high school, although each throws the ball plenty well to play in the SEC. For the class of 2015, the Bulldog coaching staff is once again hitting the trail offering quarterbacks who can make things happen on the ground and through the air. The first offer I'mm aware of went to consensus top pro style passer Ricky Town, now committed to USC and formerly committed to Alabama (spoiler: he was not a Lane Kiffin fan). But in the past couple of days Georgia has now offered Baltimore dual threat QB Kai Locksley and Boynton Beach, Florida QB Lamar Jackson. Jackson's highlights are pretty impressive: Is Mike Bobo looking for the next Johnny Manziel? I don't think so. But he's clearly not looking for the next David Greene, either. There's a definite shift over the past couple of seasons toward targeting more quarterbacks capable of running it, and who have experience in up tempo offenses. Part of that is that, with more high schools playing that type of football as opposed to the play action, pro-style attack Georgia's emphasized in the past, the odds are that more good high school quarterbacks are playing in up tempo, read option/veer/pseudo-single wing attacks. 2014 is going to be Hutson Mason's year at the helm, no doubt. But as these guys progress into the race to start in the Classic City it will be interesting to see how the Bulldog attack evolves to take advantage of evolving QB skill sets. Until later . . . Go 'Dawgs!!! |
In a stunning and rare decision, a judge released a man accused of arson and murder three years after his arrest in light of a prosecutor’s admission that the case against him was weak and even the medical examiner wasn’t positive if Kathy Johnson’s death was a homicide at all. Randal Wagoner, who was a truck driver in Bradford County before he was arrested in March 2014, has maintained his innocence ever since police first said he killed Kathy Lorraine Johnson and burned down the building she lived in. He was scheduled to go to trial next week, but instead he was released without bond as prosecutors continue their investigation, citing the many holes that defense attorneys successfully poked at expert testimony. For the time being, he still faces the murder and arson charges. He walked out of jail Wednesday with a bible and a devotional in hand and breathed. "Three years. Three years. Man." "How many days?" one of his attorneys asked. "Too many," he said, and his voice wavered. The answer: 1,140. Read about another case with similarities to this one: a man who sat in jail for 589 days on robbery charges despite having alibis Wagoner’s attorneys at the Public Defender’s Office were able to cast doubt on just about every one of the prosecution’s expert witnesses. On Wednesday, Assistant State Attorney London Kite asked for more time to investigate the case, and she conceded "the state’s case at this juncture is weak. … In all candor to the court, they [defense attorneys] have undermined state’s evidence significantly." She said she understood if the court granted Wagoner’s release. When Judge James Daniel released him on Wednesday, Wagoner took a breath and asked to speak: "I just want to say thank you. It’s been a lot, but I want to say thank you." Kite said her investigation will determine if the state’s case is "viable." As Wagoner waits for the State Attorney’s Office to continue its investigation, he will stay at his mom’s and try to get his old truck-driving job back as long as he maintains a curfew, doesn’t contact Johnson’s family and agrees to random drug tests. "I’ve never had a person with a charge like this released," Assistant Public Defender Michael Bateh said. He, Assistant Public Defender Jason Gropper and former assistant public defender James Boyle worked together on the case. Bateh credited Kite, who only came on the case in November, just before the case was supposed to originally go for trial. "She was really the white knight in this case," Bateh said. "When she kept looking, we would tell her something and she would say you’re right, and we need to dig deeper, and that’s what we wanted. We wanted her to dig deeper. "It’s frustrating for my client. He’s been sitting for three years and he professed his innocence from Day 1, and he never wavered. But it took someone like London Kite to look at it and review it to get where we are today." Wagoner’s release may present a sign of change at the State Attorney’s Office since Melissa Nelson beat former state attorney Angela Corey in last fall’s election. A spokesman at the State Attorney’s Office said it doesn’t comment on pending cases. One of Nelson’s first decisions was not retaining 11 employees, including former assistant state attorney Peter Overstreet who led the prosecution. Overstreet, who is now a prosecutor in Panama City, handed over this case to Kite when he found out Nelson wasn’t keeping him. Overstreet also prosecuted the case of Jerome Maurice Hayes, who was accused of robbery and held in jail for 589 days even as police found substantial evidence that he may have been innocent – including the fact his workplace said he had clocked in during the time of the crime. At one point, a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office detective asked why Hayes was still in jail. He and another prosecutor faced a Florida Bar complaint related to that case, though a Bar panel didn’t find that he violated rules of ethics. The panel noted that Overstreet said he’d instituted procedures "to avoid similar occurrences in the future." In Wagoner’s case, a medical examiner initially declared Johnson’s death a homicide by blunt-force trauma, but after the defense hired one of the most prominent medical examiners in the country to review the case, the prosecution’s witness changed his opinion. "He still believes it’s a homicide but he has reservations about – he could go either way," Kite said Wednesday. State fire experts said they reached their conclusions about what caused the fire only by a process of elimination, something called negative corpus, a process the National Fire Protection Association has called "not consistent with the scientific method, inappropriate, and [that] should not be used." And newly analyzed DNA evidence found under Johnson’s fingernails appear to belong to a man, but that DNA was not consistent with Wagoner’s. Kite said she wants to wait for more DNA testing and more investigations "so a decision can be made that’s well informed." Kite said the defense had been asking for phone records for years but the defense only received the records after Kite took over. Overstreet said he couldn’t comment on the case, but he did disagree with this characterization, saying he provided the defense with the records promptly when asked. In November, he said, the defense attorneys asked specifically for the phone metadata and he provided that, too. Andrew Pantazi: (904) 359-4310 |
If Kentuckians like their healthcare exchange, can they keep it — even if ObamaCare is repealed? Sen. Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellWhite House pleads with Senate GOP on emergency declaration Senate Dems seek to turn tables on GOP in climate change fight Pence meets with Senate GOP for 'robust' discussion on Trump declaration MORE’s (R-Ky.) campaign has been arguing just that this week, after the Senate minority leader said Friday that his push for the healthcare law’s repeal was “unconnected” to the existence of Kynect, the state’s exchange. ADVERTISEMENT Healthcare experts have widely panned McConnell’s claims, with one calling him “delusional.” But McConnell’s tap dance highlights the difficulty facing Republicans as they grapple with their message of repeal in the face of benefits the law is now delivering. Democrats have been slow to jump on the comments, a reflection of their reluctance to make ObamaCare an issue, particularly in red-leaning states like Kentucky, where Obama remains deeply unpopular. And if they can’t find a way in Kentucky, which boasts one of the nation’s most successful state-based exchanges, it's hard to see how they’ll manage to do it elsewhere, as a veteran state political reporter and University of Kentucky professor Al Cross points out. “If there’s a strongly anti-Obama state in which there is a good argument for ObamaCare, this is it,” he said. “There is an argument to be made for the law, and the fact that the Democrats haven’t quite figured out whether to do it, or how to do it, illustrates the depth of the problem.” But the campaign of McConnell’s Democratic opponent, Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, waited five days before weighing in — and not before ample prodding from reporters. Grimes’s campaign adviser Jonathan Hurst said in a statement Wednesday that McConnell “has been in the fantasyland that is Washington for so long that he cannot tell the difference between fact and fiction.” Kentucky Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear said on Wednesday, in a statement from the state Democratic Party, the senator “either doesn't understand what the ACA [Affordable Care Act] is, or is just trying to mislead Kentucky families for his political benefit at their expense." But Grimes’s delay drew criticism from some Democrats and, for a time, allowed Republicans to hone in on her refusal to say whether she’d vote for the law. And that’s despite the fact the McConnell campaign has stood by his original comments. Campaign spokeswoman Allison Moore said earlier this week that Kentuckians should be able to decide whether to keep the exchange if the law were repealed, and McConnell adviser Josh Holmes doubled down on Wednesday, telling The Hill that it was, in fact, the law’s supporters who didn’t understand the rationale. "What most of this boils down to is proof positive that many of the most vocal proponents of ObamaCare, like the lawmakers who passed it, have absolutely no idea how it works,” Holmes said in an email. “We've got people getting kicked out of plans they enjoyed and thrown into Medicaid or some more expensive plan, and the White House is calling their enrollment statistic a success. In what universe is that a success?" But Tim Jost, a leading authority on the Affordable Care Act, called McConnell’s comments, and the subsequent elaboration from his campaign, "ridiculous." "If you repeal the Affordable Care Act and eliminate the tax credits, eliminate the Medicaid expansion and eliminate the market reforms, there is nothing left," said Jost, a professor at Washington and Lee University School of Law, who is a backer of ObamaCare. While Kentucky might be able to operate a website for buying health coverage, experts said, it is unlikely the system would serve all patients regardless of their health or offer generous discounts on coverage. In short, Kynect would cease to exist under repeal, they said. "An exchange is not a physical structure that has been built and is still standing," said Sabrina Corlette, a senior research fellow with the Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms. "It's a marketplace that depends on a common set of rules for health plans and the tax credits to make those plans more affordable. If you take those away with repeal, there is nothing left." McConnell "needs to go back and read the law," she added, calling his claims "delusional." The senator’s campaign, however, says they were thrilled with the news cycle he sparked Friday. “We couldn’t be happier to be talking about ObamaCare right now. National Dems are making it impossible for Grimes by pushing this story. We see absolutely no political downside here,” a top McConnell adviser told The Hill. That’s because in Kentucky, like other red-leaning states, the issue really is semantics: The law known as “ObamaCare” polls worse than specific provisions or exchanges. “It’s not that ObamaCare is all that unpopular; it’s that Obama is — and he’s three syllables of the four,” Cross said. “And the number of syllables is probably indicative of the weight that his unpopularity gives to the subject matter.” That’s why Democrats in the state have been touting the success of “BeshearCare” instead — any mention of the O-word immediately turns a potential asset into a liability. Democrats can argue that McConnell is at best dissimulating and at worst lying — and they have — but that requires them to draw the connection between the popular Kentucky Kynect and the unpopular ObamaCare. There, they risk wading into a debate on the Obama White House’s overreach and initial mismanagement of the law or also tainting Kynect’s popularity. Multiple Kentucky Democrats pointed to Rep. Andy Barr’s (R-Ky.) opponent, Elisabeth Jensen, as a potential model for Grimes’s campaign on the healthcare law. Jensen, an education nonprofit director, has run attacking Barr for wanting to repeal the law, and said in an interview that the healthcare law has been a success in Kentucky, and “every Democrat should run on it.” She even noted that the success of the healthcare law’s implementation in Kentucky would make it difficult for Republicans in the state to make their case against ObamaCare. “It’s going to be hard for them to campaign against it. They’re going to have to show they’re fighting against something different” from Kynect, Jensen said. But Jensen’s walking her own tightrope on the law, drawing the same contrast between Kynect and ObamaCare that McConnell did on Friday. Jensen’s comments signaled that, for Democrats, ObamaCare by any other name smells much sweeter. “ObamaCare’s Andy’s thing. He can worry about fixing ObamaCare in Washington. I’m here in Kentucky supporting Kentucky Kynect,” she said. |
President Barack Obama on Thursday said he wants to treat marijuana like tobacco, which is legal. But, in a bit of a contradiction, he also suggested he opposes marijuana legalization. In an interview with Kansas City news station KMBC, Obama said states could change their marijuana laws to discourage pot use in the same way tobacco use is discouraged: As a general matter, I think that we have to separate out legalization — you know, there's a lot of concern about drug abuse of any sort by our children and the general population — versus the heavy criminalization of non-violent drug offenses. And I think that a lot of states are taking a look to see, do we have proportionality in terms of how we are penalizing the recreational user? We still want to discourage that. But we've been able to discourage tobacco, we've been able to discourage a lot of other bad things that people do, through a public health approach as opposed to an incarceration approach. The president drew a key distinction in his comments, which echo previous statements he made to CNN. He appears to support marijuana decriminalization, which would remove criminal penalties, particularly prison time, attached to the drug. But he doesn't seem to support marijuana legalization, which would remove even misdemeanor penalties, including small fines, and potentially allow retail outlets to sell pot. There's an obvious contradiction in Obama's comments: he vouches for treating marijuana like tobacco, but tobacco isn't just decriminalized — it's legal and sold in stores, and excluded from the federal government's scheduling system, which evaluates drugs for medical value first and abuse potential second. Despite its legality and availability, tobacco use plummeted in the past few decades, thanks to education campaigns, mandatory warning labels, public and workplace smoking bans, and higher taxes on tobacco products. Marijuana legalization advocates point to the trend as evidence that even a highly addictive substance can be legal and contained. Most likely, the president is only endorsing the education campaigns, public smoking bans, and other public health measures that helped reduce tobacco use. But the exclusion misses how warning labels and higher taxes on tobacco managed to push down consumption over the decades — and neither of those approaches are possible in a black market in which regulations can't touch the product at all. Obama's support of marijuana decriminalization but not legalization also helps show that marijuana policy reform can be handled in various ways — a point drug policy experts have tried to make in the past few years, as several states have moved to fully legalize pot. "One of the things we've been working very hard in marijuana legalization discussions is to get people to recognize there are at least 10 different fundamental architectures for legalizing marijuana," Jon Caulkins, a drug policy expert at Carnegie Mellon University, recently said. In a January report on marijuana legalization for the Vermont legislature, Caulkins and other experts outlined 12 alternatives to the current model of prohibition. Among the options: continued prohibition with decreased penalties, legalization with commercial sales, letting adults grow marijuana, allow distribution only within small private clubs, and have the state government operate the supply chain and sell pot. The four states that voted to legalize marijuana chose to fully legalize and allow commercial sales, and Washington, DC, only legalized possession, growing, and gifting. But there's plenty of room in between commercialization and criminal prohibition, as Obama and policy experts have pointed out. Further reading |
Should Notre Dame ever play Michigan again? When you compare the two college football programs, it really isn’t even close. Sure, the overall winning percentages of the two teams are within .002 of each other. And the lesser of the two actually has 33 more wins than the other and leads the head-to-head series 24-17-1 (although that’s pretty misleading considering Michigan’s major advantages in the early going, with Notre Dame having literally just begun learning how to play football, led to them winning the first 8 games in the series). But when you look at everything else, it’s no contest. The University of Notre Dame has more national championships (no, UM fans…the 11 titles you claim do not equal the 11 consensus titles Notre Dame has), its best-ever coach (I’m being subjective but reasonable, I think you will agree, with this term) was more successful than Michigan’s best-ever coach (Knute Rockne had a winning percentage of .881, Fielding Yost a winning percentage of .833), and its second-best coach makes Michigan’s second-best coach resemble the very average coach that he was (for those of you not following, Frank Leahy was 1000x the coach that Bo “No Titles, 2-8 in Rose Bowls, Let’s Kick It To Rocket Ismail Again” Schembechler was). And don’t get me started on who has had the most successful alum in the NFL. Tom Brady? Please, that guy isn’t good enough to lick the dirt off of Joe Montana’s Sketchers Shape-ups. Notre Dame has more Heisman winners, more All-Americans, and on top of all of that, a severely higher graduation rate, and embarrassingly higher, even, if we want to talk African-American players only. The Irish have a greater following nationwide, their own network TV contract (the Wolverines obviously do not), and are more valuable overall. Oh, and we don’t have this, thankfully. To put it simply, this is not, and never has been, a rivalry. Sure, Michigan can point to the fact that their team taught Notre Dame how to play football back in the late 1880s, and can even bring up the fact that the upstart Irish were constantly trying to play Michigan and join its conference. But let’s be real here, and real arrogant as well – the Notre Dame football program is light years better than the Michigan football program in every conceivable way at this point, and just as history shows us – the Irish are much better off not playing the Wolverines at all. Back when the Fighting Irish were a fledgling program just looking for experience playing football, the Wolverines got scared that they might make a habit of losing to them (after losing just once to them), and, spurred further along by some strong anti-Catholic sentiment, decided to refuse to play ND starting in 1910. This forced the Irish to go all over the country in search of teams to play, and the rest is history as rivalries and epic match-ups with USC, Army, Texas, and various other schools vaulted Notre Dame past the Midwest powers, including Michigan, and into the upper-most echelon of college football blue bloods. The Irish willingly accepted a series with Michigan again in 1942, only to have the Wolverines once again decide after two years to stick to playing schools in their conference and to blackball the Irish from joining their fun little group, as they had been doing during the 32-year hiatus before that. The Irish flipped their prior success and independence and established rivalries across the country into more national audiences and more national championships, and eventually reached a point in the 1980s and 1990s when the Big Ten was begging them to join, seeing their obvious monetary value and national reach. Making more money than they would in a conference and earning a television contract for all home games with NBC, Notre Dame smartly declined. Now, after finishing their series with Michigan in 2014 in outstanding fashion (and with “chicken” taunts tossed at them despite the fact that Michigan was about to end the series AGAIN if ND athletic director Jack Swarbrick hadn’t beaten them to the punch), there is talk of Michigan wanting to resume the series and ND considering it. Side note: there are multiple places you can find a retelling of everything I just summarized if you are skeptical that any of this is true, but if you want a pretty strong summation of the history between the two schools handed to you on a silver platter, read this and inform yourselves. So why would we want to get back into bed with a football program like Michigan? Do we want a fantastic regional match-up? Michigan State has been the better program of late, and a series with Ohio State (undoubtedly Michigan’s superior at this point) is on the horizon. Are we looking for a game that makes waves nationally between two all-time programs? USC provides that, as do multiple new match-ups coming soon with Georgia or with ACC opponents like Florida State, Clemson, etc. Do people just yearn for the days of being able to kick the crap out of some Wolverines? I know I do, but the ending to the series was too perfect for me to seriously request a revamp for just that reason. The moral of the story is that the University of Michigan is a second-rate program with a history of anti-Catholic bigotry, jealousy, and an inferiority complex. They wanted nothing to do with Notre Dame until it became clear their conference needed them for financial reasons, and that led to the Irish simply shoving past them and becoming the premier college football program in the country for the majority of the 20th century. Notre Dame doesn’t need Michigan. They clearly never did (once they knew the rules of football). So forget them and their sorry history and focus on playing more respectable, hatable (Michigan is more pathetic and despicable than truly “hatable”) opponents within a harrowing, national schedule that most schools (especially Michigan) wouldn’t dream of playing for fear of losing too many times. We are ND, and we are above that (and clearly holier-than-thou – nobody’s perfect!). |
It’s amazing what you can put together when you’re leaving the developer and publisher of some of the most successful first-person shooters in the industry’s history. The deal struck by Jason West and Vince Zampella when they left both Infinity Ward and Activision to create Respawn and signed on with EA to publish what would become Titanfall will likely never be detailed in public, but EA was hungry to take ground back from Activision and this gave them a very public win. It’s rare to see a developer with this much power in the negotiation phase. The game that was made with that power is interesting for many reason. Titanfall hints at a very interesting future for next-generation gaming, especially if it becomes as large a hit as everyone is expecting. Running lean to create the game you want The first interesting fact is that there are no microtransactions. This detail, sadly, has become news in the modern gaming industry, and it's even sweeter due to the fact the one-time use "Burn Cards" of Titanfall even provide the perfect vector for someone to ram consumer-hostile monetization into the game. Instead you earn these cards in the game, they provide no long-term benefit, and the game’s economy seems to be completely closed. Many next-gen games seem willing to test the boundaries of what can be sold to the player, making Titanfall's ability to turn down the extra revenue stream even more impressive. It helps that Respawn is a relatively small team for the type of game they’re trying to make. There are around 60 people working at Respawn, which is a far cry from the massive, world-spanning teams of other games of this stature. Titanfall wasn’t cheap to create, but in the world of AAA the budget most likely felt like a bargain. It’s easier to be generous with your time and content when you operate without the massive overhead of so many other AAA studios, and so far it seems as if those savings will benefit the player rather than be used as an excuse maximize the profit margin. This lack of microtransactions and ability to run lean is also due to the game’s design; there is no recognizable single-player campaign. There are no scripted moments, no thrill-ride style offline portion of the game that we’re used to from Battlefield and Call of Duty titles. Titanfall was designed from the ground up to be played online with other people, and even the marketing focuses on the sort of organic events and setpieces that arise when you play online versus the highly orchestrated and linear moments that make up the bulk of marketing for most high-profile shooters. Adding campaign-like elements into the multiplayer core of the game and only creating one strong, focused product instead of discrete multiplayer and single-player modes saved them time, money and resources. Titanfall isn’t the only game going down this path, as the PlayStation 4 exclusive The Order 1888 lacks multiplayer. It will be an action-adventure / shooter that only features a single-player campaign, which is the other, no less valid, side of this coin. This approach lowers budgets, allows the team to create the game they want instead of filling up checkboxes and may also decrease the need for aggressive monetization. While many publishers focus on what they can do to bring in more money to deal with rising budgets, and that approach usually leads to in-game stores, others seem to wisely focus on making less game, and focusing their attention and budget on what will make the core audience of the game happy. What this means Titanfall is a game with focus and a voice; there is little evidence that marketing pressure had anything to do with its design or execution. Even the decision to make the game exclusive to a single console (Bluepoint is handling development for the Xbox 360 version) simplified development: The potential sales on the PlayStation 4 turned into a guaranteed check from Microsoft, and this in turn allowed the development team to focus on the Xbox One and PC versions of the game. There are no scripted moments, no thrill-ride style offline portion of the game that we’re used to from Battlefield and Call of Duty titles. This move may have annoyed PlayStation 4 owners who were interested in playing Titanfall, but it opens the door for increasingly advantageous negotiations for the sequel. Either Microsoft will have to pay what would likely be a higher price for exclusivity again, or EA and Respawn take advantage of the pent up demand for the game on the PlayStation 4 and the enhanced name recognition that comes from a successful first game in a franchise. Titanfall, with its focused play, console exclusivity and lack of in-game purchases bucks EA's trend of bloated, sometimes functional games filled with items and advantages to buy. It's the anti-Dungeon Keeper Mobile. A success of this nature could help other publishers repeat this strategy, and that would be a very good thing for players. Infinity Ward created Call of Duty, and the first-person shooter industry has been chasing that success ever since. The common phrase in Hollywood is that no one knows what they're doing, but so far Titanfall proves that Zampella and team know exactly how to take a look around, react to the current industry and create something that shoves the genre forward. Everyone creating a first-person shooter has a new puck to skate towards. |
By Steve Miller It’s not just a job, it’s $92,000 a year. Galveston County Commissioner Ken Clark says that his elected position, for which he pulls in the 92 G’s, does not conflict with his moonlighting job as a political consultant. But a complaint to the Texas Ethics Commission alleged that Clark, a Republican, is using his official position to pull information on possible political foes. The complaint was thrown out, but questions linger. Clark requested numbers for summary judgments, continuances, plea bargains and statistics on alternative sentencing in the district courts in Galveston County, according to the Galveston Daily News. Was this part of his work as a commissioner? County courts share jurisdiction with district courts, and the county provides support staff for the district courts. Democrats contend that Clark is seeking information as opposition research on 405th District Court Judge Wayne Mallia, a Republican incumbent squaring off against League City attorney Michelle Slaughter, who is a client of Clark’s consulting firm, Clark Services. Clark failed to disclose his consulting business in his conflict of information filings with the county in 2006. His company has no registration on file with the state. What's a little more interesting is that Clark has elected to keep his campaign finance filings a little more private than his colleagues. When you go to the Galveston County Elections Division Web site, where the filings are kept electronically, a message for Clark’s forms awaits. 2011-2012 reports have been withheld from posting on this Website at the request of the person filing. All filings are available at the County Clerk's Office. Several other county officials did the same thing. Anyone interested in checking them out would have to go down to the courthouse and pull them. *** Contact Steve Miller at 832-303-9420 or stevemiller@texaswatchdog.org. Keep up with all the latest news from Texas Watchdog. Fan our page on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and Scribd, and fan us on YouTube. Join our network on de.licio.us, and put our RSS feeds in your newsreader. We're also on MySpace, Digg, FriendFeed, and tumblr. Photo of moon by flickr user Firefalcon, used via a Creative Commons license. |
A vulnerability in the latest version of Oracle's Java software framework is under active attack, and the damage is likely to get worse thanks to the availability of reliable exploit code that works on a variety of browsers and computer platforms, security experts warn. The flaw in Java version 1.7 was reported on Sunday afternoon by FireEye security researcher Atif Mushtaq. A separate post published on Monday by researchers Andre M. DiMino and Mila Parkour said the number of attacks, which appear to install the Poison Ivy Remote Access Trojan, were low. But they went on to note that the typical delay in issuing Java patches, combined with the circulation of exploit code, meant it was only a matter of time until the vulnerability is exploited more widely by other attackers. Members of Rapid7, the security company that helps maintain the open-source Metasploit exploit framework used by penetration testers and hackers, said they have already developed an exploit that works against Windows 7. They are in the process of testing it against the Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome browsers running on other operating systems, including Ubuntu Linux 10.04 and Windows XP. They went on to suggest that users should disable Java until a patch plugging the gaping hole is released. "As a user, you should take this problem seriously, because there is currently no patch from Oracle," a Rapid7 exploit developer wrote in a blog post. "For now, our recommendation is to completely disable Java until a fix is available." According to KrebsonSecurity reporter Brian Krebs, there are indications the exploit will also be rolled into BlackHole, an exploit kit that sells advanced and highly weaponized exploits in underground forums. Like the Rapid7 researcher, Krebs recommends end users uninstall Java altogether, advice we at Ars think is worth following for those who have no need for the cross-platform application. Those who need Java to run applications such as Open Office or Freemind can still protect themselves by disabling Java in their browser to prevent drive-by attacks on booby-trapped websites. The zero-day vulnerability is only the latest to affect Java, which over the past few years has emerged as one of the apps most frequently exploited by malware operators, along with Adobe's Reader and Flash programs. Oracle has yet to comment on the reports or say when it plans to fix the vulnerability. The next scheduled patch release isn't until the middle of October. DiMino and Parkour have issued an unofficial patch they said prevents exploits from working. But the use of such patches can create stability problems, and in any event, it's only available on a per-request basis, so end users should probably consider other ways to protect themselves against this threat. Dave Maynor, CTO of penetration-testing firm Errata Security, said in his own blog post that the exploit code included in Metasploit "worked like a charm" against a Windows 7 installation he tested. He went on to say that the attack also worked reliably against a fully patched Ubuntu 12.04 Linux machine once he took the time to remove the OpenJRE app that was included by default and installed the run-time environment provided by Oracle. "Another 10 for 10," Maynor wrote of the attack running on Linux. "This is a high quality exploit that I expect to get a lot of use out of!" Maynor said a Mac running Apple's OS X was able to only partially execute the exploit code. Technical details concerning the underlying vulnerability remain scarce, except, as noted in comments below, it appears to allow an unsigned, unprivileged process to overwrite its own security context token with reflection. Multiple reports claim it doesn't affect Java 1.6 and earlier versions. A report from security firm Alien Vault is here. Post updated to include comments from Maynor, technical details, and to correct name of Errata Security blogger. |
The MLS Fantasy Insider podcast is back with special guest host Quincy Amarikwa! Reid, Simon, and Quincy discuss the recently released 2015 MLS schedule and plenty more. You can listen below via SoundCloud. Also, make sure to find the show on iTunes podcasts and subscribe! You can find links to all of the great sites and charts that we were talking about in this podcast in this nice little supplemental post! Correction: In the podcast we mention that LA has 3 home games in a row, they actually don’t. The Portland game in Round 2 was mistakenly listed as home. Sorry! The MLS Fantasy Insider podcast is back with special guest host Quincy Amarikwa! Reid, Simon, and Quincy discuss the recently released 2015 MLS schedule and plenty more. You can listen below via SoundCloud. Also, make sure to find the show on iTunes podcasts and subscribe! You can find links to all of the great sites and charts that we were talking about in this podcast in this nice little supplemental post! Correction: In the podcast we mention that LA has 3 home games in a row, they actually don't. The Portland game in Round 2 was mistakenly listed as home.… MLS Fantasy Insider Podcast: 1/11/2015 with Quincy Amarikwa MLS Fantasy Insider Podcast: 1/11/2015 with Quincy Amarikwa Review Overview 0 User Rating: Be the first one ! Share this: Tweet Email Print |
Edited by Petra Dierkes-Thrun Introduction (by Adeline Koh) ~ Singapore, a tiny Southeast Asian nation-state, is well known for its impressive economic growth since its independence in 1965. Filled with towering skyscrapers, an impressive, well-maintained public transport system and an unemployment rate the envy of most industrialized nations, the small country is often referenced as a model postcolonial state. Despite these impressive economic strides, many of the racial tensions that have their roots in Singapore’s colonial history continue to manifest today, especially in relation to gender. Formerly a British colony, Singapore boasts a multi-racial, multi-ethnic population, most of which are classified into four major groups by the state: Chinese, Malay, Indian and ‘Other’. Unlike Singapore’s neighboring countries Malaysia and Indonesia, Singapore’s ethnic Chinese population is the majority ethnic group. These four categories are also constantly being challenged and nuanced by the high level of foreigners who are employed and study in Singapore. Constructions of ethnicities are highly inflected by gender roles in the four major ethnic groups and nuanced by the constant influx of migrants in the country, which include mainland Chinese ‘study mamas’ (mothers accompanying their young children to study in Singapore), female domestic workers from the Philippines and Indonesia, and male construction workers from China, India and Bangladesh. Singapore’s ethnic Chinese population enjoys the most economic wealth and social status in this small country, which manifests itself in political and material privilege. Despite the fact that there are four officially sanctioned state languages (English, Mandarin Chinese, Malay and Tamil), television screens on public transport often broadcast shows only in English or Mandarin; increasingly, customer service representatives will be fluent in Mandarin but not the other two official languages; there are multiple reports of taxi drivers refusing to answer calls in areas where there are often more minority people. National beauty pageants also tend to celebrate a Chinese ideal of feminine beauty, as opposed to other ethnicities, so that it becomes exceedingly rare for a minority to win these competitions. Scholarly work on race and ethnicity in Singapore seldom discusses this inflection of racial privilege with gender, an extremely important intersection that nuances the structure of minority identity in the country. In this interview, I speak with Sangeetha Thanapal, an Indian Singaporean woman who first introduced the controversial concept of ‘Chinese privilege’ in Singapore. Thanapal holds that structural ethnic Singaporean Chinese’s racial privilege is in some ways analogous to White privilege in Europe, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, despite the important differences in the historical, social, political, and geographic circumstances and developments of these two privileges. Thanapal’s provocative work and the virulent responses it engendered (mainly by Singaporean Chinese), inspired me to write a Medium essay titled ‘To My Dear Fellow Singapore Chinese: Shut Up When A Minority Is Talking About Race’ (which has since garnered over 105,000 page views and 56 recommends). We are now collaborating on a Medium Collection on Chinese Privilege, which seeks to bring to light the stories of minority voices in Singapore. Chinese privilege in Singapore is unique because it occurs outside of mainland China and territories which it has historically controlled. In this manner, our interview is intended as the beginning of an examination of a larger Chinese privilege, with its own histories of colonialism and migratory communities. We note that in order to zero in on the current racial and political structures in Singapore, as well as specifically on the complex role of gender, our interview does not focus on the historical development of this privilege per se, or on the obviously important, historically motivated distinctions between different groups of Chinese in Singapore. In the nineteenth century, under British colonialism, southern Chinese immigrated from China to Singapore and Malaysia to escape famine and the effects of the Opium Wars back home, and arrived to a colony in which they were brutally subjugated: the majority of male Chinese immigrants experienced great abuse under a system of indentured labor (the “coolie” system), and many of the (comparatively few) female immigrants were forced into prostitution. While this interview is intended to open up a conversation about monolithic Singaporean Chinese privilege today, we plan a more comprehensive critical historical genealogy of comparative Chinese privilege in our future work in order to elaborate upon these distinctions and developments. Furthermore, future work should pursue two additional important lines of inquiry: first, a clear conceptual delineation between Chinese-speaking and English-speaking Singaporeans and the different sorts of privileges which they encounter; and second, a comparison between the historical forces driving the subalternity of the indigenous Malays, and that of the diasporic Indian population. Like the Chinese, many contemporary Indian Singaporeans arrived in the colony as indentured labor, as well as convicts, traders and as sepoys under the British military. Which historical and material conditions allowed the Chinese to appropriate the forms of privilege they enjoy in Singapore today, while Indians could not join or rival them in this privilege in their own Singaporean experience? Further, we want to investigate the sorts of cultural imaginaries that are used in the creation of Singaporean Chinese privilege and its connection with reinventions of mainland Chinese chauvinism (such as in the Chinese term for China, Zhong Guo, meaning Middle Kingdom, center of the world between heaven and hell). We also want to continue building on this concept of Chinese privilege through a simultaneous examination of Tamil-Hindu internal prejudices of the Indian community in Singapore, as well as its relationship with the Malay community. In many respects, then, this interview is simply a first step towards a larger, sorely needed conversation about race, gender, and privilege in Singapore. We hope it will inspire others to build on our suggested research trajectories and also develop new ones of their own. ******* Adeline Koh: Sangeetha, thanks so much for speaking with me today. To begin with, could you tell me about your experience being an Indian Singaporean? Sangeetha Thanapal: To be Indian Singaporean is to carry a number of identities, not all of whom work in concert with each other. We are expected to keep in touch with our root culture, language and traditions, but never to engage in any kind of ethnic chauvinism. We are expected to be bilingual cosmopolitan citizens of the world, while constantly being grounded in Indian culture. Those who manage to do this effectively are invariably performing a form of code switching between their traditional Indian language-speaking identities and their English-speaking, modern ones. We are told we have to be firmly established in our cultures, but people who follow this advice are seen as provincial. To speak your mother tongue well is to invite questions about how long ago you immigrated from India. It is this tension that we have to constantly negotiate, and many of us cannot or refuse to do so. To be Indian is to have my ethnicity matter in all things, but to be Singaporean is not have it matter at all, supposedly. It is ironic and–given the inability of the state to adequately marry these two binaries–unsurprising that race and ethnicity are difficult concepts to examine and contend with in Singapore. AK: Could you elaborate on this? ST: The racialism paradox in Singapore makes race front and center of your identity, while at the same time denying that race has anything to do with the obvious differences in people’s treatment. One example is the Singaporean Identity Card, which states your ethnicity.1 This identity card is akin to a Social Security number in the United States (used to apply for housing, bank loans, even something as simple as a phone number), and hence including this information makes someone’s racial identity a dominant factor. It is not hard to imagine the many ways in which this can disadvantage minorities. Even job applications ask for your ethnicity, a practice that is illegal in many countries. Educational achievements are viewed through the lens of race, not gender or class.2 Why does the state constantly racialize us and pit us against one another? This also obfuscates the intertwinement of race and class. For instance, the state says that Malays are underperforming3 in academics, leaving out their constant marginalization leading to such class factors. The Singaporean pledge literally says, ‘regardless of race, language or religion,’ implying that meritocracy trumps race in this alleged land of opportunity. Supposedly, hard work comes with the same opportunities for all. The government has a governance principle: ‘Work for reward, Reward for work.’4 Meritocracy is a neoliberal lie that tends to ignore the systemic inequalities that have strong material effects on people’s ability to live and work in Singapore. It places the blame for failure on those who did not work hard enough or take full advantage of the choices they had, conveniently forgetting that some people did not have a diverse range of choices to begin with. AK: It almost seems as though minority Singaporeans have to adopt what W.E.B. Dubois called a ‘double consciousness’–always having to think in terms of the language and social of the dominant group while maintaining their own cultural space. What do you think? ST: When Dubois speaks of double consciousness, he is referring to people of colour’s, specifically Black people’s, constant negotiation of conflicting racial identities, often a result of racial oppression. In The Souls of Black Folk, he writes that Black people feel ‘’twoness . . . two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings, two warring ideals in one dark body…’5 It is the struggle between our view of ourselves, versus the dominant racial narrative. Dubois was speaking to people sharing an African history and heritage, of course, and in that context, he also addressed White supremacy and its implication in such double consciousness. In Singapore, Chinese supremacy and institutionalized racism against minorities have resulted in a similar double consciousness. We constantly think about and cater to Chinese people, as they have institutionalized power. In Singapore, the government regularly emphasizes the need for the different ethnic groups to stay in touch with their cultures and traditions, so it is not just Chinese supremacy itself that’s responsible. Personally, I think they don’t actually object to Indians and Malays giving up their cultures; on the contrary: they would probably love it if many of us gave up our cultures to assimilate through marriage or learning Mandarin, for example. The government finds Malay culture a hindrance to its economic growth and would like spread more ‘Chinese’ attitudes of hard work and personal drive. I think the government also wants Chinese people to be steeped in their traditions and are afraid of encroaching westernization. It only cares about keeping minorities’ traditions as long as they are a marketable tourism commodity, but not because they are valuable on their own. The government needs to keep up its multi-racial facade for tourists, who feel like coming to Singapore means that they can access authentic Chinese, Malay and Indian culture, all in the same place. AK: Interesting. Dubois talks about ‘twoness’ in relation to race. How would this be further refined in relation to gender? Can you describe the difference between being an Indian Singaporean man and a woman? ST: Being an Indian Singaporean woman is to be at the very bottom of the totem pole. Patriarchy and ensuing male privilege means that while Indian men are discriminated against for being Indian, they are also treated better than Indian women, both by the majority Chinese community and within the Singaporean Indian community. Indian women are still fairly restricted in their movements and their lives, expected to be both the modern worker and the traditional housewife. Indian men retain their patriarchal freedom. In Singapore, the hierarchy of race puts the Chinese at the top, Malays in the middle, and Indians at the bottom. Some have argued that Indians have it better than Malays in Singapore, which I think is a valid argument, depending on context. Indians are generally better off than the Malay community in terms of education and economic status, and one might even say that their minority class privilege intersects with the majority Chinese’s.6 In 2010, the average household income for Indians was almost twice as high as in Malay households.7 There is, however, a lot more research regarding Malay marginalization.8 Because of the diasporic Tamil Hindu immigrants’ relatively high socio-economic standing, many people do not think there is discrimination against our ethnic group. What is important is that instead of seeking to compete for attention for our oppression, we study the Chinese dominated state’s specific ways of enacting it against both communities, and validate differing experiences while encouraging a new solidarity. As mentioned above, women of different races are treated differently. This kind of colourism and inter-POC (people of colour) policing of skin colour is not new or unique to Singapore, of course. A lot of it is internalized White supremacy: the lighter you are, the higher on the hierarchy you stand. Colourism is a serious problem within the Indian community itself, and, to a lesser extent, within the Malay community as well. White supremacy and Chinese supremacy function in combination here. Darker-skinned Indian and Malay women are constantly bombarded with messages that their skin colour makes them unattractive. Our body shapes, which are naturally curvier, are compared to skinnier, fairer Chinese women’s, and found inadequate. In such body policing, race and gender again intersect and amplify each other. The communities themselves are responsible here, but so are the state and the media. In the 2013 Singapore Miss Universe, there were no Indian or Malay women in the top twenty. Since 1966, which is when Singapore started being represented at the Miss Universe pageant, Malay or Indian women have won the title at home a grand total of four times.9 In 2014, for only the second time ever, an Indian woman won Miss Singapore Universe. She was inundated with disparaging comments on her face and skin colour online.10 Discrimination against Indian men is mitigated by their gender. Not so women’s: whatever racial discrimination they undergo, it is made yet worse by being female. William Keng Mun Lee of the University of Lingnan argues that in Singapore, women in general are in lower-paying jobs across both core and periphery. This observation, despite the small differences in the educational standards of males and females in Singapore, leads him to theorize that this is due to structural factors such as sexism and discrimination. Interestingly, however, he says that it is also due to ‘Chinese male workers success in protecting their economic success by excluding females from high-paying jobs.’11 Chinese males, not Singaporean men in general, hold wealth and power in the core industries in Singapore. So if Chinese females are being excluded for being women, how much worse is the situation for Indian and Malay women? AK: Let’s talk a little bit about the concept you’ve developed, ‘Chinese privilege.’ It’s a terrific concept that can be easily used to explain social inequity in Singapore. How did you come up with the concept of Chinese privilege? ST: I remember the exact moment. I was reading bell hooks’ ‘Beloved Community: A World Without Racism.’ I deeply sympathized with what she was saying, even though she was speaking about a different context. I performed a simple experiment. I took a paragraph I particularly loved and I substituted the words ‘Chinese’ for ‘White.’ I read it back to myself, and the moment of realization that that paragraph could have been written about Singapore, and not the U.S., was what made me realize that racial privilege is not simply a White phenomenon. I don’t mean that I never realized it before, only that I had lacked the language to express it in a way that wholly encompassed the experience not as singular, but as universal to minorities here. In Killing Rage: Ending Racism, hooks speaks of ‘supremacist attitudes that permeate every aspect of […] culture’ while ‘most white folks unconsciously absorbing the ideology of white supremacy […] do not realize this socialisation is taking place [… and] feel they are not racist.’12 Now, I am not going to make the claim that hooks’s ideas are wholly transferable to the Singaporean context. That would be an undue appropriation of the African American experience and erase the specificity of their oppression. But there are enough similarities for me to associate the two phenomena in my mind: the daily microaggressions that minorities experience, employment discrimination, the paradoxical, simultaneous derision and appropriation of their culture. While I realize that the concept of White privilege has its own context and history, it really helped me understand the situation in Singapore by analogy. Chinese Supremacist attitudes permeate our society. The PAP believes in keeping the Chinese and their Confucian ethic at the helm, supposedly for our economic growth and success. So-called Special Assistance Plan schools, where all taxpayers’ money pays for Chinese students’ opportunities only, with the argument that this practice enables better trade with China in the future.13 The media constantly laud China as the world’s next superpower, even though economists predict its one-child policy will cause it to fall behind an ever-burgeoning Indian state. And the state continues to make racist comments such as the following: ‘We could not have held the society together if we had not made adjustments to the system that gives the Malays, although they are not as hardworking and capable as the other races, a fair share of the cake.’14 Religion, specifically Islam, is not spared from racist attacks: ‘In those days, you didn’t have a school tuckshop, so you bought two cents of nasi lemak and you ate it. And there was a kway teow man and so on. But now, you go to schools with Malay and Chinese, there’s a halal and non-halal segment and so too, the universities. And they tend to sit separately, not to be contaminated. All that becomes a social divide. Now I’m not saying right or wrong, I’m saying that’s the demands of the religion but the consequences are a veil across and I think it was designed to be so. Islam is exclusive.’15 Chinese people do not see such comments as racist. Most people see it as normal–common wisdom. If minorities ever raise their voices, they are told to shut up and sit down. I started doing a similar analogy exercise with other texts after my experience with bell hooks. In Privilege, Power and Difference, Allan G. Johnson says: Being able to command the attention of lower-status individuals without having to give it in return is a key aspect of privilege. African Americans for example, have to pay close attention to whites and white culture and get to know them well enough to avoid displeasing them, since whites control jobs, schools, government, the police, and most other resources and sources of power. White privilege gives little reason to pay attention to African Americans or how White privilege affects them.16 If you pay attention to minorities in Singapore, the analogy rings so true. We know about Chinese culture, some of us learn Mandarin to make ourselves more employable, we try to understand how the Chinese work, we give in to them when they speak Mandarin around us, never asking them to be sensitive towards us. We know that knowledge of them will help us; they, on the other hand, know very little about our cultures, religions or languages. They do not have to: not knowing it does not affect them in a material way. Reading about the African American experience triggered these important insights about our own situation for me. AK: Could you say a little more about how you define Chinese privilege? Does Chinese privilege take place around the world, or is it specific to Singapore? ST: I define Chinese privilege similarly as White privilege, again by analogy rather than wholesale transference of one distinct historical context to another. White privilege is invisible and normal to those who have it, which makes it hard to discuss because people rarely see how they are being privileged. It goes beyond advantages people enjoy because of their race. It is also the unearned power the system confers by virtue of your race alone. It is a set of institutional benefits, with greater access to power and resources and opportunity, that are closed off to those who do not have it. In the same vein, these advantages are bestowed upon Chinese Singaporeans, regardless of any other intersectional identity they carry. By virtue of being Chinese in Singapore, they start life on a higher place in the scale as compared to minorities. They are the beneficiaries of a system of racial superiority, which is why when I talk about the country I call it a Chinese Supremacist state. Many see Chinese privilege in Singapore as the root cause of Singapore’s economic strength. Lee Kuan Yew is the only man to have ever held three political titles in the government. That alone should signal his significance. He was Singapore’s first Prime Minister, and as such, the chief architect behind modern Singapore. He later became Senior Minister, a title he held until his predecessor Goh Chock Tong ascended to the position. In an attempt to continue keeping him in power, he was then given the title of Minister Mentor in 2004. He has been in power since 1959, and only stepped down in 1990, making him the world’s second longest serving head of state, after Fidel Castro. He is the man who has most impacted Singapore with his policies and his words still continue to hold enormous power and clout. In 1989, he commented that Chinese immigration from Hong Kong to Singapore was necessary, given the low birth rates amongst Chinese Singaporeans: without the Chinese ‘there will be a shift in the economy, both the economic performance and the political backdrop which makes that economic performance possible.’17 Chinese privilege means that problems within the Chinese community are framed as national crises, while problems within minority communities are blamed on culture or genetics, and left to the communities themselves to handle. Chinese privilege in Singapore falls into a unique category with Taiwan (and China, of course). Chinese privilege cannot exist in the U.S. or in Europe because Chinese lack institutionalized economic, social and political power in those places. In Singapore, Chinese Singaporeans have power in every facet of life; it is systemic and systematic. AK: For me as a Chinese Singaporean, your analysis makes a lot of sense. How does this racial concept of privilege intertwine with other intersectional oppressions, such as gender? ST: In 2012, a survey found that women hold just 6.9 per cent of directorships. Moreover, the joint study with advocacy group BoardAgender, found 61.3 per cent of the more than 730 companies listed on the Singapore exchange do not have a single female member on their boards.’18 The survey does not break it down further by race, making the assumption that all women in Singapore are discriminated against only on the basis of their gender, not their race. Singapore has the same gender representation as other places that tend to erase race in favor of gender. In the West, White women often stand in for ‘all women,’ even though they actually earn more than Black and Latino men in the US,19 just as Chinese women are seen as representatives of all women in Singapore, including minorities. Recently, an article cited a survey of Singaporean women’s under-representation on company boards. ‘Companies with more diversity in boardrooms are more profitable, but Singapore doesn’t fare so well – 56.5% of the companies surveyed had all-male board members.’20 It was a matter of much discussion. The article itself concluded that ‘we recommend empowering board nominating committees to cast their net wider and pro-actively look for women candidates.’ However, the article also mentions that ‘59% of the boards were of single ethnicity.’ No discussions, no conversations online or in the mainstream media ensued about this, and the article does not even seem to pick up on the potential impact for minorities, let alone minority women. If women’s rights groups such as AWARE (Association of Women for Action and Research) are solely focussed on gender representation, not gender in conjunction with racial imbalance, do we need to wonder why minorities on company boards are so few in number? Who are the women actually being represented here? Clearly, Chinese women are the default here. Given the intersection of gender and race, Indian and Malay women are at a double disadvantage. But that conversation does not happen. Feminism in Singapore is about making Chinese women equal to Chinese men, not about equality for all women. Dismantling the Chinese patriarchal structure itself would mean that Chinese women would have to give up their racial power and privilege, too, and they do not want to do that. Chinese women need to realise that they actually have better opportunities than many minority men here. As minority women, we are far more attuned to racism and sexism than Chinese women are, because we fight both those intersections every day, and we see how we are treated not as women, but specifically as Malay or Indian women. In the recent Singapore Literature Prize awards, all the winners were male, and a furor about women’s exclusion from these prestigious awards broke out.21 Again, however, there is no furor over the fact that no minority person has even won the English prize for fiction. The closest call was the playwright Haresh Sharma in 1993 and the poet Alfian Sa’at, who was awarded a commendation prize in 1998 (both before the prize was categorized into languages). This year, there was not even one minority on the English short list, either for fiction or non-fiction. Chinese writers are fully represented both in the Chinese and English categories. This is what Chinese privilege looks like in everyday life. There was only one, just one, minority woman, in the entire shortlist across all three categories under the English poetry category.22 Of course, she did not win. Chinese women clearly realize the gender disparity in Singapore. But since they see themselves as the only women worth talking about in Singapore, they do not focus on the effects of racial discrimination against other women in Singapore. AK: I have seen exactly what you mean–Chinese feminists who remain silent when their minority sisters and brothers are being discriminated against. It makes me so mad. For those who are new to the concept, can you please elaborate a little bit more on the effects of Chinese privilege, and give some concrete examples about how Chinese privilege affects minorities in Singapore? ST: Privilege and oppression are two sides of the same coin. If one exists, the other does, too. Chinese privilege means that Singaporean minorities are oppressed. Within minority groups themselves, there are subtle differences. Light-skinned North Indians are treated marginally better than darker-skinned South Indians. The term ‘shit-skin’ is often a slur the Chinese use to describe us. This further intersects with class, as class privilege often mediates racial oppression. Higher-class Indians are treated better, and are often co-opted into Chinese supremacy, or they assimilate themselves by choice by marrying Chinese partners, etc. Those the government co-opts become exemplary tokens of our so called multi-culturalism — but they might as well be Chinese. S Dhanabalan, once almost tapped to be the next Prime Minister of Singapore, is of Indian Tamil descent and was a prominent minority in the government.23 He was supposed to represent the Tamil-Indian population in Singapore. He has a Chinese wife and is Christian, while most Indians in Singapore are Hindus. There is such a lack of proper representation of minorities in Parliament. K Shanmugam, another Minister, was instrumental in the state policing of religious Hindu expressions, such as Thaipusam,24 where he spoke on behalf of the government, all the while claiming to represent Indian Singaporeans. Elite Indians buy into the state rhetoric and enforce it against their own people. The complicity with the Chinese majority interest by those who could have done something for the community ensures farcical representation only, designed to only allow us a voice compatible with the government line. AK: The issue of interracial marriage is an interesting one. How do you understand Chinese privilege in relation to marriage and relationships? ST: In recent years, the number of interracial marriages in Singapore have risen. This is to be expected–after all, we are a multiracial country with a multitude of races and cultures. In 2012, one in five marriages was interethnic.25 Singapore prides itself on being a postracial society, and within the Indian community, there has been indeed been a strong increase of Indian men dating and marrying Chinese women. And yet, the reverse is rarely true–Chinese men do not usually date or marry Indian women. It is also important to realize that the Indian men who marry Chinese women are by and large extremely well-educated members of the higher Indian-Singaporean socioeconomic classes. Chinese women are not marrying blue-collar Indian men, but rather those considered most eligible. Again, race and class issues are intertwined here. Fanon perhaps explains this phenomenon best in Black Skin, White Masks: for Black men, relationships with white women are often about the need for recognition and indirectly, the desire for assimilation.26 I believe this is true in the Singapore context. Indian men who date Chinese women are desperate to assimilate. They instinctively realize the privilege of being Chinese, and unable to access it any other way, aspire to marry a Chinese woman. They do not have to experience racism as much when their wives’ Chinese privilege protects them, and it gives them access to opportunities that are usually reserved for Chinese people. They are effectively deracializing themselves. Heterosexual patriarchy is also at work here. Women are expected to marry up wherever possible. Indian women occupy the lowest rung of the Singaporean race hierarchy, and Chinese men occupy the highest. For a Chinese man to date and marry an Indian woman means to marry far beneath his status. Chinese women of a middling socio-economic class can move up a class by marrying the wealthiest indian men in the country. These Indian men, lacking racial privilege, which is itself a ‘property right’,27 can also move up the racial class through gaining access to their wives’ racial privilege. Chinese men gain nothing and lose everything by marrying an Indian girl, while Indian men gain access to racial privilege and Chinese women to class privilege by marrying rich Indian men. But what about Indian women? Singapore does not break down interracial marriages by gender, which obfuscates this racist situation, but the number of people needing to marry into Chineseness shows how powerless the minority communities really are. Indian women like me do not usually have access to the same opportunities Indian men have. Again, we observe the complex intertwinement of sexual, class, and race discrimination here, and the internal paradoxes and contradictions to official postracial, egalitarian Singaporean rhetoric are obvious. AK: One interesting theme repeated here is that representation is either always Chinese or White. What do you think is the relationship of Chineseness to Whiteness in Singapore? ST: Generally speaking, I think that Chinese Singaporeans do not seem to struggle with reconciling Whiteness and Chineseness. I believe this is the case because Chineseness is seen as equal, and in certain aspects even superior to Whiteness. Whiteness is liked, welcomed, and used as a stamp of approval, but the liberal political ‘Western values’ frequently clash with our ‘Asian values.’ Chinese people tend to see themselves as victims of White racism (while at the same time refusing to recognize their own racism regarding other minorities in Singapore, as I outlined above). White expatriates work well-paying jobs and live in the most expensive apartments in Singapore. They are treated very well everywhere they go in Singapore, because the ‘White is better’ mindset still exists here. Chineseness functions the same way in Singapore as Whiteness, sometimes even more so, since the Chinese are the true owners of power here while White people are long-time beneficiaries of that power. As a person of colour living in a supposedly decolonized Singapore, I would say that what makes our struggles markedly different from minorities in the West is that we have to deal with Whiteness on top of Chinese supremacy. So we experience a double racial oppression. I often say minorities here have been colonised twice, once by the British, and once again by the Chinese. What other decolonised state has a completely alien population control political and economic power, while the formerly decolonized indigenous people remain continuously marginalized? The language of Critical Race Theory can only take us so far in Singapore. We need to start coining our own terminology and framework for talking about racism in Singapore. This conversation has just only begun. AK: When you complicate this issue of privilege by bringing gender into the picture, how do things shift for women, regarding White privilege and Chinese privilege? ST: Intersections always make things complicated, especially for people who carry multiple oppressed identities, and so these shifts are difficult to quantify. White women have more privilege than Chinese women. Chinese women have more privilege than Indian and Malay women. Even among Indian and Malay women, the comparative amount of privilege is hard to pin down. Indians in Singapore are by and large Tamil, the darkest Indians from the subcontinent. Malay women are generally fairer, a light brown compared to the dark brown of most Indian women here. Due to colourism, Malay women might thus have a tad more privilege. But at the same time, this can be negated by something simple as wearing the hijab. Singapore is suspicious of Malay Muslims, and Malay women who wear the hijab are seen as conservative and oppressed. Indian women, however, are not seen as religiously fanatical, even if they are in ethnic attire, as Hinduism is not seen as the same kind of threat as Islam. AK: Can you talk about people who inhabit in-between racial spaces, for example people who might be of one ethnicity but can pass for another? How does racism affect them in Singapore? ST: Passing is a mixed bag, and it is present across all intersectionally oppressed identities. To put it simply, passing is the ability to be able to ‘pass’ as your oppressors, even though you carry an identity and occupy a space as the ‘other.’ There are many people of mixed race in Singapore, especially a group of people in Singapore called ‘Chindians’, which is a term for people who are Indian and Chinese, and who can pass for Chinese and thus have access to Chinese privilege. People like ‘Chindians’ can effectively move between the worlds of oppressors and oppressed. It is really difficult for people who pass, because they are always fighting to have their entire identities validated. AK: We are nearing the end of our conversation. What messages would you like to give to young minorities in Singapore? ST: Audre Lorde said that our silence will not protect us. This is true no matter who we are. When you are silent, you are complicit. Inaction against oppression is collusion with oppression. To young minorities in Singapore, I would say: you can start small. Call out Chinese people when they behave micro-aggressively. Call out our own people when we show stereotypical prejudices towards Malays, Indians and other minorities. Many Indians believe the Malays are better positioned because of their supposedly free education, even though that policy actually ended a long time ago. Malays believe the Indians are the preferred minority, because there are more high-profile and prominent Indians, and because Indians are compared favorably to Malays, to blame Malays for their alleged lack of progress. Indians are merely the token minority, there only because the state needs to have some public minorities to salvage its international reputation. Indians see Malays as having some sort of special advantage because the state protects their religion, and because they are indigenous to this part of the world. The Chinese supremacist state uses such highly problematic comparisons for its own ends. It wants to keep us from finding solidarity with each other. It wants us to be suspicious of each other. But divide- and-rule tactics only work when we buy the Chinese supremacist state’s lines of thinking and argument. Zora Neale Hurston said that when you are silent, they will kill you and say you enjoyed it. Every time you remain silent, they believe they have the right to treat you this way, and worse than that, that you want to be treated this way. Again, to the Singaporean youth I would say, do not be afraid, and do not be silent. This country has gone through four generations since independence, and with each, it has become less willing to talk about its serious race problems. That needs to change. The conversation needs to happen. You cannot sit back and let a few of us take all the hits. Hit us long and hard enough, and without the support from our own communities, we will inevitably cower, too. It is unconscionable for you to let others fight your oppression, while you wait to reap the rewards of what may come. Realise that we can only do this together, or we cannot do it at all. _____ Notes: 1. “National Registration Identity Card.” Wikipedia. Accessed Jan. 15, 2015. Back to the essay 2. Ministry of Education, Singapore: Press Releases – Performance by Ethnic Group in National Examinations 2002-2011.” Oct. 29, 2012. Accessed Feb. 22, 2015. http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/press/2012/10/performance-by-ethnic-group-in.php. Back to the essay 3. Zakir Hussain, “No Short Cut to Raising Malays’ Maths Grades,” in The Straits Times, Dec. 18, 2009. Accessed Feb. 22, 2015. http://news.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20091214-185790.html Back to the essay 4. Hsien Loong Lee, “Singapore’s Four Principles Of Governance.” Civil Service College, Nov. 1, 2004. Accessed Feb. 22, 2015. https://www.cscollege.gov.sg/knowledge/ethos/ethos november 2004/pages/singapore four principles of governance.aspx Back to the essay 5. W. E. B. DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk: Essays and Sketches (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Library, 1996), 9. Back to the essay 6. Education Statistics Digest.” Ministry of Education, Singapore, Jan. 1, 2013. Accessed Feb. 22, 2015. http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/education-statistics-digest/files/esd-2013.pdf Back to the essay 7. Demographics of Singapore.” Wikipedia. Accessed Jan. 14, 2015. Back to the essay 8. See L. Rahim, The Singapore Dilemma: The Political and Educational Marginality of the Malay Community (Oxford University Press, 2001) for an excellent discussion on oppression of the Malay community. Back to the essay 9. “Miss Singapore Universe.” Wikipedia. Accessed Jan. 16, 2015. Back to the essay 10. Surekha Yadav, “Is Singapore a Racist Country?” Malay Mail Online, Aug. 30, 2014. Accessed Feb. 22, 2015. http://www.themalaymailonline.com/opinion/surekha-a-yadav/article/is-singapore-a-racist-country Back to the essay 11. William Keng Mun Lee, “Gender Inequality And Discrimination In Singapore,” in Journal of Contemporary Asia 28, no. 4 (1998): 484-97. Back to the essay 12. bell hooks, Killing Rage: Ending Racism (New York: Henry Holt, 1995), 267. Back to the essay 13. “Special Assistance Plan.” Wikipedia. Accessed Jan. 15, 2015. Back to the essay 14. Tom Plate, “The Fox and the Hedgehog (Not a Disney Movie),” in Giants of Asia; Conversations with Lee Kuan Yew Citizen Singapore; How to Build a Nation. 2nd ed. (Singapore: Marshall Cavendish International [Asia] Ptd, 2013), 61. Back to the essay 15. Kuan Yew Lee and Fook Kwang Han, Lee Kuan Yew: Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going, 1st ed. (Singapore: Straits Times, 2011), 230. Back to the essay 16. Allan G. Johnson, Privilege, Power, and Difference. 2nd ed. (Boston, Mass.: McGraw-Hill, 2006), 24. Back to the essay 17. Sudhir Thomas Vadaketh, Floating on a Malayan Breeze Travels in Malaysia and Singapore (Singapore: NUS Press, 2012), 194. Back to the essay 18. Joe Havely, “Singapore Lags in Board Diversity,” Singapore Lags in Board Diversity. Think Business, National University of Singapore, Business School, Mar. 7, 2012. Accessed Feb. 22, 2015. http://thinkbusiness.nus.edu/articles/item/7-singapore-boardroom-diversity Back to the essay 19. Derek Thompson, “The Workforce Is Even More Divided by Race Than You Think,” in The Atlantic, Nov. 6, 2013. Accessed Jan. 15, 2015. Back to the essay 20. Yen Nee Lee, “Companies with More Diverse Boards Fare Better: Study.” TODAY Online, Sept. 29, 2014. Accessed Feb. 22, 2015. http://tablet.todayonline.com/business/companies-more-diverse-boards-fare-better-study Back to the essay 21. Corrie Tan, “Gender Bias Allegations over Singapore Literature Prize English Poetry Results,” Books News & Top Stories, in The Straits Times, Nov. 6, 2014. Accessed Feb. 23, 2015. http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/books/story/gender-bias-allegations-over-singapore-literature-prize-english-poetry-results Back to the essay 22. “Singapore Literature Prize,” Wikipedia. Accessed Jan. 16, 2015. Back to the essay 23. “S. Dhanabalan,” Wikipedia. Accessed Feb. 23, 2015. Back to the essay 24. “The Uproar Over Thaipusam.” The Online Citizen, Jan. 21, 2011. Accessed Feb. 23, 2015. http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2011/01/the-uproar-over-thaipusam/ Back to the essay 25. Theresa Tan, “More Mixed Unions, Remarriages Based on Latest Marriage Data,” in The Sunday Times, Sept. 30, 2012, Special Reports section. Back to the essay 26. Frantz Fanon, “The Man of Color and the White Woman,” in Black Skin, White Masks (New York: Grove, 2008), 45-60. Back to the essay 27. Cheryl I. Harris, “Whiteness as Property,” in Harvard Law Review 106, no. 8 (1993): 1707-791. Back to the essay |
Running automated QA tests against your web service every time you deploy to Heroku is the best way to complete your continuous integration pipeline. Using Heroku Review Apps along with our GitHub deployment integration makes this trivial using Assertible. In this post I will demonstrate how to setup an automated continuous integration and continuous testing QA pipeline for a web app using Heroku and GitHub. This app will be setup to deploy all branches to a unique environment and runs automated API tests against the web app. Goals: Deploy every single pull request to a unique Heroku app (using Heroku Review Apps). Automatically run API tests against the web service immediately after a deployment. Steps: 1. Connect Heroku and GitHub In the Heroku dashboard, navigate to the app you would like to test and click the Deploy tab. In the Deployment method section, select GitHub. Next, in the Connect to GitHub section, select a repository (you may need to click Search, see the image below). Once Heroku recognizes your repo, click Connect. This should enable new options titled Automatic Deploys & Manual Deploys. The heroku dashboard should indicate that GitHub is now connected. For more information about setting up Heroku w/ GitHub, check out the Heroku documentation. 2. Connect Assertible w/ GitHub In order to automatically run API tests to validate your web service functionality after a deployment you should use Assertible. The first step is to connect Assertible with GitHub. If you don't have an account, click the link below: Start testing your web services now! Assertible is free to use. Contact us if you have any questions or feedback! Once your Assertible account is ready, create your first API test by entering the URL of a web service or importing a Swagger spec. Once you have created a test, navigate to the Deployments tab. Click the Add to GitHub button found on the GitHub integration and select a repository. NOTE! If you aren't using GitHub, there are several ways to automate API tests after you deploy your web service. See our deployments API docs for more details. 3. Create a pull request At this point, Assertible is completely configured to receive deployment events from GitHub when your app is deployed. To initiate a deployment to Heroku, you can push a new pull request (you can also initiate a manual deployment from the Heroku dashboard). As you're app is deployed, Assertible will update your pull requests with your web service's test status. If your API tests fail, Assertible will mark the status check on the PR as failing. Continue the discussion We love feedback! Tweet at me @creichert07 or @AssertibleApp and let me know what you think. Resources and documentation :: Christopher Reichert |
God as Architect/Geometer, from the frontispiece of French , from the frontispiece of French Codex Vindobonensis 2554, ca. 1250. The relationship between the Catholic Church and science is a widely debated subject. Historically, the Catholic Church has often been a patron of sciences. It has been prolific in the foundation of schools, universities and hospitals, and many clergy have been active in the sciences. Historians of science such as Pierre Duhem credit medieval Catholic mathematicians and philosophers such as John Buridan, Nicole Oresme, and Roger Bacon as the founders of modern science.[1] Duhem found "the mechanics and physics, of which modern times are justifiably proud, to proceed by an uninterrupted series of scarcely perceptible improvements from doctrines professed in the heart of the medieval schools."[2] Yet, the conflict thesis and other critiques emphasize historical or contemporary conflict between the Catholic Church and science, citing in particular the trial of Galileo as evidence. For its part, the Catholic Church teaches that science and the Christian faith are complementary, as can be seen from the Catechism of the Catholic Church which states in regards to faith and science: Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth. ... Consequently, methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are.[3] Catholic scientists, both religious and lay, have led scientific discovery in many fields.[4] From ancient times, Christian emphasis on practical charity gave rise to the development of systematic nursing and hospitals and the Church remains the single largest private provider of medical care and research facilities in the world.[5] Following the Fall of Rome, monasteries and convents remained bastions of scholarship in Western Europe and clergymen were the leading scholars of the age – studying nature, mathematics, and the motion of the stars (largely for religious purposes).[6] During the Middle Ages, the Church founded Europe's first universities, producing scholars like Robert Grosseteste, Albert the Great, Roger Bacon, and Thomas Aquinas, who helped establish the scientific method.[7] During this period, the Church was also a great patron of engineering for the construction of elaborate cathedrals. Since the Renaissance, Catholic scientists have been credited as fathers of a diverse range of scientific fields: Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) pioneered heliocentrism, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829) prefigured the theory of evolution with Lamarckism, Friar Gregor Mendel (1822-1884) pioneered genetics, and Fr Georges Lemaître (1894-1966) proposed the Big Bang cosmological model.[8] The Jesuits have been particularly active, notably in astronomy. Church patronage of sciences continues through institutions like the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (a successor to the Accademia dei Lincei of 1603) and Vatican Observatory (a successor to the Gregorian Observatory of 1580).[9] Conflict between science and the church [ edit ] This view of the Church as a patron of sciences is contested by some, who speak either of an historically varied relationship which has shifted, from active and even singular support, to bitter clashes (with accusations of heresy) – or of an enduring intellectual conflict between religion and science.[10] Enlightenment philosophers such as Voltaire were famously dismissive of the achievements of the Middle Ages. In the 19th century, the "conflict thesis" emerged to propose an intrinsic conflict or conflicts between the Church and science. The original historical usage of the term asserted that the Church has been in perpetual opposition to science. Later uses of the term denote the Church's epistemological opposition to science. The thesis interprets the relationship between the Church and science as inevitably leading to public hostility, when religion aggressively challenges new scientific ideas as in the Galileo Affair.[11] An alternative criticism is that the Church opposed particular scientific discoveries that it felt challenged its authority and power – particularly through the Reformation and on through the Enlightenment. This thesis shifts the emphasis away from the perception of the fundamental incompatibility of religion per se and science-in-general to a critique of the structural reasons for the resistance of the Church as a political organisation.[12] The Church itself rejects the notion of innate conflict. The Vatican Council (1869/70) declared that "Faith and reason are of mutual help to each other."[13] The Catholic Encyclopedia of 1912 proffers that "The conflicts between science and the Church are not real," and states that belief in such conflicts are predicated on false assumptions.[14] Pope John Paul II summarised the Catholic view of the relationship between faith and reason in the encyclical Fides et Ratio, saying that "faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth – in a word, to know himself – so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves."[15] The present Papal astronomer Brother Guy Consolmagno describes science as an "act of worship" and as "a way of getting intimate with the Creator."[16] Some leading Catholic scientists [ edit ] Scientific fields with important foundational contributions from Catholic scientists include: physics (Galileo) despite his trial and conviction in 1633 for publishing a treatise on his observation that the earth revolves around the sun, which banned his writings and made him spend the remainder of his life under house arrest, acoustics (Mersenne), mineralogy (Agricola), modern chemistry (Lavoisier), modern anatomy (Vesalius), stratigraphy (Steno), bacteriology (Kircher and Pasteur), genetics (Mendel), analytical geometry (Descartes), heliocentric cosmology (Copernicus), atomic theory (Boscovich), and the Big Bang Theory on the origins of the universe (Lemaître). Jesuits devised modern lunar nomenclature and stellar classification and some 35 craters of the moon are named after Jesuits, among whose great scientific polymaths were Francesco Grimaldi and Giambattista Riccioli. The Jesuits also introduced Western science to India and China and translated local texts to be sent to Europe for study. Missionaries contributed significantly to the fields of anthropology, zoology, and botany during Europe's Age of Discovery.[citation needed] Definitions of science [ edit ] Differing analyses of the Catholic relationship to science may arise from definitional variance. While secular philosophers consider "science" in the restricted sense of natural science, in the past theologians tended to view science in a very broad sense as given by Aristotle's definition that science is the sure and evident knowledge obtained from demonstrations.[17] In this sense, science comprises the entire curriculum of university studies, and the Church has claimed authority in matters of doctrine and teaching of science. With the gradual secularisation of the West, the influence of the Church over scientific research has gradually faded.[18] History [ edit ] Early Middle Ages [ edit ] After the Fall of Rome, while an increasingly Hellenized Roman Empire and Christian religion endured as the Byzantine Empire in the East, the study of nature endured in monastic communities in the West. On the fringes of western Europe, where the Roman tradition had not made a strong imprint, monks engaged in the study of Latin as a foreign language, and actively investigated the traditions of Roman learning. Ireland's most learned monks even retained a knowledge of Greek. Irish missionaries like Colombanus later founded monasteries in continental Europe, which went on to create libraries and become centers of scholarship.[19] The leading scholars of the Early Middle Ages were clergymen, for whom the study of nature was but a small part of their scholarly interest. They lived in an atmosphere which provided opportunity and motives for the study of aspects of nature. Some of this study was carried out for explicitly religious reasons. The need for monks to determine the proper time to pray led them to study the motion of the stars;[20] the need to compute the date of Easter led them to study and teach rudimentary mathematics and the motions of the Sun and Moon.[21] Modern readers may find it disconcerting that sometimes the same works discuss both the technical details of natural phenomena and their symbolic significance.[22] In an astronomical observation, Bede of Jarrow described two comets over England, and wrote that the "fiery torches" of AD 729 struck terror in all who saw them – for comets were heralds of bad news.[23] Among these clerical scholars was Bishop Isidore of Seville who wrote a comprehensive encyclopedia of natural knowledge, the monk Bede of Jarrow who wrote treatises on The Reckoning of Time and The Nature of Things, Alcuin of York, abbot of the Abbey of Marmoutier, who advised Charlemagne on scientific matters, and Rabanus Maurus, Archbishop of Mainz and one of the most prominent teachers of the Carolingian Age, who, Like Bede, wrote treatises on computus and On the Nature of Things. Abbot Ælfric of Eynsham, who is known mostly for his Old English sermons, wrote a book on the astronomical time reckoning in Old English based on the writings of Bede. Abbo of Fleury wrote astronomical discussions of timekeeping and of the celestial spheres for his students, teaching for a while in England where he influenced the work of Byrhtferth of Ramsey, who wrote a Manual in Old English to discuss timekeeping and the natural and mystical significance of numbers.[24] Later Middle Ages [ edit ] Foundation of universities [ edit ] In the early Middle Ages, Cathedral schools developed as centers of education, evolving into the medieval universities which were the springboard of many of Western Europe's later achievements.[25] During the High Middle Ages, Chartres Cathedral operated the famous and influential Chartres Cathedral School. Among the great early Catholic universities were Bologna University (1088);[26] Paris University (c 1150); Oxford University (1167);[27] Salerno University (1173); University of Vicenza (1204);[disputed – discuss] Cambridge University (1209); Salamanca University (1218-1219); Padua University (1222); Naples University (1224); and Vercelli University (1228).[28] Using church Latin as a lingua franca, the medieval universities across Western Europe produced a great variety of scholars and natural philosophers, including Robert Grosseteste of the University of Oxford, an early expositor of a systematic method of scientific experimentation,[29] and Saint Albert the Great, a pioneer of biological field research.[30] By the mid-15th century, prior to the Reformation, Catholic Europe had some 50 universities.[28] Condemnations of 1210-1277 [ edit ] The Condemnations of 1210-1277 were enacted at the medieval University of Paris to restrict certain teachings as being heretical. These included a number of medieval theological teachings, but most importantly the physical treatises of Aristotle. The investigations of these teachings were conducted by the Bishops of Paris. The Condemnations of 1277 are traditionally linked to an investigation requested by Pope John XXI, although whether he actually supported drawing up a list of condemnations is unclear. Approximately sixteen lists of censured theses were issued by the University of Paris during the 13th and 14th centuries.[31] Most of these lists of propositions were put together into systematic collections of prohibited articles.[31] Mathematics, engineering and architecture [ edit ] According to art historian Kenneth Clark, "to medieval man, geometry was a divine activity. God was the great geometer, and this concept inspired the architect."[32] Monumental cathedrals such as that of Chartres appear to evidence a complex understanding of mathematics.[32] The Church has invested greatly in engineering and architecture and founded a number of architectural genres – including Byzantine, Romanesque, Gothic, High Renaissance, and Baroque.[28] Roman Inquisition [ edit ] In the Middle Ages of the Roman Church, Pope Paul III (1468-1549) initiated the Congregation of the Roman Inquisition in 1542,[33] which is also known as the Holy Office.[34] A large expansion of Protestantism began to spread all throughout Italy, which triggered Pope Paul III to act against it. He would be the first to create proactive reforms for the sake of Roman Catholicism.[35] Evidently the reforms would be strict rulings against foreign ideologies that would fall outside of their religious beliefs. The Inquisition would soon be under the control of Pope Sixtus V in 1588. View of Outsiders [ edit ] The Roman society was not very fond of outside beliefs. They would keep their borders up to religious foreigners as they felt other practices would influence and change their sacred Catholicism religion.[36] They were also against witchcraft as such practices were seen in 1484 where Pope Innocent stated it was an act of going against the church.[37] Any ideologies that was outside of their norm beliefs was seen as a threat and needed to be corrected even if it was through torture. Inquisition Tactics and Practices [ edit ] Pope Sixtus V put forth 15 congregations. The inquisition would imprison anyone who was seen as a threat towards the Catholic Church or placed onto house arrest.[38] They kept a tight security and denied any other religious foreigners from coming inside their regions. Papal policies were implemented in order to stop foreigners from showing their practices to the public. The Index of Forbidden Books was used to prevent people from doing magic and other forms alike.[39] The book was a guide for people to not read specific books that involved the supernatural. To stay away from this would allow for one to not be "infected".[40] Punishment was acceptable and torture tactics were used in order for one to confess their sins.[41] The Fall of the Inquisition [ edit ] In the 18th century, witchcraft and other groups became less of a threat to the Catholic Church. The focus moved to conversos as the population grew. Conversos mainly impacted the Spanish Inquisition. Furthermore, by the 19th century the Roman Inquisition was very minimal, however some ideologies were still seen in 1965.[42] Development of Modern Science [ edit ] Geology [ edit ] Georgius Agricola (1494-1555), is considered the founder of geology and "Father of Mineralogy".[43][44] He made important contributions which paved the way for systematic study of the earth.[44] A German Catholic who retained his faith through the Reformation, he also wrote on patristics (early church history).[43] In 1546, he wrote De Ortu et Causis Subterraneorum which was the first book written on physical geology, and De Natura Fossilium (On the Nature of Fossils) which described fossils and minerals.[43] Nicolas Steno (1638-1686) is a notable Catholic convert who served as a bishop after making a series of important anatomical and geological innovations. His studies of the formation of rock layers and fossils was of vital significance to the development of modern geology and continue to be used today.[45] He established the theoretical basis for stratigraphy. Originally a Lutheran, he did important anatomical work in the Netherlands but moved to Catholic Italy and, in 1667, converted. Denied office in the Protestant north, he continued his medical and geological studies, but in 1675 became a priest and soon after was appointed a bishop, writing 16 major theological works.[46] Astronomy [ edit ] Historically, the Catholic Church has been a major sponsor of astronomy, not least because of the astronomical basis of the calendar by which holy days and Easter are determined. The Church’s interest in astronomy began with purely practical concerns, when in the 16th century Pope Gregory XIII required astronomers to correct for the fact that the Julian calendar had fallen out of sync with the sky. Since the Spring equinox was tied to the celebration of Easter, the Church considered that this steady movement in the date of the equinox was undesirable. The resulting Gregorian calendar is the internationally accepted civil calendar used throughout the world today and is an important contribution of the Catholic Church to Western Civilisation.[47][48][49] It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582.[50] In 1789, the Vatican Observatory opened. It was moved to Castel Gandolfo in the 1930s and the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope began making observation in Arizona, USA, in 1995.[51] Copernicus [ edit ] Nicolaus Copernicus , the clergyman astronomer who put the sun at the center of the solar system, upsetting both scientific and religious accepted theory. Nicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance astronomer and Catholic clergyman who was the first person to formulate a comprehensive heliocentric cosmology which displaced the Earth from the center of the universe. In 1533, Johann Albrecht Widmannstetter delivered a series of lectures in Rome outlining Copernicus' theory. Pope Clement VII and several Catholic cardinals heard the lectures and were interested in the theory. On 1 November 1536, Nikolaus von Schönberg, Archbishop of Capua and since the previous year a cardinal, wrote to Copernicus from Rome: Some years ago word reached me concerning your proficiency, of which everybody constantly spoke. At that time I began to have a very high regard for you. ...For I had learned that you had not merely mastered the discoveries of the ancient astronomers uncommonly well but had also formulated a new cosmology. In it you maintain that the earth moves; that the sun occupies the lowest, and thus the central, place in the universe. ...Therefore with the utmost earnestness I entreat you, most learned sir, unless I inconvenience you, to communicate this discovery of yours to scholars, and at the earliest possible moment to send me your writings on the sphere of the universe together with the tables and whatever else you have that is relevant to this subject.[52] By then Copernicus' work was nearing its definitive form, and rumors about his theory had reached educated people all over Europe. Despite urgings from many quarters, Copernicus delayed publication of his book, perhaps from fear of criticism – a fear delicately expressed in the subsequent dedication of his masterpiece to Pope Paul III. Scholars disagree on whether Copernicus' concern was limited to possible astronomical and philosophical objections, or whether he was also concerned about religious objections.[53] At original publication, Copernicus' epoch-making book caused only mild controversy, and provoked no fierce sermons about contradicting Holy Scripture. It was only three years later, in 1546, that a Dominican, Giovanni Maria Tolosani, denounced the theory in an appendix to a work defending the absolute truth of Scripture.[54] He also noted that the Master of the Sacred Palace (i.e., the Catholic Church's chief censor), Bartolomeo Spina, a friend and fellow Dominican, had planned to condemn De revolutionibus but had been prevented from doing so by his illness and death.[55] Galileo Galilei [ edit ] Galileo Galilei was a Catholic scientist of the Reformation period whose support for Copernican heliocentrism was suppressed by the Inquisition.[56] He is considered one of the inventors of modern science. Along with fellow Catholic scientist Copernicus, Galileo was among those who ultimately overturned the notion of geocentrism.[57] Protestant and atheist critics of Catholicism's relationship to science have placed great emphasis on the Galileo affair. Galileo was ordered not to support Copernican theory in 1616, but in 1632, after receiving permission from a new Pope (Urban VIII) to address the subject indirectly through a dialogue, he fell foul of the Pontiff by placing the pope's views in the mouth of an imbecile within the text, and was hauled before the Inquisition. The Inquisition found him guilty of defending Copernican theory as a probability, "vehemently suspect of heresy," and placed him under house arrest for the remainder of his life. Federico Cesi created the Accademia dei Lincei in 1603 as an Italian science academy, of which Galileo became a member.[58] Galileo's championing of Copernicanism was controversial within his lifetime, when a large majority of philosophers and astronomers still subscribed to the geocentric view. Galileo gained wide support for his theories outside the universities by writing in Italian, rather than academic Latin. In response, the Aristotelian professors of the universities formed a united effort to convince the Church to ban Copernicanism.[57] Initially a beneficiary of church patronage of astronomy, Galileo rose to prominence with the publication of Sidereus Nuncius, which comprised astronomical observations made possible by the 1608 invention of the telescope. He was feted in Rome, honoured by the Jesuits of the Roman College, and received by Pope Paul V and church dignitaries.[59] Galileo began to dismiss geocentrism and emerging alternative theories like that of Tycho Brahe. Proponents of these alternatives began to work against Galileo and claim a contradiction between the Bible and his theories. Galileo rejected the accusation – quoting Cardinal Baronius: "The Holy Ghost intended to teach us how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go." He invited the Church to follow established practice and reinterpret Scripture in light of the new scientific discoveries. The leading Jesuit Theologian Cardinal Robert Bellarmine agreed that this would be an appropriate response to a true demonstration that the sun was at the center of the universe, but cautioned that the existing materials upon which Galileo relied did not yet constitute an established truth.[59] Galileo's career coincided with the reaction of the Catholic Church to the Protestant Reformation, in which the Roman Church found itself in a struggle for authority in Europe, following the emergence of the Protestant Churches and nations of Northern Europe.[60] Pope Paul III created the Roman and Universal Inquisition to stop the spread of "heretical depravity" throughout the Christian world. From 1571, the institution had jurisdiction over books and created the Index of Prohibited Books.[61] Rome established the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith in 1622. The historian of science Jacob Bronowski wrote that "Catholics and Protestants were embattled in what we should now call a Cold War. ...The Church was a great temporal power, and in that bitter time it was fighting a political crusade in which all means were justified by the end." In this climate, Cardinal Bellarmine, himself a distinguished scientist of the age, instigated inquiries against Galileo as early as 1613.[60] After 1610, when Galileo began publicly supporting the heliocentric view which placed the Sun at the center of the universe, he met with bitter opposition from some philosophers and clerics, and two of the latter eventually denounced him to the Roman Inquisition early in 1615. Galileo defended his theories by means of the long-established Catholic understanding of Scripture, that the Bible was not intended to expound scientific theory and where it conflicted with common sense, should be read as allegory.[57] Although he was cleared of any offence at that time, the Catholic Church nevertheless condemned heliocentrism as "false and contrary to Scripture" in February 1616,[62] and Galileo was warned to abandon his support for it, which he promised to do. In March 1616, the Church's Congregation of the Index issued a decree suspending De revolutionibus until it could be "corrected", on the grounds that the supposedly Pythagorean doctrine[63] that the Earth moves and the Sun does not was "false and altogether opposed to Holy Scripture."[64] The same decree also prohibited any work that defended the mobility of the Earth or the immobility of the Sun, or that attempted to reconcile these assertions with Scripture.[citation needed] On the orders of Pope Paul V, Cardinal Bellarmine gave Galileo prior notice that the decree was about to be issued, and warned him that he could not "hold or defend" the Copernican doctrine.[65] The corrections to De revolutionibus, which omitted or altered nine sentences, were issued four years later, in 1620.[66] In 1623, Galileo's friend Maffeo Barberini was elected as Pope Urban VIII. Urban VIII was an intellectual and patron of the arts and architecture, who had written poetry as a young man in praise of Galileo's astronomical writings. Galileo met with the new Pope, hoping to persuade him to lift the 1616 ban.[67] Instead he received permission to write a book on Aristotelian and Copernican theories, provided he did not take sides.[57] The book, Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, was passed by the censors and was well received across Europe,[57] but ultimately offended Urban VIII, whose own arguments were put into the mouth of the buffoon-like Simplicio in the dialogue. The Preparatory Commission for the trial of Galileo noted that the Pope's stated belief that it would be extravagant boldness to limit the power and wisdom of God to an individual's particular conjecture was put "into the mouth of a fool" in Galileo's text.[68] Galileo was summoned to Rome to be tried by the Inquisition in 1633. According to Bronowski, Galileo's accusers relied on a forged document purporting to have, in 1616, forbidden Galileo from in "any way whatsoever" teaching theories of Copernicus, and thus could find him guilty of dishonestly tricking the censors and therefore ban his book without addressing the issues of substance relating to Copernicus found within it.[69] Galileo was found "vehemently suspect of heresy" for "following the position of Copernicus, which is contrary to the true sense and authority of Holy Scripture."[70] Galileo was forced to recant, and spend the rest of his life under house arrest. Galileo remained a practicing Catholic and during his house arrest wrote his most influential work Two New Sciences – a book which had to be smuggled to the Protestant part of Holland in order to be published.[56] The Catholic Church's 1758 Index of Prohibited Books omitted the general prohibition of works defending heliocentrism,[71] but retained the specific prohibitions of the original uncensored versions of De revolutionibus and Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems. Those prohibitions were finally dropped from the 1835 Index.[72] The Inquisition's ban on reprinting Galileo's works was lifted in 1718 when permission was granted to publish an edition of his works (excluding the condemned Dialogue) in Florence.[73] In 1741 Pope Benedict XIV authorized the publication of an edition of Galileo's complete scientific works[74] which included a mildly censored version of the Dialogue.[75] In 1758 the general prohibition against works advocating heliocentrism was removed from the Index of prohibited books, although the specific ban on uncensored versions of the Dialogue and Copernicus's De Revolutionibus remained.[76] All traces of official opposition to heliocentrism by the Church disappeared in 1835 when these works were finally dropped from the Index.[77] Pope Urban VIII refused Galileo a stately burial upon his death, though later his bones were interned under a monument at the Church of Santa Croce in Florence. In 1980, Pope John Paul II ordered a re-examination of the evidence against Galileo and formally acquitted him in 1992.[78] Modern view on Galileo [ edit ] In 1939 Pope Pius XII, in his first speech to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, within a few months of his election to the papacy, described Galileo as being among the "most audacious heroes of research ... not afraid of the stumbling blocks and the risks on the way, nor fearful of the funereal monuments."[79] His close advisor of 40 years Professor Robert Leiber wrote: "Pius XII was very careful not to close any doors (to science) prematurely. He was energetic on this point and regretted that in the case of Galileo."[80] On 15 February 1990, in a speech delivered at the Sapienza University of Rome,[81] Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) cited some current views on the Galileo affair as forming what he called "a symptomatic case that permits us to see how deep the self-doubt of the modern age, of science and technology goes today."[82] Some of the views he cited were those of the philosopher Paul Feyerabend, whom he quoted as saying: “The Church at the time of Galileo kept much more closely to reason than did Galileo himself, and she took into consideration the ethical and social consequences of Galileo's teaching too. Her verdict against Galileo was rational and just and the revision of this verdict can be justified only on the grounds of what is politically opportune.”[82] The Cardinal did not clearly indicate whether he agreed or disagreed with Feyerabend's assertions. He did, however, say: "It would be foolish to construct an impulsive apologetic on the basis of such views."[82] On 31 October 1992, Pope John Paul II expressed regret for how the Galileo affair was handled, and issued a declaration acknowledging the errors committed by the Church tribunal that judged the scientific positions of Galileo Galilei; this was the result of a study conducted by the Pontifical Council for Culture.[83][84] In March 2008 the Vatican proposed to complete its rehabilitation of Galileo by erecting a statue of him inside the Vatican walls.[85] In December of the same year, during events to mark the 400th anniversary of Galileo's earliest telescopic observations, Pope Benedict XVI praised his contributions to astronomy.[86] Modern astronomers [ edit ] Brother Guy Consolmagno, a Jesuit, became the first religious brother to be awarded the American Astronomical Society's Carl Sagan Medal for Excellence in Public Communication in Planetary Science in 2014.[87] The judges noted his six books, and nominated his 'Turn Left At Orion' as having had an "enormous impact on the amateur astronomy community, engendering public support for astronomy." They described Consolmagno as "the voice of the juxtaposition of planetary science and astronomy with Christian belief, a rational spokesperson who can convey exceptionally well how religion and science can co-exist for believers."[88] Consolmagno describes science as an "act of worship, ... a way of getting close to creation, to really getting intimate with creation, and it's a way of getting intimate with the creator."[89] Gessner [ edit ] Conrad Gessner's great zoological work, Historiae animalium, appeared in 4 vols. (quadrupeds, birds, fishes folio), 1551–1558, at Zürich, with a fifth (snakes) being issued in 1587. This work is recognized as the starting-point of modern zoology. There was extreme religious tension at the time Historiae animalium came out. Gesner was Protestant. Under Pope Paul IV it was felt that the religious convictions of an author contaminated all his writings,[90] so – without any regard for the content of the work – it was added to the Roman Catholic Church's list of prohibited books.[91] Evolution [ edit ] In the years since the publication of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species in 1859, the position of the Catholic Church on the theory of evolution has slowly been refined. For about 100 years there was no authoritative pronouncement on the subject, though hostile comments were made by local church figures.[citation needed] In October 1996, Pope John Paul II outlined the Catholic view of evolution to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, saying that the Church holds that evolution is "more than a hypothesis," it is a well-accepted theory of science and that the human body evolved according to natural processes, while the human soul is the creation of God.[93] This updated an earlier pronouncement by Pope Pius XII in the 1950 encyclical Humani generis that accepted evolution as a possibility (as opposed to a probability) and a legitimate field of study to investigate the origins of the human body – though it was stressed that "the Catholic faith obliges us to hold that souls are immediately created by God."[94] In contrast with Protestant literalist objections, Catholic issues with evolutionary theory have had little to do with maintaining the literalism of the account in the Book of Genesis, and have always been concerned with the question of how man came to have a soul.[95][96] Catholic scientists contributed to the development of evolutionary theory. Among the foremost Catholic contributors to the development of the modern understanding of evolution was the Jesuit-educated Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829) and the Augustinian monk Gregor Mendel (1822-1884).[28] Lamark developed Lamarckism, the first coherent theory of evolution, proposing in Philosophie Zoologique (1809) and other works his theory of the transmutation of species and drawing a genealogical tree to show the genetic connection of organisms.[97] Mendel discovered the basis of genetics following long study of the inherited characteristics of pea plants, although his paper Experiments on Plant Hybridization, published in 1866, was famously overlooked until the start of the next century.[98] The work of Catholic scientists like the Danish Bishop Nicolas Steno helped establish the science of geology, leading to modern scientific measurements of the age of the earth.[45] The church accepts modern geological theories on such matters and the authenticity of the fossil record. Papal pronouncements, along with commentaries by cardinals, indicate that the Church is aware of the general findings of scientists on the gradual appearance of life. The Church's stance is that the temporal appearance of life has been guided by God. Modern Creationism has had little Catholic support. In the 1950s, the Church's position was one of neutrality; by the late 20th century its position evolved to one of general acceptance of evolution. Today , the Church's official position is a fairly non-specific example of theistic evolution.[95][96] This states that faith and scientific findings regarding human evolution are not in conflict, though humans are regarded as a special creation, and that the existence of God is required to explain both monogenism and the spiritual component of human origins. No infallible declarations by the Pope or an Ecumenical Council have ever been made. There have been several organizations composed of Catholic laity and clergy which have advocated positions both supporting evolution and opposed to evolution. For example: As in other countries, Catholic schools in the United States teach evolution as part of their science curriculum. They teach the fact that evolution occurs and the modern evolutionary synthesis, which is the scientific theory that explains how evolution occurs. This is the same evolution curriculum that secular schools teach. Bishop DiLorenzo of Richmond, chair of the Committee on Science and Human Values, said in a December 2004 letter sent to all U.S. bishops: "Catholic schools should continue teaching evolution as a scientific theory backed by convincing evidence. At the same time, Catholic parents whose children are in public schools should ensure that their children are also receiving appropriate catechesis at home and in the parish on God as Creator. Students should be able to leave their biology classes, and their courses in religious instruction, with an integrated understanding of the means God chose to make us who we are."[102] Genetics [ edit ] Gregor Mendel was an Austrian scientist and Augustinian friar who began experimenting with peas around 1856. Observing the processes of pollination at his monastery in what is now the Czech Republic, Mendel studied and developed theories pertaining to the field of science now called genetics. Mendel published his results in 1866 in the Journal of the Brno Natural History Society. The paper was not widely read nor understood, and soon after its publication Mendel was elected Abbott of his Monastery. He continued experimenting with bees but his work went unrecognised until various scientists resurrected his theories around 1900, after his death.[103] Mendel had joined the Brno Augustinian Monastery in 1843, but also trained as a scientist at the Olmutz Philosophical Institute and the University of Vienna. The Brno Monastery was a center of scholarship, with an extensive library and a tradition of scientific research.[104] Where Charles Darwin's theories suggested a mechanism for improvement of species over generations, Mendel's observations provided explanation for how a new species itself could emerge. Though Darwin and Mendel never collaborated, they were aware of each other's work (Darwin read a paper by Wilhelm Olbers Focke which extensively referenced Mendel). Bill Bryson wrote that "without realizing it, Darwin and Mendel laid the groundwork for all of life sciences in the twentieth century. Darwin saw that all living things are connected, that ultimately they trace their ancestry to a single, common source; Mendel's work provided the mechanism to explain how that could happen."[105] Biologist J. B. S. Haldane and others brought together the principles of Mendelian inheritance with Darwinian principles of evolution to form the field of genetics known as Modern evolutionary synthesis.[106] "Big Bang" Theory for early development of the universe [ edit ] The Big Bang model, or theory, is now the prevailing cosmological theory of the early development of the universe and was first proposed by Belgian priest Georges Lemaître, astronomer and professor of physics at the Catholic University of Louvain, with a PhD from MIT. Lemaître was a pioneer in applying Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity to cosmology. Bill Bryson wrote that the idea was decades ahead of its time, and that Lemaitre was the first to bring together Einstein's theory of relativity with Edwin Hubble's cosmological observations, combining them in his own "fire-works theory". Lemaitre theorized in the 1920s that the universe began as a geometrical point which he called a "primeval atom", which exploded out and has been moving apart ever since. The idea became established theory only decades later with the discovery of cosmic background radiation by American scientists.[107] Saint Albert Magnus was a pioneer of biological field research. In ancient times, the church supported medical research as an aid to Christian charity. The Church supported the development of modern science and scientific research by founding Europe's first universities in the Middle Ages. Historian Lawrence M. Principe writes that "it is clear from the historical record that the Catholic church has been probably the largest single and longest-term patron of science in history, that many contributors to the Scientific Revolution were themselves Catholic, and that several Catholic institutions and perspectives were key influences upon the rise of modern science."[108] The field of astronomy is a prime example of the Church's commitment to science. J.L. Heilbron in his book The Sun in the Church: Cathedrals as Solar Observatories writes that "the Roman Catholic Church gave more financial aid and support to the study of astronomy for over six centuries, from the recovery of ancient learning during the late Middle Ages into the Enlightenment, than any other, and, probably, all other, institutions."[109] Scientific support continues through the present day. The Pontifical Academy of Sciences was founded in 1936 by Pope Pius XI, with the aim of promoting the progress of the mathematical, physical, and natural sciences and the study of related epistemological problems. The academy holds a membership roster of the most respected names in 20th century science, many of them Nobel laureates. Also worth noting is the Vatican Observatory, which is an astronomical research and educational institution supported by the Holy See. In his 1996 encyclical Fides et Ratio, Pope John Paul II wrote that "faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth."[110] Pope Benedict XVI re-emphasized the importance of reason in his famous 2006 address at Regensburg.[111] But the emphasis on reason is not a recent development in the Church's history. In the first few centuries of the Church, the Church Fathers appropriated the best of Greek philosophy in defense of the faith. This appropriation culminated in the 13th century writings of Thomas Aquinas, whose synthesis of faith and reason has influenced Catholic thought for eight centuries. Because of this synthesis, it should be no surprise that many historians of science trace the foundations of modern science to the 13th century. These writers include Edward Grant,[112] James Hannam,[113] and Pierre Duhem.[114] Medicine [ edit ] The Church has, since ancient times, been heavily involved in the study and provision of medicine. Early Christians were noted for tending the sick and infirm, and priests were often also physicians. Christian emphasis on practical charity gave rise to the development of systematic nursing and hospitals after the end of the persecution of the early church. Notable contributors to the medical sciences of those early centuries include Tertullian (born A.D. 160), Clement of Alexandria, Lactantius, and the learned St. Isidore of Seville (d. 636). St. Benedict of Nursia (480) emphasised medicine as an aid to the provision of hospitality.[115] During the Middle Ages, famous physicians and medical researchers included the Abbot of Monte Cassino Bertharius, the Abbot of Reichenau Walafrid Strabo, the Abbess Hildegard of Bingen, and the Bishop Marbodius of Rennes. Monasteries of this era were diligent in the study of medicine.[115] So too, convents: Hildegard of Bingen, a doctor of the church, is among the most distinguished of Medieval Catholic women scientists. Other than theological works, Hildegard also wrote Physica, a text on the natural sciences, as well as Causae et Curae. Hildegard of Bingen was well known for her healing powers that involved practical application of tinctures, herbs, and precious stones.[116] Charlemagne decreed that each monastery and cathedral chapter establish a school and in these schools medicine was commonly taught. At one such school Pope Sylvester II taught medicine. Clergy were active at the School of Salerno, the oldest medical school in Western Europe. Among the important churchmen to teach there were Alpuhans, later (1058–85) Archbishop of Salerno, and the influential Constantine of Carthage, a monk who produced superior translations of Hippocrates and investigated Arab literature.[115] In Catholic Spain amidst the early Reconquista, Archbishop Raimund founded an institution for translations, which employed a number of Jewish translators to communicate the works of Arabian medicine. Influenced by the rediscovery of Aristotelean thought, churchmen like the Dominican Albert Magnus and the Franciscan Roger Bacon made significant advances in the observation of nature. Through the devastating Bubonic Plague, the Franciscans were notable for tending the sick. The apparent impotence of medical knowledge against the disease prompted critical examination. Medical scientists came to divide among anti-Galenists, anti-Arabists, and positive Hippocratics. In Renaissance Italy, the Popes were often patrons of the study of anatomy, and Catholic artists such as Michelangelo advanced knowledge of the field through such studies as sketching cadavers to improve his portraits of the crucifixion.[115] The Jesuit order, created during the Reformation, contributed a number of distinguished medical scientists. In the field of bacteriology it was the Jesuit Athanasius Kircher (1671) who first proposed that living beings enter and exist in the blood. In the development of ophthalmology, Christoph Scheiner made important advances in relation to refraction of light and the retinal image.[115] In modern times, the Catholic Church is the largest non-government provider of health care in the world. Catholic religious have been responsible for founding and running networks of hospitals across the world where medical research continues to be advanced.[117] Jesuits [ edit ] The Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order) was founded by the Spaniard Saint Ignatius Loyola in 1540. Jesuits were leaders of the Counter-Reformation, who have contributed a great many distinguished scientists and institutions of learning, right up to the present. The role of some of its members like Robert Bellarmine, in the Counter-Reformation period and in defense of Papal teaching, show the constraints under which they operated. However, recent scholarship in the history of science has focused on the substantial contributions of Jesuit scientists over the centuries. Historian Jonathan Wright discussed the breadth of Jesuit involvement in the sciences in his history of the order: [The Jesuits] contributed to the development of pendulum clocks, pantographs, barometers, reflecting telescopes and microscopes, to scientific fields as various as magnetism, optics, and electricity. They observed, in some cases before anyone else, the colored bands on Jupiter’s surface, the Andromeda nebula, and Saturn’s rings. They theorized about the circulation of the blood (independently of Harvey), the theoretical possibility of flight, the way the moon effected the tides, and the wave-like nature of light. Star maps of the southern hemisphere, symbolic logic, flood-control measures on the Po and Adige rivers, introducing plus and minus signs into Italian mathematics – all were typical Jesuit achievements, and scientists as influential as Fermat, Huygens, Leibniz, and Newton were not alone in counting Jesuits among their most prized correspondents.[118] Jesuits in China [ edit ] The Jesuits made significant contributions to scientific knowledge in China. Under the Qing Dynasty, the Jesuits' knowledge of observational astronomy and spherical trigonometry was welcomed by the imperial court. The Manchus who conquered the MIng Dynasty also welcomed the Jesuit scientists and employed their help due to their expert knowledge of mathematical astronomy, which aided the ruling class in predicting celestial events, thus, displaying that this dynasty retained the Mandate of Heaven.[119] Father Matteo Ricci served on jury charged with filling high ranking positions in the imperial court, Father Johann Schall was made president of the mathematics court of the Qing dynasty and contributed significantly to the reformation of China's calendar, Father Ferdinand Verbiest contributed to China's understanding of its geography and helped them define their border with Russia.[120] Christopher Clavius [ edit ] Christopher Clavius was one of the most prolific members of the order. During his life, he made contributions to algebra, geometry, astronomy and cartography. Most notable of his accomplishments was his work on the reform of the Gregorian Calendar. Having taught in the Collegio Romano for 40 years, he had a direct impact on the spread of scientific knowledge within the Jesuit order and, from there, an impact on the scientific knowledge of the places his students would visit in their missionary journeys. For example, the Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci translated Clavius' books into Chinese and shared the knowledge they contained with the people of China during his missionary work there. With the help of Clavius' books, Matteo and his fellow Jesuits were able to spread the West's knowledge of astronomy to China which, in turn, led to China's refinement of its own calendar system.[121][122] Athanasius Kircher [ edit ] Athanasius Kircher was a Jesuit priest who authored around 44 major works and is regarded by some scholars as the founder of Egyptology due to his study of Egyptian hieroglyphs. He is believed by many scholars to be the last "renaissance man" in light of his being a polymath and scholar of a wide range of disciplines including music, astronomy, medicine, geography, and more. Despite providing a wealth of knowledge in his books, Kircher did not contribute much in the way of scientific breakthroughs, but he is credited with the invention of the aeolian harp which was a popular instrument the 19th century One of many notable contributions Athanasius made to the world was his book, China Illustrata in which he gives a detailed record of his observations of Chinese culture and geography—including numerous detailed illustrations plants, statues, temples, and mountains in the vast landscapes of China. Kircher wrote this book based entirely on his study of documents sent back to Rome from his fellow Jesuits in China which led to Kircher being recognized as an expert in China despite having never been there himself.[123][124] Pierre Teilhard de Chardin [ edit ] Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was a Jesuit priest who took an interest in geology from a young age. After some time as a professor at the Catholic Institute of Paris, Chardin went on an expedition to China where he performed academic work concerning paleontology and geology. During his travels in China, he played a role in the discovery of the Peking Man's skull. After his research team discovered it, Chardin took part in the examination of the skull and discovered the geological time period during which the Peking Man lived. During his time in China, Pierre was able to continue his research of fossils and expanded the scope of geological knowledge in Asia with the help of his fellow Jesuit, Pierre Leroy, who co-founded the Institute of Geobiology with him in Peking.[125][126] Pietro Angelo Secchi [ edit ] Pietro Angelo Secchi became a Jesuit priest in 1833. He became a professor of astronomy at the Roman College and eventually founded an observatory where he would further his research in stellar spectroscopy, meteorology, and terrestrial magnetism. His observations and theories laid the foundation for the Harvard classification system of stars as he was the first to survey the spectra of stars and attempt to classify them by their spectral type.[127] Jesuit Observatories [ edit ] Perhaps one of the greatest contributions made by the Jesuits to science is the large network of observatories they founded across the world. Between 1824 and 1957, 75 observatories were founded by the Jesuits. Though their main focus was astronomy, other fields the observatories were involved in include meteorology, geomagnetism, seismology, and geophysiology. In some countries in Asia and Africa, these observatories were the first scientific institutions they had ever had.[128] The contribution of the Jesuits to the development of seismology and seismic prospecting has been so substantial that seismology has been called "The Jesuit Science".[129] Frederick Odenbach, SJ, is considered by many to have been the "pioneer of American seismologists." In 1936, Fr. J.B. Macelwane, SJ, wrote the first seismology textbook in America, Introduction to Theoretical Seismology. In the 21st Century, Jesuits remain prominent in the sciences through institutions like the Vatican Observatory and Georgetown University. Pontifical Academy of Sciences [ edit ] The Pontifical Academy of Sciences was founded in 1936 by Pope Pius XI. It draws on many of the world's leading scientists, including many Nobel Laureates, to act as advisors to the Popes on scientific issues. The Academy has an international membership which includes British physicist Stephen Hawking, the astronomer royal Martin Rees, and Nobel laureates such as U.S. physicist Charles Hard Townes.[130] Under the protection of the reigning Pope, the aim of the Academy is to promote the progress of the mathematical, physical, and natural sciences and the study of related epistemological problems. The Academy has its origins in the Accademia Pontificia dei Nuovi Lincei ("Pontifical Academy of the New Lynxes"), founded in 1847 and intended as a more closely supervised successor to the Accademia dei Lincei ("Academy of Lynxes") established in Rome in 1603 by the learned Roman Prince Federico Cesi (1585–1630) who was a young botanist and naturalist, and which claimed Galileo Galilei as a member. Vatican Observatory [ edit ] The Vatican Observatory (Specola Vaticana) is an astronomical research and educational institution supported by the Holy See. Originally based in Rome, it now has headquarters and laboratory at the summer residence of the Pope in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, and an observatory at the Mount Graham International Observatory in the United States.[131] The Director of the Observatory is Fr. José Gabriel Funes, SJ. Many distinguished scholars have worked at the Observatory. In 2008, the Templeton Prize was awarded to cosmologist Fr. Michał Heller, a Vatican Observatory Adjunct Scholar. In 2010, the George Van Biesbroeck Prize was awarded to former observatory director Fr. George Coyne, SJ.[132] As mentioned above the present Papal astronomer Brother Guy Consolmagno was awarded the American Astronomical Society's Carl Sagan Medal for Excellence in Public Communication in Planetary Science in 2014. Current Church doctrine [ edit ] In his 1893 encyclical, Pope Leo XIII wrote that "no real disagreement can exist between the theologian and the scientist provided each keeps within his own limits. ...If nevertheless there is a disagreement ... it should be remembered that the sacred writers, or more truly ‘the Spirit of God who spoke through them, did not wish to teach men such truths (as the inner structure of visible objects) which do not help anyone to salvation’; and that, for this reason, rather than trying to provide a scientific exposition of nature, they sometimes describe and treat these matters either in a somewhat figurative language or as the common manner of speech those times required, and indeed still requires nowadays in everyday life, even amongst most learned people."[133] The Catechism of the Catholic Church asserts: "Methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are."[134] Providentissimus Deus [ edit ] Providentissimus Deus, "On the Study of Holy Scripture", was an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on 18 November 1893. In it, he reviewed the history of Bible study from the time of the Church Fathers to the present, spoke against what he considered to be the errors of the Rationalists and "higher critics", and outlined principles of scripture study and guidelines for how scripture was to be taught in seminaries. He also addressed the issues of apparent contradictions between the Bible and physical science, or between one part of scripture and another, and how such apparent contradictions can be resolved. Providentissimus Deus responded to two challenges to biblical authority, both of which rose up during the 19th century. The physical sciences, especially the theory of evolution and geology's theory of a very old earth, challenged the traditional Biblical account of creation taking place 6,000 years ago. Pope Leo XIII wrote that true science cannot contradict scripture when it is properly explained, that errors the Church Fathers made do not demonstrate error in Scripture, and that what seems to be proved by science can turn out to be wrong. The historical-critical method of analyzing scripture questioned the reliability of the Bible. Leo acknowledged the possibility of errors introduced by scribes but forbade the interpretation that only some of scripture is inerrant, while other elements are fallible. Leo condemned the use that certain scholars made of new evidence, clearly referring to Alfred Firmin Loisy and Maurice d'Hulst, although not by name.[135] At first, both conservatives and liberals found elements in the encyclical to which to appeal. Over the next decade, however, Modernism spread and Providentissimus Deus was increasingly interpreted in a conservative sense.[135] This encyclical was part of an ongoing conflict between Modernists and conservatives. In 1902, Pope Leo XIII instituted the Pontifical Biblical Commission, which was to adapt Roman Catholic Biblical studies to modern scholarship and to protect Scripture against attacks.[136] The Oath against Modernism was finally rescinded after Vatican II. Humani generis [ edit ] Humani generis is a papal encyclical that Pope Pius XII promulgated on 12 August 1950 "concerning some false opinions threatening to undermine the foundations of Catholic Doctrine." Theological opinions and doctrines known as Nouvelle Théologie or neo-modernism and their consequences on the Church were its primary subject. Evolution and its impact on theology constitute only two out of 44 parts. Yet the position which Pius XII defined in 1950, delinking the creation of body and soul, was confirmed by Pope John Paul II, who highlighted additional facts supporting the theory of evolution half a century later. Fides et Ratio [ edit ] Fides et ratio is a Papal Encyclical that Pope John Paul II Promulgated on the 14th of September 1998, "On the Relationship between Faith and Reason". In the encyclical, Pope John Paul II addressed the relationship between faith and reason, the first to do so since Pope Leo XIII in 1879, with his encyclical Aeterni Patris. Pope John Paul II described the relationship between faith and reason as 'two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth'.[137] 'This is why I make this strong and insistent appeal—not, I trust, untimely—that faith and philosophy recover the profound unity which allows them to stand in harmony with their nature without compromising their mutual autonomy. The parrhesia of faith must be matched by the boldness of reason.'[137] In his 1998 encyclical, Pope John Paul II gave an example to the faithful of how to defend faith, without shunning reason. Following and supporting the long tradition of Christian Theology and Philosophy. The Catholic Church has always purported a thesis of harmony between Science and Religion, despite the growing trend of conflict being purported between the two. Through Fides et ratio Pope John Paul II reinforced the Church's stance upon the relationship between Science and The Catholic Church. 'The Church remains profoundly convinced that faith and reason “mutually support each other”; each influences the other, as they offer to each other a purifying critique and a stimulus to pursue the search for deeper understanding.' [137] 'Similarly, fundamental theology should demonstrate the profound compatibility that exists between faith and its need to find expression by way of human reason fully free to give its assent. Faith will thus be able “to show fully the path to reason in a sincere search for the truth. Although faith, a gift of God, is not based on reason, it can certainly not dispense with it. At the same time, it becomes apparent that reason needs to be reinforced by faith, in order to discover horizons it cannot reach on its own”.' [137] Ethics and science [ edit ] The Catholic Church teaches that scientific research and conduct need to be informed by and put to the aid of Christian ethics. During recent pontificates, issues such as the implications of genetics and anthropological climate change have been important areas of focus. The Vatican draws on leading scientists to examine scientific literature in search of "moral and philosophical problems, either caused by science or which can be helped by science."[130] Church and science as complementary [ edit ] The Jesuit Teilhard de Chardin argued in an influential book The Phenomenon of Man (1959) that science and religion were two vital sides of a same phenomenon: a quest for perfect knowledge.[138] Pope John Paul II in his 1998 encyclical Fides et Ratio wrote that "faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth." Conflict thesis and "drastic revision" [ edit ] The scientists John William Draper and Andrew Dickson White were the most influential exponents of the conflict thesis between the Catholic Church and science. In the early 1870s, Draper was invited to write a History of the Conflict between Religion and Science (1874), a book replying to contemporary papal edicts such as the doctrine of infallibility, and mostly criticizing the anti-intellectualism of Roman Catholicism,[139] yet he assessed that Islam and Protestantism had little conflict with science. Draper’s preface summarises the conflict thesis: "The history of Science is not a mere record of isolated discoveries; it is a narrative of the conflict of two contending powers, the expansive force of the human intellect on one side, and the compression arising from traditionary faith and human interests on the other."[140] In 1896, White published A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom, the culmination of thirty years of research and publication on the subject. In the introduction, White emphasized he arrived at his position after the difficulties of assisting Ezra Cornell in establishing a university without any official religious affiliation. More recently, Thomas E. Woods, Jr., asserts that, despite the widely held conception of the Catholic Church as being anti-science, this conventional wisdom has been the subject of "drastic revision" by historians of science over the last 50 years. Woods asserts that the mainstream view now is that the "Church [has] played a positive role in the development of science ... even if this new consensus has not yet managed to trickle down to the general public."[129] Science historian Ronald L. Numbers corroborates this view, writing that “Historians of science have known for years that White’s and Draper’s accounts are more propaganda than history. …Yet the message has rarely escaped the ivory tower."[141] See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] Notes [ edit ] Citations [ edit ] |
Story highlights Navy SEAL who shot Osama bin Laden has no military pension or health care, report says Journalist Phil Bronstein profiles man he calls the Shooter in the March issue of Esquire Bronstein: "He has nightmares about how he's going to support his family" He's the man who rolled into a bedroom in Abbottabad, Pakistan, raised his gun and shot Osama bin Laden three times in the forehead. Nearly two years later, the SEAL Team Six member is a secret celebrity with nothing to show for the deed; no job, no pension, no recognition outside a small circle of colleagues. Journalist Phil Bronstein profiled the man in the March issue of Esquire, calling him only the Shooter -- a husband, father and SEAL Team Six member who says he happened to pull the trigger on the notorious terrorist. It's a detailed account of how the raid unfolded, and what comes after for those involved. The headline splashed across the cover reads, " The man who killed Osama bin Laden ... is screwed. In a statement the Navy responded: "We have no information to corroborate these new assertions. We take seriously the safety and security of our people, as well as our responsibility to assist sailors making a transition to civilian life. Without more information about this particular case, it would be difficult to determine the degree to which our transition programs succeeded." "They spent, in the case of the shooter, 16 years doing exactly what they're trained to do, which is going out on these missions, deployment after deployment, killing people on a regular basis, " said Bronstein, executive chairman of the Center for Investigative Reporting . "They finally get to the point where they don't want to do that anymore." JUST WATCHED How man came face-to-face with bin Laden Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH How man came face-to-face with bin Laden 01:31 JUST WATCHED Who killed Osama bin Laden Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Who killed Osama bin Laden 02:51 JUST WATCHED Man who shot bin Laden talks to magazine Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Man who shot bin Laden talks to magazine 07:04 Bronstein reported that the man left SEAL Team Six in September. His family's health care coverage ceased. Because he retired before the 20-year mark, he gets no pension. The Shooter is judicious about the details of his story and hasn't been involved in dramatic books, movies or video games that will make millions for some. It's out of loyalty to his work and concern about his family's safety, Bronstein said. The shooter worries what could happen if his name went public, like Matt Bissonnette, the SEAL whose identity was revealed after he published the book " No Easy Day " using a pseudonym. CNN can't verify the account in Esquire, or the one in Bissonnette's book. Bronstein reported that the Shooter was offered some witness protection, but no such program exists yet. Home life is a struggle, too. The Shooter and his wife are separated, Bronstein wrote, although they live in the same house -- "on very friendly, even loving terms" -- to save money. He has done consulting work, Bronstein told CNN's Wolf Blitzer, but it's not clear how long it will last. "They suddenly find themselves trying to translate into a civilian world that they're not used, and they haven't been used to for decades," Bronstein said. "I think he has nightmares about how he's going to support his family, and how he's going to feed his family." |
(Newser) – If you're like us at this time of year, you're craving some warm spring days, some barbecue, and some beer. Well, now a team of European chemists has discovered that those last two things are even better together than you thought. Normally meat grilled at high temperatures produces a lot of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which have been linked to cancer, birth defects, and reproductive problems in lab animals, Fox News explains. But marinating meat in beer can greatly mitigate that effect, the researchers found. Researchers grabbed some pork loin and tried marinating it in a pilsner, a non-alcoholic pilsner, and black ale. Their control loin, cooked unmarinated, wound up having PAH levels well above the European Food Safety Authority's guidelines, but the ones soaked in beer for four hours first came out below, Pacific Standard reports. Black ale performed the best, dropping the count 53%—researchers theorize that ales work better because of their "higher antioxidant capacity." The non-alcoholic pilsner actually outperformed the standard pils, dropping the content 25% to the pilsner's 13%. (More good news for beer lovers: It may also be a scientifically sound post-workout recovery beverage.) |
Coming this November, two of the most popular Gears of War Legacy Maps will make their debut in Gears of War 4 with the addition of Checkout and Drydock for Versus Multiplayer and Horde. Available November 1 for Season Pass holders as part of the early access Developer Playlist*, Checkout and Dry Dock will also be introduced into free public playlists on November 8. The addition of Checkout and Drydock signals the first month of free map updates for Gears of War 4. Owners and fans can look forward to two new maps each month. Checkout Revisit the iconic supermarket in Cole’s hometown of Hanover 25 years after the events of Gears of War 3 in this Legacy Map. Much like the rest of Sera, nature is reclaiming whatever it can following the Locust Wars, but that hasn’t slowed the fast, furious and frenetic combat that takes place between the checkout lanes and the electronics department. Drydock Transported from a COG ship building facility to a ship breaking scrapyard on a Seran mudflat, this fan favorite returns with a vengeance to Gears of War 4 Versus Multiplayer and Horde modes. In addition to the release of these fan favorite maps, tune into Xbox Wire on November 1 for a sneak peek at the Run the Jewels “Air Drop” featuring playable Killer Mike and EL-P characters for Versus Multiplayer and Horde. Gears of War 4 and the Gears of War 4 Season Pass are available now at your local retailer, including Microsoft Stores and microsoftstore.com. Season Pass owners also receive five exclusive digital items as part of the Vintage VIP Pack, including the Vintage JD character skin, Vintage Gnasher and Dropshot weapon skins, Vintage JD Emblem and Vintage JD Bounty for extra XP; permanent DLC map ownership of over 24 additional maps (two per month for a year) for private play on dedicated servers; access to an exclusive Developer Playlist where new maps, modes and features can be tested prior to broad release; and the Starter Airdrop, a care package that outfits gamers with over a dozen Gear Packs and grants assorted character and weapon skins, Horde skills and abilities, and XP boosting bounties. Pick up the Gears of War 4 Ultimate Edition to get the Season Pass and base game bundled at a discount. * Drydock and Checkout will be available in Versus Dodgeball and Arms Race modes for squads up to three large and Horde players on Normal difficulty in the Developer Playlist period. |
Story highlights Landmines and car bombs are still a threat in Colombia Rats are being trained to sniff out buried explosives Trainers say a rat's sense of smell is just as good as a dog's Researcher: With the cost of feeding a dog one day, "you can feed seven rats for seven days" At a Colombian National Police base in the outskirts of Bogota, the nation's capital, a new recruit is being trained. This new recruit is unlike any other. It stands on four legs, has white hair all over its body and weighs slightly less than a pound. Its name is Rattus Norvegicus -- but it's more commonly known as a lab rat. During a recent training session, trainers set the white rat on a patch of grass where they had hidden an explosive device underground. It took the rat less than a minute to find it. The rodent was showered with praise. Its trainers also gave it its favorite reward, a treat. Though safer than a decade ago, Colombia is a country where landmines and car bombs are still a threat. Earlier this month, six people were killed by a car bomb targeting a police station in the town of Villa Rica in the southern province of El Cauca. The day before the February 2 bombing, nine people were killed and 70 were injured by another explosion in the neighboring province of Narino. Edgar Ramirez, a second lieutenant with the Colombian National Police, says his country still "faces conflicts such as guerrillas, and criminal and paramilitary groups. There are many disputed territories because of the drug trade or simply to take control, and many groups set up land mines in these territories." In the past, Colombian police used bomb-sniffing dogs; but the dogs' weight would often trigger the explosives. That's not a problem for lab rats that weigh slightly less than a pound. And according to the trainers, their sense of smell is just as good as a dog's. Colombia is not the first country to use rodents in this fashion. Rats have already been put to work in Mozambique to detect landmines. Ramirez says that the only disadvantage he can think of about using rats is their short life span. "These animals live only three to four years, which is a relatively short period of time from a human perspective. On the other hand, they're very prolific. They reproduce themselves exponentially in a very short time," Ramirez said. So far, the rats have been trained to detect seven different kinds of explosives including ammonium nitrate and fuel oil, gunpowder and TNT. The project is directed by Luisa Fernanda Mendez Pardo, a veterinarian who specializes in canine explosives-detection training. Mendez said that in the last four years her team has produced five generations of between 15 and 18 rodents each. "As a researcher," Mendez said, "I can tell you that this project has exceeded the expectations we had at the beginning. We have been able to condition the rats to follow simple verbal commands. We have also trained them to not be afraid of their human handlers." Their trust has also gone beyond humans. The rats even get on with the cat that protects them from other predators at the lab where they're trained. Mendez also says the rats are much more cost-effective than their canine counterparts. "With the money it takes to feed a dog per day, you can feed seven rats for seven days," Mendez said. Officials with the Colombian National Police say they expect to take the bomb-sniffing rats into the field in later this year. "The main goal is to tackle a humanitarian problem in Colombia," says Mendez. "In my career, I have seen many civilians, police officers and soldiers who have been killed or severely injured in mine fields. It has become a personal challenge, and I want to use this project to help my country." The team has been able to successfully train more than 70 rats in the last four years since the project began. The process has allowed them to acquire important knowledge about how the rodents can help authorities clear fields full of landmines in the Colombian countryside. |
Thailand's new King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun is seen on a screen as he delivers a speech to Thais to celebrate new year at the Sanam Luang park, Bangkok, Thailand December 31, 2016. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn called for unity in his first New Year address since taking over from his late father, who was widely seen as a unifying force during decades of turbulence. Any appearance by the new king is closely watched and the pre-recorded address was only the second time he has spoken to the public since taking the throne on Dec. 1 after the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The new king has yet to command the popularity that his father enjoyed and has spent much of his adult life abroad. “No matter what problems we may face in our country, we believe that if we work together we can overcome and alleviate any situation,” said the king in the broadcast on Saturday evening. He thanked the public for their show of loyalty towards his father, still widely mourned after a rule that spanned seven decades. The usual New Year firework displays in Bangkok have been cancelled this year out of respect for the mourning period. In the coming weeks, King Vajiralongkorn is expected to endorse a constitution drafted by the military government to start the process of restoring democracy. The military toppled an elected government in 2014 and enforced political calm in a country divided by more than a decade of conflict between a military-backed royalist establishment and populist political forces. |
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellHouse to push back at Trump on border Democrats block abortion bill in Senate Overnight Energy: Climate protesters storm McConnell’s office | Center-right group says Green New Deal could cost trillion | Dire warnings from new climate studies MORE (R-Ky.) said on Wednesday that Sen. John McCain John Sidney McCainGOP lobbyists worry Trump lags in K Street fundraising Mark Kelly kicks off Senate bid: ‘A mission to lift up hardworking Arizonans’ Gabbard hits back at Meghan McCain after fight over Assad MORE (R-Ariz.) would put his personal feelings about President Trump aside when voting on tax reform. "He voted to get on the bill. And I know John McCain well enough to know he’s not going to cast a vote on tax reform over how he may feel about the current occupant of the White House," McConnell told Laura Ingraham on Fox News's "Ingraham Angle." ADVERTISEMENT McConnell's comments come after the Senate voted Wednesday to begin debates on tax-reform legislation on a party-line vote of 52-48. Senate Republican leaders are aiming to secure 50 votes to pass tax reform before Christmas. However, some Republican senators, including McCain, are still unsure whether they will vote for the bill. Sen. Bob Corker Robert (Bob) Phillips CorkerBrexit and exit: A transatlantic comparison Sasse’s jabs at Trump spark talk of primary challenger RNC votes to give Trump 'undivided support' ahead of 2020 MORE (R-Tenn.) had criticized the legislation for what it would add to the deficit; McCain has voiced his opposition in the past to tax cuts that would add to the deficit. McCain also proved to be a thorn in the side of his colleagues and the Trump administration during the health-care debate, voting against the ObamaCare repeal bill earlier this year. Trump and McCain have traded personal barbs since the beginning of the 2016 presidential campaign when Trump said he did not consider McCain a war hero because he was captured in Vietnam. |
Get the biggest What's On stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Matt Berry is 23, a talented drummer, singer and aspiring DJ who has just landed his first residency at a new club night. He also happens to have a learning disability - but at this particular club night, any differences are left at the door. Organised by Life You Choose - a not-for-profit organisation - the quarterly event provides a safe and inclusive environment for people with learning or physical disabilities. Many of those it has welcomed had never experienced a nightclub before. “Going into Manchester to a nightclub can be intimidating for anybody,” says co-founder Ken Smith. “If you have a physical disability you may be a bit more intimidated, but for someone with a learning disability it may not even occur to them to do it for a start. “Some people turn up in wheelchairs, some with walking sticks, some people are partially sighted, others are partly deaf. “Here we treat people like anyone else.” (Image: Kelsey Ann Davies) The night is held at Club HQ in Glossop, where owner James Booth gives the group exclusive use of the venue for free. It has attracted people from Tameside and Stockport as well as across Derbyshire at its last two events. Having the club to themselves means organisers can tone down the lighting - which can be a seizure trigger for some people with epilepsy, a condition affecting around one in three people with a learning disability - and the music can be kept at a lower level. Besides that, it’s just like any other nightclub, including a licensed bar where members can enjoy a drink if they wish. “People can be quite critical [of allowing alcohol] but they are adults and they want to do what any other adult does,” says Life You Choose co-director Nicola Worswick. “It was hyper, everyone was having a laugh and people were just enjoying themselves. “We’re hoping friendship groups will evolve from it and people may meet partners. A lot of people have been to groups all their life but they don’t have anywhere to meet new people.” The Glossop-based organisation works with adults with learning disabilities, encouraging them to develop creative skills such as music, cinematography, drama, art and design. The club night came about as a result of Matt’s interest in music. “Matt is very musically orientated and he wanted to do a bit of DJing,” says Ken. “If you come to us with an aspiration we won’t just meet it, we will surpass it. We like to raise the bar. “A lot of the day centres are quite old-fashioned, it’s built on a structure from the 60s and 70s. We wanted to step outside that and work on projects that would challenge people.” Ken trained Matt in both the hardware and software used by DJs in clubs, as well as mixing, effects and working the crowd, while Nicola organised the venue, promotion and ticketing. “Ken showed me the ropes,” says Matt. “When I first joined the club they told me about the technology and things like that so I knew bits and bobs. Once we looked at the stuff it was quite straightforward.” He added: “It was a good atmosphere. I think a lot of people enjoyed it.” (Image: Kelsey Ann Davies) Around 50 people attended the first club night, and numbers nearly doubled at the second event in August. “We knew we didn’t want to do a disco in a Labour club or something,” says Ken. “We wanted it to be in a real nightclub, we wanted to give them an authentic experience.” Ken and Nicola now hope more clubs and promoters will look to provide accessible nights for people with physical or learning disabilities. One club night in Manchester already is. DJ and promoter collective Meat Free took over Northern Quarter club Texture for its second ‘disability rave’ this week. (Image: Fiona Finchett) Alice Woods, Steffi Allatt, Tasha Carter and Lucy Ironmonger have been putting on techno, house and disco parties across Manchester for the past five years with a mission to make their dance floors as inclusive as possible. Their Under One Roof night builds on that, providing a safe and welcoming clubbing space for people with any kind of additional need, from wheelchair users to people with Down’s Syndrome and autism. “What we’ve always wanted to do is totally democratise dance floors - this is just an extension of that,” says Alice. “One of our guiding principles is inclusivity. That’s been our thing from day one and why we wanted to start the party. “We thought we’d love to be able to extend that out to new audiences who might not be able to come to our nights.” (Image: Fiona Finchett) Meat Free have worked with Manchester People First (MPF), a self advocacy group run by and for adults with a learning disability, to tailor their nights accordingly. Like the Life You Choose nights, Under One Roof uses less intense lighting and a lower volume of music than Meat Free’s regular nights, and the crowd is also kept below the club’s official capacity so clubbers feel comfortable. Besides these tweaks, Meat Free strives to create an real clubbing environment at Texture, which is fully accessible for wheelchair users and whose like-minded owners have thrown their support behind the event. “Under One Roof is a real night out, just tailored to its audience,” says Alice. “It is incredibly social and and authentic to Meat Free, we play house and disco throughout, and just lay off the techno so it doesn’t get too intense for a mixed crowd.” (Image: Fiona Finchett) Some clubbers come along in groups from organisations they are part of, while others have brought family members or carers with them. While many people with a disability will enjoy clubbing regularly, most Under One Roof attendees have never set foot in a nightclub before - and as always the dance floor has proved a great leveller. “Once everyone gets on the dancefloor everyone is the same,” says Alice. “Everyone is dancing the same, they have all got the same energy. “What really struck me last time was there was a lady who was there with her younger sister and she said to me: ‘All I’ve ever wanted is to share these experiences with my sister. Now there’s a place where we can both go.’” (Image: Fiona Finchett) Alice hopes the experience might encourage people to give their regular club nights a try too. “I know it won’t be possible for everyone because people have different levels of requirements but it would be lovely to see,” she says. Under One Roof is planning regular raves at Texture for 2018 as well as a Christmas party which takes place on Wednesday December 20. Tickets are on sale now priced at £3. The next Life You Choose club night takes place at Club HQ on Monday December 11, from 7-10pm, with free entry to all. Visit lifeyouchoose.org for more information. |
Prospective teachers could have to score more than 80 in at least three HSC subjects as part of a suite of changes being considered to improve the quality of teaching and education in NSW. The O'Farrell government will release its response on Wednesday to a review of teaching training, development and support, which aims to improve student outcomes. One question posed by the review is whether there should be a minimum ATAR to gain entry to a teaching degree, a proposal that has raised the ire of universities. One idea presented to stakeholders at briefings was to instead impose broader minimum HSC achievements for graduates, whereby a student had to achieve a Band 5, or more than 80 per cent, in at least three subjects to win a teaching place, one of which had to be English. President of the NSW Teachers Federation Maurie Mulheron was supportive of the idea. He said such a standard would mean student teachers were among roughly the top 25 per cent of students and it also recognised the critical importance of English to teachers. |
Get the biggest daily stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Police have released an unbelievable 999 call - from someone asking them to dial 101. During the short call, from a man whose brother has recently appeared in court, the caller asks the operator to dial 101 and check how he got on. When the operator refuses the caller asks for the correct number for 101. Following a previous call - where a woman dialled 999 to complain about a lack of sprinkles on her ice cream - chief supt Jim Andronov, head of the force’s contact centre, said: “Typically West Midlands Police receive over 1,500 calls a day to the 999 number and our operatives have to deal with each one accordingly. “Of these, some 10 to 20 per cent are not police matters and around 50 per cent are non-emergency calls where contact is appropriate via the 101 number. “As well as the bizarre calls police also receive deliberate hoax calls which take up vital time. “It’s astonishing listening to them but they hide a serious truth. Each call often takes minutes to deal with as staff have to clarify the situation - it might not sound like much but, if someone is trying to get through to report a genuine life or death emergency, then a minute is a very long time to wait. “I cannot stress enough that the 999 number is for emergencies only, for guidance this is defined as: a crime is in progress, someone suspected of a crime is nearby, when there is danger to life or when violence is being used or threatened. “We do not want to discourage people from contacting the police so for any other reason call 101.” |
Do you want to ditch the office for the comfort of your sofa? Or would you rather work from your laptop while travelling the world? Well, you’ll be pleased to read that you can do both of these things by becoming an online English teacher to Chinese students with DaDaABC….as well as other online ESL companies. Let me explain. DaDa (formerly DaDaABC), one of the largest ESL teaching companies in China for children in the 5-16 age-range, provide the opportunity for you to teach English as a second language from wherever you want in the world. Click the image below to read the differences between working for DaDaABC and its competitor VIPKID: Even if you have no desire to be a globe-trotting Digital Nomad, this job is perfect if you are seeking a part-time schedule with good pay and the enriching experience of teaching English to children. So ‘Where do I sign?’ I hear you ask. Well, first let’s check if you meet the minimum requirements. Minimum Requirements For Teaching English with DaDaABC This information is taken from the DaDaABC website and states that the minimum requirements to become an ESL teacher with them are: Be a native English speaker Have a Bachelor’s degree Teaching certification, such as TEFL, TESL, CELTA Criminal background check Own a desktop or laptop computer with high speed internet and audio/video capabilities Here is a list of the best ones to use: (DigiNo earns commission from products purchased through the site’s links on Amazon if you would like to support the site). The role is contracted for 12 months with the average working hours being 15 hours per week. What To Expect During the DaDaABC Application Process There are 7 Steps to go through after you have uploaded your CV to DaDaABC by following the above link. These steps are as follows: Interview Internet connection test and system training TPR (total physical response) training Watch videos of qualified DaDaABC teachers Demo class with Chinese student Contract signing Probation performance review If you successfully sail through these 7 steps, then congratulations will be in order, as you will now officially be an online ESL teacher with DaDaABC! Your Job as an Online ESL Teacher With DaDaABC After you have been hired by DaDaABC, you will now begin teaching English to Chinese students between the ages of 5 and 16. How is this possible? You will be using DaDaABC’s real-time video English teaching platform, aided by the teaching materials appearing on the same screen. Think of this as a specialised form of Skype, where the outline of your video conversation is already laid out for you. That’s right; you do not even have to create your own teaching materials, however you are encouraged to review the materials that DaDaABC provide to you prior to each class. Always be prepared! The Types of Online ESL Classes with DaDaABC You will teach three types of online English classes. These online education class types are – trial, elective and major. Trial classes last roughly 15 minutes as the Chinese student is trialling the platform for the first time, whereas the major classes can last from half an hour to an hour. One awesome perk of the role is the opportunity to create bonds with the students. The online teaching platform allows for you to work with the same children consistently, so you get to see the positive influence of your teaching as they progress over time. How Much Money You Can Earn as a DaDaABC Online Teacher The DaDaABC website lists the possibility of teachers potentially earning as much as $25 per hour, but don’t get too excited, as this is not the set wage for every teacher. The rate of pay is determined by your individual performance in your demo class and training. So make sure to be at your best from the start! Click here for a potential high hourly rate! There are rewards for your performance as a teacher, such as pay raises and bonuses, and you are paid in full for all the time you are teaching with DaDaABC. However, if a student does not show up to a class, then you will receive half payment for that period. Click the image to become a teacher with DaDaABC The Schedule of an Online English Teacher with DaDaABC Once you provide DaDaABC with your availability, they will allocate your online teaching time slots. They are flexible with their scheduling, but you must commit to a minimum of two days a week not in a row, and two hours per day. Here are the times that the ESL teaching company holds classes: (Please note, these times are all in Shanghai time). Monday to Friday: 6:00pm – 9:10pm Saturday and Sunday: 9:00am – 12:10pm 2:00pm – 4:06pm 6:00pm – 9.10pm Classes run every day as you can see, so there is sure to be a time to suit you. How to Sign Up as an Online ESL Teacher For DaDaABC Begin your application here! Check out a comparison with other companies below: SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave |
At a press conference Tuesday, House Speaker Paul Ryan said Obamacare repeal would take place this year, despite some comments President Trump made to Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly Monday that repeal could take until 2018. President Trump told Bill O’Reilly that Obamacare repeal would take place, “within the year and the following year.” That led to headlines that Obamacare repeal was being pushed back to 2018. But today Speaker Ryan was asked about Trump’s timeline and replied, “I think there’s a little confusion here.” “The legislating is going to be done this year,” Ryan clarified, adding, “We are going to be done legislating with respect to health care and Obamacare this year.” He continued, “The question is how long does it take to implement to full replacement of Obamacare. “And that’s why, honestly, we’ve got to get Tom Price over at HHS, Seema Verma confirmed at CMS so they can get to work with replacing this collapsing law. So the question about how long it takes to effectuate the change, how long it takes to put these things in place, that’s a question that the HHS can answer. But as far as legislating is concerned, we’re going to do our legislating this year.” Ryan was also asked about the backlash some Republican have received in their districts over the plan to repeal and replace. Ryan said, “I think it’s important for people to speak their minds in this country.” “We cherish the First amendment and people who are concerned and anxious, we want them to know that we want to listen to their concerns and that peaceful protest is something we honor in this country,” he continued. “I just hope people keep it peaceful. Respect private property. Have no violence,” Ryan said. The Speaker’s comments come about 5:30 into this clip: |
Troubling Legacy Anchor Character Training Center, a Children's Center, Is Unlicensed in Iowa By Abigail McWilliam The Messenger February 27, 2009 http://www.messengernews.net/page/content.detail/id/513243.html EDITOR'S NOTE: Messenger News Editor Abigail McWilliam began this package of stories when Michele Ulriksen contacted her to say Michael Palmer had returned to Fort Dodge. A 16-year-old sex offender is living at an unlicensed children's care facility operated by the Harvest Baptist Church of Fort Dodge. The facility, Anchor Character Training Center, 1940 225th St., is a coed home for troubled teens. Trevor James Fuhrman was convicted in 2005 of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct with a girl under the age of 13, according to the Iowa Sex Offender Registry. Fuhrman was convicted outside of the state. The Anchor Character Training Center, 1940 225th St., is a coed facility for troubled teens operated by the Harvest Baptist Church. The facility houses approximately 35 teenagers, one of whom is listed on the Iowa Sex Offender Registry. Photo by Abigail McWilliam Anchor Character Training Center has had 24 runaway juveniles, a child endangerment charge that involved a paddling incident and one case of criminal mischief in the past 10 years, according to Webster County Sheriff Brian Mickelson. No charges were filed in these cases. The facility houses about 35 teens, according to recent information submitted to The Messenger. Meanwhile, the facility, which has been in operation since 1996 at the former Webster County Home, does not have written certification to be a children's center in Iowa, according to Roger Munns, Iowa Department of Human Services spokesman. Iowa Code 237B.1 defines a children's center as a privately funded facility designed to serve seven or more children who are not under the custody or authority of the DHS, juvenile court or another governmental agency. Sgt. Luke Fleener, Webster County Sheriff's Department, said Fuhrman's placement at Anchor is court-ordered, and he is in the custody of Anchor. Fleener said he does not believe Fuhrman is in violation of the sex offender registry laws. However, the interpretation of the Iowa Sex Offender Registry law is determined by the applicable county attorney. "I prosecute these cases if it is brought to me, if there is a possible violation," said Webster County Attorney Tim Schott. "Right now that hasn't happened." Munns said certification or licensing standards had not been written because DHS wasn't aware that the facility existed until The Messenger informed it. "It hasn't risen to the top of the pile," Munns said. "It will be written soon. It has not been a high priority, but it is now." In establishing certification or licensing standards for a children's center, DHS is required to consult with the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, Department of Education, Department of Public Heath, state fire marshal and community-based providers of services. Several of these departments have already been consulted and the certification should be written within the next few months, Munns said. "The law specifically prohibits us from making decisions on program content," Munns said. "What it will include is things like fire safety, medications properly stored, emergency numbers for parents, things that are very similar to regulations for child care facilities." Munns said the state has no idea how many of the children's centers exist in Iowa. "If people tell us about them, we become aware of them," he said. According to its Web site, Anchor Character Training Center does not charge for juveniles to come to the facility, but instead asks the parents to give what they can. The main goal of the facility is to "help young people get their lives disciplined to the ways of God according to the Bible." Marvin E. Smith, the pastor who runs the Harvest Baptist Church and the Anchor Character Training Center, returned a phone call for an interview, but then took another phone call before answering any questions. Smith did not call back by press time. Other unlicensed facilities The Messenger began investigating Anchor Character Training Center after learning that a man with a long history of running lockdown Christian boarding schools for troubled girls is living in Fort Dodge and has expressed interest in purchasing a church here. Fort Dodge native Michael Palmer, 69, and his wife, Patty, were banned from running any unlicensed facility in California in 1992 following an investigation into his school, Victory Christian Academy. Another facility, Genesis by the Sea, an all-girls Christian facility in Ensenada, Mexico, was reportedly owned by Palmer and ordered to close in 2004 after Mexican authorities found evidence of abuse and neglect. Palmer has also been the target of numerous allegations from former students that include child abuse, brainwashing and rape. Palmer declined to give a formal interview, but answered a few questions by phone. "So much has been said that is not true," he said. "We want to live our lives in peace." The Messenger was notified about Palmer by Michele Ulriksen, a former student of Palmer's, who has written a book "Reform at Victory" that gives her chilling account of a year spent at Palmer's facility in Ramona, Calif. The facility was closed in 1992 when officials determined the facility had health, fire and safety hazards. Another former student, Rebecca Ramirez, led a protest five years ago at Palmer's Victory Christian Academy in Jay, Fla. Ramirez said Palmer became obsessed with her, raped her and offered to buy her from her parents for $25,000. Following the protest in 2004, where she held up a sign that read "Mike Palmer rapist lives here," the school was renamed Lighthouse of North West Florida. Palmer said he had not been involved with the facility for five years. "We don't even go to Florida anymore," he said. Palmer's Fort Dodge home at 1604 Elmhurst Ave., as well as a large storage building at 8 S. 17th St., are owned by Good Samaritans of North West Florida Inc. The same corporation filed an article of incorporation for the business address of Victory Christian Academy in Jay, Fla., on Dec. 10, 2004, but was later incorporated by Genesis Ministries Inc. "It was not my call." Palmer said in reference to having his property listed with the corporation. Palmer said he looked at a church in Fort Dodge, but it was for some friends who wanted to convert it into a convalescent home for elderly people. Cindy Mulroney, an Iowa Realty agent, who has been showing a church building at 1633 N. 29th St., confirmed that Palmer looked at the building on May 29, 2008. "I had a Realtor's open house and he showed up at the end," Mulroney said. "He told me he was working with (another agent) and I know he's looked at it one more time since then." Mulroney said Palmer introduced himself as a pastor who had owned a church in Florida and said he was retired. "He said he was thinking about being a pastor again," she said. Mulroney declined to say which agent Palmer is now working with. Contact Abigail McWilliam at (515) 573-2141 or amcwilliam@messengernews.net |
ASUS introduced the industry’s first 4K HDR gaming display with a 144 Hz refresh rate using a quantum dot film at CES. The ROG Swift PG27UQ will be a new dream gaming monitor from the company because it features all the modern display technologies and a very fast refresh rate. Since the product is not set to hit the market immediately, ASUS decided to stay quiet about its price and availability timeframe, though expect it to be around $1500-$2000. The ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ is based on AU Optronics’ AHVA panel with a 4K (3840×2160) resolution, up to 1000 nits brightness, and a 144 Hz refresh rate with G-Sync. The manufacturer gave the panel a quantum dot treatment via a 3M film in early samples, but as of yet we do not know the exact color gamuts support as these have not been announced yet. ASUS has stated that the panel will offer support for HDR10, which means it might end up offering settings HDR-related color spaces, but at this time it is unconfirmed. Additionally, the monitor is equipped with NVIDIA’s G-Sync HDR variable refresh rate technology for smooth gameplay. Finally, the PG27UQ received a new direct LED backlighting with 384 zones that enables the high brighness and should lend itself to better contrast ratios (this enables localized dimming as a result). In the recent years, monitors tailored for gamers have gotten increasingly popular because they offered key features important for the target audience: a large diagonal, high PPI, a very high refresh rate and a variable refresh rate technology. Meanwhile, to enable all of the aforementioned, manufacturers had to make certain design tradeoffs when it comes to resolution, brightness and at times even viewing angles due to panel selection, which may have compromised other types of experiences. The new ROG Swift PG27UQ packs everything that ASUS had to offer when it comes to gaming and multimedia, enabling users to have premium experience across the board. The novelty is not absolutely tradeoff-free, though: the display is smaller than the ROG Swift PG348Q. Specifications of ASUS 4K Ultra-HD G-SYNC Gaming Monitor ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ Panel 27" IPS Resolution 3840 × 2160 Refresh Rate 144 Hz on DP 60 Hz on HDMI Variable Refresh Rate NVIDIA G-Sync Response Time Unknown Brightness 1000 cd/m² Contrast Unknown Backlighting Direct LED, 384 zones Quantum Dot Yes HDR HDR10 Support Viewing Angles 178°/178° horizontal/vertical PPI 163 pixels per inch Colors Unknown Color Saturation sRGB DCI-P3 (percentage unknown) Inputs 2 × DisplayPort 1.4 1 × HDMI To take advantage of all the features that the ASUS ROG Swift PG27UQ has to offer, owners will have to use an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 10-series graphics card with a DisplayPort 1.4 connector that supports 4K/144 output (albeit, with DSC) and HDR. NVIDIA’s previous-gen GeForce GTX 9-series GPUs have an HDR-supporting HDMI 2.0a display controller, but the HDMI port on this panel is only good up to 60 Hz at 4K. While we do not know when ASUS intends to mass-produce the ROG Swift PG27UQ, it is highly unlikely that this is going to happen shortly for several reasons. Firstly, ASUS and AU Optronics demonstrated the prototype of the panel that powers the display at Computex 2016 and so far, we have not seen any indications that AUO has started mass production of its 4K/144Hz panels. Secondly, contemporary high-end graphics cards barely deliver 60 fps at 4K in games - without sufficient grunt, the monitor will simply not use all of its potential in high-end titles, which could affect demand. On the price side, keep in mind that the Swift PG348Q will remain the flagship ASUS ROG display and therefore the new PG27UQ will unlikely cost more than its bigger curved brother does. We've heard murmurs around the $1500-$2000 price point, but we will see. Given the timescale of a device like this, I suspect we will have more information around Computex time (early June). Related Stories: |
Child sex abuse testimonies submitted by alleged victims through the government’s official inquiry website set up by Home Secretary Theresa May have been permanently deleted due to a glitch, it has emerged. All details submitted through the “share your experience” section on the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA) website between September 14 and October 2 were “instantly and permanently deleted” before reaching staff. The IICSA said the issue was due to a “change in our website address” and urged people to resubmit their information. The inquiry into historic sex abuse was first launched last July following claims of a high-level cover-up of child abuse. However, the probe has suffered a number of delays after its previous chairwomen Lady Butler-Sloss and Fiona Woolf resigned. Goddard Inquiry deleted abuse information that was submitted to them. Not good. https://t.co/vlES9A2G4I — Tom Parmenter (@TomSkyNews) October 15, 2015 @IICSA_media Hi guys, a few of us were wondering why you haven't used data restoration options to retrieve the deleted evidence? #IICSA — Natasha Phillips (@SobukiRa) October 15, 2015 It is now being led by New Zealand Judge Lowell Goddard, who will receive a £482,000 (US$744,000) pay package in salary and allowances. Her appointment is for the duration of the inquiry, which is expected to last until at least 2020. The IICSA apologized for the “inconvenience or distress” they caused alleged child sex abuse victims. “Due to a change in our website address [iicsa.org.uk] on 14 September, any information submitted to the Inquiry between 14 September and 2 October through the online form on the ‘Share your experience’ page of our website, was instantly and permanently deleted before it reached our engagement team,” it said in a statement. “We are very sorry for any inconvenience or distress this will cause and would like to reassure you that no information was put at risk of disclosure or unauthorized access. https://t.co/jRbTZKQ4UI I'd bet my bottom dollar someone submitted incriminating evidence about a VIP over this 2-week period! — Dame Alun Roberts (@ciabaudo) October 15, 2015 Independent Inquiry Into Child Sexual Abuse in England and Wales. #CSAinquiryhttps://t.co/eoAbz5AcqIpic.twitter.com/XigBjWGCr4 — Real Stories Gallery (@HIVstories) October 15, 2015 “We would like to apologize again to anyone who submitted details to the Inquiry during this time and to ask you to please resubmit your information through the online form.” This isn’t the first time important files or evidence containing child sex abuse allegations have mysteriously disappeared. Last year, the Home Office admitted it could not find 114 “potentially relevant files” relating to the pedophile scandal engulfing Westminster, in which senior politicians were allegedly involved. A file on Lord Greville Janner, who was accused of sexually abusing nine children from 1969 to 1988, was among the dossiers that went missing. Earlier this year, May warned that child sexual exploitation runs through society “like a stick of Blackpool rock.” |
A Kerala woman who was the victim of an alleged sex scandal when she was a minor 18 years back has been asked to appear for trial in 22 rape cases separately despite appealing for the cases to be clubbed into one so that she could avoid reliving her trauma. Related: Tired of hiding, Park Street 'rape victim' reveals identity The woman, who is at the centre of what is known as the Vithura case, is now married and the mother of an infant. She was allegedly abducted and raped serially in November 1995. On Monday, she did not appear in court in Kottayam, where the trial was due to begin, citing ill health and sought an adjournment. She also appealed to the court to consider 15 of her 22 cases on a single day as the remaining seven are yet to be committed to the trial court. However, the court turned down her plea saying no one was above the law and could not escape appearing in court. Unlike other sex scandals in the state in which a single case was filed against all the accused, the police split the cases in the Vithura scandal, taking the total to 23. The trial in one case was completed in 2007 and the accused was acquitted. The trials were delayed because the accused appealed to the high court and Supreme Court. All appeals were rejected. Thirty-five people are accused in the 15 cases in question. "When the appeal of one accused was turned down, another went in appeal. They moved the court in turns only to delay the process. When a petition was pending in court, naturally other cases were also delayed. The woman had not done anything to delay the trial. Governments did not try to speed up the trial until the Delhi gangrape case,'' said lawyer H Subhalekshmi. ... contd. Please read our terms of use before posting comments |
7 big lies of traffickers What are some of the most common false promises made by human traffickers? Refugees told European media about the most common and most brazen lies they’ve had to hear. LIE No. 1 “The ship for the crossing is very big, it even has a pool and a cinema.” People smugglers often use only the oldest and cheapest boats they can get. Many of these are barely seaworthy. This allows traffickers to maximize profit. In 2016 alone, more than 5,000 people died when crossing the Mediterranean Sea in such boats. LIE No. 2 “Germany has reserved 800,000 slots for Afghan refugees alone.” A clear no! There are no such slots for specific countries. Each case is examined individually. LIE No. 3 “We have 25 years of experience, and your transport to Europe is 100 percent legal and achievable.” People smugglers are criminals and only interested in your money, not in your life! Thousands of irregular migrants are rejected each year. And sadly, many die during the dangerous passage. LIE No. 4 “Big German corporations constantly need new workforce, so that Germany takes on 5,000 migrants daily.” False as well. There is no job quota for migrants. Although there is a need for skilled workforce, those entering Germany illegally will not be able to get a job. Also note that the German government does not provide refugees with jobs. LIE No. 5 “Every refugee receives a welcome payment of 2,000 euros.” Contrary to rumours and misinformation deliberately spread by human traffickers, Germany does not provide a welcome payment. By spreading such lies, human traffickers knowingly put people’s lives in danger. LIE No. 6 “Germany grants a house to every refugee.” Nobody will be given their own house. In fact, finding a place to live has become more and more difficult in Germany, especially in big cities. Also note that you cannot choose freely where to live while you seek asylum and may have to stay in remote places where nobody understands your language. LIE No. 7 “…and if you don’t like it in Germany, they’ll just give you a visa for Canada.” This is straight nonsense. No such agreement whatsoever exists between Germany and Canada – or any other country, for that matter. |
The federal case of an accused hacker illustrates the degree of malfeasance and underhanded tactics of the federal court system, according to the wife of that accused hacker. Marty Gottesfeld is in prison awaiting trial on charges of hacking Boston Children’s Hospital to save the life of a young girl. His wife, Dana Gottesfeld, has provided previously sealed court documents to The New American. She says those documents show that federal authorities “exceeded what they were legally allowed” to do in obtaining information about her husband’s web traffic. When Justina Pelletier’s parents took the sick teenager to Boston Children’s Hospital in February 2013, they had no idea the trip would result in a nightmare: the medical kidnapping of their daughter. They also had no idea that a man they had never met would later risk his own freedom to help Justina gain hers. That man — Marty Gottesfeld — believed he needed to act to save Justina’s life. So as a senior systems engineer, he decided to apply his knowledge of computer systems to hit the hospital where it would hurt the most: On April 20, 2014, he knocked them off the Internet during a major fundraising drive. When authorities — who had previously refused to investigate the claims of the Pelletiers and other families that the hospital had taken their children from them under false pretenses and that those children had been subjected to torture and other mistreatment — began to investigate the cyberattack, they looked at a YouTube video by someone claiming to be part of the hacktivist group Anonymous. That video, posted March 23, 2014, lays out the details of Justina’s abuse at the hands of the state and the hospital. It also lists links to information about the judge who issued the order terminating the parental rights of the Pelletiers, and to the doctor who ignored the diagnosis of the Pelletiers’ family doctor that the teen suffers from Mitochondrial disease (claiming instead that she was suffering from a psychological disorder), the hospital, and the treatment center to which the hospital had transferred Justina (and where she continued to be denied medical treatment and the necessary pain medications for her disease and be subjected to what she and her family describe as torture). Investigators were able to link the video to Gottesfeld since it was posted from an account he had signed up for and was posted from his IP address. Based on that, investigators obtained a “Tap and Trace” order to gather more information on Gottesfeld. In defiance of the fact that there is nothing in the video that would have satisfied the Fourth Amendment’s requirement of “reasonable cause,” investigators were able to convince a judge to sign off on the Tap and Trace order. So that order — made available here for the first time — was based on a video that should reasonably have been protected by the First Amendment. The video provided contact information for people involved in Justina’s medical incarceration and “implores” viewers to “use this information to your maximum potential in order to save Justina’s life.” The video specifically asks viewers to make phone calls and write letters. Despite the fact that later reports claim that the video called for viewers to hack the hospital, there is nothing in the video or the links that support those claims. In fact, another recent case is worth a little comparison to this case. When a University of Wisconsin-Madison student posted a YouTube video showing black students beheading police officers wearing pig masks, there was no search warrant issued, no Tap and Trace, no arrest. Not even an investigation — though one state senator did call for one. While the UW-Madison student’s video actually calls for violence, Marty’s video calls for (gasp!) making phone calls and writing letters to ask the people responsible for torturing a sick child to stop that torture and let her go home to her loving family. Even more importantly, though, Dana Gottsefeld told The New American in an exclusive interview that the search warrant based on the Tap and Trace order — and issued after that order was carried out — listed information about particular Internet traffic that was gathered by authorities “exceeding what the Tap and Trace allowed.” She told us, “The search warrant affidavit [used to obtain the search warrant] mentions traffic obtained from the Tap and Trace. However the Tap and Trace, as ordered, shouldn't have given them those details.” So it appears that federal investigators — time after time, step after step — have trampled the Constitution to play a rousing game of persecution by prosecution of a man who did what he did to defend a child’s life. First, by honing in on Gottesfeld because of the video, then — if Dana Gottesfeld is correct (and it seems reasonable that she is) — by overstepping the boundaries of the Tap and Trace order obtained because of that video, leading to investigators obtaining a search warrant based on the information they gathered from that alleged overreach, and finally arresting Gottesfeld. As to whether Gottesfeld did what he is accused of, the answer may be equally “yes” and “no.” Gottesfeld issued a statement published by the Huffington Post nakedly titled “Why I Knocked Boston Children’s Hospital Off the Internet.” He lays out — in simple terms — both that he hacked the hospital’s Internet server and — as the title implies — why he did it: “The defense of an innocent, learning disabled, 15-year-old girl.” As Dana explained to The New American, “We don’t see the nexus of this case as ‘Is the punishment too harsh for the crime?’ — it’s that it’s not a crime in the first place.” She went on to say, “When someone’s life is at risk, the way Justina’s was,” Marty’s actions — which would normally be criminal — are justifiable. “Let’s say this wasn’t a digital case; let’s say this was in physical reality — in an alleyway or something. If you saw someone being hurt, you’re allowed to take action to defend their life. It’s called ‘defense of others.’ And when you do that — even if you use physical force, even if it’s deadly force — it’s not a crime.” She added, “It’s just because it’s happening in cyber that it’s more confusing.” After more than a year of Justina’s parents fighting a losing legal battle to save their daughter as she grew increasingly sicker, and the hospital being able to weather the bad press, Marty hit them where they felt it. He took them offline in the midst of a fund drive. Shortly after that, Justina was allowed to go home. Marty wrote in the statement linked above: I also knew from my career experience as a biotech professional that no patients should be harmed if Boston Children’s was knocked offline. There’s no such thing as an outage-proof network, so hospitals have to be able to function without the Internet. It’s required by federal law, and for accreditation. The only effects would be financial and on BCH’s reputation. As Dana explained to The New American: And that’s really how we see this case — knocking a hospital off the Internet doesn’t even hurt anybody. But it did apply the financial pressure that released her when her parents said her life was in danger and that they were afraid she was going to die. As to whether there is a one-to-one, direct connection between Marty’s hacking and Justina’s release, Dana said: You can’t isolate any one thing. There were a lot of people advocating for Justina. There were lawyers involved. But Boston Children’s Hospital is largely untouchable. I mean, they can get bad press, but they’re such a gigantic institution — just influentially — that bad press effects them a little, but hit them in their pocketbook and they’re paying attention. The prosecution — which, again, is building its case on the work of investigators who appear to have trampled the law underfoot to pursue this case — seems to have also drawn a connection between Marty’s actions and Justina’s release: They don’t even want her mentioned in the case. As Dana told us, “The prosecution is motioning to exclude Justina from being mentioned at trial,” adding, “They’re trying to narrow the scope and exclude Justina from testifying — from really getting into her story.” And the impropriety and malfeasance doesn’t stop there. The Tap and Trace order was not issued by a full judge, but by a federal magistrate. And it was not even the magistrate assigned to Gottesfeld’s case. As constitutional lawyer and regular contributor to this magazine, Joe Wolverton, explains, “It’s increasingly normal” for magistrates to issue these orders, though “it’s not supposed to be that way.” He points to the FISA court as an example of this “new normal” where “they do it completely secretly.” Wolverton added that having federal magistrates issue these types of orders “is one of those things that have gone on for so long that you can’t even get conservatives who want to rein that in.” As for prosecutors having the Tap and Trace signed by a magistrate who is not even assigned to the case — in a move that appears to indicate “judge shopping” (or in this case, magistrate shopping) — Wolverton said, “Now see, that’s a different thing," adding, “That’s not normal at all.” He went on to tell The New American that "federal procedure says that if prosecutors have to go to another judge, you have to transfer the case.” But in Gottesfeld’s case, prosecutors shopped for another magistrate to sign off on the Tap and Trace and then continued to have the original magistrate work the case. Wolverton said these steps by the prosecution are “actionable” but “not likely to go anywhere” because “they’ll look at you and say, ‘Yeah, great, you’re right. But so what?’ and nothing will happen.” Dana Gottesfeld agrees. She told The New American, “That’s federal court in a nutshell. In 2012, the federal courts had a 93 percent conviction rate — which is insane — because most people take plea deals” while prosecutors break rule after rule to secure those astronomically high conviction rates. So while the prosecution seeks to control both the narrative and what the jury will be allowed to know and also continues to bend the procedures of federal prosecution to near the breaking point, Dana is working to raise awareness of her husband’s plight, because no one should face the prospect of a 15-year prison term for trying to save the life of a child. As part of Dana’s efforts to raise awareness, she has much more information available at www.FreeMartyG.com and has coordinated with The New American to publish these newly released documents which are linked here as PDFs and on the FreeMartyG Instagram account. |
“How can the reigning champions be relegated to second division? We will not accept it, no chance. We will be playing in the Asian competitions. How silly will it be if India’s champions are playing in Asia but, back home, they are not allowed to play in the main league?” This was what Aizawl’s owner, Robert Royte, had to say after a newly proposed system for Indian domestic football prevented Aizawl FC, the champions of India’s top division, the I-League, from defending their title in the first tier. It has been a historical ride for one of India’s smallest clubs, gracing from arguably the country’s most passionate footballing region over the last few years. Born just over 30 years ago, they’ve been through hell and back and just last month, achieved international prominence, becoming Indian champions for the first time in their history. Football in India has been going through some immense changes over the last few years, with the emergence of the Indian Super League, abbreviated as the ISL, being the core to its rise. The ISL is an eight-team league that runs daily fixtures between October to December before conducting a two-legged semi-final and eventually, the final. The tournament has been a massive success in India, with attendances being at a high and some legends of the sport taking part in it every year. Average attendances for matches exceed 25,000 visitors per season – a record that can only be topped by the Premier League and the Bundesliga and that has been down to the huge array of star names that arrive each year. Alessandro Del Piero, David Trezeguet, Freddie Ljunberg and Zico are just some of the names who have been involved with the competition. There have been criticisms of the league, with many feeling that its short duration is just to attract larger names and create a friendlier setting rather that improve the nature of football in the country, and at times, it does look that way. The other league, the I-League, which is the older tournament of the two and represents the country in AFC competitions, has taken a step back as a result of it. It does not have investment from the country’s most prominent celebrities, nor does it have an equal level of TV time and as a result of it, its teams can’t afford some of the more famous names that play in the ISL. Perhaps the only thing better here in the I-League is the fact that it does not have fireworks bursting which happens in the ISL, although that isn’t really much to celebrate. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) – the governing body for football in India has come up with a plan to curb the popularity gap, and create one league to represent the country in international competitions. This is a three-tier league, with its first division consisting of all ISL clubs and the I-League’s most prominent sides, Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Bengaluru FC. The prior two grace from Kolkata and create one of the most historic rivalries in the sport, while the latter are relatively new to the field, but have taken the footballing world by storm due to their excellent management off the pitch. The other two divisions would be filled mostly by clubs playing in the I-League currently as well as the current second division. The whole situation obviously creates a major problem for India’s champions Aizawl FC, who have every right to feel robbed due to their incoherent history. They have had a fairytale run this season, however, as they sealed a historic title in the most impressive fashion. Traditionally, and statistically, they were supposed to be nowhere near this remarkable feat having been relegated last season. But, to their fortune, two other clubs pulled out of the country’s top division, and Aizawl were reinstated. They have ridden their luck ever since and have grasped the opportunity with both hands. Under the tutelage of 40-year-old manager Khalid Jamil, who was appointed at the start of the season, they have displayed an attractive brand of football and are tipped to perform really well in continental competition next season, in their very first attempt. Their home record has been impeccable, winning eight out of their nine fixtures, drawing one, while all three of their losses came away from home, with the only major blip coming against relegated Mumbai FC. They also happened to get the better of some of the big boys, with Bengaluru FC and Mohun Bagan all suffering on their own grounds before Shillong Lajong, a club that’s geographically close to them, became the club that they drew against to win the title on the final matchday of the season. It has been the most brilliant story in Indian football’s domestic history – one that perfectly rewards their modest history. The club was founded on Valentine’s Day 1984 by Benjamin Khiangte, a man with experience of foreign lands who wanted to bring his overseas football expertise to India. Mizoram, an area of high altitudes was where he was based and upon his arrival from Europe, he discovered that football was more of an activity that was only played while away from work than something professional. Disappointed by the state of football activities in the region, he launched a rebellion against the incompetent Mizoram Football Association, and it culminated in him forming Aizawl Football Club. Aizawl, the capital of the state, with a population of over 250,000 people, saw this as a fantastic opportunity to finally earn a professional status. Khiangte was stern about his project and offered unthinkable incentives, both financially and non-financially. His care and thought went as far as providing his club sponsored shirts and efficient equipment for his players to use to the best of their needs. However, while he was succeeding with his objectives, his surroundings were failing him as the football association’s incompetence continued to grow and less than 15 years after its inception, Aizawl FC was buried into the ground. It took until 2011 to revive the club, when Robert Royte, the chairman of TT Royte Group along with Hmingthana Zadeng, invested into the club to get them back on track with their main aim being to get a professional status as a football club. The club completed that goal a year later, and at the same time, they could benefit from a better footballing atmosphere as the Mizoram Premier League, an amateur state league consisting of teams in Mizoram kicked off. Aizawl represented Mizoram in the second division, and instantly gained promotion in 2016, becoming the first club from the state to play in the I-League. They had a rocky season, but their performances showed that they belonged there. In a 10-team league where only the bottom club gets relegated, Aizawl managed a commendable ninth-placed finish but were relegated due to the bottom placed team DSK Shivajans being exempt from relegation for three years due to a corporate scheme with the AIFF. What’s worse is that Aizawl had beaten Shivajans twice that season and were a much more stable club both on and off the pitch. In September that year however, Aizawl were reinstated back to the league due to the aforementioned reasons of two Goan clubs withdrawing from the league and the rest is history. Aizawl have proven their worth to the I-League and Indian football’s followers, and it is an understatement to say that they deserve to play in the top division of Indian football. A merger between the I-League and the ISL seems unlikely for at least another two years, but Aizawl’s growing popularity and admirable use of domestic talent will be an asset to Indian football, no matter how much history or corporate success they possess. |
The fossil record is the only source of information on the long-term dynamics of species assemblages. Here we assess the degree of ecological stability of the epifaunal pterioid bivalve assemblage (EPBA), which is part of the Middle Devonian Hamilton fauna of New York—the type example of the pattern of coordinated stasis, in which long intervals of faunal persistence are terminated by turnover events induced by environmental change. Previous studies have used changes in abundance structure within specific biofacies as evidence for a lack of ecological stability of the Hamilton fauna. By comparing data on relative abundance, body size, and predation, indexed as the frequency of unsuccessful shell-crushing attacks, of the EPBA, we show that abundance structure varied through time, but body-size structure and predation pressure remained relatively stable. We suggest that the energetic set-up of the Hamilton fauna's food web was able to accommodate changes in species attributes, such as fluctuating prey abundances. Ecological redundancy in prey resources, adaptive foraging of shell-crushing predators (arising from predator behavioral or adaptive switching in prey selection in response to changing prey abundances), and allometric scaling of predator-prey interactions are discussed as potential stabilizing factors contributing to the persistence of the Hamilton fauna's EPBA. Our study underscores the value and importance of multiple lines of evidence in tests of ecological stability in the fossil record. This predator-prey interaction forms a simple food-web module (sensu [37] ) in which to test for ecological stability in abundance, body size, and predation in the Hamilton fauna's EPBA. This “module” approach is widely used in community ecology to help disentangle the complexity of a system by focusing on individual building blocks (e.g., specific species interactions) as a proxy for the dynamics of the whole system [38] , [39] . We targeted a functional group of suspension feeding bivalves within the bivalve-dominated biofacies of the Hamilton fauna—the epifaunal pterioid bivalve assemblage (hereafter referred to as EPBA), which is composed of pterioid species that flourished in the Devonian [30] . Pterioid bivalves lived either byssally attached (Pseudaviculopecten) or reclining (Ptychopteria, Leptodesma, and Actinopteria) on soft substrates ( Fig. 2 ). These genera reflect either single species or morphological groups of closely-related species, which comprised as much as 75% of the shallow water shelly epibenthos [31] , [32] . As in many modern marine systems, this functional group would have played a key role in ecosystem function, influencing nutrient dynamics, as well as serving as food for higher trophic levels [33] . Co-occurring with this functional group of bivalves was a moderate diversity of sessile, epifaunal suspension-feeding brachiopods, bryozoans, and crinoids, endobenthic scavengers, such as trilobites and gastropods, and deposit feeders, including nuculid bivalves, with moderate bioturbation [34] . The presence of benthic, durophagous (shell-crushing) predators, such as phyllocarid crustaceans and gnathostome fishes [35] , [36] is preserved in the rich trace fossil record of their attacks on bivalve prey ( Fig. 3 ; [36] ). To test for the pattern of ecological stability we focused on a particular biofacies—that of shallow, storm-affected, silty shelf bivalve-dominated assemblages—of the well-preserved Middle Devonian Hamilton fauna of New York. The Hamilton fauna comprises over 300 invertebrate species [10] , [23] – [27] and occurs throughout four formations ( Fig. 1 ): Oatka Creek, Skaneateles, Ludlowville, and Moscow, each of which is approximately a 3 rd -order cycle of sea-level change lasting ∼1–2.0 million years [18] , [27] . These units represent shallow subtidal muddy to silty shelf sediments deposited below fair weather wave base, but above storm wave base in, euphotic to dysphotic environments, ranging in water depth from about 20 to 80 meters in a warm temperate to subtropical setting [10] , [23] , [28] . Each of the formations is divisible into a series of 10–20 m scale, coarsening upward mudstone to siltstone members and submembers representing 4 th -order cycles of sea-level change of ∼400 ka duration ( Fig. 1 ; [22] ). Average rates of sea-level rise during this time interval have been estimated to be around 1 to 10 mm/year based on estimates of absolute depth change of ∼40–50 m [22] , [26] , [28] and durations of decameter scale submembers [29] . Our study system included seven localities collected within a 2000 km 2 geographic area, examined a duration of about 800 ka, and sampled three 4 th -order depositional cycles—Giv-1A, Giv-1B, and Giv-1C—from the lower Givetian Skaneateles Formation ( Fig. 1 ). Here we expand upon our current understanding of the pattern of ecological stability in the fossil record. Our approach compares data on abundance structure (the standard metric used to test for ecological stability in the fossil record), body-size structure, and predation pressure in bivalve-dominated assemblages within the well-constrained stratigraphic framework of the Hamilton fauna [10] , [22] . The unresolved issue in these cases is sample comparability. Valid comparisons of faunas of differing age, required to test for properties of ecological stability, have to be based upon the most similar biofacies; lithology alone is not sufficient. Incomplete sampling and small-scale spatial variation in faunas and environments can further obscure paleoecological data [11] , [12] . Two extensive studies recently corroborated ecological stability within specific biofacies of the Hamilton fauna. For instance, Brett et al. [10] showed that guild proportions remained similar in all samples of five biofacies, ranging from relatively low diversity, dysoxic assemblages to highly diverse coral- and brachiopod-rich, shallow shelf biotas, and Ivany et al. [12] documented the constancy of the relative abundance of the diverse coral-brachiopod biofacies in 13 horizons throughout a stratigraphic interval spanning about 5 to 5.5 million years. A less well-documented pattern in the fossil record is the suggestion that faunas are also relatively stable in terms of ecology (ecologic stasis; sensu [12] ). This claim has been subject to considerable discussion [13] – [17] . For instance, although guild structure appears to persist in the Hamilton fauna [10] , [12] , [18] , several studies have challenged ecological stability expressed in terms of relative abundance data (e.g., [19] – [21] ). The faunas of the Middle Devonian Hamilton Group of New York State provide an exemplar of this pattern. Brett and Baird [8] recognized long intervals of faunal persistence terminated by turnover events induced by environmental change (see also [9] – [11] ). Nearly two decades of additional research has generally supported the original interpretation of taxonomic stasis in this fauna [10] , [12] —in other words, large numbers of species, or closely related species groups within lineages, persist in similar facies/environments over long intervals of time. Understanding how the structure and function of ecological communities changes or remains the same through time is a topic of considerable interest [1] , [2] . Much of what we know about community stability and change comes from insights gained from ecological data collected over short time intervals of up to a few decades [2] – [5] . Increasingly, however, the fossil record has proven to be a valuable ecological archive of faunal responses to disturbances over long temporal scales not available in ecological studies [2] , [6] , [7] . One of the most surprising insights gained from paleoecological data is that some fossil assemblages may remain relatively stable over millions of years. At least one shell-crushing repair scar was found on 112 of the 538 bivalve specimens examined in our samples ( Fig. 5 ), with an average repair frequency (RF) of 18.3% for Actinopteria, 19.6% for Ptychopteria, 32.3% for Pseudaviculopecten, and 9.5% for Leptodesma ( Fig. 5 , Table S3 ). Repair frequency for the EPBA as a whole varied from 16.9% to 21.8% throughout the stratigraphic section ( Fig. 5 ). All proposed logistic regression models have good fits based on upon deviance and residual degrees of freedom ( Table 3 ). Using a threshold of 10% for significance, neither AIC nor BIC scores show appreciable support for an influence of time unit on RF (3.3% and 0.2%, respectively; Table 3 ). Similarly, an effect of locality and taxon on RF has little support (0.4% and <0.1% using AIC and BIC, respectively, for locality; 6.3% and <0.1% using AIC and BIC, respectively, for taxon; Table 3 ). There is significant support for an effect of body size on RF by both ranking methods (76.4% using AIC and 38.8% using BIC; Table 3 ), although the biological effect of this influence is small; the estimated coefficient of size is 0.0279 (std. err. = 0.012; p = 0.02), which suggests that for every 1 mm increase in size over the mean size there is an increase in the probability of finding a repair scar of only 0.005. The interaction model also had no support (<0.1%) by either AIC or BIC ( Table 3 ) for RF differing across time units as a function of taxon. The average body size of the 538 bivalve specimens we examined was 28.9 mm. Average body size varied between 24.8 to 27.9 mm for Actinopteria, 32.5 to 35.8 mm for Ptychopteria, 29.4 to 40.0 mm for Leptodesma, and 29.7 to 34.5 mm for Pseudaviculopecten, throughout the stratigraphic section ( Fig. 4 ; Table S2 ). Deviance and residual degrees of freedom indicate that all proposed regression models have good fits ( Table 2 ). Model ranking results using AIC and BIC indicate no support (<0.1%) for a change in body-size structure of the EPBA across all time units ( Table 2 ). Locality also has no effect on body size (<0.1% using both AIC and BIC; Table 2 ). Taxon identity, however, has a significant effect on body size (91% using AIC and 100% using BIC; Table 2 ), with Ptychopteria on average the largest (34 mm) species in the EPBA and Actinopteria the smallest (25 mm; Table S2 ). For the interaction model, there is negligible evidence that average size for each taxon changes across time units (9% and <0.1% using AIC and BIC, respectively; Table 2 ). The most abundant species in the EPBA was Actinopteria (55.6%; n = 299), followed by Ptychopteria (34.4%; n = 184), Leptodesma (5%; n = 28), and Pseudaviculopecten (5%; n = 27). Relative abundances of EPBA species varied from 15.3–63.8% for Actinopteria, 25.6–71.2% for Ptychopteria, 2.6–8.5% for Leptodesma, and 2.6–5.5% for Pseudaviculopecten, throughout the stratigraphic section ( Table S1 ). Model ranking results using Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) indicate 99.9% support for a change in relative abundance structure of the EPBA across all stratigraphic units; Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) scores, which are less sensitive to model complexity, also indicate—with 96.7% support—that relative abundances of the EPBA differ across stratigraphic units ( Table 1 ). Discussion Food-web structure and stability Our results demonstrate that the body-size structure of, and predation pressure on, the Hamilton fauna's EPBA persisted for about 800 thousand years—despite significant fluctuations in relative abundance of individual bivalve species. Persistence of body-size structure and the interaction strength between shell-crushing predators and their bivalve prey suggests long-term stability of food-web structure. This pattern might at first seem at odds with ecological theory, which predicts that complex food webs should not persist because of their inherent instability [3], [40]–[43]. However, a growing number of studies attribute “flexibility” in food-web structure, arising from predator behavioral or adaptive switching in prey selection in response to qualitative and quantitative resource changes (e.g., changing prey abundances) in space and time, as a mechanism contributing to ecological stability (e.g., [42],[44]–[46]). Prey switching may occur passively due to predator familiarity with an encountered prey type, or actively as a “choice” made by the predator to increase fitness [47]. For this mechanism to explain the long-term ecological stability of the EPBA, Devonian predators would have had to have switched their feeding patterns, while at the same time maintaining similar predation pressures on their prey. Our data are consistent with this prediction. Although average RF throughout the study interval persisted relatively unchanged, the relative abundance and RF values of individual prey species are positively correlated (R2 = 0.95), supporting the prediction that predators did not have rigid feeding patterns. In modern systems, shell-crushing predator-prey interactions also are highly size-structured, with predators often larger than their prey [48], [49]. We assume that this simple body-size relationship applies to shell-crushing predator-prey interactions in Devonian seas, given its regularity across habitat types and taxonomic groups in food webs today [50], [51]. Ecological theory predicts that species persistence is enhanced with a consistent body-size structure of predators and their prey (i.e., allometric scaling; [46], [51]), with invertebrate and vertebrate predators generally on geometric average 10 and 100 times, respectively, larger than their prey [52]. Although we do not have information on the body sizes of Devonian predators, the lack of significant change in shell-crushing predation, indexed by RF (and thus per capita effects of predators on prey), and body-size distribution of the EPBA, is indirect evidence suggesting that the predator-prey body size ratio remained high; in other words, most predators were likely to have been larger than their bivalve prey. If this general pattern did not hold in the Devonian, we would have expected change in the EPBA body-size distribution, reflecting new dynamics of the size-structured predator-prey interaction [53], [54]. Given the effects of adaptive foraging and body size on the persistence of complex food webs, a possible scenario for ecological stability of the EPBA emerges. As the size-structured predator-prey interaction between shell-crushing predators and their bivalve prey was disturbed by low-level stress (i.e., sea-level change), it is possible that this disturbance led to fluctuating selection on interaction strength in space and time and consequently food-web reconstruction (due to changes in fluctuating abundances of prey). As environmental conditions changed, different connections in the shell-crushing predator-prey module of the food web were strengthened (increasing RF values) while others were dampened (decreasing RF values). Over time this fluctuating pattern gave the shell-crushing predator-prey interaction some “flexibility”—potential connections (links) in the food web were turned off or on, while overall connectance of the module was kept low (i.e., few strong interactions; [55]) in response to sea-level changes and fluctuations in prey abundance to enhance EPBA persistence. Functional redundancy and ecological stability We have shown that the relative abundance of bivalve species in the EPBA did not remain stable throughout the depositional cycles of the Hamilton fauna we sampled; however, at lower levels of resolution (e.g., presence-absence data) there is evidence that the same bivalve species were always present. This alternative conclusion is the consequence of the scale of analysis we used (i.e., the numerical resolution of the data—a problem that is not fully appreciated; [56]). Our use of relative abundance data (a high level of resolution), however, allowed us to detect more subtle changes in the structure of the EPBA, which had important effects on predator-prey interactions. Our relative abundance data also suggest a degree of functional redundancy [57]–[62] or complementarity [63] of the prey species in the Hamilton fauna EPBA. The functional group we examined consisted of species with similar, overlapping—but not identical—niches (operating at the same scale, in the sense of how they experienced the surrounding environment): sedentary, epifaunal, suspension-feeding bivalves. We suggest that within-scale, functional overlap of bivalve taxa may also have contributed to the ecological stability of the EPBA. As the abundance of one EPBA bivalve species fluctuated (due to changes in abiotic and/or biotic environmental factors), it was compensated for—in terms of biomass and energy use—by other species. Similarly, Ivany ([13]; p. 245) suggested that redundancy “within nested sets of taxa, such that several taxa proportionately share a given ecological role and compensate for each others' short-term abundance fluctuations…” may have contributed to patterns of ecological stability in fossil assemblages. To our knowledge, our study is the first to present data supporting this speculation. If compensatory dynamics have strong stabilizing effects, it is conceivable that changes in abundance structure of the EPBA may not have altered properties at the scale of the whole ecosystem. For instance, theoretical and empirical evidence from modern systems indicates that ecosystem-level properties, such as productivity, exhibit less variability in response to environmental change than changes in abundance of organisms [64], [65]. Conserved body-size structure (Fig. 4) in the EPBA through time is consistent with this expectation; in this way, compensatory shifts in species abundance within the EPBA may have acted as a buffer against diminished suspension-feeder biomass. We acknowledge the tentative nature of the evidence regarding this conclusion. A more rigorous test would entail collecting data on the absolute abundance of species within the EPBA, which could serve as a proxy for total biomass and energy use. We suspect, however, that such a test will not change our interpretation, given that measures of relative and absolute abundance—in organisms as diverse as trilobites and mammals—are often positively correlated (i.e., proportional to each other [66]–[68]). Predators and interaction modules We assumed that the EPBA interacted with the same group of predators throughout the study interval. Similarity in shape and position of repair scars (Fig. 3; [36]) on the shells of bivalve prey supports this assumption, but is not direct evidence of taxonomic stability in the composition of the shell-crushing predator functional group. At present, only lists of possible predators are available [35], [36]. Although we do not know (and may never know) the identity of the Devonian shell-crushing predators that unsuccessfully attacked bivalve prey, our results showcase the utility of predation metrics, which estimate the strength of interaction among a few interacting species between trophic levels, in tests of long-term ecological stability in the fossil record. By focusing on a small number of interacting species—or modules of food webs [37], [39], [69]—it was possible to gain insight into ecosystem-level processes (e.g., biomass and energy use). Extending this approach to the EPBA predator-prey module throughout the remainder of the Hamilton fauna' s duration as well as other interaction modules (such as symbiosis and competition) is a fruitful avenue of future research. Implications for coordinated stasis Our results have implications for understanding the pattern of coordinated stasis—long intervals of faunal persistence terminated by turnover events induced by environmental change [9]. Although coordinated stasis is a statement about observed patterns of the fossil record, and not a hypothesis about process, a number of mechanisms have been proposed to explain the pattern (see [13], for a review). For instance, ecological locking, in which “ecological interactions maintain a static adaptive landscape and prevent both the long-term establishment of exotic species…and evolutionary change of the native species…” ([70]; p. 11273) and incumbency (i.e., resistance by incumbents to invading taxa; [13]), have been widely discussed as possible intrinsic causal mechanisms to explain the pattern of coordinated stasis (e.g., [13], [70]–[73]). The extrinsic cause of habitat tracking [74]–[76], in which changes in the physical environment force organisms to migrate and to track their favored environments, is another debated [77] mechanism. Although species migrate individualistically, similar species-specific tolerance limits, among several taxa, in terms of water depth, substrate type, and other environmental parameters may give the appearance of groups of species (essentially biofacies) tracking changes in the physical environment as a unit [76]. In other words, species distributions along environmental gradients—especially those related to water depth—may remain relatively stable, but the species shift spatially as the gradients themselves shift [11]. We suggest that the energetic set-up of food webs—adaptive foraging of consumers (e.g., [42]), body-size structure of consumer-resource relationships (i.e., allometric scaling; [51]), and functional redundancy of prey species (sensu [57], [58], [78])—offer alternative, complementary mechanisms to explain coordinated stasis in the fossil record. We recognize that defining operational criteria for distinguishing among these alternative mechanisms will be difficult in most cases because they predict nearly the same behavior. These mechanisms also are not mutually exclusive. For instance, a low-stress disturbance (such as sea-level rise) that drives species to migrate (i.e., habitat tracking, sensu [10]) may result in the relative abundances of the players changing as the community is reassembled, but such change, does not necessarily overturn the ecological applecart—to use Eldredge's [79] apt description—to change the structure and function of the food web as a whole. In addition, processes may actually interact additively or synergistically, leading to even a higher level of ecological stability (e.g., interactive, stabilizing effects of body-size structure and adaptive foraging in food-webs; [46]). Our focus on the internal dynamics of food webs shares with “ecological locking” (sensu [70]) an emphasis on species interactions. Ecologic locking “emphasizes the strength and structure of ecological interactions…in holding ecological relationships relatively constant so that rank abundances and guild structure do not fluctuate widely” ([13]; p. 245). This mechanism requires a tight integration of interacting species (in other words, an “intrinsic” ecological mutual dependence—the acting, reacting, and co-acting—of EPBA inhabitants, which essentially “glues” the assemblage together). Our conclusion that the EPBA food web was stable for about 800 ka, however, does not imply a “locked” interaction module of shell-crushing predators and their bivalve prey; that is, a static, highly integrated entity, in the sense of equilibrium (steady-state) notions of the term [80]. Instead, we view the stable EPBA as an open and flexible food web with variable species attributes, such as abundance and composition. The persistence of stable assemblages of interacting organisms is thus dictated by their capacity to accommodate disturbance—variation and the capacity to respond rapidly to such variation are critical to the maintenance of coordination in coordinated stasis. Paleoecological patterns and minimalist interpretations Our interpretations assume that the internal dynamics of food webs can be scaled up to produce predictable patterns in the fossil record. We adopted a scale-independent view, in which patterns are similar on multiple scales of observation, although not infinitely (sensu [81]), because of an increasing body of evidence indicating that biological processes, such as predation, can act in similar ways across a spectrum of spatial and temporal scales (see [81]–[83] for reviews). Our data support this hypothesis. For instance, the positive correlation we found between the relative abundance of bivalve prey and RF (an index of predator selectivity)—a pattern evident at a temporal scale of hundreds of thousands of years—is consistent with modern examples of prey-switching behavior by predators occurring on vastly different temporal scales, ranging from days to thousands of years (e.g., [84], [85]). To the extent that a minimalist interpretation is adequate, the paleoecological patterns we found are thus best viewed as local changes summed over vast sweeps of space and time rather than as the result of “different rules” (i.e., scale-dependent processes [86] operating at paleontological scales). |
Most of Ryan Braun’s career is probably behind him now, at age 32, with a past that he cannot change. But each day, Brewers hitting coach Darnell Coles watches him prepare for what’s ahead. The next at-bats, against the next pitcher, and unlike in recent seasons, Braun is healthy enough to prepare in the way that best suits him. “His early work and his routine are phenomenal,” Coles said the other day. “He doesn’t get away from that.” Thumb and back troubles hampered him the last two seasons, and in 2014, Braun’s slugging percentage dipped to a career-low .453, and some rival scouts saw a change in how he attacked pitches. But Braun has been one of the National League’s best hitters this year, batting .376, and he’s hitting for power again, with a .600 slugging percentage – seven doubles and seven homers. At his current rate, Braun has a shot at reaching base 300 times this season, and he has been cornering opposing pitchers when hitting with runners in scoring position, batting .444. When he’s getting pitches to hit, Coles said, “he’s not missing.” There have been tangible differences in the next-level metrics, perhaps reflecting the fact that Braun has been able to prepare for each game in the way that Coles describes: the tee work, a front-toss drill, some work with his eyes for pitch recognition, regular batting practice, all of the physical stuff he uses to complement his video preparation. His rate of missed swings is at 8 percent, his lowest since 2011, the year he won the NL MVP Award. His rate of swinging at pitches outside the strike zone is at 29.7 percent, the lowest of his career; a longtime NL evaluator says that Braun has been laying off the high fastball, a pitch which he often chased in the past as pitchers looked to finish him in two-strike counts. His batting average on balls in play -- .404 – suggests he is hitting with some good fortune, but his strikeout rate is the lowest of his career. Braun’s rebound this season has altered the perception of him as a player you wouldn’t touch because of his age and PED history into someone worth considering, rival evaluators say. “As he gets closer to the end of his contract, he becomes more attractive,” said one executive, “and he’s probably a better baserunner and defender than people realize.” (Braun is among the top 20 outfielders in Defensive Runs Saved this season, and has 167 career steals.) |
Giantkilling Silver Ferns take out Quad Series The Silver Ferns have produced an outstanding turnaround in performance to beat the world champions, the Australian Diamonds, 57-47, and take out the Quad Series for the first time. Coming off the back of a loss to the English Roses, the Silver Ferns pulled together their most cohesive effort of their three Tests in this series, and kept control throughout the 60 minutes at ILT Stadium Southland in Invercargill. It also marked the Silver Ferns’ 50th victory over Australia. After South Africa's SPAR Proteas upset England 54-51 in the opening match in Invercargill, New Zealand were given the task of beating Australia by four to win the Quad Series. But still, their principle focus was on improvement on court, and continuing to build towards the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Silver Ferns coach Janine Southby took the opportunity to try out a new combination, switching Te Paea Selby-Rickit to goal shoot and Bailey Mes to goal attack – a change which paid dividends and gave New Zealand an exciting new option in the shooting circle. Selby-Rickit succeeded with 35 of her 41 shots on goal, while Mes missed just one of her 18 attempts. New Zealand Under-21s star Maia Wilson didn’t miss with her five shots at the end of the match. Another young prodigy, Kelly Jury, returned to the side after an ankle injury, and was given the start at goal keep, alongside captain Katrina Grant. An outstanding defensive performance from Jury, rattling the usually cool Australian attack in her first full test in the black dress, saw her rewarded with the Veuve Du Vernay player of the match. Jury immediately made an impression disrupting Australia’s first shot at goal, and New Zealand scored the first two goals. The Silver Ferns continued to deny the Australians a chance to settle into a rhythm, and added five consecutive goals to take a six-goal lead after five minutes. Selby-Rickit, playing in front of her home crowd, revelled in the goal shoot role, while the New Zealand midcourt stepped up a notch in intensity, on both attack and defence, from the previous two tests. New Zealand were rewarded with a handsome 18-10 lead at the first turnaround. Australia returned to the court with a renewed purpose, pouring on defensive pressure to halve the difference to four goals. But the Silver Ferns replied with similar treatment – with Jury using her full 1.92m to confound Diamonds captain Caitlin Bassett - and established the upper-hand once again to lead 31-24 at halftime. In a frenetic third spell, where every player on court was desperate to get their hands to the ball, Grant and Samantha Sinclair led the way in snaffling loose ball. The Silver Ferns then pulled away to an 11-goal advantage going into the final stanza, 44-33. Phoenix Karaka brought a pair of fresh legs to the wing defence role, and although the Australians made wholesale changes through the court, the Ferns were not about to relinquish control with a victory in sight. The Silver Ferns will now prepare for their next series, the three-Test Taini Jamison Trophy against the England Roses, which begins in Porirua on Thursday night. |
Business was "insane" at Kenny & Zuke's Monday, Brice Clagett says, and for 10 and a half hours, he was lost in the funhouse, cutting pastrami, assembling Reubens, schlepping desserts. When he clocked out at 9:03 p.m., Clagett was, like the bagel bin, running on empty, and still facing the bus slog to St. Johns. On his lone 20-minute break, he'd run to the bank to send his landlord an electronic check for $672.50. His share of the August rent. His final month's rent. "I have 28 days left before I'm homeless," Clagett says. He's 26. We met a few days earlier at the deli's take-out counter. I asked a question or two, and Clagett rarely shuts up. As his father, Michael, says, "There are no strangers to Brice." We started on local comedy clubs, then moved on to rental application fees and his bruising fall toward the poverty line. His head's still above water, Clagett says, so he doesn't qualify for a life preserver. I hate to think how many millennials in town know the feeling. Clagett works two jobs, 40-odd hours each week at the deli and another dozen as a bud-tender at Cured Green, a cannabis dispensary behind Mock Crest Grocery on North Lombard. Asked what the marijuana shop's owner saw in him, he says, "Probably the same thing Kenny & Zuke's saw in me: trustworthiness, and a willingness to supply effort, no matter what." Clagett grew up in West Virginia, his parents divorcing when he was 10. With his dad's help and a state scholarship, he made it through college without debt or a credit card, focused on film and electronic media. But he ended up making pizza for barely more than minimum wage and catching weekend buses for open mics in Boston and New York. "It's hard to accumulate wealth in West Virginia," Clagett says. His grandmother died three years ago, leaving him $5,000, so he struck out for the Northwest. He arrived on Independence Day, dropped the U-Haul at the Econo Lodge in Vancouver, Wash., bought some weed from a homeless guy, and figured, as fireworks lit up the night sky, that the new start would be an easier one. Little came easy, of course. Kenny & Zuke's hired him in June 2015, but after two years and three raises, he makes just $12 an hour. "A little bit less," Clagett offers, "than the guy making cookies at Subway." The housing situation is worse. He's sleeping on a couch in a battered bungalow near Pier Park in St. Johns, but his roommate has health issues and the lease expires at the end of July. He's hard pressed to cough up $50 application fees and still has no credit history, so you can imagine the search for an apartment. Believing himself no stranger to Portland's City Council, Clagett reached out for help to both Mayor Ted Wheeler and Commissioner Chloe Eudaly, a vaunted advocate for renters, but says he drew no response. The storied website - NoAppFee.com - that previews area listings for a single and refundable $35 application fee? On Monday, it showed a single Portland apartment under $995, one at Alder Village, just off Southeast 160th. Portland's apartment options for monthly rent of $1,000 on NoAppFee.Com "But I would get two bedrooms. One bath. And granite counter tops," Clagett says. His last two-week paycheck from Kenny & Zuke's was, after taxes, $678.05, or just enough to cover that final rent payment. He has no health insurance: "I had to decide if Kaiser Permanente needed my money, or Sprint." He's embarrassed and, yes, discouraged. "I have no idea what's going to happen," Clagett says. "That scares me the most. The uncertainty. Am I going to put all my stuff in a storage unit? Am I supposed to pick up a third job?" His father, 3,000 miles off, worries about the weed and roots for a career. "I've never heard anyone complain about his work ethic," Michael Clagett says. "When he gets a job, he sticks with it." Even when it no longer pays the rent. "I'm a bankruptcy attorney," the father says. "I see this every day, this generation bouncing from one job to another. It's not unusual to see families that worked all their lives in the coal mines or the factories, and the kids are doing nothing. "It's a typical West Virginia problem. Each generation is doing worse than the one before." That's why Brice Clagett left Appalachia ... or thought he had. On Tuesday, his third anniversary here, he logged five and a half hours at Kenny & Zuke's. Working without holiday pay, he pulled in $4.50 in tips at the take-out counter. Afterwards, he bummed a few cigarettes and took the Yellow Line to Lombard. It being the Fourth of July, he bought a six pack of Sessions IPA at the Shell station for company on the bus ride home. "It was hard to go to sleep," he admits. In another three weeks or so, it may be quite a bit harder. -- Steve Duin stephen.b.duin@gmail.com |
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