Before that award-winning story appears on The National, that heart-breaking report is on the World at Six or that important exposé appears on your smartphone, CBC journalists have discussed, deliberated and debated the best way to tell our stories to Canadians.
There may be ethical considerations at play. Or maybe we have to think twice before putting a reporter in harm's way. How do we get behind the hype? And of course, Canada's a very big country, so how much should we invest in a story that may or may not pan out?
In journalism, the answers are rarely clear-cut and it's not an easy process. But it is always a fascinating one, and we want to share it with you.
That's the motivation behind the event being held on Friday, Sept. 30: CBC Asks: Getting The Real Story - How do we do it?
CBC's Chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge will lead the conversation with five of Canada's finest journalists. They have travelled to some of the world's most dangerous hotspots including the heart of the Ebola outbreak. They have made politicians sweat and revealed how institutions tried to conceal allegations of sexual abuse. They have reported about the tragedy of Canada's missing and murdered Indigenous women. They are covering the most highly contentious - and entertaining - U.S. election campaign in history.
And now they want to speak to you.
· Emmy-award winning senior correspondent Adrienne Arsenault's assignments have included disasters, conflicts, politics, sports and basic human dramas. Arsenault won a 2015 International Emmy for her work covering the Ebola crisis.
· Recently taking over the microphone at CBC Radio One's Cross Country Checkup, Duncan McCue has been a reporter for CBC News for over 15 years. McCue was part of a CBC News investigation into missing and murdered Indigenous women that won numerous honours - including the Hillman Award for Investigative Journalism.
· Senior Investigative Journalist Diana Swain has won numerous awards and widespread recognition for her ground-breaking reports, including the handling of sexual abuse at Scouts Canada. And last year she began investigating how Canadian post-secondary institutions manage allegations of assault on campus. Diana will have a new weekly program, The Investigators, which is launching on CBC News Network on Saturday, October 15th.
· Our Senior Correspondent based in Washington, Paul Hunter, has reported from Haiti, the Middle East and with Canadian troops in Afghanistan. He is currently covering a story followed around the world: Donald Trump, and the 2016 U.S. Election. Hunter won an RTDNA award for his coverage of the Boston bombings in 2013.
· Rosemary Barton is the award-winning host of CBC News Network's daily political show, Power & Politics, and is one of the best political journalists in the country. She also has a long history of excellence in the field. Barton covered the 2008 and 2011 federal elections, as well as a number of federal leadership campaigns as a national reporter with CBC's Parliamentary Bureau.
Getting to the story is often much more than what it seems. Here's your chance to ask the journalists about the challenges they face in the field, and away from the cameras. Tweet your questions using #CBCasks. Join our Facebook Live on Friday, Sept. 30 at 6:30 pm ET or watch our livestream at cbcnews.ca and YouTube.com/cbcnews.
Or if you're in the Toronto area, join us at the Barbara Frum Atrium in the Toronto Broadcasting Centre, 250 Front St. West. Doors open at 6 pm.


Hawaii brought back its nuclear warning system….
Hawaii is preparing for a North Korean nuclear attack. Should the Bay Area follow suit?
HONOLULU — For the first time in more than three decades, an ominous warning siren blared across Hawaii earlier this month — an alarm that one day could mean a nuclear missile is about to hit.
The siren, a Cold War relic brought back in the wake of new threats from North Korea, is the centerpiece of the most wide-ranging campaign in the U.S. to prepare for a nuclear strike. Over the last few months, state officials have aired TV ads warning Hawaiians to “get inside, stay inside” if an attack is imminent. They’ve also held meetings across the islands to educate residents on the danger.
Especially after North Korea’s latest missile test, some experts believe California and the Bay Area — one of the closest U.S. metro areas to Pyongyang after Honolulu — should follow Hawaii’s example. But so far the Golden State’s reaction has been starkly different.
Indeed, Hawaii is about 4,600 miles from North Korea, compared to 5,450 miles for the City by the Bay.
Hawaii’s alarm was tested Dec. 1 following the regular tsunami siren and will be tested on the first business day of every month. It’s a wailing caterwaul, impossible to ignore, and sounds different from the single-tone tsunami warning. For many locals and tourists, the foreboding sound evoked an earlier era when American schoolchildren were taught to hide under their desks in case the Soviet Union launched a nuclear strike.
“I hope we don’t get to that point again,” said Lance Whitney, 64, who was suiting up to go kitesurfing on a picturesque Maui beach when the siren sounded.
But amid the acrimonious back-and-forth between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, this is the new normal for Hawaii.
If a North Korean missile were actually on its way toward the Aloha State, the alarm would give residents about a 13-minute heads up, officials say. Hawaiians would also get emergency text message alerts on their smartphones — and a warning would interrupt TV and radio broadcasts.
Emergency officials are telling residents to prepare for nuclear holocaust by stockpiling up to two weeks of food and medicine. If an attack is imminent, they should get inside, seal all windows, shelter in the most stable part of their home or office — and wait for further information.
While analysts say North Korean missiles can probably reach most of the U.S., it’s unclear whether the country can mount a nuclear warhead on a missile or aim well enough to hit a city.
Still, “we just couldn’t ignore these constant threats and missile tests from North Korea,” said Vern Miyagi, Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency administrator. He stressed that a nuclear strike from the rogue state was unlikely, but he said state leaders felt a responsibility to address it because a nuclear missile aimed at Honolulu could cause 18,000 fatalities and 50,000 to 120,000 casualties.
So far, there’s no nuclear preparedness campaign in the Bay Area or California that even approaches Hawaii’s push.
“We are not doing anything to that level now,” said Mark Ghilarducci, the director of the California Office of Emergency Services.
Officials are holding weekly meetings with the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security and receiving classified briefings about the nuclear threat to California, he said. But “the probability that Californians will be faced with a fire or an earthquake is so much higher than a nuclear detonation,” he said.
San Francisco’s network of alarm sirens has been tested weekly for decades. While there’s no specific alarm for an incoming missile, a general alarm accompanied by cellphone alerts specifying a nuclear attack would be used in that case, said Francis Zamora, a spokesman for the city’s emergency department.
Oakland also has a siren system that it tests monthly. The Emergency Management Services Division put a few paragraphs about a nuclear attack on its website “when all this hyperbole started happening between us and North Korea,” said Mitchell Green, the agency’s acting director, but there are no plans for a broader public education effort.
In San Jose, “a lot of the old air raid siren systems were dismantled many, many years ago,” said Ray Riordan, the city’s director of emergency services. When the Cold War ended more than a quarter-century ago, funding for nuclear warning systems dried up — one of Riordan’s first jobs was helping take down the siren network. It would cost millions of dollars to rebuild it now, he said.
Public awareness campaigns like Hawaii’s are important now because “there are several generations of Americans who have never had to take nuclear weapons seriously,” said Wellerstein, the professor. Explaining the best practices for surviving an attack can make a difference.
Experts predict that if North Korea did target Hawaii, it would try to hit Pearl Harbor, the headquarters of the Pacific Fleet. A map of potential nuclear targets in a 2013 North Korean propaganda photo included Honolulu.
The idea of Pearl Harbor as a target brings back memories for Sterling Cale, who was a 20-year-old Navy medical specialist stationed there when Japanese forces attacked on Dec. 7, 1941. Now 96, he volunteers at the Pearl Harbor historic site every week, wearing a colorful Hawaiian shirt and pointed Navy cap as he talks to visitors about his experience.
Some Hawaiians, however, fear that the nuclear threat will scare vacationers away from the state’s beaches.
Makani Christensen, a tour guide in Honolulu, thought regular sirens could hurt his business. State officials should “think about the big picture and not jump into this hysteria unless (a missile) is absolutely coming,” he said.
Several visitors did say they had second thoughts about visiting after hearing the Dec. 1 siren. Derrick and Nancy Chappell, 84 and 83, who are from Lincolnshire, England, had just disembarked from a relaxing five-day cruise to Honolulu when the wailing started.


After handing over close to 16,000 housing units since setting up PA Properties almost 23 years ago, company president and CEO Romarico Alvarez is convinced that if the country were to get rid of social and economic ills, there is one thing that will make a huge difference: building more houses.
And it’s not just any type of house.
“We must make sure that the houses built are both of the right quality and would meet the financial capacity of ‘first-time buyers’ as well as ‘last-time buyers,’” he explained.
For Alvarez, houses falling under socialized (priced no more than P400,000) and economic category (valued at around P1 million) have the right attributes that majority of Filipino families seek: one big reason why the bulk of the communities his company built serve these two categories.
He related that among the projects that best describe the efforts of PA Properties include St. Joseph Homes Calamba in Laguna; NuVista Lipa in Batangas; NuVista San Jose in Bulacan; and St. Joseph Ridgeview in Dasmariñas, Cavite, just to mention a few. All these projects have economic units whose prices don’t exceed P1.25 million.
The country’s largest association of private developers, the Subdivision and Housing Developers Association, agreed saying that more houses should be built under these two categories. The housing shortage is said to be more prominent in the socialized and economic housing segments, which comprise about two-thirds of the current 4-million-unit backlog.
“If we want to make an impact—solve this backlog—we must focus on these two categories. This is one effective way of making an impact to people’s lives and reward hard-working Filipinos,” said Alvarez, adding that the government has done some positive steps in the past years to entice developers.
Under Republic Act No. 10884 or the Balanced Housing Program Amendment Act that lapsed into law in July this year, housing developers are mandated to contribute to the production of socialized housing stock by providing 15 percent of their horizontal or vertical housing development projects to socialized housing.
Condominium developers are also now mandated to develop an area for socialized housing equivalent to at least 5 percent of the total condominium area or total project cost.
“The law not only encourages us to develop new communities but also prompts us to also put up medium-rise socialized condominiums in urban areas nationwide that may help in lessening daily suburban commute and traffic congestion, while enabling us developers to optimize land use, manpower productivity, and business efficiency,” Alvarez said.
In order to encourage more developers to construct more houses in the economic segment, the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) raised last year the ceiling for economic housing loans to P1.7 million, from the previous P1.25 million.
The move was meant to increase home ownership, convince families that there is another option than renting, and that families may now have a choice to successfully get out of the slums (depressed communities).
For Januario Jesus “JJ” Atencio, president and CEO of 8990 Holdings, his 14-year-old company went beyond building houses and communities that maximize value for money.
He explained that his company, regarded as the country’s leading mass housing developer, is among the very few if not the only developer in the Philippines that required buyers to undergo a half-day financial literacy seminar in order to provide their new home owners with the right information and guidance.
Atencio explained these families have a modest income but have the strong desire to become independent, more self-sufficient, and stronger as a family.
“They see that owning something, like a house, and putting some sweat into it, gave them the opportunity to control their future in the way that they want to,” he said.
This year, 8990 Holdings will be launching 14 more projects, thus bringing to the market additional 75,608 housing units worth P7.29 billion. These include the 14-hectare Deca Homes-Marilao in Bulacan (where studio-type units are priced at P1.2 million; two-bedroom units at P1.7 million; while townhouse units are priced from P1.4 to P1.5 million); and 45-storey Urban Deca Tower-Cubao near Cubao station of the MRT (where prices start at about P1.2 million to P1.5 million per unit).
Moreover, 8990 Holdings continues to beef up its current inventory of 553 hectares by purchasing 76.24 hectares more in Manila and Iloilo.
Even the country’s biggest developers realized the value of being active in the socialized housing segment.
In 2011, Ayala Land, more known for its luxury and premier residential communities, formalized its foray into socialized housing by announcing the creation of BellaVita Land Corp. (then known as South Maya Ventures Corp.), a new subsidiary that undertook its first project in General Trias in Cavite.
As Ayala Land’s fifth residential brand, the outfit embarked on developing the country’s first social enterprise community with units worth between P400,000 and P650,000 and whose monthly amortization can be as low as P2,500 through Pag-Ibig financing. The project targets minimum wage earners and members of the informal business sector.
The move was such a huge success that BellaVita now has presence in Porac and Cabanatuan in Pampanga; Tayabas in Quezon; Capas in Tarlac; San Pablo in Laguna; Lipa in Batangas; Pilillia in Rizal; and Alaminos in Pangasinan, to mention a few.
Also in 2011, Ayala Land ramped up the construction of economic housing units under its Amaia brand.
The first Amaia project was located on a 20-hectare property in Calamba, Laguna and had house-and-lot units sold for P600,000 to P1.25 million each. The target are families earning up to P50,000 a month.
Interestingly, a number of these projects will integrate Ayala Malls, specifically the PrimaVera Market Mall, where resident entrepreneurs can start and grow their own businesses.
Another property giant doing successfully in the affordable market segment is Megaworld Corp. (owned by tycoon Andrew Tan) and its wholly-owned subsidiary Suntrust Properties.
Since its inception in 1997, Suntrust Properties has created numerous self-sustaining residential communities in Dasmariñas, Gen. Trias, and Silang in Cavite. The company also has condominium development projects located all over Metro Manila.
According to Atty. Harrison Paltongan, president of Suntrust Properties, the low interest rates that spur home loans, rising incomes of the middle class, the high demand amid a backlog, and the growth of the outsourcing industry are encouraging more low- to middle-families and individuals to finally acquire their own homes.
Among the company’s popular projects include the Cyberville in Dasmariñas, Cavite (where prices start at P985,000); and Sta. Rosa Hills in Silang, Cavite (where prices start at P1 million).
Recognizing that affordable housing segment is the real sweet spot in the country’s property sector, even tycoon George Ty-led conglomerate GT Capital Holdings Inc. has struck a deal to buy into affordable housing developer Property Company of Friends Inc. (PCFI), the key operating unit of the Pro-Friends Group.
PCFI, best known for its low-cost horizontal and mixed-use townships in key areas near Metro Manila, believes that more developers should address the huge backlog in the low income segments or the so-called C, D, and E markets. While this market is growing robustly, it remained underserved.
Best examples of the company’s developments include the 15-hectare Cedar Residences in Carmona, Cavite (with typical selling prices ranging from P550,000 to P770,000; the 61-hectare Monticello Villas in Pavia, Iloilo (where prices range from P800,000 to P1.1 million); and the 1,400 hectare Lancaster New City in the boundaries of Imus, Kawit, and Gen Trias in Cavite (prices start at P870,000).
Perhaps the latest big player to expand into the socialized and affordable housing segment is Rockwell Land Corp., which bought last year, a 5.9-hectare property in Sto. Tomas, Batangas.
Rockwell Land, the real estate unit of the Lopez group, is best known for creating high-end communities that seamlessly blend residences, work spaces and lifestyle hubs.
The venture, now led by Rockwell Land’s wholly owned subsidiary Stonewell Development Corp., offers modern-designed row house and duplex units. It is near the famous Padre Pio Church within the Sto. Tomas town proper, close to several industrial parks, and more importantly, just 400 meters away from the Pan-Philippine Highway.
Late last year, the 44-year-old property developer Sta. Lucia Land Inc. (SLI) successfully raised P4 billion worth of unsecured fixed-rate peso bonds.
This major milestone in the group’s over four decades of history puts it in a better position to achieve a more aggressive yet sustainable growth over the years, according to David dela Cruz, SLI EVP and chief financial officer.
He said part of the proceeds was immediately used to secure strategic locations (land banking) and to actively seek new joint venture partners.
Dela Cruz noted that as the country’s population moves both from the old central business districts to more suburban locations and from larger suburban homes to “down-sized units,” there becomes a new demand for residential developments that incorporate retail, restaurant and entertainment venues.
He added that thanks to technological interventions, innovative building materials, fast construction methodologies, and quality products, developers like SLI are able to fulfill the need for affordable housing in the Philippines.
In a way, Dela Cruz said SLI is among the developers helping to prevent the proliferation of slum communities.
“Families now have the option to finally have a home that is within their financial capacity to pay and live in community that is more progressive, secure and well-provided with basic amenities (good roads, clean water and electricity),” he said.


One by one, 3 utility workers descended into a manhole. One by one, they died.
When a utility worker in Key Largo, Florida, noticed that a section of a paved street was not settling properly, he decided to remove a manhole cover and descend into the earth.
Moments later on Monday morning, the 15-foot-deep hole went silent. Sensing the man was trapped, a fellow utility worker climbed into the drainage hole to rescue him. When he, too, stopped responding, a third worker entered the same hole.
All three men died, overcome by poisonous fumes underground, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. A Key Largo firefighter who made a desperate attempt to save the men also became unconscious within seconds. The firefighter, Leonardo Moreno, an eight-year veteran of the department, was flown to a hospital and was in critical condition Tuesday.
The hole, just wide enough to fit a body, was filled with hydrogen sulfide and methane gas created from years of rotted vegetation, the Miami Herald reported. None of the four men wore masks or carried the air packs that could have likely saved their lives. Moreno descended into the hole without his air tank because he could not fit through the hole with it, according to Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay.
A colleague was able to wear his gear and pull Moreno out. Firefighters also retrieved two of the workers, who were confirmed dead at the scene, and treated a fourth utility worker at the scene. The third deceased worker’s body was recovered from the hole Monday afternoon.
The men worked for private construction contractor Douglas N. Higgins and were responding to neighbor complaints of sewage backup in the area, Ramsay said. They were identified as 34-year-old Elway Gray of Fort Lauderdale, 49-year-old Louis O’Keefe of Little Torch Key and 24-year-old Robert Wilson of Summerland Key.
Monday’s tragedy left the Key Largo community shaken, locals said in messages on social media. “It’s been a very difficult day,” Ramsay said.
One towing company posted a message on Facebook reaching out to the families of the men who were killed.
Three white crosses were left at the 106-mile marker on Long Key Road where the deaths occurred.
A woman who lives near the manhole told Local 10 News that the area has smelled of rotten eggs for the past couple of months.
“It smells like rotten eggs,” Barbara Guerra said. “It was out here again this morning and I’m used to it because they’ve been a whole year already.” She said she knew the workers from walking by the area every morning, and would often wave at them and bring them water.
Three sheriff’s deputies who were exposed to fumes were also taken to a hospital for treatment. Five households in the area were evacuated for part of the day Monday, as a Miami-Dade County hazmat team performed tests at the scene. Their tests revealed there was both methane gas and hydrogen sulfide gas coupled with low levels of oxygen in the pipe, the sheriff’s office said in the statement.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is responding to the scene as part of its own investigation into the circumstances of the workers’ deaths.


WASHINGTON, Jul 19 2013 (IPS) - Proponents of a proposed higher “living wage” requirement for workers at large retailers here in Washington are stepping up their campaign, urging the city’s mayor to sign pending legislation into law.
Dozens of other U.S. cities have enacted similar laws, which increase minimum wages at those businesses covered by the legislation by around 50 percent. Yet the legal battle here has garnered national attention because it appears to be aimed at one company in particular – Walmart.
“We will give the mayor our support if he has the backbone to sign the bill,” Reverend Graylan Hagler, president of Faith Strategies, a religious group here that has led demonstrations in support of the living wage bill this week, told IPS.
Walmart, which has been criticised for years for paying its employees and suppliers notably low rates, had previously announced plans to build six stores in the Washington area, its first stores in the city. But it also warned that it would halt those plans on at least three stores (three others are under construction) if the living wage legislation were passed.
“This is a difficult decision for us – and unfortunate now for most D.C. residents – but the council has forced our hand,” Walmart spokesperson Steve Restivo said in a statement.
Last week, the Washington city council passed the so-called Large Retailer Accountability Act, and sent it on to Mayor Vincent Gray. The bill requires all indoor stores of 75,000 square feet or larger, and with a parent company that has a gross revenue of at least one billion dollars, to pay their employees a minimum of 12.50 dollars an hour, minus benefits.
After the vote, Walmart made its threat to pull out of the area.
“With the passage of the Large Retailer Accountability Act, any future plans for retail expansion in the city must be revisited,” stated a letter from the company.
Since the vote, several other large retail stores that may be affected by the law – including Autozone, Lowe’s, Home Depot, Macy’s, Target and Walgreens – joined Walmart in opposition to the act.
In 2012, Walmart was sued by three female workers in Tennessee on behalf of female employees in four other southern states, claiming that the company pays women less than men and blocks promotions for female workers. The case was eventually thrown out by the Supreme Court.
The wage fight in Washington is part of a longstanding, and still building, push-and-pull in the United States.
The city of Chicago approved a similar bill seven years ago, and the city alderman who sponsored the bill, Joe Moore, said Walmart made the same kinds of threats – refusing to open stores while the legislation was even being considered. Then-mayor Richard Daley ultimately vetoed the legislation and Walmart subsequently opened several stores in the city.
New York State, too, raised its minimum wage in March, but only after the state allowed tax subsidies to stores that hire seasonal employees, including Walmart.
Here in Washington, the fight now is to try to ascertain what the residents – and voters – of the city may want.
Yet according to a poll carried out by Walmart, some 73 percent of DC residents in areas supposedly getting a store said they were in favour of Walmart.
For his part, Mayor Gray has previously promised his home ward hundreds of new jobs, with a new Walmart store in that area offering an obvious anchor for this pledge. According to many analysts, including Hagler, the mayor is now hesitant to take those jobs away.
According to some analysts, the impacts of a living wage are less dramatic for either side of this equation than is currently being admitted.
A study done by the Labor Center at the University of California at Berkley, for instance, found that if Walmart raised its minimum wage to 12 dollars an hour, and wanted to retain its profit margin, retail prices would only rise by around 1.1 percent.
“The notion that this (living wage law) is going to undermine Walmart’s business is so dramatically absurd,” David Cooper, an economic analyst for the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal Washington think tank, told IPS.
Walmart has a history of driving out small regional competitors and undercutting their prices, while paying their workers so little that they can barely survive without public assistance, according to Cooper.


Since last week, there have been rumors—first reported by tech blog Engadget—that Huawei, the world's largest telecom equipment maker, would be open to supply 5G modems to Apple for next year's iPhone 5G.
On Saturday, in an exclusive interview with CNBC, Huawei CEO and founder Zhengfei Ren confirmed that the Shenzhen, China-based company is open to selling 5G modems to Apple if the Silicon Valley company makes such a request, marking a strategic shift in the telecom giant's chip strategy.
So far, Huawei has mostly restricted its homegrown chips for its own products including carrier and enterprise-level equipment, smartphones, consumer connected accessories (wireless earbuds, smart eyewear), and smart home devices (WiFi router, smart speaker).
However, the Chinese technology company does supply for specific applications some of its chips to third parties, which a Huawei spokesperson confirmed to me. "But it's not mainstream," he added. "And in the particular case of supplying 5G modems, we will only do this for Apple and not on a mainstream basis."
In addition, at Huawei's annual analyst summit that the Chinese tech company is hosting this week in Shenzhen, Huawei's "rotating" chairman Ken Hu clarified that the competing tech firms have not yet officially discussed the matter. "We don't have any discussion with Apple on this issue," said Hu.
Huawei's CEO comments on potentially partnering with Apple has taken the industry—and people inside of Huawei itself—by surprise.
First, given the U.S. government hostility towards Huawei over security risks, the odds of Apple adopting the Chinese company's 5G modem is close to none.
But, most importantly, an Apple-Huawei partnership over 5G chips would mark a strategic shift for the Chinese company as it will have to provide development and integration support to Apple while significantly scale up its production capacity to accommodate the volume needed by the Cupertino, California-based company.
Actually, we believe that even Samsung will be production constrained to supply—if they chose to do so—their homegrown 5G modem to Apple in addition to their own products.
But for the Huawei CEO, the main reason for such a move is not about the bottom line and winning Apple's business but to make sure that the adoption of 5G is not being slowed down by the lack of a 5G-capable iPhone next year.
Obviously, this is not a concern anymore. Apple and Qualcomm agreed yesterday to end all ongoing litigation, including with Apple’s contract manufacturers, and reached a six-year global patent license agreement and a multiyear chipset supply deal.
With this deal, Qualcomm will supply Apple the upcoming Snapdragon X55 5G modem in time for the release next year of the 5G iPhone while Apple will continue to develop internally its own 5G chipset which we expect could be ready in 5 years—just before the end of its licensing agreement with Qualcomm.
Finally, Intel's decision yesterday to exit the 5G smartphone modem business could actually boost Apple's 5G development as it will look to acquire or license the chipmaker's modem technology and intellectual property (IP).
With Intel out of the 5G smartphone business, Huawei, Qualcomm, and Samsung are the only major supplier of 5G modems left in the game.
At Mobile World Congress last month, MediaTek showcased its Helio M70 5G modem and plans to announce its availability in the first half of 2019 with an integrated chipset (SoC) coming later at the end of the year.


Guess it IS about time we updated our black, white and beige workweek wardrobe.
Guess what? Tonight you can actually party hop on Wisconsin -- without hitting those college frat-boy hotspots. Instead, stop by chic boutiques for a special celebration and then a grand opening.
Washingtonian readers selected Urban Chic as the store with the "Best Trendy Clothes," according to this month's issue. So to celebrate this top shop honor, Urban Chic (1626 Wisconsin Ave. N.W.) is throwing a party tonight from 5-8 p.m. Head out to enjoy free champagne and 10 percent off all new merch. All attendees will also receive an exclusive code for $10-off tickets to Washingtonian's Best of Washington Party next Wednesday, July 15.
Meanwhile, a new sunglass boutique, Ilori (5330 Wisconsin Ave. N.W.), will celebrate its first D.C. outpost with a grand opening celebration at 7 p.m. The shop features designer brands like Dior, Chanel and Prada, as well as more moderately priced Ray-Bans. And until July 19, bring in any gently used pair of eyeglasses or sunglasses to be donated to OneSight to receive $50 off your purchase.
Go! Party! Shop! Spend! Drink! And recession be damned.


Meek Mill has confessed he wants Nicki Minaj to have his baby “sooner or later” but the ‘Starships’ hitmaker insists she won’t get pregnant before she’s married.
The 28-year-old rapper dismissed speculation the 32-year-old singer is carrying his baby but admits he wants to have children “sooner or later” with the ‘Starships’ hitmaker.
When Nicki heard from fans what Meek had said in his interview, however, she quickly took to Twitter to insist she isn’t going to have a child before she’s married, and also revealed the ‘Amen’ hitmaker had omitted that part of the story when he told her how the interview went.
The ‘Anaconda’ rapper – whose real name is Onika Tanya Maraj – shared: “He always hit me after the interview n give me the run down. He ain’t mention that part tho.
“No matter wut he, or anyone else says, Onika Tanya Maraj won’t b pushing anyone1 out her vajayjay, until she’s married. Now check that (sic)”.
Considering she and Meek are engaged to be married, it may not be long before she has children.
The hip-hop couple got engaged after just two months of dating, and Nicki was flooded by messages of congratulations after she showed off her large heart-shaped white and yellow diamond engagement ring on Instagram in April.


Michele Bachmann may have crashed and burned in her bid to win the GOP nomination last year, but the Minnesota congresswoman isn’t quite ready to leave the national spotlight.
Though she is still battling allegations of election finance fraud and allegations that her campaign tried to bribe a GOP official in Iowa, Bachmann is trying to keep her status as the leader of the GOP charge against Barack Obama.
This week Michele Bachmann sponsored a bill that would repeal ObamaCare. She also provided a forum for tea party groups to air grievances against the Internal Revenue Service, which was found to have added undue scrutiny to these conservative organizations.
The scandal that erupted after the IRS allegations came to light is right in the political sweet spot for Bachmann, a tea party darling and leader of the House Tea Party Caucus.
Despite near-constant scorn from the left, Bachmann has handled the opposition deftly and been able to maintain her important part in the GOP.
Democrats are also happy that Michele Bachmann is remaining on the national stage. Jim Manley, a Democratic strategist, said her views are “so far out of the mainstream” that it can only help Democrats by comparison.
The ongoing investigation into Bachmann’s campaign also casts a pall over a potential comeback. And in addition, congressional ethics investigators are also examining whether Michele Bachmann campaign staffers played an improper role in her 2011 book tour promoting her memoir, Core of Conviction.


The word usually conjures up an image of an animal tearing apart another animal of the same species.
But it's a word that can be used in other ways, and in an analysis issued almost exactly a year ago, it was how the credit rating agency Moody's Investors Services described the impact the opening of two upstate casinos -- Rivers Casino & Resort, in Schenectady, and Del Lago Resort Casino, near Seneca Falls -- was having on gambling revenues.
"Del Lago and Rivers have taken a big chunk of gaming revenue from their closest competitors," the report observed. "This trend, where newcomers are stealing share from incumbents, is consistent with what has been occurring throughout the U.S. gaming markets, particularly in the Northeastern portion of the U.S."
One year later, the cannibalization of gambling revenues appears to be continuing apace.
On Tuesday Monticello Raceway, in Sullivan County, announced that it would shutter its gambling parlor and consolidate operations with nearby Resorts World Catskills.
Resorts World has struggled since opening a year ago, but so has the Monticello casino, which saw betting plunge 50 percent between April 2017 and April 2018.
It's a familiar story -- one that the Moody's analysis both described and foretold.
The state has seen an increase in gaming revenues, but there's no denying that the expansion of the upstate casino market has had both winners and losers.
Here in the Capital Region, Rivers has emerged as one of the expansion's clear winners, despite revenues that are about 72 percent what was initially projected.
That's because the casino's overall performance has improved, with gross gaming revenue increasing from an average of $11.66 million in gross gaming revenue per month in 2017 to $12.86 million in gross gaming revenue per month in 2018.
Unfortunately, you don't have to travel too far from Schenectady to find one of the casino expansion's losers: Saratoga Casino Hotel, which saw its average gross revenue fall from $13.63 million per month in 2015-2016 to $10.69 million per month for the first nine months of 2018-2019, a decrease of 21 percent.
Another loser is del Lago, which saw Moody's downgrade its credit rating for the second straight year.
The casino's financial outlook is bleak, with Moody's warning that del Lago's gross gaming revenue "will not generate enough (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) to cover the company's interest and scheduled principal repayments during the next 12 to 18 months."
The governor has always portrayed the upstate casinos as a way to revitalize the economy, even as the evidence continues to mount that building four new gaming facilities was a mistake, with negative and unintended consequences.
Three, as the state gaming board initially recommended before approving a fourth facility in response to protests, would have been better, and there's a good argument to be made that two, one or even zero would have been better than that.
All that being said, the casinos have been built and they're not going anywhere.
The most we can do is hope for the state to make more sensible decisions about gaming in the future.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo should continue to oppose bailing out casinos, as he did last year, and while sports gambling is likely to be approved during the coming legislative session at the four upstate casinos, we should temper our expectations.
Sports betting will generate more revenue for these casinos, but I doubt it will be enough to salvage a seemingly doomed operation like del Lago.
Fortunately for Schenectady, Rivers Casino seems to have figured out a winning formula.
It might never fulfill the rosy revenue projections from its bid, but it should be around for the foreseeable future -- something I'm not sure the other upstate casinos and gaming facilities can claim.


The Minister for Disabilities resigned over Brexit and a new one won’t be appointed until after its dealt with. So who in the UK Government will fix the writes Christine Jardine.
There was a moment this week that made me worry for what we cherish as our caring society.
I have never been in any doubt that we, as a community, are driven to ensure that everyone, wherever they come from, or whatever obstacles are placed in their way, is entitled to the same and the best opportunities in life.
It is not a party political commitment, but one that I believe is ingrained in our society.
So this week I was disappointed and frustrated that suddenly a gaping hole has appeared in our ability to fulfil that commitment. Even more frustrating is the fact that it could be quickly and easily filled – except for one astonishing statement.
It wasn’t when a National Audit Office (NAO) report said the UK Government had failed to develop detailed proposals for their goal of getting one million more disabled people into work. Nor was it when the latest figures showed that demand on food banks in Scotland had doubled in 18 months. Although both of those are serious causes for concern.
No, it was when the Government announced that it had decided not to appoint a new Minister for Disabilities until after Brexit has been dealt with. And who knows when that might be?
In the two weeks since the most recent minister resigned, ironically over Brexit, there has been nobody in Government dedicated to one of its most important responsibilities: ensuring that the rights, opportunities and welfare of those with disabilities are protected.
It is surely vital to each of us that all of us are equally protected. But this inertia also comes at a time when there is growing concern over the failures in the system of assessments for Personal Independent Payments (PIP) and Employment Support Allowances (ESA).
And the Government is, as the NAO stated, failing to achieve its own goals for supporting disabled people. So surely it has rarely been more important to have that minister in place whose only aim is to address those issues and resolve them?
Every week, indeed every day, I have people come to me who have been let down by the current system of PIP assessments.
Often they have received results that are confusingly inaccurate or simply inconceivably unaware of the true implications of their condition or disability.
One of those cases, Alexandra Mitchell from Cramond, has already highlighted the shortcomings. Born with a disability and entitled to a Motability car for years, she was mysteriously told she no longer qualified for the support, with no adequate reasoning behind the decision. Although we managed to have the decision overturned on appeal that, in itself, is not good enough. Nor is it an isolated, or even unusual, incident.
Between 2015 and 2016 (the latest figures available), the Government spent £103 million on holding appeal hearings over PIP and ESA assessment decisions.
And that does not include the cost to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) of defending them.
What is worse is that two thirds of those cases were overturned in favour of those who were appealing – individuals who had been put through often months of stress, expense and fear that they might lose vital benefits.
It already costs people with disabilities an estimated £583 a month more on average for basic living expenses than other members of society. One in five can face extra costs of more than £1,000 a month, depending on the condition they are dealing with. And families with a child with a disability can face extra living costs of £581 a month.
To decide that appointing a replacement minister to look after the interests of everyone affected can wait is astounding.
How can the Government justify this dereliction of duty? Why do they think it is acceptable? How are they going to rectify it?
Unfortunately those are questions for which, when he was pressed in the House of Commons this week, the junior minister in the Department for Work and Pensions had no answer.
Nor did the department have an answer when, three weeks ago, I again raised the case of Alexandra Mitchell who has now been told that there is an ‘end date’ of her lifelong disability. Wow, who knew the department had such powers? That they could end disability at the stroke of a pen. They can’t.
And to get to the bottom of why the department thought it could, I was due to have a meeting with the Minister for Disabilities in the very week she decided that she could no longer stomach her own Government’s approach to Brexit. Since then, there has been nobody in Government tasked with addressing those issues, of which there are so many, that myself and other MPs have been keen to raise. Fortunately I had also arranged a meeting with Amber Rudd, the current Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, to ask if she would consider changes to a Universal Credit system that has proven not fit for purpose.
Again Brexit, as ever, intervened and foreshortened our meeting, but not before I had grasped the opportunity to confront the Secretary of State with the problem.
To be fair, she asked me to send details of Alexandra’s case directly to her and I have.
But it shouldn’t have to be this way.The recognition that special and informed attention needs to be paid to protecting the interests of and promoting the needs of those with disabilities or life-changing conditions is one that we cannot lose sight of. It should not matter what issues the body politic has to deal with, or how serious they might be, there is no excuse for turning its back on, or shirking, any responsibility.
I do not know when Brexit will be “dealt with”. But I do know that people should not be asked to wait until then, whenever it might be, for their Government to pay attention to their needs.


Who needs next-gen consoles? The Metal Gear Solid series is hitting PC once again with entry #5—both Ground Zeroes and Phantom Pain will come to Steam, publisher Konami accidentally leaked today just before a big MGS livestream.
Looks like someone on Konami's web team jumped the gun.
This is the first time in a very long while that we've ever seen a MGS game launch on computers, though Konami also released Metal Gear Rising on PC earlier this year. The PC also got ports of the first two MGS games.
Still no word on release date for The Phantom Pain.
UPDATE: MGS director Hideo Kojima officially announced the PC versions during the Gamescom livestream today. Steam pages are up now, too.


The rupee gained by 56 paise at 73.56 on dollar sales, capital inflows and the sharp fall in crude oil prices. Brent crude, which registered a four-year high of $86.74 a barrel last week, has now corrected sharply to a level just above $80.
After the severe hammering on Thursday, equity benchmarks on Friday reversed almost all of those losses sending the Sensex vaulting by 732 points higher and the Nifty Index above the 10,450 mark. The rupee also staged a smart comeback and closed higher at 73.56 against the dollar.
Aided by gains in shares of auto, energy and metal stocks, the Sensex rose by 2.15 per cent at 34,733.58, while the Nifty closed higher by 237.80 points or 2.32 per cent at 10472.50. On Friday, the Sensex had plunged by 760 points in the wake of a global sell-off in stocks.
According to analysts, the smart rally in stocks and the subdued crude oil prices boosted the forex market sentiment. The rupee gained by 56 paise at 73.56 on dollar sales, capital inflows and the sharp fall in crude oil prices. Brent crude, which registered a four-year high of $86.74 a barrel last week, has now corrected sharply to a level just above $80.
According to Jani, short-term volatility may persist in the market, but the long-term prospects for Indian markets continue to look great. Indian markets took a beating in the past one month on various negative new flows ranging from FPI selling, IL&FS crisis, falling rupee, rising oil prices and US China trade tensions, leading to nervousness among investors.
US stocks surged Friday, joining a global rally in equities after two days of market tumult as trade tensions between the US and China seemed to ease, at least temporarily, with the countries planning to meet in November and the Treasury Department saying that China isn’t manipulating its currency. Treasuries slipped, the dollar was steady and crude climbed above $71 a barrel.
All major US benchmarks were up at least 1.5 per cent. The S&P 500 which is looking to snap a six-day losing streak totaling 6.8 per cent, climbed the most since April. Tech drove the strength as the Nasdaq 100 Index jumped more than 2 per cent. Strong trade data from China also buoyed markets, with the MSCI Asia Pacific Index rising from the lowest level since May 2017.


Which city in the UK has seen the greatest property price growth over the past decade? It isn’t the hotspots of the south, such as London or Oxford. The answer, surprisingly, is Aberdeen, where house prices have more than doubled over the past decade, according to various studies, including a report published late last year by the Nationwide Building Society.
Why? In a word: energy. Oil and gas– as well as a growing focus on renewables and the kind of logistical support and research investment that has transformed the so-called Granite City into one of the world’s leading centres of energy expertise – has propped up the Aberdeen economy in recent years, helping it to weather the recession well. Average house prices are now over 5 per cent higher than just a year ago, according to Rettie & Co, a Scottish estate agent – and 120 per cent higher than 10 years ago, which is, albeit from a low base, the biggest regional percentage rise in the UK.
Some London boroughs have seen similar price rises, such as Westminster in the heart of the capital and the western pocket of Hammersmith and Fulham, but Aberdeen is the only city to have seen nominal growth above 100 per cent over the past decade. In London, as a whole, the increase has been 82 per cent, by comparison.
Since the mid-1970s, Aberdeen has transformed from fishing port to offshore prospecting base and now, as it tries to mitigate against dwindling offshore resources, into a centre of engineering and renewables expertise. It has 1,000 businesses operating within the energy sector. About 38bn barrels of oil equivalent have so far been produced from the UK continental shelf, with the potential for a further 15bn to 25bn still to be extracted. And, bar a steep fall in Brent crude prices in 2008, oil prices have broadly risen over the past decade, currently averaging almost $120 a barrel – almost four times the price 10 years ago.
“Prices in Aberdeenshire were very much in line with Scotland up until 2006/2007,” says Faisal Choudry, director of research at estate agent Savills Scotland. “But the recession widened the gap between them and the rest of the UK. At the same time that other locations were falling into recession in 2008/2009, Aberdeen began to pull ahead because its housing market was intrinsically linked with a thriving industry.
The average house price is now £220,000 – the same as in Edinburgh, a market more traditionally associated with well-heeled buyers. An influx of workers to Aberdeen (unemployment is less than half the national average) has also meant a thriving rental market. Low supply has fuelled this boom, with an average of just 523 new housing completions each year since 2006.
It is the upper end of the market where sales have grown the most. Between 2004 and 2008 there were just 46 sales of £1m-plus in the Aberdeen area, according to Savills, but between 2009 and 2013 there were 91 – a rise of 98 per cent. Across Scotland the sales of properties priced £1m-plus fell 25 per cent over the same period.
The area where house prices have grown most quickly has been the coveted AB15 postcode, home to oil tycoons such as Douglas Craig, chairman of the family-run shipping and energy services company, the Craig Group. AB15 includes property hotspots such as Cults, on the banks of the river Dee, and Bieldside, two suburbs with the feel of a country village, where a mixture of new-build timber houses and older stock forged from Victorian granite appeal to more affluent families. A five- or six-bedroom home with 2,500 sq ft of living space and a large garden will cost about £850,000.
New wealth has since attracted other infrastructure projects. In 2012 US tycoon Donald Trump opened a luxury resort in Aberdeenshire, the Trump International Golf Links, which also has a five-star hotel and plans for total development worth at least £750m. Some of this development, including another golf course and larger hotel, has been delayed while a dispute over a nearby wind farm is resolved. However representatives for Trump say that he has every intention of going ahead with the full plans.
The further that buyers are prepared to venture out of the city into “the Shire”, as the surrounding countryside is known, the grander the homes available. Rettie is selling Breda House, a refurbished baronial mansion with seven bedrooms, 128 acres of arable land and salmon fishing rights on the river Don for £2.25m.
However, such areas are also popular with developers catering to mid-level workers looking for family homes below £300,000. Two examples are Inverurie, a market town 25 minutes by train from Aberdeen, and Alford, a village within half an hour’s drive of the city. Both attract city commuters and offshore workers and act as a beacon for property developers and retailers. In Alford a detached four-bedroom home will cost £260,000.
Despite uncertainty about the possible impact of Scottish independence, confidence remains high about future growth, especially at the upper end of the housing market. Savills forecasts that prime property prices (those above £400,000) in Aberdeen will rise 29.4 per cent over the next five years, which puts it ahead of even prime central London (forecast to rise 23.1 per cent over the same period). Even mainstream prices in Aberdeen are expected to rise 35.1 per cent over the next five years, compared with 19.3 per cent across Scotland as a whole.


Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and George Venizelos, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today that a federal grand jury returned a two-count Indictment against CHENG LE for attempting to acquire and distribute ricin and committing postal fraud. LE was arrested in Manhattan on December 23, 2014, by the FBI. He was presented before the U.S. Magistrate Judge James C. Francis IV on December 24, 2014, and has been detained since his arrest. He is expected to be arraigned on Friday, January 23, 2015, before the United States District Judge Alison J. Nathan.
Ricin is a highly potent and potentially fatal toxin with no known antidote. The “Dark Web” is a colloquial name for a number of extensive, sophisticated, and widely used online criminal marketplaces, which allow participants to buy and sell illegal items, including ricin.
In early December 2014, an individual (the “Ricin Buyer”) contacted an FBI online covert employee (the “OCE”) on a particular Dark Web marketplace using an encrypted messaging service. In December of 2014, the Ricin Buyer exchanged a series of messages with the OCE, during which the Ricin Buyer explored the possibility of the OCE supplying the Ricin Buyer with ricin, for the Ricin Buyer to resell to at least one secondary buyer.
On December 18, 2014, the Ricin Buyer directed the OCE to send a quantity of ricin to a particular postal box in Manhattan (the “Postal Box”). The FBI later determined that the Postal Box belonged to CHENG LE. Later that same day, FBI agents observed LE wear latex gloves while retrieving a package from the Postal Box (the “Package”) and mailing it at a nearby post office (the “Post Office”). Law enforcement officers examined the Package, confirmed that it did not contain any hazardous materials, and determined that LE had listed a fake name as the Package’s return address. A postal employee (the “Postal Employee”) told the FBI that the Postal Employee had seen LE at the Post Office on multiple prior occasions and that LE had worn blue latex gloves on at least some of those occasions.
On December 22, 2014, the FBI prepared a mock shipment of ricin (the “Sham Shipment”) that was consistent with the Ricin Buyer’s request to the OCE. The Sham Shipment included both a fake “ricin” tablet concealed in a pill bottle (the “Pill Bottle”), and a quantity of loose fake “ricin” powder. The next day, the Sham Shipment was delivered to the Postal Box. LE, wearing latex gloves, retrieved the Sham Shipment, opened it, and took the contents to his apartment. When FBI agents entered LE’s apartment to arrest LE and to search the apartment, pursuant to a search warrant, they saw the Pill Bottle open in his apartment.
The Indictment charges LE, 21, of New York, New York with one count of attempting to possess a biological toxin for use as a weapon, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, and one count of using a fictitious name in furtherance of unlawful business involving the mail, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.
Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding investigative efforts of the FBI, the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), and the United States Postal Inspection Service (“USPIS”). LE’s arrest is the result of the close cooperative efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force—which consists of law enforcement officers of the FBI, NYPD, USPIS, and other agencies—and the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ilan Graff and Andrew D. Beaty are in charge of the prosecution.
The charges contained in the Complaint and the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.


Oct. 19, 2016, 8:34 p.m.
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump respond to a question about a "grand bargain" on entitlements.
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump both sidestepped a question in Wednesday’s debate about how to stabilize Social Security to avert benefit cuts as funding dwindles in the decades ahead.
Both have vowed to oppose benefit cuts. But as moderator Chris Wallace pointed out, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a nonpartisan fiscal monitor, has concluded that neither candidate has a viable plan to shore up Social Security.
Wallace asked whether either of them would accept a “grand bargain” of tax hikes and benefit cuts to sustain Social Security and Medicare.
Oct. 20, 2016, 1:11 a.m.
The headline of Wednesday night’s debate was when Donald Trump refused to say he would accept the election’s outcome. Critics of the GOP nominee, including members of his own party, said it was further evidence Trump was upending a bedrock of American democracy: the peaceful transfer of power.
But Trump’s supporters hit back, pointing to the recount in the 2000 contest between George W. Bush and Al Gore.
Trump’s words are markedly different from what took place 16 years ago.
Oct. 19, 2016, 11:55 p.m.
When questioning the integrity of the election and suggesting he might not accept the result come Nov. 9, Donald Trump claimed widespread voter fraud.
A close look at the transcript finds the Republican nominee specifically putting that figure on Pew.
"If you look at your voter rolls, you will see millions of people that are registered to vote -- millions, this isn't coming from me -- this is coming from Pew report and other places -- millions of people that are registered to vote that shouldn't be registered to vote," he said.
Oct. 19, 2016, 11:15 p.m.
Hillary Clinton, looking confident after her performance in the final presidential debate, seized early Thursday on Donald Trump’s suggestions that he may not accept the outcome of the election.
Trump demurred when asked during Wednesday's debate whether he would accept the results of the vote.
Oct. 19, 2016, 10:56 p.m.
He made the case for change and talked about trade and the economy. He forced Clinton to squirm a bit as she tried to defend perceived conflicts of interest involving the Clinton Foundation.
But Trump also ensured that one of the most talked-about moments would be his refusal to agree to abide the election results, an issue that could keep many voters from moving to his corner.
Oct. 19, 2016, 10:48 p.m.
After spending the last few weeks claiming without evidence that the November election will be "rigged" in favor of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump was asked directly by Fox News anchor and debate moderator Chris Wallace if he would concede should he lose to Clinton.
"I will look at it at the time," Trump said. When pressed moments later, Trump added simply: "What I'm saying is that I will tell you at the time. I will keep you in suspense."
Kellyanne Conway, his campaign manager, at first responded to questions about the comment by saying he "would accept the results because he'll win the election."
Oct. 19, 2016, 9:42 p.m.
After the debate, Hillary Clinton made a beeline for a campaign event in North Las Vegas, her motorcade taking her past the Las Vegas Strip to a park where more than 5,000 supporters had been watching her spar with Donald Trump on a massive screen in an open-air amphitheater.
“We are a better country than Donald Trump is,” Clinton said after taking the stage with her husband.
Clinton was introduced in Spanish by Mexican singer Vicente Fernandez, and she urged the largely Latino crowd to help her defeat Trump.
Oct. 19, 2016, 8:54 p.m.
Challenged about ethical questions at the Clinton Foundation, Hillary Clinton cited work in Haiti and around the world.
Hillary Clinton defended the work of the Clinton Foundation during Wednesday’s debate, brushing aside questions about conflicts and criticisms from Donald Trump.
The sprawling foundation, which works on challenges in the developing world and in the U.S., has drawn criticism for accepting gifts from foreign countries and businesses with international interests while Clinton served as secretary of State.
“Everything I did as secretary of State was in furtherance of our country’s interests and values,” Clinton said, saying there is “no evidence” of special handling for donors, but “a lot of evidence of the good work” done by the organization.
Oct. 19, 2016, 7:54 p.m.
Final debate scorecard: Hillary Clinton won. Again.
Oct. 19, 2016, 7:50 p.m.
Yes. Donald Trump is right on this one.
The Obama administration allowed $1.7 billion in cash to go to Iran earlier this year. The money, however, was a settlement of a decades-old legal claim between the two countries. An initial payment of $400 million was handed over on Jan. 17, the same day Iran’s government agreed to release four American prisoners.
Obama administration officials had initially denied the two transactions were linked. But later, officials acknowledged the U.S. had withheld the cash to pressure Iran to move forward with the releases and guarantee the Americans were allowed to leave Iran.


Follow your heart to Manawatu's finest homes.
Enjoy a fantastic day in the Manawatu and discover the region’s most stylish homes with undeniable heart and soul. This exclusive self-drive event will take you on a tour of town and lifestyle properties at their very best.
Wander through secret gardens, take in the charming architecture and browse a selection of quality stalls for gifts with the option of a gourmet lunch in an idyllic rural location.


Earlier this summer, TJ Miller shocked the HBO-watching, comedy-loving world by announcing his departure from Silicon Valley, the show on which he made his name as tech-industry blowhard Erlich Bachman. And while many of the trickled-out bits of news since then would imply that ballooning egos were at play, he’s also said that the exit was “super friendly.” In the midst of all of this, he debuted an HBO comedy special in which he showed audiences the full range of his talents, coming across as a comedian at home with both traditional, storytelling stand-up and a much more unhinged, performance-art style.
The Hong Kong pork bun, and the fried pork buns are incredibly delicious and very soft... if they are warm when they come to the table push them against your eyes and your face... You’ll thank me later!, or it’ll feel weird and you won’t thank me when you see me later on.
There was some sort of truffle business going on with oyster sauce in some dumplings or another but by that time I was so dumpling’d out, I forgot which goddamn dumpling I was eating! All I know is there was some fried egg around it and I wasn’t callin’ the cops about it! Because it was delicious- no crime committed!
This was exactly the Canadian nail experience that I was looking for. I woke up absolutely nerve-racked, devastatingly fearful that I may not be able to get a French manicure as fresh as the the very hands that would wear it. Thank the Canadian gods and furious politicians above that they have allowed this nail salon to stand as a monument to all Canadian hands across this great health care for free nation.
There is A “no pole” policy as well as a policy where the women are not allowed to let anything touch the stage except their shoes. No floor work. That’s why during the day the girls were especially enthusiastic about talking to a strange looking writer person who’s trying to be Charles Bukowsky scribbling furiously in a black moleskin notebook about the nicer yet seedier side of Atlanta.
Look, many writers have gone through a Bukowski phase at some point, they just generally don’t do it via Yelp reviews and after leaving a successful HBO comedy series. But hey, if his review scores are anything to go by, he is at least very, very happy.


Cyber Monday broke all sales records this year, generating $7.9 billion. And the holiday shopping season is far from over.
But it’s no time for brands using email marketing to be complacent. SendGrid, which handled 2.9 billion emails on Cyber Monday, has some takeaways from this November activity about what to do next.
Take subject lines. Those featuring terms such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday performed significantly worse than other lines.
“One of most prevalent things is not saying the obvious,” says Len Shneyder, VP of industry relations at SendGrid.
Brands must be following this advice because only 13% of emails featured holiday references -- down from 18% in 2017.
The best practice is to highlight specific interests of the recipients.
Then there’s discounting. Use of discounts in subject lines fell to 6% this year compared with 15% in 2017, mostly because of a drop in engagement.
Some engagement falloff may be due to high frequency. Firms that increased from one to two emails in a week pulled 25% more engagement, but those that rose from two to three had only a 9% increase.
“The idea that sending infinitely more email will deliver infinitely more value is wrong,” Shneyder comments.
In particular, don’t hammer segments that have not interacted in a long time. Getting over-enthusiastic with these folks “damages your ability to send email to recipients more likely to buy and by extension improves engagement,” he adds.
Overall, volume is a matter of “balancing the nuances of email deliverability with the frequency and cadence of marketing campaigns,” Shneyder notes.
The study also found that of those who click on a link during Black Friday or Cyber Monday, 26% will click more than once on links in the same email. And open rates on Black Friday occurred much more quickly than usual, decreasing from the normal Friday delay time of 4.5 hours by 42 minutes.
First, ”Don’t use emojis as if they’re a hieroglyphic that everybody understands,” Shneyder counsels.
Next, watch those exclamation points. Their use in subject lines fell by 12%, although it rose slightly during the year. Why? Probably lower engagement rates.
The best course is to test these devices, Shneyder advises.
What happens after holidays? It’s "an opportunity for a retailer to use the massive amount of data generated from the holidays to determine which offers and products could and should continue to be marketed into the new year, and the segments most likely to respond to the continued holiday effort." Shneyder concludes.


We are looking to recruit a motivated and dedicated Project Worker to join our team based within our accommodation services in Thurrock. Your role will involve supporting both young people (aged 16-21) and adults to develop independent living skills and skills to support resettlement back in to the community after a period of homelessness. You will also be responsible for hosting a range of activities within the hostel that benefits the clients.
To succeed in this highly rewarding role you will have an excellent understanding of the issues faced by homeless or vulnerably housed people – you may have had personal experience of homelessness yourself. You will have experience of helping vulnerable people to identify personal goals and supporting them through a process of change. You will also have a sound understanding of the support needs of people with low incomes, including rent payments/arrears and professional boundary issues. Above all we are looking for inspirational, committed individuals who have a genuine desire to support people to transform their lives.
Flexibility is required as you will be expected to work shifts as part of a 24/7 rota, which will include some evenings and weekends. The role will also require overnight sleep ins as part of the rota (approx. once a week).
We offer a range of benefits including highly competitive pay, a pension scheme, staff discount schemes and flexible working to help you maintain a healthy work/life balance. Your career development is of paramount importance to us and we will provide you with a wide range of learning and development opportunities to support your growth. You will receive a comprehensive induction to connect you with St Mungo’s and your role, and will have access to high quality in-house training covering all aspects of working with our clients along with other core skills. We also offer an internal mentoring scheme, career development workshops and a wide range of additional ‘bite-sized’ and easy access learning opportunities.
To view job descriptions on our vacancies page, please click on the document availabletab above the relevant job advert.
It is a requirement for this postthat an enhanced DBS disclosure check, will be undertakenfor the successful candidate.
At St Mungo’s, equality, diversity and inclusion are central to the organisation's values and how we work. We are in the top 100 of Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index 2018, we are also proud to have been awarded BITC 2017 Race Equality Award and we are a Disability Confident Employer. To ensure that our workforce reflects the diversity of our clients as well as the communities that we live and work within, we encourage and welcome applications from all sections of the community.


Kevin Moore stormed to victory in the 200m to become the first Maltese athlete to win an event at the Euro Team Championships.
Malta placed 10th out of a total of 15 European federations at the European Team Championships 3rd League, held in Tbilisi last week.
The 3rd League was won by Cyprus who withstood a strong challenge from Iceland to preserve their status. Both nations secured promotion to the 2nd League.
Malta was at one point vying for eighth place but dropped below Bosnia and Montenegro in the final classification.
“Although the target of the MAAA team was ninth place, there were a number of outstanding performances by some of the Maltese athletes,” the MAAA said in a statement.
The best performance was undoubtedly that of Kevin Moore. He became the first Maltese to win an event at the European Team Championship when he stormed to victory in the 200m.
Despite seemingly making a laboured start, Moore gained ground in the straight to emerge clear winner.
Moore said he was happy to have bagged full points for Malta in the 200m and was pleased with his time of 21.06 which was achieved against a headwind of -1.2m/s.
Rebecca Camilleri, currently in the top 50 in Europe’s long jump rankings, put in a very strong challenge for top spot.
Despite a strong headwind, on her third attempt, she jumped 6.25 metres to secure second place behind Hafdis Sigurdardottir, of Iceland, who won the event in 6.41m.
In a quick comment after the event, Camilleri said that things were shaping up well for the Commonwealths next month where she plans to reach her peak.
One of the most exciting performances was produced by Janet Richard, 16.
Despite returning only recently from injury, the talented athlete was a runaway winner in the 400m Race A. She was subsequently ranked the overall 400m winner after the Race B was held but the final rankings were questioned by different federations.
Although the situation remained unclear even after the end of the meeting, Richard’s showing underlined the fact that she is one of the rising stars of Maltese athletics.
The women’s 4x100m relay team finished a very creditable third overall after winning Race A in a seasonal best of 46.88.
The quartet, composed of Rachel Fitz, Diane Borg, Rebecca Sare and Camilleri, were outsmarted by GSSE rivals Cyprus and Iceland who were first and second, respectively.
Borg, whose contribution in the 4x100m relay earned Malta 13 points, won a further 24 points by finishing fourth in both the 100m and the 200m.
While expressing her satisfaction at her two seasonal bests of 12.00 in the 100m and 24.81 in the 200m, Borg was confident that she could improve further in the weeks to come.
In Georgia, MAAA president Edwin Attard looked satisfied with the final result despite the fact that his stated objective was ninth place.
“I want to commend our athletes for their efforts,” he said.


Stormy Daniels: Did Donald Trump pay Stormy Daniels $130K hush money?
Pictured, adult movie star, Stormy Daniels aka Stephanie Clifford, alleged to have been paid $130K hush money over an alleged tryst with President Donald Trump.
Did Donald Trump lawyers pay off adult actress Stormy Daniels aka Stephanie Clifford, $130, 000 to keep quiet about an alleged 2006 sexual indiscretion?
Also trending this afternoon apart from whether living in the US is a shxthole (it is for many) or whether we ought to have less applicants from shxthole countries applying to live here (they do cause they are often finding their national interests exploited by US interests and are left with few alternatives) is the claim that Donald Trump paid a former adult actress star a cool $130K to keep quiet about a purported affair the two had, a year after our hero in chief married his third wife- Melania (‘don’t forget to pay me off too’) Trump.
According to the wallstjournal, a longtime lawyer for the Trump Organization, Michael Cohen, made arrangements to fork over the agreed upon ‘hush money’ a month before the 2016 election in exchange for Stephanie Clifford, 38, (otherwise known as Stormy Daniels to her dreamy fans) keeping quiet about an alleged hook up the pair had shortly after meeting in July 2006.
Allegations that both the lawyer and the adult actress both deny.
According to the wsj, the ‘hook up’ occurred shortly after the ‘hot’ pair met at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe .
The journal alleges the inside Trump lawyer setting up a ‘pay-off’ to Stormy Daniels prior to Trump’s presidential run in an alleged nondisclosure agreement, in October 2016.
Pictured, Stormy Daniels aka Stephanie Clifford.
Donald Trump lawyer insists reports of Stormy Daniels pay off are ‘recycled reports’.
Asked about the alleged ‘pay off’ a White House official responded, ‘These are old, recycled reports, which were published and strongly denied prior to the election’.
The denials come in the face of Trump previously denying previous allegations from more than a dozen women who’ve accused him of sexual misconduct or assault. Because as Trump likes to remind us, the world is full of many female liars….
Reiterated Cohen via the wsj, ‘This is now the second time that you are raising outlandish allegations against my client. You have attempted to perpetuate this false narrative for over a year; a narrative that has been consistently denied by all parties since at least 2011′.
According to sources, the wsj reported the ‘hush’ payment being made through Clifford’s lawyer, Keith Davidson, with the money sent to Davidson’s client-trust account at City National Bank in Los Angeles, sources told the paper.
Of note, it’s not the first time Stormy Daniels has made it in the news cycle, with a considered run for senate in Louisiana in 2009 along with previous reports of the adult star being arrested in July 25, of that same year for domestic violence in Tampa Bay after allegedly beating her husband in the head because she was ‘upset because the way the laundry had been done’. Indeed.
Pictured, Stormy Daniels aka Stephanie Clifford. 2009 police bookings.


SILVIS, Ill. -- A year after his opening-round 59 at the 2010 John Deere Classic, Paul Goydos was asked what he learned from that round. "I know I need to practice," he deadpanned.
Not surprisingly, the bulk of Goydos' pre-tournament presser at TPC Deere Run Tuesday revolved around his iconic round -- one of just five 59s shot during competition on the PGA Tour. "I thought it was a big deal individually for me; wow, cool thing I did," said Goydos. "I was not ready for the national story that it became quite frankly. I really didn't think it would be that big of a deal. I was wrong."
Indeed. Goydos' achievement had him on a steady stream of radio, television and magazine interviews, including one from GQ. It was, he said, his most memorable round.
"I look back at my final round of Bay Hill when I won, and the final round at Sony when I won, and [those are] starting to dissipate," said Goydos. "I can remember pretty much what I did on every hole but not as clearly. The 59 I can remember my mood on the third tee. It definitely is a clearer day, and I think that's surprising. I really thought that winning is really everything out here, but right now that round is much clearer in my head."
This week he's sure to be reminded of it enough where it won't lose clarity any time soon.


Citing an undocumented immigrant’s arrest for the July 1 murder of Kathryn Steinle in San Francisco, congressmen repeatedly questioned Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson about its policy to give state and local law offices discretion in enforcing immigration laws.
Referring to Lopez-Sanchez as a “career criminal,” Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., asked Johnson why Homeland Security lets local and state law enforcement ignore federal detainers that would allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement to take custody of certain people in the country illegally.
For Johnson, however, a blanket policy of making states and cities enforce federal detainers represents “a huge setback” in DHS relations with local law enforcement.
With the secretary insisting that individuals like Lopez-Sanchez with extensive criminal backgrounds are high priority targets for the department, a heated exchange erupted with Gowdy demanding that the government compel cities to honor federal detainers.
“When I hear the phrase sanctuary city, as benign sounding as it is, it might have been a sanctuary for that defendant but it sure as hell was not a sanctuary for a young woman walking with her father,” Gowdy said of the 32-year-old Steinle.
Johnson remarked throughout his testimony about the failure of the Secure Communities program, which gave ICE authority to prosecute people who were found to be in the country illegally after a fingerprint test at the local level and cross reference with a federal database.
Instead of mandating local policy enforcement, Johnson said he was reaching out to a number of large cities for cooperation on enforcing federal detainers on those who have been arrested while in the country illegally.
“I do not believe that we should mandate the conduct of state and local law enforcement through federal legislation,” Johnson said during the hearing.
Of the department’s 49 “top priority” cities, 33 have agreed to work with Homeland Security to manage the release of those in the country illegally and enforce federal detainers on those convicted of serious crimes while in the states, Johnson testified.
Noting that five high-priority cities remain unwilling to help federal law enforcement, Republican lawmakers on the committee urged the secretary to make enforcement of federal law mandatory.
Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., questioned if the government would be as indifferent if municipalities opted out of civil-rights legislation in the same way they disregarded immigration laws.
Johnson pointed to the decrease in border apprehensions as an example of his Department’s success in discouraging illegal immigration.
Members like Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., meanwhile pointed to data that showed nearly 170,000 people whom the federal government ordered removed from the country are still living free in the United States.
Democratic lawmakers took the questioning in other directions throughout the hearing.
Touching on subjects like the Department of Homeland Security’s measures to prevent domestic terrorism from “right-wing” extremist groups, the Democrats also spoke about the possibility of extending federal security funds for black churches to install cameras and the department’s efforts to ensure the safety and security of refugee families from Central America.
Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., accused his Republican colleagues of politicizing Steinle’s murder. While the committee was quick to bring the immigration hearing together, it was slow in doing the same for the removal of Confederate flags on federal property.
While most members of the committee left before the end of the three and a half hour hearing, Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., stayed behind to represent the minority’s interest on the panel.


See the latest in bikes (including electric bikes and adult three-wheelers) and gear, get a free helmet fitting and hear bike-safety tips from Los Altos police officers today (March 29) from 7 to 9 p.m. at Hillview Community Center, Multipurpose Room, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos. For more information, visit GreenTown Los Altos.
Author, restaurant critic and PBS host Ruth Reichl will give a talk on food and culture today (March 29) at 6 p.m. at Cubberley Auditorium, 485 Lasuen Mall, Stanford University. For more information, visit Stanford Events.


LearningRx provides cognitive skills training to all ages; whether it be preschoolers or school-age children struggling in school, students and adults looking for a competitive edge, the older adult dealing with dementia or memory loss, or the athlete or military veteran who is coping with a traumatic brain injury. LearningRx creates a brain training program that is customized by an expert trainer, with one-on-one guidance and feedback throughout the program.
“LearningRx is not about tutoring, it’s about helping our clients change the way they receive, process, store and retrieve information,” said Maureen Loftus, executive director of LearningRx of Reston, Va. and Vienna, Va. “We all prefer to learn information differently, whether it be visual or auditory or tactile, and LearningRx’s programs evaluate, measure and then re-train the brain to process details more effectively,” said Loftus.
SemperMax Support Fund was established in 2009 as a continuation of the legacy of team healing initiated by Lt.Col. Tim Maxwell. The SemperMax Support Fund serves wounded, ill, injured, and Gold Star families from all branches of the military. For more information, go to www.sempermax.com.
Since 2010 LearningRx braining training centers of DC Metro Area have specialized in treating the cause – not the symptoms – of learning struggles and help increase the speed, power or function of the brain. LearningRx’s game-like exercises and one-on-one trainer-to-student ratios provide guaranteed dramatic improvement in as little as three to six months. With more than 80 franchises nationwide, LearningRx brain training programs can help all ages, from those just looking for a competitive edge or those dealing with learning disabilities, autism or ADHD, to those with dementia or traumatic brain injuries. DC Metro Area offices are located in Chantilly, Va., Fairfax, Va., Leesburg, Va., Reston, Va., Vienna, Va., and North Potomac. Md. Visit www.learningrx.com, Facebook or Twitter.


Dining room tables and chairs at Los Angeles store Sunbeam Vintage, which sells new, on-site handmade, imported and vintage furniture, and mostly specializes in mid-century modern and mid-century modern inspired pieces.
When choosing the right dining table and chairs, there are no rigid rules. Think about mixing and matching pieces instead of plunking down money for a perfectly matched set, experts say.


Yoshitomo Nara wants to Confuse you.
Home Visual Arts Yoshitomo Nara wants to Confuse you.
Justine Chausson: About author bio at bottom of article.
Inspired by Japanese Manga and Anime culture, Nara is part of a new style of Japanese art which is giving the comic strip subculture global attention. Even though Roy Lichtenstein was one of the first to negate a similar gap between pop-culture and high art, there persisted a mentality, perhaps fueled by old aristocratic money, which still undermined such artists until the mid 1990s. Murakami, also previously represented by the Marianne Boesky Gallery, was one of the first to have popped through this brainwashed bubble with a bang, to give way to a new appreciation for Japanese new-age culture, a trend which Yoshimoto Nara is now perpetuating.
Each of his Tamagotchi meets Madeline meets Coraline Pixar-like creatures are maintained within their 2-D hazy, dreamlike atmosphere by a simple construction of flat fields of colors. Two beady eyes plus two delicate little nostrils plus two rosy puffy cheeks minus a background is the mathematical formula which Nara employs. The lack of background is a clever device which makes their stares all the more poignant as the viewer is forced to maintain focus on the personage. In short a defiance of non-unique expectations of pop culture is made.
Although Nara’s artistic style leans towards subtle gradation of pastel colors, the characters portrayed are very blunt and all contain a certain buzzing intensity. Each one represents a different figment of Nara’s fertile imagination and alternating moods. At times the mood is disturbingly confusing, as represented by the long haired obeisant schoolgirl with two darling little fangs protruding her lips. At other times the mood is absolutely endearing, such as the bob-haired girl wearing a conservative peach dress staring with a certain wonder in her sparkling eyes through the door of one of the installations in the back room.
These vertiginous ‘Tim Burton-esque’ tree-house installations in the back room are part of Nara’s latest devise to counter the high art market. As Marianne Boesky herself pointed out to the Contemporaries members last Friday, Nara’s efforts are aligned towards sharing a message of each and one of his little disciples in his serial work. So sorry collectors, instead of alienating one of these charming faces within the confines of your luxurious abode, you must buy the whole tree house in which she currently hides, along with all the accoutrements (don’t forget the country-playing Boom box!).
Team Yoshitomo Nara, which includes his disciple children, reminds us that we are all internally children, no matter how old we are. The Marianne Boesky Gallery provided a space in which the role of the judging viewer was left open ended. Is the collector to judge what is high art? Or is the artist to manipulate the collector, as Nara does with his tree houses. Finding a new approach to making and selling art today seems virtually impossible, but Nara has found a way to trick us, both in his work, and through his work.
The childish cartoons may at first seem harmless, the viewer will find more disturbing and perplexing qualities as he further stares through their entrancing iconic eyes. Although the playful atmosphere inflames his curious voyeuristic impulses as he approaches the impenetrable tree houses, the game mood is killed when he realizes he is being manipulated by the artist as part of a critique of the art market, and those who perpetuate its VIP policy.
Nara’s work definitely resembles an estranged creature ready to mark its territory in Chelsea and the world abroad.
Yoshitomo Nara wants to confuse piece has me in amazement. Thanks Justine Chausson on the writing.


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Riley Morrison, 9, and Warriors star Steph Curry share a moment.
The Curry 6 “United We Win” sneakers.
The Bay Area girl who moved Stephen Curry to change the way he sells sneakers appeared with the Warriors’ superstar on national television Friday to discuss their extraordinary creative collaboration.
Curry marked International Women’s Day by releasing his newest namesake sneaker, which he co-designed with 9-year-old Riley Morrison.
Morrison, a Napa resident, earned widespread attention last November when she wrote Curry a letter explaining that she had tried to buy his Under Armour sneakers online, only to discover that they weren’t available in girls’ sizes.
Curry responded to Morrison with a handwritten letter saying he was working with the company to change things. They took things a step further by inviting Morrison to design the artwork on the inside of a new version of the shoe.
Curry said he couldn’t believe a 9-year-old wrote such a poignant letter.
The timing of Riley getting her shoes is no coincidence. Tonight, she’ll wear her new kicks at center court of the Warriors’ game at Oracle Arena, on International Women’s Day, right alongside her idol and part-time pen pal.
Morrison hopes there’s a lesson in her experience.
“We all have a voice, and by simply writing a letter, you can make a change,” she said.
Under Armour said sales from the sneaker will go toward a scholarship created by the Stephen and Ayesha Curry Family Foundation and UA for a college-bound girl in the Bay Area. The winner will be announced every year around International Women’s Day.


Imaculate bike, lady owned and ridden , only 32 hours, Oil changed every 3 hours! Electric start!!!
The high flying, high paced action of motocross is not for everyone. As a result, the slightly less intense world of cross country / harescramble racing is experiencing solid growth and interest. The YZ250FX is a cross country focused model with the performance potential of the YZ250F. If you are serious about winning, the YZ250FX could be the machine for you. Check out the impressive list of improvements for 2018.
Convenient, dependable electric start ensures hassle-free, push button start.
The YZ250FX uses the "Best in Class" YZ250F reversed cylinder, rearward slanted engine with modified fuel injection settings, electric starting and a 6-speed transmission. With the optional GYT-R YZ Power tuner, you can adjust both fuel mapping and ignition mapping to best suit conditions and riding ability.
Featuring KYB "SSS" forks and a fully adjustable KYB rear shock, the FX uses the same suspension as its MX cousin with softer settings and slightly more rear wheel travel. Also included is a lightweight aluminum side stand and an 18" rear wheel. With a maximum noise output of 94 dB, the muffler is the same as the current YZ250F.
"Reversed" liquid-cooled, 250 cc, DOHC, 4-valve (titanium), single-cylinder engine with fuel injection. The engine has been tuned for excellent rideability and controllability and delivers a broad, easy-to-use powerband with excellent power characteristics throughout the rev range. 2018 model changes improve power delivery in both low-to-mid and mid-to-top-end performance.
"Reversed" engine design (FI system is front-mounted, exhaust exits from rear of cylinder).
Electric start with auto decompression system. Unit can be re-started in any gear.
Lightweight titanium valves and revised load optimized valve springs.
Shorter internal air box funnel & new intake manifold with larger cross section.
New, lightweight, short-skirt, forged aluminum piston.
Lightweight piston pin features a diamond-like coating (DLC) to reduce friction.
Piston oil cooler jet nozzle directs oil to the desired portion of the cylinder and underside of piston.
"Liner-less" lightweight aluminum cylinder with ceramic composite coating.
Cylinder and crankcase "cutaways" allow air "trapped" under the piston to enter special chambers or cutaways.
Compact bilateral beam aluminum frame.
Lightweight detachable rear sub frame.
YZ250F-based, 48 mm, adjustable, inverted, Kayaba "SSS" cartridge fork offers 310 mm (12.2") of wheel travel.
Fork also features a Transfer Control Valve (TCV).
Large "wrap-around" plastic fork protectors provide excellent lower fork tube protection.
YZ250F-based, Monocross link rear suspension features a fully adjustable Kayaba piggyback shock with 318 mm (12.5") of wheel travel.
Adjustable handlebar holders offer a total of 4 different handlebar positions with an adjustment range of 30mm.


Does it bother you that Vice-President Mike Pence proudly shares that he talks with God? I have to admit it bothered me a bit – but not for the same reasons many other people became uncomfortable with Pence’s revelation.
I understand why some people are dismayed by the vice-president’s faith in open display in the public square. In fact, a “faith standard” is a pretty high bar to meet in terms of public service. For instance, how credible is the faith of a man who thinks Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio is a shining example of the rule of law, a man to be honored? If Pence’s faith-based political judgment whispers that Arpaio is an honorable man, what are we to think about Pence’s judgment on a wide array of other political topics?
In this light, I understand the concern displayed by many people about religion in politics. I see it too, I get it and I agree in large part. But what I do not get is the wholesale dismissal of the idea of God and what a real, tangible God means for people of faith in public service. If I say I have a personal relationship with God, does that statement preclude my public service? What if I say God told me, after much prayer, to vote no on an issue of moral importance? Or, better yet, what if God told me to vote no on a transportation project? Is your discomfort that I shared with you my conversation with God? Is your discomfort that I might prioritize my relationship with God over my relationship with my constituents? Or is your discomfort my faith generally? Do we trust elected officials who talk with God? Or do we distrust anyone who claims to talk with God.
Those are big questions anywhere but no bigger than in Utah. Nearly, 80 percent of Utah’s Legislature is comprised of people who claim to talk with God. They talk with God about their personal behavior, their marriages, their children and grandchildren, their financial and professional decisions, and the welfare of their neighbors. They want God’s input on all of these relationships. Is it beyond the pale to think they might talk with God about political matters such as how to vote and for whom to vote? Are political constituents the only measure of guidance?
Compounding the issue in Utah is a belief in God’s ordained servants. For many people, an elected official with a belief in God is not a problem nor is the concept that an elected official talks with God. But a line seems to be crossed when an elected official talks with God’s ordained servants. In other words, believe what you want personally but taking policy guidance and legislative counsel from the LDS Church is an abrogation of civic independence. But what if an elected official’s conscience includes alignment with her chosen faith? Is she any less independent if she votes her conscience regardless of the source of her conscience?
Can a politician’s better judgment include faith? Of course it can. What it cannot include is partisanship. Mike Pence cannot have it both ways. He cannot brand himself an exemplary person of faith and then turn around and provide unconditional endorsements of his lying boss, Donald Trump, and a racist sheriff, Joe Arpaio. I know this because God told me so.


ST. PAUL, Minn.—Needed: A few good helicopters and pilots for Minnesota fire control.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is hunting for helicopter services for its fire control bases in Cloquet, Princeton and Roseau. The agency hopes to hear from potential vendors by early January.
The DNR solicitation posted last week says the helicopters need to be operated by fully qualified personnel. They would be used to transport other fire personnel, equipment and supplies. They would also be deployed for reconnaissance flights, photography work and bucket-and-fire missions.
Minnesota has nearly 17 million acres of forest land supervised by the DNR’s Division of Forestry.


Chu Lam Yiu chairs fragrances and tobacco flavoring supplier Huabao International Holdings.
She founded the company in 1996 and took it public in Hong Kong through a "backdoor listing" a decade later.
She is currently a member of the Fifth Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Committee (Shenzhen, Guangdong province).
E-cigarettes were supposed to save lives and revitalize the smoking industry. But antismoking zealots, government regulators and Big Tobacco seem determined to snuff out the market--and any entrepreneurs plying it.