April 3, 2002, Grain Valley, MO ---- Jim Johnston, President of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) today said the continued blind emphasis on developing more stringent and more invasive methods of enforcement against truckers will not result in increased highway safety. OOIDA is the nation's largest trade organization of professional truckers, representing the interests of the country's 350,000 small business truckers.
Delivering a keynote address to the International Truck and Bus Safety Symposium at the University of Tennessee, Johnston said, "There is a price to pay for this philosophy of blindly pushing ahead with continuously increasing enforcement. Obviously the millions of dollars invested every year in this effort is a stiff price but even more significant is the rule of diminishing returns." Diminishing returns, according to Johnston, result from the negative impact the increasing levels of enforcement are having on professional drivers, influencing many of the best to exit the business.
Johnston said, "The exodus of thousands of good, hardworking professional drivers who are sick and tired of being treated as second class citizens or targeted for enforcement in every jurisdiction they pass through, is a substantial loss to the industry and to the effort to improve commercial vehicle safety."
He pointed out that there is no pool of well-trained replacements to fill the seats of those experienced professionals leaving the industry. New, inexperienced replacements would only have a negative impact on highway safety.
"Truckers have far more at stake than most in improved highway safety, and should be considered partners in the efforts instead of the unjustified targets of enforcement efforts."
In his remarks, Johnston singled out for particular criticism agencies, politicians and other state and federal forums that continually depict truckers as careless, reckless, irresponsible lawbreakers in need of targeted enforcement. He cited several recent examples of law enforcement officials and politicians whose derogatory comments towards truckers were seemingly done for public relations motives, to seek additional funding or simply to cover their "political behind".
Johnston quoted DOT statistics involving fatal collisions between trucks and passenger vehicles showing passenger vehicles were at fault in the vast majority of cases. "Truckers are the safest drivers on the road and they do an outstanding job in furthering the cause of highway safety".
Johnston recommended alternative considerations for budget allocation in addressing highway safety. Commenting on roadside inspections and enforcement for vehicle defects, including the millions of dollars budgeted by states for such new technology as infrared devices which can detect brake problems as trucks go by, Johnston said efforts should be made to direct funding to research for correcting major vehicle defect problems. "Would it not make more sense to invest some of these resources to develop efficient, dependable brake systems that are less prone to maintenance problems? Does anybody really believe that a large percentage of truckers are knowingly and intentionally running around out there with dangerously defective brakes?"
Additionally, said Johnston, the lack of mandatory standardized training has left the door open for many abuses and a continuing influx of new and unprepared drivers. "It is absolutely ludicrous that occupations such as barbers, hairdressers and insurance agents are required to go through mandatory training in order to be licensed, but that no training at all is required to obtain a license to operate an 80,000-pound truck over the highway."
Johnston went on to also mention loading and unloading abuses faced by truckers at docks and the lack of adequate parking and rest facilities as other factors impacting on the stress and daily performance of truckers. These are growing problems that must be addressed.
"The answer lies not in further victimizing and alienating this force of drivers but rather in finding ways to involve them in addressing the problem," Johnston said. "Truckers are intelligent, patriotic citizens who are willing to work hard and commit their efforts and loyalty when the cause is worthwhile."


The United States will be short 120,000 doctors by the end of next decade, according to the latest research from the Association of American Medical Colleges.
That shortage will become permanent unless medical schools make the path to becoming a doctor a bit less arduous.
Some medical schools seem to take pride in imposing a heavy emotional and physical toll on their students. Toughen up aspiring doctors early on, the thinking goes, so they’re prepared for long hours and high stress when they’re working in clinical settings.
That thinking is outmoded — and risks dissuading people who would make excellent physicians from considering careers in medicine. In order to graduate skilled doctors — and enough of them — med schools must invest more in their students’ mental and physical health.
It’s no secret medical school is challenging. It should be, of course. Students are learning to navigate matters of life and death. Classes and lab work demand long hours and significant intellectual effort. Students invest years of their time and significant sums of money.
Given these challenges, it stands to reason that med schools should do all they can to help their charges succeed.
At some schools, however, the academic culture is toxic. Students are expected to master material on their own; seeking help is seen as a sign of weakness. Nearly half of all medical students report having been publicly embarrassed by faculty, staff, or peers.
One survey found that about half of medical students are suffering burnout — that is, severe emotional and physical exhaustion.
Many talented young people have taken note of these negatives and decided that medicine may not be the right field for them. The number of med school applicants has been flat for the past four years.
Neither medical schools, nor a healthcare system desperate for doctors, can afford to see the pool of potential med students dry up.
Medical schools can create a more supportive learning environment without sacrificing rigor.
Some have heeded that call. The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine offers free mental health care delivered by a dedicated team of providers to its more than 900 students.
Stanford Medical School runs a cognitive behavioral therapy program to teach techniques for reducing stress. Administrators have also set up an annual wellness survey specifically to identify and treat the problem of sleep deprivation that’s all too common among med students.
Recent academic research has chronicled the positive effect that institutional investments in academic and mental-health support can have on student performance. We’ve acted on the findings from this research at St. George’s University.
Our students work closely with learning strategists to navigate academic challenges. Small-group instruction and collaborative learning environments informed by the latest pedagogical research are the norm. St. George’s also offers programs on time-management, effective note-taking, and mock residency interviews — skills students don’t typically learn in the classroom.
All Americans have a stake in improving the lot of medical students. We’ll need a lot more of them to address our doctor shortage.
A healthier med school culture may also help diversify the ranks of physicians in the United States. The cutthroat status quo has yielded a doctor workforce that’s almost three-quarters white. Less than 5 percent are black.
Medical school should be tough. But it doesn’t have to be miserable. By investing in support services, medical schools can boost student well-being — and turn out better doctors.
Dr. Glen Jacobs is provost at St George’s University, Grenada.


Previous winner James Baker had to settle for fifth place in a high-quality Gosport Half Marathon on Sunday, run in dry but chilly conditions.
Attracting more than 1600 runners, the event is one of the longest-established races in the autumn south-coast calendar and Sunday’s race certainly did not disappoint.
Baker had a west-country invasion to contend with, including winner Tom Merson from Exmouth, who set an impressive new course record of 67min 33sec.
The Chichester man did have the consolation of being the first over-40 home, so he did not came away empty-handed.
Four more Chichester club-mates were also in action with Justin Eggins 66th, and 15th veteran, in 1.21.28; Jason Snow, 205th and 48th veteran in 1.25.07 and Dan Bushere, 387th overall in 1.31.58 and a fine sixth in the over-60 category.
Sarah Morris finished in 13th place in in the senior women’s field and more importantly knocked nearly five minutes off her previous best to cross the finishing line in 1.37.11.
* A total of 193 took part in Chichester’s 220nd parkrun at Oaklands Park.
Horsham Joggers, Fittleworth Flyers, Promenade Plodders, Midhurst Milers abd Burgess Hill Runners.
There were visitors from Gloucester, Cambridge, Wales, Bracknell, Hove, Beckton and Milton Keynes.
First male home was James Baker (VM40-44) in 17:40, followed by Max Costley in 18:17 and Lindsay Russell in 18:20.
First female was Alice Wright in 19:35, with Bethan Everson second in 21:05 and Sarah Loy third with 21:15.


Faced with sagging sales and profits, Liz Claiborne Inc. said yesterday that it would eliminate about 400 jobs, close 30 retail stores and try to improve its ailing business at department stores. The company, the New York-based women's clothing maker, said the restructuring would cost $13 million to $17 million and would reduce the company's fourth-quarter earnings by 20 cents to 26 cents a share. The shares rose $1.3125, to $32.125. The price has slumped from more than $50 this summer.


In the midst of what has already been a solid season, the Texas women’s track and field program produced another strong showing this weekend at Mike A. Myers Stadium at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays.
With three meet wins and a multitude of other medals, the Texas women represented the Longhorns with a list of accolades in country’s top track meets.
Sophomore distance runner Sandie Raines finished second in the open 1500 meters with a time of 4:20.63, beating out many professionals along the way, to start Texas’ day Saturday. Along with Raines, freshmen Caitland Smith and Shania Collins each took home medals as well, finishing second and third, respectively, in the women’s open 200 meters.
But junior Morolake Akinosun turned in the highlight of the Longhorns’ performance over the weekend. Akinosun, who was named the Texas Relays’ most outstanding college performer, was in three of the four first-place events for Texas, with senior Ryan Crouser collecting the other win for Texas.
The first win came down to a close finish in the 4x100-meter race. The team of senior Morgan Snow, senior Ashley Spencer, junior Courtney Okolo, and Akinosun trailed Texas A&M out of lane five throughout the race — until Akinosun got her shot. With the last handoff, Akinosun grabbed the baton and overtook A&M sophomore Aaliyah Brown, achieving victory by less than two tenths of a second.
In the 100 meters, Akinosun took care of business by herself, clocking a blazing 10.94 seconds, albeit with the help of a 5.1m/s wind.
To close out the Texas Relays, the 4x400-meter relay, now named the Sanya Richards-Ross Invitational 4x400 Meter Relay, also came down to a close finish. Texas A&M got out to a large lead early on, but in the final lap, A&M’s anchor quickly fell off, giving way to the rest of the field. Florida made the early push and Arkansas came close, but Texas freshman Ariel Jones pushed her way to the front of the pack. She edged out the Gators, claiming a victory for Texas.
The No. 3 women’s team and the rest of the Longhorns now head into next week’s meet at Stanford with strong momentum.


Last month, Lego opened its first US based Legoland Discovery Center in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg.
This large indoor venue is home to 8 Lego themed attractions, and should provide some Lego fun for visitors young and old. In the name of scientific research, I visited Legoland during their “soft opening” week at the end of July.
The location is right next to Woodfield Mall, and is in the middle of the Streets of Woodfield entertainment district. There is ample free parking. Schaumburg is about 20 miles from downtown Chicago, but there is no easy public transport system linking the two, unless you don’t mind a 45 minute CTA ride, a 30 minute bus ride and a 10 minute trolley ride.
This is the third Legoland Discovery center in the world; previous venues opened in Berlin and Duisburg in Germany. They are operated by the Merlin Entertainments group, who also own the Madame Tussauds wax museums.
The Chicago Legoland Discovery Center is quite easy to spot, partly thanks to the 30 foot giraffe built over the entrance. Once inside, you pass through “Mini Land”, which consists of almost all famous Chicago landmarks, recreated with 1.5 million Lego bricks.
Next up is Adventure Trail, where “Johnny Thunder” introduces himself, and warns you about the dangers of the Lego jungle. Kids will love having their photo taken next to a Lego lion, parrot and various other “wild” animals.
Once you leave the jungle, you arrive in the atrium where several full scale Lego heroes are on display, including Batman and Harry Potter. This is yet another great photo opportunity. This is also where you will find the Dragon Ride. This ride is not as scary as the name implies, and has no age/height restrictions. The 4 person cars take you through several castle scenes at 2 mph, and bring you up close and personal with a massive “fire” breathing Lego dragon.
The rest of the center is upstairs, where you’ll find the Lego 4D theater. This movie theater combines a 3D Lego movie with several other effects, I’ll leave it at that, as I don’t want to spoil any surprises. When you enter the theater, you are handed 3D glasses, but smaller kids will need some help keeping the glasses on. Without the special glasses, the movie looks blurry. The movie lasts 15 minutes and lines to get in can be fairly long, so get in line as soon as you can.
Across from the theater is the Lego factory tour. In this room, a Legoland employee explains how Lego blocks are made, and several machines show the process. Kids are invited to participate by pressing some of the buttons, and at the end of the narration, everyone receives a special Chicago Legoland brick.
The rest of the attractions are across the central hall. This large and bright room has something for everyone. If you are tired, you’ll be able to grab a snack from the Lego cafe. Toddlers can run around in the soft climb and slide zone and larger kids (or adults) can build Lego cars and race against others on a massive inclined racetrack.
When you leave Legoland, you pass through the obligatory gift shop, which sells some fairly hard to find Lego items, so prepare to deal with begging kids and parting with more of your money.
Admission to the Chicago Legoland Discovery Center is $19 for adults and $15.00 for kids. Children 2 and under are free. I found the admission price to be fairly high; a family with 2 kids will cost $68 to get in, and you’ll have a hard time keeping the kids entertained for more than 2 or 3 hours. The Legoland Discovery Center is open 7 days a week from 10am till 8pm, but ticket sales end at 6pm.
Lines to get into the Legoland Discovery Center are often wrapped around the building. so I strongly advise purchasing your tickets in advance, as you’ll then be able to skip the long line for the ticket desk. If you arrive with pre-purchased tickets, you can enter through the right hand set of doors. This online advance purchase service also sells off-peak tickets, if you arrive past 3:30pm, you’ll save $2.50 on each ticket.
All in all I found the Legoland Discovery Center quite enjoyable, as did my 2 year old daughter. The entrance fee is steep, but unless you plan to fly to California, this is the closest you’ll get to Legoland in the Midwest.


(Photo courtesy of JORDAN ADAMS) Clark Fork girls basketball players Ellie Kiebert, Brooke Stevens and Lily Simko pose with their all-league medals on Friday night. Stevens was named North Star League MVP, edging out Genesis Prep senior Rachel Schroeder by a single vote. Junior forward Ellie Kiebert tied for third place with 29 votes and senior forward Lily Simko tied for seventh place with 23 votes. Next season, the Lady Cats will look to build around Kiebert, who was one of four non-seniors to place in all-league voting.
Clark Fork trio Brooke Stevens, Ellie Kiebert and Lily Simko earn all-North Star League honors on Friday night. Stevens was named North Star League MVP, edging out Genesis Prep senior Rachel Schroeder by a single vote. Junior forward Ellie Kiebert tied for third place with 29 votes and senior forward Lily Simko tied for seventh place with 23 votes. Next season, the Lady Cats will look to build around Kiebert, who was one of four non-seniors to place in all-league voting.


WhatsApp users in Sheffield are being warned about a new scam which could allow fraudsters to hack into their personal details.
Numerous Virgin Atlantic customers who use the mobile phone app have have been sent messages offering them two free flights with the airline.
The message encourages users to click on a link and claim their freebie as part of the company's 35th anniversary celebrations.
It appears to be coming from a fake Virgin website with the URL virginatlantic.com but with a full stop below the letter 'r'.
A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: "We’re aware of messages circulating on social media which promise free Virgin Atlantic tickets.
"This is not an official Virgin Atlantic competition and should be ignored."
The company added that official competitions will always be posted on their official social media accounts, which are highlighted with a blue tick on their page.
Other airlines have also been targeted by scammers.
Last year a scam emerged on Facebook promising free flights as part of Ryanair's 32nd anniversary.
And EasyJet issued a warning to customers last summer following a similar post that cropped up on the social media site.


COMING SUNDAY: Man your calculators, we have tax facts, tax news and tax tips.
INDIANAPOLIS - A highly respected health-care executive who was abruptly fired last spring was clearly more than just Wall Street's darling. In a series of lawsuits, the former chief financial officer of WellPoint Inc. is depicted as a corporate Casanova who romanced dozens of women simultaneously, made them extravagant promises and then went back on his word.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Construction equipment maker Caterpillar Inc. sees rough economic times ahead in the U.S. but forecast strong sales and profit growth for 2008 on the strength of its international business and the benefits of a weak dollar. Caterpillar said its profit rose 11 percent in the fourth quarter and 4 percent for all of 2007, in spite of declines in North American sales.
LOS ANGELES - Investor concerns that Bank of America Corp. will pull out or force a lower price for its proposed buyout of Countrywide Financial Corp. could intensify next week when the troubled mortgage lender discloses its fourth-quarter financial results. After posting its first quarterly loss in 25 years last fall, Countrywide declared it would be profitable through this year. Many analysts doubt that claim.
Tyson Foods, the world's largest meat company, will cease beef slaughter operations at its Emporia plant, cutting about 1,500 jobs, more than half its work force at that facility.
GRANTS, N.M. - When a uranium boom hit this former logging and farming community in the mid-1970s, housing was so scarce people slept in campgrounds and cemeteries. Then the so-called "Uranium Capital of the World" suffered the bust in the '80s. These days, something is stirring again. Hotels are booked, restaurants and retail businesses are busy, and local drilling companies are swamped with work. With the price of uranium up to $90 to $100 per pound - after a low in 2003 of $7 a pound - Grants is anticipating good economic times ahead.
NEW YORK - Wall Street ended a tumultuous week with a sharp decline after two days of stunning gains as investors turned cautious and cashed in some of their winnings. The Dow Jones industrial average still managed to record its first weekly advance of 2008, even as it fell more than 170 points on the day.


US and allied strikes against the Islamic State may have killed as many as 6000 civilians in 2017, as international forces pushed militants out of strongholds in Iraq and Syria, a watchdog group said Thursday.
"In 2017 the war against ISIS [Islamic State] moved into the most densely-populated urban centres controlled by the group, with dire results for civilians," Airwars said in a new report summarising its investigations for the year, which it called the "deadliest yet" for Iraqis and Syrians.
The terrorist group Islamic State drew Western nations into a new Middle Eastern conflict after it captured large swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014.
Airwars, which investigates civilian casualty allegations using social media and other information, said that between 3923 and 6102 noncombatants were "likely killed" in air and artillery strikes by the United States and its partners in 2017.
While the Airwars data includes strikes by the United States and partner nations including Britain, Australia and France, most of the military activity has been conducted by American forces.
The group's estimate is vastly higher than the figure put forward by US Central Command, which conducts its own investigations of selected US strikes.
Australia announced in December it had ended its contribution to the air strikes in Iraq and Syria, recalling six super hornet strike aircraft. It continues operations with support aircraft and the Army's training mission.
The alleged increase in civilian deaths took place as the United States and partner forces conducted major operations to recapture the city of Mosul, the militants' most important stronghold in Iraq, and Raqqa, the Syrian city where they launched their drive to establish an Islamic caliphate.
Islamic State militants frequently positioned themselves among civilians and prevented residents from moving around areas they controlled. Both the Australian Defence Force and US military officials have acknowledged the challenge of avoiding unintended deaths in large-scale operations in tightly packed urban areas.
"The Australian Defence Force is acutely aware of the brutal tactics used by Daesh and we do our utmost to ensure civilians are clear of targeted locations before and during air strikes," a spokesperson told Fairfax Media.
"All ADF personnel operate under strict rules of engagement designed to protect our forces, minimise the risk of injury to civilians and strictly comply with Australia's obligations under domestic and international law."
The coalition does "everything within its power to limit harm to noncombatants and civilian infrastructure," Pentagon spokesperson Eric Pahon added. "We regularly issue strike reports and civilian casualty reports, including results of credible and non-credible allegations, as well as those still pending assessment, on our public-facing website for the world to see."
The ADF also publishes monthly reports that track the number of missions and munitions. These reports are regularly aggregated with data from participating coalition nations.
The Pentagon has pushed back against a perception in early 2017, when observer groups reported an apparent surge in civilian casualties, that it had altered rules guiding the US air campaign.


The immaculate Palomar floor plan features 4 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms at approximately 2,618 heated square feet. Situated on a gorgeous lot, the curb appeal is exquisite! Easy -to -maintain vinyl siding, accented by stone or brick. All surrounded by a sodded front yard with a clean, classic landscape. The grand foyer welcomes you in, opening to the formal dining room - perfect for hosting those special occasions! The chef in the family is sure to fall in love with the kitchen! Open and spacious with an ample amount of cabinet and counter space, a bar for extra seating, stainless smooth-top range, microwave hood, and dishwasher. Enjoy your morning coffee in the breakfast nook. Also off the kitchen you will find a cozy keeping room with an electric fireplace, surrounded by marble and topped with a custom mantle. Gather everyone together for movie or game night in the family room. An expansive 18'x16', the family room boasts plenty of natural lighting, a ceiling fan, and an electric fireplace surrounded by marble topped with a custom mantle. The impressive master suite is approximately 17'x14' with a trey ceiling and ceiling fan. "Get away from it all" in the luxurious master bathroom. Complete with a double vanity topped with cultured marble counters, full view custom mirror, ceramic tile flooring, separate shower and soaking tub.......all leading to a large walk-in-closet. Bedrooms 2, 3, and 4 are perfectly sized and prewired for ceiling fans all with Walk-in-Closets! Chores are made easier with the separate laundry room upstairs, which can also be accessed through the master closet. Entertain guests on the covered back porch - an ideal place to enjoy those Coastal Carolina evenings. LVP Flooring. 2 car garage to keep your vehicles safe from the weather. All backed by a one-year builder warranty from a top, local builder. Call today! NOTE: Floor plan renderings are similar and solely representational. Measurements, elevations, and design features, among other items, may vary in the final construction. Call to verify.


March 5 (UPI) -- Boston Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid expects to be in the lineup on Monday, two days removed from receiving 25 stitches to close a wound in his neck after being cut by the skate of teammate David Backes.
McQuaid, who was cleared to play Sunday, did not reveal if he plans to wear equipment to protect the right side of his neck in Monday's game against the Ottawa Senators.
"Initially, when I didn't see any blood, I figured that I was OK," the 30-year-old McQuaid said of the incident. "They didn't blow the whistle, and (play) was still going on in an obviously important part of the game. I was pretty helpless without my stick, but I was just trying to be a body getting in the way."
"I don't think many guys saw it on the ice. Once I got to the bench, Colin Miller at first was like, 'Oh, you're OK.' Then, 'No, actually, you're cut. You might want to have it looked at.' "
McQuaid did precisely that, retreating to the locker room in the Bruins' eventual 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils.
"He's a tough customer," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said of McQuaid, who has collected two goals, six assists and 62 penalty minutes in 60 games this season.
McQuaid has 12 career goals, 48 assists and 581 penalty minutes in 407 contests -- all with the Bruins.


pain associated with osteoarthritis in superficial joints, including the knee, has been accepted for review by the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) acting as the reference member state. Included in this decentralized extension procedure are the local health authorities in Italy, Greece and Portugal. This marks the first European Union submission of Pennsaid 2%.
About Pennsaid 2%Pennsaid 2% is a topical pain product that combines a DMSO-based transdermal carrier with 2% diclofenac sodium. It is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating the pain of osteoarthritis of the knee(s). Pennsaid 2% is a viscous solution that is supplied in a metered dose pump bottle and approved by the FDA for twice daily dosing. Pennsaid 2% is protected by multiple U.S. patents that are listed in the FDA's Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations database or Orange Book. Patents protecting Pennsaid 2% have been issued or are pending in multiple major international territories. Pennsaid 2% has not yet received regulatory approval outside of the U.S. and Russia.
About Nuvo Pharmaceuticals Inc.Nuvo (TSX: NRI; OTCQX: NRIFF) is a Canadian focused, healthcare company with global reach and a diversified portfolio of commercial products. The Company targets several therapeutic areas, including pain, allergy and dermatology. The Company's strategy is to in-license and acquire growth-oriented, complementary products for Canadian and international markets and to out-license select products in global markets. Nuvo's head office is located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, the international operations are located in Dublin, Ireland and its manufacturing facility is located in Varennes, Québec, Canada. The Varennes manufacturing facility is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Health Canada and the European Commission. For additional information, please visit www.nuvopharmaceuticals.com.


With the American elections just a few days away, researchers are busy preparing last-minute opinion surveys.
The researchers hope to identify the next president of the United States by questioning likely voters.
But one businessman is using a completely different method to predict who will win the election. He is choosing the winner based on sales of presidential campaign-related products in his store.
Jim Warlick owns and operates White House Gifts in Washington, D.C. His business is a short walk from the real White House.
Warlick has been selling presidential campaign buttons for the past 35 years. In August, 62 percent of the buttons he sold were for Hillary Clinton, the candidate of the Democratic Party. Buttons for Donald Trump, the Republican Party candidate, totaled 38 percent. His unofficial survey was taken a short time after the parties held meetings to officially nominate the candidates.
Jim Warlick’s store sells a lot more than buttons. People can also buy T-shirts, bobbleheads, coffee mugs and magnets showing their favorite candidate.
As the long campaign season nears an end, some Americans might be growing tired of politics. But a lot of people are still buying items at the store.
On a recent day, one of them was Mariam Khan, a U.S. citizen who was born in Zimbabwe.
However, Khan’s feelings did not stop her from buying many election-related items from White House Gifts.
Another woman, Susan Levin, said no matter who wins, she thinks this presidential election has already been historic.
“I’m getting things that are not going to be here after the election,” she said.
Warlick said the numbers in his button count recently changed after the third and final presidential debate.
But he says the best-selling products are actually not related to either candidate. Instead, the most popular things have to do with President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle.
Warlick has correctly predicted the result of almost every presidential race since 1980. The only time he was wrong was in 2000, when Al Gore lost to George W. Bush.
So the big question is - which candidate is he choosing this year?
So based on souvenir sales and his own opinion, Warlick placed an order last week for the 2017 presidential inauguration. He spent a lot of money buying Hillary Clinton-related items.
He admits that his decision could be a mistake if Donald Trump wins on Election Day. But he is not too worried, since he has a good record making choices based on what people buy.
He is excited about the swearing-in of the next president, set to take place January 20, 2017. And after that, he says the 2020 election can’t come soon enough.
“Oh yes, yes! Christmas comes every four years for us,” he said.
Mil Arcega reported this story for VOANews.com. Bryan Lynn adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
We want to hear from you. What are your favorite election-related items? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.
Does Sexism Affect US Presidential Race?


A former footballer has completed a 150-mile cycle - little more than 10 months after losing both of his lower legs in a hit-and-run crash.
Shaun Whiter, 28, joined around 100 people on a two-day tour of Suffolk yesterday and today (May 14 and 15) using a specially built handcycle.
Shaun, who lives in Burrough Green, Cambridgeshire, was left for dead at the side of a road near Newmarket last summer after Jan Adamec, from Haverhill, crashed into him – pinning Shaun between his own BMW and another car.
After fleeing the scene, Adamec was caught and jailed for more than three years after he admitted to causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
The 150-mile ride is aimed at raising money for Ipswich Town’s adopted charity, Prostate Cancer UK, but cyclists have the option of choosing a different charity of their own instead.
Shaun has since made astonishing progress in his recovery, learning to walk on prosthetic legs only five months after the accident.
The former Newmarket FC footballer has raised £2,760 for charities East Anglian Air Ambulance and the Friends of Ipswich Town.
To donate to Shaun's cause, visit here.


Liberal incumbent Labi Kousoulis has been re-elected in Halifax Citadel-Sable Island.
Kousoulis won a second term with 41.3 per cent of the vote.
The riding was one to watch as name recognition had influence in the race. Public Service Commission Minister and Internal Services Minister Kousoulis was running against well-known Progressive Conservative candidate Rob Batherson, who is a longtime Tory and worked for former premier John Hamm.
Kousoulis was elected in 2013 with 47.66 per cent of the vote, defeating NDP incumbent Leonard Preyra. Prior to Kousoulis, Preyra was MLA for the riding since 2006 and served as communities, culture and heritage minister from 2012-13. Before Preyra’s election, the riding has gone to all three major parties but the longest hold was by the PCs from 1978 until 1997. The riding was also held by former Liberal leader Danny Graham.
The riding was created in 1967 and covers the southern half of the Halifax peninsula, including the downtown core, Citadel Hill and Point Pleasant Park, as well as Sable Island.


RODRIGO Alves has been given a final warning by Channel 5 bosses after saying the N-word twice.
The 25-year-old claimed he had only used racially offensive language because he was drunk, causing outrage amongst fans.
Rodrigo, who’s known as the Human Ken Doll, said the N-word to his housemates in conversation during scenes which aired this evening.
He was immediately pulled into the diary room and threatened with eviction.
Rodrigo, 25, claimed he’d only used the language because he was drunk.
He went on to say he was sorry and that he was hungover.
But Big Brother bosses were having none of it and told him his language was “unacceptable”.
Talking to him in the diary room, they added: “It is not an excuse, Rodrigo.
“BB regards it to be totally unacceptable.
After the episode ended, Big Brother bosses released a statement regarding their decision.
They said: “Big Brother does not tolerate the use of highly offensive, racially charged language in the House.
“Rodrigo has received a formal and final warning and if he uses such language again, he will be removed immediately.


Good morning! There is an absurd amount of sports to cover today, so let's get right to it.
Bracket challenge: Check how you're doing.
Ichiro Suzuki announced his retirement yesterday, concluding one of the most remarkable careers in not only the history of baseball, but the history of sports.
He was a superstar. An icon. The rare athlete who could arrive in a new country and completely change the way its fans watch, and appreciate, the sport they call their national pastime.
Mariners fans rooted for him, and later Yankees fans and Marlins fans. But if we're being honest, we all rooted for him. Because he loved baseball more than anything — and it showed.
What he means to America: "We expect foreign players to arrive attached to legends too good to check, but Ichiro created his own myths, even here, before our eyes and cameras and notepads," writes Deadspin's Barry Petchesky.
"How he was reliably a beast in batting practice and could've hit 40 home runs a year if he wanted to be that type of player. (Barry Bonds once said Ichiro could win the Home Run Derby.)"
"How he could instantly discern a good bat from a bad bat by tapping the barrel once with his fingernail. How he had no idea who Tom Brady was. Were these stories true? Does it matter? For Ichiro as for no other player, certain things felt possible."
What he means to Japan: One of the teammates Ichiro hugged as he left the field yesterday was Yusei Kikuchi, the 27-year-old Japanese pitcher making his MLB debut this season. He started crying almost instantly.
"What does Ichiro mean to Kikuchi?" asks Petchesky. "Would the Mariners have been so invested in Japanese scouting if not for Ichiro's success? Would MLB teams be so eager to sign the top [Japanese] players each winter? Would Kikuchi be here if Ichiro hadn't done what he did? Now that's a legacy."
Read: I've shared this numerous times because it's stuck with me like few articles ever have. Sports, man.
Murray State's Ja Morant ruled an otherwise sleepy opening day, putting up 17 points, 16 assists, and 11 rebounds to become just the 12th player to record a triple-double in the NCAA tournament. He's so damn good.
Wofford's Fletcher Magee went 7-12 from deep and set the all-time career record for threes made. Ian Eagle's call of Magee's three-pointer that sealed the game was epic.
Lack of buzzer-beaters: "We all love March Madness because it's when we get to see West Fartville A&M hit a half-court, behind-the-back buzzer-beater to take down Big State," writes The Ringer's Rodger Sherman. "And then March Madness comes, and sometimes it's just regular basketball games. Thursday was just basketball games."
6:37–6:50pm ET: For 13 entire minutes, we were left without any basketball to watch. This is unacceptable. I won't stand for it.
The ugly: Michigan State coach Tom Izzo needed to be physically restrained while yelling at freshman Aaron Henry.
The intrigue: Cincinnati probably should have been seeded higher, but they landed in a perfect spot. This is basically a home game for the Bearcats with the action tipping off in Columbus, Ohio.
Key stat: Ole Miss has excellent guards who help force a turnover on 21% of opponents' possessions.
Key stat: Texas Tech has the nation's stingiest defense (No. 1 in defensive efficiency), having held their opponent under 60 points 16 times this season.
Hot streak: UC Irvine comes into the tournament riding a 16-game winning streak and is the first 30-win team from the Big West since UNLV in 1991.
Lucky number: During Colgate's current 11-game winning streak, they've won by an average of 11.5 points and made 11 threes per game. If they can somehow hold Grant Williams to 11 points (well below his average of 19), they might just have a chance.
Player to watch: This is UVA's best offense in years and the Cavaliers are led by sharpshooter Kyle Guy, who is shooting 46% from deep on a whopping 7.2 attempts per game.
The intrigue: Bobby Hurley coached Buffalo to its first-ever tournament appearance in 2015. Now at Arizona State, he'll be trying to end the most exciting season Buffalo's ever had.
The intrigue: Oregon isn't your typical 12 seed. The Ducks, who began the season ranked No. 15 in the country, are just a one-point underdog and have won 8 games in a row.
Matchup to watch: Utah State's Sam Merrill is a walking bucket (21.2 PPG; 27.2 over his last five), while Washington's Matisse Thybulle is arguably the nation's best defensive player.
The intrigue: Can Zion Williamson join the Triple Ones Club (player of the year, national title, No. 1 overall pick)? Only four players have ever done it: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, David Thompson and Anthony Davis.
Fun fact: Houston just capped off the program's first 31-win season since the 1983-84 campaign that saw the Cougars make the National Championship Game for the second straight year behind Hakeem Olajuwon.
Player to watch: Mississippi State's Quinndary Weatherspoon has the rare combination of shooting (39.8% from deep) and scoring (18.2 PPG) and can jump out the gym.
Fun fact: UNC is playing in its 50th NCAA tournament and the Tar Heels are a No. 1 seed for an NCAA-record 17th time. Talk about pedigree. Good luck to the Gaels.
The intrigue: Get ready for a l0w-scoring slugfest. VCU has the nation's seventh-best defense, per KenPom, and UCF has 7-feet-6-inches Tacko Fall patrolling the paint.
Player to watch: Marial Shayok transferred from UVA and turned into Iowa State's leading scorer in his first year with the Cyclones (18.3 PPG). He can fill it up from deep (39%) and rarely misses a free throw (88%).
Player to watch: Virginia Tech senior point guard Justin Robinson is returning from a left foot injury after missing 12 games. The Hokies are 17-3 when he plays and just 7-5 when he doesn't.
The U.S. men's national team beat Ecuador 1-0 yesterday, as Gregg Berhalter's perfect start (3-0) to his tenure as head coach continued.
Details: Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams, 20-year-olds who have become regulars in the Bundesliga, started together for the first time as Berhalter had the full player pool available. McKennie exited with an injury.
Watch: Gyasi Zardes scored a bizarre goal in the 81st-minute.
What's next: The U.S. will play the South American champs, Chile, on Tuesday in Houston.
5. 🏀 The women's tournament starts today, too!
Player to watch: Louisville's Asia Durr (2,404 career points) is one of the best players in the country and the likely No. 1 pick in the upcoming WNBA draft.
Hot streak: Belmont has won 18 of its last 19 games. An upset might not be likely here, but it's certainly a possibility.
Player to watch: Iowa center Megan Gustafson has been unguardable this season, leading the Big 10 in points (25.7) and rebounds (12.8).
Key injury: Marquette senior forward Erika Davenport is out for the tournament after suffering a knee injury in late February. Marquette is just 4-3 since she went down.
Fun fact: This is the first matchup between these two schools since 1995.
Player to watch: Texas A&M star guard Chennedy Carter is back after missing the entire conference tournament with a hand injury. She averaged 31 PPG in last year's Big Dance.
Player to watch: FSU forward Kiah Gillespie (16.2 PPG, 9.0 RPG) is the straw that stirs the Seminoles' drink.
Matchup to watch: The battle at guard between Missouri's Sophie Cunningham (18 PPG) and Drake's Becca Hittner (19.8 PPG) should be entertaining.
Player to watch: Buffalo's Cierra Dillard was the country's second-leading scorer this season (25.2 PPG).
The intrigue: Napheesa Collier (20.9 PPG, 10.5 RPG) and UConn are not happy about missing out on a No. 1 seed, so look for them to enact revenge tonight. Pray for Towson.
Storyline to watch: UCF might be better than its record would indicate. They lost six games this year, but three of them were to UConn.
Fun fact: Texas has won at least two tournament games in each of the last four seasons.
Fun fact: Clemson's last appearance in the tournament was in 2002. Before that, they had made 13 appearances in 14 years. Welcome back, Tigers.
Fun fact: This was the first year Mississippi State has ever won their conference tournament, and they did it while having to work in four new starters. It's been a special year in Stark Vegas.
Player to watch: Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu is a triple-double machine. She recorded seven this season (D-I record for both men and women) and has 17 for her career (also a record). So talented.
Trendy upset pick: FGCU is on a 19-game winning streak and nearly beat Miami at home this season, falling 62-60.
25 years ago today, the NFL officially adopted the two-point conversion rule, giving teams the option to run or pass for two points instead of kicking for an extra point after scoring a touchdown.
The decision came on the heels of 24% of points league wide coming from field goals, per the Chicago Tribune. Owners wanted to incentivize coaches to score touchdowns instead of kicking field goals.
St. Louis Blues winger Alex Steen joined his father Thomas (817) in the 600-point club last night.
Question: Can you name the other three father-son duos to accomplish this feat?
Hint: Two of the last names begin with the letter "H" and the other one begins with the letter "S."
Everything was cooler in the 90s. That includes ESPN2, which apparently used to broadcast paintball. Please enjoy.
The Braves are the most popular team in an MLB-best 515 counties. They also control the most "out-of-state counties" with 360, followed by the Royals (223) and Cardinals (205).
The Mariners, who control Alaska and much of the Pacific Northwest, are the team that covers the greatest land area.
Baseball allegiance in Pennsylvania is split among seven teams, more than any other state.
1. How many combined points and rebounds will Zion Williamson have vs. North Dakota State?
Know this: Since returning from injury, Zion is averaging 27 points and 10 rebounds per game. Season averages: 22.1 PPG, 8.9 RPG.
2. How many upsets according to seeding will there be today?
Know this: There were four yesterday, and over the last 10 NCAA Tournaments, there have been an average of 8.7 in the Round of 64.
3. How many points will Virginia defeat Gardner-Webb by?
Know this: Despite allowing 55.1 PPG this season, the lowest mark in the nation, the under is only 15-15 in the 30 games with an over/under listed this season for UVA.
Play now: Today's contest will be held within The Action Network app. Click here to play/download the app.
Prize: $50 Amazon gift card.
P.S. Congrats to this week's winners Allan Bronz0 (San Francisco) and Rob Van Auken (Cleveland Heights, Ohio). Allan has UNC winning the tourney, while Rob has Duke.


HE committed the worst atrocity in Norway since World War Two and his deeds still haunt the nation.
Here's what we know about neo-Nazi Anders Behring Breivik, whose horrifying slaughter is the subject of two new films.
Anders Behring Breivik, now 39, was born on February 13, 1979, in Oslo, Norway.
He was a rebellious teen who struggled with mental health issues after his parents divorced.
In July 2011 he killed 77 people in twin terror attacks on the same day.
He had written a chilling manifesto explaining his evil mission of slaughter.
Over 1,500 hate-filled pages, Breivik declared war on Muslims and vowed to bring down Western civilisation by the year 2083.
The next year he was convicted of mass murder and terrorism and sentenced to 21 years in jail.
If after that sentence he is still deemed a danger to society, Breivik could be handed more jail time.
The murderer has legally changed his name to Fjotolf Hansen while in prison.
He describes himself as a traditional neo-Nazi who prays to the Viking god Odin.
What were the 2011 Norway attacks?
Breivik claims he spent nine years planning the terror attacks on July 22, 2011.
He first set off a car bomb outside the government headquarters in Oslo, which killed eight people and wounded dozens of others.
Then Breivik dressed up as a police officer and drove to the island of Utoya 25 miles away where he shot dead 69 people the annual summer camp of the leftwing Labor party’s youth wing.
He surrendered to police before claiming to be the commander of a secret Christian military order plotting an anti-Muslim revolution in Europe.
What films have been made about the attacks?
In October 2018 two film-makers produced their individual responses to the atrocity.
Director Paul Greengrass' 22 July begins on that fateful day, and deals with Breivik's trial, his lawyer Geir Lippestad and Viljar Hanssen, a student who gives evidence after being shot five times.
Greengrass described the film as "a story about how Norway fought for her democracy".
Utoya - July 22 is focused on the victims, said Norwegian director Erik Poppe.
His film portrays one fictional girl's experience on the island of Utoya in one unbroken 90 minute take.
22 July is released in select cinemas and on Netflix on October 10, while Utoya - July 22 screens at the London Film Festival and opens in the UK on October 26.
Why did Anders Behring Breivik take the Norwegian authorities to court?
Breivik claimed that his human rights had been breached by being held in solitary confinement for five years.
After a prolonged court battle, he lost his appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in June 2018.
Norway says that strip searches and no contact with other inmates are justified for the extremist, who could be attacked by other prisoners or attack others.


The National Identity Management Commission has extended its enrolment programme to the United Arab Emirate and the United Kingdom following the success recorded in the launch of the programme in South Africa earlier in March.
A statement by Mr Loveday Ogbonna, NIMC Head of Corporate Communication, disclosed that the commission’s Director General, Mr Aliyu Aziz, said the enrolment would be done in collaboration with agents.
“The extension is in line with NIMC’s mandate to ensure that all Nigerian citizens in Nigeria and the diaspora and Legal Residents in Nigeria are enrolled into the National Identity Database and issued the unique National Identification Number to applicants upon successful enrolment.
”The NIN enrolment in UAE and the UK is in collaboration with the Defcon Systems Limited and the National eAuthentication Limited, Nigerian Companies licensed by the NIMC to serve as its agents, and carry out enrolment services across the globe with a view to ensuring best-in-class services and inclusivity,” he said.
Ogbonna said that the exercise would involve the demographic and biometrics data capture of all Nigerian citizens residing in the two countries.
The UAE programme is scheduled to take off on March 26 at the Online Integrated Solutions DMCC office, 22nd Floor, Silver Tower, cluster I Jumeirah Lake Towers Dubai, UAE.
Ogbonna further reiterated that the programme would make it easier for Nigerians in Diaspora to be identified as the Federal Government has made the possession of NIN a mandatory requirement for selected services.
These services included elections, Bank account opening, Land Transactions, access to Legal/health services, acquisition/renewal of the International Passport, Driver’s License and the ECOWAS travel document.


Every week we feature a selection of our favourite properties on the market in Aberdeen.
Today we’ve picked these three properties, all available from just £99,000.
This two-bedroom flat offers generous accommodation with excellent storage facilities in a quiet residential setting.
There is an inviting hall with a walk-in cupboard, which can be used as a walk-in dressing room or a study, spacious lounge, fully equipped kitchen, two well-proportioned double bedrooms and a family bathroom.
Benefitting from the modern comforts of gas central heating, double glazing and secure door entry system, this one-bedroom top floor flat is ideal for first time buyers and buy to let investors.
The property has an inviting hall, fully fitted contemporary kitchen, spacious and comfortable lounge, double bedroom and a modern shower room.
Situated at the end of a quiet residential street within the city centre, this two-bedroom top floor flat benefits from a security entrance system, well maintained communal hallway and allocated parking space.
The property has a generously sized lounge, modern breakfasting kitchen, two good sized double bedrooms and a bathroom fitted with a white three-piece suite.
Set within a quiet community, this two-bedroom family house comes with a garage and a garden.
The property has a large lounge with couches and a feature fireplace, spacious fully fitted kitchen, dining room, two generously-sized double bedrooms and a contemporary bathroom with a shower as well as a bath.


I’ll post notes here, this is also an open thread for the game in Mobile.
— The first big play of the game came from first round pick Marcus Davenport. He crushed Pittsburgh tackle Brian O’Neill, putting his blocker on skates and walking him back into Baker Mayfield for the sack. It was a perfect illustration of Davenport’s talents. He isn’t just a speed rusher who excelled against weaker opponents — he can win in multiple ways. It also highlighted how O’Neill is quite overrated. He has upside — but he’s raw and needs major work on his technique, hand use and set. It was an ugly rep for O’Neill. On the previous down Jaleel Scott (WR, New Mexico State) dropped an easy pass from Mayfield that was right on the money.
— Rashaad Penny made the first big play on offense. Ian Thomas (TE, Indiana) came across the line to make a key block on Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, the O-line all connected on their blocks and together it created a huge running lane. Penny took advantage, running right up the middle and making a 34-yard gain. Mike White (QB, Western Kentucky) looked really good on the drive, completing two big passes including a touchdown to UCF’s Tre’Quan Smith.


The NEA's Washington staff identified House members critical to the outcome of the vote, including those playing key roles in the debate and those still undecided. The union then flew in "Congressional contact teams'' from their home districts--at the national union's expense.
No other education group has a lobbying network as extensive and aggressively employed the NEA's-- and other groups do not pay the amateurs' expenses. But they all recognize the value of having constituents contact lawmakers.
"We find that in any Congressional office where we are really successful and they really listen to us, it's because they have ties to administrators back home who come and see them regularly,'' says Bruce Hunter, director of government relations for the American Association of School Administrators.
Much of the lobbying done by association and union members takes place at home, where they keep in frequent contact with their representatives by telephoning them, visiting their district offices, inviting them to school functions, and directing letterwriting campaigns at them. But it is also important "to make that homeWashington connection,'' says the NEA's Edwards.
Some education groups bring members to Washington every year for "legislative conferences,'' at which, in addition to lobbying, they listen to speakers from Congress and the Education Department.
State officials, administrators, and school-board members give similar answers when asked why they come: to learn what is going on in Washington that could affect them back home, and to be heard.
The National School Boards Association and the AASA schedule their major lobbying campaigns for January, when Congress sets its agenda for the coming year, although both groups occasionally bring in some members at times of pressing need.
The AASA assembles its "core group'' of about 90 politically active administrators in January to help chart the organization's course and influence Congress, Hunter says.


Walking next to Buffalo Gap full back David Mullins is a lot like walking next to a gentle giant.
BUFFALO GAP — Walking next to Buffalo Gap fullback David Mullins is a lot like walking next to a gentle giant.
At 6 feet, 220 pounds, he’s not your typical high school fullback.
When meeting him, the expectation is to meet someone fast and a little intimidating.
Instead, he comes off as a goofball who just loves the game and the guys he plays with.
And the notion that backs are typically closer to the ground with immense control over their center of gravity and have a 4-second 40-yard dash is one that Mullins doesn’t even come close to ascribing to.
His center of gravity is just as good as the next guy’s, but it’s his size that gives him more of an advantage than the average back.
His height lets him see over the line and downfield, and his size lets him play aggressive when punching through an opposing team’s line. He may not be the fastest guy on the field, but he’s got the strength to get into the end zone on a third-and-1 situation.
If we were talking NFL — which has stated the perfect back would be at least 5 feet 10, 215 to 225 pounds and has more power than speed — Mullins would be an ideal fullback for any number of teams.
But we’re talking high school, and it’s those same attributes that have made him such a threat to opposing teams’ defenses.
In the Bison’s game against Stuarts Draft last Friday, he picked up all three of the team’s touchdowns, with each run into the end zone longer than the last. And in the muddy, wet conditions that have been present for the last month, Mullins power has been critical on fourth down conversions for the team.
Even against a strong Riverheads team, Mullins couldn’t be contained — he managed two touchdowns against a team that’s still undefeated.
Aside from Mullins achievements on the field, this season has been one for him and the rest of the Bison to remember.
The team planned to go far, and fans knew it coming into the season, but with a 5-1 record at this point, the Bison have gotten to a point where they look like true contenders for a state title, something that wasn’t even imaginable three years ago.


Female vampires rule the Berlin club scene in We Are the Night, as evidenced in this stylish new trailer for the German horror movie. Directed by Dennis Gansel (The Wave), the film follows a trio of brassy bloodsuckers who recruit a fourth woman into their hard-partying gang. Things get ugly when the cops start to notice something’s amiss.
We Are the Night screens May 27 at New York’s reRun arthouse theater and will be available on video-on-demand on the IFC Midnight platform.


Irish golfer Padraig Harrington is trying to rediscover the form that won him three Major championships. In what might seem insane to observers, he plans to make 2,000 practice swings a day in the close season.
On the practice range, they watched Padraig Harrington. Not fans, but a few golfers, looking on in bewildered wonder. Every ball he hit in Indonesia last week was prefaced by roughly eight practice swings. Like a man haunted by the act of rehearsal. He's world No. 264, he used to win Majors, he's 43, he's trying to find his perfect self.
He's also off his brilliant head.
Harrington wins in Indonesia and says he's going to try and make almost 100,000 swings in the off-season. Roughly 2,000 a day. For 49 days. Lam Chih Bing, the Singaporean pro, who on his toughest days hit 1,000 balls, shakes his head smilingly down the phone line. He was watching in Indonesia and says of Harrington's plan in a tone that is part awe and part disbelief: "It's crazy. That's a lot of swings." Lam is almost 38 and says "my body couldn't take that".
Welcome to obsession, welcome to the off-season.
Welcome to Instagram, where athletes post photographs and videos of themselves in training. Caroline Wozniacki boasts about her leg press. Maybe this is fun, maybe there's a small message attached: I am working. Are you?
Welcome to pain. To a picture of Andy Murray in Miami, lying in the sand, spent, wasted. His trainer stands nearby. Laughing.
Somewhere next May, after a million rallies in 2015, Murray might win a match he shouldn't only because of the miles he's collected in his tank, only because he vomited in December.
Welcome to sacrifice, which is when famous folk embrace austerity. Basketball's Jimmy Butler told Sports Illustrated that in the summer off-season he rented a house a Spartan might flinch from inhabiting: no cable purposely. No Internet. "Whenever we got bored, all we would do is go to the gym."
Welcome to being better which is an ache, a compulsion, a neurosis. Yesterday I asked shooter Jasmine Ser if she had ever practised on Christmas Day. "Yes," she said. "And on my birthday. And on Valentine's Day." This month, says national coach Solomon Casoojee, the Singapore hockey team will be training in some form on Christmas Day. They're not quite familiar with off-seasons. Ask Casoojee how many days off they've had this year and he says: "Pretty much zero."
Welcome to ruthlessness. Athletes will loll in the sun and sneak chocolates, yet they're constantly making decisions that may define their year. Tennis players Simona Halep and Eugenie Bouchard celebrated quantum leaps in progress this year by changing their coaches. Craziness? Or are they just thinking: thank you for getting me to this level. Now who will take me to the next?
Welcome to old-fashioned sweat. Want to understand an athlete, forget the competition arena. Come to practice in the off-season. Bring a chair.
Rifle shooters at work will draw brilliant, repetitive designs on a target. Like golfers, their rehearsals look identical, yet not always. Subtle changes are work. Small alterations in trigger pressure. Tiny modifications of a follow through. Intensity is meeting invention.
They test diets. They examine themselves in labs. They experiment with new equipment. Some of them will err. Over-practise. Over-tinker. Overthink. Overdo the weights. Everything is a fine, delicate line. They're driven by ambition yet also by insecurity: they slave partly because, somewhere else, so is someone else. There's nothing quite like the fear of being left behind.
Welcome to loneliness. The off-season comes with no applause, only satisfaction. Interrupted only by the clunk of weights, improvement is built in silence. There is no single magic workout, no single perfect golf swing. As Harrington told Sports Illustrated in February: "The secret is, there is no secret. The secret is in the search."
That's what his 100,000 practice swings is about. Discovery of himself while investigating a game. Maybe he will find something. Maybe this is what illuminates sport, this insanity, this pure commitment, this undying optimism amid failure that yes, dammit, next year will be better.


Bummer. The Footsie is now in a correction.
Britain's FTSE 100 benchmark stock index fell to a new seven-month low on Thursday, taking it more than 10% below its record high in April.
That means the U.K. blue chip index has technically entered a correction.
All European markets were down Thursday, following a weak session in Asia. British markets have been hard hit by the market turmoil in China and the oil crash.
That's because the London index is heavily weighted towards mining and resource companies, which have been hit by the slowdown in commodities demand.
Shares in Anglo American (AAUKF) have fallen 38% this year, while Rio Tinto (RIO) and Glencore (GLCNF) have fallen by 21% and 45% respectively.
Oil companies have also taken a hit: Royal Dutch Shell (RDSA) is down 22%, and BP (BP) 11% so far this year.
The FTSE 100 has now lost nearly 3% so far in 2015.
The international nature of the companies in the index means its performance is not always an accurate reflection of the British economy. Indeed, UK GDP is still expected to grow by about 2.6% this year.
But inflation remains extremely low -- it was just 0.1% in July and 0% in June -- and growth will suffer if there's a global slowdown.
Investors have been nervous about China and the uncertainty surrounding when the Federal Reserve might raise official U.S. interest rates for the first time in almost a decade.


As part of Black History Month, the Smithville City Council honored its first African American fire chief by proclaiming Feb. 11, 2019, as Fire Chief James Elam Jr. Day.
Elam was born in Schulenburg and raised in Smithville. He said he always dreamed of being a firefighter, mainly to give back to his community.
He joined the Smithville fire department on Nov. 17, 1999, and rose through the ranks to be elected the department’s chief. He’s served as a firefighter, lieutenant, captain, assistant chief and chief.
According to the city’s proclamation, Elam became the Smithville fire department’s first black chief, and the first black fire chief in Bastrop County, in 2003. He served as chief from 2003 to 2006. He then served in different capacities in the department before being elected chief again in 2011.
In 2000, soon after joining the fire department, he was awarded a Purple Heart for saving a man’s life in a burning home that year. He helped lead the fire department through three major fires — 2009 Wilderness Ridge Fire, 2011 Bastrop County Complex Fire and 2015 Hidden Pines Fire.
Elam said Bastrop County’s three biggest fires in recent history left a mark in him. He said he fought everyday alongside his firefighters, and firefighters from departments across the state and nation, to extinguish the blazes, always praying for no injuries and no loss of life.
“I’ve never fought in Afghanistan or been in a war, but I bet you that’s pretty close,” he said.
The Bastrop County Complex Fire, which burned 34,000 acres, destroyed 1,600 homes and left two people dead, was the most destructive in the state’s history. The Hidden Pines Fire burned 4,600 acres north of Smithville and destroyed 64 homes. The Wilderness Ridge Fire burned 1,500 acres and destroyed 26 homes and 20 businesses.
Elam said his faith and his fellow firefighters kept him strong during those disasters.
“James Elam Jr. has demonstrated throughout his life and career a sense of deep responsibility, commitment and kindness whether it be for his family, his community or the fire service,” the proclamation states.
Elam, who has maintained a full-time job while volunteering at the fire department, did not run for re-election for chief this year. His term ended in September.
For now, Elam, who has dedicated 20 years of service to the fire department, remains an active firefighter department but is enjoying more time with his family.


CINCINNATI, Aug. 11, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LSI Industries Inc. (NASDAQ:LYTS) today announced that it expects fiscal 2015 net sales will be between $307 million and $308 million, net income will be between $4.9 and $5.2 million, and diluted earnings per share will be between $0.20 and $0.21. For the prior fiscal year net sales were $299 million, net income was $0.93 million, and diluted earnings per share was $0.04.
For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015, LSI Industries expects that net sales will be between $75.3 million and $76.3 million, net income between $1.4 million and $1.7 million, and diluted earnings per share between $0.06 and $0.07. For fourth quarter of the prior fiscal year, net sales were $73.9 million, the net loss was $(0.8) million, and the diluted loss per share was $(0.03).
LSI Industries expects to announce fiscal fourth quarter and full year 2015 operating results before the market opens on August 20, 2015.
Dennis W. Wells, Chief Executive Officer and President, said, "On behalf of the new management team and all of the LSI employees, I am very pleased to say that the turnaround actions and hard work to improve the profitability of the business have been very effective. Depending upon actual fiscal 2015 results, on a full year basis, the gross profit margin improved approximately 240 basis points from fiscal 2014 to fiscal 2015. The fourth quarter, in particular, improved from 21.3% during fiscal 2014 to approximately 25% during fiscal 2015 (depending upon actual fiscal 2015 results), an increase of about 370 basis points." Mr. Wells went on to say, "There remains the opportunity to further increase LSI's gross margin very substantially as we move forward. With the LSI Business System of management in place and functioning, our goal is to deliver continuous improvement in sales and profitability over the next several years."
LSI industries will be presenting at the Canaccord Genuity 2015 Growth Conference on Thursday, August 13th in Boston.
This document contains certain forward-looking statements that are subject to numerous assumptions, risks or uncertainties. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a safe harbor for forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “estimates,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “plans,” “expects,” “intends,” “believes,” “seeks,” “may,” “will,” “should” or the negative versions of those words and similar expressions, and by the context in which they are used. Such statements, whether expressed or implied, are based upon current expectations of the Company and speak only as of the date made. Actual results could differ materially from those contained in or implied by such forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of risks and uncertainties over which the Company may have no control. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the impact of competitive products and services, product demand and market acceptance risks, potential costs associated with litigation and regulatory compliance, reliance on key customers, financial difficulties experienced by customers, the cyclical and seasonal nature of our business, the adequacy of reserves and allowances for doubtful accounts, fluctuations in operating results or costs whether as a result of uncertainties inherent in tax and accounting matters or otherwise, unexpected difficulties in integrating acquired businesses, the ability to retain key employees of acquired businesses, unfavorable economic and market conditions, the results of asset impairment assessments, the Company’s ability to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, our ability to remediate any material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting and any other risk factors that are identified herein. You are cautioned to not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. In addition to the factors described in this paragraph, the risk factors identified in our Form 10-K and other filings the Company may make with the SEC constitute risks and uncertainties that may affect the financial performance of the Company and are incorporated herein by reference. The Company does not undertake and hereby disclaims any duty to update any forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
We are a vertically integrated manufacturer which combines technology, design and manufacturing to produce efficient, high quality lighting and graphics products. We are dedicated to advancing solid-state LED technology to make affordable, high performance, energy efficient lighting and custom graphic products that provide value to our customers. We offer design support, engineering, installation and project management for custom lighting and graphics rollout programs.
For further information, contact Dennis Wells, Chief Executive Officer and President at (513) 793-3200.
Additional note: Today’s news release, along with past releases from LSI Industries, are available on the Company’s internet site at www.lsi-industries.com or by email or fax, by calling the Investor Relations Department at (513) 793-3200.


The Newport High School Softball teams held a pre-season scrimmage on Tuesday, February 27th at George Kell Park. The Lady Greypups and Lady Hounds enjoyed the afternoon of competition. “Greyhound Softball vs. Greypup Softball included classmates vs. classmates, friends vs. friends, and daughter vs. father,” laughs Head Coach Kevin Pearce.


BEIJING — Attempts to block Beijing’s goal of bringing Taiwan under its control are like “stretching out an arm to block a car,” China said in its latest rhetorical broadside against the self-governing island republic’s independence-minded president.
The statement issued late Tuesday takes aim at Tsai Ing-wen's recent announcement of measures to counter China's "one country, two systems" framework for political unification with the island.
Spokesman for the Chinese Cabinet’s Taiwan Affairs Office An Fengshan accused Tsai of harming relations between the sides and using the welfare of the Taiwanese people as a “poker chip” for the sake of electoral gains.
Such actions "stand in opposition to the interests and welfare of our Taiwan compatriots, and endeavor to block progress by compatriots on both sides to progress," An said. "All it is, is stretching out an arm to block a car," he said, using a common Chinese expression to describe a futile action.
Tsai of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party was elected in a 2016 landslide, but has seen her approval ratings fall as she prepares to seek re-election next year.
In a meeting on national security Monday, Tsai said relations with China must be "viewed in a positive way, but only when the principle of equal dignity is safeguarded," according to the official Central News Agency.
Taiwan's legal and political institutions need strengthening and its military needs bolstering — including through bigger budgets — while economic competitiveness needs to be raised and greater outreach make to the international community to counter Beijing's isolation campaign, she said.
"As long as we stay united, national sovereignty, freedom and democracy will not be eroded, and 'one country, two systems' will not become the future of Taiwan," Tsai said.
China cut off contacts with Tsai’s government shortly after her election and has deployed a carrot-and-stick strategy to undercut her support among the island’s voters. That includes inducements for Taiwanese to live and work in China by offering them local legal status, appealing especially to young creatives and technology workers frustrated by Taiwan’s small market and stagnant wages.
It has backed that up with a drive to poach away Taiwan's dwindling number of diplomatic allies, leaving it with just 17, blocking its participation in international gatherings and stepping-up its saber rattling through wargames and threatening statements from leading military figures.
Those include president and ruling Communist Party Xi Jinping, who commands the armed forces, and in a January address renewed the threat of military action against the island. He received further endorsement from members of the Beijing-appointed Taiwan delegation to this month’s annual meeting of China’s ceremonial legislature, none of whom come from Taiwan or have any more than tenuous connections to the island.
Xi "will not allow (unification) to be postponed indefinitely," Hong Kong's South China Morning Post newspaper quoted delegate Cai Peihui as saying.
China’s strategy and impatience with Tsai’s administration among Taiwanese voters seems to be having an effect. The DPP took a beating in November’s local elections, and public opinion surveys put her approval rating at around 25 percent.
While Taiwanese increasingly favor closer economic ties and exchanges with Taiwan, the island's 23 million residents as a whole remain overwhelmingly opposed to political unification with China.
Although the U.S. cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of China 40 years ago, it remains a strong Taiwanese ally and is legally committed to consider threats to the island a matter of deep concern.
Support for Taiwan has remained strong under President Donald Trump and the island’s request for new warplanes and other armaments have been seen as receiving a friendly reception in Washington, which is at loggerheads with Beijing over trade and other issues.


The Republican proposal totaled $35 million; Roy Cooper's plan involves $130 million for schools and school safety.
HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. -- Democratic Governor Roy Cooper defended his spending proposal for schools and school safety while condemning Republican plans unveiled Thursday.
“It’s just not enough,” Cooper said of the Republican proposal that totals $35 million.
Cooper, who made his remarks while touring J.M. Alexander Middle School, proposed spending $130 million on schools and school safety.
“These investments begin the process of providing our state the necessary resources to safeguard our children’s mental and physical health," said state representative John Torbett from Gaston County as he defended the Republican plan.
Cooper said the Republicans don’t have their priorities straight and favor cutting taxes for big businesses over education.
“They want to make sure that corporations get the breaks. I say we invest that in public education. I say we invest it in school safety,” Cooper said.
Asked how he could win a budget battle in the legislature where Republicans are in the majority in both houses, Cooper echoed the chant teachers used during their rally last week in Raleigh: “November is coming,” he said.


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Staff writers Annie Martin and Tony Holt were eager for a lunchtime excursion, so they drove from The News-Journal's Palm Coast bureau across the bridge to Flagler Beach, where they stopped at the Salty Dog Lunch Spot.
The Salty Dog is a cozy, quirky place to stop for a bite that's an easy walk from the city's pier or the beach. If you want to sit outside, as we did, there's a handful of umbrella-covered tables. The place is small but eye-catching, with brightly colored walls adorned with beach-themed decorations like a set of swimming area dividers. Beachgoers who walk here in shorts and flip-flops will feel right at home. Service is leisurely, which made for a refreshing long lunch on a mild fall day.
You'll find a broad selection of sandwiches, wraps, salads and quesadillas here. Annie ordered the Lemon Pepper Chicken Caesar Salad, which comes with tender, flavorful grilled chicken and crispy homemade croutons. The lettuce was fresh and crisp, the foundation for a great salad. Tony ordered the Spicy Chicken and Cheddar Wrap, a tortilla stuffed with chipotle pepper sauce, ranch dressing, lettuce and tomato. He reported the chicken was juicy and the sauce had the right amount of kick for his tastes. The wraps and sandwiches are served with potato chips and deli salad on the side.
Annie enjoyed her salad, but on her next trip, will be more adventurous and try the Baked Southern Squash and Cheese Casserole or the Mediterranean Flat Grill, which comes with grilled feta cheese, garlic, spinach and tomatoes folded into a spinach tortilla with a side of olives and balsamic vinaigrette.
Prices are reasonable here — most salads, sandwiches and wraps run between $7 and $9. Remember to stop at the ATM first though, because the Salty Dog accepts cash only. Our tab came to $18.08 before tip.


This summer, more than 300 teenagers throughout Washington will hit the road to pick up litter and protect the environment with the Ecology Youth Corps.
“The Ecology Youth Corps is a terrific first job for young people, and it’s a way they can give back by protecting the environment in their communities,” said Peter Christiansen, who oversees EYC for the Washington Department of Ecology.
In 2017, EYC crews cleaned more than 5,000 miles of roads and picked up more than 1.1 million pounds of litter.
Applications are now being accepted for summer EYC work. You can apply online and also find schedules, crew locations and other information atwww.ecology.wa.gov/eyc. Applications are due by early April.
Those chosen will typically work on a crew near their home, earning $11.50 per hour for a four-week session in either early or late summer. EYC has more than 30 crews across the state, so most young people will be able to begin and end their day at a location near their home.


An injured fireman and a resident were rescued from a fire that ripped up the front of a three-story Union Street home Wednesday afternoon.
BOONTON — An injured firefighter and a resident were rescued from a fire that ripped up the front of a three-story Union Street home Wednesday afternoon.
The firefighter, who was stuck on the roof, was rescued by the Rapid Intervention Crew from the Lake Hiawatha Fire Department.
"They did a great job," Boonton Fire Department Chief Ed Robillard said. "They cut a hole in the roof, pulled him through, pulled him down three stories and out. He's being evaluated at the hospital for severe fatigue, but as of now, it appears he will be alright."
The female resident was evacuated out of the back of the home after attempting to get out through the front.
"She appears to be OK," said Robillard, who was unsure whether she was removed by police or firefighters..
Rocio Salinas, who lives a few doors down from the fire scene on Union Street, said she was outside walking with her children when they started to smell smoke.
"Then I saw a lot of smoke coming out of the windows," she said. "Then the fire. Oh my God, the fire. First floor, second floor, then the third floor. I called 911 and in less than 30 seconds, they were here."
Robillard said his department was called to the fire at 3:56 p.m. and called a second alarm when police confirmed it was an active fire.
The second alarm brought in additional support from Parsippany District 5, Mount Tabor, Boonton Township, Mountain Lakes, Montville and Morris Plains.
Salinas did not know the occupants of the home. Several neighbors worried about a dog that lived in the home, but another neighbor said the dog was in a kennel.
Most of the damage was confined to the exterior of the home, which was deemed uninhabitable.
Robillard said the cause of the fire was undetermined and was being investigated by the Boonton Police Department.


Latest in "25 years on - lessons for Europe?"
The EU is advancing its image as a 'benevolent neighbour' and 'democracy promoter.' Is this a reflection of reality, or good public relations?
Islamophobia, a foreseeable consequence of ultra-liberalism?
Islamophobia does not result from a specific strategy to create the ideal scapegoat, but Muslims came in opportunely to fulfil this function within ultra-liberal European societies.
The joint editors of Europe – the very idea introduce the next stage of their project – a discussion inspired by the Czech philosopher and political dissident Jan Patočka. An invitation to discussion.
After 1989, within two decades, the hitherto ‘dormant’ authoritarian, leader-worshipping, order-obsessed right-wing mentality has gradually found its way to the surface. Its institutional shape is precisely impossible to define.
When much of the world pays no lip service to democratic values, it would be a great disaster if countries in the heart of Europe were to turn away.
The collapse of the USSR was the occasion for much rejoicing. But 25 years later, there is not much to cheer about.
European identity was the negative construct of a Europe torn apart by world war. It was a negative outcome of an attempt to forge a European identity in the Cold War, squeezed, as Europe was, by the rivalry of the USA and USSR. But negative cultural formation cannot carry the day.
Which spy agency would you choose to monitor your life, asks Goran Fejic.
To mark the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, we have a true story from its early days. It is about a young man's rites of passage, but also an era of deception, self-deception and co-option, when those who made the journey to the other side could be turned by the Cold War into weapons.


Garda officers at the scene of the shooting of Eddie Hutch on Poplar Row in Dublin’s North Strand. Two journalists at Independent News & Media hwho have been reporting on recent gang violence have had threats made on their lives, the group’s editor-in-chief said. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire.
A newspaper editor has said it is frightening to think that journalists are having threats made on their lives some 20 years after the murder of Veronica Guerin.
Independent News & Media (INM) editor-in-chief Stephen Rae was speaking after it emerged that two of the group’s journalists had been threatened by criminal gangs following the recent gangland violence in Dublin.
David Byrne and Eddie Hutch were killed in shootings at the Regency Hotel and Popular Row respectively in the last week.
Mr Rae said gardaí visited the group’s headquarters to warn a journalist of a security threat against them. Days later, gardaí said the threat had been increased and extended to another colleague.
“It is a pernicious threat and the very fact that gangland leaders would be making threats again reflects the seriousness of the situation. It is a very live threat,” he told Newstalk.
Mr Rae said although the group had four journalists who took photographs and reported at the boxing weigh-in at the Regency Hotel last Friday, this was not the reason for the threats.
“The situation as it is now has nothing to do whatever with those photographs. Journalists are being threatened simply for reporting the details of the gangland feud,” he said.
Mr Rae referred to his former colleagues Martin O’Hagan, who was killed in 2001, and Veronica Guerin, who was murdered by a Dublin crime gang in June 1996.
“It’s frightening to think 20 years on we’re back to the same scenario that reporters being threatened for doing their jobs,” he said.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny said he “deplored and condemned” any threat to journalism, describing freedom of the press as “one of the pillars of a functioning democracy”.
The National Union of Journalists’ Irish secretary, Seamus Dooley, said the threats were “shocking”.


Leigh Ann Caldwell writes that Republicans are worried by the shift of the Koch network away from Trump.
The Washington Post writes on the growing concern that the United States isn’t ready to prevent Russian interference in the midterms.
Here’s the first round of candidates endorsed by Barack Obama.
CA-GOV: Gavin Newsom has been far outpacing John Cox in fundraising.
FL-GOV: ICYMI: Bernie Sanders endorsed Andrew Gillum.
MA-7: Mike Capuano is still leading in the closely-watched primary against Ayanna Pressley.
MI-GOV: Bernie Sanders will stump for Abdul El-Sayed.
OH-12: The latest Monmouth poll shows the race between Balderson and O’Connor in a dead heat days before Trump goes to the district to campaign.
And POLITICO notes that the race may end up being a referendum on Trump v. Pelosi.
TN-SEN: NBC’s Lauren Egan writes about how Marsha Blackburn is set to make history in Tennessee.
TX-SEN: New polling could be good news for Beto O’Rourke.
Follow along with the Manafort trial with NBC here.
The prosecution in Mueller’s case has been highlighting his lavish spending.
Robert Mueller is indicating that he’s willing to cut down the number of questions he’d ask Trump in an interview. And the New York Times reports that Trump is still pushing for an interview against his lawyers’ advice.
A new lawsuit charges that Trump’s undermining of the ACA is unconstitutional, writes NBC’s Heidi Przybyla.
TSA is looking at a plan that would cut security checkpoints at small airports, according to the Washington Post.
Garrett Haake and Kailani Koenig report from Ohio on how a Whirlpool plant is handling Trump tariffs.
The Wall Street Journal has the latest on Trump’s new threat to more than double proposed tariffs with China.


Tons of plastic waste are swamping Asia so quickly that many landfills could be overrun soon. Entrepreneurs and governments in Asia are willing to put money on technology that converts plastic back to its main component - oil - to save the environment.
In the North Pacific Ocean lies a large pool of plastic waste half the size of Texas, weighing 300 million tons, and a massive threat to marine life. The waste was transported by ocean currents from North Asia and North America.
Doug Woodring leads Project Kaisei, a small group of conservationists and entrepreneurs from Hong Kong, London and California.
The United Nations recently recognized the group for its studies on how to capture the plastic in the Pacific and turn it into diesel fuel.
But recycling plastic is only the beginning of the project's mission. After all, scientists say 80 percent of all debris in the ocean comes from land.
"A lot of countries don't have a lot of landfill space [so they] either burn the trash or throw it into the water," Woodring said.
Landfills all over the world, like this one in Thailand's Rayong municipality, are running out of space. Expanding urban areas can not accommodate new landfills.
Santivipa Phanichkul, an environmentalist and executive of Single Point Energy and Environment, has a solution for Rayong. "The technology will cut the molecule into a chain of oil and gas. It transforms the plastic back into its original form," Phanichkul said.
Up to 10 tons of plastic waste, such as shopping bags and parts of appliances, toys, computers and office equipment, can be fed into this machine in a day. It produces up to 28 barrels of liquid fuel a day that is sold to oil refineries.
"It is my intention to put the idea [forward]; to make the government adopt the policy in turning plastic waste into energy because Thailand has so much of plastic waste - approximately a minimum of 2.5 million tons per year," Panichkul states.
The machine costs nearly $2 million.
"You can have it paid back within five years," Panichkul adds, "You get money and you get a better environment, make it as simple as that."
Despite the cost, two other towns in Thailand are adopting the technology - a sign that governments will pay for a cleaner environment.


Pennsylvania’s Legislature adopted a patently unconstitutional electoral district map following the 2010 census. Its rejection by the state Supreme Court resulted in an embarrassing two-year delay in setting new legislative and congressional districts — which remain badly gerrymandered.
Gerrymandering is the practice by which politicians craft voting districts based on political advantage, in effect selecting their own voters to preserve their own power. Lawmakers acted for their own benefit in 2011 even after the Supreme Court of the United States ruled against gerrymandering in a Texas case that was decided in 2006. And, since 2011, the Pennsylvania Legislature has maintained the same redistricting system even though the Supreme Court and other federal courts have created a substantial catalog of rulings that favor fair redistricting over gerrymandering.
In the most recent ruling, last November, a federal district court in Wisconsin threw out a gerrymandered redistricting plan.
“We find that the discriminatory effect is not explained by the political geography of Wisconsin nor is it justified by a legitimate state interest,” the majority opinion said. The state government has appealed to the Supreme Court.
The Wisconsin case is particularly significant because it relied partially on a new analytical tool, “the efficiency gap,” to measure the discriminatory effect of gerrymandering.
That deals with two prime means of gerrymandering — packing a district with most a region’s voters of one party or another or one race, or scattering those voters among multiple districts. In either case, the effect is to dilute the impact of a particular group of voters.
For packing, see Northeastern Pennsylvania. A large majority of Democratic voters are concentrated in the 17th Congressional District, a convoluted, meandering district that picks off most urban areas in the region. That, in turn, guarantees substantial Republican majorities in the neighboring 10th and 11th Districts.
Gerrymandering is a major factor in today’s poisonous politics and paralyzed governance.
In this session, the state Legislature should adopt a state constitutional amendment to create a nonpartisan redistricting commission so that it will be in place to handle the job after the 2020 census.


Australia toughened oversight of politicians' expenses on Friday after a senior minister quit over the purchase of a luxury flat during a taxpayer-funded trip.
[SYDNEY] Australia toughened oversight of politicians' expenses on Friday after a senior minister quit over the purchase of a luxury flat during a taxpayer-funded trip.
Public outrage has been building over revelations Health Minister Sussan Ley bought a A$795,000 (S$849,000) apartment on the glitzy Gold Coast during an official work trip - which she claimed was an impulse buy.
Ms Ley stepped aside earlier this week amid an investigation and resigned Friday.
This and further revelations of other ministers claiming expenses to attend sporting events sparked the move by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to set up an independent agency to administer and oversee all claims by parliamentarians.
As part of the changes, expenses would be disclosed monthly and be accessible in an searchable database. Under the current system, expenses are disclosed twice a year.
"I am firmly of the view that transparency is the key. Sunlight is the best medicine," Mr Turnbull told reporters in Sydney.
He said the new body would mimic Britain's model, which was established in 2009 following a parliamentary expenses scandal where several MPs were jailed.
"It will make a very important change to the way in which expenses are undertaken, and, indeed, the way in which they are recorded and the way in which they are reviewed," he added.
This is not the first time the ruling conservative Liberal-National coalition - which was narrowly returned to power after elections in July last year - has been rocked by an expenses scandal.
Parliamentary Speaker Bronwyn Bishop resigned in Aug 2015 after using taxpayers' money for trips, including spending A$5,000 on an 80-kilometre helicopter ride for a political fundraiser.
Then prime minister Tony Abbott's delay in removing Ms Bishop, who was seen as his political mentor, in part contributed to his eventual ouster by Mr Turnbull the following month.
Mr Turnbull said recommendations that stemmed from a review after Ms Bishop's scandal would continue to be implemented.
"We should be, as politicians, backbenchers and ministers, we should be as careful and as accountable with taxpayers' money as we possibly can be," he said, adding that he would announce Ms Ley's replacement next week.
"We are dealing with other people's money."
Penny Wong, the opposition Labour's acting leader with Bill Shorten on holiday, said her party gave in-principle support to Mr Turnbull's reforms.


Lazar Fleishman came to Stanford in 1985 after a distinguished career at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has also been a Visiting Professor at UC-Berkeley, Yale, Harvard, University of Texas at Austin, the Russian State University for the Humanities in Moscow, Charles University in Prague and the University of Latvia in his native Riga. His major scholarly interests include 19th and 20th century Russian literature; Boris Pasternak; 20th century Russian emigre and Soviet culture and literary life; Russian avant-garde poetry and art; Russian-Jewish, Russian-Baltic and Russian-Polish cultural relationships; poetics; and archival research.
He co-edited a collection of articles, Pushkinskaia konferentsiia v Stenforde (The 1999 Pushkin Conference at Stanford), published in 2001 in Moscow. In winter 2002, he organized a series of lectures by visitors from Riga on Latvian culture. He is currently editing for our department's series of "Stanford Slavic Studies" a forthcoming collection of works by a Russian emigre, Solomon Bart, who lived in Warsaw and perished in the Wasrsaw ghetto. He is also working on a monograph on the history of Russian journalism in exile (1920's-1930's).


Vera Bradley Inc.'s stock could be in for a rough ride in premarket trade Wednesday, once a trading halt is lifted at 8:30 a.m Eastern, after the handbags and accessories seller missed profit and sales expectations and provided a downbeat outlook. For the quarter ended May 2, the company swung to a net loss of $4.1 million, or 10 cents a share, from $6.6 million, or 16 cents a share in the year-earlier period. Adjusted earnings, which exclude one-time severance and restructuring charges, were breakeven on a per-share basis, missing the FactSet consensus for earnings of 2 cents a share. Revenue fell to $101.1 million from $112.2 million, below the FactSet consensus of $105.3 million, amid disappointing direct segment sales and lower promotional activity. "We are not attracting enough new customers to the brand, and traffic and sales are still very challenging," said Chief Executive Robert Wallstrom. Looking ahead, the company expects fiscal second-quarter revenue of $116 million to $120 million and full-year revenue of $480 million to $495 million, below FactSet consensus estimates of $121.2 million and $512.7 million, respectively. The stock has tumbled 31% year to date, while the S&P 500 has gained 2.5%.


Should Investors Buy Apple (AAPL) Stock?
HomeNewsShould Investors Buy Apple (AAPL) Stock?
Many Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) investors have doubts about the company’s ability to keep high margins in a commoditized smartphone market as a way of regaining its trillion-dollar market cap status. On Jan. 3, Apple’s stock bottom fell out with the ticker printing a 52-week low of $142 per share. The plunge came after Apple CEO Tim Cook warned investors that Cupertino would fall notably short of its guidance for the first in time in 16 years. While AAPL has since climbed back – trading at $170.50 as of 11:09 am ET – many investors remain skeptical about the stock.
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), however, disagrees.
In a research note, reported on by CNBC, the bank, after mentioning the tech giant’s “better than feared” March guidance, predicted that Apple shares could jump 27% to $211 this year based on the strength of the services division. Analyst Katy Huberty said a slew of new services launching in 2019, including Apple’s plans to launch a “media bundle”, would be a major driver for the stock and prove that there is life beyond the iPhone.
Huberty estimated that the “media bundle”, comprised of music, TV streaming and a Texture news subscription, could add 2 percentage points annually to Apple’s services revenue through 2025, “helping to drive a 5 percent revenue and 12 percent earnings per share (EPS) annual growth rate through 2023”.
Huberty also believes Apple’s stock could gain value by an expansion of its payments and advertising business and an increase in share buybacks.
“After repurchasing $8.8 billion of stock in the December quarter, below the prior $20 billion run-rate, we see a more active buyback program helping re-rate shares, as investors better understand the stabilization path for iPhone and impact of new services,” Huberty wrote.
On Tuesday, Apple announced its earnings for the first quarter of 2019. The tech giant said total revenues came in at $84.3 billion, including $51.98 billion in iPhone sales. While iPhone revenue was down by 15%, services revenues jumped 19%, giving investors reasons to believe that Cupertino is not a one-trick pony company but rather a tech juggernaut with plenty of innovative products in store.