Supermarkets throughout the Chicago area are routinely selling seafood highly contaminated with mercury, a toxic metal that can cause learning disabilities in children and neurological problems in adults, a Tribune investigation has found.
In one of the nation's most comprehensive studies of mercury in commercial fish, testing by the newspaper showed that a variety of popular seafood was so tainted that federal regulators could confiscate the fish for violating food safety rules.
The testing also showed that mercury is more pervasive in fish than what the government has told the public, making it difficult for consumers to avoid the problem, no matter where they shop.
It is not by happenstance that contaminated fish can be found on shelves and at seafood counters throughout the region, from small neighborhood shops on the South Side to sprawling supermarket chain stores in the northwest suburbs.
The Tribune's investigation reveals a decades-long pattern of the U.S. government knowingly allowing millions of Americans to eat seafood with unsafe levels of mercury.
Regulators have repeatedly downplayed the hazards, failed to take basic steps to protect public health and misled consumers about the true dangers, documents and interviews show.
The government does not seize high-mercury fish that violate U.S. limits. Regulators do not even inspect seafood for mercury--not in ports, processing plants or supermarkets.
In fact, federal officials have tested so few fish that they have only a limited idea of how much mercury many species contain, government data show. For example, the government has tested just four walleye and 24 shrimp samples since 1978. The newspaper tested more samples of commercial walleye than the government has in the last quarter-century.
The fishing industry also has failed consumers. The newspaper's investigation found that U.S. tuna companies often package and sell a high-mercury tuna species as canned light tuna--a product the government specifically recommends as a low-mercury choice.
The consequence is that eating canned tuna--one of the nation's most popular foods--is far more hazardous than what the government and industry have led consumers to believe.
Medical experts agree that, on balance, eating fish is good for most people. Seafood is a low-fat source of protein, and some fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are thought to help prevent heart disease.
And Americans have responded to the idea that fish is healthy: Per capita seafood consumption hit an all-time high last year.
But for high-risk groups--young children, pregnant women, nursing mothers and women who could get pregnant--some fish might do more harm than good. Mercury can damage the central nervous system of children, causing subtle delays in walking and talking as well as decreased attention span and memory.
Adults can experience headaches, fatigue, numbness in the hands and feet, and a lack of concentration. Some studies suggest that men also face an increased risk of heart attacks.
No one knows how many people in the U.S. have been harmed by mercury in fish. But a recent government study estimated 410,000 babies are born each year at risk for mercury poisoning because of high levels in their mothers' bodies.
The Tribune's testing suggests that many people unknowingly are putting themselves at risk.
The newspaper randomly selected supermarket chain stores and fish markets in the Chicago area and bought 18 samples each of eight kinds of fish, including two types of canned tuna. The samples were sent for analysis to a laboratory at Rutgers University, which has performed some of the nation's only studies of mercury in store-bought seafood.
In the Tribune tests, some popular fish, such as swordfish, showed extremely high levels of mercury; other fish, such as salmon, had low amounts. Mercury levels varied widely in most kinds of fish tested, sometimes spiking far higher in individual samples than the averages reported by the government.
High levels also were found in two species for which the government has not issued consumer warnings: orange roughy and walleye.
Many of the walleye contained so much mercury that the country supplying it, Canada, could ban the fish from being sold within its borders because the contamination violated Canadian safety standards.
Some samples of grouper, tuna steak and canned tuna were so high in mercury that millions of American women would exceed the U.S. mercury exposure limit by eating just one 6-ounce meal in a week. This conclusion is based on applying a federal formula for the acceptable amount of mercury in the bloodstream to a 161-pound woman, the government's estimated average weight of a U.S. female of childbearing age.
The simple question "Is fish safe to eat?" depends on many factors. What kinds of fish do you eat? How much do you eat? How often do you eat it? How much do you weigh?
Avoiding mercury-contaminated fish is further complicated by the fact that the metal is ubiquitous in the world's oceans, lakes and rivers. So it likely does not matter who catches the seafood, processes it or sells it. In fact, many supermarket chains share the same suppliers.
With environmental groups and some state officials calling for mercury warnings in supermarkets, Jewel, Dominick's and other major chains have begun to post advisories. But these chains cannot tell shoppers how much mercury is in any particular piece of fish.
Shoppers have no way of knowing, for instance, if one piece of orange roughy in a supermarket display case has a widely different amount of mercury than the orange roughy fillet next to it. The same is true for canned tuna and many other kinds of fish.
No federal testing program exists for mercury, and scientists can provide only estimates of contamination based on limited sampling.
Officials with the Food and Drug Administration, which is responsible for the safety of commercial seafood, told the Tribune that the agency has neither the time nor the money to routinely test fish. They also said the government's task of protecting consumers is complex.
"If fish were only bad, this would be easy," said David Acheson, the FDA's chief medical officer. "But fish have many benefits."
Last year, the FDA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency jointly issued an advisory that told pregnant women, young children and other at-risk groups not to eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish because of high mercury levels. The warning also cautioned those groups to limit their overall fish consumption to 12 ounces a week, including no more than 6 ounces of canned albacore tuna.
The nation's overall food safety system has been repeatedly criticized for flawed inspections and limited enforcement. But several government studies have singled out the FDA for not doing enough to ensure fish is safe to eat.
The FDA, for instance, does not require exporting countries to maintain safety, sanitation and inspection programs comparable with the U.S. system, even though 80 percent of the seafood that Americans consume is imported. By contrast, the Department of Agriculture, which monitors meat and poultry, requires every exporter to meet such standards.
For its part, the seafood industry stresses the health benefits of eating fish. Industry representatives told the Tribune that tough mercury warnings would not encourage consumers to eat fish that are less contaminated. Instead, the industry fears such warnings would simply scare people away from seafood altogether.
"If you stop eating tuna, it's not like you start eating a salmon sandwich. No one does that," said John Stiker, who until recently was an executive vice president of Bumble Bee Seafoods, a leading canned tuna company. "They end up eating some other kind of sandwich. And I got to tell you, there's nothing good about ham for a pregnant mom and her baby. Nothing."
Almost all the mercury that people are exposed to comes from eating fish. And almost all fish contain some amounts of the metal, much of which falls into oceans, lakes and streams from air pollution.
Some of that pollution can travel around the world before falling to the ground. So emissions from a factory in China can pollute a lake in America and vice versa. Mercury also occurs naturally in rock and soil and is continually being released into the oceans through erosion and underwater volcanoes.
In water, bacteria chemically alter mercury, creating a highly toxic form called methylmercury, which the tiniest fish eat or absorb. As bigger fish eat smaller fish, mercury accumulates up the food chain, with the largest predators, such as shark and swordfish, generally containing the most.
At the top of the food chain are people. And because mercury passes easily through the placenta and can harm the developing nervous system, fetuses and small children are most vulnerable to its effects.
Many experts now believe that even tuna-fish sandwiches--a favorite of the American diet--can be risky for children.
"The fact that we poisoned our air and our oceans to such an extent that we can't eat a damn tuna sandwich is just diabolical," said Ayelet Waldman, a noted mystery author whose daughter was diagnosed with mercury poisoning at age 5 after frequently eating tuna.
"You spend so much time as a parent making the world safe for your children," Waldman said. "We strap 75 different kinds of helmets on our kids, and here I was exposing [her to a] neurotoxin in the food I was giving her because I thought it was healthier."
Solving the mercury problem ultimately will require reducing levels of the pollutant in the environment, according to the National Academy of Sciences, the nation's leading scientific advisory body. For now, though, the academy says consumers can best protect themselves by eating low-mercury fish.
The importance of avoiding mercury-laden seafood was underscored by a study released this fall by researchers from Harvard Medical School.
Children born to women who ate fish during their pregnancies did better on tests of memory and visual recognition, the study found. But if mothers had high levels of mercury in their bodies--mercury absorbed from the fish they ate--their children posted lower scores than those whose mothers ate less-tainted fish.
Other studies suggest the heart benefits of eating fish might be offset by mercury. Though the American Heart Association recommends eating fish twice a week to "benefit heart health," two major European studies found that mercury exposure can increase the risk of fatal heart attacks in men.
Waldman, of Berkeley, Calif., said that when her daughter, Sophie, was 5, she seemed to stop learning. She had trouble sounding out words she had already learned. She forgot how to tie her shoes.
During a heavy metals screening in 2000, Sophie showed high mercury levels, her mother said. After Sophie's mother consulted with a San Francisco internist, Dr. Jane Hightower, one of Sophie's favorite meals was identified as the culprit: She was eating a tuna sandwich a week made with canned albacore. Further tests by Hightower confirmed high mercury levels in Sophie, the doctor said.
When Sophie quit eating tuna, she started learning again, her mother said. "She seemed to us like she was a different kid."
Mercury does not stay in the body forever, Hightower said. It takes six months to a year for the metal to leave a person's bloodstream.
Hightower is one of the few American physicians who have diagnosed and treated people with elevated mercury levels. After discovering that some of her patients had complaints suggesting mercury poisoning, such as headaches, fatigue and loss of concentration, she tested 123 children and adults who had symptoms or who reported eating fish.
In a peer-reviewed study published in 2003, Hightower reported that 89 percent of the patients showed high mercury levels in their blood.
Many of the patients, she said, were wealthy professionals who dined out frequently or ate fish as part of a workout regimen. Most, she said, were unaware of the risks.
"I was incredibly surprised," said Arnold Michael, 48, a videographer in Ft. Lauderdale who developed dizzy spells after eating tuna steaks and canned tuna at least four times a week. "I was just bingeing on it."
Tests showed he had high mercury levels, and he contacted Hightower for help. "I was eating fish," Michael said. "I thought I was doing myself good."
Testing by the Tribune showed that a variety of fish that consumers might assume are relatively safe actually contain high levels of mercury.
For example, 15 of the orange roughy samples the Tribune bought had high levels.
The testing also indicates mercury levels can vary widely even within a given species. A sample of orange roughy from Dominick's in suburban Crestwood had seven times more mercury than a piece from Jewel on North Elston Avenue in Chicago.
Though some of the Tribune's results were in line with previous limited U.S. sampling, others represented the first thorough testing of certain fish in years.
The FDA has tested only four walleye samples since 1978, 14 fewer than the Tribune. The newspaper found that walleye averaged 0.51 parts of mercury per million parts of fish tissue.
That may sound like a tiny amount, but mercury is so toxic that, by one estimate, a teaspoon of the metal is enough to contaminate a small lake. The amount the Tribune found in walleye, which was imported from Canada, is above the limit at which Canadian officials can ban fish from sale within that country's borders.
Four of the walleye samples were even above the much weaker U.S. limit of 1 part per million.
In an interview earlier this year, Canadian officials said their own testing in Lake Erie, where almost all of the country's walleye exports originate, showed there was no reason for concern.
"Why should we spend resources looking for a problem we know doesn't exist?" said John Hoeve, a senior policy officer for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
When told later about the Tribune test results, Hoeve said he was surprised the newspaper found mercury levels in some Canadian walleye that exceeded the U.S. standard. "I fully expected fish over the Canadian limit, but I wouldn't have expected those kind of numbers," he said.
People buying fishing licenses are given mercury warnings for walleye and other freshwater fish, but the federal government does not require such advisories in American supermarkets--even if the fish comes from the same waters.
The nation's divided oversight of fish safety helps explain the discrepancy. State environmental agencies and the EPA oversee recreationally caught fish, while the FDA is responsible for commercial fish. And the FDA has not extensively tested fish or issued comprehensive mercury warnings.
Agency officials said not enough walleye is consumed nationwide to merit their attention, even though the fish is popular in the Midwest. "Walleye just isn't going to be high on our radar screens," Acheson said.
In the Tribune's testing, walleye and orange roughy averaged below the government's do-not-sell limit of 1 part per million, but still high enough that a 161-pound woman should eat no more than 3.2 ounces of orange roughy and 3.5 ounces of walleye in a week.
The FDA has issued warnings for canned albacore tuna, which has averaged 0.35 parts per million in the agency's testing. Yet the agency has not issued warnings for orange roughy, which averaged 0.57 parts per million in the Tribune testing, or walleye, which was at 0.51.
When the FDA issued its mercury warning last year--an advisory posted on its Web site but not required in stores--the agency did not include some fish it knew had high levels of the toxic metal. Officials said they wanted to keep the advice simple.
If consumers have concerns about mercury in a particular species of fish, Acheson said, they should go to the agency's Web site, www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/sea-mehg.html.
"The data is there if somebody wants to go look it up," he said.
Swordfish showed the highest mercury levels in the Tribune tests, averaging 1.41 parts per million, well above the 1.0 limit at which regulators can confiscate fish. In FDA testing, swordfish has averaged 0.97 parts per million.
FDA officials said it is impractical to test individual swordfish to weed out those that are heavily contaminated.
Issuing warnings is a better way to protect at-risk groups, such as young children and pregnant women, the officials said. "Rather than saying, `You can eat swordfish as long as it has been tested,' we're saying, `Don't eat those fish,'" Acheson said.
Though it is unclear whether a single high-mercury meal could harm a fetus, experts say the developing nervous system is so sensitive to toxic substances that caution should prevail. "You only get one chance to develop a brain," Hightower said.
Waldman, Sophie's mother, said that if there had been proper warnings years ago, she never would have fed so much canned tuna to her daughter, now 11. Today, Waldman said, she keeps track of how much fish her daughter eats and consults an environmental group's Web site to find mercury levels in various fish.
Deborah Rice, a former EPA toxicologist and mercury expert, said that most consumers cannot be expected to research the mercury levels of their favorite fish and "then keep a diary about when was the last time they ate orange roughy."
"But that's what it has come down to."


Leggett & Platt's Board of Directors announced a dividend of $.38 per share for the second quarter, an increase of $.02 per share or 5.6% versus the dividend declared in the second quarter of 2017. The dividend will be paid on July 13, 2018 to shareholders of record on June 15, 2018. A member of Standard & Poor's Dividend Aristocrats, Leggett & Platt has increased its annual dividend for 47 consecutive years, a record that only ten S&P 500 companies currently exceed. At an annual indicated dividend of $1.52 per share, the yield is 3.6%, based upon yesterday's closing stock price of $41.75 per share. Accordingly, Leggett & Platt possesses one of the highest dividend yields among the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats.
Vermilion Energy is pleased to announce a cash dividend of $0.23 CDN per share payable on June 15, 2018 to all shareholders of record on May 31, 2018. The ex-dividend date for this payment is May 30, 2018.
Motorola Solutions today announced that its board of directors has approved a regular quarterly dividend of 52 cents per share payable in cash on July 13, 2018, to stockholders of record at the close of business on June 15, 2018.
The Board of Directors of Old Republic International have declared a quarterly cash dividend on the common stock of 19.5 cents per share. This dividend is payable June 15, 2018 to shareholders of record on June 5, 2018. Subject to Board approval of each quarter's new rate, the full year's cash dividend will amount to 78 cents per share compared to 76 cents paid in 2017. This latest dividend increase marks the 37th consecutive year that Old Republic has boosted its cash dividend rate, and 2018 becomes the 77th year of uninterrupted cash dividend payments.
Waste Management today announced the declaration of a quarterly cash dividend of $0.465 per share payable June 22, 2018 to stockholders of record on June 8, 2018.


Anthony Smith, who was wounded while serving in Iraq, will participate in the Ironman 70.3 Kansas with help from Operation Rebound.
• Established by the Challenged Athletes Foundation in 2004 to assist U.S. service members and first responders who have sustained physical injuries in the line of duty.
• Provides support in athletic events and endeavors, including triathlons, surfing, martial arts and weightlifting, among others.
• Seeks to provide a support system for injured veterans during their recovery.
• Worked with 80 athletes in 2008 and has assisted 45 so far in 2009.
The Ironman 70.3 Kansas is an event in the Ironman triathlon series. It is known as a half-Ironman because athletes will swim 1.2 miles at Clinton Lake, bike 56 miles in Douglas County, and run 13.1 miles on the course, totaling 70.3 miles. A full Ironman competition has a 2.4-mile swim, 112 miles on the bike and a 26.2-mile run.
The event is June 14.
For athletes who compete in extreme endurance events like the upcoming Ironman 70.3 Kansas, injuries are just another part of the challenge. Strained hamstrings, shin splints and sore backs are just a few of the common ailments these endurance athletes frequently encounter.
But Iraq War veteran Anthony Smith, a former high school All-America football and basketball player who will compete in the June 14 Ironman at Clinton State Park, has a more serious and lengthy injury list.
“I usually have to start from the top of my head and go down,” said Smith of the many extra challenges his body faces.
A direct hit from a rocket-propelled grenade while on duty with the National Guard in Iraq in April 2004 took part of Smith’s right arm, a kidney, some of his large intestine, a third of one of his femurs, one of his hips and some of the vision in his right eye.
Following the attack, Smith’s body was initially placed in a body bag until a nurse noticed air bubbles oozing through the blood and realized he was still alive. It took two months for Smith to wake up from the coma.
Smith is one of a few athletes from Operation Rebound, a national organization that assists wounded veterans in athletic competitions, who are coming to Lawrence to compete in the Ironman.
Operation Rebound has helped Smith with his athletic goals, but he also credits the organization with providing a spark during the tough recovery moments when he was ready to give up on sports — and even life. Following his recovery from the attack, Smith was confined to a wheelchair and his weight ballooned to more than 300 pounds.
“(I was just) sitting home retired and waiting for everything else to come to an end,” Smith said.
Nico Marcolongo, program coordinator for Operation Rebound, met Smith in 2008 during a swimming competition. The Smith he sees today is a very different person from the one he first met. Marcolongo said that when he met Smith, he was wheelchair-bound and a cigarette smoker.
“He’s been flourishing ever since. … It’s night and day,” Marcolongo said.
Smith’s fiancée, Tamiko Coleman, also has seen the dramatic transformation in a man who wasn’t supposed to be doing the things he does.
“They told him he wasn’t going to walk again,” said Coleman, adding that their two children gain inspiration from a father who spends hours every day in the gym preparing for events.
In his fifth triathlon, Smith will compete in the swimming and biking events, but will opt out of the running portion.
“I can walk pretty good and pretty fast. … I just can’t run because I don’t have a hip,” Smith said.
Not that the swimming and biking portions are an easy task, either. Due to his injuries, Smith bikes with only one leg and swims with one arm and one leg.
In addition to the contributions that training for triathlons has made to Smith’s own recovery, he said he hopes his competing will give inspiration to others.
“My purpose is to make other disabled people know that life isn’t over because you have injuries,” he said.
• Born in Columbus, Miss., and now lives in Blytheville, Ark.
• Father of four who plans to marry his fiancée, Tamiko Coleman, sometime next year.
• Began four years of active duty service in the U.S. Army in 1990, and later became the chief of police for the Joiner Police Department in Joiner, Ark.
• Transferred to the Arkansas National Guard after his time with the Army. His unit was deployed to Iraq in 2003.
• Injured by a rocket-propelled grenade in Iraq in April 2004, and spent 62 days in a coma.
• Completed a 600-mile bike ride from San Francisco to San Diego in 2008.
• Has participated in four previous triathlons.


The agent transcipt Verlag represents an entity (e.g. person, organization, etc.) associated with resources found in Boston University Libraries.


NASA released a series of images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) this week showing movement of sand dunes over a 2-4 year period. Yesterday afternoon, the editor here at Wired Science, Betsy Mason, posted a gallery of the animated GIF images, including the one above. These images are a simple and effective way to highlight change over time as documented by repeat photography.
The image above very nicely highlights the process of grain flow on a slip face of the dune. Note how most of the change between static images is in the upper left part of the dune. It’s a bit difficult to see on this dark and low-contrast image so below is a non-animated image that I tweaked in Photoshop and annotated.
Sand dunes are topographic features that interact with and influence the wind patterns that create them. Sand grains are transported up the dune (in this case, from lower right to upper left) very close to the surface of the dune through a combination of rolling and short-hop bounces. When they reach the crest of the dune they will avalanche down the steep leeward side of the dune — also referred to as the slip face. The angle of that slip face corresponds to the steepest angle the sand can pile up before it avalanches down (called the angle of repose). Over time, as more sand is moved to the crest and avalanches down the slip face the entire dune will migrate.
Sand dunes, like many depositional landforms, are fascinating examples of self-organization. Once the dune is started, there is a feedback between the form of the dune and how that form influences the wind flow pattern, which in turn perpetuates the form of the dune. Also note the presence of ripple marks on the annotated image above, which tells us that this interaction between fluid flow and morphology can occur at different scales on one landform.
Bonus: Speaking of sand dunes, check out this fantastic post at the blog Galileo’s Pendulum discussing a recent paper investigating what happens when sand dunes ‘collide’ over a period of several decades. It must be Sand Dune Week (way better than Shark Week), Jennifer Oullette of Cocktail Party Physics has a superb post about the physics of granular materials and ‘singing’ sand dunes.


ift/GHT International, 18 April I9&8 591 BRITISH EAGLE'S CHAIRMAN INTERVIEWED [ On the occasion of British Eagle's twentieth anniversary, ! David Woolley took the opportunity to put some questions [tothe airline's chairman and managing director, Mr Harold Bamberg. \Ur Bamberg, is British Eagle likely to be the first British I independent to become a public company? I do not know the detailed plans of other UK independent Lirlines. It seems to me that we have a long way to go in j Britain before we have created the right conditions under which I it is possible to attract public investment on a long-term basis I and on the scale required. British Eagle has proved its ability as an airline operator; it has a high standard and operates at a low cost with reasonable profitability. I would like to see British Eagle go public at the right time, but we have other objectives as well; for instance, we are seeking to internationalise our activities—hence our interest in a new Swiss company recently formed. We seek to broaden the basis of our activities to improve our profitability and at the same time think in positive terms of public participation in our enterprise. ./...;; // British Eagle is granted its application for scheduled trans- i atlantic services, are you confident that it could sustain initial losses, particularly in view of the frequencies which it is | proposed to mount from the beginning? We have conducted detailed financial studies of our North Atlantic project, which include the initial development costs involved. In the event that the licence is granted, in the form in which it has been applied for, we most certainly will be able to sustain the development costs. As far as frequency is con- I cerned, we believe it is important to obtain full identity on this particular route, and that the initial frequencies are realistic having regard to the density of the market on the London/New York route. -.. ,: »....:• in view of the likelihood of these initial losses, would it not have been more advantageous to delay the application and to opply the airline's full resources to the Atlantic charter market? We are already applying the bulk of our long range jet capacity to the Atlantic charter market; we have to look ahead to anticipate likely developments and changes in the scheduled services fare structure. It could well be that there would •* greater integration between charter and scheduled-serviceac bvity than is currently the case. The whole concept of the Present form of licence may be changed, and we think it is important for us to obtain scheduled service certification and commence the operation as soon as possible. In the meantime ,,e "e actively pursuing the market that is open to us, namely ,e Atlantic charter market, and we are seeking to improvee barter certification which we currently hold. ' been suggested that British Eagle is under-capitalised, jecially within the context of proposed North Atlantic "°ns and the fleet that would be needed to maintain "ow far do you consider this criticism justified? ^ *n ev*dence to the ^T Transport Licensing Pers /nd 'n Part'cular °ur financial witness, a very senior has •. m a fading merchant bank in the City of London *ill b ^.at *f *e licence is granted, the necessary finance to ^, e Pr°vided to enable the proposed North Atlantic project PfoVd* cc" Under no circumstances would we contemplate Ueenc h *e capital and finance in advance of a suitable given b 8 8ranted- We believe that the positive evidence this n -y a leading merchant banker is adequate assurance on fores hPUS! y°U ^lave ^een a ProtaSonist of lower domesticUi recently you withdrew an objection to certain fare increases before the ATLB. Does this reflect a change of heart, whether because of rising costs, or for another reason? I am still a protagonist of low domestic fares, but there comes a time when, against the background of increased costs, it is necessary to increase fares; in my view we have reached that point recently. This does not mean that we will go along with applications for fare increases in the future. We shall relate the need for fare increases to our own cost levels, as we have always done. // has been suggested that the limited presence of the British independents on domestic routes, while increasing the stan- dards of service, may have done little to stimulate the amount of traffic. Can you comment on this, and give your views on the line which you would like the Edwards Committee to take on this subject? In my view it ds unfortunate that the policy of multi-designa- tion on the London/Glasgow route has taken place during a particularly difficult time in the British economy. I believe that our arguments that competition stimulates growth are still accurate, and in normal times this would be reflected to a far greater extent in the figures. We hope that the Edwards Com- mittee will see the benefits of dual-designation on high-density routes and we believe that any route on which there are more than 200,000 passengers per annum becomes ready for the introduction of a second operator. As far as international routes are concerned, our views are well known, and we would hope that on routes such as the North Atlantic the Edwards Committee would find that a second British operator could not only carry out a viable undertaking on its own behalf, but would considerably increase the British share of the market. How far do you expect to become involved in the hotel business in the next ten years, and will any such involvement be from necessity or from choice? We are already involved on a contractual basis in the hotel business, but we have sought to avoid management or financial problems associated with the direct running of hotels. We shall continue to seek special relationships with hotel groups as a matter of marketing policy. The degree of involvement will depend upon the circumstances of each case. Last year British Eagle resigned from the British Independent Air Transport Association, and subsequently the association ceased activity. What, if anything, should replace it? There is a strong case for the establishment of a national co-ordinating body in which various interests, including those of the airline operators, are represented. I most certainly believe that the airline portion of such an association should be fully representative of the industry. There is a real need for a representative body to deal with some of the major issues with which we shall all be confronted in the years ahead. It is possible that with a revised national policy a suitable structure fully representative of airline interests can be evolved. Looking back over the first 20 years of British Eagle, is there any one event which gives you outstanding pleasure? This is a difficult question, because British Eagle has been involved in many operations and many transactions, but I think my greatest satisfaction has been to see the rebirth and development of Eagle since that very difficult period in 1963 after the formation of BOAC-Cunard. The reconstruction and development of the company since that time has been so successful that it gives me and my colleagues the greatest satis- faction and pleasure. It has been difficult, but worthwhile; it is most satisfying to fight back from a very bad position to a period of growth and vitality.


Need something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue for your wedding? Why not deck your cake with the TARDIS from Doctor Who?
Put your parents' old-school wedding cake topper back in the attic, because your wedding day should reflect your personality and interests. If you and your significant other tend to lean towards the nerdy side, there's no reason you shouldn't geek out at your wedding too.
No one will remember another flowery, white wedding cake, but they definitely won't forget a Lego cake or Mario and Princess Peach topper.


Talk about a parent's worst nightmare. A ship carrying a boatful of kids - including yours - sinks.
Are they okay? For a long time... no one knows. Luckily, this story has a happy ending. So, where did all this begin? With a program called Class Afloat. Basically, teens sail the world, taking classes, manning the deck, and presumably, getting the experience of a lifetime.
Forty-eight students and eight teachers from a college in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia definitely got one of those - just not the one they had in mind. On February 17th, their ship hit rough seas off the coast of Brazil. The boat capsized - and twenty minutes later, sunk. The crew got everyone off - and into lifeboats - in time. But the ordeal was far from over.
The students - including Natasha Carruthers - are now back home, safe and sound - but investigations continue - into why their ship went down.


Located at the quiet end of Campbell Street, Karori, lots of parking and easy access.
Our mission is to ensure children develop skills for life, have fun and enjoy their time at Kindergarten.
In January 2009 we changed our name to Karori Kindergarten, previously we were known as Wrights Hill Kindergarten and we now offer a 6 hour session on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays for the older children.
We provide a stimulating learning environment, where children can develop at their own pace with caring support.
We have a well resourced building and a large outdoor area offering exciting and challenging experiences.


At a pivotal point in the administration's Afghanistan strategy, President Obama and his top Afghan war commander met privately aboard Air Force One Friday for a talk the White House described as productive.
The 25-minute meeting with Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, aboard Air Force One as it waited to carry the president home from Denmark, gave Obama a chance to step outside the circle of advisers he has convened to study the problem of Afghanistan. His war council has been sharing differing opinions on whether the United States should send thousands more troops to tamp down the Taliban, or shift to a narrower focus on al Qaeda in neighboring Pakistan.
The Copenhagen meeting was an extension of those war council sessions "as we reassess and re-evaluate moving forward in Afghanistan," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said afterward.
Obama was in the Danish capital to pitch Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Olympic games, and McChrystal was summoned there from London, where he gave a speech on Thursday warning that insurgents are gaining strength in Afghanistan and the United States needs to increase its efforts there.
At issue is Obama's looming decision on whether to stick with the current mission in Afghanistan - which could require as many as 40,000 additional U.S. troops - or scale back the military option and expand operations against terrorists in Pakistan.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Friday that McChrystal's troop request is still at the Pentagon and a decision is not imminent. "I don't see anything in the short term. It is exceptionally, closely held," he said.
The president had long been expected to approve McChrystal's plan to mount a military push against the Taliban in Afghanistan. But waning public support for the war and concern about his top commanders' call for more U.S. troops has exposed emerging fault lines inside the White House.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and special Afghan and Pakistan envoy Richard Holbrooke appear to be leaning toward supporting a troop increase, while White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Gen. James Jones, Obama's national security adviser, appear to be skeptical of troop increases. Vice President Joe Biden also has been reluctant to support sending more troops, favoring a strategy directly aimed at al Qaeda fighters who are believed to be hiding in Pakistan.
The assessment of divisions within Obama's inner circle came from a senior administration official who attended the meeting and spoke on the condition of anonymity, because the discussions were private.


An inspiration to a whole generation of musicians and music fans, Joe Strummer was truly a renaissance man; punk, film score composer, actor and even BBC broadcaster.
Ten years on and Strummer’s star burns as brightly as ever, from the charity set up in his name – Strummerville – to a host of contemporary musicians including Emmy The Great and Frank Turner citing him as an influence.
To mark the tenth anniversary of his death we want you to help us create the Ultimate Joe Strummer Playlist for this very special Now Playing.
You need to tell us what to play so leave a comment on our Facebook page or this blog, Tweet #Strummer6Music, send us an e-mail or drag a track onto our Spotify playlist.
And remember, if you’re a Joe Strummer fan, tune in on Sunday at 6pm.
Strummer/Jones were the greatest of song writing collaborators. But when the Clash did a cover version the made it their own, so somewhere tonight honor Joe with the Clash's quite frankly astonishing version on "Wrong 'Em Boyo".
...and on the flip side of that The Clash have inspired some awesome covers Thea Gilmore's version of I'm Not Down or Creation Rockers version of Complete Control.


These three stocks trade at nonprohibitive valuations and offer attractive returned-income components.
With sell-offs hitting the market in recent months, many top income-generating stocks have seen their prices slashed and their yields elevated. In this roundtable article, we've put together a panel of three Motley Fool contributors and asked each member to spotlight a dividend stock that's worth buying today and owning for the long haul -- even with the recent uptick in uncertainty. Read on to see why they identified Altria Group (NYSE:MO), The Children's Place (NASDAQ:PLCE), and Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) as stocks for income-focused investors to load up on.
George Budwell (Altria Group): American tobacco titan Altria Group has had a rough 2018. Thanks to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) multipronged initiative to lower tobacco use in the U.S., the company's shares have lost nearly a quarter of their value this year.
On the bright side, Altria's sharp downturn this year has caused its dividend yield to hit a remarkable 6.1% at current levels. That's an unusually high yield for a company with a $100 billion market cap and an outstanding balance sheet.
Altria's stock, though, may not come across as a particularly strong buy to most investors due to the FDA's push to basically eradicate smoking in the U.S. -- despite the company's staggeringly high yield. But recent developments have radically altered Altria's underlying investing thesis.
The big-ticket item is Altria's recent $1.8 billion equity investment in Cronos Group (NASDAQ:CRON). Cronos is a Canadian cannabis company that sports a premium brand known as Cove, as well as two mainstream brands called Original BC and Spinach, respectively. The company also has an ongoing partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks to manufacture rare cannabinoids that could lead to the development of several derivative products in the years ahead.
That being said, the real value behind this hefty equity investment in Cronos is the sheer size of the North American cannabis market. Industry insiders, for example, expect the legal weed market in the U.S. to grow to more than $100 billion in annual sales over the next decade. If this line holds, Altria should have little trouble offsetting the forthcoming declines in its combustible cigarette franchise.
Now, the company will need some luck on the regulatory front to realize the full potential of its investment in Cronos. But Altria's aggressive move into the fledgling cannabis space should eventually pay off in a big way for shareholders.
Jeremy Bowman (Children's Place): At a dividend yield of 2.2%, Children's Place may not win any awards for the highest yield, but this widely ignored dividend stock has a lot going for it.
After first introducing a dividend payout in 2014 at $0.1325 a quarter, the company has quickly ramped it up to $0.50 a quarter in 2018, and it's likely to hike its dividend in early 2019 when it declares its next payout in March. If that hike is in line with the last one, which was from $0.40 to $0.50, shareholders will be getting a dividend of $0.60 a share, or effectively a 2.6% yield at today's price.
There are other good reasons to consider picking up Children's Place shares. The stock has tumbled sharply in recent weeks on broader retail woes and then fell 13% when its earnings report came out last week. Children's Place posted comparable sales growth of 9.5% and digital sales growth of 38%, which made up 29% of revenue. However, the market didn't like that Children's Place cut its full-year earnings guidance, but it did so because it is pursuing market share gains aggressively as rivals like Gymboree and Sears falter. In other words, the company is making a short-term sacrifice for long-term gains, and Wall Street is making a mistake by not seeing it that way.
The sell-off, which has wiped out more than a third of the stock's value since the beginning of November, presents dividend investors with an opportunity to get a best-in-class retailer at a P/E of just 12, based on this year's expected earnings, and a fast-growing dividend payout that should soon yield 2.6%.
Keith Noonan (Apple): Indications that demand for the latest iPhones is weaker than initially anticipated and sell-offs for the broader tech sector have dinged Apple stock, and shares have been trading down nearly 30% from the highs that they hit earlier this year. However, the stock now trades at just 12.5 times this year's expected earnings and comes with a dividend yield of roughly 1.8%. That yield might not look like a lot right now, but the company's last payout increase came in at nearly 16%, and Apple's recent dividend history and strong financial position suggest that shareholders can look forward to substantial payout growth.
Apple resumed paying a dividend in 2012 and has raised its payout in each subsequent year, boosting it roughly 93% over the stretch. Even after that rapid dividend growth, the cost of covering the company's forward distribution comes in at roughly 23% of trailing free cash flow and roughly 25% of trailing earnings. Those low payout ratios suggest that the company should be able to continue delivering big payout increases while still reinvesting to develop new growth engines for its business.
Investors should certainly weigh the risk posed by a potential slowdown for the iPhone business, but Apple still has incredible brand strength in the consumer electronics space, and it's got promising growth catalysts in varying stages of development. The company's services segment, which consists of business generated from its own subscription services and a cut of third-party business conducted through its app store, is on a tear and looks primed for more strong growth. Meanwhile, wearables, connected cars, and other Internet of Things devices are at even earlier stages relative to their long-term potential and could turn into bigger growth drivers for the company.


CALGARY -- More than an hour before the puck dropped between the Calgary Flames and the Montreal Canadiens at the 2011 Tim Horton's Heritage Classic, Kelby Devers was sitting in his seat in the chilling cold with a big smile on his face.
Draped in a Carey Price jersey, Devers sat perched in row 37 taking the atmosphere in as the crowd filed into the stadium after making a 12-hour drive from the relatively balmy climes of Vancouver.
"Because it's a great rivalry and the Canadiens are the best," shrugged Devers, asked what prompted him to pack up his truck and make the trek through the mountains to Calgary.
Devers, 29, made the same long journey in 2003, flying in to attend the original Heritage Classic between the Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers at Commonwealth Stadium.
"That day was a lot colder than this," Devers said of the game in Edmonton. "This is nothing. It was so cold, it was hard to watch, but it was still worth it."
Down in the concourse of McMahon Stadium before the teams took the ice for the warm-up, Jeremy Burke, his faced painted in Montreal colors and wearing a P.K. Subban jersey, huddled with other Canadiens' fans. He made the trip from London, Ont.
"When Montreal played against Edmonton in the first Heritage Classic, I was too young to come out then. I was still in school, a starving student and I couldn't afford it, but I'm here now," Burke said.
For Burke, 27, the draw of the spectacle that is the Heritage Classic is pretty straightforward, chilly weather and all.
"Hockey started out on the ponds, so a game like this one is sort of being a part if it coming full circle to where everything started," Burke said. "It's just cool to see it."
Dave Chan, originally from Saskatchewan who now lives in Calgary, didn't have to travel far to get to the game, but that didn't diminish his excitement as he awaited the arrival of the Flames and Canadiens.
"I love hockey and this is one of those once-in-a-lifetime events," said Chan, decked out in a Robyn Regehr jersey and Calgary colours. "You can't miss it. I've got a team to support, so I'm here."
Devers, clearly no fair-weather fan despite living in Vancouver, offered some simple advice to battle the cold.
"You just have to get into the game," he said. "You just have to get your blood flowing and don't give in to the cold. Cheer as loud as you can as often as you can."


Should You Care About SodaStream's Latest Earnings Beat?
Shares of SodaStream fell Wednesday after the company beat earnings estimates, then popped Thursday when the market changed its mind. What gives?
Mr. Market is putting his wild mood swings on full display this week with shares of SodaStream (NASDAQ:SODA), after the at-home carbonation specialist posted better-than-expected earnings.
Naturally, the Israel-based company fell as much as 4% Wednesday on the beat, before closing down a little more than 2% for the day.
Investors seem to have changed their minds on Thursday, however, and the stock is currently up more than 8% during intraday trading as of this writing.
Let's peer through the smoke and mirrors, then, and see how the company really fared last quarter.
First quarter revenue grew 34% year over year, to $117.6 million, besting the analysts who hoped for sales of $113.11 million. GAAP diluted earnings per share rose 18.8% from the first quarter of 2012, to $0.57, also beating estimates, which called for earnings of $0.54 per diluted share. Adjusted diluted earnings per share increased an even more impressive 24%, to $0.68.
When all was said and done in March, consumers in America appear to be using the heck out of their SodaStream systems, as gas refill revenue increased 101%, and syrup unit sales grew 119%. New customers are also jumping off the fence, as soda-maker sales rose an impressive 78% from the same year-ago period.
As fellow Fool Blake Bos noted yesterday, growth was once again led by robust sales in the United States, which will likely soon become SodaStream's largest market.
After all, as I noted in January, SodaStream only really began to make its push into our soft drink-guzzling American homes over the past few years, and the company is doing all it can to command more shelf space in megastores like Target (NYSE: TGT) and Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) by signing new flavor partnerships with companies including Ocean Spray Cranberries, and energy drink specialist eBoost. With less than 1% penetration of the more than 130 million households in the United States, SodaStream still has more than enough room to grow.
Relatedly, inventories increased 4.9% last quarter, to $118.2 million, in preparation for SodaStream's typically busy spring and summer seasons. Management also gave investors a heads-up, saying that inventory levels would likely remain inflated until the new production site is up and running around the end of 2014.
Based on SodaStream's strong start to the year, management also raised its previous revenue and earnings guidance by 2%, and now expects full-year 2013 revenue to grow 27% to just over $554 million, while net income should increase 20% to approximately $52.7 million.
All things considered, there's plenty to like about SodaStream's report, and it looks like the company is firing on all cylinders to start the year. With shares trading at just over 17 times next year's earnings, I think long-term investors who buy today will have more-than-enough reason to break out the bubbly down the road.


University of California, Santa Barbara Professor Darby Feldwinn is currently involved in two educational outreach programs: SciTrek and the Fifth Grade Chemistry Outreach program. These programs aim to change the way young students learn science subjects.
“My primary research focus is on undergrad education with an emphasis on encouraging students to consider careers as secondary school math or science teachers,” her website reads.
Doctor Feldwinn earned her Ph.D in Physical Chemistry at UC San Diego, and became interested in teaching during her years as a graduate student.
SciTrek, aimed at second through fifth graders, was started about four years ago in collaboration with fellow chemistry professor Norbert Reich. Schools that sign up will receive about 15 hours of programming in the form of science modules.
“We give them a problem to solve, and their goal is to explain the phenomenon,” Feldwinn said.
An example module involves a piece of paper with a black dot in the center that is then soaked in a solution. The dot slowly spreads into a multi-colored splotch on the paper, and then the students have to figure out what is causing these dye colors to appear and spread.
The Fifth Grade Chemistry Outreach program, co-directed by Feldwinn and Dr. Petra Van Koppen, brings fifth graders to UCSB every Thursday. They rotate through five different lab stations and do demos, which run smoothly with the help of undergraduate volunteers.
Feldwinn personally mentors undergraduates who are interested in going into teaching, on top of teaching fast-paced general chemistry.
Feldwinn’s parents were both teachers; her mother taught kindergarten, and her father was a junior high school teacher.
Anyone interested in volunteering or donating to these educational outreach programs can email scitrekadmin@chem.ucsb.edu, or visit http://web.chem.ucsb.edu/~outreach/ and http://web.chem.ucsb.edu/~scitrek/index.html.
Additionally, a barbecue social and sign-up event will be held on Tuesday, April 1, at 5:30 p.m. on the lawn in front of the Chemistry Building.


PAUL INCE has urged Fabio Capello to hand Stephen Warnock a shock England call-up.
The Blackburn star has been a revelation in midfield in recent weeks after switching from his normal role at left-back.
He has been asked to cover for the injured duo of David Dunn and Steven Reid, and has responded with some man-of-the-match performances.
Ince, whose side travel to West Brom today, believes Warnock outshone England regular Gareth Barry against Aston Villa in midweek.
Now he reckons Warnock should be given another chance to shine on the biggest stage of all and be included in England boss Capello’s plans.
Ince said: “Stephen has been unbelievable for us recently. He’s given me a massive dilemma now after doing so well in midfield.
“I knew he could do that role but he’s been a total revelation. If I knew how good he was going to be in midfield I might have been able to save a few quid in the transfer market!
“He can run, pass, tackle, shoot with both feet. He can do it all. I don’t see why he can’t be in the England squad.
Ince has ordered his defence to sharpen up and stop conceding soft goals following the 3-2 defeat at Villa Park.
He added: “We don’t seem to be learning from what teams are doing to us.


The Cleveland Browns have signed former Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt to a one-year contract that could potentially be worth over $1M barring a suspension from the NFL.
Hunt was released from the Chiefs last season after this video surfaced of him shoving and kicking a woman via TMZ.
He's an explosive player who was drafted in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Chiefs, he's just 23 years old and has appeared in 27 games in his young career. He's been exceptional running the football as he's rushed for 2,151 yards on 453 attempts (4.7 average) to go along with 15 touchdowns. Hunt is also a threat catching the ball out of the backfield as he's added 79 receptions for 833 yards with 10 touchdowns.
Hopefully, everything both of these men are saying publicly they really mean and follow through on it. A lot of things are easier said than done, some people can say the right things but then their actions don't reflect their words. Let's hope that's not the case in this situation.
Now, with Hunt signed the Browns can pair him with their other young stud who emerged last in Nick Chubb.
Chubb went for just under 1,000 yards last season on 192 carries and added eight rushing touchdowns. This kid has shown the potential to be explosive and now he's paired with Kareem Hunt, look out Baker's probably feeling pretty dangerous with his duet of running backs now.


Australia made a slow but steady start to reach 57 for 2 from 27 overs at lunch on day two of the first Test against India here on Friday.
At the break, Usman Khawaja was unbeaten on 21 runs (off 86 balls), while Shaun Marsh was batting on 1. Australia still trail by 193 runs.
Mohammed Shami (6) showed no patience at all, and went after a short delivery from Josh Hazlewood (3/52) only to be caught behind down leg side, as India's first innings came to a quick end.
Thereafter, Australia did not have the best of starts as Ishant Sharma (1/9) bowled Aaron Finch (0) with a fuller, inswinging delivery on only the third ball of their innings.
It was a hectic start to the day's play, but Khawaja and debutant opener Marcus Harris (26) settled down to provide a solid start for the hosts.
Indian pacers bowled with fiery pace, with Jasprit Bumrah (0/24) even breaching the 150km/hr mark at one point. However, they bowled short of good length on most occasions and did not make the Australian batsmen play too many deliveries.
Ravichandran Ashwin (1/15) was introduced into the attack in the 12th over of the innings, and immediately hit up an interesting duel with Harris. The cover drive came out against the spinner, expectedly as a few more runs started flowing.
Mostly they came off Bumrah, who erred in line and length. Even Mohammed Shami (0/1) bowled a tad short of length as the batsmen contended him with ease.
Shami though bowled only four overs in the session, and even called on the physio at one point, to look at his bowling hand for cramps. He was off the field for three overs thereafter but word from team management is that he is fully fit. Even so, he did not bowl again in the session.
Ashwin then struck before lunch. Harris played on to his pads and was caught at silly point in the 22nd over, as the spinner got dividends for blocking all scoring opportunities.
Australia's 50 came up in the 27th over thereafter.
On day one, Cheteshwar Pujara's (123) 16th Test hundred saved India the blushes, after they were reduced to 86-5 at one stage.


Drew Brees became the NFL's all-time passing leader in the Saints' win over the Redskins on Monday night, a remarkable distinction when you consider Brees isn't necessarily a lock to be considered one of the top three quarterbacks of his era. Brees, 39, has won a Super Bowl MVP, was twice the NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and now has thrown for more yards than any player in history, but when it comes time to put Brees' career in context, it's not so simple, as our weekly text exchange with NFL Network's Ian Rapoport can attest.
Indeed, while the 39-year-old Brees' record is at least in part a reflection of his longevity, it also could be a function of the NFL continuing to tilt its playing field in the favor of quarterbacks. We've discussed with Rapoport already the controversy that has arisen from the surplus of early season penalties for roughing the passer, which has made life tough on defenders, and presumably opened the field up for QBs like Brees.
Incidentally, with a 9 handicap, Brees made Golf Digest's ranking of the top athlete golfers released on Tuesday. He still lags behind the likes of Matt Ryan (+1.2), Aaron Rodgers (4.3) or Brady (8), but he does boast one competitive experience the others can't. Brees was a participant in the final Golf Digest Challenge at Pebble Beach, when three celebrity golfers and a contest winner played the course under U.S. Open conditions just days before the national championship. Brees shot 102, but his willingness to even try underscores how popular golf is in the NFL.


The federal government says it will respond to pleas for help from northern Quebec, where a spate of suicides in Inuit communities this year has created what officials are calling a crisis.
"As a government, it's truly a priority of ours that we put in place the support that people need," Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor said Monday. She added that any loss of life by suicide "is just tragic."
Heath authorities in Nunavik, the Quebec region that is home to the province's Inuit communities, have already sent extra mental-health resources to one hard hit village, Puvirnituq.
"This is considered a crisis situation," Fabien Pernet, assistant to the executive director of the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services, said in a recent interview.
The head of the school board serving the region said last week that two students have died by suicide since the beginning of the school year in mid-August, and three other young adults have taken their lives in the past month.
In an Oct. 12 letter, the head of the region's council of school commissioners called for "urgent collective action" and noted that one of the suicide victims was just 11 years old.
According to media reports, Puvirnituq on Hudson Bay has had at least 10 suicides since the beginning of 2018. A coroner's investigation is ongoing.
The deaths prompted a public lament from Mary Simon, a longtime Inuit advocate and former Canadian diplomat, who posted a widely shared message on Facebook about the recent suicide of her 22-year-old niece.
"The reason I'm telling this story is to show we desperately need ongoing mental health support and services in every Inuit community," Simon wrote. "We have a crisis on our hands, and if we can't provide the medical and other mental health support in the communities, it is not going to get better. It will get worse."
Indigenous Services Minister Jane Philpott said in a statement last Friday she is deeply concerned by the loss of young lives in Nunavik and has offered additional support. She said the government continues to work with communities to support Inuit-led approaches to suicide prevention.
"Inuit want to be able to receive services that are culturally appropriate, in their own language," Petitpas Taylor said Monday after speaking at the Canadian Mental Health Association conference in Montreal. "So we're looking at ways to get more people trained — in nursing, in psychology or social work -- that would be a step in the right direction."
Pernet said it remains a challenge to provide Inuit-to-Inuit mental health care — as well as health and social services on a broader level — because of such obstacles as labour agreements and professional licensing issues.
He said that in 2010, suicide prevention was made a regional health priority. Recent measures have included resources and support through a Facebook page, new crisis-intervention plans and social programs aimed at improving communication among families.
Statistics from the Quebec coroner's office show little change in the number of deaths by suicide in the region between 2000 and 2013.
But given the current crisis, there is reason to believe those figures will be higher this year.
"There's no actual improvement from 2000 to 2013, but there's a lot that has been implemented from 2013 until today," Pernet said.
"If you compare where we were four years ago and where we are at now, we've developed a capacity that we didn't have. Yet it's not sufficient, and we see it with these suicide clusters happening in Puvirnituq again."
Louis Sorin, a Manitoba-based Indigenous mental-health advocate, said it is important to look at suicide as a symptom of a social disease and not just an individual medical condition.
"We have to move beyond an individualized response to a collective and community response," Sorin, a member of the national board of directors of the Canadian Mental Health Association, said.
"We have to make space and validate the voices of those involved locally, because they really know something that's actually very important."
An annual conference being held next week in Nunavik will focus on the rash of deaths.


Former Taoiseach Brian Cowen has said the Government had "one shot" to get it right on the night of the bank guarantee.
The Fianna Fail politician has been giving evidence at the Banking Inquiry this morning and has defended the guarantee as the most decisive step the government could have taken on the night to deal with the problem.
"It was clear we were on our own on the night of guarantee," Cowen said. "We had one shot at it, or Ireland could have been set back 25 years."
Mr Cowen apologised to the Irish people for the hardship caused as a result of guarantee.
"I accept full and complete responsibility for my role and our response to that crisis," he said.
He was sorry that the necessary measures "brought with it hardship and distress to many people" and said "the human cost was the most difficult aspect of the decisions we had to make".
The former Finance Minister stressed that he wanted to make it clear from the beginning that nothing he said to the Inquiry "should be interpreted in any way as an attempt to pass the buck to anyone else".
The government of the day, he added, had dealt with the financial crisis to the very best of its ability. No option looked good at the time and it was a case of "taking the least worst option", he said.
Mr Cowen also agreed with Central Bank Governor Patrick Honohan that the primary responsibility for the crisis lay with the banks themselves.
There was reckless lending by individual banks made worse by a bonus culture.
Mr Cowen said the €34bn cost of Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide Building Society would not be recovered but had they collapsed, the effect would have been catastrophic.
It was becoming clear since that there was no solution free of risk, he added. At the time, the government did not have the benefit of hindsight and "no doubt there were failures at the time on the domestic front.
"We must learn from this difficult experience and make sure it never happens again," he added.
Lessons had now been fully taken on board and policies implemented to ensure that a banking crisis can never happen again in Ireland.
"While government shares responsibility for its role in these mistakes, it is noteworthy that many of the strongest critics were silent on these issues prior to the crisis and indeed were proposing measures such as the radical reduction or abolition of stamp duty which would have made the position much worse," he said.
Mr Cowen said there was "clearly a culture of deference in operation between the Financial Regulator and the Financial Institutions it was regulating".
He said he agreed with the findings of the Nyberg Report "which asserts that the policy apparatus was complacent".
"As Minister, I should also have been more doubting, more questioning by challenging the broad consensus of opinion that had developed on these matters," he said.
He also agreed with the conclusions of the Regling and Watson Report that banking practices, governance failings and financial supervision "seriously exacerbated Ireland's credit and property boom".
This had "left the economy vulnerable to a deep crisis and depleted its fiscal and banking buffers when the crisis struck".
Mr Cowen believed that there should have been "more robust, independent work and scenario planning" by both the Central Bank and the Financial Regulator regarding the banking system.
This would have allowed the Central Bank, Financial Regulator and the Department "to develop timely, strategic, interventionist policies and strategies".
There was also a lack of analysis by both the Central Bank and the Regulator in challenging the over concentration of risk in property, he said.


Aboriginal midfielder Fred Agius has been given a chance to play his way to the Olympic Games as part of Frank Farina's Olyroos squad, less than a year after playing in an Australian rules premiership team.
The talented youngster is the sole newcomer in the under-23 squad announced by Farina yesterday for next week's match against Tunisia, a country that has also qualified for the Athens tournament.
Agius, a South Australian who played for Adelaide United in the recently concluded NSL season, has veered between soccer and Australian rules.
National youth team coach Ange Postecoglou took him to Trinidad and Tobago in 2001 as part of the Joeys squad that played in the under-17 World Cup. On his return, he signed for Sydney Olympic, but things didn't work out for him in NSW.
On his return to South Australia, he switched codes to the oval ball and joined SANFL side Central District. Agius took out a championship medal last year when the Bulldogs' reserve side won its premiership.
Agius is one of eight NSL players named in the 19-man party for Wednesday's match, which will be played in the 20,000-capacity Ben Jannet Stadium, a venue built for the recently concluded African Cup of Nations, which host Tunisia won.
Alongside Agius are recently capped Socceroos Ahmed Elrich and Nick Carle, Marconi pair Michael Thwaite and Alex Brosque, South Melbourne goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic, Newcastle's Ryan Griffiths and Perth Glory's Jade North.
Players not considered on injury grounds were Ljubo Milicevic and David Tarka.
Farina said: "This is another important step for the under-23 players as we continue to prepare them for Athens 2004, especially as the Tunisians will provide us with a different style of play."
2001 - Played with the Joeys at the FIFA under-17 World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago.
2001 - Signed for Sydney Olympic. Left the club before the 2002 NSL finals and returned to Adelaide.
2003 - Played in SANFL reserves premiership for Central District.
2004 - Played for Adelaide United in NSL.
2004 - Called up to Olyroos squad.


The Academy of Canadians in Sports and Entertainment Los Angeles released its list of nominees for the 2015 Golden Maple Awards.
The ceremony fetes Canadian talent of TV series broadcast in the U.S. in the past calendar year in three categories: actor, actress and newcomer of the year.
The History channel drama “Vikings” leads the race with three noms including two for best actress. Syfy raked in the most noms of any network with four.
The nomination committee for the GMA was composed of ACISE-LA members, and all members of ACISE-LA will be voting to elect the winners.
Honorees, award presenters and master of ceremony are currently being secured, as are the venue and time, which will all be announced at a later date.


For years, 3D-printing technology has been employed primarily for its rapid prototyping abilities. For miniature models of eventual solutions, it was great. For actual implementation and long-term use, not so much.
In 2016, that began to change. Over the last 12 months, 3D printing has found a host of new applications, particularly in the medical field. For the next 12 months, Formlabs’ David Lakatos told us we can expect more of this innovation. We sat down with the 3D printing company’s chief product officer at the 2017 CES show to learn more about what is next for Formlabs and the 3D-printing industry as a whole.
Last year, the Boston-based startup turned its attention not just upon more advanced 3D printers, but also on more advanced materials and software. After all, it’s only with these additional innovations, Lakatos pointed out, that 3D-printed objects can be put to further use. Formlabs came out with a total of 10 new 3D printing materials, including flexible materials and those that could withstand high temperatures up to 290 degrees Celcius. With these new materials came the ability to make brand new objects — specifically, prosthetics.
Enter Lyman Connor, a General Electric engineer who was inspired to make 3D printed prosthetics after meeting a young boy during a hospital visit a few years ago. The problem with many prosthetics today, Lakatos explained, is that they are neither customizable nor affordable. But with 3D printing, this has changed. In fact, Connor used a Formlabs printer to produce a new kind of prosthetic hand that can not only be specially designed to fit its wearer’s specific needs but is far less expensive than any option in the past. In December, Connor fitted his very first patient with a Formlabs-printed hand.
“What we’re seeing here is the start of something new,” Lakatos told us. 3D printing has opened new doors when it comes to digital manufacturing. Indeed, Lakatos said, a one-person operation may soon be able to produce the same output as a small factory. As the barriers to this sort of production are gradually lowered with technologies from companies like 3D printing, important devices like prosthetics may become more accessible. Now that a hand has been 3D printed, the next step looks to be the elbow, then the shoulder blade, and shoulder, Lakatos said.


Johannesburg – The so-called fourth industrial revolution can only succeed if all sectors are involved in its approach, says academic and former deputy prime minister of Zimbabwe Professor Arthur Mutambara.
“The fourth industrial revolution (FIR) is a global, all-embracing, technological transformation that will radically and fundamentally alter the way individuals, institutions, businesses, communities, and countries operate, work, organise, relate, and innovate; primarily because of the scale, scope, speed, and complexity of the changes,” Mutambara said in a public lecture at the University of Johannesburg.
The robotics and mechatronics professor said the FIR required new and different skills, such as “critical thinking, how to think, problem solving, interdisciplinary approach, emotional intelligence (EQ), cultural intelligence (CQ), judgement, negotiation, cognitive capacity, flexibility, knowledge production, knowledge management, and knowledge ownership”.
The key drivers of the FIR included “artificial intelligence, intelligent algorithms, augmented reality, human augmentation, big data, internet of things (IoT), internet of everything (IoE), nanotechnology, autonomous vehicles, drones, driverless cars, 3-D printing, biotechnology (the human genome project), materials science, renewable energy, energy storage, robotics and mechatronics, and others”.
“The fourth industrial revolution must not make poor nations too despondent and anxious. There is the notion and phenomenon of leapfrogging, where sometimes it is easier, cheaper, and more efficacious to adopt newer technologies in less developed countries than in advanced nations,” he said.
He said it would be both prudent and interesting to investigate the UK, US, and Japanese equivalents to Ecocash and M-Pesa, and then evaluate their uptake levels and impact in the US, UK, and Japanese economies.
“We already know the uptake levels and impact of EcoCash and M-Pesa. The power of leapfrogging is abundantly clear. We must clearly understand and embrace this revolutionary concept of leapfrogging.
“The lack of development and poverty that characterises most African countries can potentially lead to better, faster, cheaper, and more effective uptake and impact of elements of the FIR, in the same way the uptake and impact of mobile banking platforms have been higher in Zimbabwe and Kenya than in the United Kingdom, United States, and Japan,” he said.


While Prime Minister Theresa May continues to stand by her Chequers proposals as the basis for the UK’s post-Brexit relationship with the European Union, it is becoming increasingly hard to see a way in which the controversial plan will become a political reality with opponents on all sides.
Former Brexit secretary David Davis has confirmed he would vote against the Chequers plan in any Commons vote and described its proposals for the UK to continue to follow EU rules in areas like manufactured goods and agri-foods while having no say over them as “actually almost worse than being in” the Union.
Will Theresa May's Chequers deal survive?
At the same time, former minister and high-profile Conservative MP Nick Boles, who backed Remain at the referendum, has come out against the Chequers deal, warning the UK faces “the humiliation of a deal dictated by Brussels”, which is treating the Chequers proposals as an “opening bid”.
Across the Channel, the European Commission’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier is reported to have told a German newspaper he is “strongly opposed” to the Chequers plan as he fears it will lead to other countries attempting to cherry-pick which EU rules to follow.
Even supposed supporters of the Chequers plan, such as Liam Fox, are lukewarm, at best, in their backing. The International Trade Secretary told the BBC his preference for the proposal was largely based on his belief that “I can’t imagine many things worse than remaining in the EU” rather than putting forward much in the way of a positive case for the plan.
The Prime Minister is in an invidious position as she seeks to deliver Brexit in a way which causes the minimal economic damage and disruption. But with the UK’s scheduled departure now less than seven months away, it is becoming increasingly apparent her current plan has extremely limited changes of success.


There’s a number of reasons why cryptocurrencies are so inherently popular. They are safe, anonymous and utterly decentralized. Unlike conventional currency, they are not controlled or regulated by some singular authority, their flow is determined entirely by market demand. They are also nigh impossible to counterfeit, thanks to the paranoidly complicated code system that encrypts each and every transfer, ensuring complete anonymity and utter safety to each and every user. They even make for a genuinely rewarding, if risky, investment endeavor, despite the fact that any financial advisor in their right mind will caution you against them. Therefore, despite the admittedly high stakes that this sort of dealing entails, not to mention the lack of any government agency to lend credence to them, cryptocurrencies can only thrive and multiply.
If I were to tell you of the history of cryptocurrencies, I would have to begin with cryptographer David Chaum, who in the 1980s devised an extraordinarily secure algorithm that allowed for the kind of encryption required in electronic fund transfers. Chaum’s “blinding algorithm” laid the groundwork for the future development of all types of digitalized currency transactions, be it alternative currencies like Bitcoin or just plain old digitalized cash transfers.
In the later part of the 1980s, Chaum relocated to the Netherlands, and, with the help of a few fellow enthusiasts, laid the foundation of DigiCash, a for-profit cryptocurrency network based on his “blinded money” algorithm. Unlike newer cryptocurrencies, DigiCash exercised full monopoly over its supply, a far cry from being a decentralized mode of transaction such as Bitcoin. While DigiCash was founded with the idea of trading directly with individuals, the Netherlands government imposed severe restrictions on the company, forcing it to sell only to licensed banks. This seriously curtailed the company’s profits, and after a decade of struggling and being partnered with by Microsoft, the company finally closed doors in the 1990s. Chaum did go on to try his luck on a few similar cryptocurrency startups at the time, though none of them were really successful to begin with.
Fast forward to 2008, when a whitepaper was released under the pseudonym of Satoshi Nakamoto, detailing what would be widely regarded as the first modern cryptocurrency initiative. The idea combined concepts such as decentralization, perfect anonymity, finite supply and blockchain technology to pave the way for what we know as Bitcoin. Nakamoto, a pseudonymous individual or individuals operating under a fake name, released Bitcoin to the public in 2009. This idea was soon taken up by a gazillion different startups such as Litecoin. In 2010, Bitcoin received recognition as a proper currency after merchants such as WordPress, Expedia and Microsoft began accepting it as a mode of payment.
Speaking for 2017, we’re still far from Bitcoin, or any other cryptocurrency initiative, being officially recognized by a state government as a preferred mode of currency. Mere months ago, Bitcoin saw a 35% fluctuation in price range after a proposed exchange-trade fund by the Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust was denied by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission due to concerns that the currency could be used for illegal purposes such as black market trading. However, hope is anything but out, and 2017 will be a year to watch out for as far as alternative currencies are concerned.
While Bitcoin experienced a drop in its prices, a cheaper cryptocurrency by the name of Ether reached its all-time highs at $40 a unit. While Ether’s current setup prevents it from being used as a direct method of payment, the cryptocurrency still seems to have a bright future ahead thanks to the concept of smart contracts. In the meantime, more privacy-concerned cryptocurrency alternatives are starting to gain prominence in favor of institutions such as Bitcoin, which despite their vigilant security measures, continue to have loopholes that could be exploited for access to personal data.
Another interesting turn of events is the acceptance of Bitcoin in the educational industry, what with the University of Ohio hosting classes about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as a part of its MFE curriculum. Several colleges have even begun to accept Bitcoin as a means of payment, a move which will clearly help bring this alternative currency to the mainstream. The acceptance of Bitcoin, in general, has already led to a few companies considering genuine investment opportunities in the currency, further fueling its journey to mainstream.
Will cryptocurrencies be the new norm after 2017? Perhaps it is too soon to tell. But if there is one thing we know for sure, it is that the currency seems to have a wide appeal with a particular section of technologically-savvy individuals, a point that is sure to soon work in its favor.


Ivy grows rampant in Seattle, where roughly 10 percent of public land is infested with the plant.
Ivy is perfectly picturesque when growing in the English countryside or climbing the hallowed walls of Cambridge.
But here in the Pacific Northwest, ivy is a bully. A tree-killing, rat-infested, bird-poop-traveling bully.
KUOW listener Emma Johnson wanted to know: "What would Seattle look like if English ivy was left to grow without check? Would any trees survive? And how did ivy get here?"
We asked Nelson Salisbury, an ecologist at the conservation group EarthCorps, which regularly coordinates volunteer ivy-pulls around Seattle. He said English ivy—and the Irish or Atlantic ivy varietal to an even greater extent—has grown into a huge problem for the region. The invasive plants suffocate and weigh down trees. They squelch young plant life by blocking the sunlight from reaching the ground. And if left unencumbered, they create ivy deserts—where no other plant life thrives.
So what would Seattle look like if invasive ivy was allowed to grow unchecked?
The greenbelt on the eastern slope of Queen Anne is a particularly troublesome area, as is the West Duwamish Greenbelt in south Seattle.
“I think there is a very real scenario to suggest that without active management, our forests would all become invaded by English ivy,” Salisbury said.
Whether the vines would eventually topple all trees is difficult to say; there are too many variables in that hypothetical. But Salisbury noted that invasive ivy has been in the region for only about 100 years. A survey conducted before conservation work started 15 years ago estimated that roughly 10 percent of the city’s 8,000 acres of public land were infested with invasive ivy. Only the Himalayan blackberry plant (with its own strange, twisted history) was more prevalent.
If this is the first you’re hearing of ivy’s bad reputation locally, you’re probably confused. After all, ivy is everywhere right? How can it be bad?
For starters, ivy is everywhere. It thrives in the Pacific Northwest’s mild climate and can grow in sun or shade. And since it’s not native to the region, it doesn’t have the environmental checks and balances it has in western Europe where it originated.
Rats are drawn to ivy because it helps them hide—and climb. And when invasive ivy crawls up trees, it weakens them by blocking sunlight and adding weight, meaning the trees are more likely to topple during windstorms.
Alison Halpern, executive secretary at the Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board, said the ivy removed from one tree in the Olympic National Park weighed in more than 2,100 pounds.
Ivy grows fast, spreads faster and can live for hundreds of years. The plants produce ripe berries in the spring (instead of the fall like many native plants), and birds flock to them. But the berries’ seeds are pooped out—often in forests and parks—which is how ivy escapes from yards.
This brings us back to the second part of our listener’s question: How did English ivy get here?
English ivy was brought to the United States by colonial settlers who craved the aesthetics of European gardens. Halpern said the earliest record of English ivy in the Pacific Northwest dates back to gardens of the 1890s. Even now, it tends to plague residential areas.
English ivy is also a problem for large swaths of coastal North America. Volunteers have waged war with it in Vancouver, B.C.’s Stanley Park. Salisbury said he’s seen invasive ivy snaking up trees in California’s redwood forests. It poses a threat to native plants in Washington, D.C.’s National Arboretum. And Oregon banned the sale of English ivy in 2010.
Halpern said a quarantine has been debated for Washington state, but it would be difficult to implement because there are over 300 cultivars of English ivy, and only some are invasive.
“From a regulatory standpoint, it’s a nightmare,” she said.
For now, Halpern plans to work with nurseries to voluntarily halt sales of problematic varieties.
“With Oregon quarantining it, it could really help us to make that push,” she said.
So what’s to be done? Your assignment is this: Take a good, hard look at the ivy growing in your yard or neighborhood. If it looks like this (and chances are, it does), then it has to go. You can pull it out of the ground by the roots and clip vines near the base of trees if the ivy is growing vertically.
Halpern recommends leaving the plants on a tarp or cement area until it turns brown, then disposing of it in the garbage—not in your compost bin. She said herbicide can be used as well, but you may want to consult your county’s noxious weed board first.
It might sound like a daunting task, but Halpern said it’s worth the effort.
Correction 7/8/2017: Earlier photos published with this post may not have shown an invasive species of ivy, but rather a more decorative type. To be safe, we removed those images, pretty as they were, and have replaced them with those above.


Chris Brown is back on his grind and he wants to make one thing clear.
The 20-year-old singer is speaking out publicly for the first time since allegedly beating Rihanna in February and he’s chosen to do it on YouTube. Chris Breezy uploaded a grainy video recorded at Shaquille O’Neal’s home bowling alley, while he was in the studio with Bow Wow.


ISTANBUL – Authorities in southern Turkey have retrieved the bodies of two miners who were among 18 trapped in a coal mine that flooded 10 days ago, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.
Both bodies have been taken to a local hospital, and search operations continue for the other miners, the agency said Friday. The Dogan news agency said the bodies were retrieved late Thursday from the Has Sekerler mine near the town of Ermenek in Karaman province.
Authorities have been trying to pump out 12,000 tons of water from the mine, Dogan said.
In May, a fire inside a coal mine in Soma, western Turkey, killed 301 people in Turkey's worst mining disaster and exposed poor safety standards and superficial government inspections in the country's mines.


Punctuated with thrilling chases and shoot-outs in the crowded by-lanes of Delhi, Shagird is another interesting film from maverick director Tigmanshu Dhulia.
Story: Hanumant Singh (Nana Patekar) is the quirky cop in the police department. He is a man of action who delivers most of the time but he has unusual ways to accomplish his mission. More importantly, he doesn't think twice before hobnobbing with corrupt politicians (Zakir Hussain) and gangsters (Anurag Kashyap) and taking bribes for services rendered. Trouble begins when a new and seemingly honest recruit (Mohit Ahlawat) joins his team.
Movie Review: Watch the film for its topicality. Shagird holds up a hard-hitting mirror on India: corrupt to the core, India: permanently scarred by the unholy nexus between tainted politicians, ruthless gangsters and dishonest cops.
Nana Patekar and his gang of uniformed men are completely amorphous. You never know which side of the law they are on, crossing thresholds swiftly, whenever it suits them. Patekar's Hanumant Singh is a classic study in grey as he doesn't blink before guzzling crores to give his family a dream life. Of course, he's a crack shot too and does clean up the scum of the city. But only when it suits him and his buddies. Even more enigmatic is his relationship with the dirty politician, Zakir Hussain and his henchman-turned-bugbear, Anurag Kashyap. Both Zakir Hussain and Kashyap are in fine form and create a lot of fireworks on screen.
Punctuated with thrilling chases and shoot-outs in the crowded by-lanes of Delhi, Shagird is another interesting film from maverick director Tigmanshu Dhulia who made an impression with Haasil, his very first film.


(a) The newly appointed Personal Humanitarian Envoy of the Secretary-General, former WFP Executive Director Catherine Bertini, travelled to the region to assess the nature and scale of the humanitarian crisis facing the population of the West Bank and Gaza, and to review humanitarian needs in light of recent developments. Heads of UN Agencies in Jerusalem met with Ms. Bertini and her team to brief them on each agencies' activities and Ms. Bertini visited several project sites, including WFP operations.
(b) The curfew regime in the West Bank has now been enforced for a total of seven weeks paralyzing the civilian population and severely hampering the distribution of humanitarian aid and implementation of development projects, such as infrastructure repairs. New checkpoints have hampered the ability of beneficiaries to reach the distribution point.
(c) WFP emergency food assistance is targeting a total of 500,000 people from among the non-refugee population of the West Bank and Gaza. In Gaza, while the target population is already identified by MSA and NGOs partners, WFP Food Monitors are in the process of accessing and assessing areas and communities extremely exposed to acts of war. Such communities are the Bedouin village, where a number of houses where destroyed during recent incursions and farmers in the Khan Younis area whose agricultural fields were damaged by tanks. In addition, beneficiaries of Terre des Hommes are now being regularly monitored in order to assess the causes of malnutrition found among children under five.
(d) The food security of farmers in Gaza is being severely affected by the destruction of infrastructure and the decrease in availability of farming products. Farmers affected by the destruction of infrastructure are being identified for FFW projects. It has been reported that as a result of the significant decrease in retail prices of farming produce, many farmers prefer not to harvest their crops as the costs of labour and transport will not be matched by market prices.
(e) Between 9-15 August, food totalling 89 tons was distributed to 7,665 beneficiaries in Nablus, Qalquilia, Tulkarenm and Jenin. In the Gaza Strip, distributions continue in Gaza city and the northern sector and in the central and southern sector. 3 tons of High Energy Biscuits (HEB) are being delivered to Terre des Hommes for distribution in their special feeding programmes.


Hatfields & McCoys & Democrats & Republicans - This Can't Be Happening!
Neither the Hatfields nor the McCoys were led by sociopaths. They were cult-like families led by the foremost of the true believers who didn’t care that much about money and power. They cared about being right and were willing to kill for it. The only sociopath in the mini-series was Bad Frank Phillips, a tough-talking hired killer who went into law enforcement. Bad Frank Phillips is pretty much everyone at the top of both political parties, although Bad Frank Phillips was man enough to kill by his own hand and not with predator drones. Bad Frank Phillips did not pose as a tough guy. He was a tough guy. Barack Obama is Bad Frank without courage.
Law enforcement was biased, corrupt and subject to manipulation, then as now.
While the Hatfields and McCoys did hate each other, they were in complete agreement that violence was a great way to solve problems and therefore had everything in common, just like Democrats and Republicans. The guy who most annoyed both sides was Johnse Hatfield, who didn’t care much for the war. He preferred to sit out by his still in the woods, drink corn liquor and get involved with forbidden McCoy women. His father had to twist his arm to get him to fight. Both clans hated him more than they hated each other. He was the Dennis Kucinich of the story. If the New York Times was writing it, they would leave him out, because there was substantive moral difference between him and the two warring tribes.
That’s why historical fiction is important. You can acknowledge the existence of Dennis Kucinich if you disguise him and have him live 130 years ago.
The History Channel is an odd operation. Years ago, it showed documentaries about American history. Now its programming is mostly reality shows about people who sell priceless family heirlooms to a Las Vegas pawn shop so they can go gambling in the casinos. It’s oddly engaging to watch, but when you think about it afterwards, you want to kill yourself. The History Channel’s twin, H2, used to show documentaries about world history. It still shows documentaries but most of them are about the influence of space aliens on the ancient Egyptians, or the influence of Satan in politics.
Maybe as sequel, the History Channel could have a flying saucer land on the Kentucky/West Virginia border in 1880 and a bunch of space aliens from Occupy Earth could explain to the Hatfields and the McCoys that their true enemy is not each other but the coal mining companies. That’s something I’d sit through even if I had to watch a talking lizard sell me car insurance every eight minutes.
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The Hathras police on Thursday night booked about 60 unidentified persons on charges of rioting, following violence that broke out after the death of an eight-month pregnant woman and her three-year-old child in a road accident.
AGRA: The Hathras police on Thursday night booked about 60 unidentified persons on charges of rioting, following violence that broke out after the death of an eight-month pregnant woman and her three-year-old child in a road accident.
The mishap reportedly occurred on Wednesday night near village Kunwarpur in Hathras, when the driver of the bus, carrying pilgrims from Shivpuri, MP, lost control while saving cattle. The bus turned turtle, crushing a motorcycle on which the family of Ravi Kumar was travelling.
While Ravi miraculously survived with grievous injuries, his wife Aarti, who was eight months pregnant, and 3-year-old daughter, Gungi, were killed on the spot. Around 20 pilgrims who were on the bus also injured in the accident.
Following the incident, agitated residents of the area vandalised police vehicles and ambulance to protest against the late arrival of the administration. They also blocked traffic on the highway for almost half an hour.
ASP Hathras, Siddhartha Verma told TOI that a case has been registered on a complaint filed by the Ambulance driver. He said, all accused have been booked under section 147 (riot), 149 (Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), section 336 (Act endangering life or personal safety of others), 427 (Mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 353 (criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 186 (Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), and 341 (wrongful restraint) of IPC.
The ASP said that all accused are being identified with the help of video footage and would be arrested soon.


Leaders of the UPS aircraft mechanics union are declaring victory in securing a tentative new contract that they say will deliver the country's best pay and benefits.
The pact "sets a new bar for aircraft mechanics in the U.S. airline industry, with pay rates and benefits that surpass those at FedEx and all other major U.S.-based carriers," the union said in an announcement early Tuesday. "Upon ratification of the new contract, Local 2727 members will become the highest paid aviation mechanics in the country by a wide margin."
If ratified as expected, the 1,300 members of the Louisville-based union would receive raises of about 16 percent now with 3-percent annual pay hikes.
That means nearly 31 percent in increases over the five-year contract. Along with an increase in pension contributions and enhanced health care benefits, UPS agreed to pay retroactive hourly compensation calculated from the end of the last agreement in November 2013 that could gross aircraft maintenance technicians $25,000 to $65,000 and about half that range for utility helpers.
The aircraft mechanics, who are represented by Teamsters Local 2727, have aggressively accused the shipping giant during the last two years for foot-dragging over a new agreement. They picketed at Amazon warehouse sites in the region and also protested outside of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's Louisville home — after demanding that the Trump administration step up. The mechanics get about $50 a hour now.
The group cited Trump's and McConnell's pledges that workers would benefit from the corporate tax cut approved last December by Congress in better pay and benefits. UPS reported saving tens of million of dollars from reduced tax rates.
After the last agreement expired in late 2013, employees continued working under the terms of the last agreement, as is common in collective bargaining.
Teamsters representatives declined to disclose all details of the proposal until about 1,200 maintenance technicians and 100 utility helpers can review it. A ratification vote is expected sometime next month.
However, Tim Boyle, the local union president, credited pickets at McConnell's home in Louisville and targeted lobbying in Washington for pushing along the discussions recently. McConnell's staff called the National Mediation Board, which had been overseeing the bargaining, to ask about the progress, Boyle said.
It helped that mediators ordered the parties back to the table recently, which accelerated the discussions, he said.
"It's been a long haul and it's a good contract," Boyle said, adding that "there's nothing that touches" the health benefits package.