Scoring: 1, WVC, Katie Mitchkiosky, 51:00. 2, CBC, Bethany Forst (Brianna Turley), 78:00. Saves: CBC, Stephanie Gibson 10; WVC, AdriAnna Simmons 10.
WALLA WALLA MEN 1, NORTH IDAHO 1: Brenden Kenley scored a goal in the 55th minute, and the Warriors hung on to tie visiting North Idaho in NWAC East play.
Scoring: Brenden Kenley (Jose Vasquez), 55:00; 2, NI, Hamidou Kante (Max Mularski), 82:00. Saves: NI, Tanner Horton 4, Mitchell Markovetz 3; WW, Francisco Flores 4.
Richland 6, Kennewick 1: Samantha Heilman recorded her first three goals of the year for the Bombers in an MCC win over the visiting Lions, who scored first in the fifth minute.
“We started a little rockier than we’d like, but we made a few adjustments and the girls responded well,” Richland coach Sara Elfering said.
Tate Kautzky recorded three assists on the day for the Bombers.
Scoring: 1, K, Klarissa Barajas (Hannah Templeton), 5:00; 2, R, Grace Hipke (Tate Kautzky), 8:00; 3, R, Samantha Heilman (Karsyn Suhadolnik), 20:00; 4, R, Heilman (Sophie Mendoza), 46:00, R, Sunny Hemenway (Kautzky), 51:00; 6, R, Heilman (Kautzky), 52:00; 7, R, Megan Haugen (Suhadolnik), 79:00. Shots: K 6, R 24. Saves: K, Olivia Blank 18. R, Gracelyn Fine 5, Kiara Litka (20:00) 0.
Kamiakin 4, Hanford 0: The Braves took advantage of their speed, getting two goals from Maddie Morgan in a home win over the Falcons.
Defender Rachel Ensign led the team in helping shut out Hanford.
Scoring: 1, K, Kaeri Ward (Parker Lee), 3:43; 2, K, Heather Donais, 22:30; 3, K, Maddie Morgan (Rilee Castilla), 49:40; 4, K, Morgan (Donais), 52:24. Shots: H 4, K 16. Saves: H, Teresa Sijgers 7. K, Rachel McClure 1, Grace Wilbur 0.
Pasco 2, Chiawana 1 (SO): The Bulldogs recovered from an own goal in the 19th minute, getting the equalizer from Megan Wilkinson in the second half before prevailing in the shootout.
Wilkinson scored on a 25-yard free kick to the upper corner, beyond the reach of Riverhawks keeper Britni Cottrell.
Scoring: 1, C, own goal, 19:00; 2, P, Megan Wilkinson, 67:00. Shots: P, Dani Gibson, Alexis Eubanks, Jasmine McCarter, Wilkinson; C, Justus Aragon. Shots: P, 3. C, 3. Saves: P, Daisy Torres 2. C, Britni Cottrell 2.
Southridge 4, Walla Walla 0: Haley Thomas recorded a natural hat trick, scoring the Suns’ first three goals in a road win over the Blue Devils to stay atop the MCC at 4-0.
Scoring: 1, S, Haley Thomas, 6:00; 2, S, Thomas (Emily Russell), 32:00; 3, S, Thomas, 41:00; 4, S, Kambree Gavish (Miranda Nelson), 48:00. Shots: S 11, WW 3. Saves: S, Tiara Valadez 3, Britney Yocum (20:00) 0. WW, 7.
GRANDVIEW 2, SUNNYSIDE 1: Grace Meza scored twice to lead the Greyhounds to a nonleague home win over the Grizzlies.
Anabel Pallares had three saves for Grandview (3-2), while Aylin Bautista scored for Sunnyside.
Scoring: 1, G, Grace Meza (Areesa Trevino), 5:00. 2, G, Meza (Biviana Rivera), 8:00. 3, S, Aylin Bautista, 76:00. Shots: S 4, G 7. Saves: S, 5; G, Anabel Pallares 3.
RICHLAND FINISHES THIRD: Kamry Breard had 23 kills and 29 digs to lead Richland to a third-place finish at the Yakima Valley SunDome Invitational. The Bombers, who also got 21 kills and 16 digs from Lexi Lacey, were 5-1 in the tournament.
Set scores: Richland d. Kittitas 25-13, 25-17; Richland split with LaConner 25-23, 25-27; Richland d. Grandview 25-8, 25-6; Richland d. Selah 17-25, 25-18, 15-7; WV-Yakima d. Richland 20-25, 25-16, 15-0. Richland stats: Kamry Breard 3 aces, 23 kills, 45 assists, 29 digs; Lexi Lacey 4 aces, 21 kills, 16 digs; Taylor Moody 5 aces, 51 assists, 10 digs; Sarah Howlett 14 kills, 4 blocks, 5 digs; Lindsay Rosenthal 2 aces, 11 kills, 7 digs; Noelle Craft 2 aces, 8 kills, 12 digs; McKenna Cullen 5 aces, 8 kills, 5 blocks; Madelaine Haynie 8 kills, 7 blocks, 4 digs; Siena Becker 4 aces, 9 kills, 12 digs; Lainie Lacey 2 aces, 55 digs; Savannah Haynie 1 ace, 3 kills, 1 block..
Kennewick goes 1-4: Breanna Shaffer had 32 kills, 67 digs and 26 assists to lead the Lions at the Yakima Valley SunDome Invitational. The Lions went 1-4 on the day.
Set scores: Kennewick d. Hermiston 24-26, 25-14; Selah d. Kennewick 25-9, 27-25; Wenatchee d. Kennewick 25-10, 25-16; Eastlake d. Kennewick 27-25, 25-19; Lakewood d. Kennewick 25-18, 23-25, 15-8. Kennewick: Breanna Shaffer 32 kills, 67 digs, 26 assists; Julisa Gonzalez 15 kills, 82 digs; Monica Kaylor 21 kills, 24 digs; Shyann Pratt 7 blocks; Lexie Helms 52 assists, 14 digs; Kjerstin Manson 37 digs.
HANFORD WINS SEAPORT INVITE: Porter McMichael and Amber Skouson each finished first in their races to lead the Hanford boys and girls to team titles at the Seaport Invite in Clarkston.
Boys team scores: 1. Hanford 39; 2. Pullman 56; 3. Logos 64.
Top finishers: 1. Porter McMichael (Han) 15:47.09; 2. Thomas Weakland (Asotin) 16:01.51; 3. Josiah Anderson (Logos) 16:30.88.
Hanford: 4. Jared Wright 16:32.91; 11. Mason Nelson 17:09.88; 12. Caleb Olson 17:10.02; 14. Brendan Mitchell 17:28.11.
Girls team scores: 1. Hanford 33; 2. Asotin 53; 3. Pullman 65.
Top finishers: 1. Amber Skouson (Han) 19:18.21; 2. Madeline Walker (Pull) 19:18.54; 3. Carmen Eggleston (Aso) 19:38.06.
Hanford: 4. Hailey Cleavenger 19:40.03; 9. Grace Arnold 20:29.37; 10. Megan Wright 20:33.45; 12. Rachel Schmidt 20:51.92.
Waitsburg-Prescott: 5. Emily Adams 19:49.47.


Already know where you want to buy a home? Have a specific budget in mind? Just want to nose around some pretty properties? Browse our hand-picked selections of properties for sale around the world.
Cyprus has always been an obvious choice for holiday lets and resort-based property investment. However, a new spate of new-build developments are bringing in international investors in increasing numbers.
With Portugal now offering Golden Visas to foreign investors owning properties worth around 500,000 euros, it's a good idea to look outside of the Algarve. Why not Porto? Thanks to re-vitalised tourist interest, Porto has seen a resurgence as desirable area for investors and second home owners.
With the recent up-turn in property sales, Cyprus may be set to return as a top destination for holiday and second homes.
Often seen by investors as the gateway location to the Algarve, this week's property selection comes from Albufeira. This is a fantastic area of Portugal's south coast located just off the countries main E1 motorway, so it's easily accessible.
With the clocks going forward over the weekend it's hard to get over losing an hour but the days are getting brighter. Sunny skies and warmer temperatures might move some of us to long for a trip to to the Algarve.
Lagos is one of the most visited towns in the Algarve and Portugal. Find out why.
Most locations in Portugal are bound to have some appeal for obvious lifestyle reasons such as: climate and proximity to the Mediterranean. However, Portugal's financial appeal may have diminished during the Eurozone crisis but has since returned to form.
New York has always been a desirable place to own property. Even with political uncertainty and rising costs due to a stronger dollar, the city's prime real estate is still highly sought-after.
Florida is the number one destination for foreign investors in US property, accounting for one in five of all overseas purchases in 2016. We handpick four properties prove why the market has lost none of its appeal.


Craven Concerts, which has been providing artistic excellence to Craven and surrounding counties for 30 years, has announced its lineup for the 2013-14 season, which begins in October.
The first of two 2013 concerts is Oct. 16, featuring Sixth Floor Trio. According to their web page, The Sixth Floor Trio is a chamber group dedicated to the creation and performance of music that connects different musical styles, communities and artistic disciplines.
Formed by graduates of the Curtis Institute of Music in 2008, the Trio has performed extensively throughout the United States in venues ranging from traditional concert halls to grunge bars and experimental spaces.
They are members of the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and the Doo-Wop Hall of Fame.
The 2014 scheduled includes Jesse Lynch�s Jazz 101 on Feb. 27 and Emile Pandolfi on March 30.
All performances are in the Grover C. Fields Performing Arts Center. Seating is 45 minutes before each 7:30 p.m.performance, with the exception of the last performance of Pandolfi. Seating begins at 2:15 p.m.Performances are at 3 and 7:30 p.m.
Patron Preferred Seating is available. The first 12 rows, totaling 358 seats, will be sold on a first come, first served basis at $90 per seat for the series. The remaining seats will be sold as general admission at $75 per seat. Season Subscription Tickets will be mailed in advance of the first performance.
Tickets to the concerts are by subscription only. No tickets are sold for individual performances. Tickets must be bought for all four performances.
Included with the purchase of a season subscription to Craven Concerts is entitlement to attend concerts offered by the Washington and Goldsboro concert associations.
Call the Beaufort Community Concerts Association at 252-940-1222.
Craven Concerts does not guarantee the availability of a seat for these concerts. Seating is on a space available basis at the discretion of the presenting association.
According to Craven Concerts, the concept of providing live, professional entertainment to communities throughout the United States was originated by Columbia Artists Management as Community Concerts. The objective was to nurture and support a permanent concert-going audience base through a not-for-profit arts organization at the local level.
Craven County Concerts Association was founded by a group of performing arts-minded individuals in 1947. In the 1980s, the name was changed to Craven Concerts, Inc.
Another main objective is to provide Craven and surrounding counties� students with in-school performances. Each year, Asheville-based Opera Express performs a fairy tale opera for all area third-graders after the students have been given extensive education in voice parts and character roles. Guest artists also present in-school performances adapted to the students� level.


Global Hair Gel Market is expected to rise from its initial estimated value of USD 1.79 billion in 2018 to an estimated value of USD 2.49 million by 2026, registering a CAGR of 4.20% during the forecast period of 2019-2026. This rise in market value can be attributed to the growing demand of natural hair gel and rising need for hair styling among younger population.
In January 2018, L'Oréal Paris launched a new hair care brand line Elvive which helps in reviving all kinds of hair damage. This strategy has helped in expansion of the product portfolio of the company.
In December 2017, Kao USA Inc. signed an agreement for acquiring Oribe Hair Care, LLC to its impressive stable & luxury brand range. This strategy would help in the expansion of company and also would enhance its customer base.
Global hair gel market is highly fragmented and the major players have used various strategies such as new product launches, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and others to increase their footprints in this market. The report includes market shares of hair gel market for global, Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, South America and Middle East & Africa.


"From Technology to Cash" was the multiyear marketing campaign undertaken by Concurrent Computer Corp. to help Time Warner Cable in Oahu, Hawaii, design, build and launch video-on-demand services. Started in April 1999, the system is now one of the largest deployments in the U.S., covering 352,000 VOD-enabled basic homes and 85,000 digital subscribers.
The process began in April 1999, when Concurrent was chosen by Time Warner to be its server vendor. Servers and quadrature amplitude modulators were installed in July 1999. After a trial among friendlies, VOD service to paying subscribers was launched in January 2000.
Time Warner wanted to use as much pre-existing headend equipment as possible in its VOD launch to optimize the existing hub and network architecture. Time Warner also needed to seamlessly integrate VOD into its ordering, billing and royalty payment system.
The system used Scientific-Atlanta Inc.'s digital network control system and QAM system, along with the Explorer 2000 box. Prasara Technologies' software was used for royalty management and subscriber billing. Concurrent supplied its MediaHawk server technology.
The expense equation included per stream costs of $300 and QAM costs of $150 to $200 per transport stream.
Time Warner not only offers movies-on-demand, but also pizza, karaoke, sports and tutoring on-demand services. The system also conducted a short network-based PVR test during its VOD rollout.
"Subscribers love the interactive services and subscriber retention grew because of VOD," reported Joseph Parola, vice president, market development, for Concurrent.
For instance, local sports programming that has already aired on television continued to get buys on the on-demand service. A University of Hawaii game that was already shown on broadcast TV received more than 1,000 buys on Time Warner's sports on demand service.


Former Ardmoreite, Sandra “Sandy” Sparks Wilson, 84, passed away Dec. 20, 2018, at her Denver, Colo., residence. Sandra was born May 29, 1934, in Ardmore, the daughter of the late Bill and Mayme Lee Bailey Sparks.
Sandra and Lloyd “Lou” Rolland Wilson, a fellow public school teacher and coach, were married June 30, 1961, and they had celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary June 2011, a month before Lou passed away.
Sandra was a graduate of Ardmore High School, class of 1952, and received a bachelor of education from Oklahoma A & M (OSU) in 1956. She was a member of the Pi Beta Phi Sorority.
They carried that enduring youthful spirit into retirement, staying active with volunteer work and learning the harmonica. Sandra cherished her family and all of her friends from Ardmore, OSU, her Pi Phi Sisters, Denver tennis club and all her fellow teachers. Her exuberance and good spirits prompted some of her students to proclaim her as their favorite teacher. She remained a Denver resident, but returned to Ardmore often to visit friends, and she always kept in touch.
We all remember her as a very happy and caring person who never complained or had a bad word to say about anything. She was easy to love. Heaven is a happier place now.
Survivors include her many nieces and nephews. Besides her parents, her sister Scotta Sparks Clark also preceded her death.
Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, 2019, at First Presbyterian Church, conducted by Reverend Rick Baggett. Burial in Rose Hill Cemetery will follow.
A time of visitation and support for family and friends will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday at Harvey-Douglas Funeral Home. Words of comfort may be sent to the family online at www.hdouglasfuneralhome.com.


(CNN) - Special counsel Robert Mueller's office disputed an explosive story from BuzzFeed News as "not accurate" Friday night, after the news outlet reported the President had directed his personal attorney Michael Cohen to lie to Congress, for which Cohen was later prosecuted.
"BuzzFeed's description of specific statements to the Special Counsel's Office, and characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this office, regarding Michael Cohen's Congressional testimony are not accurate," said Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller's office, in a statement.
Ben Smith, the editor-in-chief at Buzzfeed, echoed similar sentiments.
"We stand by our reporting and the sources who informed it, and we urge the Special Counsel to make clear what he's disputing," he tweeted.
But following the story's publication late Thursday night, Democratic members of Congress began pointing to the report as grounds for the President's impeachment. The clamor grew throughout the day and into Friday night.
The BuzzFeed story, by reporters Jason Leopold and Anthony Cormier, asserted that Cohen had told special counsel investigators that "after the election, the president personally instructed him to lie — by claiming that negotiations [for a Trump development project in Moscow] ended months earlier than they actually did — in order to obscure Trump's involvement," BuzzFeed wrote, attributing its assertion to two law enforcement sources.
The sources also said the special counsel's office had corroborating Trump company emails, text messages and other documents, though the BuzzFeed reporters were unclear Friday in television interviews about whether they had seen the documents described in their story.
The special counsel's office did not go into detail about which parts of the BuzzFeed story they were calling untrue. The BuzzFeed story made several other claims that remain uncorroborated by other media outlets regarding Cohen's lies to Congress and communications with Mueller.
The White House and the President's personal lawyers pushed back on the story throughout the day Friday.
Trump addressed the special counsel spokesman's statement Friday night on Twitter, referencing how BuzzFeed had published a dossier in 2016 of uncorroborated intelligence compiled by ex-British intelligence agent Christopher Steele.
"Remember it was Buzzfeed that released the totally discredited 'Dossier,' paid for by Crooked Hillary Clinton and the Democrats (as opposition research), on which the entire Russian probe is based!" he tweeted. "A very sad day for journalism, but a great day for our Country!"
Steele worked for the intelligence firm Fusion GPS, which was retained by Perkins Coie, the law firm for the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Intelligence officials have said the dossier was one of several sources of information supporting the Russia investigation.
Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani praised Mueller for issuing the disputing statement, and accused the press of showing bias against Trump in its coverage of the BuzzFeed report.
"I commend Bob Mueller's office for correcting the BuzzFeed false story that Pres. Trump encouraged Cohen to lie," he tweeted. "I ask the press to take heed that their hysterical desire to destroy this President has gone too far. They pursued this without critical analysis all day. #FAKENEWS"
Donald Trump Jr., the President's son, tweeted his reaction to Mueller's office's statement with a slew of cartoon smiling faces that were crying with laughter, as well as a thumbs up sign.
Rep. Mark Meadows, chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said Mueller's statement shows why the special counsel should release his final report quickly to end speculation about its contents.
"Today's development only underscores the need for the special counsel to wrap this investigation up immediately," the North Carolina Republican tweeted. "The constant secrecy and breathless speculation helps no one. It's been 20 months — enough is enough. Wrap it up. Show us what you have."
The President did not immediately respond to the statement, but he began retweeting supporters who were reveling in the statement.
A Trump Organization source insisted Friday to CNN that the company knew of no documents regarding the proposed Trump Tower in Moscow that reflected conversations about the matter after January 2016.


The questions hit the two of them early in their NFL lives, week after week, game after game, repeated often enough so that Will Allen and Will Peterson quickly understood the drill.
Inquiring minds wanted to know: What do you think of [fill in the blank with name of opponents’ top receiver] and how, with so little experience, can you possibly hope to stop him?
The past few days, as the Giants ready themselves to open their season Sunday against the usually high-flying Rams at Giants Stadium, the cornerback duo was asked to comment about Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, the St. Louis receivers who form one of the league’s best tandems. The bombardment, though, wasn’t as intense and certainly not as skeptical.
Both Allen and Peterson would prefer a change of focus to the questions, in keeping with what they believe is an upgrade in their standing on the team and in the respect they’ve gained among their peers.
They’ll find out soon enough. It appears this edition of Rams coach Mike Martz’ flying circus, unlike previous outfits, does not include the dangerous third receiving option, making this more of a true confrontation, Giants corners vs. Rams starting wideouts. The buzz for more than a year is that in Allen and Peterson, both entering their third seasons, the Giants have one of the best young cornerback pairs in the NFL. Matchups like this help determine if such talk is conjecture or reality.
There are no signs that Allen and Peterson are over-hyped. The two, sharing a first name, position, adjacent lockers and a fast friendship, look and play differently but are alike in their competitive zeal and work ethic. Allen is faster, able to make up for mistakes with his speed, and more fluid, while Peterson is bigger, stronger, and rangier. Allen arrived as a first-round draft pick, Peterson a surprise choice in the third round, and from the moment each stepped on the field they were unafraid, an attitude that endeared them to teammates.


The left hook JAMES TONEY used last year to dethrone MICHAEL NUNN as the International Boxing Federation middleweight champion shocked more than the previously undefeated Nunn and his hometown fans in Davenport, Iowa. It also stunned the nation's boxing writers, who had somehow missed the promise Toney had shown in knocking out JOSE LUIS ESTEVEN a year earlier and his continued development under his manager, JACKIE KALLEN.
Caught unaware, the writers covering the fight had to ask Toney to hold a special interview session so they could catch up on biographical details of the fighter from Ann Arbor, Mich.
Since that victory, ever after referred to as "the shocking upset," Toney has defeated challengers REGGIE JOHNSON and FRANCESCO DELL'AQUILLA and survived a disputed draw with MIKE McCALLUM, bringing his record to 30-0-2 with 20 knockouts.
On Friday, amid evidence that the boxing writers are still reeling from that title-claiming left hook, Toney won another victory, this time over such boxing notables as TERRY NORRIS, JAMES (BUDDY) MCGIRT, PERNELL WHITAKER and RAY MERCER.
At the 67th annual dinner of the Boxing Writers Association of America, Toney was named the fighter of the year.


Ivory poachers may have finally met their match: forensic science. A study just published by PNAS describes a carbon-dating technique making it possible to determine the age of elephant tusks—and thus whether a particular piece of ivory has been acquired illegally.
As Uno explained, new tissue forms every day in the elephant’s tusk as it eats, with the base containing the newest tissue. Because the carbon absorbed by plants contains radiocarbon from the atmosphere, researchers can match the radiocarbon level in the tissue. But the key to the technique is something that scientists call the “bomb curve,” the period between 1952 to 1962 during which radiocarbon nearly doubled because of nuclear weapons testing. After the test ban treaty went into effect in 1963, the concentration of radiocarbon in the atmosphere has been diluted at a steady rate. Researchers used samples from primate hair, hippopotamus canines, elephant tusks, and an oryx horn to test their technique.
Demand for ivory in China has increased dramatically because of the country’s economic boom.
As the study explains, “Bomb-curve dating of confiscated animal tissues (e.g., ivory statues) can be used to determine whether trade of the item is legal, because many Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species restrictions are based on the age of the tissue.” Because elephants are threatened by extinction, CITES declared a ban on the trade of tusks from African elephants in 1989 and those from Asian elephants in 1975.
CITES estimates that elephant poaching is at its highest level since 2002 (PDF). According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, only 423,000 African elephants remain—nearly 50,000 less than there were in 2007. In 2011, 86,000 pounds of illegal ivory were seized worldwide, with China being the largest importer and the US coming in second. Demand in China, where ivory is often used in both art and religious sculpture, has recently increased as a result of the country’s economic boom. Tusks have become a lucrative “conflict resource” in battle zones in Africa, like Uganda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The researchers plan to use their method in tandem with a DNA tool developed in 2004 by the University of Washington’s Center for Conservation Biology. Sam Wasser, the center’s director, analyzed the DNA in elephant dung and created a map of African elephant populations based on his findings, which allows investigators to determine where ivory comes from.
By using the radiocarbon dating technique with the DNA tool, researchers could pinpoint “poaching hotspots” and notify countries to direct resources to those areas. In addition to being relatively inexpensive—carbon-dating a tusk costs approximately $500 and the DNA analysis costs about $100 plus labor—the process is fairly quick, taking one to two weeks.
Beyond the benefits this could have for tracking illegal ivory trade, the technique has more far-reaching scientific implications as well.


When Carolyn Porco started exploring the outer solar system, it was all about the rings. Her 1983 doctoral thesis at Caltech focused on shifting spokes in Saturn's rings discovered by the Voyager spacecraft. As Voyager sailed past Uranus and Neptune, Porco led a group dedicated to their rings, too. So when she became the head of the imaging team for the Cassini satellite mission to Saturn, the gas giant's majestic rings were expected to be the highlight.
But in Cassini's seven years orbiting the great ringed planet, a new part of the system turned Porco's head. One of Saturn's icy moons, Enceladus, is spurting salty water full of compounds like propane, benzene, hydrogen sulfide and formaldehyde. The discovery vaulted Enceladus to the top of many astrobiologists' wish lists for the next place to look for life in the solar system.
Wired.com caught up with Porco to talk about microbe-filled snow and bringing pictures to the public.
Wired.com: What's coming up next for Cassini?
Carolyn Porco: We have lots of plans to monitor all the exciting things we've found so far: hydrocarbon lakes on Titan, activity that we've discovered at the south pole of Enceladus, looking for changes in the rings, storm activity.
We'll be going out to 2017, if we're lucky. That will be the height of northern summer. We arrived at the height of southern summer, so between the two hemispheres we’ll be able to see the effects of a full seasonal cycle at Saturn. That's just so scientifically fruitful. It will show us how this alien planetary system, very far from the sun, responds to seasonal forcing.
Wired.com: What's been the highlight so far?
Porco: Our most significant discovery is the activity at south pole of Enceladus, which points to a subsurface regional salty sea, laced with organic matter and emitting excess heat. It is the best, most accessible habitable zone we have in our solar system.
As far as I'm concerned, Enceladus has become the go-to place in our solar system for issues bearing on extraterrestrial life. It's a great place to examine extraterrestrial organic chemistry that is water-based, and therefore like biotic chemistry on Earth.
Wired.com: So if you had a lineup of Enceladus, Titan and Europa, which are always brought up as good targets for astrobiology, which would you choose?
Porco: Oh, Enceladus wins hands down. Titan has no liquid water on its surface and any liquid water beneath its surface is inaccessible to us, as far as we know. It has hydrocarbon lakes, but we don't know of any organisms that could live in those, not at the temperatures that we find on Titan. Any reference to possible life in lakes on the surface of Titan is pure speculation.
We do know of subsurface Earth ecologies that could thrive in the subsurface environment on Enceladus. Now that we know there's salty water there, that shows there's liquid water in contact with rock. Biotic chemistry could occur that we know exists in volcanic environments miles underneath Earth's surface, where liquid water percolates through hot rocks.
As far as Europa goes, Europa very likely has an ocean under its surface. In that regard, Europa and Enceladus are on equal par. But on Europa, the ocean is at least several kilometers under the surface and the moon is bathed in an intense radiation field. We can't go there and just drill several kilometers down because the intense radiation field would fry a properly equipped spacecraft in several months.
So while there could indeed be life within the ocean of Europa, it is presently inaccessible. The beauty of Enceladus is all you have to do is land on the surface, look up and stick your tongue out. It could be snowing microbes at the south pole. We would be foolish not to head back there immediately.
>"The beauty of Enceladus is all you have to do is land on the surface, look up and stick your tongue out."
Wired.com: What are the actual plans for going back?
Porco: This issue was examined recently, and NASA chose Europa. There’s a lot of political momentum behind a Europa mission. But, because of budgeting restrictions, it’s not clear we’ll be going there any time soon. I think Enceladus could be done for less expense, and is more promising. It's very possible to go back to Enceladus. I just hope we do it soon.
Wired.com: Aside from Enceladus, what are the big questions left for Cassini?
Porco: How does the surface environment on Titan change with the seasons? Titan is the one place in our solar system whose geographical and atmospheric diversity and complexity are rivaled only by the Earth's. It’s very Earth-like, but it’s also very different, which means we have a lot to learn as well as a prayer of understanding what we find.
Until Cassini got there, Titan was the largest single expanse of unexplored terrain that we had remaining in our solar system. Now we've basically seen all of it.
I can't help but think of Cassini in its historical context. It was the first orbiter we put around Saturn, the first time humans have touched something in the outer solar system with something of our own making. I think it's an opportunity for people all over the world to be high-fiving each other, saying "Yay for the humans!"


and water from the adjacent bay cools the museum and feeds its surrounding pools before returning to the sea.
The project brought together architects, researchers and government to create a space where climate change and the Earth's future are its core focus. "We thought, why not make the social and political discussion of sustainability the main approach of a museum?" says Hugo Barreto, secretary general at the Roberto Marinho Foundation, which oversaw the building's development and partly funded its construction.
an egg-shaped auditorium showing a 360° film about the Universe. In another, six ten-metre pillars display images and data that demonstrate humans' impact on the planet.
By using interactive exhibits and discussion, it encourages visitors to ponder the planet's future -- something the museum emphasises as a current concern. "The idea of 'tomorrow' brings a kind of proximity to the idea," Barreto says. "The future isn't far from what we are doing now."


Roughly 15 minutes after posting the tickets to Ticketmaster, the Migos have sold out their NYC show at Highline.
On Jan. 27, Migos will release their official sophomore album Culture, and to celebrate the drop, they're playing a show in New York City on the same day.
Tickets are on sale for the Highline Ballroom show at the low price of $15, so grab you some before they're sold out.
Quavo, Offset and Takeoff are having a huge moment right now. Their hit single "Bad and Boujee" is on the birnk of going No. 1 on Billboard, and on Sunday night (Jan. 8) Atlanta frontman Donald Glover gave the group a helping hand by shouting out the track during his acceptance speech.
“I really want to thank the Migos, not for being in the show but for making ‘Bad and Boujee.’ Like that’s the best song ever,” said Gambino. Later on backstage, he even said the group is this generation's equivalent to the Beatles.


It is hard not to enjoy beer marketing. Even if you are not a marketer, this industry always offers creative advertising (particularly on TV) that is fun to watch and spends lots of money doing it. Every year at the Super Bowl, a good number of the Top 10 ads come from beer companies. In other venues beyond sports, beer advertising often promises good times, great parties and generally being able to escape from your daily life into a world of fun, travel and festivities.
If you have ever had a Red Stripe beer from Jamaica, you know that it has a very unique bottle shape, shorter and stubbier than most others. The bottle sets the beer apart more than anything else, and this fact is brilliantly parodied in this ad featuring their central spokesperson – the Jamaican guy who loves nothing more than celebrating what beer can do with his trademark expression of Jamaican joy: "Hooray Beer!"
The ad for Bud Light below follows the model this beer company has focused on for nearly every Super Bowl and football season – forget about your product features and focus on the simple message that guys will do almost anything for your beer. The strategy which seems buried in most of their ads is the unwavering loyalty that the guys in their ads have for Bud Light. They will build houses out of it, jump out of planes, and even walk around naked for a day just to get more of it. It is easy to argue that the name of the beer involved is entirely forgettable, but the ads stand out for being entertaining.
A popular ad for European beer Estrella Damm – this campaign features a few ads which tell the story where the beer plays a supporting role and one of the tagline reads "Good times never end when you have something to remind you of them." Another ad features a growing relationship between two fellow travellers. While the taglines don’t exactly roll off the tongue, the entire campaign creates stories that associate the beer with the common memory of moments like a short term romance on a backpacking trip through Europe that many of their target audience will remember nostalgically, and one that many people won’t be able to help sharing.
Probably the most popular campaign of the list, this inspired marketing from Dos Equis creates a persona for the Most Interesting Man In The World who, by his own admission, "doesn’t always drink beer, but when he does he prefers Dos Equis." The image of this man is who every guy wants to grow up to be, and works because it places Dos Equis in a typically uncontested space as the choice for a more mature and refined guy versus an infantile male trying to relive lost days of keg stands and beer pong from college. That and irresistible lines like "he lives vicariously through himself" help position Dos Equis as the more aspirational choice in beers.
The thing that European beers have always used to promote themselves against other brands is the sense that they are a more upscale and respectable choice when you go to a bar or similarly public place. Heineken’s recent campaign takes this message and replays it with the powerful tagline – "give yourself a good name." The ads feature guys making bold decisions (like drinking with the scary bosses’ daughter) and congratulating them on their choice. It helps reinforce the message that what beer you choose says something important about who you are, so choose well.
Amazon to Take On Netflix With Subscription Service?


Archives|DAWES'S DOG QUITS HOME.; Keeper Hates "to Think What the General Will Say."
DAWES'S DOG QUITS HOME.; Keeper Hates "to Think What the General Will Say."


A child in Florida has become the first person to die of the flu this season, according to state health officials. State epidemiologists say the child had not been vaccinated and was otherwise healthy before getting sick with the flu.
The child, who tested positive for influenza B, died sometime during the week of Sept. 30, although privacy concerns prevent officials from saying exactly where, CBS affiliate WTSP-TV reports.
Last flu season, 183 children in the U.S. died from flu or flu-related causes. That's the most since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began keeping these records in 2004. Overall, an estimated 80,000 Americans died from flu last season.
CBS News medical contributor Dr. Tara Narula says this latest news should be a wake-up call to parents to get their children vaccinated.
"What this is a strong clear message to parents about the importance of vaccination," she told "CBS This Morning." "This vaccine is safe. It is the most effective tool we have. And we know of the pediatric deaths last year, 80 percent were in kids who were unvaccinated."
A new survey suggests that many children may not be getting the potentially life-saving flu shot because of their parents' misconceptions about the safety and importance of vaccines.
"None of these things are true. It's important that we deal with the science and the facts," Narula said.
The CDC recommends everyone age 6 months and older get vaccinated against the flu every year.
"Officials have said it's like wearing a seat belt," Narula said. "This is really a no-brainer for parents."


BERLIN (AFP) - Berlin on Wednesday commemorates Adolf Hitler's rise to power 80 years ago, with exhibitions exploring what Chancellor Angela Merkel has called Germany's "everlasting responsibility" for crimes committed by the Nazis.
In a black-and-white photo, visitors can make out the Fuehrer saluting the crowd from the chancellery window on the evening of Jan 30, 1933, after earlier having been made chancellor and been charged by president Paul von Hindenburg with forming a new government.
The picture is on display at "Berlin 1933. On the Path to Dictatorship", due to be opened by Dr Merkel in the German capital on Wednesday, on a site charged with history as the former headquarters of the Gestapo, the secret police of the Nazi regime.
It now houses The Topography of Terror, an open-air documentation centre whose exhibition will trace Hitler's first months in power through photos, newspapers and posters.
"The hour has come! We are at Wilhelmstrasse (the site of the chancellery at the time). Hitler is chancellor of the Reich. Like in a fairytale," wrote Joseph Goebbels, who was to become Nazi propaganda chief, in his diary on January 31, 1933.
Posters go on to show images of the Reichstag going up in flames the following month and then the first measures taken against the Jews on April 1, with the start of a boycott of Jewish shops, doctors and lawyers.
"Germans, defend yourselves! Don't buy from Jews," a poster states.
Andreas Nachama, director of The Topography of Terror, said the arrival of the failed painter from Austria at the helm of power in Germany was an "incision" in history, although nobody at the time thought he would last.
However the parliamentary system of the Weimar Republic failed to find a stable majority and Hitler, on the back of over-simplified themes, rallied millions of unemployed and people who had lost everything in the economic crisis.
According to Nachama, the exhibition shows the "daily erosion of democratic institutions" as the Nazi regime began to build up steam, eventually leading to World War II and the deaths of 40 million to 60 million people, including six million Jews.
The 80th anniversary has sparked much interest in Germany - a novel that imagines Hitler's return to modern-day Berlin entitled "He's Back" (Er Ist Wieder Da) has become a bestseller here.
Another two exhibitions are also due to open - one on Berlin and the Nazis at the German Historical Museum and the other offering a thematic tour of Berlin's symbolic sites from the Third Reich.
Just ahead of the anniversary, Dr Merkel said in her weekly podcast that Germany had "an everlasting responsibility for the crimes of National Socialism, for the victims of World War II, and above all, for the Holocaust".
"We're facing our history, we're not hiding anything, we're not repressing anything. We must confront this to make sure we are a good and trustworthy partner in the future, as we already are today, thankfully," Dr Merkel said.


⇑ back to "Evangelism & Missions"
Music, not message, reverberates through the Meow Meow in Portland, Ore., on Thursday through Saturday nights. The punk-rock club is the primary outreach of The Bridge, a church for the city's street kids.
"This is an all ages music venue in the same building as the church, but separate from it," explains Angie Fadel, who runs the club with her husband, Todd. "Many of these people have been so burned by the traditional church, they wouldn't come if they knew we were connected to it."
The Fadels, members of The Bridge, are "trying to make a safe place for young people, especially those under 21, to hang out," they say.
"It's not a stealth evangelism type of thing," Todd Fadel says. "We're making a connection with the punk culture in Portland through arts and music. We found that people respond so much more to us because we're Christians, though. It breaks through their stereotypes."
The Fadels and other Bridge members who help out from time to time are "always ready to answer any God-questions or walk through difficult circumstances" with the people who attend, Todd emphasizes.
"We're a punk club that accepts people where they're at," he adds.
The only exception is that clubgoers must leave their cigarettes, drugs and alcohol at the door.
"But sometimes it gets pretty ugly," Todd says. "They bring their own stuff in."
One rock band that performed used profanity, singing such lyrics as "I wish I were dead," when about 20 Christians walked in. According to the Fadels, the band members were overwhelmed by the acceptance of their "enemies."
"This is becoming the best club in Portland," Todd says. "There's a legitimacy here. We don't patronize people by proselytizing. Our first step is to relate."
Todd believes a lot of mainline churches miss the boat by preaching first and relating later. "People respond to what comes out of our hearts, not out of our mouths," he says. "Then they come to church, when they're ready."
Everyone longs for love, says Angie, mother of a 10-month-old named Zion, and a member of The Bridge--which like the Meow Meow caters to all ages.
"Even my mother attends," she says.


Boston-area Allstate agency owners recently joined with others from across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic to secure a $253,000 Allstate Foundation Helping Hands grant to benefit 15 domestic violence nonprofits in nine states and the District of Columbia, including RESPOND, Inc. of Somerville.
The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV), which represents the organizations’ local efforts, accepted the grant and distributed the funding to the local domestic violence nonprofits.
Casa Myrna will receive $5,000 and RESPOND, Inc. will receive $4,000. The organizations will use the grants to support their missions to provide shelter and supportive services to domestic violence survivors and their families.
Allstate volunteers earned the $253,000 grant for their local domestic violence organizations by collecting much-needed items during a supply drive held in November and December, coinciding with the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. The supply drive was part of a multi-state Allstate Foundation Purple Purse effort that benefitted nonprofits supporting survivors of domestic violence throughout Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington D.C. and West Virginia.
Participating Allstate agency owner volunteers representing RESPOND, Inc. include: Jonatan Dalla Costa, Stephen Gilligan, Erin Gelinas and Kurt Wicks.


He's still committed to taking on big issues.
When Kendrick Lamar joined forces with Reebok towards the end of 2014, the artist recognized it was a unique platform for him to tackle issues that are largely overlooked in the industry. Footwear and fashion might not be go-to platforms for public conversations about issues beyond trends and popular style, but the world of sneakers offers an opportunity to talk to a particular range of people. Fans and collectors from disparate communities all come together in the passion of collecting footwear (like a rainbow Venn diagram), and that includes communities with contemporary tensions or violent histories.
For his first few pairs of Reebok Classic Leathers, Kendrick focused on the strife between gangs in his hometown of Compton, Los Angeles. The two colors of the Bloods and Crips, red and blue, coexisted on each pair of shoes, with different variations for successive releases–ending with a pair of green sneakers because "mixing Red and Blue makes Green," a popular Compton saying that means when everyone comes together, everyone grows. As a part of those releases, Kendrick and Reebok even produced a video of former gang members discussing their pasts and how they're working to leave the violence behind and make green.
The ongoing collaboration on Reebok Classic Leathers ended in 2016, but Reebok and Kendrick just announced the next incarnation of their collaboration—and explained how the design of the newest pair continues the broader conversation in a new way.
The new sneaker is a riff on the Club C that seem pretty simple off the bat, with a bleached denim upper and white sole. But the discourse is in the details. According to Reebok, Kendrick chose the bleached black denim as a representation of mystery and anonymity, but also the commingling and coexistence of two very different colors. No two hues are further apart than black and white, and at a time when our country is grappling with new conversations about race, this pair represents a part of Kendrick's contribution to that conversation, and the benefit of creating a collaborative community.
"Now more than ever it is important for individuals to come together as one," Kendrick explains. "This sneaker represents that call for unity and equality, while also pushing people to look beneath the surface and uncover the hidden messages. This is something I try to do with my music, and now here with the Club C."
The hidden messages that Kendrick refers to are all around us, but he symbolizes that theme in the shoes with minimal branding (the only additional branding you'll find on the shoe is under the tongue inside the sneaker), and remixed logotypes. The logos typically found on the Club C are still present in this pair, but they've been largely blacked out except for the "K" and "O," to represent "KDot," one of Kendrick's nicknames.
"This latest Capsule is a bold and unique design that continues and strengthens the theme of inspiring youths, but this time through the lens of anonymity and abstractionism–powerful messages that ring true throughout Kendrick's music," explains Global Vice President of Reebok Classic and Entertainment Todd Krinsky.
Watch for the shoes to release on January 12 in adult, kid, and toddler sizing.


Angry Sir Alex Ferguson condemned Cristiano Ronaldo for allowing himself to be provoked into getting sent off in Manchester United's 1-1 draw at Portsmouth.
The Portugual international head-butted Richard Hughes who had pushed him during a goalmouth melee.
Referee Steve Bennett, a yard away from the incident, had no option but to issue a red card, earning the winger a three match-ban.
It means United go into Sunday's Manchester derby without Ronaldo, who also sits out games against Sunderland and Tottenham, Wayne Rooney - out for two months with a broken foot - and four points behind title rivals Chelsea.
Ferguson said: "Cristiano was provoked but he fell into a trap of intimidation and he has to learn from it.
"It is another big blow to lose but it has happened with him a few times. I've looked at the replay, which is inconclusive, but my take on it was that he responded to something. He should know that this is what other players do and he's got to tell himself that they are inferior to him and this is why they do it."
Ronaldo's dismissal came in the 84th minute, only seconds after Sulley Muntari received his own marching orders for a second bookable offence.
At kick-off all eyes were on Carlos Tevez, finally making his debut following his controversial switch from West Ham, and he made an impact in the 15th minute when he set up a sweet scoring strike for Paul Scholes.
Portsmouth dug in and equalised with a header from Benjani eight minutes after the break.
Although no Manchester City supporters will be lamenting Ronaldo's absence at Eastlands on Sunday, boss Sven-Goran Eriksson takes a different view.
"It is always a pity," said the former England manager. "As a fan or a spectator in front of the TV, you want to see the best players perform."
City go into the match on the back of last night's 1-0 win over Derby when Michael Johnson crashed home his first goal.
The clash of former United captains at St Andrews ended 2-2 as Roy Keane's Sunderland came from behind to thwart Steve Bruce's Birmingham. Stern John earned a point for Sunderland with his last-minute goal.


Bit of my history to record today, 'cause with being involved in the Olympics and that, it triggered me memory.
My first-ever job was just a few minutes drive from the Olympic Stadium, but could not be further removed from the the soccer financed current glitzy lifestyle I enjoy.
As a 14-year-old I worked as a £2-an-hour potboy!
Now here I am, a millionaire with a millionaire wife and kids Brooklyn Joseph, Romeo James, Cruz David, and Harper Seven, we're worth over £144m, I've carrying the Olympic torch, on speed-boats with the worlds camera's recording it... Ah, life's good!


Development Tour Event 12 winner Ted Evetts.
Ted Evetts once again tasted success on the PDC Unicorn Development Tour as he was victorious at Event 12 in Wigan on Sunday.
With the victory, Evetts returned to the top of the PDC Development Tour order of merit.
The Stockton thrower had been knocked off the top spot by German Martin Schindler who won both events on Saturday.
Evetts reached the semi-finals of Event 11 courtesy of victories over Jack Neary (4-2), Adam Paxton (4-0), Matt Sharpe (4-0), Martin Schindler (4-2), Dawson Murschell (4-2) and Tommy Wilson (5-3) before being whitewashed by eventual winner Ryan Meikle.
However, he bounced back to win the afternoon’s event courtesy of a 5-2 victory over Belgian Dimitri van den Bergh.
Evetts reached the final thanks to wins over Seppe Giebens (4-0), Brad Ellis (4-1), Brian Raman (4-3), Adam Watson (4-3), Christian Bunse (4-2), Schindler (5-2) and Melvin de Fijter (5-3).
Evetts who lost his Tour Card at the end of 2017, will be hoping to maintain his place at the top of the order of merit with the PDC offering a place in the William Hill World Darts Championship and a two-year Tour Card to the top two come the end of the season.


In response to Anastasia Render Flores letter of “Sad future for Gaylord” (Aug. 8 Herald Times), I am one of those tourists who Gaylord is catering to. I love Gaylord and have been coming to the area since 1963.
Three years ago I was truly fortunate enough to be able to buy a summer home in Michawyé. If it wasn’t for tourism, Gaylord would be in serious trouble. Gaylord needs tourism in order to supplement its tax dollars.
As for the gas prices, I do not understand why gas prices are so high in Gaylord. Perhaps the governor’s office could do an investigation. Oh that’s right, she doesn’t have the money. But with the state sales tax on gas, she probably would like the prices to go even higher to offset her budget crisis.
As for the traffic, perhaps Ms. Flores would like to drive on eastbound M-59, in Oakland and Macomb counties, anywhere between 3:30 and 6 in the afternoon. It’s like a parking lot. And if you add a half of inch of snow to the scenario, it takes me two and a half hours to get home.
As for the economy and the foreclosures, it’s a Granholm economy. She has done nothing in her tenure as governor to makes things better. We are the only state in the country that is in a depression. Ms. Flores thinks prices are too high now; just wait until Granholm gets her state income tax increase, sales tax on services, and increases in state service fees, like hunting and fishing licenses.
In closing, I love Gaylord, its residents and its festivities. The Alpenfest, Otsego County Fair, movies under the Pavilion, Watermelon Festival, the friendly business owners, farmers market — all are great. You are lucky to have them.
My only wish is to someday become a full-time Gaylord resident. People in Gaylord are the most friendly people I know. Perhaps Ms. Flores, who seems to be unhappy, should move to another community, like Grayling or Houghton Lake.


Gastonia 8, Cherryville 1 - Jared Wallace (two hits), Andrew Ray (two hits), Brandon Bridges (two hits) led Gastonia at the plate. Aaron Rumburg picked up the win for Post 23. The Belmont Abbey signee gave up one run and five hits in eight innings with nine strikeouts and six walks. Brandon Alexander got the loss for Post 100. Gastonia (1-3) hosts Shelby Post 82 on Friday. Cherryville (0-1) hosts Gaffney, S.C. on Friday at 7 p.m.


First-person shooters are great and all. But they're no where near the size of real-world military conflicts.
In reality, they play more like isolated firefights than all-out war, according to CJ Heine, lead designer at Zipper Interactive.
"The scale has always been missing," he says.
For example, when you see tracer fire and hear gunshots in other games, it's usually simulated by the computer "to make the player feel like they're in a larger battle than they really are," says Heine.
So he and his team have built what they believe to be a better mousetrap; one that places a human command behind every bullet, air strike, and commotion taking place on screen.
"It's actual combat between real players," Heine explains, speaking of MAG, the upcoming multiplayer-only shooter for PlayStation 3. But not only are the game's actions authentic, the number of simultaneous players it accommodates is staggering: 256 to be exact, a figure that dwarfs the size of previous console shooters.
But my Modern Warfare 2 plays just fine. Why, then, would I want more numbers? What's in it for me, I ask the designer. Added purpose and broader scope comes the reply. "I think MAG is an evolution of the shooter," Heine responds. "Running with 256 players actually allows us to recreate the scale and intensity of widespread combat without relying on artificially placed sounds or effects."
Okay, but what about lag? Some games stutter with only 16 or 32 players online. Sounds like Sony will need a Google-size server farm to manage that many players for a single session. Either that or compromise the gameplay.
While the answer to enable more players would seem to be more hardware, Zipper Interactive says their "new server architecture" allows them to meet the demands of 256 players without the need of costly additional servers.
working," said one beta tester.
If you're one of those independent types or bratty tennis stars that hates team sports, MAG probably isn't for you. With so many players on screen at the same time, games would quickly spiral out of control without organization, making Unreal Tournament played in a tight corridor look like child's play.
To provide the much-needed structure, players are divided into 8-person squads, with 4 squads forming a platoon of 32 players, and 4 platoons forming a company of 128 players. Accordingly, group leaders are critical to the success of the team, says Heine-especially a company's Officer in Charge.
"In many ways, the OIC is similar to a platoon eader in that they cannot personally assign any objectives (like a squad leader)," he says. "But they do control powerful game-changing abilities that can turn the tide of a battle when used properly, such as altering the respawn rates of friendly or enemy forces, communicating the tactical abilities used by squad and platoon leaders, or preventing opposing tactics from being used."
Translation: In MAG, you're forced to work as a team. Since there's no computer-aided actions to guide you to victory, you'll live or die on the decisions made by your fellow gamers. And if your commanding officer is a douche, your team is screwed. It sounds bad, but it makes for some crazy good unity.
"Just watching the reactions in the beta over the last few months, each company has a vocal set of players, all declaring that their faction is the best or easiest to play with," says Heine. "It's great to see the players latching on and creating their own rivalries."
To advance the ranks into leadership roles and create your own company, you'll need to earn the trust of your peers by completing objectives, making valuable contributions, and earning experience points over time. This isn't to say you can't go on solo missions, such as sneaking behind enemy lines and sabotaging their supplies. You just can't be bohemian about it.
"Well-organized squads with good leadership and communication are going to make the difference between a win and a loss more often than the efforts of any one individual player," asserts Heine.
Set 15 years in the future, MAG takes place in a fully globalized and diplomatic planet Earth.
But greed and utopia can never co-exist, so the demilitarized world quickly sees a rise in demand for enterprising mercenaries known as Private Military Companies to do its killing.
At first, these companies bade for contracts in a civil manner, much like a commercial firm would, explains Heine. At some point, however, "competitive tensions and minor conflicts escalated into full scale war," he adds. How convenient for you, Mr. or Ms. gamer.
men with a chip on their shoulder.
But not only do factions give the game a sense of individuality, according to Heine, they dictate how aggressive or defensive teams are in their attack. "Each faction has a unique visual style and reason for fighting, but the differences in weapons, equipment, and missions have the biggest impact on gameplay," he says. " Ultimately, factions create a sense of allegiance within MAG, which is rare for a shooter."
What exactly should you expect from the gameplay then? Look no further than SOCOM, Zipper's previous breakthrough series for PlayStation 2. "At the core, MAG and SOCOM are similar in that they're both squad-based military shooters," Heine admits. "Players already familiar with SOCOM will understand the importance of teamwork and have a set of skills, such as fire discipline, which translate over to MAG pretty well."
But as previously mentioned, it's a much bigger party this time-not to mention being a first-person shooter as opposed to SOCOM's third-person perspective. "MAG takes team based gameplay and elevates it," says Heine. "As seen in beta, most objectives are fiercely contested by full squads, and some level of teamwork is usually required to have any success with the objectives."
More specifically, you'll be destroying enemy bases, ordering commands on the fly with the d-pad, or engaging the front lines using standard first-person shooter controls. For a bird's-eye view of all 256 players on screen, you can hit the map button to survey individuals battles and assign new objectives or counterattacks.
First-person shooters are traditionally known for their quickness. Turn a corner. Bust a cap in some guy's melon. Move on. If it wasn't already obvious, MAG is not that kind of game.
Your deftness with a firearm is still required, and headshots are still present. Only here you'll need to plan your attack, since you'll be commanding or working with upwards of 127 teammates as your opponents do the same.
Aware of how daunting that task may initial seem to some, Zipper has prepared concentrated modes to acclimatize new comers. "If players aren't quite ready to deal with this many players or levels of leadership, we have other gametypes for 64 or 128 players," Heine reassures.
The irony here is that MAG's huge numbers will either make or break the game for some. Since users dictate pace, as opposed to the game itself, MAG plays slower than most. To put it nicely, methodical. As a result, enthusiast gamers seemingly aren't jamming the pre-order lines to play once the game debuts next month.
"For a shooter-based console game just six weeks prior to launch, MAG's popularity numbers are a little lower than desired," says Scott Mucci of GamerMetrics, which tracks interest levels and behavior of some 46 million online gamers. In fairness, this could be because of a recently released juggernaut, Mucci adds.
"Fans of the shooter genre are most likely still focused on Modern Warfare 2," he offers, also noting that the highly anticipated Mass Effect 2 releases the same day.
Whatever the reasoning for the so-so anticipation, it's hard not to notice MAG's draw: filling spacious maps with 256 simultaneous players. MMO without the RPG. Or "massive action game"-take your pick.
Just don't blame me if you get stuck with a broken team.
MAG arrives Jan. 26 exclusively for PS3.
Blake Snow is a freelance writer from Crecente's neighboring state of Utah. His curious work has appeared on MSNBC, the Wall Street Journal, and GamePro among others. He is currently reading Game Over by David Sheff and thinks you should too.


Fitz and the Tantrums find contentment in the soft, sleek, and simple on their infectious but frivolous third album.
The slight revisions in sound between Fitz and the Tantrums’ first two albums (especially their 2013 commercial breakthrough More Than Just a Dream) and their new self-titled third record are almost intangible, so much so that any criticism one could levy at their latest effort could also easily be a condemnation of its subtly superior predecessors. The songs on Fitz and the Tantrums adhere to the cold designs of musical formula, for example, but the band has always relied on conventional songwriting structure to better channel their energies elsewhere; their lyrics boil down to generic pop platitudes, but the Tantrums have always stuck to bizarre imitations of classic soul lyrics and that has never been their appeal anyway. The music is soft, sleek, and simple, infectious but ultimately frivolous, and yet that perfectly describes their solidly pleasurable 2010 debut Pickin’ Up the Pieces. What exactly makes Fitz and the Tantrums’ third album a decidedly weaker collection is difficult to identify because the record hits most of the same notes that we’re used to from the band.
Most of it seems to come down to the neo-soul that had always characterized the band’s style but has now apparently evaporated. On their latest album, lead singer Michael Fitzpatrick mostly abandons his signature soulful wailing for precise, monotonous pop vocals while the band’s funky core is straightened out into static rhythms and wimpy melodic phrases. Without that merciful dose of charming soul and personality we’ve come to expect, all of Fitz and the Tantrums’ once forgivable flaws come viciously into the foreground, and all we’re left with are those high watermarks in this now dried-up pool.
Fitz and the Tantrums was of course preceded by the band’s abrupt thrust into the dominion of mainstream rock consciousness after More Than Just a Dream, and it’s hard not to blame the sudden dip in quality on this move. It seems to have had the most profound effect on the album’s vanilla lead single “HandClap”, an inauthentic song that any odd mainstream pop act could have recorded with the same lukewarm result. All the distinctive marks of the band are smoothed out in the service of a robotic mass appeal that cages Fitz and the Tantrums into the unchallenging realm of timid pop universality, a move which grants them a nameless, bland familiarity and hammers out any of their charismatic irregularities. Fitzpatrick’s vague and meaningless refrain of “I can make your hands clap” is almost patronizing coming from a band that has so many genuinely catchy (and not insultingly simplistic) tunes in their catalog.
Luckily, “HandClap” is the most generic song of the set; yet unfortunately, it also indicates the general direction of Fitz and the Tantrums as a whole. “Complicated” takes the straightforward sonics and rigid beats of “HandClap” and actually improves on them for one of the album’s infectious highlights. “Run It” is a passable attempt at a radio-ready pop ballad, and despite a laughably lazy, completely unnecessary call-and-response hook, “A Place for Us” is actually a rather sunny close to the album that finally injects some mood and style into the record. If you spend long enough, you could pick out redeeming qualities of every song (“If you’re patient, I’ll be worth your time,” Fitzpatrick cries on “Tricky”). Yes, the hooks are still incredibly addictive, the instrumentation is still lively, and every once in awhile we still get that energized neo-soul flair, but what once streamed through every moment of the Tantrums’ records is now only a shadow slowly disappearing in the blazing light of mainstream pop convention.
The fact that Fitz and the Tantrums have decided to self-title this record in particular -- a collection of half-hearted, nondescript, throwaway bubblegum -- tells us that either they want to lend credence to a calculated, clearly corporate-influenced effort by giving it their name (as if this was the band they were all along), or perhaps the music is so flavorless, even the band thinks it doesn’t deserve its own moniker. EIther way, this is not the band you thought you knew, the band that could once craft authentic and warm pop music at the drop of a hat. It’s the residue of that band making a cynical attempt to polish the gloss off their music to a dull matte to the benefit of the lowest common denominator of pop listeners. On that score, it certainly worked.


JUDGE Rinder and his dance partner Oksana Platero were the eleventh couple to leave Strictly Come Dancing tonight.
The popular duo were up against Ore Oduba and his dance partner Joanne Clifton in the dreaded dance-off after failing to secure enough votes from the public and points from the judges.
The dancers had to perform their Musical Week routines again, with Rinder and Oksana performing a Samba to Jersey Boys' Oh! What a Night! while Ore and Joanne danced their Foxtrot to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory's Pure Imagination.
However, Rinder failed to impress the four judges with his dance recital and they all voted to save Ore and Joanne.
Craig Revel Horwood said on his decision: "I would like to save the couple that had the better technique and that couple is Ore and Joanne."
Darcey Bussell added: "I just have to say you both did wonderful performances tonight and it was such a pleasure to watch you both, I know how much hard work goes into it.
"But the couple I would like to save just on their artistry and technique is Ore and Joanne."
While Bruno Tonioli said: "Well first I want to say thank you both for the entertainment, I had a great time but I have to say that the couple that gave me the better quality overall and for that reason I save Ore and Joanne."
And Head Judge Len Goodman added: "I agree totally, it would have been Ore and Joanne."
Later on, talking about his Strictly journey so far, Rinder said: "I honestly don’t know what to say, every single person involved in this programme has so much love for it and that permeates through the screen.
"It’s a joy to be here, every single person, there’s too many people to thank but I even want to thank the judges.
"I know how difficult it is sometimes to be a judge and you do it with authenticity and enthusiasm and thank you all for your comments.
"And my last thank you and my most important one, this truly extraordinary person, this teacher who has shown me from somebody who could barely walk to music with no dance experience at all to find a passion and a love for dance and that’s the best kind of teaching.
"You are never too old to try something new and everyone should try dancing, thank you so much."
While Oksana added: "This is my first season on Strictly and I had an unforgettable time and I want to say thank you to everyone involved with the show and I am especially grateful for making this partnership happen."
Viewers were left "sad" that Judge Rinder had exited the competition, while other show watchers didn't believe Ore deserved to be in the dance-off and thought it was "unfair".
One person said: "Unfair that Ore is in the dance off. He's the dancer who's made the most progress and he's brilliant #Strictly."
A second: "Very sad to see @JudgeRinderTV go. He was fabulous! #Strictly."
A third: "Oh Ore, he doesn't deserve to be in the dance off :( #Strictly."
While a fourth added: "So sad that the amazing Judge Rinder has been voted off tonight. #strictly."
The couples remaining for the Strictly Come Dancing semi-final are Ore and Joanne, Claudia Fragapane and AJ Pritchard, Danny Mac and Oti Mabuse and Louise Redknapp and Kevin Clifton.
Strictly Come Dancing continues next Saturday at 6.50pm on BBC One.


Heart disease represents a heterogenous group of diseases involving the heart and blood vessels. Diseases of the heart have been broadly categorized into congenital heart diseases) or acquired heart disease.
The recent wave of increasing diagnosis of heart disease among prominent Ugandans has caused a lot of anxiety among members of the public. In this series, “Heart Disease in Uganda: Past, Present, and Future”, I attempt to add historical context, describe our current situation, and highlight directions for future improvements.
Congenital heart disease is typically a problem with how the heart is put together – a hole or a tightness limiting blood flow. People are born with congenital heart disease, though they may not know about it right at birth. Acquired heart diseases on the other hand develop as one grows and interacts with the environment. Most have a genetic component – meaning that the diseases are more likely to affect members of a families or lineage.
Notably, these diseases also have a strong environmental aspect with infection, diet and/or lifestyle also impacting if an individual gets the disease. Examples include rheumatic heart disease, high blood pressure and coronary heart disease.
The World Health Organization estimates the incidence of congenital heart disease to be stable at 1%. This means that each year, 1 of every 100 babies born will have a heart defect. The seriousness of these heart defects is variable. Some are incompatible with life and children born with them will die soon after birth. Some will present later in infancy and childhood with symptoms such as difficulty breathing and poor weight gain while some may never be detected, or may be detected by chance say-during a routine health visit.
Unlike the congenital heart disease which has a stable incidence, the rates of acquired heart diseases change in response to environmental changes. A decade ago coronary artery disease was not among the top 10 causes of heart disease in Uganda however today it is the 4th cause of heart disease in the country. The first being high blood pressure –which is also increasing steadily in the number affected, followed by rheumatic heart disease and diseases of the heart muscles.
Epidemiological transition is a phrase that describes the replacement of historical diseases like endomyocardial fibrosis, tuberculosis, and HIV-related heart diseases by those typically associated with high-income nations. These include; coronary artery disease, diabetes and hypertension.
The transition has been fostered by changes in our lifestyle and environment, such as decrease in exercise and increased consumption of unhealthy foods.
Nonetheless there have been improvements in our diagnostic capacity that have increased our ability to detect these diseases which was previously not possible.
When it comes down to the populace, there has been rapid urbanization which has resulted in more people moving from well-aerated dwellings in the countryside to overcrowded suburban dwellings.
Sadly, Rheumatic heart disease, a consequence of rheumatic fever caused by repeated throat infections caused by Group A streptococcus bacteria thrives in this environment. Consequently, we have seen cases of rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease go up from as low as 3.5% to 15% in parts of the country.
Importantly the overcrowding has not been restricted to only homes but also schools especially the boarding primary ones. It is no wonder that the primary school going age group 5-15 years is the peak age affected by rheumatic fever.
In Uganda, 90% of heart diseases can now be diagnosed and treated. Many health facilities in the country provide basic diagnostic and treatment services for heart disease, and have protocols for referring patients with need to higher levels of care.
The Uganda Heart Institute has tertiary care facilities and highly trained cardiac staff. Our ability to diagnose and treat patients with heart disease in Uganda has been rapidly growing. We currently offer complex interventions to treat heart rhythm disorders (pacemaker implantation and programming), to treat acute heart attack and heart blockages (coronary angiography, percutaneous coronary interventions with stenting), and to treat some congenial heart diseases (surgical or catheter-based options).
Many of these procedures are aided by our state-of-the-art cardiac catheterization laboratory, which allows for intervention without surgery, or opening the chest thereby reducing pain and speeding recovery. We estimate that less than 10% of patients with heart disease now require a referral for out-of-country care.
Knowledge of our advancement and expertise is spreading. Patients from Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya and DR Congo filter in for advanced heart care in Uganda. This is a reverse to the previous trend where Ugandan citizens were the ones that needed out-of-country expertise.
We are also rapidly increasing our knowledge about the causes, prevention, and treatment of heart disease in Uganda. While most historical research on cardiovascular disease has focused on HIV- and tuberculosis related topics, new research is focused on rheumatic heart disease, coronary artery disease, and hypertension. Recent efforts led by Makerere University’s College of Health sciences, the Uganda Heart Institute, the Uganda Cancer Institute and the Medical Research Council Uganda have begun to answer important questions around non-communicable diseases, including heart disease, pertaining the local population.
Currently our research has shown that rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease is driven by overcrowding but there are chances that a strong genetic factor may play a role. We are currently looking for more genetic factors that may play a role with an aim of early screening and targeted preventive treatment.
We are also characterizing high blood pressure and coronary artery disease to better understand the local drivers of these important heart diseases. Efforts are also underway to understand what role salt plays in the development of high blood pressure in our environment.
We are also in early stages of conducting research looking at a relationship between HIV and heart disease, and heart disease and cancer. All in all more work needs to be done to investigate the drivers of hypertension, coronary artery disease and stroke over the life course, in our setting.
There is no doubt that the number of people diagnosed with heart disease will continue to rise as we experience lifestyle changes, live longer, and improve diagnosis. Management of heart diseases is expensive, and research and clinical strategies should focus on prevention.
To detect congenital heart disease, we advise that you must ensure that your baby is examined by the midwife, medical officer or a neonatologist soon after birth. This simple procedure ensures that 70% of heart defects at birth are detected.
For the acquired heart diseases, I can’t over emphasize the need for routine physical exercise and healthy diet. Adults over the age of 40 years should start routine annual wellness checks and have their heart, kidney, and liver function assessed atleast once every two years or more frequently if a problem is detected.
Although the state of heart disease in Uganda looks gloomy currently, there is light at the end of the tunnel. The Uganda Heart Institute is dedicated to improving cardiovascular care and diagnosis in Uganda.
We are leading the way with educational programming aimed at increasing community education and awareness about the causes of heart disease. This is in addition to the establishment of regional centers of excellence, to bring high-quality diagnostics and care to all regions of the country.
There are also continuous efforts to improving our own education, skills, and facilities to provide state-of-the-art cardiac services in our country.
Conclusively, we are at the cutting edge of research aimed at decreasing the burden of cardiovascular disease and improving outcomes in Uganda, and around the world.


“Mozart and Me Too,” an event featuring music from the opera “Don Giovanni” and presentations on how it relates to contemporary themes, will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Pablo Center at the Confluence, 128 Graham Ave.
The event is part of Progressive Performance, a series of collaborations by faculty from across UW-Eau Claire’s music and theater arts department in multiple spaces throughout Pablo Center.
The event will feature arias from the composer’s “Don Giovanni,” with short presentations on the ideas of gender, power and seduction in relation to the music. There will be performances of contemporary music that address these themes in a modern context. The audience will be moving between rooms in Pablo Center for each of the experiences.
UW-Eau Claire’s music and theater arts department will present “Don Giovanni” May 9 through 12 in Pablo Center’s RCU Theatre.
Tickets to Progressive Performance cost $3.50 for students and $5 for adults and are available by calling 715-492-0240 or going to pablocenter.org.


Okaloosa County commissioners have postponed approval of a zoning change that would have prohibited private and residential airports from operating on the waterfront.
The policy change also would have restricted private airports to one of three zoning areas: agricultural, institutional or airport industrial park.
Commissioners voted earlier this week to table the proposal indefinitely after hearing concerns from a loosely organized group representing the private aviation community. Its members told commissioners they feared the zoning change would have unintended consequences for their lifestyles and businesses.
�This is one of the more complex regulatory and jurisdictional issues that we will ever attempt to tackle, so if we�re going to do that, I think it behooves us to do that cautiously,� Commissioner Nathan Boyles said.
County officials will restart their review of the regulations by getting input from the local aviators and resubmitting any proposed changes to the county�s Planning Commission.
Many people in the aviation group are private pilots who use residential airparks and say the proposed changes could restrict their activity. Two others are a local aircraft manufacturer and a marina owner who claim the zoning change would eliminate their seaplane business.
The recent increase in helicopter sightseeing ventures, particularly in Destin Harbor, as well as general aircraft congestion prompted county officials to review regulations governing aircraft-related businesses and private airports.
A major concern cited in the RS&H study was that �private takeoff and landing facilities� could create operational conflicts.
Some local pilots say the study is flawed because it did not seek input from the private aviation community.
Commissioner Kelly Windes said the priority should be solving the unsafe congestion in and above Destin Harbor.
The bottom line is the county has a �safety problem in Old Pass Lagoon� that has gone too far, he said.


PERSIMMON Homes, would-be developer of Bootham Crescent, has acquired a ten per cent stake in the company which owns the ground, the Evening Press can reveal today.
Documents filed with Companies House show the York-based housebuilders have bought 20,000 shares in Bootham Crescent Holdings from current and former York City directors Douglas Craig, Barry Swallow, John Quickfall and Colin Webb.
The annual returns do not show how much Persimmon - which lodged an application with the City of York Council in August to build 93 homes on Bootham Crescent - paid for the shares.
Former club chairman Douglas Craig was unwilling today to divulge how much he received. However, he dismissed as "totally wrong" speculation that approximately £450,000 may have been handed over, with the majority going to him.
The figure of £450,000 would arise if the shares were bought on the basis of the estimated £4.5 million price tag posted in the original sales document issued by Bootham Crescent Holdings in January. Mr Craig said no more shares had been bought since the annual returns were filed, and nor did he anticipate any more being purchased at this stage.
Persimmon managing director Ian Hessay said today that the company had a conditional contract to buy Bootham Crescent, subject to planning permission and vacant possession.
The shares had simply been bought to secure the deposit on the contract. He said there was no intention to buy more.
He would not divulge how much had been paid for the shares, saying he never revealed such figures.
The returns show that in April, Mr Craig, Mr Quickfall, Mr Swallow and Mr Webb each transferred ownership of 454 shares to their respective spouses.
A few days later, those shares, plus a percentage of the remaining shares owned by Mr Craig, Mr Quickfall, Mr Swallow and Mr Webb, were also transferred to Persimmon Homes.
The document shows that Persimmon now owns ten per cent of Bootham Crescent Holdings. Between them, Mr Craig, Mr Swallow, Mr Webb and Mr Quickfall own 83 per cent. The balance of shares is held by approximately 170 shareholders.
Mr Webb and Mr Swallow remain on the board of the football club, although Mr Craig, who still attends home matches, and Mr Quickfall have stood down. In a letter to Bootham Crescent Holdings shareholders dated April 29, 2002, and leaked to the Evening Press, Mr Craig wrote that the board of Bootham Crescent Holdings had "entered into a conditional contract to sell the freehold at Bootham Crescent".
It added: "The conditional contract is dependent on receipt of a satisfactory planning consent, the outcome of which will not be known for several months at the earliest."
It also stated: "The board does not consider it appropriate to make any distribution to shareholders unless and until Bootham Crescent is sold."
Last month, the York City Supporters' Trust claimed it had faced a wall of silence from Persimmon over their plans to build on Bootham Crescent, the football club's home for the last 70 years.
Sophie McGill, of the supporters' trust, said today: "This revelation indicates that the negotiations between Bootham Crescent Holdings and Persimmon are well advanced.
"The anxiety of the trust is that the sale of Bootham Crescent is vastly outpacing the development of a new ground."
Club chairman John Batchelor today said he still wanted to buy Bootham Crescent Holdings. He said he hoped to make an announcement soon.


Reggae gospel artiste Chozenn is preparing to release his sophomore album and also to hit the road for an entire year, as he carries out his mandate to spread the gospel globally.
The new album, Culture Invasion, will be ready for a summer release.
Although the name may suggest otherwise, the artiste answered in the affirmative when asked if the album was full gospel.
For this project, Chozenn has collaborated with producer Rohan 'Patexx' Rankine, who has credits on Shaggy and Sting's Grammy award-winning album 44/876.
Rankine's Journey Music Production made its debut with the Rum and Boom rhythm project that features Dovey Magnum's Bawl Out, the same song of which Chozenn did a controversial remake.
Culture Invasion represents the first time that Rankine is producing a gospel album.
For Chozenn, this album comes two years after his 2017 critically acclaimed debut, Unashamed; it was comprised of 12 tracks.
Chozenn, whose single Bawl Out For Jesus was recently nominated in the Gospel Song of the Year category by the International Reggae and World Music Awards, expressed his gratitude for the recognition.
"I give thanks for this nomination. It is a manifestation of the fruits," he said.
The entertainer is also eagerly anticipating his year-long tour of the US, which is scheduled to kick off in May, and while he may not necessarily visit all 50 states, his schedule is looking to be quite hectic.
"I will be headlining the tour with supporting guests. There will also be the UK and Poland in the mix leading into next year, after which we will be heading to the Caribbean," he said.
Confirmed for some of the stops is fellow gospel artiste, Prodigal Son.


FILE - Bilal Mohammad, initially identified as Adem Karadag, is one of the two men indicted.
A Bangkok military court has indicted two men accused of carrying out the August 17 bombing at a popular shrine that killed 20 people.
The court on Tuesday indicted Bilal Mohammed and Mieraili Yusufu on 10 counts connected to the blast, including conspiracy to explode bombs and commit premeditated murder.
Thailand authorities have not officially named the bombing of Erawan Shrine an act of terror, and accordingly neither suspect was charged specifically with terrorism.
Police issued 17 arrest warrants following the bombing but only Bilal and Mieraili have been detained. They are described as ethnic Uighurs, a minority group based in China's Xinjiang region. They have been held in custody since their arrests in late August and early September.
Thai officials have said the blast was carried out by a people-smuggling gang seeking revenge on Thai authorities for cracking down on their operation.
The August 17 blast at the Erawan Shrine - a popular tourist destination - was one of the most deadly acts of violence in Bangkok in decades, and left 20 people dead and more than 120 injured. Of the dead, 14 were tourists.
The attack shocked the residents of the capital because of the apparent randomness, which drove home the point that no place is immune to acts of terror. Authorities, however, have declined to call it an act of terrorism out of apparent fear that it would hurt the country's huge tourism industry.
Police initially appeared at first to be at a loss, but soon claimed success with a series of raids and two arrests. Arrest warrants have been issued for 15 others.
The two suspects were brought to the court in handcuffs wearing brown prison garb. Members of the media were not allowed to enter the court and the indictments took place before the two suspects arrived, said defense lawyer Chuchart Kanpai.
Early speculation about the bombing had suggested it might be the work of Uighur separatists who were angry that Thailand in July forcibly repatriated more than 100 Uighurs to China, where it is feared they face persecution. The theory was bolstered by the fact that the Erawan Shrine is popular among Chinese tourists, who figured prominently among the victims of the bombing.
But Thai officials reject any political or religious motive, sticking to the theory that it was a revenge for disrupting a human-smuggling gang. Still, skepticism about the police explanation on the shrine attack has abounded because of leaks, contradictions, misstatements and secrecy surrounding the investigation.
The two suspects are being tried at a military court on an army base in Bangkok because cases of “national security” have been handled by the military since last May, when the army seized power in a coup from an elected government.
Former National Police Chief Somyot Poomphanmuang said before his retirement in September that the case against the two suspects was supported by closed-circuit television footage, witnesses, DNA matching and physical evidence, in addition to their confessions.
Security camera footage from the Erawan Shrine showed a man wearing a yellow T-shirt who sat down on a bench at the outdoor shrine, took off a black backpack and then left it behind as he stood up and walked away. Time stamps on closed circuit TV footage showed he left the shrine just minutes before the blast occurred, during evening rush hour as the area in central Bangkok was filled with people.
Police believe that Bilal is the yellow-shirted man who planted the bomb and Yusufu is believed to have detonated the bomb.
Bilal, was initially identified as Adem Karadag, which was the name on a fake Turkish passport in his possession when he was arrested Aug. 29. He was arrested at one of two apartments police raided on the outskirts of Bangkok.
Yusufu was arrested Sept. 1 near the Thai-Cambodia border, carrying a Chinese passport indicating he was from Xinjiang. Police said his DNA and fingerprints were found in both raided apartments, including on a container of gunpowder.
Police said they have confessions from the two, and Bilal's lawyer says his client admitted planting the deadly bomb at the behest of another suspect who remains a fugitive. He says Bilal was induced to carry out the action by a promise that his emigration to Turkey would be expedited.


Refeeding syndrome can develop when someone who is malnourished begins to eat again. The syndrome occurs because of the reintroduction of glucose, or sugar. As the body digests and metabolizes food again, this can cause sudden shifts in the balance of electrolytes and fluids. These shifts can cause severe complications, and the syndrome can be fatal.
It can take as few as 5 successive days of malnourishment for a person to be at risk of refeeding syndrome. The condition can be managed, and if doctors detect warning signs early, they may be able to prevent it.
Symptoms of the syndrome usually become apparent within several days of treatment for malnourishment.
What are the causes of refeeding syndrome?
Refeeding syndrome can occur when food is reintroduced to a person who is malnourished.
If a person does not eat enough, the body can quickly go into starvation mode and become malnourished.
After an extended period of starvation, the ability to process food is severely compromised.
A malnourished body produces less insulin, and this inhibits the production of carbohydrates.
If the body has insufficient carbohydrates, it uses fat reserves and stored proteins for energy.
If, over time, the body continues to rely on reserves of fat and protein, this can change the balance of electrolytes. Levels of vitamin and electrolytes diminish as the body tries to adapt to starvation mode. Potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, and thiamine levels are commonly affected.
When food is reintroduced, the body no longer has to rely on reserves of fat and protein to produce energy.
However, refeeding involves an abrupt shift in metabolism. This occurs with an increase in glucose, and the body responds by secreting more insulin. This can result in a lack of electrolytes, such as phosphorous.
Refeeding syndrome can cause hypophosphatemia, a condition characterized by a phosphorus deficiency. It can also lead to low levels of other important electrolytes.
If doctors are unable to treat the syndrome, it can be fatal.
Refeeding syndrome can occur after a period of malnourishment, which happens in cases of anorexia nervosa. Learn more about anorexia nervosa here.
Refeeding syndrome affects people who do not receive enough nutrition.
Undergoing particular surgeries, especially weight loss surgeries, can also increase a person's risk.
Electrolytes play an essential role in the body. When the balance is skewed, the most common complication is hypophosphatemia, which is a lack of phosphorus.
Refeeding syndrome can also lead to a lack of magnesium. Hypomagnesemia is the name for dangerously low levels of magnesium.
In some cases, a potassium deficiency can lead to a coma or death.
Doctors can identify people at risk for refeeding syndrome, but it is impossible to know whether a person will develop it. Attempting to prevent the syndrome from developing is vital.
A history of alcohol use disorder can put a person at risk for refeeding syndrome.
People who have experienced recent starvation have the highest risk of developing refeeding syndrome.
The risk is high when a person has an extremely low body mass index.
People who have recently lost weight quickly, or who have had minimal or no food before starting the refeeding process are also at significant risk.
Anyone who suspects that they have refeeding syndrome should seek immediate medical care.
People with refeeding syndrome need to regain normal levels of electrolytes. Doctors can achieve this by replacing electrolytes, usually intravenously.
Replacing vitamins, such as thiamine, can also help to treat certain symptoms. A person will need continued vitamin and electrolyte replacement until levels stabilize.
Doctors may also slow the refeeding process, to help a person to adjust and recover.
The person will require continual observation in a hospital. Doctors will monitor electrolyte levels and bodily functions with tests, including urine and blood analyses.
Recovery times vary, depending on the extent of illness and malnourishment.
Treatment will continue for up to 10 days, and monitoring may continue afterward.
If a person has complications or underlying medical problems, treatment for these may lead to longer recovery time.
It is important for healthcare professionals to look out for warning signs and treat at-risk patients.
Prevention is the most effective way to combat refeeding syndrome.
Healthcare professionals that are aware of warning signs and risk factors are better able to treat malnourished patients.
In 2013, researchers found that in a large sample of people being fed intravenously in the UK, 4 percent had refeeding syndrome. The authors noted that doctors only recognized the risk in half of the at-risk patients.
Surgery and illnesses such as cancer can result in increased metabolic demands, leading to malnourishment.
Malnourishment can also occur when the body no longer absorbs nutrients as it should. This can result from conditions such as celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease.
Patients at high risk of malnourishment and refeeding syndrome must be identified and treated. Guidelines state that doctors should consider a person's alcohol intake, nutrition, weight changes, and psychological state before refeeding.
Refeeding syndrome can occur when food is reintroduced too quickly after a period of starvation or malnourishment. This can lead to electrolyte imbalances and severe complications that can be fatal.
The best way to combat refeeding syndrome is to identify and treat at-risk people. People with the syndrome can recover if they receive treatment early. Education and increased awareness of the condition can help.
Cadman, Bethany. "What is refeeding?." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 13 Jun. 2018. Web.


MAYOR Paul Antonio still hasn't commented on a local government panel finding he engaged in misconduct, despite taking time in a meeting yesterday to address his colleagues.
Ordered to apologise by the review panel for acts of misconduct relating to commissioning an alternative route for the upcoming Inland Rail, Cr Antonio stood up before the meeting with a prepared speech.
"As you know Mr Chairman, recently -," Cr Antonio began.
Cr Bill Cahill, who was one of two people to make a complaint to the Crime and Corruption Commission about issues they had with the mayor's conduct during a September 2017 ABC television interview, stood up to ask the contents of the speech.
"Point of order Mr Chair, if I may, if this is in relation to the Mayor's apology -," he said.
READ MORE HERE: "LONG READ: Toowoomba mayor fined $14,300 for misconduct"
"No, it's actually not," Cr Antonio replied.
Cr Cahill apologised and returned to his seat, before the mayor moved into a long speech about some recent performance management training completed by councillors.
"This came about because of my concerns that when I look down from up there very often, a number of councillors were losing concentration and not following too much," he said.
Cr Antonio was found guilty last week of committing three acts of misconduct, including failing to declaring a material personal interest when voting on potential Inland Rail routes in 2016, some of which ran past a quarry he owned.
The panel also determined he had not acted honestly or impartially in commissioning a secret map for an alternative route, that brought the route closer to the quarry, and for making a false statement during the ABC interview last year.
Cr Antonio is considering an appeal of the decision.