A team of economists from the Standard Chartered Bank yesterday ‘strongly recommended’ Sri Lanka continuing with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme and strengthening the country’s foreign reserve base to face turbulent times forecasted globally.
“We strongly recommend Sri Lanka to continue with the IMF reform plan. If the right monetary and fiscal policies are employed, Sri Lanka has huge potential,” Standard Chartered’s South Asia Economic Research head Anubuti Sahay told the media in Colombo.
Sri Lanka has entered into an extended fund facility amounting to US $ 1.5 billion with the IMF as the country’s finance ran into difficulties largely due to the populist policies adopted by the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administration targeting a general election in August, 2015.
The country’s bloated public sector was given massive freebies and the Central Bank kept the interest rates artificially low, creating demand on cheap credit.
However this resulted in the erosion of the country’s foreign reserves and Sri Lanka sought IMF’s help to balance its books.
The funding from the IMF came with stringent conditions, essentially to create fiscal discipline, which the public felt mainly by way of significant tax increases and subsidy cuts.
According to Sahay’s collegue Saurav Anand, Standard Chartered’s economist for South Asia, boosting Sri Lanka’s foreign reserves, which have fallen below four months of imports is an immediate priority.
Sri Lanka ended 2016 with foreign reserves of just over US $ 6 billion after hitting its lowest level of US $ 5.3 billion in June. However the reserves were down by US $ 1.3 billion since January when the total stock was US $ 7.3 billion at the begging of the year.
Foreign holdings in government bonds have also strengthened but according to analysts a lot will depend on Fed’s interest rates policy following the Donald Trump’s presidency.
Sri Lanka spent little less than US $ 1 billion in reserves in 2016 to defend the rupee but ended up weakening the currency by 3.8 percent. In 2015, the country spent US $ 2.1 billion in reserves to defend the rupee only to see the currency depreciating 9 percent.
However the Central Bank under the new governorship of Dr.Indrajit Coomaraswamy doesn’t see it sensible to defend the rupee at the cost of the country’s reserves.
“It doesn’t seem sensible to spend large amounts of reserves defending the currency if you are going to depreciate,” Dr. Coomaraswamy told reporters after unveiling the Central Bank’s mid-term monetary and financial sector policies in early January.
The Standard Chartered Bank team of economists said they are expecting the year 2017 to be extremely challenging and added that risks remain large amid an uncertain sociopolitical environment.
“We are expecting an extremely challenging 2017 and sociopolitics are tough to call. We’ve seen some big surprises in the socio political front in the last six months. We think the risks are again large. So we are calling for an environment with fat-tail risks, which suggests that although we clearly have a view perhaps the risks around that view are a little higher than they usually are,” Standard Chartered Global research head Dave Murry said.
He pointed out the need for investors to remain nimble and thoughtful to protect themselves from tail risks and stressed that investors may not want to put all their eggs in one basket being in a tumultuous global setup.
Standard Chartered’s chief economist for Asia, David Mann, indicated that probably the only bright spot in this mayhem is the Asian economies, which have been growing steadily.
“It’s where 60 percent of world growth would come from this year, same as the last year,” he added.
Mann further said bad politics have met with bad economics in the West, which is reflected in the US election as well as the Brexit.
He said much has changed in the world in the last 15 years, where the West came first in global growth and Asia was way down the list, pointing towards the Asia’s dominance in the world economy.


There is currently a ban on public transportation operating on Shabbat in Israel. Photo: Wikipedia.
JNS.org – The illusion that the Orthodox Jewish standard of Sabbath observance is kept by the majority of Israelis is fading away. This “status quo” that once existed has died. The time has come instead to move forward with a national-social Sabbath observance, giving up on the age-old dream of a full public Sabbath observance in the Jewish state.
The legal battle has been a continuous failure for decades. Former prime minister David Ben-Gurion’s promise to the Orthodox Agudath Israel party before the state of Israel’s founding — commonly known as the “status quo” letter — stated the Sabbath would be Israel’s official day of rest. It did not commit to Sabbath observance in the traditional meaning of the term, nor did it guarantee a law that would do so. Sabbath observance, which has relied on municipal legislation for its protection, has been eaten away by Supreme Court rulings. All attempts to legislate a Sabbath law that would obligate public Sabbath observance have failed, and Sabbath observance as the Orthodox define it has never been put into law in the state of Israel.
The struggle over Sabbath observance has also failed in the field. The first battle took place only a month after the state’s founding, when Orthodox parties pushed back against individuals driving on Saturdays for non-emergency purposes. This struggle was broken up by the military police.
Since then, dozens of “Sabbath wars” have taken place. While there have been small or subtle wins, the majority of these battles has failed. Most cities, especially those outside of Jerusalem, choose not to observe the Jewish Sabbath in the traditional sense. Sidewalks are lined with open stores and shopping malls and some businesses, too. Cultural and recreational establishments often operate, as well.
There is only one area in which the status quo continues to influence its operations: public transportation. There is currently a ban on public transportation operation on the Sabbath, though this has been recently challenged with the Saturday opening of alternative transportation services.
In Israel, we are wasting an opportunity. The Sabbath is a great gift and value that the Jewish people gave the world (though some other religions observe this day of rest on Sundays). Today, it is disappearing from the thread of Israeli society. Moreover, it is becoming a focus of political and capital disagreement.
We should not give up on the Sabbath completely. Practical solutions and compromises are available. For example, Israel could forbid commercial establishments from opening. while allowing cultural and recreational establishments to operate. There is discussion about implementing Sunday as an additional day of rest (like in the United States). This could allow stricter limitations to be placed on Sabbath-day trade, etc.
The most important reform must be made in the realm of values. The time has come to return the Sabbath to the people and state of Israel. We must agree that the Sabbath is a national value and build from there to establish Saturday as a day that is meaningful to all of Israel’s citizens. A public conversation should not discuss bus schedules, but Jewish tradition and values.
As the writer Ahad Ha’am (1856-1927) wrote, “For 2,000 years the Sabbath protected the Jews.” Now it is our turn to protect the Sabbath. Both those who observe the Sabbath as a day of rest according to Jewish law (halacha), and those who do not but do recognize its value, need to come together to reignite this day as a day that holds meaning for all of Israel’s Jewish citizens.
Dr. Shuki Friedman is the director of the Center for Religion, Nation and State at the Israel Democracy Institute as well as a professor of law at the Peres Academic Center in Rehovot. This article was originally published in Hebrew in Makor Rishon.


Too, who owns the 10-acre farm situated a kilometre from Chepterit junction along the Kapsabet-Eldoret Road, has been growing tomatoes in an 8 by 20m greenhouse since 2014.
In 2017, he learnt of an Asian tomato variety known as Shin Cheong Gang that is tolerant to bacteria wilt. The tomato plant grows up to 17 feet, has deep-root development as well as elongates the harvest time from usual three months to between nine to 10 months.
He notes that the variety produces tasty but smaller fruit sizes compared to new varieties such as the Anna F1. And to achieve desired size for his market, he grafts them.
Carol Mutua, a horticulture specialist from Egerton University, says Cheong Gang tomato variety originated from Asia through a breeding programme but is available from Seminis Seed Company.
Standing next to a tray with tiny tomato plants, Titus Tanui uproots one of them then picks a razor blade, slices it into half and then uproots another plant and repeats the process.
The 32-year-old then uses a plastic rope to bind the two pieces. “The upper one is the scion while the lower is the rootstock. The plants look the same but they are from two tomato varieties. I normally leave the new plant for two days to heal. If it wilts, I know that it has not healed,” explains Tanui as Gideon Too, a farmer, follows the process.
Tanui, a general agriculture student at Kaiboi Technical Training Institute in Uasin Gishu, explains that the plants are then placed in a healing chamber for three weeks before they are planted in the greenhouse.
At about two-and-half months, one begins to harvest the crop for the next seven months.
However, soon after, he encountered bacteria wilt (Ralstonia solanacearum) that made him harvest losses. Initially, he had projected to earn Sh300,000 from the venture but lost Sh240,000 to the disease.
“I was advised to go to the forest to source another growing media but it didn’t salvage the situation. I went to Kimondi Forest and brought a lorry full of soil which I used to plant my tomatoes but the situation was the same,” recounts the farmer, who worked in both public and private sectors before retiring as the chief executive of the Kenya Tea Growers Association in 2010.
The 64-year-old grafted Cheong Gang, and the local Anna FI variety, using the former as the rootstock. He planted 600 tomatoes seedlings in February, 2017, and was amazed that the crop was not attacked by bacteria wilt.
“I had a good yields for the first time in years. On average, each tomato plant produced over 100 fruits at the end of that season. I uprooted the crop and planted again last February in the same greenhouse and I thought the production would go down but it was the same,” says the farmer.
Too says he has also started to graft the wild tomato variety with local ones.
He has since put up two more greenhouses measuring 30 by 8m and also grows strawberries, broccoli, egg plants, capsicum, cinnamon, bananas and rears poultry, dairy cows and goats.
Jared Mutai, the deputy county director of agriculture in-charge of horticultural crops in Nandi County, advises that farmers can go for the wild varieties of the plants that belong to same family with the tomatoes.
“Grafting helps to control pests and diseases such as nematodes, fusarium as well as bacterial wilt which is major challenge to most farmers. But from a research we conducted, farmers can also use crops such as wild eggplant, (the bitter tomato) species which reduces bacterial wilt incidences by 100 per cent,” says Mutai.


A couple of days ago, Bethesda officially confirmed the next installment in the Doom franchise in the form of DOOM Eternal. The game was announced for multiple consoles which includes the Nintendo Switch, although given that the Switch isn’t as powerful in terms of hardware compared to other consoles, we’re sure some are wondering how the game holds up.
Speaking to Eurogamer, the game’s executive producer Marty Stratton revealed that the game will run at 30fps on the Switch. Eurogamer asked Stratton to clarify this as prior to this, it was said that the game would run at 60fps, but Stratton has since confirmed that for the Switch, it will run at 30fps, while other consoles like the PS4 and Xbox One will run at 60fps, or at least that’s the goal.
Stratton also highlights how the 2016 port of DOOM onto the Switch ran at 30fps, so if you were fine with those frame rates then DOOM Eternal shouldn’t be a problem either. As for a launch date, it seems that no specifics have been mentioned yet as it appears that the game is still being worked on.
Filed in Gaming. Read more about Bethesda, Doom, Nintendo and Nintendo Switch.


29.8.2017 - Freshwater is under threat because of pollution, natural disasters, climate change, increasing food and energy production and resource extraction, to name but a few.
As World Water Week kicked off in Stockholm on 28 August under the theme “Water and waste: reduce and reuse", General Assembly President Peter Thomson underscored that when it comes to the environment, everything is connected. By 2030, water demand is expected to increase by 50%, making wastewater management crucial. Today, over 80 % of waste water is released untreated back into nature.
Combined with the Paris Agreement on lowering the impact of climate change, the SDGs represent “the best chance our species has to achieve a sustainable way of life on planet earth before it is too late,” Mr. Thomson said.
He commended World Water Week for bringing together more than 3,000 participants from nearly the entire world. Experts, practitioners, decision-makers, business innovators and young professionals from a range of sectors and countries come to Stockholm to network, exchange ideas, foster new thinking and develop solutions to the most pressing water-related challenges of today.
Each year, thousands of students from all over the globe enter national competitions in the hope of making it to the international final in Stockholm to win the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, SJWP, that will be announced on 29 August. All country finalists gather during this dinner and award ceremony during which the winning project is announced and awarded by the patron of the prize H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria, who is also one of the Sustainable Development Goals Advocates.
World Water Week culminates with the Stockholm Water Prize, presented by patron H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden to the Laureate during the Royal Banquet on 30th August in Stockholm City Hall.


President Pervez Musharraf met Monday with leaders of six conservative Islamic parties in an effort to improve ties with groups that have strongly opposed the U.S.-led war against terrorism.
State-run television showed Musharraf greeting the leaders, who wore long dark robes and white skullcaps. He sought to assure them he was committed to keeping Pakistan an Islamic, not secular, state, according to one of the leaders, Allama Shah Ahmad Noorani.
"Pakistan was born as an Islamic state and nobody had authority to change its Islamic character," Musharraf told the clerics, according to Noorani.
Among those who met with Musharraf was Qazi Hussain Ahmad, head of Pakistan's largest fundamentalist Islamic group, Jamaat-e-Islami.


Today, Richard Rudolph has early-onset memory loss.
In the future, he'll probably have Alzheimer's disease, but he's not dwelling on the likelihood.
He's trying to live his life now and share it with his wife of 30 years, Alvalaine.
Richard is 61 - he'll be 62 in September - and has known at least since October that something isn't right with his brain.
"I was back to school again here at the junior college (Pueblo Community College). I don't recall all the details. I was emotional, I was confused, I had a hard time finding my way to school."
Richard refers to that day as the turning point, but Alvalaine, 70, remembers that he'd been having trouble concentrating and was stressed by writing, studying and anticipating a test at school.
"As he began to tell me about different things, I could understand it was scary for him."
Richard's confusion continued and he forgot how to reach familiar destinations like the post office. He kept talking to his wife, but as his confusion grew, he talked less because he worried that she'd take away his car keys.
Fortunately, the couple's marriage is liberally laced with humor - they already joked about his tendency to drive right by a destination: "There goes Richard," family members would say before he reappeared. "We made an agreement," Alvalaine says. "If we can just continue to use some laughter here - not ignore our other feelings - but laugh. I can't say how long it will last - I have tearful moments; I get downright angry - but we try to not get too far ahead of right now."
Right now, Richard doesn't have a formal diagnosis. He takes the Alzheimer's drug Aricept and is scheduled to see a neurologist in October. He and Alvalaine have been in contact with the local Alzheimer's Association office and met people who are living with the disease. He's volunteered to help with the annual Alzheimer's Memory Walk on Saturday. He is still working in his shop at home, still driving, still working as a distributor for a hand-cleaning product, and he's thinking about trying school again.
"I like technical things," he says. "I may start school in the alternative energy program; not because I want to work in the industry but I'm just interested. I feel if I can stay energized, be around people, that helps me. I've been a little withdrawn this past year."
His desire to be mentally and socially active must be balanced against the stress that school might trigger, his wife says. His doctor has said that such stress can accelerate the disease process.
Richard grew up in the small farming community of Crossville, Ill. After one year at Bowling Green State University, he entered the Air Force and trained as an aircraft-engine mechanic, then he attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla. He also earned FAA certification as a plane mechanic but instead of working in the airline industry, took a job with an architectural precast concrete company, which he eventually owned and operated. He and Alvalaine met at the White Chapel Church of God in Daytona and later were married. In 1993, they moved to Denver and in 2002, they moved to Pueblo. Alvalaine has two daughters from a previous marriage; the elder, who is disabled by arthritis, lives in an apartment behind their Pueblo home.
Richard's early memory loss and dementia have short-circuited the path he thought his life would follow - and he views the future differently.
"Now, I'm trying to plan for bad things. Before, I thought about going to school or getting a job."
When he first realized he was losing his memory, Richard contacted childhood friends and got in touch with his ex-wife. He visited with Alvalaine's younger daughter from Washington state and her three children, with the thought, "By the next time I see them, I might not know who they are.
"I try to avoid going there (mentally) if I can, but sometimes it comes up and gets you before you know it."
Barb Caudle, Alzheimer's Association regional director, says contacting people from one's past or who live far away is a natural instinct and a positive step for people losing their memory. She also says the Rudolphs' realistic outlook and their good sense of humor are healthy, too.
"We are beginning to bring in other young-onset memory-loss people about once a month," Caudle says. "We try to have a very informal brunch so they can talk or socialize. We might have speakers if people want them. We'd love to have more folks participate."
Richard says this contact with people in similar circumstances has helped.
"It makes me feel less alone and in the dark."
He hasn't met anyone who has advanced Alzheimer's, though, which he figures is a good thing for him.
Richard is among the 400,000 people in the United States who have early-onset memory loss; many are in their 40s or 50s. Most of the people with early-onset Alzheimer's have the common form of the disease which isn't directly linked to genes. Doctors aren't sure why the symptoms occur at an early age.
Early-onset Alzheimer's is the term given to people who are younger than 65 and diagnosed with the disease. It is different from early-stage Alzheimer's, which is the beginning phase of the illness when memory and concentration problems start to be obvious.
Rather than grieve about the major disruption in his life, Richard says he grew depressed.
"Because I have always been kind of proud of my mental ability, to think that this is the one thing I'm going to lose in a big way is like having a death in the family. I had thoughts of killing myself. I didn't want to get mean and I didn't want to be an invalid. These were the sad things I dealt with. I came to no conclusions - I'm just more peaceful with it."
Alvalaine, who has training as a spiritual counselor, says her grief probably will be ongoing.
"I don't think I've felt as much grief. He's still here. He's still pretty functional. There's been grieving, but not like his. I tell myself, 'OK, when it comes, it comes.'�"
She says she doesn't coddle her husband or excessively worry about him.
"I don't feel I need to know everything or ask a lot of questions. I don't feel ill at ease at this point. I just feel like we're doing OK right now. I happen to feel pretty peaceful - and I know that in the future my peace might be blown up.
"Some things you don't have control over. I have no control over his brain. I give him the longest rope I can and don't worry about it.
"I can't give all my energy to what will happen in the future. I only have energy for what's going on now."
She does remind him to carry a cell phone when he goes out, and she'd like him to get an ID bracelet.
The drug Richard takes doesn't necessarily make him better, but does slow down his symptoms, Caudle says.
And there currently are 36 drugs in Phase 2 or Phase 3 of clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease.
"Some of these they're trying to get on the fast track. It's very exciting," Caudle says.
Given enough time, one of the drugs might be the right one for Richard.
"I don't think there is such a thing as false hope," Alvalaine says. "Hope is hope."


As Senior Vice President, Finance and Administration, Anat Kendal oversees and guides all financial management and real estate/facilities. Anat and her team play a key role in the growth and transformation of ADL by ensuring accurate reporting/data, strategic analysis, and contemporary and effective processes and policies.
Anat joined ADL in early 2019 after ten years at the American Heart Association where she was Senior Vice President of Operations and CFO for the Northeast. Prior to that, Anat worked in several well-known not for profit and for profit organizations where she gained increasing management responsibility and experience holding diverse positions that provided her with a wide perspective as a financial leader.
Anat earned a BA from Rutgers University and an MS in Taxation from Seton Hall University. She holds the CPA certification and the CPA/PFS, CFP®, and PMP® credentials.


Police have criticised 'mindless time-wasters' for leaving a crude fake bomb in the street.
The package was discovered by a member of the public in Paignton who reported a box covered in black tape, which had been hidden.
Inside there were five tubes with wires attached, a clock, and a note which read 'boom'.
After alerting experts, the 'device' was deemed to be not viable. It's believed instead it was a geocaching object.
The package was examined by suitably trained officers and it was established that the device was not viable. Inside the cylinders were small pictures of a bomb and the words "boom!"
I suspect the device may be a geocaching object but let's be frank, it's a pretty silly idea.
Kingsbridge Police published details of the 'silly idea' on its Facebook page after being called out on Monday evening (Aug 20).
The device was quickly criticised by members of the public, who described the call-out as 'mindless time-wasting'.
Rob McMahon said: "In this day and age, using something that looks like an explosive device as a geocache is completely irresponsible and a total waste of valuable police time."
While Carol Ann Simmons added: "That has to be the most stupid geocatch of all. Should be a little treasure to find, not a hideous hoax."


The number of takeaways should be limited in poor areas and where there is a problem with obese children, a county councillor said.
Coun Charles Edwards spoke after it was revealed Blackpool, which has some of the most deprived areas in England and an issue with childhood obesity, is the takeaway capital of England.
Coun Edwards, who is the authority’s health boss, wants to ban takeaways within 400m of high schools, refuse applications to open up shop in areas where more than 15 per cent of Year Six pupils and 10 per cent of reception youngsters are obese, and to lower the amount of eateries in deprived neighbourhoods.
Councils are allowed to limit the proliferation of certain types of outlet in order to create a healthier environment.
In Blackpool, 21.1 per cent of Year Six children are obese, Public Health England figures revealed in February. In Wyre the figure drops to 16.8 per cent, and in Fylde it drops to 15.6 per cent.
Measures to tackle childhood obesity in Blackpool are making an impact with figures showing the number of 10 and 11-year-olds who are overweight has reduced.
A number of borough council campaigns, including a drive to cut fizzy drinks, were credited.


Newspaper staffs across the commonwealth work tirelessly, day in and day out, to deliver fact-based news and information.
It is the pledge of dedicated journalists, who are also fellow members of the community, to report real, honest and credible news.
In an era of misinformation and fake news dissemination, it’s even more important to know that newspapers are a reliable resource that deliver accurate, fair and unbiased reporting from which you may form your own opinions.
Although we are not perfect, we are quick to correct our mistakes, and do our best to avoid releasing incomplete information.
With 24/7 access to information, some media outlets rush to tell a story and often make mistakes. That’s misinformation — inaccurate, but not necessarily malicious.
Fake news, however, is deliberate. Fake news harms. It erodes our trust in public institutions and our fellow citizens.
The results of the 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer survey found that 63 percent of respondents believe that the average person does not know how to tell good journalism from rumor or falsehoods.
Thankfully, newspaper journalists employ the fundamentals of good reporting that are essential to the delivery of real news, including thoroughness, good sourcing and strong evidence.
Readers, therefore, aren’t tasked with having to differentiate solidly reported real news content from work that is more speculative, loosely sourced or backed by innuendo, hearsay or propaganda. These sources negatively impact and stain our industry.
To provide you with the truthful information you need and deserve, Pennsylvania newspapers are dedicated to being your real news source.
You can rest assured you are reading accurate information written by journalists who care about their readers. We take the time to assess statements and rhetoric for accuracy and truthfulness, and debunk viral stories and rumors.
We are also dedicated to providing news about your community. With more than 200 daily, Sunday and non-daily print and digital publications across the state, no matter where you are, we ensure that you are up-to-date on the information that matters the most to you.
Pennsylvania newspapers are dedicated to providing real news from real news people. In addition to being professional journalists, we are your friends, your family and your neighbors. We are honored and humbled by the trust that you have placed in us to deliver accurate news day in and day out.
The dedication of Pennsylvania newspapers to deliver real news is crucial. Watchdog journalism, through reliable sourcing and double-checking facts, gives us the credibility that you deserve. We are about ethics and balance.
As a newspaper reader, we implore you to do your part to help combat and prevent the spread of the inaccurate and fake news that you may be reading or hearing from other media sources.
Check sources and citations. Where was the article accessed? Does the information appear on other sources? Pay attention to quality and timeliness. Is there an abundance of spelling and grammatical errors? Has the story been shared on other credible news outlets?
Newspapers remain an important and powerful brand — the true source of real news. We are passionate and will never stop communicating our message so that you can discern what is real and what is posing as real.
Fake news threatens our democratic institutions, including that of a free press, and we all need to unite and take a stand to regain power over it.
This editorial was written by Mark Cohen, president of the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association.


William & Mary Law School Faculty, "Faculty Meeting Minutes (November 20. 1997)" (1997). Faculty Meeting Minutes. 100.


Meb Keflezighi won the 2014 Boston Marathon.
Four days before Ted Williams belted the first of his 521 major-league home runs, another memorable event occurred at the 1939 Boston Marathon. The race began under a dark sky because of a storm and a partial eclipse of the sun. Two-time champion Ellison “Tarzan’’ Brown set a then-course record, finishing in 2:28:51.
An event roughly 2,500 miles away affected the race in 2010. Eyjafjallajökull, a volcano in Iceland, erupted twice in the weeks leading to the marathon, interrupting air travel. Hundreds of grounded entrants missed the race but were given the option of deferring their race until 2011.
The first running of the Boston Marathon in 1897 actually wasn’t. It was called the American Marathon then and included a grand total of 15 entrants. (Monday’s marathon has an expected field of 30,000.) Only 10 made it to the finish line, then 24.5 miles away. New Yorker John McDermott crossed first in 2:55:10.
The first woman to run the Boston Marathon, Bobbi Gibb, talks about the relationship between running and art.
Six years before the Boston Marathon allowed women officially into the field, Roberta “Bobbi’’ Gibb became the first to complete the race in 1966. According to a New York Times story in 2015, Gibb wore a hoodie to conceal her identity and hid in bushes at the start before blending into a pack of runners. She eventually took off her sweatshirt, and expecting a negative reaction, she got exactly the opposite. Men cheered, and women cried, the article said. Gibb finished in 3:21:40.
Veteran Eugene Roberts, who had lost both of his legs in the Vietnam War, made history in 1970 when he became the first person to finish the Boston Marathon in a wheelchair. Roberts was permitted to begin just before the race’s start at noon and crossed the finish line at 6:07 p.m.
John Kelley ran the Boston Marathon for the first time in 1928, the year that Mickey Mouse also made his first appearance. He ran it for the final time in 1992, the year that “Aladdin’’ hit theaters. In between, the most enduring Boston Marathoner of them all ran the race 61 times. He finished 58 of them.
Bill Rodgers won the first of his four titles in 1975, establishing a new American record of 2:09:55 in the process. Rodgers’ victory came two years after his quest to complete this nation’s most iconic endurance race ended after 21 miles. That time, he drank too much water and expended too much energy early in the race, forcing him to drop out. Rodgers won three straight titles from 1978-80.
Heather Abbott, a survivor of the Boston Marathon Bombing speaks to Southern Connecticut State University graduates durring the commencement address at the Wester Bank Arena in Bridgeport Firday, May 15, 2015.
One year after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, Meb Keflezighi became the first American man to win the Boston Marathon since Greg Meyer in 1983. Thirty-four years ago also was noteworthy on the women’s side, as Joan Benoit established a world record in 2:22:43. in 1984, Benoit prevailed the first time that the women’s marathon was held in the Olympics in Los Angeles.
The Boston Marathon provided plenty of suspense in 2000, when Kenya’s Elijah Lagat edged Ethiopia’s Gezahegne Abera by less than a second. Both finished with official times of 2:09:47. Kenyan Moses Tanui (2:09:50) crossed the finish line only three seconds behind the leaders.
Because of the United States’ involvement in World War I, the format for the Boston Marathon underwent a one-time change in 1918. Instead of a traditional race, a 10-man military relay was staged. The team from Camp Devens in Ayer, Mass., won in 2:24:53.


City Council directed its staff this week to look into claims from a Glendale man who says he was stopped and interrogated by police four times in the past six months for a vehicle infraction for which he was never cited.
Phillip Herndon addressed councilmembers Tuesday during their weekly meeting, saying that he has "gotten sick" of being repeatedly pulled over by police for a broken tail light, and asked a series of questions about his whereabouts, whether he was on parole and how much time he has done.
"To me, it's offensive," he said. "It's frightening to be stopped at night by the police, knowing how these incidents often turn into something ugly for people in my situation."
Herndon's claims drew immediate interest from Councilwoman Laura Friedman and Councilman Zareh Sinanyan who requested to access the audio and video recordings of the traffic stops.
"I don't want to jump to conclusions, but it doesn't sound healthy," Sinanyan said.
Mayor Dave Weaver also assured Herndon and his friend, who also appeared at the meeting to speak about the incidents, that city staff would investigate the incidents and take appropriate action.
"It just won't be swept under the rug," he said. "It won't be."
City Atty. Michael Garcia on Thursday formally denied a California Public Records Act request for access to the audio and video recordings, which he said were exempt from disclosure because they were part of a police investigation.
City Manager Scott Ochoa said Herndon's claims were probed and investigators found "nothing inappropriate was evident on those cameras and those recordings."
Herndon reportedly filed two complaints with the department.
While Herndon only filed two complaints, the department is looking into the two other incidents, Glendale Police Chief Robert Castro said. He was reportedly stopped by different officers.
During the stops, he said Herndon was never asked to get out of his car, nor were he and his car searched.
In one of the recordings, Castro said an officer could be heard trying to calm Herndon, who was reportedly upset.
With the Police Department's focused on improving the city's traffic safety, officers are looking for violations and at vehicle equipment that could be hazardous on the road, Castro said.
Still, Herndon, who has lived in Glendale for about a year and a half, told councilmembers he was "just treated very badly, very harshly, treated as criminal. I am not a criminal. I have no criminal record."
Even after he was stopped, Herndon said he was never issued a citation to fix his broken light.
He alleges police pulled him over when he didn't have problems with his car.
Herndon has been reportedly pulled over on his route home from work for a broken light, which he claims wasn't out. In another stop, he said his light was out.
In one incident, Herndon had just returned books to the library when he said police stopped him because they allegedly couldn't read the registration stickers on his license plate.
Herndon claims he was profiled as a potential criminal, even though he said he is not.


Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Christine Todd Whitman in a July 25 letter to Rep. Ray LaHood (R-IL) discussed cost and pre-buy issues related to EPA's Oct. 1 deadline for lower emissions from diesel engines.
LaHood and other legislators recently asked the agency to delay the deadline, citing concerns about engine performance, maintenance and cost.
"I want to clarify that EPA does not have the authority to delay the October deadline date," Whitman said. "The consent decrees (which stipulated the October date) are binding legal orders which can only be altered by the court." Both Caterpillar Inc., which is in LaHood's district, and Detroit Diesel Corp., have asked the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to delay the deadline.
Whitman also took issue with claims that "non-conformance penalties" (NCPs) for companies not meeting the deadline would have a devastating impact on the trucking industry.
"There have been reports in the press that the per-engine NCP will be $15,000. These reports are simply not true ... We expect the actual per-engine penalty will be in the range of $4,000 to $5,000," Whitman said. "In fact, public information indicates the actual per-engine price increase will be in the range of $3,000 to $3,500. This price increase is certainly not insignificant, but would represent only a 3 to 5 percent increase in the price of an average heavy-duty truck."
Whitman also said pre-buying activity is negligible so far. "We know that 2002 January through May sales of Class 8 trucks were 53,814 compared to 61,063 for the same period in 2001. Based on these data, it is clear that truck sales for the last several months have been lower than sales during the same period in the past several years, suggesting that a major pre-buy has not yet occurred - at least through May of this year."


The Wilmington Heart of the Harbor Holiday Parade wound through the community’s downtown streets Sunday, Dec. 9.
Dancers, classic cars, equestrians and floats were among the many spectacles featured in the parade, making their way down Avalon Boulevard.
From E to L Street, families lined the block for the holiday celebration.


"We are overwhelmed and truly believe it is a miracle that we can finally broadcast on Türksat," said Melih Ekener, Executive Director of SAT-7 TÜRK (below right). "We have hoped, dreamed and prayerfully anticipated this launch since the station began airing on SAT-7 ARABIC in 2006. It is really a miracle and we are very thankful to God for what he has been doing."
The first full schedule began on Monday 16 February, some six weeks after test transmissions, prompting responses like this from a viewer in Antep: "We are very surprised and glad to watch SAT-7 TÜRK on TV. You are on satellite: this is awesome."
Until now, SAT-7 TÜRK has only shared satellite time on other SAT-7 channels and, more recently broadcast 24/7 on the internet – reaching a quite limited audience.
"Türksat 4A is the most popular satellite with the largest audience in Turkey reaching more than 50 million viewers and wider audiences in Central Asia, Europe and the Middle East," enthused Melih Ekener. "We are ready for this launch even though, at this point, we only have a total staff of 20 people."
SAT-7 TÜRK has already produced a wealth of diverse programmes, such as drama, documentaries, music, worship, children's, women's and youth programmes and, more recently, live shows. The staff produced 360 hours of new programming in 2014, but this is expected to increase dramatically in 2015.
Most programmes are produced in the SAT-7 TÜRK studios in Istanbul. "We make programmes that respect and cherish the cultural values of the country, and enable the world to see an often missing colour in our perceptions of the country," Ekener explained.
"This would not have been possible without the Turkish authorities taking the time and interest to engage with Christians and accept our applications, granting us a frequency on the official state satellite. We praise God for this moment. We rejoice in the decision of the Turkish authorities and join all Turkish Christians in giving thanks for this historic development."
Although Christianity has deep roots in Turkey's history, this is often overlooked and many people have been fed misinformation and hold misconceptions about Christ, Christianity and its important influence in early Turkish history. The channel's presence on Türksat presents a "new opportunity to broadcast to a much wider segment of the Turkish- speaking community," said Melih Ekener.
He explained why the launch is an historic moment: "There are now only around 150,000 Christians in Turkey, and a television channel that is produced by them, serving their own communities and airing programmes about the significant Christian heritage of the country would not have been possible a decade ago. This shows how much Turkey has changed and, even in the midst of often disturbing news we read about Turkey, there are some great things going on."
Dr Terence Ascott, Founder and International Chief Executive Officer of SAT-7 – which already has 24/7 Arabic and Farsi language channels – is also impressed by these exciting developments.
He said: "So many things have miraculously fallen into place over the past few months that it is impossible to miss the hand of God in facilitating the start of SAT-7 TÜRK broadcasting on Türksat. We give God the praise for this exciting development, and also recognise the signal this sends to the world about the Turkish authorities' positive attitude towards Christians and other minorities in the country."


In a first-of-its-kind trial in the United States, researchers are testing a stem cell-derived natural killer cell immunotherapy in people with incurable cancer.
Natural killer cells can detect and destroy cancer cells.
Cancer follows heart disease as the second biggest killer worldwide. In the United States, an estimated 606,880 people will die due to cancer in 2019.
With the advent of immunotherapy, researchers hoped to boost a person's immune system to fight and destroy tumors effectively. Although this type of therapy has completely changed the treatment landscape for cancers such as melanoma, there remain a significant number of people whose tumors can evade their immune system.
Joining the likes of adoptive cell transfer and checkpoint inhibitors on the list of immunotherapies are natural killer (NK) cells. These specialized white blood cells come equipped with a potent armory of tools to make short work of cancer cells.
Now, researchers at the University of California (UC) San Diego School of Medicine are running a clinical trial with industrial collaborator Fate Therapeutics to investigate NK cells both alone and in combination with checkpoint inhibitors in people with advanced solid tumors.
One particular factor sets this study apart from others using NK cells for similar purposes.
This "off-the-shelf" NK immunotherapy trial is the first in the U.S. to use cells that the researchers have derived from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.
Scientists first developed iPS cells in 2006 by switching on four dormant genes in skin cells. Doing this completely changed the characteristics of these cells and reverted them to an embryonic-like state.
Now widely hailed as an alternative to embryonic stem cells, iPS cells can, like their embryonic counterparts, develop into any type of cell.
For scientists who work on cell therapies, this provides a solution to a major stumbling block in advancing their technologies to clinical application.
A new device that can detect cancer cells in blood may improve detection rates.
Many therapies make use of a patient's own cells or cells from a donor. While this type of personalized treatment is the mainstay of current cell therapy applications, it is costly and time-consuming.
The use of iPS cells, on the other hand, allows researchers to produce a never-ending stream of cells. All that they need is a robust method to turn iPS cells into the particular cell type that they require.
A single iPS cell can thus become an "off-the-shelf" source of cells for therapy, which it is easy to produce time and time again.
Back in 2013, Dr. Dan Kaufman — professor of medicine in the Division of Regenerative Medicine and director of cell therapy at UC San Diego School of Medicine — and his team developed a method of expanding large numbers of NK cells from human iPS cells for cancer therapy.
They published the method in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine.
After extensive preclinical testing, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave Dr. Kaufman and Fate Therapeutics the go-ahead last November to set up a phase I clinical trial to test their iPS-derived NK immunotherapy in people with advanced solid tumors.
The phase I trial started in February and will include up to 64 people with advanced, untreatable cancer. The main aim of the trial is to assess the safety of the treatment. The other objectives are to determine the extent to which the tumors respond to NK cell therapy and to find out how long the cells stay in the participants' bodies.
The team will administer the cells once per week for 3 weeks, either on their own or in combination with one of three checkpoint inhibitors, namely nivolumab, pembrolizumab, or atezolizumab.
The study is an open-label trial, which means that all of the study participants will know which treatment they are receiving.
"This is a landmark accomplishment for the field of stem cell-based medicine and cancer immunotherapy," explains Dr. Kaufman in a press release. "This clinical trial represents the first use of cells produced from human-induced pluripotent stem cells to better treat and fight cancer."
"Together with Fate Therapeutics, we've been able to show in preclinical research that this new strategy to produce pluripotent stem cell-derived natural killer cells can effectively kill cancer cells in cell culture and in mouse models," he continues.
The first person to receive treatment as part of the trial was Derek Ruff. After 10 years in remission, Mr. Ruff has stage 4 colon cancer, which is progressing despite aggressive treatment.
"Coming to a [National Cancer Institute] cancer center means a lot to me. My options aren't otherwise good. Some people may not opt for a clinical trial, but for me, I want a chance at a cure."
It will be a while before the results of the trial are available, with expectations being that the study will run into 2022. However, it paves the way not only for a new generation of immunotherapies to treat cancer but also for other iPS-derived cell therapies to follow. Watch this space.


The past six weeks have been among the busiest of the past year…and the least productive. Perhaps I would take pleasure in noting the irony if I were less frustrated and tired, and my bank account less in need of checks from paid writing assignments.
Between school events, driving my kids around, and volunteer tasks, I’ve managed to purchase groceries, pay bills, fix meals, do enough light cleaning to keep the worst chaos at bay, and care for pets. But not to write. When I’m not writing, I feel lazy and unproductive (even though I’m fulfilling more than my share of other responsibilities), poor (even though the money I make from writing is paltry at best), and afraid (one of my biggest fears is that I’ll fail to live up to my potential as a writer—in other words, that I’ll die without having written what I’m capable of writing).
I keep a notebook with me in which to jot down ideas, images, and sentences. But in busy times like these—when a 30-minute change to one child’s schedule throws off the entire precision machine of our family calendar, when my email and voicemail boxes ding and buzz with continual reminders of what I need to make, bring, tell, see, do—the lack of space and quiet makes it hard to complete a meaningful thought. I strain to decipher whatever insights or wisdom might be calling out to me amid the chaos. It feels like riding in a car with the windows down and the radio on; I can hear enough random, disconnected sounds to know there’s music playing, but the incessant background noise makes it impossible to know what song it is.
But cultural messages equating stillness, solitude, and quiet with inefficiency and laziness are powerful. Further, social media have allowed some writers to make a good—even a great—living by embracing the bustle of the 24-hour-a-day virtual world. I can think of a dozen writers, Christian and secular, who have nurtured successful writing careers by building a brand. They publish multiple short posts every day that reinforce a few core messages. They supplement online writing with speaking gigs focused on the same core messages. Every year or two, they publish a book that either compiles a bunch of their online writing in one place or explores a key theme in more detail.
For many years, I watched such writers build their careers, listening carefully to advice distilled from their success: Post regularly, daily if possible. Keep posts and sentences short. Make only one or two main points. Include lots of photos and images. Share the same link multiple times on multiple platforms.
It’s good advice—if you want to produce a certain kind of writing, the kind that plays well to an online audience. But these processes and structures leave little room for exploration, uncertainty, and nuance. The incessant drive to post, post, post quickly renders silence and rumination both rare and useless. Why ponder questions from many angles if in the end I’m going to write a 600-word post with a single, crystal clear point? As my friend Amy Julia explored in a recent post for Her.meneutics, a number of long-time, well-known bloggers have recently given up on blogging in favor of work that requires more time to both produce and to read.
I respect writers who have created a successful online brand (and envy both their reach and their income). But I know what kind of writer I am and want to be, and that’s not it. I’m a writer who needs fallow time, both because that’s how I work best, and because the writing I’m most proud of has required many hours of reading, conversation and thought. I want to tell good stories and ask (but not necessarily answer) hard questions. I want to invite readers to come alongside me to seek wisdom that can’t be summed up in three points or 140 characters, to produce and partake of writing that changes hearts and minds—and ultimately, the world.
The Patheos Public Square topic this month is “slow living”—a term encompassing trends in many areas of life, from food and family life to career and church. Slow living prizes quality over quantity, depth over efficiency, meaning over marketing. I want to produce “slow writing,” which won’t make me rich or famous, but will satisfy my soul—and when I get it right, the souls of those who read what I write.
The irony of slow living is that it requires an awful lot of work. Slow living sounds relaxing but demands effort and attention. Slow eating, for example, might involve planting a garden and cooking from scratch—endeavors that require much planning, time, and physical and mental energy. My engagement with “slow writing” likewise requires hard work—the discipline of setting and keeping limits on household tasks and volunteer work, the willingness to sit down and be quiet even when the inspiration isn’t coming and the bathroom needs cleaning. And after years of trying out various “slow living” approaches (e.g., hanging my wash on an outdoor line or keeping a kitchen garden), I’ve realized that take-out pizza, Trader Joe’s heat-and-eat entrees, and well-functioning appliances are necessary for me to be the writer, mother, wife, and person I want to be. For me at least, there’s only so much slow living I can do before the whole project falls to pieces.
We need to expand our idea of what writing is. For us, reading and ruminating are key parts [of the writing process]. I was in the desert for years [not writing], but I was always reading and thinking. Although I didn’t know it at the time, I was teaching myself how to write.
Normally, when we want to learn how to do something new or better, we get busy. We read, discuss, practice, do. But when it comes to writing—the kind of writing I need and want to do—I aim instead to sit and do nothing. And read and think and question and keep on writing even when I know what I’m writing isn’t very good.
Now and then, I write something on a news story or controversy. But for the most part, I’m not all that interested in telling you what I think of the Duggars, Caitlyn Jenner, or Tony Campolo’s stance on gay marriage (though for the record on that last one, it’s HOORAY). I am very interested in writing about relationships and sexuality and families and children and culture and the church and medicine and disability and incarnation in a way that invites reflection and revelation, questioning and conversation. Sometimes my reflections and our conversation will lead me to take a stand on some issue du jour. Most of the time, they won’t.
With this approach to writing, I probably won’t go viral, make it on to any top blogger lists, or earn a lot of money. But I will teach myself how to write, again and again and again.
Note: Later this week, I will be attending and speaking (on contraception and reproductive health) at Sojourners’ Summit for Change, and then my family and I will head out west to visit some national parks. I have one or two more posts that will go live in the next few days, and then it’s back to radio silence until I return from my travels. I’m hoping for lots of good ruminating to happen in the meantime.


Rain showers this morning with overcast skies during the afternoon hours. High 64F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%..
Partly cloudy skies. Low near 45F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.
Helena author Joan Bird has a Ph.D. in zoology, and her career has been dedicated to the natural world, including work for the Montana Environmental Information Center, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, and the Nature Conservancy.
In her new book, she makes her case for the existence of phenomena born far from the Treasure State’s terra firma: extraterrestrial lifeforms.
Bird writes in the introduction to “Montana UFOs and Extraterrestrials” that, although she’s a scientist, she is comfortable with the notion that there are some things science just can’t explain. She’s also had a lifelong fascination with bits of information that don’t seem to belong. “Unidentified flying objects,” or UFOs, certainly fall into that category.
Montana, it turns out, has been the scene of some of the most significant unexplained occurrences involving UFOs, dating back more than 70 years. Two in particular, a 15-second, color film shot by Nick Mariana in Great Falls on Aug. 15, 1950, showing two silvery spheres in flight; and an incident in 1967 in which 10 Minuteman missiles were deactivated in their silos while a UFO hovered overhead, are considered of primary significance.
Bird examines the former incident in her first chapter, and uses it as a jumping-off point for a review of official U.S. government reports on the subject. At first, she says, Air Force researchers were told their jobs were to “debunk” all sightings, and to convince people that conventional explanations existed for all such reports.
Later reports, such as the 1953 “Project Blue Book” report, were more circumspect, leaving many sightings in the “unexplained” category, a more-or-less tacit acknowledgement of their validity, according to Bird.
Her presentations in Hamilton and Missoula will begin with the story of what came to be known as the “Montana Film” of Mariana’s sighting, and the history of official investigations since that time.
She always leaves time at the end, however, both for questions and for people to share their own stories. She believes it’s important for people to have an opportunity to tell of things they’ve seen, heard, or experienced, in a supportive atmosphere.
“Half the time I come back with experiences from the most surprising people – you just never know,” she mused.
Many reports of close encounters describe creatures who look like humans. “They walk among us,” is the conclusion from many of those encounters. Another subset of reports invokes the almond-eyed alien countenance that has become somewhat familiar; and smaller numbers report reptilian or insect-like beings.
In a few cases, Bird says, aliens have communicated a message to people who have encountered them, a message that boils down to, “we’re concerned with what’s happening on Earth, with the loss of biological diversity; we have the potential technology to assist you, if we’re asked,” according to Bird’s summation.
She believes that contact is probable, and that talking about UFOs and alien visitors is necessary now, to help prepare us for that contact.
“People need help to learn and to integrate this information, to help with the shock if something happens,” she said.
Skeptics and believers will have a chance to compare stories with her and with each other on Friday, Nov. 30, at the Bitterroot Public Library, 306 State St., at 7 p.m., and on Saturday, Dec. 1, at Chapter One Book Store, 252 Main Street, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. On Sunday, Dec. 2, she’ll sign books at Missoula’s Fact & Fiction from 1:30-3 p.m. “Montana UFOs and Extraterrestrials” is published by Riverbend Publishing of Helena, $14.95 in paperback.
Helena author Joan Bird will make two appearances in Hamilton and one in Missoula this weekend to present her book, “Montana UFOs and Extraterrestrials.” She’ll speak at the Bitterroot Public Library on Friday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m., and then sign books on Saturday, Dec. 1, at Hamilton’s Chapter One Book Store, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. On Sunday, Dec. 2, she’ll sign books at Missoula’s Fact & Fiction from 1:30-3 p.m.


The University of Wisconsin is among the top 10 schools when it comes to athletic department donations last year.
It’s no secret that colleges with big sports programs make a lot of money off their teams. There are ticket sales, TV deals, merchandise, not to mention the rah-rah atmosphere they encourage on campus.
But at least one source of college sports-related revenue could be curtailed thanks to changes in the tax code taking effect this year.
In the past, schools could offer donors the opportunity to buy access to preferential seating at athletic events and up to 80% of the cost of these so-called seat licenses was tax deductible. But the Tax and Jobs Act, passed late last year, gets rid of that deduction.
What’s at stake isn’t chump change. Last year, the 10 schools who received the most money in athletic donations took in between $32 and $55 million per school, according to data released Tuesday by the Council for Aid to Education. Though those numbers reflect all donations to the schools’ athletic departments — not just those that give donors access to preferential seating — advertising the perk is one of the major ways college athletic departments lure money in.
“It’s clear that universities have used this as a central strategy with their donors who are interested in athletics,” said Peter Fissinger, chief executive officer of Campbell and Company, a firm that consults with nonprofits on fundraising strategy.
A quick spin through some of the websites for the foundation arms for schools that raised the most for their athletic departments confirms Fissinger’s assessment. In some cases the colleges require a minimum donation ranging from several hundred to multiple thousands of dollars to have access to certain seating areas at football and basketball games.
Other colleges use a point system where donors are rewarded with points based on how much they give. The more points they have, the bigger priority they get in buying desirable seats.
The ability of college athletic departments to capitalize on the current tax treatment of these donations indicates that they’ll likely be able to figure out another way to lure in gifts from donors interested in athletics, Fissinger said.
Some colleges are already adjusting. “I know that some [athletic directors] asked for some people to prepay for the year, or a couple of years in some cases, or even several years,” said Tom McMillen, chief executive officer of the LEAD1 Association, which represents major athletic directors and sports programs.
That way donors could make their gifts while the tax deduction was still in effect.
College athletic departments may tweak their fundraising strategy by still encouraging donors to give towards priority seating even if they can’t get the deduction anymore, Fissinger said.
Schools could also change the way they talk about donations to athletic departments, said Elizabeth Zeigler, the chief executive officer of Graham-Pelton Consulting, which works with organizations on fundraising. They could emphasize that these donations also support student athletes who don’t participate in revenue generating sports like football or basketball. “Universities need to be able to communicate more about why the gifts are important,” she said.
But the impact of the tax code change will likely vary based on the popularity of a school’s athletic program, said Richard Schmalbeck, a professor at Duke University’s Law School, who has studied and criticized the tax deduction. At schools with very popular football and basketball programs where seating is in demand, getting rid of the tax deduction may free up more tickets, creating more supply, but it’s unlikely their price will go down because top programs won’t want to signal that the value of the ticket is suddenly less.
But ultimately, the tickets could lose value over time, as inflation rises and ticket prices stay the same. Over the past several years, the prices of these desirable tickets have fluctuated, but getting rid of the deduction could cause them to flatten.
At schools where tickets aren’t selling out, prices may actually rise, McMillen speculated. Without the tax deduction, fewer people could be interested in buying seat licenses, curbing a source of revenue for the schools and pushing them to raise the prices of the actual tickets.
On the upside, all university capital campaigns, which are typically run separately from athletic department ones, rely on gifts that are much bigger than those associated with those that buy access to priority seating, Schmalbeck said. And there’s still a large population of fans who want access to prime seats at a college football or basketball game, even if that access isn’t tax deductible.


Lots of news to catch up with and comment on today.
• An RBG sighting! After weeks of being out of public view and prompting a ton of rumors, Justice Ruth Buzzie Ginsburg appeared—in person—at the Supreme Court yesterday, just in time to hand down today’s unanimous ruling that the 8th Amendments’s “excessive fines” clause applies to the states through “incorporation” of the due process clause. This ruling will greatly reduce the use of “civil asset forfeiture” by state and local governments.
But more significant may be two small features of the ruling. First, Justice Ginsburg’s opinion cites as its key precedent the McDonald v. City of Chicago gun control case from 2011 (a solid win for the 2nd Amendment), which suggests the durability of both that case and the Heller case that greatly bolstered gun rights before McDonald. Second, Justices Thomas and Gorsuch wrote a concurring opinion that they would have anchored the decision not in the due process clause of the 14th Amendment, but in the “privileges and immunities” clause instead. This is where the real action is going to be in coming years. The Supreme Court, having wrongly neutered the privileges and immunities clause way back in the 1870s, is now gingerly reopening the clause for use. And long overdue, too.
CLIMATIC CHANGE; ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION; INEQUALITY AND OLIGARCHY; COMPLEXITY; EXTERNAL SHOCKS; RANDOMNESS/BAD LUCK; DOGS AND CATS LIVING TOGETHER. . .
Okay, I added that last one, but the point is, it’s the usual list of things that has leftists in a state of constant agitation. Which means it’s pretty unoriginal, especially from someone billing themselves as a “collapse expert.” How about getting back to me when you’ve taken a few correct positions on soybean futures or something.
He should know you’re not allowed to say things like this.
I think I rather like this guy.


On Monday, July 9, President Donald Trump issued a firm accusation against all other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, explaining that the United States of America spends more on collective defense than the other 28 nations involved combined.
The president’s accusations seemed to single out Germany in particular, though, which had reportedly spent only 1.24 percent of its total 2017 economic output on defense, nearly a third of the United State’s reported 3.57 percent overall spending on defense in 2017.
Trump then went on to connect these issues with trade policies, mentioning that the European Union has a “trade surplus” with the United States and how that is affecting relations in these particular delegations.
Despite this, his argument does, of course, have fallacies, as the commander in chief tweeted that the United States is “paying for 90 percent of NATO” when in actuality figures go to show us having a 22 percent overall stake in financial contributions. Indirect spending, the money spent solely on defense, is at a reported 66 percent.
The president will be departing for Europe on Tuesday, July 10, where he will make his first stop in Brussels, Belgium, to discuss countering Russian intervention in Ukraine as well as the ever-growing threats of nuclear war and cyberattacks.
A 2014 burden-sharing agreement amongst NATO members stated that each individual nation involved must have their overall economic contribution to defense be at least 2 percent by the year 2024. While currently only five of the nations involved have reached or exceeded that mark, hopes are high as further revitalizing of smaller European economies can correlate to an increase in spending, allowing all nations to have the means to reach the mark by the guideline six years from now.


When the histories are written, 'Black Panther' will stand alone as The Movie of 2018. Carl Broughton explains why.
This year's films tackled reactions to injustice and moral failing.
With the upcoming sequel, the NBA star has bigger plans in mind than simply shooting some hoops with the Looney Tunes.
If the MCU is going to embrace 'Wakanda Forever', Shuri the badass needs her own movie.
On the eve of Thanos' arrival, Marvel delivers its richest and most relatable text.
From a Spielberg epic to a Charlie's Angels reboot, the Marvel stars have some exciting projects lined up.
Marvel hasn't officially announced a sequel yet, but we're ready to discuss the inevitable now.


Jeffrey L. Wilson Laplink PCsync 6 For a wallet-friendly price of $19.97, Laplink's PCsync 6 utility that can benefit everyone who's looking to make vital files accessible from any of their computers, or to migrate data from one system to another.
Easy to set up. Intuitive menus. Cross-platform Mac and PC file transfer and synchronization.
Lacks Mac to Mac file transfer and synchronization. USB connectivity requires the use of the Type-A Male to Type-A Male cable. Lacks mobile access.
For a wallet-friendly price of $19.97, Laplink's PCsync 6 utility that can benefit everyone who's looking to make vital files accessible from any of their computers, or to migrate data from one system to another.
Working and playing across multiple computers can leave your important data scattered. Laplink aims to centralize your digital life with PCsync 6 ($19.97 Direct), the latest version of its file migration and synchronization software. PCsync 6 lets users quickly and easily synchronize files and folders between PCs using a network, wireless network, or USB connection. The only drawback? While you can transfer files between a PC and a Mac, the software currently doesn't support Mac-to-Mac connections.
The buzz these days around file-synchronization is all centered around cloud-based services these daysPCSync is unusual in its local approach. Dropbox and SugarSync, for example, are highly capable apps and their reach is global. Still, there's something to be said for a local approach, in terms of privacy, security, and data integrity. Certainly there are individuals who will never trust their data to the cloudour own Crankiest Geek John Dvorak is famously cloud skeptical, for example. And businesses had better be sure that they're not breaking any government-mandated compliance regulations before they sign up for a cloud-based service. PC Sync may be a bit old-fashioned in its approach, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Setting up PC Sync 6 was as simple as installing the software onto a Windows 7 desktop (it's also compatible with any PC running Windows XP or later, or any Intel-based Mac running OS X 10.4 or later), filling in the registration information, entering a serial number, and deciding if a remote computer should require authentication to connect. After launching the program, I was greeted with a screen that displayed the methods for connection (Local PC, Ethernet, Cable, Network, or USB), with a pane showing synchronization jobs (empty, on first viewing, of course). PCsync can be installed onto three computers at once.
I then connected a Windows 7 laptop to the desktop using an Ethernet cable, and then clicked the "New" button under PCsync 6's "Connection" header, then "Automatically detect from network", and entered the user name and password of the primary machine. When I connected to the host from a remote PC, I was prompted to log in with the host computer's user name and password. Once I finished setup, I was greeted by a PC Sync home screen split down the middle to show both systems' files structures. Anyone familiar with Windows Explorer will instantly recognize the tree structure and be able to navigate with ease. I also successfully connected using USB, but I had to dig up a Type-A Male to Type-A Male cable, which are less likely to be lying in your cable drawer than a typical Type-A to Type-B (Laplink sells a non-bundled Laplink-branded USB 2.0 cable for $39.99), and wirelessly, once I input the remote system's IP address.
To copy between computers, simply dragand-drop files or folders from one side of the window to the other. A freshly created 5MB folder containing a batch of photos taken with a typical point and shoot digital camera synced to the host PC in under 10 seconds via USB. You can also move the information to the target computer while simultaneously deleting it from the source computer by holding the Shift key while dragging. It's that simple.
PCsync 6 can also automatically synchronize the content of two folders located on the same or different computers (the former is handy if you're working on a project and like to duplicate the content for a friend or colleague). By selecting New under the Synchronization Jobs header, you select a folder on the host and remote machine, click Next, and set the synchronization options. The latter allows you to set up a two-way sync, a sync from the host computer to the remote computer, or a sync from the remote computer to the host. You can also select the method for resolving file name conflicts: you can choose skipping (bypasses the sync), overwriting (replaces a file with a new one of the same name), or a handful of other methods. PCsync 6 is far more streamlined than the cumbersome SugarSync ($4.99 - $49.00 Direct, ), a cloud-based file synchronization program available for Mac OS X and Windows that starts at $2.49 per month for 10GB of storage. However, PCsync lacks SugarSync's file versioning, which can restore an older version of a file. PCsync users can get around this by running backup software with built-in file versioning.
PCsync 6 automatically synchronizes any file or folder placed within its structure, which bests SugarSync (it only automatically synchronizes files dropped into its "Magic Briefcase" folder). Besides automatic synchronization, you can schedule the process to occur on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, should you not want to sync to occur right away, but at specific times. You can even filter the type of files you want to sync by image, video, audio, text file, or Microsoft Office file. On the "New Sync Job Summary" screen, you can name the sync job and opt to include sub folders, hidden folder, and read-only, system, previously skipped, and hidden files. Once that's all set up, returning to the "Synchronization Jobs" screen, highlighting the job that you've created, and clicking "Run" begins the process. Clicking "Edit" lets you tweak your parameters.
After installing PCsync 6 on a Mac, and then connecting that machine to a PC, the Migration Wizard lets you set up the initial file transfer from Windows to OS X (or vice versa if your host machine is a Mac). The app presents two choices: Standard and Advanced. Standard lets you select the Windows folders that you want transferred to the Mac; Advanced enables you to change the location of transferred files, and schedule migration times. I found it remarkably easy to move files; Selecting "My Documents" and then "run the Synchronization software" caused a Windows 7 folder (and sub-folders) to appear within the Mac's new "Windows PC" folder, which lives in "Documents." Curiously, there's no way to transfer and sync files from Mac to Mac. SugarSync doesn't possess such a migration tool, either.
Priced at a wallet-friendly $19.97, Laplink's PCsync 6 can benefit everyone who's looking to make vital files accessible from any of their computers or to migrate files from one system to another. I wish the software included Mac to Mac compatibility, and mobile access (the hallmarks of cloud storage services such as Dropbox ($4.99 - $49.00 Direct, ) or SugarSync) would be required for me to declare this app a must-buy, but even so it's still a solid, flexible data-organization program.
Bottom Line: For a wallet-friendly price of $19.97, Laplink's PCsync 6 utility that can benefit everyone who's looking to make vital files accessible from any of their computers, or to migrate data from one system to another.


EAST LANSING — One of the biggest tweaks Michigan State football made going into Saturday’s upset of Penn State was shortening its offensive line group.
Along with simplifying his team’s blocking scheme, coach Mark Dantonio and assistant Mark Staten’s decision to play five guys predominantly in the game was one of the big reasons they were able to run the ball for 123 yards.
It helped the Spartans prevent the Nittany Lions from focusing their defensive energy to solely stopping the passing game in MSU's victory.
It may not have resulted in a season-high yardage total — MSU has run for more in three other games this season.
However, it helped La’Darius Jefferson, Connor Heyward and Brian Lewerke find more room between the tackles than the Spartans had in those other games. Jefferson gained 27 yards on one play — a season-long by an MSU running back — by going through a big hole up the middle and bouncing to the outside once he hit the second level of PSU’s defense. He also had a 1-yard TD in the first half.
Lewerke said having a singular group of five in front of him — Cole Chewins at left tackle, Tyler Higby at left guard, Matt Allen at center, Blake Bueter at right guard and Jordan Reid at right tackle — helped with cohesion and communication.
MSU did not provide a depth chart for the U-M game for second time in three seasons, and Dantonio did not give any updates on any of the Spartans’ bevy of injured players.
Dantonio did not release a depth chart in 2016, citing injury issues that year.
MSU is dealing with a number of hurt players, particularly at receiver.
The Spartans were without Cody White (hand), Darrell Stewart Jr. (ankle) and Jalen Nailor (unspecified) in last week’s game. They lost Cam Chambers (thumb) and Brandon Sowards (unspecified) for most of the second half, and then watched Felton Davis III (hip) and Laress Nelson (leg) each have to leave on the winning drive. Davis returned to score the final touchdown, and Nelson was also in on that play.
The Spartans also played at Penn State without running back LJ Scott (ankle), right guard Kevin Jarvis (leg), left guard David Beedle (arm), punter Jake Hartbarger (leg) and cornerbacks Josh Butler (unspecified) and Josiah Scott (knee).
The team that wins the rushing battle takes usually home the Paul Bunyan Trophy. That has been true for 43 of the past 48 meetings between MSU and Michigan, including the Spartans’ 14-10 win a year ago. They outgained the Wolverines on the ground, 158-102.
In 11 games against U-M, Dantonio’s MSU teams hold a 1,923-988 advantage in rushing yards.
It likely will come down to which offense can power through their opponent’s defense. MSU ranks No. 1 in the country at 62.3 yards allowed per game, even after the Spartans gave up a season-worst 205 yards against Penn State. Michigan ranks 15th at 108.9 yards yielded.


Cerebral palsyAva loves Rachel House: As we get near we can hear a scream of joy from the back seatSCOTLAND'S first children's hospice, Rachel House, is getting ready to celebrate 20 years - we've been meeting one of its biggest fans, 8-year-old Ava Young.
Hearts FCHearts star Sam Nicholson on setting Tynecastle alight and avoiding trouble on nights out in EdinburghNICHOLSON, a boyhood Jambo, has friends and family who are both Hibs and Hearts fans and admits it's all about handling the banter when out in Edinburgh.
GEMMA and Scott Dutton have organised a fundraising event for the Simpsons Special Care Babies charity to raise money for a Vapotherm machine which helps to regulate babies’ breathing.
THE Ken Buchanan Cup was believed to be lost until one-time winner Jim McIntosh rediscovered the slightly rusty prize in his sister’s garden shed.
CAPTAIN Dunlop's daughter had been born in September during his four month stint in Afghanistan.
PENICUIK-born stopper loving life at in Sheffield and firmly believes his working class background has helped him settle and progress with the Championship side.
CourtsMan charged in connection with abduction and attempted murder of two men in PenicuikPOLICE confirmed a 22-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the incident on Friday.
AutismAutism made life hard, bullies made it hell: a mum's struggle with attitudes to the conditionCATHERINE Simpson says the struggle of bringing up a child with Asperger’s was nothing compared to reactions to her daughter. She’s written a novel to help others be more accepting.
Royal Regiment of ScotlandEast Kilbride recruit Neil Masson picks up top honours at pass-out paradeTHE 28-year-old was awarded his platoon's Best Recruit and Soldier's Soldier prizes after finishing his recruit training.
Our Heroes AwardsOur Heroes: Meet the nominees ahead of the most moving and inspirational night of the yearWITH the 12th Daily Record Our Heroes awards due to take place on Friday night, we introduce the nominees for the awards.
EdinburghEdinburgh Kiltwalk: 2000 kilted walkers step out to raise funds for Scottish children’s charitiesRADIO presenter Suzie McGuire helped kick off The Edinburgh Kiltwalk with group Drums ’n’ Roses and the Preston Lodge High School Pipe Band.
Scottish NewsFormer Still Game actor stricken with diabetes accuses brother of stealing £20k and leaving him brokeRICKY Callan, who appeared as a DSS officer in the TV show, claims his brother took his life savings - then "rubbed his face in it" by boasting on Facebook.
Our Heroes AwardsWar widow Lyndsey who lost husband when she was pregnant with their first child says she makes sure son knows about his hero daddyLYNDSEY has shared her story after husband William Savage, who was killed in Afghanistan, was nominated posthumously for a Daily Record Our Heroes Award.
PenicuikPolice probe after Scots dad found dead on his doorstep after night outTHE 43-year-old, named locally as Kevin Glenwright, was pronounced dead at the scene at 9am on Saturday.
Armed forcesInquest hears details of Afghan blast which killed Scots soldiers William Savage, Samuel Flint & Robert HetheringtonTHE soldiers from Edinburgh and Penicuik were killed when an IED placed underneath Route 611 using a tunnel tore through their Mastiff vehicle in April 2013.
PenicuikPolice probe deaths of elderly man and woman after their bodies are discovered in house in PenicuikWILLIAMINA Thomson and her brother, whose name Police have not yet confirmed, were discovered late on Monday night in a home in Penicuik, Midlothian.
PenicuikIn pictures: Boy's message in a bottle of World Cup prediction is found four months later in DenmarkKAI Mair tossed the bottle into the North Sea when he was on holiday in Berwick-upon-Tweed.
PenicuikMum tells of daughter's bravery in facing life threatening condition and how family and friends are inspired to raise charity cashAINE, from Penicuik, Midlothian, has a rare condition called Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome (CCHS), which affects her central nervous system.
Commonwealth GamesVideo: Film star Brian Cox joins more than 100 Queen's baton bearers on third day of its tour of ScotlandSCOTS Hollywood legend took part in Midlothian leg of relay, carrying symbol to world-famous Rosslyn Chapel.
Armed forcesWidow of soldier killed in Afghanistan says he will live on in baby sonLYNZY was devastated when her husband William was killed on duty in Afghanistan, and would not see their son grow up.
Commonwealth GamesGlasgow 2014: Route set to be taken by Queen's Baton Relay as it tours ScotlandTHE Queen's Baton Relay will cover 4,970 miles as it travels through 32 local authorities ahead of the opening ceremony in Glasgow on July 23.
Scottish Junior Football AssociationPenicuik 2 Pollok 1: Cuikie upset Glasgow giants to secure spot in Junior Cup fifth roundTHE East Region side held on in the face of fierce Pollok pressure to ensure their place in the last 16 - the furthest they have been in the competition in 33 years.


WASHINGTON (AFP) - Mr Donald Trump's one-time presidential campaign chairman Paul Manafort admitted in a court filing on Tuesday (Jan 8) that he provided polling data from the campaign to a Russian with ties to intelligence during the 2016 US presidential race.
Manafort denied allegations from the Russian collusion investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller that he had lied about his dealings with Mr Konstantin Kilimnik, arguing that he merely forgot details during the hectic election campaign.
The specifics of the Mueller allegations were not previously known publicly, having been blacked out in a heavily redacted Dec 7 filing by the Russia collusion prosecutor's team.
It showed that Mr Mueller had questioned Manafort on his discussions with Mr Kilimnik in 2016 on a possible peace plan for Ukraine - where the two had worked together several years earlier for a pro-Russia political party.
That could be significant, because Manafort is believed to have played a role in changing the Republican platform position on Ukraine during 2016 to a more Moscow-friendly stance.
Manafort's legal team argued in the filing that his client had been intensely busy managing Mr Trump's White House campaign, and could not recall every communication.
"The same is true with regard to the government's allegation that Mr Manafort lied about sharing polling data with Mr Kilimnik related to the 2016 presidential campaign," they added in the redacted section.
The previously unknown allegation adds to mounting evidence that contacts between Russians and the Trump campaign were more than just incidental, though Mr Mueller has yet to make a case that there was any conspiracy that involved the campaign.
Manafort, 69, has already been convicted in one case brought by Mr Mueller, and pleaded guilty in another, over financial crimes related to his work in Ukraine before the 2016 campaign, and for witness tampering, which also involved Mr Kilimnik.
He had a deal to cooperate with Mr Mueller while delaying sentencing, which eventually could mean years in jail. But in December Mr Mueller's team asked the court to schedule sentencing, saying Manafort had violated that deal by lying to investigators.
Manafort's lawyers said their client had no reason to misrepresent the truth in his 12 interviews with investigators late last year.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, the Supreme Court turned back a petition by an unnamed, foreign state-owned company that is resisting a grand jury subpoena in a highly secretive case also believed part of the Mueller inquiry.
The decision means the federal district court in Washington will be able to fine the company for every day that it refuses to testify.
But the identity of the company and any details of the case remained secret.


The Mpumalanga provincial government last week defended its decision to splurge R22-million on a musical commemorating the 50th anniversary of the potato boycott, to be produced by controversial theatre practitioner Mbongeni Ngema.
Sammy Mpatlanyane, spokesperson for the Mpumalanga department of culture, sports and recreation, said government “was not apologetic” about the big budget production, entitled Lion of the East: Gert Sibande and the Potato Boycott, because it would act as a “huge springboard” for local theatre talent while preserving and promoting local history and culture.
“It is the department’s mandate to protect, preserve and showcase the traditions of the province — Gert Sibande is not just a local hero, but also a national one who advanced our struggle. If we don’t tell the story, who will?” said Mpatlanyane.
Sibande, who went by the moniker “Lion of the East”, was a Bethal-born ANC activist who drew international attention to the inhumane living and working conditions of potato-farm workers in the area, which resulted in a successful boycott of produce.
Mpatlanyane said Ngema was required to draw 70% of his projected 45-member cast from the province, which will equip “youth from the area with vital training and exposure to theatre practice”.
He dismissed suggestions that R22-million for a single production—more than a 10% chunk of his department’s annual budget of R208-million—was perhaps over the top.
“This is a projected cost which includes everything from accommodation to rehearsals, publicity, lighting and music — If you have a well-known scriptwriter like Mbongeni Ngema on board you immediately have a brand and we want this production to tour nationally and overseas,” he said.
Ngema was previously at the centre of controversy over Sarafina II, an Aids-awareness play for which he was awarded a R14,27-million contract by the department of health in 1995.
It later emerged that the contract was signed without proper approval from the state tender board, while the public protector questioned the necessity of spending that amount of money on a single play.
He said musicals, with their large casts, costume changes and musical orchestration, were generally expensive: “The more financial support you can get, the better you can do. Mbongeni is an extraordinary artist, so we will have to wait and see what he comes up with and whether it was worth it,” said Jay.
Jay added that the Civic Theatre, which employs 84 full-time staff and has an annual budget of R39-million, was working on its own large-scale musical—an adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton’s The Boys in the Photograph. A total of R15-million has been set aside for the five-year project which will coincide with the 2010 World Cup.
Grahamstown’s National Arts Festival chief executive, Ismail Mahomed, speaking in his personal capacity, thought it “ridiculous”. “R22-million would keep a number of festivals running for a number of years and create work for thousands of people. The money could have been used to strengthen institutions on the verge of collapse and inject new energy into the industry,” he said.
Mahomed, who spent seven years working in Mpumalanga, said there was “an enormous financial risk factor” in spending that much money on a single production and that “this level of miscalculation and mismanagement is standard operating procedure there”.
The National Arts Festival has an annual budget of R18-million.


HAVANA (Reuters) - Communist-run Cuba extended the term of its current leadership to April on Thursday, signaling a two-month delay in the historic handover from Raul Castro to a new president, while announcing tighter regulations on the non-state sector.
Castro, 86, was originally set to step down in February after two consecutive terms, ending nearly 60 years of Castro brothers’ rule and marking a transition from the leaders of the 1959 revolution to a new, younger generation.
The National Assembly, however, said that devastation wrought by Hurricane Irma in September had caused a delay to the start of the political cycle in which voters and electoral commissions pick delegates of municipal, provincial and national assemblies who then select a Council of State and president.
As a result, the assembly, which is holding one of its twice-yearly meetings, extended its term through to April 19.
“When the National Assembly is constituted, I will have concluded my second and last mandate, and Cuba will have a new president,” Castro said, according to state-run media.
“All that is left for me is to wish you and our people a happy new year,” he said.
Castro, who officially took over the presidency from his late, older brother, Fidel Castro, in 2008, is set to remain head of the Communist Party, the only legal party in Cuba and its guiding force.
His heir apparent, First Vice President Miguel Diaz-Canel, 57, was born the year after the revolution but has argued for the need to defend its achievements and provide continuity.
Hopes that the next president might deepen market reforms to the centrally planned economy introduced by Castro were dampened on Thursday by the announcement of new regulations on the fledgling private and cooperative sectors.
State-run media cited Marino Murillo, chief of the reform commission, as saying that income distribution at cooperatives would be more closely regulated and business licenses would be limited to one per person.
“The economic measures announced today suggest a continued slowing down, if not an undoing, of the economic reforms implemented between 2010 and 2016,” said Michael Bustamante, an assistant professor of Latin American history at Florida International University.
Cuba’s political transition comes as it faces a host of challenges from declining aid from socialist ally Venezuela to U.S. President Donald Trump’s partial reversal of the U.S.-Cuban detente and tightening of the decades-old U.S. embargo.
“We have witnessed a serious and gradual deterioration in relations with the United States that cannot be blamed on our country,” Castro was cited by state-run media as saying.
He said the United States was fabricating pretexts to continue its failed policy toward Cuba. The Trump administration said this year that U.S. diplomats in Havana had been victims of “health attacks”.
A cash crunch has left Cuba behind on payments to its foreign providers, thereby affecting imports, Economy Minister Ricardo Cabrisas told the assembly.
Hurricane Irma also caused damage worth the equivalent of 13.2 billion pesos, Cabrisas said. When evaluating damages from natural disasters, Cuba traditionally assumes a peso is equal to one U.S. dollar. Many other official exchange rates exist in Cuba, valuing the peso at much less.
The economy nonetheless recovered this year from recession in 2016 - the first in nearly a quarter century - growing 1.6 percent, the minister said, citing expansion in the tourism, transport and communications, agriculture and construction sectors.
Despite Hurricane Irma and a renewed U.S. crackdown on travel to Cuba, the number of foreign visitors grew 19.7 percent on the year to 4.3 million in the first 11 months of 2017, Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero told parliament earlier this week.
Cabrisas forecast the economy would grow around 2 percent next year.


VITEC, a worldwide leader in advanced video encoding and streaming solutions, today announced the new MGES-7000 4K/UHD/HD HEVC and H.264 eight-input IPTV (News - Alert) encoding blade in booth SL6005 at the 2019 NAB Show. Setting a new benchmark in processing density, the MGES-7000 offers real-time hardware encoding of four 4Kp60 or eight 3G/HD/SD input ports for live sources of SDI, HDMI, or IP (SMPTE ST 2110) video with advanced features such as secondary channel, integrated resolution and frame-rate scaling, AES 256/128-bit encryption, and low latency mode.
Featuring the highest density available on the market, the MGES-7000 4K/UHD/HD HEVC and H.264 IPTV encoding blade is the industry's premier encoder for input flexibility. With the increased density of blade-server configurations, it is an ideal multichannel blade encoder for a variety of applications - including in-house broadcast; real-time highquality sport events; low-delay encrypted FMV distribution - and any installation with high-quality, low-latency IPTV distribution demands or that require support for legacy H.264 players as well as new, cutting-edge 4K HEVC end-points. In addition, it is a future-proof encoder solution that meets the current IPTV demands of H.264 and HD encoding while its advanced capabilities of HEVC, 4K/UHD, and HDR (News - Alert) allows for technological growth and supports market trends.
Using hardware-based encoding chips supporting 4:2:2/4:2:0 10-bit and 8-bit H.264 and HEVC codecs, it can support any application demand while providing benefits such as support for secondary video streams up to 1080p60 for each input. All streams can be managed with an easily configured web UI. When coupled with VITEC's Media Gateway (News - Alert) MGW family of carrier-grade IPTV platforms, IPTV providers can serve up to 208 IPTV streams from the MGW 5100 (10RU), up to 96 IPTV streams from the MGW 1100 (4RU), and up to 16 IPTV streams from the MGW 1000 (1RU). VITEC's Smoothing™ algorithm guarantees low jitter for flawless IP over any LAN or WAN network. In addition, it is fully supported by the VITEC Cluster Manager (CM) System, which provides global system monitoring and control, as well as automated N+K redundancy to ensure high availability operation for even the most critical use cases.
More information on VITEC's full line of products is available at www.vitec.com.


FERNE McCann recently launched her own beauty collection with Poundland.
Former The Only Way Is Essex stars Ferne McCann and Mario Falcone recently released their own collection of cosmetics in high-street bargain store Poundland.
Ferne’s range included some of her own designs of eyelashes, which have been a huge hit with her social media followers.
However, many fans of the mum of one have been left gutted, after being unable to find the lashes in their nearby stores.
The reality TV star took to Instagram to show her 2 million followers exactly how she applies her false lashes, insisting her designs are "so damn good" for just £1.
Explaining she had opted for the style named Astrid, Ferne quickly demonstrated how she effortlessly applies the lash-enhancing products.
While most of her fans were quick to reply to the video, agreeing the lashes are "amazing", many revealed they haven’t yet got their hands on the product as they "can’t find them in store".
"I’ve been to every Poundland where I live and they are always out of your lash sets! Gutted every time," one person commented.
"I can’t find these lashes anywhere," added a second, alongside a sad face emoji, as a third wrote: "Was really disappointed when I went to Poundland to get these eyelashes they haven’t had any at all."
"Every store I’ve been in have none, desperate to try them!" commented a fourth upset fan.
A spokesperson for Poundland told OK! Online that fans needn't worry, as more of the lashes will be in stores very soon.
They said: "Ferne’s exclusive range has been so popular we’ve struggled to keep up with demand, but good news for lash-lovers – there’s stock arriving in store later this week."
Also in the blonde bombshell’s range is perfume, body spray, stick-on nails, body wash, and body lotion.


The move, initiated by the Union government to primarily curb vehicle theft, will also lead to uniformity in the number plates.
From April, all vehicles manufactured in Mumbai will be pre-fitted with tamper-proof high-security registration plates (HSRP).
The move, initiated by the Union government to primarily curb vehicle theft, will also lead to uniformity in the number plates. “It will discourage people from using illegal number plates,” said a Regional Transport Office (RTO) official, who did not wish to be named.
Existing vehicles, too, will have to mandatorily get HSRP fitted on them.
While, as per amended rules, automobile dealers can install the plates on existing vehicles, the state government is yet to decide on it. Thus, the tendering process has been put on hold and the final decision is expected only after the Lok Sabha elections.
On Monday, the state transport commissioner’s office issued a circular directing all 50 Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) to ensure proper implementation of the rule.
According to RTO officials, vehicle owners will no longer be able to change the font of their number plates. Vehicle owners get the fonts changed to make 8055 read as BOSS; 0540 as OSHO; and 214 as RAM (in Marathi).
“The vehicle dealers will have to update the security codes of each plate on VAHAN 4.0 portal, a software for string vehicle data,” said a senior RTO official.
The HSRP will be made of a rare aluminium alloy and contain a retro-reflective hologram, hot-stamped lettering, a 10-digit unique serial number, and it will be fitted with a snap lock, which is expected to make the plate tamper-proof.