Data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica, which has ties to both former Trump chief counselor Steve Bannon and Trump 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale, harvested private information from more than 50 million Facebook users in developing techniques to support President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign, the New York Times and London's Observer reported on Saturday.
"Massachusetts residents deserve answers immediately from Facebook and Cambridge Analytica," Maura Healey said on Twitter in a post that linked to a Times report.
The United Kingdom's Information Commission also announced on Saturday they are conducting an investigation of Cambridge Analytica, which also had clients in the country.
"Any criminal and civil enforcement actions arising from the investigation will be pursued vigorously," said Elizabeth Denham, Information Commissioner.
"We exploited Facebook to harvest millions of people’s profiles. And built models to exploit what we knew about them and target their inner demons. That was the basis that the entire company was built on,” Wylie told the Observer.
Through Kogan's company Global Science Research (GSR), in collaboration with Cambridge Analytica, hundreds of thousands of users were paid to take a personality test and agreed to have their data collected for academic use, the Observer said.
Facebook said it acted against Cambridge Analytica and SCL after receiving reports they did not delete information about Facebook users that had been inappropriately shared.
A Cambridge Analytica spokesman said GSR "was contractually committed by us to only obtain data in accordance with the UK Data Protection Act and to seek the informed consent of each respondent."
"When it subsequently became clear that the data had not been obtained by GSR in line with Facebook’s terms of service, Cambridge Analyticadeleted all data received from GSR," he said.
"We worked with Facebook over this period to ensure that they were satisfied that we had not knowingly breached any of Facebook’s terms of service and also provided a signed statement to confirm that all Facebook data and their derivatives had been deleted," the spokesman said.
He said "no data from GSR was used by Cambridge Analytica as part of the services it provided to the Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign."
"Any claims that voter data were used from another source to support the victory in 2016 are false,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
In past interviews with Reuters, Brad Parscale, who ran Trump's digital ad operation in 2016 and is his 2020 re-election campaign manager, has said Cambridge Analytica played a minor role as a contractor in the 2016 campaign.
On its website, Cambridge Analytica says it "provided the Donald J. Trump for President campaign with the expertise and insights that helped win the White House."
"We will take legal action if necessary to hold them responsible and accountable for any unlawful behavior," Facebook said, adding that it was continuing to investigate the claims.
In a Twitter post, Facebook Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos called the news reports "important and powerful" but said it was "incorrect to call this a 'breach' under any reasonable definition of the term."
"We can condemn this behavior while being accurate in our description of it," he said.
Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, said the case was "more evidence that the online political advertising market is essentially the Wild West" and showed the need for Congress to pass legislation to bring transparency and accountability to online political advertisements.
Cambridge Analytica says it uses "behavioral microtargeting," or combining analysis of people’s personalities with demographics, to predict and influence mass behavior. It says it has data on 220 million Americans, two-thirds of the U.S. population.
That year, Facebook said, it learned that Kogan lied to the company and violated its policies by sharing data he acquired with a so-called "research app" that used Facebook's login system.
The thisisyourdigitallife app was downloaded by about 270,000 people. Facebook said Kogan gained access to profile and other information "in a legitimate way" but "did not subsequently abide by our rules" when he passed the data to SCL/Cambridge Analytica and Wylie.
Facebook said it cut ties to Kogan's app when it learned of the violation, and asked for certification from Kogan and all parties he had given data to that the information had been destroyed.
Although all certified they had destroyed the data, Facebook said it received reports in the past several days that "not all data was deleted."


Steve Fallon admits it was an emotional occasion watching Histon being crowned Eastern Counties League champions again.
The former Stutes boss watched on from the stands on Saturday as Lance Key’s men were finally presented with the trophy they secured a fortnight ago.
It came exactly two decades after Fallon led the club to their first ever Eastern Counties League title, starting a remarkable journey which saw them rise to the brink of the Football League within nine years.
When he left the club in January 2010, Histon were still a Conference National side, and Fallon could only watch helplessly as they suffered a fall even more rapid them their rise, all the way back down to the Eastern Counties League in six years.
Re-appointed Stutes boss in October 2015, he was unable to replicate the success of his first spell and was replaced by Key a year later, taking up a brief director of football role instead.
Fallon’s only involvement now is as a supporter, in which capacity he says he rarely misses a home game at Bridge Road.
“It was definitely a bit emotional,” he said. “Everybody knew when we were having all the success that it would end in tears at some point, but it’s great to see the club take the first step back.
“It was a fantastic journey we went on, and it so nearly ended in the ultimate goal of the Football League, but like a lot of clubs who do that, we came right back down again.
“We really went for it off the pitch, and we never dreamt we would be in a play-off semi-final for a place in the Football League, but you never know what’s around the corner.
“To be honest, what happened next was very difficult. The feel good factor was gone, and it’s hard when things start to go wrong as people jump off the bandwagon.
“But the chairman and directors have done a magnificent job to stick by the club and turn it around, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they do next season.


According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, tube feeders are best for smallish birds, chickadees, finches, sparrows and such, but too small for most bigger birds. Tube feeders can be hung in places that are difficult for squirrels to reach, which is a big plus in my book.
Tray feeders. Platform or tray feeders are just that – a flat surface that holds birdseed on top. Unless situated carefully, they are easily raided by squirrels. They also need to be cleaned quite regularly to avoid serving birds seed that has been spoiled by rain or the droppings of previous diners. If you are interested in attracting doves, jays and other ground-feeding birds, be sure to set your tray feeders at a low elevation.
House feeders. House feeders are what springs to my mind when I think “bird feeder.” These are covered platforms, often with partial side walls, that do indeed resemble tiny houses. House feeders, also known as hopper feeders, can be mounted on poles or hung from branches. They are not particularly squirrel resistant, however.
Other feeders. Other feeder types include thistle feeders – tube-shaped with tiny openings for narrow thistle seed that is preferred by a variety of small birds, such as finches; suet feeders that are made of wire and hold suet mixture that is particularly attractive to woodpeckers, nuthatches and other birds; window feeders that can attach by suction cups to your windows and provide birdwatchers a closer view; and hummingbird feeders that hold nectar for these tiny and colorful birds.
Black oil sunflower seeds are what I usually stock in my tube feeder. They appeal to small birds like chickadees, cardinals, finches, nuthatches and some woodpeckers. Sometimes smaller birds are chased away by bigger birds, which can be a problem. According to the Birds and Blooms website (birdsandblooms.com), one solution is to offer a second option: Nyjer or thistle seed is not usually attractive to these larger bullies.
Black-oil sunflower seeds attract the largest variety of birds and may be fed in tube or house feeders. Shelled sunflower seeds are also available for those willing to pay a higher price. The benefit is avoiding the mess that shells make when discarded by hungry birds.
Striped sunflower seeds are also nutritious, but the shells may be too hard for some smaller birds to open.
Safflower is another type of seed served in house feeders but with a special advantage: they are largely ignored by squirrels – thus eliminating one of the most vexing problems in most yards.
Cracked or whole kernel corn is also an option. Along with Eastern bluebirds and other songbirds, game birds such as pheasants will visit a platform feeder where corn is served. But remember that rodents, raccoons and possums will also be tempted to dine.
Finally, almost every source I consulted warned that cheap birdseed mixes are best avoided as less nutritious and less tempting for most types of desirable bird species.
Contact Renee Elder at wildlifechatter@gmail.com.
If you are interested in seeing particular types of birds at your birdfeeder, here are some suggested favorites from wild-bird-watching.com.


Nice Commercial Parcel With Long Frontage on Rt.11 Verona. Can Be Subdivided. May be purchased individually or part of portfolio with adjacent properties. See agent for details.
MAJOR PRICE REDUCTION! Rare large tract of land across from Augusta County Government Center. Multiple access points including off Rt. 11. Could be farm now with potential for development later. Seller says bring offers!


The polls open for the Scottish independence referendum today.
"Should Scotland be an independent country?"
This is the question Scottish voters will be answering today, in a simple "Yes" or "No" vote.
The Scottish independence referendum polls opened this morning at 7am, and will close at 10pm tonight.
A total of 4,285,323 people are registered to vote, or 97 per cent of the electorate, which is a record for Scotland.
The BBC's Today programme is reporting that the first local total is expected to be announced at 1am on Friday morning, and the bulk of results to come through from 3am - 6am. We expect to hear the result early Friday morning - or "breakfast time", according to the Chief Counting Officer.
If you want to find out details about how the vote is carried out, read my piece: "When will we know the result of the Scottish independence referendum?".


When it comes to technology’s influence on America’s young adults, reading is not dead – at least not the news. When asked whether one prefers to read, watch or listen to their news, younger adults are far more likely than older ones to opt for text, and most of that reading takes place on the web.
Overall, more Americans prefer to watch their news (46%) than to read it (35%) or listen to it (17%), a Pew Research Center survey found earlier this year. But that varies dramatically by age. Those ages 50 and older are far more likely to prefer watching news over any other method: About half (52%) of 50- to 64-year-olds and 58% of those 65 and older would rather watch the news, while roughly three-in-ten (29% and 27%, respectively) prefer to read it. Among those under 50, on the other hand, roughly equal portions – about four-in-ten of those ages 18-29 and ages 30-49 – opt to read their news as opt to watch it.
Most of that reading among younger adults is through digital text rather than print. About eight-in-ten (81%) of 18- to 29-year-olds who prefer to read their news also prefer to get their news online; just 10% choose a print newspaper. The breakdown among 30- to 49-year-olds is similar. News readers who are ages 50-64, on the other hand, are more evenly split between a preference for the web (41%) and print paper (40%), while those 65 and older mostly still turn to the print paper (63%).
There is also evidence that younger adults who prefer to watch their news are beginning to make the transition to doing so on a computer rather than a television. While 57% of 18- to 29-year-old news watchers prefer to get their news via TV, 37% cite the web as their platform of choice. That is far more than any other age group, including double the percentage of 30- to 49-year-old news watchers.
While news listening garners a smaller fan base overall, 18- to 29-year-olds who prefer this method of news again show signs of digital migration: Three-in-ten of these news listeners prefer the web for their news, at least twice that of older news listeners.
To be sure, younger adults consistently demonstrate less interest in the news overall. But our research also reveals that, in the digital realm, they often get news at equal or higher rates than older Americans, whether intentionally or not.
Amy Mitchell is director of journalism research at Pew Research Center.


Patricia A. (Mullin) Thomas, 66, of Worcester passed away peacefully Wednesday, November 26th surrounded by her family.
Patricia is survived by her devoted husband of 46 years, Walter G. Thomas; her four beloved children, Sandra Ellis and her husband Arthur, Brian Thomas, Sharon Thomas and her fianc� Mohammad Djamshidi, and Denise Thomas; her two cherished granddaughters, Abigail and Emily Ellis; two brothers, Michael and John Mullin; a sister, Elizabeth Schiavone all of Worcester; many nieces, nephews and friends.
Patricia was born in Worcester; her parents were the late Michael G. and Ann E. (Tinsley) Mullin. She has lived in Worcester all of her life. Patricia was a member and volunteer of Our Lady of Mercy Church. She also volunteered her time at Abby's House for many years. She was a gentle, warm woman who took great pride in being a wife, mother and grandmother. Her greatest pride was in the time she shared with her granddaughters and family. They were her inspiration.
A funeral mass will be held Saturday, November 29th at 11:00 a.m. in Our Lady of Mercy Church, 72 Mulberry St., Worcester 01605. Burial will be at the convenience of the family. Visiting hours are from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m, Friday, November 28th at MERCADANTE FUNERAL HOME & CHAPEL, 370 Plantation St. and Saturday, November 29th from 10 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in the Church. The family requests that flowers be omitted. Donations in her memory may be made to Our Lady of Mercy Church, 72 Mulberry St., 01604 or Abby's House Inc., 52 High St., Worcester, 01609.


Ms. Julie Godin is Vice-Chair of the Board, Chief Planning and Administration Officer of CGI Group Inc. Ms. Godin is Vice-Chair of the Board, Executive Vice-President, and Chief Planning and Administration Officer of CGI. In this role, she oversees the development of enterprise-wide policies, programs and processes related to the management of the Company and their consistent and high-quality application across all CGI business units. Ms. Godin is responsible for ensuring the continuous development of CGI’s 74,000 professionals and for upholding CGI’s industry-leading track record of delivery excellence for its end-to-end services to commercial and government clients around the world. She also directs the development and execution of the Company’s global strategy, oversees the full spectrum of CGI’s security activities, drives forward the Company’s global communications strategies and activities, and leads mergers and acquisitions activity worldwide. Before joining CGI, Ms. Godin founded Oxygen Corporate Health, a company that manages comprehensive health and wellbeing programs in the workplace, and which merged with CGI. Ms. Godin currently serves as a director of Canadian National Railway Company. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Université de Sherbrooke.


The company's stock, while on a tear lately, had sunk nearly 80 percent in a year.
Troubled game-maker Zynga is on the mend and it's stock has been on a mini tear lately. Nevertheless, company CEO Mark Pincus figures his compensation should amount to a single buck this year.
Zynga, the company behind FarmVille and Words With Friends, said in a regulatory filing that Pincus has chosen a $1 salary and he will not participate in the company's bonus programs this year. He'll retain his health benefits, though.
Pincus, who founded the company five years ago, earned $1.7 million in 2011 and his 2012 compensation has not yet been disclosed.
Zynga stock has sunk nearly 80 percent in the past year, but in the past four months the shares have surged 46 percent, partially on enthusiasm over the company's entry into online gambling in the UK. On Thursday, the stock closed 8 cents lower to $3.45.
Steven Chiang, Zynga's president of games, will receive a base salary of $500,000 this year with a target bonus of $500,000, and likewise for COO David Ko, chief revenue officer Barry Cottle and chief technology officer Cadir Lee. Each of them could also receive more than 1 million shares of stock.


Adrian Aoun is the founder and CEO of Forward, an AI-based healthcare system combining world-class private doctors with new technology to enable proactive, data-driven primary care. Most recently, he was the head of Special Projects for the CEO of Google/Alphabet, where he founded one of the Alphabet companies Sidewalk Labs.
Adrian arrived at Google upon the acquisition of his AI startup Wavii, and spent his first year at Google helping to create and build their AI division. Additionally, Adrian is an active angel investor and advisor to a number of technology startups and funds.


Do you recognise these tags?
Graffiti has started to appear in Meersbrook and officers want those who recognise the tags to pass on those responsible.
A South Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "There has been an increase of reported graffiti in the Meersbrook area recently.
"Due to the nature of such activity it is difficult to apprehend those responsible in the act.
"Should followers recognise any of the tags, any information would be gratefully received."


Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials in Nogales, Arizona, peeked into a woman’s bag of burritos on Friday and found more than just meat, cheese and veggies.
They found one burrito stuffed with a pound of methamphetamine, The Huffington Post reports.
Susy Laborin, 23 -- a resident of Nogales -- is accused of attempting to smuggle the drugs as she was trying to re-enter the U.S.
Her belongings were searched after a dog sniffed out the presence of drugs in the bag.
CPB spokesman Rob Daniels told the Tucson Sentinel that one of the burritos was found to contain the meth, which was estimated to be worth around $3,000.
Investigators said Laborin admitted she knew the burrito was stuffed with meth, and that she was paid $500 to deliver them to an unknown party.
Laborin was charged with narcotics possession and is behind bars awaiting trial.


"Ms. Reed gave a detailed account of her activities throughout the night prior to and after the vehicle struck Mr. Beech," an officer wrote in her arrest affidavit.
She is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight correctional center and was denied bond.
Police say they were called to Liberty Avenue and 20th Street just after 4 a.m. Saturday. Detectives said they narrowed their search to the blue Hyundai after speaking with witnesses and viewing surveillance video. The car was then linked to an address in Doral.
When they spotted Reed getting into the vehicle at 11175 NW 78th Ln., in Doral, they detained her — but for a different violation that occurred on Miami Beach. Once at the police station, police say, Reed began to talk.
Police said she told them she met Beech at the Free Spirits Bar on Miami Beach and that they agreed to get in her car and drive to a bank on Washington Avenue and 17th Street, where Reed used Beech's ATM card to withdraw $300. Then, she told police, they set off to buy drugs.
Once at the Riviera Hotel, Reed said Beech got out of the car. Then, for some reason, she got nervous and decided to drive off. Beech, whose money was in the car, then jumped on the vehicle's hood. Police said surveillance video backed up Reed's statements.
Police said they were told by witnesses that shortly after that as the car drove off, they heard a large "thud" sound and watched as the Hyundai drove away with Beech's body on the ground. Twice on the way home, Reed tried to use Beech's credit cards to purchase items in Miami. She was denied both times, but did manage to spend $7 on a pack of cigarettes.
After police showed Reed the video from the Riviera Hotel, police said she told them, "I just wanted to leave. I knew I had the money in the car."
She told them she has no recollection of hitting Beech with her car.
Body cam footage shows a Pembroke Pines police officer clinging to a car after police were called to Century Village regarding an overdose.


So, not on the bike yet; and I’ve had a chance to read the new OECD Economic Outlook. It’s a terrifying document.
Why? Not because it offers a grim prospect, although it does — although the OECD has marked up its growth projections, it’s still forecasting extremely high unemployment for years to come.
No, what’s scary is the utter folly that now passes for respectable opinion.
In the United States, where some long-term measures of inflation expectations have increased and the labour market has stabilised earlier than expected, the start of normalisation [by which they mean raising interest rates] should not be delayed beyond the last quarter of 2010. Policy interest rates should be well above half-way to neutral by end-2011, but the path of convergence to full normalisation would have to accelerate if long-term inflation expectations were to drift up further.
So the OECD wants the Fed to start raising interest rates soon — in the next six months or less — because … well, we can look at the OECD’s own forecast. According to this forecast, in the fourth quarter of 2011 — a year and a half from now — the unemployment rate will still be 8.4 percent. Meanwhile, inflation will be 1 percent — well below the Fed’s implicit target of 2 percent. My view is that inflation will be lower than that — core inflation is already below 1 percent. But even given the OECD’s forecast, what possible reason would there be to tighten monetary policy now, when the economy will still have vast excess capacity and inflation that’s too low at the end of next year?
The only explanation seems to be at the beginning of that passage: some people, the report claims, are starting to think there might be inflation, so even though they’re wrong according to our forecasts, see, we need to head off this phantom threat and slow the economy’s recovery … what?
What’s so scary about this is that the OECD virtually defines conventional wisdom; it’s a numbered-paragraph sort of place, where a committee has to sign off on everything, policing the nuances as they say. So what we get from this is that among sensible people the idea that you should undermine recovery to appease those who think there might be inflation even though actually there isn’t has become conventional wisdom — so conventional that it’s treated as self-evident.
This is really, really bad.


The Ottawa Redblacks pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Grey Cup history, holding off a late Calgary rally to defeat the heavily Stampeders 39-33 in overtime Sunday night in Toronto.
Henry Burris's 18-yard TD strike to Ernest Jackson earned the Ottawa Redblack an epic 39-33 overtime Grey Cup win over the Calgary Stampeders on Sunday night.
Burris, the game MVP, found Jackson — who bobbled the pass — on the first overtime possession. But the veteran quarterback couldn't hit a wide-open Khalil Paden for the two-point convert.
"I think little plays like that just showed you that this was our moment."
Calgary needed to match Ottawa's six points but went three-and-out on its possession. Bo Levi Mitchell's third-down pass went off Bakari Grant's hands to give Ottawa one of the biggest upset victories in Grey Cup history.
Burris was stellar, throwing three TD passes and running for two more on a night he wasn't even sure he was going to start. He left the field during warmups with an apparent knee injury but returned to outduel Mitchell.
"I knew I wasn't going to be the typical running guy that I usually am, but as long as I could come out here and make good, quick decisions and get the ball out of my hand ... maybe I could do enough to help put our team in a position to be successful," Burris said.
It was the third game in Grey Cup history to go to overtime and first since 2005 when Edmonton beat Montreal 38-35 at B.C. Place Stadium.
"If you don't like ups and downs and all that kind of stuff, then football's not a good profession to be in," Ottawa coach Rick Campbell said. "But I think that's why everybody loves it."
Rene Paredes' 10-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining forced overtime as Calgary impressively rallied from a 27-7 third-quarter deficit.
DaVaris Daniels scored on a 19-yard TD run on third-and-two at 13:22 of the fourth to cut Ottawa's lead to 33-30 before Glenn Love recovered Rob Maver's onside kick at Calgary's 49-yard line with 1:36 remaining.
"We had a lot of heart, a lot of fight to get back," Calgary coach Dave Dickenson said. "Big hill to climb, almost made it. We were right there knocking. Just didn't get it done."
Burris opened the third hitting Brad Sinopoli, the game's top Canadian, on a nine-yard TD strike at 3:21 to cap an impressive 69-yard, six-play drive. But after a Paredes 32-yard field goal at 7:40, Mitchell hit Lemar Durant on a 34-yard TD strike at 11:01, cutting Ottawa's lead to 27-17.
Then Andrew Buckley's one-yard TD run at 1:25 of the fourth pulled Calgary to within 27-23 as Paredes missed the convert.
The game could be the last of Burris's illustrious 17-year CFL career. The 41-year-old said this week he'll take the off-season to ponder his future.
If Burris retires, he'll certainly leave on a huge high, completing 35-of-46 passes for 461 yards en route to his third Grey Cup title. And he did a nice job of distributing the ball, using eight different receivers in the game.
Before a capacity crowd of 33,421, Ottawa was a staggering underdog after finishing atop the East Division with an 8-9-1 mark — the first team in CFL history take first in a conference with a losing record. Calgary was a league-best 15-2-1 and was coming off a 42-15 West Division final win over B.C.
And on Thursday, five Stampeders were honoured at the CFL awards banquet, including Mitchell, who received the league's outstanding player honour. Calgary was looking to finish its banner season with a Grey Cup victory to garner support as the best team in history to capture a championship.
Calgary was also playing to win for Mylan Hicks, a practice-roster player who was shot to death in September. His mother, Renee Hill, attended the game wearing her son's No. 31 jersey and huddled with the defensive backs prior to the contest.
But Burris, last year's outstanding player, stole the show in leading an Ottawa team to a Grey Cup win for the first time since 1976 and avenging the franchise's loss to Edmonton in the 2015 CFL title game.
Burris's apparent injury provided plenty of pre-game drama, and Burris wasn't with the Redblacks when they took to the field. But he rejoined his teammates after undergoing treatment that reportedly included having the joint frozen and capped an impressive 65-yard, 10-play drive opening with a one-yard TD run at 6:46 to open the scoring.
"They did some things, gave me some happy pills, to make sure I didn't feel much pain," Burris said.
Calgary effectively countered with a four-play, 79-yard march Mitchell capped with a seven-yard TD strike to Jerome Messam at 9:14. After Ray Early's 37-yard field goal put Ottawa ahead 10-7 at 13:03, the Stampeders lost leading receiver Marquay McDaniel to a shoulder injury late in the quarter.
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It's the peak of summer-job season. And while in the past savings from teens' summer jobs used to often go towards buying a first used car, today it's more likely to go be used for a smartphone, and young drivers are more likely to share the family car—a safer option, anyway—or stay out of the driver's seat altogether.
Either in an indication about how few paying entry-level jobs we have today, or in an indication that teens simply aren't placing their priorities on cars anymore, the used-car market for teenagers has dramatically shrunk over the past several years. According to CNW Research it's fallen from 7.5 million to 4.2 million in just five years; and overall, just 10.9 percent of all used cars go to teens today, versus 17.4 five years ago.
Employment is attributed as one of the major reasons for the difference. Teen unemployment, in terms of those who have worked part- or full-time in the past year, is more than double that of 2005.
And while driving used to be the single most important symbol of independence for teens, many 16- or 17-years olds don't seem to mind forgoing the license restrictions some states put on young drivers and simply wait until 18.
Illinois, for instance, noticed that—as the state's population of teens increased—the number of 16-year-olds with licenses dropped significantly from 2006 to 2009. Admittedly, the state had phased in a tougher graduated licensing system during that time.
But with fewer teens getting their licenses at 16, when fatality rates are particularly high, there are simply more 16-year-olds staying alive.
Then of course there's the question of whether Gen Y drivers, and especially Millenials and those under 30, are eschewing the automotive lifestyle altogether.
All this while, as we reported a few months ago, the number of older drivers is expanding, but they're getting safer.
As Advertising Age reported, the share of miles traveled by those age 21 to 30 fell during a time when the proportion of people in that age group has risen. Overall, since 1995, the decline in miles driven by those age 21 to 30 is a shocking 7.7 percent.
Some experts say that it's a product of the Internet era and e-commerce; others point to attitudes toward the environment. Whatever the case, it's a trend on which marketers are no doubt keeping a close watch.


WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE, Mass. – The U.S. Air Force is holding public, drop-in meetings at four bases on a list of possible sites for the KC-46A, a new aerial refueling aircraft. The meeting in Massachusetts will be held from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on April 12, at the Castle of Knights, 1599 Memorial Drive, Chicopee, Mass.
The scoping meetings will be in the format of an open house information session, and the public can drop in at any time. The open house session is an opportunity for community members to learn more about the mission and environmental impact of KC‑46A. The public is also invited to speak with Air Force personnel one-on-one, and to provide comments that will be factored into the public portion of the study. Public input supports the Air Force in making more informed decisions about the impact and placement of the new aircraft.
Westover is one of four possible sites for the KC-46A, including Grissom Air Reserve Base in Indiana, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina, and Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma.
The Air Force has identified Seymour Johnson as the preferred alternative site. The purpose of the chosen base’s mission is to provide a fully capable, combat operational KC-46A aerial refueling squadron to accomplish aerial refueling and related missions. The public scoping meetings will be arranged in a “come and go” open house format with no formal USAF presentation or opportunity for public testimony. Written comments will be accepted during the public meeting.
The KC‑46A aircraft will replace the aging tanker fleet. With more refueling capacity, improved efficiency, and increased capabilities for cargo and aeromedical evacuation, the KC‑46A will provide aerial refueling support to the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, as well as allied nation coalition force aircraft.
A final decision and selection of a main base will be announced after the public meetings and comment period end. For more information, visit the project’s website at www.KC-46A-beddown.com.
Media is welcome anytime during the meeting.


The deal creates an organic food powerhouse with strong reach in both Europe and the United States.
Oikos Greek yogurt is a Danone brand. Image source: Danone.
Danone (NASDAQOTH:DANOY) has just grabbed control of an even bigger chunk of the dairy aisle.
The company, which owns Dannon, Activia, Actimel, and Oikos Greek yogurt, among other brands, has agreed to purchase WhiteWave (NYSE:WWAV), a fast-growing United States-based company that sells a number of organic brands, with a heavy concentration in dairy as well. The $10.4 billion cash deal values the company at $56.25 a share, a more than 18% premium over the $47.43 price that WhiteWave shares closed at on July 6, the day before the transaction was announced.
Overall, the deal has a total enterprise value of approximately $12.5 billion, including debt and other WhiteWave liabilities, according to a Danone press release.
That's a hefty premium for a company that had a net profit of only $168 million on sales of just under $4 billion in 2015. Still, given that both Danone and WhiteWave have complementary -- but not overlapping -- product lines, WhiteWave may be worth more to its new acquirer than it is on its own or to another buyer.
Why is this deal happening?
At the top of the press release, Danone called this "a perfect match of vision, culture, and businesses" before noting that the deal creates "a truly unique global leader strongly aligned with consumer trends for healthier and more sustainable eating and drinking options."
Basically, these are two players in similar spaces with a commitment to creating organic products, supporting healthy lifestyles, and promoting sustainability. The acquisition also matches a strong European company (which sells globally) with one that has its primary strength in the United States. It's easy to see how Danone, which had nearly $25 billion in 2015 revenue, can use its existing sales channels to further grow WhiteWave brands, including Silk, Horizon Organic, Earthbound Farm, and International Delight.
"At Danone, we constantly seek to align our vision of the world, our mission and our businesses: we believe we have a special responsibility, as expressed in our Manifesto, to help and support people in adopting healthier and more sustainable eating and drinking practices and constantly evolve our portfolio of brands and products to achieve this objective," said Danone CEO Emmanuel Faber in the press release. "To that extent, we found in WhiteWave the perfect alliance as we both believe in a healthier future and are conscious of our power to lead society forward."
This is the first multi-billion-dollar deal done in Europe since the United Kingdom voted to begin the process of leaving the European Union. That looming exit likely creates some pressure for European companies to lessen their total exposure in a region that faces an unstable future.
"Brexit to some degree reinforces the logic of the transaction because it highlights the value of large businesses in stable geographies," WhiteWave CEO Gregg Engles told The Wall Street Journal.
WhiteWave and Danone are two companies operating in the same space with similar corporate ethics and complementary product lines.
This unique combination positions us better to address tomorrow's consumer trends and represents a great opportunity to step change the ambition of our plan for an Alimentation revolution and to accelerate our path toward strong sustainable and profitable growth by 2020. It will allow us to enhance Danone's growth profile and reinforce our resilience through a broader platform in North America.
Alimentation -- the act or process of giving or receiving nourishment, according to TheFreeDictionary.com -- is not a word most food companies would throw around. In this case, however, it exemplifies what makes these two companies different from others and why they are a good match for each other. Both are not just building sales, or even brands; they are advancing a lifestyle. Together, these shared values should allow the two companies to grow faster, expanding their product lines into global markets where one or the other is already strong.
The purchase has been unanimously approved by both companies' boards of directors. It should close by the end of the year, according to Danone, pending the approval of WhiteWave's shareholders, regulatory approvals, and customary conditions.


Olamaie Executive Chef Michael Fojtasek will host James Beard Award-winning chef Ashley Christensen for a collaborative book dinner benefiting the Austin Food & Wine Alliance. Fojtasek and Christensen will collaborate on all recipes in the kitchen, putting an Olamaie twist on Christensen’s famed Poole’s dishes.
The evening will begin with passed appetizers and cocktails while both Christensen and Fojtasek welcome and mingle with guests and discuss their special collaboration. Guests will be seated then for a three-course dinner paired with beverages, and they will receive a signed copy of Poole’s: Recipes and Stories from a Modern Diner.


Students majoring in another business discipline may add a concentration in Marketing by completing an additional six credits of coursework in the area beyond Principles of Marketing (BUAD 311). Students may choose any two of the marketing courses to fulfill the concentration.
The consumer-firm relationship is analyzed through the application of concepts drawn from contemporary behavioral science to concrete business cases and practices. Relevant concepts from the fields of cultural anthropology, sociology and psychology are applied to problems encountered in marketing to various consumer groups.
To be competitive in today's marketplace, service organizations must provide a quality experience for their customers. Customer experience management (CEM) is the process of strategically managing a customer's entire experience with a company. Specifically, this course identifies the key dimensions on which customer perceptions of service excellence are based, and describes strategies for offering superior customer service. Students will gain a better understanding of how customers evaluate service firms; they will also have a "tool kit" of ideas, measures and techniques to help improve service excellence.
3 credits | Fall or Spring | Prerequisite(s): BUAD 311 - Principles of Marketing or consent of the instructor.
Managerial techniques in planning and executing marketing programs. Emphasis on decision making related to marketing segmentation, product innovation and positioning, pricing and promotion. Extensive use of cases, readings and a management simulation.
This course includes theories of and justifications for free trade, a study of environments across international markets (including the economic environments, the cultural environments, the political/ regulatory environments, and the physical/ geographic environments) and the practice of marketing including global marketing management for large, small and medium sized firms. Topics include globalization, global strategies, international service marketing and marketing in the developing world.
Many business opportunities and decisions depend on an understanding of customers' values, needs, aspirations and behaviors. These unique insights inform the development of products, services, and brands that are valued by customers and differentiated from competition. This course will be an immersive and experiential introduction to customer insights research, including fieldwork using a variety of qualitative research methods. In addition, these methods will be applied within the context of generating concepts for new products and services that address the insights identified.
3 credits | Fall or Spring | Prerequisite(s): BUAD 311 - Principles of Marketing and an introductory course in statistics; or consent of instructor.
Introduction to fundamentals of marketing research. Use of research information in marketing decision making. Topics include research design, interrogative techniques data collection methods, scaling, sampling and alternative methods of data analysis. Students design and execute their own research projects.
Many companies are embracing sustainability as the inspiration and impetus for the next wave of product and service innovation. In this course, we will explore the reasons behind this growing interest in sustainability, what sustainability means to consumers, and the opportunities it presents to companies that want to "do well while doing good". This course will also emphasize the process and outcome of product and service innovation, from creative idea generation to concept evaluation. Specifically, students will gain significant hands-on experience with the tools and technique of "Design Thinking" in a studio setting, with a focus on developing innovative ideas that promote the principles of sustainability.
A study of how to use advertising and marketing communications, with special emphasis on digital media, to build and sustain relationships with consumers. Development of an integrated marketing communication campaign will emphasize the presentation of products to consumers through relevant media to include digital channels. Target market identification, situation analysis, promotional strategy and tactics, and evaluation within budgetary constraints will be stressed.


Retweeting someone else’s pain doesn’t make it your own.
One thing I complain to my therapist about a lot — and I’m very sorry to my very kind and wise therapist for existing as his patient, but as he would say, it’s not my fault I was born! — is feeling alienated in social settings because everyone is always on their phone. This is not really fair to the “everyone” I am mentioning here, because I am also guilty. My left hand might as well be a phone, it would make things easier. I wish I could not be on my phone as much, but in social settings when people pull out their phones to broadcast the sunset or see what new ridiculous horror has rained down in Washington, I pull out my phone too. The phone has become our new defense mechanism in the face of too much reality: we go to it both to remove us from seeming trauma and to bring us closer to it — but only the former can actually happen. If there is aggression implicit in every use of a camera, as Sontag wrote, there is passivity implicit in every use of a smartphone to express solidarity with someone else’s struggle. Being online can traumatize a person on an individual level, but that experience shouldn’t be mistaken for the embodiment of someone else’s pain.
The phone has become our new defense mechanism in the face of too much reality.
But this operation is plagued by a problem, Trezise says: “This very promise of identification involves… a sensing of Jewish victims as it is produced in relation to a sensing of visitor selves.” So, in order to truly feel trauma, well, you had to have been there. Visiting a site of trauma after the trauma and wanting to be moved by it lends itself to a phenomenon University of Cincinnati professor Gary Weissman calls “the fantasy of witnessing.” Weissman writes that Americans are “haunted not by the traumatic impact of the Holocaust, but by its absence,” and when we study the Holocaust “we are not overcoming a fearful aversion to its horror, but endeavoring to actually feel the horror of what otherwise eludes us." It’s kind of like theories about women and true crime: we seek to process the horror to which we risk being subjected — but this does not ultimately help us understand that horror any better.
In order to truly feel trauma, well, you had to have been there.
“Direct experience” is a funny thing today. The internet makes it easy to see traumatic things occur in real time; everyone who is watching along thinks they have an authentic relationship to those things. The resulting knee-jerk reactions take on a patina of credibility which, I suppose, is why everything is so awful all the time. The question of our social-media age is whether such performativity can effect real change. Because broadcasting is ultimately a self-centered pursuit, I’m thinking no, but I’m hoping to be disproved.


The United States is a world power, there is no doubt about that.
As the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia approach, many leaders, game supporters and even athletes are talking about boycotting the event.
They claim the boycott would be purposed against Russia’s stance in anti-gay laws and in their own protection from terrorists’ attempts.
While Putin and the Russian legislation’s actions against the LGBT community are not what one would consider humane, they don’t merit the U.S. backing out of the Olympics.
Instead, this call for boycotting could be a reflection of the past, a tactic to cripple Russia’s stance as a world power and its influence on the world.
The last time the U.S. boycotted the games was in the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics during the Cold War. President Jimmy Carter claimed to retract from the games because of Soviet Russia’s unjustified infiltration of Afghanistan, causing 65 other nations to boycott. And yet shortly thereafter, the U.S. also invaded Afghanistan, keeping military presence there long after Russia left.
If the U.S. is boycotting the games solely for people’s rights, the same action would have taken place during the 1936 Berlin Olympics when the Nazi regime demonized their opponents, including Jewish persons and members of the LGBT community, as well as the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when China’s human rights were in question.
Instead of boycotting the Sochi Olympics for Russia’s unethical treatment of the LGBT movement, the U.S. should use its stance as a world power to influence every nation’s outlook on the manner. As a general observation, presence in the face of injustice is more effective than absence.
As for the terrorist threats, there will always be a threat of violence around the world. Just as America rose to the occasion after the terrorist attack of 9/11, we must continue to stand strong against those who despise us.
The U.S. should not let fear politics or violence rule its actions. The Olympic games were created as a peaceful source of competition, as a way for nations from all over the world to gather with one another. We should commit to competing, holding the Olympic motto of “Faster. Higher. Stronger.” in our hearts as we face the circumstances.


Collingwood is set to regain prodigal recruit Dayne Beams for the Thursday night clash with the Brisbane Lions team that he captained last year.
Beams was a late withdrawal from the Collingwood 22 that overcame the Western Bulldogs with what was described as a migraine, but was back at the club on Sunday and is expected to train on Tuesday and travel up to the Gabba for a rematch with his former team, which reluctantly agreed to trade him from for personal reasons back in October.
Beams will replace the versatile Chris Mayne, who will miss with a small fracture in his back that the Magpies are optimistic will not be a long-term injury, although Mayne has suffered considerable pain since he left the field early in the Bulldogs game.
Beams will speak to the media alongside coach Nathan Buckley today.
The appearance of Beams will add some theatre to a match that is expected to draw more than 30,000 on Good Friday eve, in what shapes as the biggest occasion at the Gabba for several years, if not since the Lions last played finals in 2009.
The Lions received two first-round selections – Collingwood’s 2018 and 2019 first picks – for Beams, who had two years to run on a heavily frontloaded contract when he was traded back to his first AFL club, where he retained close relationships with 2010 premiership teammate Steele Sidebottom and others at the Holden Centre.
Beams, 29, subsequently signed a new four-year deal with Collingwood that will see him contracted until the end of 2022. He had struggled with mental health battles during 2018, when he quit the captaincy and grieved over the death of his father from cancer, having what he described as a meltdown in the rooms before a game against Port Adelaide.
While the Magpies paid a high draft price for Beams, they still managed to land academy recruit Isaac Quaynor – subject of a first-round bid by the Giants – by using later draft choices, including picks handed back by the Lions.


(CNN) — When it snows, the flakes come at you like shards of ice. There's a biting wind that freezes your ears off. Daylight lasts only a few hours.
And no one talks much.
Helsinki in the middle of winter sounds like a place to avoid at all costs. A dark, brooding city that shivers under piles of snow.
Maybe it was once, but not any more. Somehow, against the icy odds, Finland has established itself as one of the happiest nations on Earth and, appropriately given the chilling grip of its winters, Helsinki is now unequivocally one of the planet's coolest cities.
So how do the Finns do it? How do they survive such punishing conditions and still emerge smiling?
Peace and quiet -- the Nuuksio National Park.
First travel stop to find the answer to this is the Nuuksio National Park, a beautiful stretch of snowbound pine forest about 30 miles northwest of Helsinki that's home to reindeer, a Frisbee golf course and acres and acres of something Finnish people treasure.
"Finnish people are quiet," says comedian Krisse Salminen, who has gained celebrity in Finland by behaving almost in the exact opposite way to most of her compatriots.
Krisse Salminen: "We don't have small talk."
After a brief snowshoe expedition around the Nuuksio, Salimen tries to explain the Finnish character while grilling traditional makkara sausages over a fire built inside a kota -- a yurtlike tent used by the nomadic Samis who inhabit the Arctic region of Lapland.
As Salminen explains, it's perfectly acceptable for Finnish friends or family to meet up for drinks or meals and barely exchange a word.
"If you are with relatives, you can sit on a table and nobody says anything," she says. "It's not weird. We just eat and then somebody says, 'Mmmhmm,' and then we eat some more.
"We don't have small talk you know like in America," she adds. "We talk deeply or we just don't talk."
Which is not to say that Finns have no sense of humor, hence the thriving comedy circuit that has seen Salminen to rise to fame.
She's even made an appearance on Finland's most talked about TV event -- a bafflingly popular annual two-hour broadcast on the country's national day which mostly consists of the president shaking hands with a line of VIPs before everyone goes off to dance.
Cooking traditional makkara sausages inside a kota tent.
But if no one's talking, how do Finns manage basic social activities like dating?
Outside of the Internet dating scene, Finnish people nevertheless manage an impressive amount of socializing. In bad weather which would have most people hunkering down at home for warmth, they're heading for runs, swims, dances, saunas, skating and even legal graffiti art.
Street artist and teacher Emilio takes CNN's Richard Quest to Suvilahti in Helsinki, a former industrial site now assigned to street art.
Music too. For all the pleasure Finns take in being quiet, there's equal enthusiasm for cranking the volume up to ear-shredding extremes and letting loose.
Today, heavy metal is one of the country's greatest musical exports -- which seems like a bit a musical leap from the days when composer Jean Sibelius's classical compositions soundtracked Finland's early 20th-century independence from Russia.
Lauri Porra says there's a connection between Sibelius and Finnish heavy metal.
Maybe not, says Sibelius's great-grandson, musician and composer Lauri Porra.
Porra, who plays bass guitar in his own heavy metal band Stratovarius, says that while Sibelius's music was inspired by the nature and loneliness of Finnish forests, it shares an affinity with the country's contemporary hard rock.
"I think there is a connection," he says, explaining that it lies at the heart of Finnish national characteristics.
"The sun goes down very early, and the winters are bleak," he says. "And then in the summer we fall in love and the sun never sets. And I guess everybody knows a little bit about this Nordic melancholy, and sort of the way Finnish people express emotions."
Finland's particular affinity with heavy metal music, according to Esa Lilja, a professor of music at the University of Helsinki who specializes in rock and roll at the darker end of the spectrum, is also partly down to a liberal government willing to invest in young headbangers.
Heavy metal professor Esa Lilja.
He says an education system established in the 1960s and '70s provides access for anyone in Finland to musical training regardless of their economic or social background.
"And most of these guys now playing in famous heavy metal bands went to these music schools," he says.
This level of support for the arts has also helped Helsinki gain a reputation as a hub of creativity, with a design district that, with cool shops and galleries, is on its own a major draw for international visitors.
Lilja's less sold on the idea that the music reflects a particular Finnish temperament.
Professor Esa Lijla of Helsinki University tells CNN's Richard Quest why he thinks Finns love heavy metal.
"It's a bit like a myth that Finnish musicians or Finnish people in general, like to think that we are a strange country and strange people living in the woods who are sort of sad and not expressive," he says.
"Partially, it's true. We are strange people living in the woods on the edge of the world, yes. And nobody speaks our language."
Even if it's not your scene, it's worth checking out Finland's metal music output at one of numerous gigs or events in or around Helsinki.
Despite its name, the Helsinki Must Be Destroyed festival held at the small Elmun Baari venue in a disused wharfside in the city's Nosturi district, has a friendly vibe, filled with denim-clad fans of the main act, Norwegian "deathpunk" band Turbonecro.
First up is local band Nuclear Omnicide, who set the tone with shredding guitars, long-haired headbanging and sweaty, guttural vocals.
In the audience is Ida-Katharina Kiljander, who teaches heavy metal singing techniques in Oulu, about 370 miles north of Helsinki. For her, the music is an expression of the emotions that many Finns otherwise feel uncomfortable sharing.
Ida-Katharina Kiljander teaches heavy metal singing techniques.
"They had so much energy," Kiljander says after the performance. "I would say it's very typical, you can hear this almost every weekend in Helsinki."
That primal release of energy is perhaps only matched in Finland by those indulging in another extreme and equally bracing activity -- ice swimming.
Part of the popular sauna ritual for many locals, this involves exiting from the steamy heat indoors to jump into freezing water.
At the chic Löyly sauna on Helsinki's waterfront, owned by "BlacKkKlansman" actor Jasper Pääkkönen, that means plunging into a hole cut in the iced-over Baltic Sea before racing back inside to warm up again.
Richard Quest and Alexander Stubb go ice swimming.
"It gets the blood flowing," says Alexander Stubb, a former Finnish prime minister, while enjoying a sauna with friends after a jog through the snowbound Helsinki streets. "It's tradition as well. We're doing it for centuries and we feel very much that sauna, that [it's] a Finnish invention. [It's] actually a Finnish word, the only Finnish international word that we have."
Though essentially relaxing, sauna in Finland is governed by certain rigid protocols. Participants should preferably be naked. Men and women typically use separate facilities, although it's not uncommon for families to sit together. There are no sexual connotations.
While ice swimming isn't as common as sauna, it does reflect a trait proudly displayed by many Finns -- a fortitude in the face of adversities such as surviving dark winter months or, in the centuries before declaring independence in 1917, being ruled by Sweden then Russia.
CNN's Richard Quest experiences the true meaning of a Finnish sauna at Löyly, Helsinki.
They even have a word for this stoicism: sisu.
"It's grit and perseverance and you grind it and stick to it," says Stubb. "It's part of our national psyche and history."
While not everyone expresses sisu in the same way, that connection with nature, the silent Finnish forests, wilderness and fresh, cold air is crucial -- as are a few more typically nocturnal activities.
"Some of us hibernate, others do sports and then, I think, a lot of children are made over the wintertime ... and a lot of drinking as well," Stubb laughs. "It's a combo. I think you have to be outdoors a lot.


MUMBAI: IT company Sonata Software has set up a subsidiary in Germany to consolidate its presence in the European Union and cater to the rapidly growing market in West Europe.
"Our long-term strategy is to establish a local presence in all the key markets. The German subsidiary will go a long way in reinforcing our commitment to existing customers and help us serve new clients faster and better," the company informed the National Stock Exchange here on Tuesday.
B Ramaswamy, president and managing director of Sonata, said Europe holds significant promise for business and with significant benefits in the coming years.
With the establishment of subsidiary in Frankfurt, Sonata's worldwide presence goes up to 12 and includes footprint in three locations in Europe, it added.


Over at CNSNews, Discovery Institute philosopher of biology Paul Nelson and I explain how the recent Royal Society meeting in London vindicated a major and provocative claim in Stephen Meyer’s book Darwin’s Doubt.
Darwinian theory is broken and may not be fixable. That was the takeaway from a meeting last month organized by the world’s most distinguished and historic scientific organization, which went mostly unreported by the media.
The three-day conference at the Royal Society in London was remarkable in confirming something that advocates of intelligent design (ID), a controversial scientific alternative to evolution, have said for years. ID proponents point to a chasm that divides how evolution and its evidence are presented to the public, and how scientists themselves discuss it behind closed doors and in technical publications. This chasm has been well hidden from laypeople, yet it was clear to anyone who attended the Royal Society conference, as did a number of ID-friendly scientists.
Maybe that secrecy helps explain why the meeting was so muffled in mainstream coverage.
For one thing, the Royal Society, dating back to 1660, is a legend in the science world. Its founders included the great chemist Robert Boyle, and it was later headed for 24 years (1703-1727) by Isaac Newton — a fact that is hard to forget with Newton’s death mask on prominent display in a glass case. Portraits of Boyle and Newton look down from the walls above. So the historical connections lend a certain weight by themselves.
The technical literature in biology is now replete with world-class biologists routinely expressing doubts about various aspects of neo-Darwinian theory, and especially about its central tenet, namely the alleged creative power of the natural selection and mutation mechanism.
Nevertheless, popular defenses of the theory continue apace, rarely if ever acknowledging the growing body of critical scientific opinion about the standing of the theory. Rarely has there been such a great disparity between the popular perception of a theory and its actual standing in the relevant peer-reviewed science literature.
Read the rest here. You see, you only know this because we’re here to tell you what evolutionary biologists prefer to keep sotto voce.
Photo: Death mask of Sir Isaac Newton, Royal Society, London.


THE David Tennant era may be over, but one Dr Who fan is determined to carry on the tenth Doctor’s legacy.
Rob Baines, a teenage filmmaker with a passion for adventures in time and space, writes, directs, films and appears in his own “alternative reality” versions of the time lord’s adventures.
And as the tenth Doctor regenerated into the 11th last night, Darlington student Rob was already planning his own series of webisodes for a growing audience on YouTube.
He already has some of the Doctor’s best known props, including a sonic screwdriver, and does an excellent impersonation of David Tennant’s mannerisms for his own films.
And for Christmas his parents gave him a life-sized Tardis.
The Tardis was lovingly crafted by Rob’s father, Ian, and took more than 30 hours to make.
Mrs Baines said 16-year-old Rob was delighted with the Tardis.
Rob, a student at Hummersknott School, Darlington, also has a suit and overcoat similar to one worn by outgoing doctor David Tennant, which were made-to-measure in Shanghai, China, and shipped to the UK.
The latest props join Rob’s extensive collection at the family’s home in Darlington.
As well as digital camera and editing software, Rob has a green screen that allows him to create spectacular special effects, as well as a replica of the central hub inside the Tardis, which was also made by his father.
He also has numerous costumes and other memorabilia to help him create his films, which have been shot in Darlington as well as on the family holiday in Spain in the summer last year.
Rob, who aims to study art and media at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College next year, has recruited his friends, his girlfriend and even his parents as actors in his films.
Rob, who started creating films when he was 13, said: “I would like to get into the film or TV business or maybe acting.
As well as Doctor Who stories, Rob is working on other projects, many of which he has uploaded to video website YouTube.
ROB was glued to his television set for the last episode of David Tennant’s stint as Doctor Who.
He said: “I thought the story was very very good. I thought it had really good elements of humour and everything.
“The acting was amazing, especially by David Tennant and John Simm (who played the Master), because I think the writers of Doctor Who really tried to push them at the end and I thought that was really good.
“I also liked it when the Doctor was going back to see all his past companions. I thought that was a very good touch for the end of the series.
“It was a really good end to the series. David Tennant has definitely been the best Doctor, he’s been really inspirational to me in my filming.


An Arizona voter carries her ballot to a polling place to vote in the state's Primary on August 28, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona.
A couple of fascinating races are now set. In Arizona, two women with compelling backgrounds face off for Jeff Flake’s Senate seat. In Florida, the governor will be either a Bernie-aligned or a Trump-aligned. What are the implications for November?


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Wall Street's fall season has arrived. So which media- and entertainment-sector stocks will be winners during the year's final months, especially given recent signs that the extended rally in the overall market and the sector perhaps has come to an end?
Ask analysts about their top picks, and one gets little agreement and very different selections.
The Hollywood Reporter recently canvassed analysts, and the resulting list of best stock ideas compiled ranges from sector biggies Disney and Time Warner to Lionsgate, Netflix, Electronic Arts and small cable operators.
Barclays Capital analyst Anthony DiClemente tells me he's still betting on Disney as the best in the sector. He has an "overweight" rating and a $32 price target on the company's shares.
He mentions three reasons: First, "stock weakness on the heels of the Marvel deal that creates a buying opportunity." Second, he says an economic recovery in the U.S. can help many of Disney's divisions. Finally, he is "optimistic about Disney's upcoming movie slate" after the release of "Up" brought the company back to its winning ways after a string of boxoffice flops.
By the way, Disney remains the entertainment conglomerate with the biggest market capitalization heading into the year's homestretch, though tech giants including Apple and Google still are worth multiples.
Others also like sector biggies. Goldman Sachs analyst Mark Wienkes recently upgraded the entire entertainment sector, saying he favors Time Warner, which he upgraded from "neutral" to "buy," and Viacom given that they have no local advertising exposure.
Caris & Co. analyst David Miller has a different take, suggesting Lionsgate and Netflix, both of which he rates "buy."
Last month, Miller lauded Lionsgate for blowing away quarterly earnings estimates on "very strong film revenue, plus another model quarter for TV production." He has a $9 price target on the stock.
After Netflix's earnings report last month, Miller raised his 2009 and 2010 estimates. While acknowledging the stock's premium valuation, he reiterated a $54 target price, saying that "Netflix still trades at a discount to its growth rate."
Meanwhile, Miller Tabak analyst David Joyce says he has been weighing his top buy picks with a focus on -- again -- Time Warner and the cable sector, "due to the recurring monthly revenue streams that avoid much of the advertising pressure."
He adds, "We also like Discovery because of that dual revenue stream, although it has somewhat been 'discovered,' " a reference to the stock's strong performance this year.
In the end, Joyce made two recommendations.
"Time Warner I like the most as a stable pick, not expecting it to fall much, because it is cheap and has the AOL-spinoff catalyst, which might help TW de-lever even further," he says. He has a $36 short-term and a $54 long-term price target on TW.
Small cable operator Mediacom is his other pick. "Mediacom is another one that could have the best performances due to turning significantly free-cash-flow-positive this year," he says. Joyce has an $8 short-term and a $10 long-term target on the stock.
Gabelli & Co. analyst Chris Marangi also likes the idea of a cable play, but his favorite remains Cablevision. He rates it "buy," with a private market value (not strictly a price target) of $39.
"Fundamentals remain strong," Marangi says. "A catalyst is the planned spinoff of MSG, which should underscore value in the stock on a free-cash-flow basis and increase strategic options in the future."
Not enough options for those looking for favorites?
Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter is suggesting a video game stock, but one somewhat maligned of late: Electronic Arts, whose shares he rates "outperform" with a $27 price target.
"It's almost universally reviled, has had pretty poor results for four years in a row, and most people don't think that they have their act together," Pachter says. "I look at their lineup and see pretty solid year-over-year comparisons, a very strong lineup with 'Beatles Rock Band,' 'Brutal Legend,' 'Need for Speed,' 'Dragon Age,' 'The Saboteur' and 'FIFA,' and think that they substantially outperform expectations."
He adds, "Because they trimmed payroll by a lot earlier this year, they're positioned to deliver outsized earnings from any small revenue upside."
Even if the biggest market rally is behind us, media and entertainment stocks likely will face a tougher environment through year's end. Investors will be anxious for clear signs sooner rather than later of a rebound in the advertising market, which could provide another jolt for the ad-driven biggies.


Canada’s oil producers can’t catch a break.
Even as local production cuts help alleviate pipeline bottlenecks, heavy crude plunged below US$18 a barrel for the first time since 2016 — dragged down by global oil prices.
Oilsands producers including Canadian Natural Resource Ltd., Devon Energy Corp., Cenovus Energy Inc. and Athabasca Oil Corp. have announced curtailments that may total 140,000 barrels a day or more, after a localized glut sent heavy Western Canadian Select crude plunging to a US$50 discount to West Texas Intermediate futures, the widest in Bloomberg data going back a decade.
Since then, WCS’s discount has narrowed to about US$42 a barrel, but the absolute price has plunged along with world crude benchmarks amid concerns of oversupply. The U.S. has granted eight nations waivers to continue buying Iranian oil, while OPEC and Russia have boosted production. WTI futures dropped for a tenth straight day on Friday, falling briefly below US$60 a barrel.
Adding to the Canadian oil woes, two pipeline projects that would eventually help producers get their crude to markets are facing court delays. On Friday, a U.S. court ruled that an environmental assessment of TransCanada Corp.’s Keystone XL pipeline was inadequate, a decision that could delay the $8 billion project by eight months. Earlier this year, a Canadian court ruled that the planned expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline to the Pacific would need to undergo further regulatory reviews.
Canada’s crude export pipelines are rationing space after a surge of new production from the oil sands came online late last year and early this year. Recent refinery maintenance in the U.S. Midwest has also reduced demand for Canada’s oil. Currently, just one export pipeline project, Enbridge Inc.’s Line 3 expansion, is under construction and scheduled to begin operating by the second half of next year.
Oil prices were little changed on Monday near US$60 a barrel after Saudi Arabia pledged to curb output and urged allied crude producers to follow suit. Western Canada Select’s discount to West Texas Intermediate narrowed 35 US cents to US$42.15 a barrel as BP Plc’s Whiting refinery in Indiana, a major user of Canadian crude, began starting up its biggest crude unit after maintenance.
Oil companies may be curtailing production now in anticipation that they will get better prices later when access to rail cars or pipelines improves, Birn said.
“There is a financial upside to their strategy,” he said.


Chicken tenderloins are low in fat and carbohydrate-free.
Chicken tenderloins are a tasty, carb-free meal that can become boring quickly when prepared the same way repeatedly. With a bit of experimentation and a few added ingredients, you can create an interesting variety of meals with chicken tenderloins. When you follow low-carb prep for chicken tenderloins, you can avoid adding any carbohydrates to your meal.
Low-carb diets aid in weight loss by replacing carbohydrates with proteins and fats. The allowed intake of carbohydrates on a low-carb diet varies from 20 to 60 grams per day, in contrast to a recommended intake of 225 grams per day for an average diet. The reduction in carbohydrates is theorized to force your body to burn fat in place of the energy it typically burns from carbohydrates.
One 4-ounce serving of plain chicken tenderloins contains just 90 calories. The calorie content is 4.5 percent of an average intake of 2,000 calories per day. Each serving also contains 22 grams of protein, which is 44 percent of a 50-gram daily recommended intake. The true bonus for low-carb dieters, however, is the 0 grams of carbohydrates in each serving of chicken tenderloins.
When you need your meal quickly, season the tenderloins directly before cooking them. A spritz of lemon juice or a rub with your favorite spice blend works well. This does not add carbs to your meal, keeping your chicken tenderloins diet-friendly. Once the tenderloins have a coating of flavor, the choice of preparation method is yours. Baking them wrapped in aluminum foil or parchment paper prevents moisture from escaping. Searing the tenderloins on the stovetop or grill crisps their exterior and caramelizes their natural juices. Steaming the chicken cooks it in less than 10 minutes and allows seasonings to permeate through the meat. Always cook chicken to a safe internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Chicken tenderloins are often served with a crispy, flavorful breading. However, conventional breading has a high carbohydrate content. Make low-carb breaded chicken tenderloins by coating them with shredded cheese or crushed pork rinds. A coating of beaten egg on the raw meat sticks the cheese or pork rinds to the tenderloins’ exteriors. Avoid adding excess fat by baking the breaded tenderloins on a rack for crispiness.
Marinating chicken tenderloins at least five hours prior to cooking them creates a tasty low-carb entree bursting with flavor. Cook marinated tenderloins as you would quickly seasoned ones. If you wish to use the marinade as a sauce, boil it for five minutes over medium-high heat, stirring often, to kill harmful bacteria. Alternately, skip the marinade and serve cooked chicken breasts coated in, or drizzled with, your favorite low-carb sauce. Note that common sauces, such as barbecue, contain significant amounts of carbohydrates. Carb-free salad dressings are an excellent choice for chicken tenderloin sauce.
Styles, Serena. "Low Carb Prep for Chicken Tenderloins." Healthy Eating | SF Gate, http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/low-carb-prep-chicken-tenderloins-1478.html. 20 July 2017.


The National Science Foundation has awarded a three-year, $2.9 million grant to the Web 100 project to boost end-to-end network performance for research collaboration.
Web 100, a joint effort of the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, National Center for Atmospheric Research and National Center for Supercomputing Applications, aims to bring 100-Mbps data transmission rates to researchers' desks.
The NSF grant will underwrite development of software that can automatically tune operating systems to take advantage of available network bandwidth. Many researchers have access to 100-Mbps networks but often get no more than 3-Mbps throughput because their OSes hamper Transmission Control Protocol performance.


In his reaction to Brett Favre revealing his addiction to pain killers and alcohol, Cris Carter reflects on his own trials and tribulations within that same arena, noting the importance of not only being able to address one's own problems, but being able to feel secure enough to approach friends and family for help.
- I-- I was very relieved that-- that the public-- 'cause from a society standpoint, we're fighting the same thing. The opiate epidemic, it's-- it's running-- it's killing-- it's killing young people at an unbelieve-- an alarming rate. Being involved with people that that's what they do for a liv-- living, as far as chemical dependency, I was glad the story was able to come out.
NICK WRIGHT: 'Cause you-- you knew the story.
- I did-- I did know the story. Very familiar with it. And the reason why I was very familiar with it, because I had one of my best friends in my life, a guy who had an impact on my life like-- like no other person, in a way like no other person-- it was Reggie White. And, Jenna, you know from Philadelphia, the level of respect, as a professional athlete, no one has more than the late, great Reggie White.
I had been in Minnesota. Got there in 1990. And one of the things that Reggie always used to tell me was, he regretted that I didn't tell him what I was going through in Philadelphia, 'cause him, Seth Joyner, some other-- Clyde Simmons, other guys who were big brothers to me, they couldn't intervene and help.
They found out that I had an addiction problem when Buddy Ryan cut me. And they were so mad at Buddy Ryan because Buddy didn't believe in addiction and recovery; that you can actually get better. And they thought that they could have helped me. But they didn't find out until I was already gone.
- -- in '93 and obviously plays with Brett Favre.
- Yeah. And he's the leader of that team. He's the one that brought the title back to Titletown. So Brett Favre, being a younger player, Reggie trying to get a greater understanding of the addiction community, he confided in me.
So I would never tell the Brett Favre story because the confidentiality that Reggie had in me and also knowing what Brett went through. It's a tremendous story. Like we are pulling for more stories like this. But, also, the NFL and how they've changed things of how they give out drugs and how opiates are dispersed and the use of alcohol, I just hope more people can get help.
- All right? Rehab, it does work. And even though Brett went once, went twice, it took him three times to be able to get it right, it doesn't matter how many times you go; it's very, very effective.
- Well, and there is-- see, in your career, how many games were you suspended for drug violations?
- I was suspended-- the collective bargaining agreement was a little bit different.
NICK WRIGHT: But you never missed any games because of it.
- Favre started 297 consecutive games, wasn't kicked out of the league, wasn't-- I mean, we didn't even know about-- we knew that Favre had dealt with painkiller addiction once. That was the story I knew. That was the story the public knew.
- No, it wouldn't have happened.
- If we would have had social media and had everything that we have now, the chance of being successful, I don't believe they happen. I don't believe both of us end up with a gold jacket.
- And so I only say that to say this. Like we've got to-- we have to recognize guys that are just knuckleheads to a degree-- guys that like riding around with their buddies and smoking pot, like a lot of us did in college or high school or whatever, and don't grow up-- and guys that are dealing with pain, in the pain business, dealing with addiction, which touches every family in America, and figure out ways to help them.
It took Brett three tries. Like-- one of the-- one of the most amazing parts of your story to me is, you went to the-- you went to rehab. You've been clean for 27 years, 29 years.
- That's not always how it goes. And it's not because guys aren't trying. It's not because they don't want to. Sometimes it takes a few times for it to take. And that's what he explained to Peter King.
- I think it's also important to know-- and you and I talked about this this morning-- that this is a very special guy. Like for someone to look at him and say he was able to do all of that on painkillers, Brett Favre was a cut above everyone else. He was so athletically gifted.
- --struggle with this more often than we want to give credit for. But it's also a credit to the National Football League. We realize that we have societal problems. We're embracing those problems. The overall care, the overall awareness has gotten so much better. The lack of drugs being prevalent in NFL locker rooms has decreased at an alarming rate, that-- everyone would be proud of that.
But the National Football League, they do care about their players. And my story and Brett Favre's stories are because they got us the help and assistance that we needed that altered the course of our life.


This latest iteration of the deal includes a focus on youth development.
In a move that signals the company’s largest investment in soccer in North America, Adidas and Major League Soccer have extended their long-term partnership through 2024. Terms were not disclosed.
The six-year deal makes Adidas the official supplier partner for the league, its clubs, youth academies and youth-affiliated clubs.


The staff includes professionals specializing in Graphology (Handwriting Analysis), Court Document Examiner, Graphotherapy, Human Resource Counseling and Therapy, Herbology, Homeopathic Practitioners and Identification Cards Specialists. Creative Traffic Directors (CTD) specialize in counseling and therapy for preventing workplace violence, pre-marital/ marital, divorce and substance abuse.
Posted on June 14, 2018. Brought to you by Yellowpages.com.


Katie Holmes and Jamie Foxx are going to ‘just do them.’ We’ve learned if that means they’ll be carrying on with their private lives together or apart.
Jamie and Katie did throw fans a bone with a public outing to New York City’s Central Park and The Metropolitan Museum of Art on March 25, which was their first time being photographed together since the split rumors emerged. It wasn’t a big reunion, as our source continues, “They have been consistently in love for years and that is not going to change anytime soon. They are in a great place, in love and very happy together.” But don’t expect the couple to give many more glimpses into their notoriously private romance.
“They understand that people want to know about their relationship but moving forward they are going to continue the same path that they have been doing and just do them,” our source tells us. “It’s what has made things work, they are in a great place and [are] very much in love.” Jamie and Katie’s romance doesn’t need affirmation from others, as it was reportedly going on for two years by the time a report made it public in March of 2015. Paparazzi has snapped sneak peeks of their relationship since then, such as when they were photographed making out on a yacht in Dec. 2018, right before ringing in 2019.


The weekend marked two festive occasions for the Osbourne clan.
While Halloween celebrations were taking place across the world on Saturday, it was also Kelly Osbourne's birthday - leading her to throw a double-event in Los Angeles.
The reality star celebrated her 34th in style at Mr Chow's restaurant, making a grand arrival in costume as Myrtle Snow from American Horror Story's third season Coven, and current eighth season, Apocalypse.
She copied the iconic character's look by, naturally, donning an over-sized frizzy orange wig.
She added red-rimmed glasses over her ayes and wore a satin mauve wrap-around gown, in the style of notably-eccentric witch Myrtle.
She wore black lace gloves and a black heels to complete the ensemble and painted her complexion with a pale white foundation and a pop of bright red lipstick.
The entire Osbourne clan were present for the evening out, with mum and dad Sharon and Ozzy holding hands as they stepped out.
The couple kept things typically gothic, in-keeping with the theme of the night, as Sharon, 66, donned a sweeping velvet robe in midnight blue, with a paisley mustard print lining it.
She kept things black beneath, and adorned the look with silver necklaces.
Sharon wore her red bobbed 'do in a side parting and she kept make-up fresh and classic.
Ozzy, 69, was in all-black, as usual, with circular shades covering his eyes and his long dark hair worn loosely around his shoulders.
He had a black blazer on and was seen chewing his thumb - which was recently infected to the degree his life was in danger.
Recently-divorced brother Jack, 32, looked to be a Bruce Wayne/Batman hybrid, stepping out in a black suit and tie with a Batman mask on.
Jack was joined by a pink-haired companion, who onlookers believed to be a new romance - despite then-wife Lisa Stelly filing for divorce in May of this year.
Kelly was also joined by a mystery man, dressed in ripped jeans, cowboy boots and a leather jacket - also thought to be a potential new love.
She hired a cross-dresser to attend the event, who came dressed as the birthday girl herself.


The Italian contingent unveiled work completed earlier this week to improve access to the renovated south Lebanon Shamaa citadel in Tyre.
Israel isn’t looking for escalation with Lebanon despite its recent publicity stunts to the contrary, President Michel Aoun said Tuesday.
Italian Defense Minister Elisabetta Trenta held her first meeting of the day with Speaker Nabih Berri Monday, after arriving in Beirut for an official visit.
UNIFIL inspectors have confirmed the existence of a tunnel in northern Israel, a statement from the United Nations peacekeeping force reported Thursday.


The final score of the William & Mary women’s basketball game was 62-53. It was Feb. 26, 2017, and the first time in 18 years that the team clinched victory while playing on James Madison University’s home court. William & Mary Athletics Director Terry Driscoll was elated by the win, but wanted the team’s coaches to answer one question.
“What was the bus ride home like?” he asked.
He was curious about the sound of victory.
As he suspected, there was plenty of laughter, screaming and singing on the bus that night between the 180 miles that separated the team from home. Driscoll is familiar with that sound as an All-American athlete who went on to play basketball in the NBA and Italy. In a way, the sounds of victory have driven Driscoll for the past 21 years.
Driscoll, the longest-tenured athletics director in the history of the Colonial Athletic Association, will retire in June to spend more time with his family.
All-American athlete Driscoll, born in Winthrop, Mass., a suburb of Boston, is the oldest of four children. To say Driscoll and his neighborhood friends played a variety of sports would be understating their interests. Their childhood days were filled with ice hockey, swimming, sailing, tag football, basketball and baseball.
Driscoll played basketball in high school despite being better at ice hockey, he says. His feet grew fast, making it costly for his parents to buy custom skates.
His high school days on the basketball court proved better than he anticipated. When he played in an all-star championship tournament in Pennsylvania, he scored 22 points during one of the games. His performance caught the attention of several colleges, including Boston College, where he attended.
While in college, he was named an All-American basketball player. His team was ranked 8th in the country his senior year, which attracted several sports agents.
Driscoll, who played center, was the fourth overall pick during the 1969 NBA draft. Instead of immediately going to the NBA, he decided to play professionally in Italy. After a year, he returned to the States to play in the NBA for a short stint.
By the time he turned 28, Driscoll returned to Italy with his wife, Susan, and their 4-month-old son to play professional basketball. Driscoll played for three years, winning one championship, and coached for two years, winning two championships. As the Driscolls’ son grew older, the couple decided to return to the U.S.
Tribe Driscoll shifted his career from a professional basketball player to becoming a business executive for Kazmaier Associates, where he spent 16 years in sports marketing, distribution, sales and planning major sporting events.
In 1996, a newspaper employment advertisement changed the course of Driscoll’s life again. The ad’s description was simple: William & Mary needed an athletics director.
Driscoll’s tenure has been filled with one accomplishment after another: 114 CAA championships, 11 top-100 rankings in the Directors’ Cup and 131 all-time league championships — more than any other university in the CAA.
But Driscoll doesn’t talk about all the accomplishments that occurred on his watch.
TEAM WORK: W&M Athletics Director Terry Driscoll says his staff has been key in helping him shape Tribe Athletics for more than two decades.
Driscoll’s work at William & Mary is not limited to making decisions behind a desk. His influence is still melded in the minds of players who have long graduated.
Kaylor, who was named women’s basketball player of the year twice, says Driscoll went out of his way for students. Kaylor is a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, and Driscoll knew it. William & Mary alumnus and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin ’95, L.H.D. ’08, was attending a dinner on campus the weekend of the 2008 Commencement. Driscoll invited Kaylor to that dinner.
Legacy Two major projects that have recently been completed under Driscoll’s tenure are the renovation of Zable Stadium and the completion of the Plumeri Indoor Baseball Practice Facility.
Under Driscoll’s leadership, the Committee on Competitive Excellence completed a report in 2015, a “Championship Experience for Every Student Athlete and Every Fan,” which highlights funding needs for scholarships, operating expenses and facility improvements. The report serves as the strategic plan for the future of Tribe Athletics. Additionally, Driscoll has spearheaded fundraising efforts in the For the Bold campaign, helping to bring in more than $100 million for the Athletics Department.
Jane Thompson Kaplan ’56 and Jim Kaplan ’57, Kaplan Arena’s namesakes, met Driscoll at the 1996 Hall of Fame Induction event. The couple ended up sitting next to Driscoll — marking the beginning of a special friendship.
Jane says that both Driscoll and his wife, Susan, have made a great team at William & Mary and will be hard to replace.
Sue Hanna Gerdelman ’76 — chair of the For the Bold campaign — and John Gerdelman ’75, are also longtime friends of the Driscolls. John, a former student-athlete and scholarship recipient, says he knows that balancing books and sports can be a challenge. But the Gerdelmans say Driscoll is masterful at making it work.
Driscoll doesn’t dwell on his long tenure at William & Mary, or spend too much time trying to put his legacy into words.


Nayagarh: On Tuesday, under the canopy of the forest that they have managed, conserved and regenerated for the past 7 years, the women of Kaptapally village in nuagaon block, of Nayagarh district launched/inagurated the second Forest Rights Information Centre. The Centre serves as an important resource hub for the long struggle of this forest dwelling community to gain recognition of rights over their customary forests under the Forest Rights Act. It will be run by the same women who have spearheaded innovative community forest management practices in the area, conserving and protecting a large area of ‘very dense forest’ .
The community forest management group in Ranpur block has a long history of democratic forest protection and management. In the 1980s, witnessing grave degradation of their forests under Joint Forest Management, several villages in the area wrestled back control from the Forest Department to set up Community Forest Management. They harnessed their intimate traditional knowledge of the forest and plant species to increase the forest cover, bring streams back to life, and rebuild the natural habitat of elephants. The women particularly, stand guard over the forests at night, with a stick in hand, against timber thieves. For them, recognition of their forest rights would be not only their reward for conserving the forest, but also an insurance plan for the forest against degradation. They had claimed their rights in 2015 but are yet to gain formal recognition. Similarly there are 24 villages in ranpur block where same protection process is going on for last 40 years ave claimed CFR(community forest resource rights) since last two and a half years and still striving to get recognition .
At the inauguration of the Information Centre, women of kaptapally village and women of neighbouring 20 villages have invited the Collector of Nayagarh Shri Arindam Dakua,MP Smt.Pratyusha Rajeswari singh,zilla Parishad members ,Sarpanch and Samitisabhya . The Ranpur women used this opportunity to remind him of his duty to approve their claims under the Forest Rights Act. Empowered by 30 years of community forest management, the women are confident about the democratic powers of the Gram Sabha to even resort to self-declaration under the Forest Rights Act if the forest bureaucracy does not cooperate. And now they have their own repository of Gram Sabha resolutions, claim forms, books on FRA and Rules and other resources to support them in their struggle.
In this Occasion collector Shri Dakua given assurance to the community “CFR rights will be recognized in next month ” and “All recognized IFR title will be demarcated”.
Listening to the women group Smt.Pratyusha also conveyed her support to these women groups in their future initiatves and to look after their issues .
women members are now awaiting for their long pending CFR to be recognized and from today onwards this FRA information centre will also be witness to their struggle and effort .


The Morro Bay High boys water polo team lost 9-5 at Santa Ynez (11-0), the fifth-ranked team in Division 7 of the Southern Section.
Juan Olabe Armendariz scored two goals for Morro Bay, and played in goal during the first half, making five saves. Mac Reinhart took over as the goalie in the second half, collecting three saves.
Grant Johnson added two goals for Morro Bay (2-9, 1-1 LPL), with D.J. Marcy tallying the other score.


The Independent National Electoral Commission( INEC )has commenced the bye election into the Kankiya/Kusada/Ingawa federal constituency.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the election kicked off at exactly 8:00am under tight security across the three local government areas .
Malam Musa Abdulmajid an agent of the Peoples Democratic Party at the Dembo Abdu polling unit 003 in Ingawa local government area commended the peaceful ambience of the election.
He said he was confident that the election would be free and fair and hoped the loser would take it as an Act of God.
Both sensitive and the non sensitive election materials arrived polling units before 8am, under the supervision of securitymen,politicians and other relevant stakeholders.
Hajiya Mairo Mohammed ,a voter at the Kankiya polling unit 001, lauded the arrangement made by INEC preparatory to the comencement of the election,stressing voters were fully sensitized through media jingles and stakeholders’ meetings .
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the bye election into the Kankiya/Kusada/Ingawa federal constituency was sequel to the election of the former member representing the area Alhaji Ahmed Babba -Kaita to represent Katsina north senatorial district.


A legislative panel that is looking into border security skirted a nagging question at a meeting this morning – what to do with roughly $260,000 that was raised to build a fence on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Arizona remains among the top three states in the nation for immigration-related prosecutions despite a drop in such prosecutions in the state.
Tucson's police chief says officers were following the law during a traffic stop of two immigrants that turned into a heated protest.
A Douglas woman who works for a federal immigration agency has been accused of using her home to stash illegal immigrants being smuggled into the U.S.


TRANSPORT Minister Tony McNulty has said he recognises the importance of a new Mersey crossing to the region's economy.
TRANSPORT Minister Tony McNulty has said he recognises the importance of a new Mersey crossing to the region's economy.
Mr McNulty was responding to a series of questions from the Daily Post, which has called on the Government to give the vital project the green light in a bid to eliminate the congestion problems on the Silver Jubilee bridge at Runcorn.
However, Mr McNulty added that "there were a number of issues which require further detailed examination" before a decision could be made.
It is hoped a new bridge, running from the Central Expressway in Runcorn to the Eastern Bypass in Widnes, could be in place by the end of the decade.
You visited Runcorn last year - what was your impression of the congestion problems on the current Silver Jubilee Bridge?
I recognise that, like many other sections of the road network, the Silver Jubilee Bridge caters for heavy volumes of traffic and experiences congestion problems particularly in peak hours.
Moreover, if there is an incident that causes the bridge to be closed this can cause major traffic problems across the entire area. I also appreciate the endeavours by Halton Borough Council to keep the bridge open and working.
The Government currently describes the plans for a new bridge as a "super work in progress". What does that mean for its likelihood of success?
"Super works in progress" is a categorisation that we use for schemes that require further appraisal and development work before we can reach a final decision on them and is not approval in principle.
In our response to Halton on the 2003 local transport settlement we explained that, whilst we recognised the importance of the scheme and the amount of work Halton have undertaken, there were a number of issues which require further detailed examination.
This includes assessing the impact on wider strategic road network, considering the feasibility of tolling and clarifying the environmental impacts. We have already provided £600,000 to assist in preparatory studies. We will make a decision on the scheme once Halton Borough Council has completed this additional work.
How convinced is the Government about the major economic benefits the Mersey Crossing Group believes would result from a new bridge?
Until we have received the further work requested from Halton it is not possible to give a definitive view. However I do recognise the scheme's importance and high profile within the region and the potential regeneration benefits.
The Government has asked for further information on possible tolling. Would this not simply replace one disincentive for business and investment (congestion) with another (toll charges)?
Successive governments have taken the view that tolls are justified because the user benefits from the exceptional savings in time and money that these expensive facilities make possible. That is why we have asked the local authority, as part of the further work they are undertaking, to explore whether tolls would be justified in this particular case.
Clearly a new bridge would be expensive £335m is the current estimate - how certain can the people of Merseyside and Halton be that any major transport expenditure connected with a possible London Olympics in 2012 would not take precedence in funding terms?
We will take full account of transport priorities across the country in developing our expenditure plans. Decisions on transport funding for London, including any support for the 2012 Olympics if London's bid is successful, would be taken in that context.
The Mersey Crossing Group is due to submit the extra information requested by the Government in November. At what stage might we expect a decision on whether the project can proceed to the next stage?
I would hope it would be during the first half of 2005.
If the Government decided not to support a new bridge, what alternative proposals does it feel could help ease the nightmare many drivers face on the bridge?
I do not want to speculate on the outcome at this stage. But if the Government did decide not to support a new crossing it would be for the local authorities to consider alternative options.