When I look at what is going wrong for Liverpool at the moment, a lot of it stems from the engine room of the team - the midfield.
The biggest problem I have there is with Jordan Henderson and Emre Can playing together in the Reds' 4-3-3 formation.
They both play too many sideways balls, which are pretty looking and keep possession - but do not hurt the opposition.
Don't get me wrong, I think Henderson has had a good season, while Can is not in particularly poor form - he has just had an average season. It happens.
But, together, they do not fit in with the way Liverpool have to play to open teams up, which is one of the reasons the goals have dried up for Jurgen Klopp's side recently.
I have heard it suggested recently that Liverpool need a midfield general - a new Steven Gerrard, if you like.
That would be fantastic, obviously, but it's unlikely to happen in the summer. There are not many players around who can do everything in defence and attack, like Gerrard could, and if you find one then he is going to be very expensive.
What I think they need, and also have a more realistic chance of getting, is a player who compliments the ones they have already got, but can do the things that Henderson or Can cannot - which is control the tempo the team plays at.
Rather than look for someone who can do it all, they actually need a player with more creativity to play alongside either Henderson or Can - and, at the moment, I would choose Henderson out of those two.
Henderson covers the ground effectively and protects his back four, but I would like to see someone in there next to him with a little bit more guile on the ball, to use it more effectively.
I am talking about a midfield player whose first touch is always to get the ball out of his feet and then be looking to play it forward if the pass is on.
It's a job Michael Carrick does so well for Manchester United. He does not look to bomb on himself, but he has the nous to play the right ball.
At the moment, Henderson and Can get the ball and they get rid of it straight away. Sometimes they pass it forward, but a lot of the time it goes sideways.
It is too safe, and it means the team moves the ball too slowly and often takes too many touches as well.
That gives the opposition time to regroup and get organised, which is why they are not bothered when Liverpool dominate possession.
Some of Liverpool's other issues are pretty obvious - they are not good enough defensively to buy themselves enough time in games when they are not playing well.
Up front, Daniel Sturridge does not fit into this team. He is not the answer, so I think it is time to get rid of him.
There are some positives, though. The collapse in Liverpool's form in 2017 is certainly not down to the attitude of their players.
I don't think it is down to them being tired either, and I have watched most of their games this year.
I would question their style of play at the moment, though. It is too predictable, too narrow and too nice.
Liverpool always play in the same 4-3-3 formation, and the opposition are ready for it. They know they will be up against fast, tricky forwards who try to cut inside.
I would describe their attacking play as being like a funnel, with everything being channelled centrally.
Every other team know that, and are putting numbers there, then continuing to send Liverpool's players inside.
They know Liverpool are not going to change and play balls up to a big striker, they are just going to keep trying to get into the last third of the pitch and, when they are there, try one-twos or clever flicks.
An easy way of stopping that is by having plenty of men back and, at the moment, Liverpool do not have the nous to break down anyone who does it.
The problems Liverpool have got at the moment are part of the reason I think they are better off playing against the other top teams.
As I have mentioned in my weekly predictions, on Saturday, Tottenham will be one of the few teams in the last few weeks to come to Anfield and not just sit in a 4-5-1 formation with all their men in their own half.
Spurs are good defensively and well organised full-stop, but their full-backs will bomb on and that will give Liverpool some space to work with, especially on the counter-attack.
So the fact that Klopp's side also have to play Arsenal and Manchester City in their upcoming fixtures is not a bad thing. Those teams will also be open, and they will let Liverpool play.
Liverpool will be back - as in they will rediscover their form - but it might take the kind of gladiatorial atmosphere you get in games against the other leading teams to bring out the best in them again.
It is disappointing that their title hopes have disappeared now, of course, but you have to remember that their target at the start of the season was a top-four finish for the first time since 2014.
Expectations were raised by that purple patch before Christmas, when it looked like they would be Chelsea's closest challengers. That is no longer the case, clearly.
But they still have a good chance of securing Champions League football and, if they achieve that, then they will still have had a good season.


William E. Heiple, 72, Rockwood, passed on Nov. 25, 2004, at home. Born March 31, 1932, in Berlin, he is the son of the late Milton and Elizabeth (Berkheimer) Heiple. He is preceded in death by his parents; brother, James and nephews, Michael Heinbaugh and Scott Putman. He is survived by his wife, Judy (Dunbar) Heiple; sons, William II, married to Stacey (Friedline), Rockwood, and Timothy, married to Jill (Pletcher), Markleton; grandchildren, Michael, Brittany and Mary Heiple; sister, Sue, married to Harry Gumbert, Oakdale; brother, Charles Heiple, Berlin; sisters-in-law, Nancy, married to Gene Heinbaugh, York and Jeanie, married to Jake Gary, Markleton; and numerous nieces and nephews. He is a retired employee of Bethlehem Steel in Johnstown and is a veteran of the U.S. Army in the Korean War. He was a lifetime member of the Rockwood Fire Department. He was a member of Lodge 358 of the F&AM in Somerset and the Harrisburg Consistory. He was also a member of Christ United Methodist Church in Rockwood. There will be no viewing or visitation at Mr. Heiple's request. A celebration of his life will be held at a later time. Memorial contributions may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 621 W. Broadway, Rockwood, Pa. 15557 or "In Touch" Hospice, 1590 N. Center Ave., Somerset, Pa. 15501. Arrangements by Miller Funeral Home, Rockwood.


Donate new shoes, a weekly MetroCard or even a goat to people in need at the vending machine.
A festive vending machine near Lincoln Center is "giving" New Yorkers a chance to purchase something for a stranger in need.
The one of five worldwide "Giving Machines" — operated by and sitting outside of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Columbus Avenue and 65th Street — appears no different from a standard vending machine. The unique twist, however, is that customers purchase small cardboard boxes emblazoned with the gifts they represent (Disclaimer: The boxes stay in the machine, so don't expect to walk with anything other than a sense of satisfaction).
"It's been steady, every time I come out here there are people out here talking and looking at it," said Ryan Koch, director of public and international affairs for the church's New York office. "It's been really great."
Gifts include, for $30, a pair of shoes can be purchased for school children who can't afford required shoes. For $25 you can purchase a basketball for kids in Catholic Charities youth programs, and for $32 you can purchase a weekly MetroCard to cover transportation costs for someone in need.
In addition to partnering with the Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New York and West Side Campaign against Hunger locally, the machines offer the opportunity to help abroad. Through CARE, UNICEF and WaterAid, you can purchase everything from clean water to animals and livestock.
Gifts range in price from $3-$250.
"People really like the livestock," Koch added, laughing. "Part of it I think is it's really fun to say, hey I bought a goat today."
One hundred percent of proceeds go toward the targeted organization, as the church covers the cost and maintenance of the machines.
The "Giving Machine," which is part of the church's #LightTheWorld campaign, will be in service through the end of December.


NZDF said some families were approached by veterans groups wishing to be involved but some were not comfortable with these approaches and asked for their privacy to be respected.
Veterans spoken to by RNZ said some family members they spoke to did not have a problem with the veterans being involved.
The remains of 27 New Zealand soldiers are finally on their way back to New Zealand after resting in cemeteries in Malaysia and Singapore for decades.


Own a piece of history! The 1936 Burke-Heines home has been totally restored, while preserving the historic charm of the Azalea District! Three bedrooms and 3.5 baths in the main house. Two living areas, and spacious dining are perfect for family time and entertaining. Full suite downstairs, and over sized master upstairs. Also don't miss the over 220 sq ft loft! Original hardwood floors, doors and trims. Updated kitchen with granite, double convection ovens, gas cook top and ice maker. Outdoor living abounds as well covered patio, and wrought iron fencing add to the estate feel. Along with a 2 car garage, there is a heated and cooled 242 sq ft workshop area. Over the garage is a full apartment!


Jarrod Turner's body was found by a road north of Hobart.
A young father found dead on the side of a Tasmanian road had been shot, police say.
The body of Jarrod Turner, aged in his 20s, was found yesterday morning at Colebrook Road near Richmond, about 25 kilometres north of Hobart.
Tasmania Police are treating his death as suspicious and confirmed today he suffered a gunshot wound.
Mr Turner's Facebook page said he was a single father to two young boys.
Tributes from loved ones have been posted online today.
"Rest in peace Jarrod, you'll be gone but never forgotten," one person wrote.
"You've made so many memories with so many people."
Another wrote: "Heaven has gained another angel!! Someone who had a beautiful soul and a kind heart. A man who'd always put a smile on anyone's face. May you rest in peace now Jarrod and party hard up there!!"
A post mortem will be undertaken, with results to help police in their investigation.
Colebrook Road between Francis Street and Fingerpost Road remains closed as the scene is examined.


It’s Halloween season, meaning candy corn, Mallomars, pumpkin spice everything, and … cookies with human remains? That’s the snack that at least one California student reportedly brought to Da Vinci Charter Academy High School in Davis, per the San Francisco Chronicle, containing the not-appetizing ingredient of a grandparent’s ashes.
The Chronicle says it was her grandmother’s remains, FOX40 says it was her grandfather’s, but either way, Lt. Paul Doroshov of the Davis Police Department says nine students were reportedly given the cookies on Oct. 4 (it’s not clear how many, if any, ate the cookies), and students are speaking to the media about their experience, per KCRA.
“I was kind of horrified,” Andy Knox says after a girl offered him a cookie with “her grandpa’s ashes.” Knox says the girl had whipped out an urn, supposedly with those same ashes, in class.
Doroshov says one student is believed to have baked the cookies, and a second helped distribute them; KCRA suggests they were related. The family of one student tells FOX40 they’re upset with the school, which had their son sign a statement on the incident and told him to keep quiet.
“The district seems to be a little bit more concerned about protecting themselves than protecting their students,” the boy’s father says.
What, no grape juice to warsh it down with?
Wholey Communion Batman!! Ain’t any different, except in church, they give you phoney flesh instead of overcooked.
Which(witch)is more evil, or is eating people ok, nowadays?


Venezuelan authorities have arrested four people suspected of robbing former Major League Baseball players Luis Valbuena and Jose Castillo after the pair were killed in a car crash Thursday.
Police are investigating whether the accident was staged by a gang of thieves trying to rob the players, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Authorities suspect the players may have been targeted by criminal groups known for throwing rocks on the roadways to disable cars and then rob the occupants, the Fort-Worth Star-Telegram reported. The four suspects were found with Valbuena’s and Castillo’s belongings, Julio Leon Heredia, the governor of Yaracuy in Venezuela, said on Twitter.
Valbuena, who turned 33 last week, and Castillo, 37, were playing in the country’s winter league and were teammates on the Cardinales de Lara ball club.
In the vehicle with them were winter league teammate Carlos Rivero and a driver, both of whom survived the crash. Photos from the Caracas-based news outlet El Cooperante showed the white vehicle on its side with its grill and hood smashed.
A team official said Valbuena and Castillo had personal business to attend to and chose to travel home separately from the team after Thursday's game.
On Friday afternoon, Cardenales de Lara players carried the coffins of Valbuena and Castillo at the team’s stadium in Barquisimeto, where they toured the bases, according to the Venezuelan regional newspaper El Impulso.
The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League announced that flags would be flown at half-staff in all its stadiums and all three games scheduled for Friday had been canceled.
Valbuena played 11 seasons in the majors. He was released by the Los Angeles Angels in August and finished his career with a .225 batting average, 114 homes runs and 367 RBIs. He also played with the Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros.
Castillo played from 2004 to 2008, including stints with the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants and Astros. He ended his career with a .254 batting average and 218 RBIs and 39 home runs.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro tweeted on Friday: "I join in the mourning that has overwhelmed the Venezuelan baseball family and all of its fans."
In a statement, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said it was "a very sad day for our sport as we mourn the deaths of Luis Valbuena and Jose Castillo."
“It is clear by all the stories today that they loved baseball and made an impact on their teammates and the clubs they represented. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to their families, friends and fans, particularly those in their native Venezuela," he continued.
Angels outfielder Mike Trout tweeted "We’re thinking about Luis Valbuena's family today. Our thoughts go to them. RIP to a teammate and a friend..."
Several major league teams and players also offered their condolences.


There were 69 bookings at the San Joaquin County Jail in the 24 hours ending at 8 a.m. Friday. At that time, there were 1,263 people held at the jail, which has an official capacity of 1,411.
Animal control call: A blind bull escaped from the Stockton Livestock Exchange on East French Camp Road and ran loose for about two hours Friday afternoon, the Sheriff's Office reported. The animal was finally corralled by animal control officers and workers from the Escalon Livestock Market. The animal escaped about 1 p.m.
Assault: Deputies are looking for three men suspected of beating a man in a trailer park before fleeing in a white sedan Friday afternoon. The attack took place in the 3900 block of East Fremont Street about 3:20 p.m. as the victim and his girlfriend were arguing. One assailant, described as a 5-foot-10-inch, 30-year-old man weighing 220 pounds, approached the victim and attacked the man after being told to mind his own business. He pulled a silver handgun from his waistband and pistol-whipped the man before the victim ran away. A gunshot was also fired, but no one was hurt. Two other people were with the attacker, and the car they fled in was possibly a Nissan, according to authorities.
Robbery: Two men stole a child's backpack from a mother after they realized she didn't have any gold or jewelry on her Thursday morning, police reported. The robbery took place as the victim went to drop her kids off at a baby sitter about 4 a.m. at California and Park streets, police said. The two men approached, brandished a handgun and ordered her to hand over her property before fleeing with the bag. Both are described by police as 20 to 25 years old, 6 feet 2 inches tall and 150 pounds.
Robbery: A teenager grabbed two silver chains off a woman's neck as she walked around a central Stockton park Thursday evening, police said. The woman was in the 1000 block of North Pershing Avenue about 6:20 p.m. when the 5-foot-10-inch man weighing 175 pounds grabbed the jewelry and fled in an older, primer-colored sedan. Police say he is in his late teens with dreadlocks and was wearing white shoes with turquoise laces.
Assault with a deadly weapon: A 16-year-old was hospitalized after being wounded in a drive-by shooting in south Stockton on Thursday night, police reported. The shooting took place about 10:30 p.m. at Eighth and D streets as the victim was walking down the street, police said. The assailants were in a brown, unknown-type vehicle and fled in an unknown direction.
Bank robbery: A man with hazel eyes requested a teller put a specific amount of money into a bag before fleeing in a dark Mitsubishi Eclipse with faded paint during a bank robbery Friday afternoon, police said. No one was hurt during the incident in the 2200 block of West March Lane about 12:40 p.m. in which the man handed a teller a note, police said. The robber's car has faded paint on its hood and sides, and he stands about 6 feet tall with a thin build, according to authorities.
Robbery: A man wearing a white paper mask and carrying a knife took money from two cash registers during a business robbery Friday afternoon, police said. The robbery took place in the 5600 block of North Pershing Avenue about 3:30 p.m. The man fled south toward Robinhood Drive, police said.
The California Highway Patrol responded to nine noninjury accidents and four injury accidents in the 24 hours ending at 8 a.m. Friday. CHP officers also arrested six people on charges of driving under the influence and recovered two stolen vehicles.
The Stockton Fire Department responded to 112 calls for service in the 24 hours ending at 8 a.m. Friday, including six vehicle accidents, 83 medical calls and one structure fire.


While “Underground” has been criticized by some — including Snoop Dogg — for its depiction of slavery in America, series star Aldis Hodge says that the WGN America show is about much more than that.
“It’s an amazing show that is really about the foundation of America; the foundation of American superheroes, the foundation of what it takes to persevere and really find your strength and your potential,” Hodge told TheWrap.
“A lot of people are afraid of the idea of enslavement and that’s because it’s tied to so much shame and guilt. … That is the big elephant in the room but a part of why we’re afraid to attack that subject matter is because of the way we’ve been taught about it,” he continued.
In “Underground,” Hodge plays Noah, the leader of a group of slaves who risk their lives on the perilous journey to freedom in the North along the Underground Railroad.
Yet despite the show’s serious subject matter, life on the “Underground” set is actually pretty fun.
Watch Hodge’s full interview above.


Archives|TO CALL DAVIS FIRST IN AVIATION INQUIRY; Acting War Secretary Will Testify Monday, With Wilbur Following on Tuesday. BOARD MAPS ITS PROGRAM Will Seek Data on Government Services and Private Industry -- Summoning of Mitchell Waits.
TO CALL DAVIS FIRST IN AVIATION INQUIRY; Acting War Secretary Will Testify Monday, With Wilbur Following on Tuesday. BOARD MAPS ITS PROGRAM Will Seek Data on Government Services and Private Industry -- Summoning of Mitchell Waits.


While Camping shows an extreme view of the end, belief in an eventual apocalypse is not uncommon in the United States, according to a Pew Research Center survey. The 2006 survey revealed 79 percent of U.S. Christians say they believe in the second coming of Jesus Christ, and 20 percent believe the second coming will happen in their lifetimes.
These "second coming" beliefs are generally tied with an end-of-the-world scenario. Thinking the end is near may actually be comforting to some, say sociologists. For instance, a belief in doomsday may give followers a clear sense of the world and their place in it. Such apocalyptic worldviews may also stem from an overwhelming feeling that one's problems are too big, and, as such, the only possible solution is a clean slate.
Whatever the reasons, these religious apocalypse forecasts all lead to a deflating aftermath, as believers struggle to cope with a doomsday no-show.


Nancy Pelosi rallies to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's defense, demands Matt Whitaker's recusal from Russia probe.
With Democrats set to reclaim control of the House in January and President Trump already infuriating them with the forced resignation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, speculation is rampant over whether they will use that power to pursue impeachment against the president -- or even Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who wants to be speaker, has pushed back on pressure from the base to pursue impeachment, saying earlier this week "that's not what our caucus is about" even as Democratic lawmakers make clear they will pursue other investigations of the administration.
But that pressure from the left to wield the House majority to go after Trump has not gone away.
Billionaire Tom Steyer, who has floated the possibility of a 2020 presidential run and pumped millions into supporting Democratic congressional candidates, told CNN on Wednesday that House Democrats must confront what he called a “lawless” president.
He renewed his call for impeachment proceedings. Steyer months ago launched the “NeedtoImpeach.com” website and is one of the most prominent liberal advocates for ousting Trump.
Meanwhile, Democrats who called for further investigation into Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh over allegations of sexual misconduct (which he has denied) now have the power to pursue just that.
Nadler's office did not immediately respond to a request from Fox News for comment.
White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway cited the reported Nadler comments while discussing the “red-hot tone” in Washington during a “Fox & Friends” interview Thursday.
“You want to talk about red-hot tone … it’s dangerous,” she said, citing the Nadler discussion and other examples.
“If he abuses his office in such a fashion, then there will be consequences,” he said.
Others have joined in those calls.
“The American people like and respect fighters, and they have elected us to put a check on the executive branch,” said Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who, according to The Washington Post said he has been talking to his colleagues about pushing ahead with investigations of Trump, starting with his tax returns.
But Pelosi has urged caution on pushing impeachment -- instead calling for Democrats to focus on issues such as taxes and health care. In a press conference Wednesday, she said Democrats wouldn’t go looking for a fight, but would also investigate when they deemed it necessary.
“We do not intend to abandon or relinquish our responsibility -- Article I, the first branch of government and our responsibilities for accountability, for oversight and the rest. This doesn't mean we go looking for a fight, but it means that if we see a need to go forward, we will,” she said.
Any impeachment push in the House would not only carry political risks but face little chance of succeeding as long as the president's party stands by him -- given that the Senate, where Republicans padded their majority, has the power to convict or acquit.
However, she has said that unearthing Trump's personal tax returns would be "one of the first things we'd do," in an interview with The San Francisco Chronicle, calling it the "easiest thing in the world" to obtain them using statutory authority granted to congressional committees under the Internal Revenue Service code.
Trump has warned Democrats that he could fire back if they pursue such a tactic, as the Senate could start investigations of Democrats.
“They can play that game, but we can play better because we have a thing called the United States Senate and a lot of very questionable things were done, between leaks of classified information and many other elements that should not have taken place,” he said.


A “be on the lookout,” was issued for Francis Roig’s car, which was later spotted on Southwest 24th Street at 79th Avenue. After stopping his car, Roig tried to run, but was caught by officers.
Roig later told police he was mad at his mother and didn’t know whether she was dead or alive when he left, according to Roig’s police report.


Seattle – Digital media company RealNetworks Inc. announced a legal settlement today with longtime adversary Microsoft Corp., ending the last major antitrust case against the world’s largest software maker.
RealNetworks said it had reached three deals with Microsoft worth up to $761 million. That includes a $460 million upfront cash payment to settle the antitrust dispute. Another part of the agreement gives RealNetworks an additional $301 million in cash and services designed to help the company’s products reach a wider audience.
In exchange, RealNetworks agreed to drop all its antitrust claims against Microsoft worldwide.
“Today we’re closing one chapter and opening a new one in our relationship with Microsoft,” Rob Glaser, RealNetworks’ founder and CEO, said in a statement released before a joint news conference.
Seattle-based RealNetworks sued in December 2003, accusing Redmond-based Microsoft of illegally forcing Windows users to accept Microsoft’s digital media player. RealNetworks said its player suffered as a result.
RealNetworks has for years been one of Microsoft’s direct competitors in the growing field of digital music and video. But the smaller company has struggled in the face of its massive rival, which Glaser left to form RealNetworks. Both companies have also found it tough to compete against digital music’s juggernaut: the iPod digital music player from Apple Computer, Inc. and the company’s iTunes online music store and jukebox software.
Today’s settlement is the latest in a series of peace accords that have cost Microsoft several billion dollars in recent years but have also served to put many of the cash-rich company’s legal woes behind it.
In July, Microsoft reached an $850 million deal with International Business Machines Corp. That followed a $1.6 billion settlement with Sun Microsystems Inc. in 2004 and a $750 million truce with America Online, part of Time Warner Inc., in 2003.
Microsoft spokeswoman Stacy Drake said two companies have antitrust cases pending against Microsoft: handheld pioneer Go Computer Inc. and Novell Inc., formerly a major networking software maker and now a top distributor of the Linux operating system.
As part of the settlement, Microsoft is to provide RealNetworks with services supporting product development, distribution and promotion over the next year and a half.
RealNetworks also will take steps to support Microsoft’s MSN Search, and the companies agreed to jointly promote use of Windows Media technologies with Rhapsody to Go, one of RealNetworks’ music subscription services.
“Digital music is one of the fastest-growing segments of the online entertainment industry, and by promoting Rhapsody’s subscription music services from within MSN, we will provide a better experience for our users,” Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said in a statement.
RealNetworks, whose media players distribute audio and video to devices ranging from computers to smart phones, had been the last big commercial opponent in a European Union antitrust case against Microsoft.
In that case, Microsoft was ordered pay 497 million euros ($597 million) and to produce a version of its Windows operating system stripped of its own multimedia player to provide a more level playing field for competitors led by RealNetworks.
Microsoft is complying with the ruling while appealing it.
Today, the EU said the RealNetworks settlement would not affect the looming court clash.
“The role of the (European) Commission is to ensure proper application of EU competition law for the benefit of consumers and companies in Europe,” EU spokesman Jonathan Todd said.


Jose Mourinho begins his next challenge of trying to guide Chelsea to their second successive Premiership title away to Wigan today, but if any of his rivals hoped he was feeling the pressure, they are in for a nasty surprise.
The prospect of having to emulate a remarkable debut season in English football for the Portuguese might unnerve some managers, but Mourinho looks stronger than ever. The 42-year-old surpassed even his wildest boasts last season when Chelsea cruised not only to their first championship for 50 years, but did it by breaking a number of records along the way.
Chelsea were not taken too seriously as challengers by Arsenal and Manchester United before the start of the campaign, but the west London club ended it with a new best points tally in the top flight (95), fewest goals conceded (15), as well as most wins (29) and most clean sheets (24).
The worry for Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson is that Mourinho is feeling more relaxed going into his second season in charge. While some managers never find the time to switch off from the rigours of football, the self-proclaimed 'Special One' has such a strong team of staff at his disposal that he was happy to make two trips to the cinema with his two children this week, despite the start of the season looming.
'What do I do when I relax? I'm with my kids and the other day I went with them to see Fantastic Four ,' Mourinho said. 'For my kids it was the third time in a week, for me it was the second time. When the film was on, I don't think about Chelsea at all.
'Some managers may not be able to switch off, but it is not like that with me. I have the club very well organised, with top people working in different areas. They are in contact with me and I don't need to be involved 24 hours per day or go to the office at Stamford Bridge every day.
'Maybe that is because I have good help. Peter Kenyon [the chief executive] and people are doing their jobs and respecting their areas. We are working the same, but in separate areas. Maybe we have such a good working structure I don't have to be involved in that, but if we are talking purely football, we are organised.
But then it soon becomes clear as to how Mourinho can keep his cool when he starts talking about his life before he hit the big time as a football manager. The former Porto coach was already part of a rare breed in that his playing career was virtually non-existent, but he still got to the top.
However, his remarkable success is not the only thing that sets him apart. While he was learning his profession and coaching Vitoria de Setubal under-18s as a young man, he was also working with disabled children in his home town.
He has said that he would happily be doing the same work if his career had not taken off in the manner it did, but the experience has taught him many valuable lessons, including keeping a sense of perspective when winning the Premiership threatens to become all-consuming.
'I did it for three years and at the same time I was coaching Vitoria de Setubal under-18. I worked from 8am to 2pm and then had a train ing session at 4pm. I was happy. I think it taught me to think that we and especially the players are privileged people and sometimes you create a nightmare for nothing. I realised a lot about these kids and when I think of players and how they can make a war or be unhappy because they are not playing or not selected, it is ridiculous.
'It helped me the same way it helps people who travel to Africa and sees kids who are dying in every corner. I don't feel pressure because I have seen people with real problems. I was enjoying the job very much. You can imagine a kid who cannot walk and after two years the kid is already climbing stairs. It is a big victory.
'When I go home now and again, I see one of the kids because my city is a very small place. Football is less important, but I don't change my life now. I really love what I do and this is the life I always wanted and I don't change for nothing.
But if you think Mourinho is a good role model, he insisted that it is nothing compared with his wife, Tami. Mourinho knows that she will not allow their son and daughter to take their wealth for granted.
'My wife is even more important than me,' he said. 'My wife has a lot of values in that area. She is Portuguese, but because her father was in the military she was born in Angola. She has a big, big feeling with Africa, what is related to Africa, kids dying, bombs and disabled and all the misery in Africa. She is very influenced by that."


AURORA, Colo. -- The new Veterans Affairs hospital in Aurora will end up costing nearly $2 billion.
The FOX31 Problem Solvers spent time over the summer documenting entry and exit points, wondering if the VA would create Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant doorways.
At least two outside access doors are without electronic push buttons that automatically open the entryway.
Inside, additional doors had automatic mechanisms installed, but the devices didn’t work.
The most problematic, persistence barrier leads to the VA’s Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center of “Life Skills” program.
That program has been open to veterans during construction for nearly three years, according to vet Tim Tuttle.
“I’m disabled and have a hard time opening the door and me and my veteran friends have to open the door all the time for people in wheelchairs,” Tuttle said.
Tuttle is part of a leadership team for Life Skills Center. He loves what the program can do for vets and their families. However, the lack of an easy access door has soured some of the participants.
“They’d rather have that handicap access button, so they can do it on their own," he said. "That’s self-sufficiency. When other people have to help them, number one, it’s embarrassing. Two, they feel they’re not self-sufficient. That’s what VA is all about and the Life Skills is about -- to promote confidence.
At this week’s ribbon cutting, Sallie Houser-Hanfelder, the director of the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, was asked about this problem.
"We’re working on the issue of what are and aren’t," Houser-Hanfelder said. "There are some that aren’t accessible to patients. We’re working on that. There’s some push plates we need to put in. The life skills center is in the old building. We’re working on that to get that outer door handicap accessible."
However, hidden cameras found another big problem with access in another area as well: On the ground floor garage next to the spinal injury and trauma center.
New working handicap access doors to get inside from handicap parking spots were found, but only into a short hallway.
The next set of heavy doors, which leads to the care area, are not accessible to anyone in a wheelchair or with other mobility issues.
A few days after that ribbon cutting, and that promise to fix the doors, FOX31 went back to check on the progress.
We not only found more broken, non-compliant ADA doors, we also ran into some resistance to our persistence.
While a camera crew was standing on a sidewalk outside the Life Skills Center getting video of that door, an unidentified VA staff person and public affairs officer Brandy Morrison approached.
“I’m sorry sir. Are you still filming? Can you please stop? You are not authorized to film on campus," Morrison said.
FOX31 immediately left the property and finished recording across the street.
On Wednesday, VA public affairs sent a new statement, addressing the access point near the Life Skills Center.
“Building A’s exterior door was never meant to be a permanent entrance, and beginning July 30, all Veterans will use the building’s primary entry point, which is through the Parking Visitor South entrance, concourse and breezeway," according to the statement.


Several hospitals in Essex have joined forces and formed the Anglia Ruskin Health Partnership, in order to deliver a more integrated social care within that region.
Among the six projects that aim to reach their target, is the implementation of Apple's new iPads into the hospital daily routine. Basildon Hospital is the first facility to pilot the efficiency of the new high-tech tools.
The nurses here are going to rely on electronic charts to supervise their patients. The medical personnel will log on to iPad and record the patients' status, blood pressure, temperature, symptoms, and the evolution of medical conditions.
The integration of iPads in the hospital life is meant to assure a better consistency of medical observation and to enhance health care.
Mike Salmon, interim chairman of the partnership explains that the iPad pilot scheme is one of the many ideas that is simple but with significant benefits to patients. "Nurses go round regularly and take a patient's blood pressure and their temperature.
But what about the other things? "Has the patient got their food, but moreover have they eaten it? When did they last have a drink? When were they last turned over in bed?," detailed Mike Salmon, on the everyday use of the iPads.


A decade ago I was so excited about the possibilities of what we called "downloadable design". This was before affordable 3D printers were even on the market, but about the ability to make what you want where you want when you want it, taking the choice from the retailer and giving it to the consumer.
It is like the music for our iPod; dematerialized bits and bytes put together again where we need it, without the waste of a physical intermediary. In a world where we watch our carbon as closely as our waistline we don't want to be driving to the big box stores; in a world where almost everything can be digitized, why move material when we are interested in ideas, creativity and talent?
The desire for 3-D printing to take over from traditional manufacturing needs to be recognized for what it is: an ideology. Getting all of our goods from a box in the corner of our home has attractive implications, from mass customization to "the end of consumerism." With stakes like those, who wouldn't want to be a true believer.
Advocates of 3-D printing also neglect entirely the fact that so much of what we use continues to be made out of natural substances, and for good reason. By any number of measures, wood is pound-for-pound stronger than steel, and the move toward natural products for packaging suggests that the strength and affordability of paper, bamboo and even mushrooms mean that in the future there will be more and not less of all of these.
I was convinced that it was just too soon in the development of the 3D printers, reminding readers of what we went through with 2D printers, where we all had go through the low res dot matrix phase, and that it took almost 30 years to get to where everyone can own a laser printer. That fancier stereolithographic home printers like the FormLabs machine would give us all the resolution and quality we were looking for. Not.
As Cranz in Gizmodo notes, "the 3D home printer market has quietly crashed in the intervening years—brought down by extremely low-quality print materials, a painfully long and difficult print process, and worst of all, a complete lack of interest from the general public."
I learned CAD programs for architecture and then Rhino for product development, spent years at University getting the skills I needed to be an architect; it's tough. But just like having a plotter doesn't make you an architect, or having a laser printer doesn't make you an author, having a 3D printer doesn't make you an industrial designer. It is exactly that, a printer. At some point soon there will be a critical mass of designs available to be printed and quality high enough to make it worthwhile having.
Clearly, I was wrong about that, and the stuff that one can get is not exactly making the heart pump with desire. Of course, 3D printers and other tools for doing digital fabrication are being used in industry and by hobbyists all over the world and even in space; they just haven't found their place in the home. And remember what Mims titled his post: Why 3-D Printing Will Go the Way of Virtual Reality. VR seems to be getting pretty big right now. Perhaps it is all still just too soon to tell.
It was so big a few years ago; now even Makerbot is throwing in the home 3D printed towel.


Venezuela is to give the American actor Danny Glover almost $18m (£9m) to make a film about a slave uprising in Haiti, with President Hugo Chávez hoping the historical epic will sprinkle Hollywood stardust on his effort to mobilise world public opinion against imperialism and western oppression.
The Venezuelan congress said it would use the proceeds from a recent bond sale with Argentina to finance Glover's biopic of Toussaint Louverture, an iconic figure in the Caribbean who led an 18th-century revolt in Haiti.
It will also give seed money for a film version of The General in His Labyrinth, Gabriel García Márquez's novel about the last days of Simón Bolívar, who liberated much of South America from Spanish colonialism.
Glover, 60, who starred with Mel Gibson in the Lethal Weapon series, and more recently with Eddie Murphy in the film DreamGirls, is a civil rights activist and supporter of Mr Chávez's radical leftwing policies.
A document from the congress's finance commission said the culture ministry would be a partner with Glover and give $17.8m for "scripts, production costs, wardrobe, lighting, transport, makeup and the creation of the whole creative and administrative platform".
The project could mark a breakthrough for Villa del Cine, a new government-funded studio outside the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, which is part of Mr Chávez's effort to combat what he sees as American cultural hegemony.
Glover, who visited Caracas at the weekend, told the Guardian that he would direct the film, titled Toussaint. "It's so advanced that you can taste it. We've scouted locations within 75km [45 miles] of Caracas. I can do everything I need to do with this film from here." He said he had been in talks with the government, but was unaware that a decision had been made until journalists tipped him off about the congress's announcement. "That's the first I've heard of it," he said.
He suggested that there was still some uncertainty over whether the venture would go ahead. "One of the major axioms in theatre is never talk about anything until the deal is signed. There's a lot of deliberation that goes on before something actually happens."
It appeared that the congress timed the announcement to coincide with a media conference in Caracas hosted by the television network Telesur, a Venezuela-funded regional answer to CNN. Glover is on the board.
It would not be the first declaration to run ahead of reality. Mr Chávez once said the director Oliver Stone planned to make a film about him, but it came to nothing. However at the president's request, Villa del Cine, which was inaugurated last year, is making a film about Francisco Miranda, who lit the fuse of South America's liberation. A lavish production with hundreds of extras and battle scenes, its costumes and sets could work for the Haiti film.
Toussaint Louverture is a towering figure in the region's history. A freed slave of African descent, he led thousands of slaves in successful campaigns against British, Spanish and French troops before being betrayed, captured and exiled. He died in 1803, just before his followers succeeded in establishing the island's independence. William Wordsworth wrote a sonnet about him.
Glover said he wanted to educate the US about the story. "It's been essentially wiped out of our historic memory, it's been wiped clean."
The actor is chairman of the TransAfrica Forum, an advocacy group for African Americans and other members of Africa's diaspora, and a vocal critic of the Bush administration. Along with the singer Harry Belafonte, Glover is the best known celebrity supporter of Mr Chávez, whom he considers "remarkable". He is a regular visitor to Venezuela.
Venezuela's congress, which consists entirely of Chávez supporters, also said it would give $1.8m to develop a screen treatment of The General in His Labyrinth, by a Venezuela-born director, Alberto Arvelo. Some rate Gabriel García Márquez's account of the final days of Bolívar along with the Colombian writer's better known novels, One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera.
To build consciousness of what Mr Chávez calls "21st-century socialism", the government has funded nationwide screenings of Charlie Chaplin's classic film Modern Times, about the exploitation of US factory workers during the depression.


380,000 furloughed workers. Nine unfunded agencies. One angry president.
After an eleventh-hour government-funding agreement collapsed amid President Donald Trump’s demands for a border wall, the government partially shut down at midnight.
Earlier this week, the Senate overwhelmingly approved a bipartisan bill to keep the government funded into February. That legislation did not include border wall funding. But on Thursday, Trump threatened to veto the measure, and House Republicans voted it down. The House then added $5 billion in border wall funding to the bill, and passed it Thursday night. But as expected, the measure died in the Senate on Friday, and lawmakers were unable to cobble together another last-minute deal.
Congress has already approved funding for the Defense, Health and Human Services, Energy, Education, Veterans Affairs, and Labor departments. Mandatory spending programs like Social Security and Medicare will also be unaffected. But more than 420,000 government workers will continue to work without pay during the shutdown. Another 380,000 workers will be furloughed, meaning they will not work or get paid during the shutdown.
Contrary to a statement made by Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) to Politico, back pay is not necessarily guaranteed to federal workers—not that it seems to matter to Perry. “Who’s living that they’re not going to make it to the next paycheck?” he quipped. Reps. Don Beyer (D-Va.) and Rob Wittman (R-Va.) have introduced legislation that would provide retroactive pay, but there’s no guarantee that workers will be able to recoup losses if it doesn’t pass.


Silence continues from both the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) and the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) Board, three months after their respective investigations began into the over-$605M emergency purchase of drugs fast-tracked by Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence.
The purchase violated the procurement law of the country and is seen as posing a challenge in particular to the recently established PPC which is supposed to oversee the procurement process and to address breaches. The transaction was drawn to the public’s notice on March 8 this year.
Stabroek News has tried to contact both GPHC Board Chairman Kesaundra Alves and Chairman of the PPC, Carol Corbin over the past week to no avail. Calls to Alves’ mobile phone revealed that it has been turned off while those to Corbin have not been returned.
The PPC’s investigation is expected to provide details on the four emergency contracts and is to outline how ANSA McAL was awarded the bulk of the over $605m purchases without the knowledge of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB). New GPC, the Eccles, East Bank Demerara-based Health 2000 and Canadian entity Chirosyn Discovery were the other suppliers in the emergency process.
The GPHC Board has not said much on its investigations except for Alves stating last month that she will address the matter when the investigation was completed.
Questions have been raised about what is taking the PPC so long when all of the documentary evidence is available for an investigation of the transaction. The length of time taken is also puzzling as the PPC commissioners function on a full-time basis. Lawrence’s admitted role in the process could put her in hot water.
Lawrence’s acknowledgement that she “fast-tracked” the purchase from Trinidad conglomerate ANSA McAl along with three smaller acquisitions, prompted public consternation and calls for an inquiry into the matter.
Lawrence herself asked for the board of the GPHC to investigate the circumstances behind the purchase. Lawrence, in her defence, has said that while she “fast-tracked” the purchases because of the emergency needs of the GPHC, she didn’t have anything to do with the actual procurement.
Lawrence has said that for the first two months of this year, a total of $1,304,439,390 was spent on drugs for the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. The total is nearly double what was spent for the whole of last year.
Also stated was that tenders for the procurement of both pharmaceuticals and medical supplies were invited, except in the instance of the emergency supplies, for which restrictive tendering was used.
Lawrence also told the National Assembly, in response to questions posed by the opposition, that $1,635,070,822 was spent in 2016 for the procurement of drugs. The minister noted in her written response that this sum represented 95.1% of the budgeted allocation for the year.
She further explained that $395,251,668 in supplies were not delivered within the time stipulated by the contracts. Of the three identified suppliers who failed to deliver on time, the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Agency accounted for more than 90% of this sum.
New GPC failed to supply $381,193,319 in products, while ANSA McAl Trading Ltd failed to supply $12,488,630 and Global Healthcare Supplies Inc., $2,569,719.
She has said that all the contracts were publicly advertised and awarded by the NPTAB.


Major players in the industry are holding off on $3 billion to $5 billion in spending on land-based projects, waiting to see if Mainers elect a candidate who will be more open to wind power than Gov. Paul LePage.
Three wind turbines are seen atop a ridge just south of Webb Lake in this aerial photograph taken in 2015. Staff file photo by Gabe Souza Three wind turbines are seen atop a ridge just south of Webb Lake in this aerial photograph taken in 2015.
Wind power developers say they are holding off on billions of dollars in investments in new Maine wind farms until they see whether the next governor will be a friend or foe of renewable energy.
With one Democrat and two liberal independents among the four candidates in the race, the question may come down to whether Republican Shawn Moody wins the election and maintains the anti-wind stance of Gov. Paul LePage.
Now in the final months of his second term, the Republican governor has erected barriers in the path of wind development that have deterred new investments and created a climate of uncertainty.
He said the association’s members are considering projects that represent $3 billion to $5 billion worth of investment, but are waiting to see what happens in November. These members include national and international companies such as NextEra Energy, Longroad Energy Partners and EDP Renewables.
Payne’s comments followed a panel discussion last Tuesday at the American Wind Energy Association’s Northeast conference, held in South Portland. The panel included some of Maine’s top political analysts, who offered their opinions on how wind energy has become swept up in partisan politics and whether that will change after LePage leaves office in January. A strident critic, LePage last winter ordered a moratorium on wind development in most of the state. He more recently created a commission to review – behind closed doors – the impact of wind farms on tourism. The moratorium is being challenged in court, and media outlets are seeking the agenda and member names of the study group.
No new wind farms have started up in Maine since 2016 and no new applications are pending. Politics is just one reason why. Developers must secure power purchase agreements, typically with utilities in southern New England. They also need firm transmission connections to the electric grid. Both are presenting challenges today.
But Matt Kearns, chief development officer at Longroad Energy, said November’s election will matter because political leadership helps set the tone for investment.
Longroad Energy is an example of overseas investment looking to Maine. It’s largely financed by an Australian energy company and a sovereign wealth fund that helps underwrite pension payments in New Zealand. Kearns said the company wants to file an application before year’s end for a 22-turbine project in the Hancock County town of Eastbrook, called Weaver Wind. The project is valued at $140 million.
With 923 megawatts of installed capacity spread over 16 commercial projects, Maine already produces at least four times more wind power than any other state in New England. Last year, wind accounted for 20 percent of the power generated in Maine, according to new data from the federal Energy Information Administration.
Most of the large wind farms in Maine were built to satisfy clean-energy policies in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. They were developed in Maine because the state has miles of remote ridgelines where winds are steady, and a predictable permitting process at the Department of Environmental Protection and Land Use Planning Commission.
And while resistance persists from some residents and citizen groups that oppose the visual and audible impacts of large wind turbines on forested ridgelines, opposition in rural Maine has proved to be less of an obstacle than developers might encounter in more populated parts of New England.
But opponents were buoyed by LePage’s stance and hope to influence the next governor. One group, Friends of Maine’s Mountains, said it’s urging candidates to do a “sober analysis” of wind energy’s negative impacts, versus its benefits.
Against this backdrop, Tuesday’s panel discussion provided some insight into the role of Maine’s next governor in this ongoing debate.
Moderated by Payne, the panel was made up of Hans Kaiser, a principal at Moore Information, a Washington, D.C., opinion research group that has worked extensively in Maine; Lance Dutson, a Republican political and campaign strategist; David Farmer, a Democratic campaign strategist and former deputy chief of staff for Gov. John Baldacci; and Ben Gilman, senior government relations attorney at the Maine State Chamber of Commerce.
Farmer recounted how a special task force set up by Baldacci led to Maine’s 2008 Wind Energy Act, which set ambitious goals for wind development and sped up permits in certain areas of the state. Energy prices were high then, a deep recession looming. But any consensus around the benefits of wind power has faded, he said, replaced by a sharp ideological divide.
That divide, Dutson said, has widened into a “cultural and tribal schism” that defies traditional Republican values. Cutting red tape and setting up zones favorable to industry should be embraced by Republicans as a model for attracting other businesses, he said.
In the current partisan divide, Republicans tend to be against wind power, while Democrats are for it. But it’s not that simple when looking to who might be elected Maine’s next governor, Kaiser said.
Democrats, he said, are more likely to support a Republican who favors wind power, but not the other way around. He cited Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, a Republican governor bringing investment to his state by supporting offshore wind energy, in part by working across party lines.
That led Gilman to make this observation: In his view, the two independent candidates in the race – Alan Caron and Terry Hayes – are essentially Democrats. Janet Mills is a Democrat. So Shawn Moody, the Republican, is really running against three Democrats.
Both Gilman and Dutson said they expect Moody to be Maine’s next governor. Farmer said he thinks Mills will win.
Whoever wins, Payne said, that person will need to repair Maine’s reputation, if it wants to welcome investment from the renewable energy industry. LePage, Payne noted, boasted in 2011 about erecting a sign near Maine’s southern border on Interstate 95, proclaiming the state “open for business.” But that’s hasn’t been true for clean energy, he said.
Picking up on that theme, Farmer asked the audience at the wind conference – many of them industry professionals from outside Maine – if they had heard of Maine’s governor.
Then Farmer asked if anything they heard was good.
It was hard to see any hands raised.


Something is new in the BU dining halls, have you noticed? Vegan and Vegetarian-friendly Tofu Scramble is now being tested during breakfast hours (7-11AM) in all of the dining halls!
For those of you not familiar with the dish, a tofu scramble is basically the same as regular scrambled eggs, just with tofu instead. It’s a classic vegan recipe that provides a hearty, filling meal with plenty of protein. Although it’s a staple for most vegans and some vegetarians, many of us have never tried (or even heard of) the dish. So what brought about the change?
According to Sabrina Pashtan, BU Sustainability was approached by the Vegetarian Society to create more vegan options at breakfast. And, as we all know, BU takes its vegetarian/vegan population very seriously. In fact, our current residence cycle menu boasts 80% vegetarian friendly recipes and twice a month, BU holds Make a Difference Mondays, which promote even more vegetarian and vegan options.
“This is a great way for lacto-vegetarians and vegans who do not eat eggs as a nutritious source of protein in the morning” says Sarah Butler, Sargent Choice Nutrition Center registered dietitian.
“ …I think it’s wonderful. Contamination with eggs was not an issue – they had a separate pan and spatula for the tofu… It’s wonderful to have a filling vegan option at breakfast.” Says Graham Boswell, a member of BU’s Vegetarian Society.
As of right now, the tofu scramble is only in the testing phase – so make sure you try it out in case it disappears! Even if you aren’t vegan, a tofu scramble could provide satisfying new meal idea.
Since tofu is a sponge for flavors, load up on veggies such as tomatoes and onions so more flavor can be infused in each bite!
Don’t be afraid to take advantage of the dining halls’ ample sauce selection – soy sauce is surprisingly good in this instance.
On the go? Try putting it in a whole-wheat wrap for a quick and portable breakfast burrito.
So the next time you want some scrambled eggs, try the new tofu scramble! And please, tell us what you think!
Tofu is so yummy! and its health benefits are also mind bowing. Breakfast is the best time to take it.
I had this for breakfast this morning in shelton. SO delicious. the turmeric is a great addition- wonderful on a toasted english muffin too.
Actually i am a pure vegetarian so tofu can be a best option for me as a breakfast And also good for health.
I am glad a found this article;it prompted me to do more research. I have been in the soy is bad for you unless it is fermented camp, but what I found has changed my view. One good article recommended eating or drinking soy in moderation, and to choose organic and non-GMO.


MANILA, AUGUST 30, 2012 (CANADIAN BUSINESS.COM) By AP — Flag-carrier Philippine Airlines signed a $7 billion deal on Tuesday to buy 54 Airbus jets as part of an ambitious plan to overhaul its fleet to meet higher demands of transporting passengers and cargo in Asia, the Middle East and Australia, airline officials said.
PAL President Ramon Ang said the first batch of about a dozen wide-body A330-300s and A321s would be delivered in January while the rest of the aircraft would be put in service in the next three years.
The acquisition, the largest single aircraft order ever made by a Philippine carrier, would more than double the airline's passenger and cargo handling capacity and signals an expansion phase after Philippine food and beer conglomerate San Miguel Corp. acquired major stakes in PAL and its affiliate budget carrier Air Philippines Corp. earlier this year.
PAL also plans to buy another 46 aircraft from Airbus and other manufacturers, including Boeing, Ang told a news conference.
"The orders we are placing with Airbus will play a key role in revitalizing PAL and growing trade and tourism in the country," PAL chairman Lucio Tan said.
Twenty-six of the 100 airplanes the airline wants to buy would be for long-distance journeys, like Manila to New York and to Paris, Ang said.
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland suggested American officials have lobbied for Boeing to get the aircraft deal with PAL but added the awarding of the contract to Airbus would not affect Washington's relations with the Philippines, which has been bolstered in recent years.
Asked if the U.S. government lobbied for the Philippines to award the deal to Boeing over Airbus, Nuland said: "We always advocate for U.S. companies, particularly when there's a big contract at stake."
"But, you know, nations make sovereign decisions and they make them based on their own set of criteria," Nuland said.
A Philippine Airlines official said the company awarded the huge contract based purely on business criteria and without prejudice to any company. The official spoke on condition of anonymity for lack of authority to talk to reporters.


The business partner of a Gold Coast man killed in an execution-style shooting 20 years ago has faced a Queensland court charged with murder.
Neil Pentland, 68, has been remanded in custody after a brief appearance in Southport Magistrates Court on Tuesday where he was charged with murdering his business partner Philip Carlyle in 1997.
Another man, 66, will face the same court on Wednesday charged with being an accessory after the fact, while a 69-year-old woman has been charged with making a false or misleading statement and will appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on July 11.


Plans. They are essential for educators. The more organized we are, the better we are able to cover what needs to be covered to ensure student learning.
First we look at what needs to be achieved at the end, and then we plan backward to ensure that all of the necessary pieces are taught for success of the goal.
If we do this planning over the summer before the student rosters become available or we have taught the class in the past and are modifying based on prior student feedback or reflection, we often set plans that will likely need adjusting once we meet our new students.
This year my AP class has 34 students. It's right at the cap of acceptable size. It is likely all or most of them belong in an AP class, but the dynamic of this group is extremely different than last year's. Although I had the whole year planned out, (at least an outline of it), I'm realizing after a couple of weeks, it needs a major revision.
These students are very anxious and chatty. Last year's group was not as big and more laid back. The pace I had originally planned to keep will have most of the students in this class falling behind and possibly even giving up, so something needs to change.
Perhaps it would be advisable right now, to take out a unit and go deeper into the ones that are selected. This way there is less content, but the skills can still be covered inside of the topics used.
Students can get involved in order to make a decision about which unit changes or gets tossed. I can poll the group and take their feedback into consideration.
Group work will have to look different too. The space in the room is limited. Already with the first group assignment underway, we spilled out into the hallway, necessarily not just for quiet. We don't have enough tables for all of the groups.
Technology is going to be necessary to help ease some of the challenges of the size. Unfortunately, even our cart doesn't have enough laptops for all of the students in the class. One way I plan on assisting this group is setting up a half hour Twitter chat twice a week to answer questions using the class hashtag #wjpsaplit.
More time will need to be allotted for classwork because transitions take longer than I'm used to. Either fewer transitions will need to be made in each class which will also be another thing to consider or I will need to find some kind of new social cue like music or lights that will help students move from one activity to the next.
More flexibility will be necessary. I will be tested all the time to realize that my will is only part of the equation. Yes, I know what the kids need to learn by the end of the course, but how we get to that end point must be determined together with the students. I'm open to shift as needed.
Pacing learning is a huge part to teaching. It's something I've always had a challenge with, but over the years have made some progress. As I meet more students and different situations, learning to read the room, check accurate progress of every child and make sure to really listen.


Dave Leitao got a second chance.
When DePaul men’s basketball began their search process for a new coach in March after Oliver Purnell resigned after five seasons, Leitao even admitted that he didn’t expect a call gauging his interest in returning to Chicago. Leitao previously served as the Blue Demons head coach from 2002 to 2005 before leaving for Virginia. He was, perhaps, DePaul’s last successful head coach with two National Invitational Tournament appearances and an NCAA tournament bid.
But to say the circumstances have drastically changed since Leitao last sat on the bench at the Allstate Arena would be an understatement.
College basketball has evolved, and year after year, the seats at Allstate Arena remain mostly empty and DePaul has been left in the dust. As Leitao becomes the third head coaching hire of Athletic Director Jean Lenti Ponsetto, it’s up to him to turn the program around with a rare second chance.
“We’re here to win this season and turn things around as quickly as possible,” Leitao said. “What that means in wins and losses, as I’m often asked, I don’t know if I buy into that. I’m just trying to be better today than I was yesterday.
Doug Bruno, too, got a second chance.
In 1988, Bruno returned to take over DePaul women’s basketball program after previously serving a two-year stint as head coach for the 1976-77 and 1978-79 seasons.
By comparison, Bruno has continued to take DePaul to new heights in college basketball. The Blue Demons have reached the tournament 13 years in a row (and take pride in doing it) in a fun-to-watch style.
It’s not fair to assume, however, that just because Bruno had success in his return that it will work out for Leitao. The men’s and the women’s game have certainly been on different paths results wise, and it’s troubling for men’s basketball due to the large importance to the university, given how it funds other sports.
According to publicly made records, men’s basketball in 2013 earned $6,282,582 in reported revenue while women’s basketball took in $2,926,026. That amount was also the university’s lowest amount of men’s basketball team revenue since 2008 ($3,257,409). The women’s revenue, though, has increased every year since 2007, with 2013 being their highest earning year yet. Reporting data for 2014 was not yet available.
Attendance has also declined over the years. The 2014-15 season was a reported 6,238 average — DePaul’s lowest since Leitao’s first year in 2002-03 with 6,054. Attendance has declined every year since 2007, when it fell from 10,145 to 9,262.
Leitao is tasked with turning around a DePaul program that has lost at least 20 games in six of the last seven seasons. In the months since he was re-introduced to the DePaul community at a press conference, Leitao has spent time getting past first impressions and further trying to get to know his players.
And for the most part, he’ll be doing it with largely the same parts.
11 of DePaul’s 17 players are returning, most of whom are expected to be major contributors.
It’s hard not to notice the emphasis on culture that Leitao has put on the first few months. When he spoke at the annual Chicago College Basketball luncheon in late October, Leitao stressed the micro-managing process in order to rebuild the DePaul program into something fans can be proud of.
Of course, there’s a reputation Leitao brings as well. His teams, from his previous three-year stint at DePaul to Virginia, have largely been known for their rebounding and their stout defense.
But stressing rebounding and defense is something that Purnell kept repeating also. It’s one thing to talk about it, but another to put players in a better position to get rebounds or make defensive stops.
“My first meeting with the coaching staff, I knew there was going to be a change,” junior forward Tommy Hamilton IV said. “For the first time ever, I’ve been on a staff that’s hungry. Our practices are grit and bumping. We’re getting a lot more after it. Before every practice, we have to run the mile. We’re just trying to do everything before we’re ready to go.
There is also a schematic defensive change that the Blue Demons will undergo. Purnell’s ran a deny defense, but Leitao will utilize a “pack-line” defense, which emphasizes the ability to clog lanes and prevent dribble penetration through a sagging man-to-man defense.
It’s unknown how the changes will impact DePaul, but it’s the inconsistency in the group that needs to be fixed. Last season, the Blue Demons went a disappointing 6-6 in non-conference play before jumping out to a 5-2 record in the Big East. They finished the season, however, with losing 11 of their last 12 games. It was a group that showed flashes and some maddening tendencies.
NCAA-quality team by developing an intense, high-pressure offense. In some ways, it’s an opposite approach from Leitao.
For the women this season, though, one challenge will be to match the quality of offense from the past two seasons. They will be looking to replace the production of Brittany Hrynko, Megan Rogowski and Centrese McGee.
“What you did last year sets up a mindset of expectation … but you still have to put the ingridents together to make sure it comes out okay,” he later added.
But for the most part, Bruno and his group are in a prime position to three-peat as Big East champions. He continues to make the most of his second opportunity at DePaul, heading into his 30th season.
For Leitao to make the most of his second chance, he said he has to change the culture.


January is a cruel month. To try to avoid noticing it, most of us choose to stay inside and watch a lot of television until the skies lighten. Yet, knowing our habits and fully aware that this month officially contains the most depressing day of the year, BBC1 scheduled Surviving Disaster – The Munich Air Crash on January 10, while Five drizzles John Barnes’ Football Night at us every time we make it through to Friday.
Surviving Disaster intercut dramatised scenes with contemporary footage to tell the story of the air crash that destroyed Matt Busby’s first great side. Going very heavy on Dramatic Irony, various players tell wives they’ll be back in three days, or ask girlfriends to meet them off the plane on Friday, and Matt Busby is asked to “bring them back in one piece”. Bearing in mind these were the pioneering days of European competition – and further bearing in mind United’s plane to Bilbao had been forced to land in a field the previous year – we can be sure these kind of exchanges took place before Munich.
However, cramming them all into three minutes of pre-flight dialogue and then scoring a bit of turbulence on the way to Belgrade with hysterical strings could be seen as overcooking the thing. When the United players enter their dressing room bantering in cheery but austere Fifties style, things steer dangerously close to an episode of Heartbeat, the jaw muscles preparing to clock off as we instinctively realise we don’t have to think anymore. Then the actors running up the tunnel in bright red suddenly change into the real men in black and white running on to the pitch and the impact is immediate and painful. Surviving Disaster could have dwelt on the team’s exploits before the crash and the rebuilding afterwards, but it only ever claimed to be a disaster reconstruction and, like all of its kind, succeeded by prodding the big sore point – the human fear that events in our universe are totally arbitrary and we are unregulated and unwatched.
Speaking of “unwatched”, I videotaped John Barnes’ Football Night, but for some reason it didn’t record. I definitely pressed the button and the red circle came on. I believe the machine rejected it.
On a more positive note, I’d like to put forward Adrian Chiles as the most likeable person on television. In fact, with Peter Glaze dead and Sweep not doing so much TV work these days, there are surprisingly few contenders. Not only does Chiles get on very well with the more likeable panellists (Gordon Strachan, for example), Chiles is looked down upon on account of his lack of match experience by the less likeable ones (namely, school bully Hansen), a sure sign of the man’s greatness. His curiosity – in itself, a trait unique in a football anchor – is aimed at players’ and officials’ human sides, leading him away from the traditional type of question (“Is it too early to talk about this game being a six-pointer, Lawro?”) that fill one with an unmasterable ennui on a weekly basis. When Chiles does run out of inspiration and comes out with a cliche, he has the decency to acknowledge the fact and deliver the thing in a bumbling fashion. This is the likeability of the man.
Ian Wright continues in his efforts, along with Lawro and Alan Hansen, to make the BBC’s football panel the most relaxed in the land. At the Burton Albion FA Cup replay, Hansen gave his customary impersonation of a man waiting for a cab to take him to his proper job. Wright, meanwhile, reacted to Gary Lineker’s first question by leaving it to Hansen and turning 90 degrees in his swivel chair to gaze out of the window. He repeated this behaviour several times, straining for the view below him when perhaps he might have been at least listening to Alan’s answer if the question didn’t interest him personally. Of course, Ian was the kind of child who wouldn’t sit still on long car journeys and only coloured in one half of the clown’s hair before wandering off to stare at a burst water main, but he’s on television now in something approaching formal wear. He must surely learn to sit still for the ten minutes or so he has to be on camera. You can run around outside later, Ian, when boring old Lineker’s pissed off to a Japanese restaurant.
My favourite sentence of the month appeared on the same transmission. Gary Lineker, introducing a report on the aftermath of Albion’s draw with Man Utd, said: “Garth Crooks enjoyed the euphoria.” This is a fantastic word grouping. I have tried several times to visualise Garth Crooks enjoying the euphoria but I cannot do it. What Garth Crooks enjoys simply doesn’t exist in nature.


Pilgrim Festival Chorus (PFC), one of the region’s principal non-profit community choruses, invites singers to open auditions at two Welcome Nights on Monday, January 14 and Monday, January 21, at 6:30 pm. Music Directors William B. Richter and Elizabeth Chapman Reilly greet interested singers at Faith Community Church (formerly United Methodist Church), 29 Carver Road, Plymouth, to answer questions about PFC and audition attendees for vocal placement. Rehearsals for the spring season begin at 7 pm immediately following auditions.
In 2019, PFC launches its 20th season with two concerts with orchestra, one in its hometown of Plymouth, and a second performance at the new Scituate Center for Performing Arts. Spring repertoire includes Mozart’s masterwork Requiem, one of the best-known choral pieces ever composed, and a setting of John Dryden’s poem, Ode to Saint Cecilia, by Massachusetts composer Clifton J. Noble. The Ode was commissioned by the Assabet Valley Mastersingers in 1998 as a companion piece to Mozart’s Requiem, a fitting companion for this concert series.
PFC’s inaugural performance at the Scituate Center for Performing Arts features a collaboration with Scituate High School’s Select Choir under the direction of four-decade educator and PFC Director William B. Richter. The Select Choir is an auditioned ensemble of nearly 60 high school singers who will spend their spring classes immersed in these works as part of their school curriculum. The partnership results in a performance featuring more than 140 multi-generational voices in Scituate, a landmark achievement for the Chorus, as well as an extraordinary learning opportunity for both the students and adult singers. The collaboration is supported in part by a grant from Scituate Cultural Council, in addition to funds contributed by several other regional Cultural Councils.
PFC is an auditioned choral group with about 80 active members representing all skill levels, dedicated to the performance of choral music in many genres. The group typically performs major concerts in the winter and spring each year. Pilgrim Festival Singers, a PFC offshoot ensemble, performs an annual summer concert of lighter music, and occasionally sings at local community events.
Rehearsals for the spring season are held on Monday nights from 7 to 9 pm. Performances will be held on Saturday, April 27 at 7:30 pm at St. Bonaventure Parish, Plymouth, and Sunday, April 28 at 4 pm at the Scituate Performing Arts Center, Scituate. Tickets for the performances will be available at PFC’s website after the new year.
For more information about membership and auditions, contact William Richter at 781-789-3343 or by email at director@pilgrimfestivalchorus.org. For more information about this season's schedule and repertoire, please visit the PFC website at pilgrimfestivalchorus.org, email info@pilgrimfestivalchorus.org, or follow Pilgrim Festival Chorus on Facebook.


Cybersecurity threats against the U.S. are growing, President Barack Obama said in advance of a Wednesday meeting with corporate leaders about the issue, as concerns rise about hacking attacks originating in China.
Speaking in a television interview, Obama stopped short of echoing concerns expressed by some lawmakers that the country is engaged in an electronic war with China.
"You always have to be careful with war analogies ... there's a big difference between them engaging in cyberespionage or cyberattacks and, obviously, a hot war," Obama told ABC News in the interview, which was taped on Tuesday but aired on Wednesday.
"What is absolutely true is that we have seen a steady ramping up of cybersecurity threats."
Some of the threats are "absolutely" sponsored by governments, the president said. "Some are state sponsored. Some are just sponsored by criminals."
"We've made it very clear to China and some other state actors that we expect them to follow international norms and abide by international rules," Obama said, adding that Washington has already had "some pretty tough talk" with other countries.
Cyberattacks can cost billions of dollars, lead to stolen industry secrets and place the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage, he said.
Obama is scheduled to meet with a group of CEOs at the White House later in the day to solicit their input on how the government and private sector together can improve U.S. security for the Internet, online databases and more. The White House has not yet named the executives.
The meeting comes after U.S. authorities said they were investigating reports that the president's family had been hit by hacking.
In the interview, Obama said that he did not know whether reports were true that hackers had posted financial and personal information online about his wife, Michelle, along with other high-profile Americans.
"It would not shock me if some information ... among people who presumably have pretty good safeguards against it, still gets out," he said.
Obama signed an executive order a month ago directing authorities to improve information sharing on cyberthreats. However, such orders do not carry the weight of law, and Obama told ABC that Congress has to act.
A Senate cybersecurity bill last year failed to pass and was opposed by business groups.
"There are ways that we can harden our critical infrastructure, our financial sector," Obama said. "They need to get this done."


'To Kill A Mockingbird' by Harper Lee.
A school district in Mississippi decided to remove To Kill A Mockingbird from its curriculum because the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, which deals with issues of race and civil rights, made people uncomfortable.
The Biloxi, Miss. district’s decision to stop assigning the acclaimed book by Harper Lee last week has revived a debate of censorship across the country. School administrators and faculty have not specified with prompted them to remove To Kill a Mockingbird from the eighth grade reading list, the Sun Herald reports.
To Kill A Mockingbird has been one of the most consistently challenged or banned books since its release in 1960, according to the American Library Association’s list of censorship attempts. A number of those instances were over Lee’s use of a racial slur about black people.
Holloway added the book would remain in the school library, but the eighth graders would study another book in place of the 45-day Mockingbird lesson plan. Biloxi superintendent Arthur McMillan said the school teaching materials “may change periodically, according to a statement obtained by the Sun Herald.
The decision has been met with widespread backlash with many taking to Twitter to express their outrage.
Arne Duncan, President Obama’s former secretary of education, rallied support on Twitter for reading To Kill a Mockingbird.


What Gives Me Hope That there are hundreds of thousands of caring people in every country - a global movement for peace, ecological restoration and sustainability.
1. Create regional and local currency systems, and banks with interest-free loans.
2. Educate people to become more interested in traditional customs and cultures and be more open-minded.
4. Use what is left of the oil to make solar, wind, hydro power systems to run everything incl. lots of public transport.
What/who changed my life and why Elizabeth West's "Hovel in the Hills" - her and her husband's journey of self-sufficiency on a remote few acres in North Wales is inspirational.
Have a wonderful Birthday Debby !
Have a Happy Birthday June 15th!!


Microsoft Attacks Chrome: No Fooling!
Google may have an overall great reputation, but those in the know are very concerned with how the company deals with privacy. Simply put, Google knows a lot about what we do and hangs onto that information like grim death.
Now Microsoft claims the Chrome browser is designed to collect even more of our private actions. According to Microsoft, Chrome is little more than a keylogger, whereas IE 8 takes pains to protect your Internet comings and goings. The crux is that Chrome combines the search and address bars, so when you type in a URL is goes to Google just like any other search.
Skeptics point out that if you use Chrome and have Bing as your default search, those URL request get sent to Microsoft!
What do you think of how Microsoft and Google deal with privacy? How much privacy should we expect online? Send your most public thoughts to dbarney@redmondmag.com.


Cabinet minister David Parker said he acted with Cabinet's authority in seeking an exemption for the Te Arai property development at Mangawhai involving two iwi from the impacts of the Overseas Investment Amendment Bill.
Parker told Parliament he had presented a Cabinet paper dated March 22 recommending that a "transitional period" be provided for the development, and the transitional exemption was approved by Cabinet on April 3.
Parker said a submission to the select committee about the impact of the proposed law on the development involved two iwi was the first time that he or his office had become aware of it.
He was answering questions from the National Party which opposed the exemption.
The submission was made to the Finance and Expenditure select committee by the three parties behind the development, Georgina Connelly of Te Uri o Hau, Mook Hohneck of Ngati Manuhiri, and John Darby of Darby Partners.
The high-end development involves two former Crown forests acquired by Te Uri o Hau and Ngati Manuhiri as commercial redress for their Treaty of Waitangi settlements, the 616ha Mangawhai North Forest where 46 house sites are planned, and the 754ha Mangawhai South Forest where 60 house sites are planned.
"Due to the required price point for such home sites to be economical, and the relatively small size of the New Zealand/Australian buyer pool in this price point, such a purchaser pool is necessarily going to be a wider international one," their submission said.
The main aim of the bill was to ban the sale of existing houses to foreign speculators but some exemptions have been made, including for foreign speculators to buy and keep units in apartments of more than 20 units.
The bill as reported back from the Finance and Expenditure committee also included a special exemption for Te Arai from the ban for 15 years.
It was ruled out of order by Speaker Trevor Mallard because combining a public bill and what should have been a private bill was against the rules of the House.
National MPs on the select committee opposed a special exemption for Te Arai, arguing in its minority report that the Clerk of the House had advised the committee it was against standing orders.
Treasury advised the select committee the exemption would be within the rules.
"The advice we received from Treasury, which was also provided to the select committee, that this development is of great significance to these iwi - it's the largest asset they own," Parker said.
Parker also revealed that Treasury had advised against an exemption for Treaty-based land.
In an earlier question to Acting Prime Minister Winston Peters he launched a strong defence of Parker's character under questioning from National leader Simon Bridges.
Bridges asked Peters if he would have expected Parker to seek Cabinet Office advice about managing the appearance of a conflict of interest over the proposed exemption "if it came to light that David Parker has at any time provided legal advice to John Darby."
Peters said "I know Mr Parker. He's a man of integrity and a man of honour. What he says in the truth."


Join Ann Curry for dramatic reunions between people whose lives intersected on 9/11. Patrick searches for the stranger who comforted him after the disaster, while Timothy hopes to thank the fellow chaplain who gave him the strength to carry on.
It’s very rare that the course of a nation – and the world – changes in a single day. But that’s what happened on September 11, 2001. For two men, in very different walks of life, it was the kindness of strangers that helped them survive the trauma of the day and of the intervening years.
On September 11, 2001, Patrick Anderson was in New York for a conference at the Marriott World Trade Center, the 22-storey hotel that sat between the famous Twin Towers. At 8:46 am, he was dressing for the day when the North Tower was hit by a hijacked airliner, American Airlines flight 11. Patrick was among the tens of thousands of people fleeing the complex when, at 9.03am, the South Tower was hit by a second hijacked plane, United Airlines flight 175.
Several blocks away, an exhausted Patrick sought sanctuary in Stuyvesant High School, where pupils were gathered in caps and gowns for yearbook photographs. In this moment of isolation and despair, a stranger – Emily Maroney - approached him. Emily, the photographer’s assistant, took Patrick’s arm and told him he looked like he needed a hug.
For the next three hours, Emily took him under her wing as together they fled up the crowded West Highway, back to the studio where she worked. She shared her lunch with Patrick, then helped him make contact with his family and make a plan of where to go next. Only once she knew he was safe did she make her own way home.
Now 58, Patrick has never forgotten Emily’s kindness. He is wants to reconnect with her and find out what became of his Guardian Angel.
As Patrick Anderson was running for his life in New York, another horrific attack was unfolding in Washington DC: At 9:37am, a third hijacked plane was deliberately crashed into the Pentagon.
Just a few miles away from the crash site, U.S. Army Chaplain Timothy Mallard was at home looking after his sick children when he heard the plane strike. In the days that followed, Timothy was assigned to provide pastoral care and support to the hundreds of soldiers and emergency workers at the crash site, including a FEMA team from Tennessee whose task was to make the building safe before recovering the victims.
By Timothy’s fourth continuous day absorbing the grief of others, his own emotional wellbeing and faith was beginning to fail him. Following an impromptu service in the Pentagon grounds, he collapsed in a state of distress.
Just at that moment, when it seemed his faith had deserted him, a fellow chaplain appeared by his side to offer words of comfort. Though they did not speak for long enough for Timothy to discover his name, he recalls that the Good Samaritan was a coastguard chaplain. His warm support gave Timothy the strength to continue his mission, not only at the Pentagon crash site but also in his army career since 2001, in which he served in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
Now Timothy wants to meet the mystery minister again to thank him for giving him the strength to carry on.


If you're looking for an update on what the Friday Night Lights band Crucifictorious has been up to since the series ended in 2011, consider your curiosity mildly sated. The band has reunited on a mini webisode of Parenthood, which means — hooray! — that Crucifictorious stayed together even after Lance Landry went off to Rice.
The bad news, however, is that Devon and Landry have kicked original drummer Jimmy out of the band. Oh, and that you have to watch the following episodes at NBC.com.


Some of the US' best secrets are out since former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden released thousands of classified documents about government surveillance in one of the most significant leaks in US history. He has been charged with espionage and has been living in Russia under temporary asylum.
What does it mean to live in a surveillance state? Fault Lines investigates the fallout over the NSA's mass data collection programmes by speaking to the people at the centre of the story, including journalist Glenn Greenwald and NSA director Keith Alexander.
The NSA's goal really is the elimination of privacy globally; it is literally a system to monitor all forms of human behaviour in the United States - which is the ultimate surveillance state.
Greenwald tells Fault Lines how he got the Snowden documents, what the main revelations are, and why people should care. He lives in Brazil and has not returned to the US since he broke the story about the NSA surveillance programmes.
We also speak with William Binney, an NSA whistleblower who tells us the main turning point was 9/11, when the NSA vastly expanded its programmes and began collecting the data of Americans, not just foreigners as they had been before.
After the 9/11 attacks, surveillance also became more pervasive at the local level. We decided to speak to a group of people who definitely know their being spied on.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) began a programme with the help of two former CIA officials, to surveil Muslim life at all levels: mosques, cafes, infiltrating organisations and student groups.
We speak to a young Muslim student who talks about what it feels like to be under constant surveillance, and also meet Linda Sarsour, the executive director of a local community organisation called the Arab American Association of NY (AAANY).
The NYPD had a plan to infiltrate the board of AAANY, a centre that caters to immigrant women, children. She tells us what the implications of the programme is for the local Muslim community and discusses the effects.
We also speak to law professor Ramzi Kassem who analyses these policies as well as a psychologist who discusses the psychological effects of mass surveillance.
Finally, we come to Washington DC, where the NSA programme is being debated in the halls of Congress. We attend hearings on the hill, where General Keith Alexander and director James Clapper are being questioned; we hear from members of Congress from across the political spectrum about it; and we even get a chance to ask General Alexander questions ourselves.
Mass surveillance without due process threatens to stifle and smother dissent, keeping a populace cowed by fear.


Mike Papantonio and Farron Cousins discuss Judges acting in favor of Debt collection agencies and putting people in jail for not paying their bills. Mike then talks with Brigida Santos about the immunity gun manufacturers enjoy for selling weapons of war to civilians. Then Mollye Borrows talks about the alarming re-emergence of black lung disease.


The National Space Council has approved four recommendations that seek to introduce changes to commercial space regulations, SpaceNews reported Wednesday.
Vice President Mike Pence, chair of the council, and other NSC members cleared the recommendations during their second public session Wednesday at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The council’s first recommendation calls on the Transportation Department to streamline the space launch and re-entry licensing process by March 2019.
The council also suggested the consolidation of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s commercial remote sensing regulatory affairs office and the space commerce office into a single body under the office of the Commerce Department’s secretary.
The council also asked the Commerce Department and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to collaborate with the Federal Communications Commission to facilitate commercial space operations by developing measures designed to protect the radiofrequency spectrum.
The fourth recommendation also calls for Scott Pace, the council’s executive secretary, to work with other NSC members to come up with export control reform recommendations by the end of 2018.
The recommendations came two months after NASA formed a new advisory group to advise and inform the council on various space-related issues.


Kings Of Leon have revealed new track ‘Wait For Me’. Scroll up to hear the song in full now.
‘Wait For Me’ is the latest song to be taken from the US band’s forthcoming sixth studio album ‘Mechanical Bull’, due for release on September 24. Fans pre-ordering the album from iTunes will receive ‘Wait For Me’ instantly, ahead of the rest of the album. The band will perform a special show at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire this Friday (August 9) ahead of a headline slot at V Festival 2013.
Bassist Jared Followill told NME in March of this year: “I thought we were going to make a really mature album but I’m amazed how youthful it sounds.” Since then, Jared has revealed that the album is “more musically complicated” than the band’s previous efforts. In a Q&A with fans on Twitter in May 27, he also said the “vibe” of the record could be compared to their first two albums – 2003’s ‘Youth & Young Manhood’ and 2004’s ‘Aha Shake Heartbreak’ – but that the songs sounded like a “culmination” of all their previous work.