We're featuring several 4/20-related activities/desserts in this week's "The 7."
The 7: Things to do this weekend including charming banter!
Hey, who wants to touch a truck?!?!?
The 7: Things to do this weekend, including the Mardi Gras that never ends!
From Literary Women to the closing of Hello, Welcome, there's plenty to do starting Thursday and throughout the weekend.
The 7: Things to do in Long Beach this weekend, including Mardi Gras parades!
Take a historic tour through Downtown, join the Mardi Gras festivities and learn all about dragon boat racing this weekend.
The 7: Things to do this weekend including… Nuns kicking it!
This week, "The 7" features great Americans, blasphemous rumors, wonderful causes, Lint Ladies and kicking nuns.
This week's "The 7" is jam-packed with live music events Thursday through Saturday and a couple chill Sunday happenings.
You may have noticed this column was written/hijacked by my dear friend and colleague Asia Morris last week. “The 7” Classic Edition is back this week with stuff to do every day of the weekend, though mostly on Saturday.


To follow the TDC trade from Chris Johnson – and potentially double your money in as little as two weeks – here are your instructions.
Buy: TDC March 16, 2018, $40 Calls (TDC180316C00040000). They recently traded for $2.77.


The UK government deficit widened unexpectedly in August, handing Philip Hammond disappointing news ahead of the autumn budget.
Public sector net borrowing last month, excluding the nationalised banks, grew by £2.4bn to £6.8bn compared with August a year ago, according to the Office for National Statistics.
City economists expected the deficit, which is the gap between government spending and tax receipts, to improve by about £1bn. The figures showed slower-than-forecast growth in tax income of 1.6% compared with a year ago, exacerbated by an increase in spending across government departments of 5.4%.
What is the budget deficit and why does it matter?
The deficit is the shortfall between government income and spending as measured each month by the Office for National Statistics. Tax receipts make up the vast majority of income, while spending on welfare, schools, healthcare and pensions make up most of its outgoings.
Successive governments have racked up deficits since 2000-2001, the last time Britain recorded a budget surplus. The deficit ballooned after the financial crisis as the economy went into recession.
When the government spends more than it receives, this adds to the overall level of the national debt – or the cumulative annual deficits ran over the past several decades. The national debt stood at £1.8tn at the end of October.
The deficit matters because it signals the strength of the government’s control over the public finances, which is important for convincing investors that Britain can pay back the money it borrows. More importantly, the government must pay interest on its debts to the investors it borrows money from such as pension funds, City banks and asset managers. The higher the debt, the more interest the government must pay, potentially cutting funds available for public spending.
The latest snapshot for the health of the public finances comes against a backdrop of steady improvements in recent months helped by relative economic stability, which has driven down the deficit over the course of the 2018-19 financial year to the lowest level for 16 years.
Borrowing in the current financial year-to-date now stands at £17.8bn, almost a third lower than the same period a year ago, and on-track to undershoot the target of £37bn for the fiscal year set by the Office for Budget Responsibility, the government tax and spending watchdog.
Despite the improving picture over the course of the year, the latest figures will likely frustrate the chancellor as he prepares for the autumn budget while considering ways to pay for the £20bn annual increase in NHS spending due by 2023-24 which was promised by Theresa May earlier this year.
The task is complicated by Hammond’s refusal to divert from the Conservatives’ plan to eliminate the deficit by the middle of the next decade, in order to record the first surplus for the public finances since the turn of the millennium in 2001-2.
Economists, however, argue that the chancellor still has wiggle room because he also set a more short-term target of reducing the deficit to below 2% of national income by 2021 – a metric the OBR forecasts he will be able to achieve this financial year.
There are growing calls for Hammond to loosen the purse strings, including from MPs in his own party, after almost a decade of austerity first imposed by the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition in 2010.
The chancellor is however understood to fear the impact a no-deal Brexit could have on the public finances, meaning he may choose to hold on to the spending headroom built-up this year until after Britain leaves the EU.
Hammond is yet to reveal the date of the budget, despite speculation it could come as early as next month, amid growing concern over the government’s ability to reach a Brexit deal with Brussels.
• The subheading of this article was amended on 24 September 2018 to clarify that the government’s NHS pledge is to raise annual spending by £20bn by 2023-24.


There are dozens of moons in Earth’s solar system, but not one of them is the same as the next. And because there is so much variety, some of these moons are more important than others, especially for people who are trying to find aliens.
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has learned a lot while observing Enceladus, as well as its parent planet Saturn and Saturn’s other moons. But Enceladus is special because the space agency recently announced it might be hosting alien life in an ocean beneath its icy surface. Below the surface there is also a source of heat and, scientists have just discovered, hydrogen that could serve as a source of energy to certain life forms.
We don’t have a spacecraft on this moon’s surface yet, but NASA is preparing for such a scenario. Its Jet Propulsion Laboratory is working on a fleet of robots specifically geared toward crawling over and cutting into the thick surfaces of ice on bodies such as Enceladus. Those robots have tools such as heated prongs to melt ice, drills to dig down, buzz saws to power through tough blocks and catapults to send miniprobes out for more samples.
Scientists suspect Europa, a moon of Jupiter, has conditions similar to Enceladus, so it could also be harboring extraterrestrial life, even if only microbes. A probe that could launch in the next decade could make this idea more definitive, and some of the new ice-trekking robotic technology NASA is developing could be aboard.
This oblong moon of Mars, larger and closer to the Red Planet than its only companion Deimos, is crucial because of its position around Earth’s closest planetary neighbor — a NASA spacecraft narrowly avoided crashing into it earlier this year — and because it is a possible target for a space probe of its own. Officials from France and Japan recently announced those two countries are considering working together to land a craft on Phobos and collect samples. The samples would be the first from a moon other than Earth’s to be brought back. And because Mars is such a large focus for scientists looking for alien life in the solar system, Phobos would represent one more way to learn more about that planet: A spacecraft settled on Phobos, which orbits Mars three times a day, would have a great vantage point.
The largest moon of Saturn is partly on this list because it is electric. Scientists recently found grains of sand on Titan’s surface are so light, a little breeze makes them rub together enough — causing friction — to produce a ton of static electricity. Enough static electricity, in fact, that if you were to build a sand castle on Titan, you would not even need any water; the particles would stick together on their own for weeks.
What would a list of moons be without Earth’s only natural satellite? At a most basic level of importance, any observer can look up at the night sky — or sometimes the daytime sky — and see it in all its glory. The gravitational pull between Earth and the Moon influences the movement of ocean water, and the Moon played a key role in motivating humans to invent the technology to travel through space. Space science would not be where it is today without our beloved Moon.
And it’s not just a boring, dead rock. The Moon holds all sorts of mysteries to help us learn more about our universe. For example, scientists recently solved a mystery of why an iconic crater looks so much younger than the area around it: a special kind of foamy lava that erupted when the Moon’s volcanic activity was coming to an end billions of years ago.
Did A Triple Asteroid Make This Weird Mars Crater?


The Boyd Group, 14th Annual Aviation Forecast Summit: Wednesday through Oct. 9, Griffin Gate Marriott Resort & Spa, 300.
Automotive Recyclers Association, Annual Convention and Exposition: Sunday through Oct. 12, Hyatt Regency Lexington, 1,250.
The Bourbon Chase: Oct. 8-12, Crowne Plaza Lexington The Campbell House, 3,750.


LEEDS made a rosy return to the top of the Championship table after easing past Norwich.
Marcelo Bielsa's team weren't lacking in testosterone as they emerged from the newly-painted pink away dressing room at Carrow Road.
Mateusz Klich and Ezgjan Alioski struck in the first half before Pablo Hernandez added a third in the second to see Leeds return to form after a midweek draw with Swansea.
Norwich gave the visitors something to think about early on, but it was a fully deserved win for Leeds, who had briefly been toppled from the summit on Friday evening when Middlesbrough beat West Brom.
The Canaries meanwhile have taken just four points from their opening five games and were booed off at the end after looking distinctly second best for the majority of the match.
Norwich started the game well, and it needed an excellent block to deny from Pontus Jansson to thwart Teemu Pukki as the Finnish frontman bore down on goal.
But Leeds gradually started to take control and struck twice in five minutes midway through the opening period to take a firm grip on proceedings.
The opener came in the 21st minute, after goalkeeper Tim Krul had done well to parry away a firm header from Alioski. The ball fell kindly for Klich just inside the box and the Pole showed great composure to stroke the ball home.
Krul was blameless for that one, but he was badly at fault for Leeds' second, with Alioski beating him from a narrow angle at his near post after being played in by Kemar Roofe.
The Canaries responded well to the double setback and piled on the pressure in the lead-up to the break, with Jordan Rhodes seeing a goalbound effort deflected just wide.
Leeds had an opportunity to put the game to bed seven minutes after the restart when Roofe picked out an unmarked Samuel Saiz at the back post but the playmaker fired wastefully into the side-netting.
Norwich were having plenty of the play, however, but rarely threatened in the final third and the visitors made it 3-0 in the 67 minute as Hernandez cut in from the left and curled a glorious right-footed drive into the far corner of the net from just outside the box.
It was a superb solo effort which took the sting out of the home side's efforts and Krul did well to prevent Alioski from making it four with a low drive before Saiz's follow-up was deflected wide.


PINE KNOLL SHORES, (WITN) The Labor Day holiday is a busy day for law enforcement as many departments have drinking and driving enforcements, and saturation patrols on the beach and water, making sure everyone stays safe.
In Pine Knoll Shores, police had an emphasis on making sure people walking to the beach can do so safely.
Pine Knoll Shores Sgt. Cory Bishop says, "This crosswalk that we're at today is one of our main beach accesses, so it's extremely important that all vehicles are paying attention to these crosswalks. Whenever a pedestrian is in the crosswalk, on the highway, crossing within a marked crosswalk, the driver has to yield for that pedestrian period."
NC DOT says our state ranks as one of the least safe states for pedestrians and bicyclists with more 3,800 being hit by cars each year.
The program Watch For Me NC, and local police departments like Pine Knoll Shores, are trying to reduce that number by talking to both drivers and those crossing the roadways about being safe.
Sgt. Bishop says, "We're just bringing awareness to the crosswalks, educating the public on what the law states, which is within the crosswalk, which means having a foot on the black top pavement, and also educating drivers on when they should yield."
Officers say crosswalk safety is not just on drivers though.
Bishop says, "Don't step out in front of a vehicle, make sure the vehicle has enough time to stop and maybe signal with your hand that you are going to cross so they know you are crossing. Don't just step out without looking."
Officers with the Pine Knoll Shores Police Department say this enforcement is part of their partnership with Watch For Me NC, and they have seen great results since starting the campaign to make crosswalks safer.


Alex Limoges is having fun.
Sitting at 48 points on the year, you would blame him if he wasn't enjoying a record-setting year, now Penn State's new single-season points leader.
And coming off of a five-goal weekend against Wisconsin, it's hard to imagine a better way to start the postseason.
"Production, with the importance of those games I don't think I have," Limoges said earlier this week, trying to find a better performance in his career. "Maybe last year against Minnesota in the playoffs, I felt like my game stepped up. This is a fun time of year, it's fun to play in the playoffs and it's fun to be winning games in the playoffs."
It's fun to watch the sophomore too, his strength on the puck and ability to find teammates has given him points on seven different game-winning goals, and 27 games with at least a point in 37 of the Nittany Lions' outings.
"I think when things are going your way it feels good and the puck keeps coming back to you and it seems like al the bounces are going your way and that's how it felt last weekend and it felt good," he added.
In the span of just a year Limoges has found himself suddenly rising up free agency lists. At 21, he's too old to take part in the NHL Entry Draft, which means when a team comes calling now, signing on the dotted line means no more college hockey, no more Penn State. A big call to make, a life changing decision to make.
But one thing at a time.
"It's really exciting," Limoges said of his future. "It's fun to see Big Ten players sign the past couple of days, but right now I'm still focused on the playoffs. Obviously it's an exciting time but I've got a lot of stuff to do and I want to continue my schooling, stuff like that. The biggest thing is winning this game against Ohio State."
All of the big picture things aside, all of the thoughts about team aside, Limoges has had four different runs of goals in consecutive games, he has scored six times in the last four outings.
And how could you not enjoy that? Being two points behind Taro Hirose, the nation's leader in points. Sure Limoges is worried about his team and their season, but that doesn't mean he hasn't enjoyed his own achievements along the way.
"Take a step back and, like, wow," Limoges said. "That's impressive, setting the record for Penn State this past game and this past game and seeing oh man, I'm only two points behind Hirose and he's not playing anymore, that would be really cool if I surpass him and become first in the country, but obviously that's not my main goal, so I'm just playing to live another day."
He'll get a chance to do just that this Sunday as Penn State takes on Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals at 3:30 on the Big Ten Network.


BOSTON, Dec. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Actifio, the Data-as-a-Service company, today announces its partnership with ZE PowerGroup (ZE), a global leader in enterprise data management. ZE is using Actifio to virtualize its database, increase revenue, and accelerate testing by providing self-service and automation. Selecting and implementing Actifio has provided ZE all that the company needed, along with unexpected advantages that's helping to expand service offerings, gain new clients, and increase revenues.
Headquartered in Vancouver, ZE helps clients gain efficiency and reduce business risks through data automation and services. Its ZEMA Platform is a comprehensive data management and business process automation solution that provides data collection, analytics, data automation, and integration capabilities. ZE is growing globally, and so is the size of their databases. Application development had become increasingly complex, and frequent client requests for database refreshes made it difficult to keep pace with testing. From request to delivery, each refresh could stretch through an entire week. On top of that, each production backup or recovery would take days. All the processes were manual, complicated, and exhausting to employees. The team looked for the best commercial software fix in the industry. After extensive comparisons of cost and functionality, the team chose Actifio as its solution to solve these challenges.
The Actifio platform has impacted ZE business in multiple dimensions. Weekly software patches can be quickly applied. Database access and permissions can be set with the push of a button. Testing is no longer done against outdated versions. Self-service and ease-of-use have boosted productivity. Storage capacity requirements have been reduced.
"Our projects are based on the potential for ROI. When we realized what database virtualization could mean to our business, the choice of Actifio became very compelling," says Nader El-Ramly, Chief Product Officer at ZE. "Now we're doing more work, offering more services, and doing it all much faster."
"ZE set out to simplify and save time on tedious manual operations," said Ash Ashutosh, founder and CEO at Actifio. "We're thrilled that they've found an effective solution in Actifio. Now they can provide faster services to their customers while also offering new services that create new revenue streams."
For more information on how ZE is utilizing Actifio's solutions, take a look at their case study.
ZE is a technology leader providing customers with software and services that transform decoupled and fragile data into streamlined, transparent, secure, and automated business processes. ZEMA, ZE's award-winning flagship software, is a comprehensive data management and business process automation software solution. With its unparalleled data library, analytical functionalities, curve management, and integration capabilities, ZEMA offers a modular, end-to-end, automated solution for clients of all sizes, operating in any industry.


TAIPEI (REUTERS) – An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 shook parts of Taiwan on Tuesday (May 31) and was felt in the capital, Taipei, residents and officials said, but there were no immediate reports of damage.
The US Geological Survey originally recorded the quake, centred about 110km northeast of Taipei, with a magnitude of 6.4. Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau put the magnitude at 7.2.
Witnesses reported that tremors could be felt in buildings in Taipei, including the national parliament, as well as at the international airport in Taoyuan south of the capital.
The world’s largest contract chipmaker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Inc, said there was no impact to its operations.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or significant damage.


New York: Shares of International Business Machines Corp (IBM) are jumping 6.3 per cent in pre-market trading after the company’s 2019 forecast and fourth quarter results beat analysts’ estimates.
That was IBM’s “cleanest quarter in years,” Morgan Stanley analysts, including Katy Huberty, wrote in a note.
Results showed a stronger-than-expected rebound for software after a weak third quarter, though Morgan Stanley sees slower software growth in the first quarter.
IBM’s services “transformation” is also “bearing fruit,” Huberty wrote, as total services revenue grew 2 per cent.
Morgan Stanley is raising estimates for this year’s earnings-per-share due to better-than-anticipated organic software and services revenue growth and operating leverage, along with a gain-on-sale of assets that made up for lost profit and additional restructuring costs.
CIOs had ranked cloud computing, digital transformation, and BI/analytics as their top three priorities.
“IBM’s transformation has been slower than anticipated, but we see the company accelerating the pivot to growth as CIO priorities align with investments in Strategic Imperatives and combine with divestitures of non-core businesses,” Morgan Stanley said.


WWE relives the '90s as Goldberg defeats Lesnar at Survivor Series.
Normally I can't give you a full play-by-play of a match, so I give you a few highlights. However, for the Brock Lesnar-Goldberg match at the WWE's Survivor Series on Sunday, I can give you the whole thing.
The match started with a staredown, with Lesnar almost having a bemused look on his face. Lesnar struck first, picking up Goldberg and driving him back into the corner. Goldberg, while moved, was unfazed, and shoved Lesnar to the mat with authority. Lesnar looked shocked, with his eyes darting between Goldberg and Paul Heyman. After a few seconds though, the shock turned to amusement, as he smiled and seemed to laugh as he got up. As he rose from the mat, he turned his back to Goldberg, and that was his downfall.
As he turned back around he was hit with a spear. Goldberg immediately moved to the corner, and when Lesnar eventually rose again, holding his ribs, Goldberg struck again with another spear. Lesnar was down and hurt, and Heyman began to beg Lesnar not to attack again. Instead, he didn't even wait for Lesnar to fully get up again, and hit him with a Jackhammer for a 1, 2, 3.
In a bubble, you can almost understand this result. Wrestling is made up of moments, and this was undoubtedly a huge moment. It was shocking, it was decisive, and it made for a great picture. No matter what the opinion, people are talking about it, and that's a good thing.
It shocked many people when Samoa Joe won the NXT title at a house show back in April. While it may not have been quite as surprising as that, once again Samoa Joe defied the expectations Saturday night by beating Shinsuke Nakamura and becoming the first two-time NXT champion.
The story that was told even made sense. Lesnar was overconfident, and even turned his back on his opponent as he got up. His overconfidence was his downfall, and it was a swift one. We knew that Goldberg was capable of quick wins. After all, in his prime he would routinely beat the best of the best in minutes. In a bubble, everything that happened, while surprising, was not just understandable, but the best possible outcome.
Yet, matches do not exist in a bubble, and the overarching story is an odd one. Thirty-one months ago, Brock Lesnar beat The Undertaker at Wrestlemania and beat the streak. Since that moment, Brock Lesnar has been an unstoppable force, running through the best that WWE had to offer. The idea was that whoever beat the monster that could conquer the streak must truly be something special.
John Cena wasn't that special person. Nor was Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins or Dean Ambrose. Instead, it was a man who hadn't wrestled in 12 years. This was what WWE had been waiting for over the past 31 months? It doesn't seem to make much sense for the long-term. Just like people questioned Undertaker losing to a part-timer who didn't necessarily need the rub, to pass that torch to someone who may not have another match left (though I would bet big money that he will) feels wrong.
Often times, “special” episodes of wrestling shows end up being duds, as the episodes rely heavily on nostalgia at the expense of the current product. While SmackDown had some nostalgia, it actually ended up being an important show, capped off by the return of The Undertaker.
Of all things, this match might be best-explained by the show "South Park." This season of "South Park" has dealt with many topics, but much of it has revolved around the idea of nostalgia being a driving force in society these days. When it comes to wrestling in particular, it's hard to argue with that idea. After all, much of the WWE Network is based around the fact that people want to relive the past eras of wrestling. One of those eras is of course WCW during the Monday Night Wars, and that includes Goldberg's run. We wanted to see Goldberg run through people in two minutes like he did in his prime. We wanted to chant "Goldberg" and see his fantastic entrance. And that's exactly what we got. Is it shocking that he did that against someone like Brock Lesnar? Yes. But we remember, and now we've relived it.
So, similar to what Goldberg says, the question now is “What's next?” If this is the end for Goldberg, it's completely baffling. My guess is we're going to see Goldberg again, probably twice, at Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania. Will it be against Lesnar again? There would be some logic to that, but Goldberg is now 2-0 against Lesnar. What would be in it for him to take another match? We'll have to wait and see, but hopefully WWE has a clear plan for him. Because if not, and this was nostalgia simply for nostalgia's sake, that could lead to issues once we get out of this bubble.
-The surprises didn't only come from the main event. Instead, the Survivor Series style matches also contained surprises. First off, it has to be considered a bit of an upset that in the main 5 on 5 match, Team Smackdown won. Not just that, but if Smackdown won, people would have expected AJ Styles or Dean Ambrose to be involved. Nope. At the end of the match, it was Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton standing over Roman Reigns, the final member of Team RAW. It seems like that push that we've been wanting for Bray Wyatt may actually be happening. It's not a lock, after all; it seemed like Survivor Series 2014 was going to promise a push for Dolph Ziggler. But this is a good sign. Also, this match had its share of nostalgia as well, as The Shield, including Dean Ambrose, reunited to send AJ Styles through a table. The match was great overall, though Shane McMahon's inclusion put a slight damper on it for a few reasons. First off, the members of Team RAW all had to sell for Shane's offense, which felt wrong. Then, when Shane was eliminated, there was a question on if he was actually hurt or not, as the ref stopped the count midway through and called for the elimination before Shane was helped to the back.
The women's match ended with Team RAW winning. A few things on this match. First off, Nia Jax came off looking like a star. I hope they have big things in store for her, even if she has to wait for a little bit for the title picture to clear. Secondly, I need to state that I'm not on the “WWE is ruining Bayley” train. However, they're not doing her any favors. The end of the match featured Charlotte and Bayley working together over a wounded Becky. While it's doesn't go against Bayley's character, it's certainly not an ideal situation for her to be in. And coming off of a Smackdown where she took part in a 5-on-1 beatdown is crazy. I know she's new and not in the best position to get things changed, but at some point she needs to step up and explain her character, or she could be in some trouble with the fans.
The tag match also, surprisingly, ended up with RAW winning. The final team was Cesaro and Sheamus, and Cesaro forced Jey Uso to tap to the Sharpshooter in Canada. The match was largely forgettable, though it started in a pretty shocking way as The New Day became the first RAW team to be eliminated. Overall, it seems like the show was set up so both sides could claim victory. RAW can say they won two of the three Survivor Series matches, and Smackdown can say they won the main one.
-The Miz retained the IC title, keeping it on Smackdown. This was another great match for both Sami Zayn and Miz, who worked very well together. The ending was a classic Miz ending, as Sami had Miz in a submission. All of a sudden, the ring bell started ringing thanks to Maryse. Sami thought he had won the match, released the hold, and started to celebrate. The match continued though, and Miz quickly rolled Sami up for the pin.
-The Cruiserweight title is also staying put, as The Brian Kendrick ended up winning his match. However, it wasn't without controversy. The match ended with Baron Corbin coming out to get his hands on Kalisto, but first he made sure to hit Kendrick, drawing the DQ. While this wasn't the best match, or the best finish, it does open up some great possibilities, including having Baron Corbin feud with Daniel Bryan, who was furious with Corbin for making sure Smackdown didn't get the cruiserweight division.
-On the preshow, TJ Perkins, Rich Swann and Noam Dar beat Tony Nese, Drew Gulak and Ariya Daivari. Also, Kane beat Luke Harper.


The destructive termites are being found in increasing numbers in Lousiana's capital city, LSU's Dr. Gregg Henderson told The Advocate.
Formosan termites are being found in increasing numbers in Lousiana's capital city, LSU's Dr. Gregg Henderson told The Advocate.
According to the article, Henderson started looking for them in Baton Rouge in 2009. In May and June of that year, the total number of winged Formosan termites caught in light traps numbered just under 300. By 2014, the May and June counts from all the traps numbered 8,345. While a significant increase in Baton Rouge, those numbers are still considerably less than in New Orleans where, on average, there were 21,000 per trap in 2005 and 6,855 average per trap in 2008.
In Baton Rouge, May numbers of the winged version of the termite - known as alates - captured in traps grew from 3,467 in 2015 to 7,288 in 2016, Henderson said.
PCT’s Distance Learning Center continues to expand with the addition of a label training module for AMVAC's Orthene PCO Pellets Insecticide.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — PCT’s Distance Learning Center continues to expand with the addition of a label training module for AMVAC's Orthene PCO Pellets Insecticide. Visit https://training.pctonline.com and get started on the module.This and other label training modules are the centerpiece of PCT’s Distance Learning Center — a FREE service for the professional pest control market provided by PCT.
Rats, men and cockroaches appear to have a similar GPS in their heads that allows them to navigate new surroundings, researchers at Case Western Reserve University report.
The finding, published in journal Current Biology, is likely an example of convergent evolution--that is, distinct animals developed similar systems to manage the same probleme, Science Daily reports.
Due to their simpler brain, further studies on cockroaches that would be difficult--if not impossible--on mammals may yield new insights into how humans orient themselves and navigate. Or, what goes awry in people who have extreme trouble getting their bearings.
"We've known that a mammal can come into a new area and, after a short period of being disoriented, find its way around," said Roy Ritzmann, a biology professor at Case Western Reserve and an author of the new study.
Humans and other mammals rely on head-direction, place and grid cells in their brains to process, integrate and update sensory information. The cues come from the direction they look, what they see and motion, he said.
Jerri DeVard, most recently chief marketing officer of ADT Corporation, and John Corness, formerly a human resources executive with Polaris Industries and GE, have been added to the board.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – ServiceMaster Global Holdings, Inc., provider of residential and commercial services, announced two new members elected to its board of directors, naming Jerri DeVard, most recently chief marketing officer of ADT Corporation, and John Corness, formerly a human resources executive with Polaris Industries and GE.
Wilson, longtime CEO of PermaTreat, has been appointed to the 24-member board for a two-year term.
FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Joe Wilson, longtime CEO of PermaTreat, has been appointed to the 24-member Virginia Growth and Opportunity Board. He will serve a two-year term.
The Growth and Opportunity Board oversees the “Virginia Initiative for Growth and Opportunity in Each Region,” or GO Virginia (link is external), the bipartisan initiative passed by the Virginia House of Delegates in 2016. The goal is "to restore Virginia’s position of economic leadership by growing and diversifying the state’s economy" through collaboration between business leaders, the education community, local government and state government through regional boards.
"I’m anxious to see how this will tie together with the Fredericksburg Regional Alliance," Wilson said.
Wilson currently serves on the Fredericksburg Economic Development Authority, and as chairman of the Mary Washington Hospital Foundation. He served on Fredericksburg City Council from 2000 - 2004. He also served on the University of Mary Washington Board of Visitors, and on the boards of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, Mary Washington Healthcare, the Salvation Army, and Germanna Community College.
Wilson, CEO of PermaTreat, celebrated his 50th year in pest control on June 5, 2015. He began his career in 1965 working for Orkin.


East Carolina's Jake Verity (9) kicks against Houston at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium last season.
Operation time by the East Carolina football specialists was put to the test Friday.
From long snappers to traditional offensive linemen and field goal holder Jonn Young and starting kicker Jake Verity, the Pirates have pressured that group this week, especially Friday. Coach Mike Houston said the group succeeded under the circumstances.
“I was real pleased at the end with how we competed with our field goal and field goal block, when it was live,” Houston said of Friday morning’s workout for ECU to complete a full week of five spring practices. “I was disappointed with the way we went after it Wednesday, because what we are trying to teach them is to go after each other and if our defense does not come after that kick hard, then our protection is not being tested.
Another kicker in spring camp is Patrick Nations, who signed with East Carolina in December out of Walhalla (S.C.) High School. He is expected to redshirt behind rising senior Verity.
In addition to serving as the holder, Young is returning as ECU’s top punter.
Return men during practice have included shifty receiver Tyler Snead, who will be a redshirt freshman this year after making a difference in four games late in the season in 2018.
Verity was one of the AAC’s top kickers a year ago in his junior season, finishing 19-for-21 on field goals with a long of 52 yards. He was a perfect 7-for-7 during the team’s four nonconference games.
The Pirates will hold an important practice Saturday. The team will shift to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium for a practice that will include officials.


Archives|CALLS OUR SUPPORT DAWES INSURANCE; Clementel Tells French Chamber American Participation Is Worth High Price to Allies. BRITAIN DOUBTS A CHANGE The Government Assumes America Will Not Take a More Active Part in Reconstruction.
CALLS OUR SUPPORT DAWES INSURANCE; Clementel Tells French Chamber American Participation Is Worth High Price to Allies. BRITAIN DOUBTS A CHANGE The Government Assumes America Will Not Take a More Active Part in Reconstruction.


A consortium of some of the Internet's most visited websites, including reddit, Imgur, Wordpress, and Mozilla, will prominently display a spinning red loading icon on Wednesday, September 10, in a protest against planned FCC rules changes that would undermine the principals of net neutrality.
Visitors to participating sites will also see information directing them to contact lawmakers to express their concern over net neutrality issues.
+ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD: Google's plan for Chrome worries certificate authority vendors + Are breaches inevitable?
The goal of the protest, which was organized by the advocacy group Fight for the Future, is to highlight the two-tiered Internet that opponents say the new FCC rules would create. Weakening provisions that bar ISPs from discriminating against different types of traffic, they say, would open the door to a wide range of practices that would serve only to inflate the cable industry's bottom line, at the expense of consumers and businesses alike.
The sites organized under Fight for the Future's umbrella want the FCC to reclassify broadband providers as common carriers under Title II of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which would subject those companies to much more rigorous and legally unproblematic net neutrality standards.
Fight for the Future says that the finalized rules could be in place by the end of 2014.
"[Cable companies] would have the power to discriminate against online content and applications -- they could pick winners and losers, shake sites down for fees, block content for political reasons, and make it easier for Internet users to view content the cable companies own," the group said in a statement.
The latest public comment period for the proposed changes ends on September 15. The changes, originally proposed in the wake of a court ruling that weakened the FCC's authority over broadband Internet services, have been generally interpreted as a retreat from net neutrality's principles, despite FCC chair Tom Wheeler's repeated public statements to the contrary.


In October, we learned, via, of course, a Kim Kardashian Instagram, that Kanye West had made a pit stop in San Francisco to . . . audition for the final season of American Idol. It wasn’t really clear at the time whether this was just a promotional bit for the last season of the long-running reality show, whether Kim and her pal (and American Idol judge) J.Lo had been texting that morning and hatched the idea, or whether Kanye is going to actually be involved, in some capacity, for the rest of the season (that last one seems sort of unlikely but, with Kanye, nothing is ever really completely out of the bounds of possibility).


ONTARIO Hydro Misc. Doug Elliott of Stoney Creek and Bill Nicol of Ear Falls install an insulated pole platform in training course at Hydro's conference and development centre in the Hockley Valley about 40 miles northwest of Toronto.
TORONTO DOMINION CENTRE (L.F) Safety supervisor Greg Doyle takes no chances as he checks cable on 43rd floor of the centre. His safety rope is securely clamped to cable. In background is Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce building at King and Jordan Streets.
SHOE SHINE Toronto's newest independent merchants have problems with the police. About a dozen boys from 8 to 13 have been shining shoes on downtown streets for the past two years, much to the dismay of Metro officials who issue only shoeshine parlor licenses. Philip VanWinkle, 10 concentrates on his work.


Panasonic has launched the new HDC-SD5 and HDC-SX5 camcorders.
The Panasonic HDC-SD5 claims the title of the world's smallest and lightest 3CCD High Definition video camera.
The HDC-SX5 is a hybrid model that can record to both SDHC/SD cards and DVD.
Both models use the high-resolution 1920x1080 AVCHD format and feature the 3CCD camera system.
Panasonic in-house tech gives both both an Advanced OIS image stabalisation with gyro sensors and a Crystal Engine image processor.
"HD writer 2.0" editing software is provided with both models. Video data can be saved in either the AVCHD or DVD-VIDEO format, depending on how it will be played back.
Recordings saved in the full-HD AVCHD format are suitable for playback with a Blu-Ray Player.
Available in the US and Europe from September 2007, no info on pricing given.


HOUSTON - March 23, 2017 - PRLog -- Some of the smartest Teens in Texas will be donating a portion of their Fast Food money to Charity, in order to chow down on some Gourmet BBQ. This coming Sunday March 26, the Houston, TX. Chapters of Our Children Our Future (OCOF) and Great Inspirations For Teens (GIFT) will present "#GYMM- GIFT Your McFastFood Money. The event will feature Chef Mick Brown, Host of BBQ RESCUES! TV and a Grill Master Champion of Food Network's "Cutthroat Kitchen". He was also seen on last year's season finale of "Vanderpump Rules" ( Bravo TV) catering the Barbecue Engagement Party . Celeb couple Katie Maloney and Tom Schwartz held their cookout at the famous Villa Rosa estate of "Housewives of Beverly Hills'", star Lisa Vanderpump.
The Houston event starts on Sunday afternoon with a BBQ Bootcamp, where the Chef Mick will teach a select group of Teen Volunteers how to set up for a Food Fundraiser. Then Guests will arrive at 4:00pm to taste the Menu prepared by the Teens. There will also be a Cooking Demonstration by Chef Mick to show families how to prepare the Recipes at home, for a fraction of what they would spend at the Drive Thru.
Guests must RSVP and are encouraged to "Pay What You Can". Proceeds will benefit OCOF's efforts to curb youth violence and offer productive alternative activities, like Sunday's event. A relatively new organization, GIFT's focus has been organizing holiday toy drives for underprivileged youths. They also encourage teens to actively participate in helping the community.
#GYMM- Gift Your McFastFood Money will take place on Sunday March 26, at 4:00pm. The location will be at 16755 Ella Blvd. #216. Guests should RSVP by calling (832) 583-6263. There is also Online Registration available on the BBQ RESCUES! Website: http://www.BBQRescues.com.
Media should contact Larry Bertrand at (832) 583-OCOF (6263).
What's New at the NBBQA Conference Dallas/Fort Worth? VEGAN BBQ!


Cancun, Mexico, draws vacationers to the shores of the Caribbean for a tropical beach vacation. The city has over 25,000 hotel rooms, according to TravelYucatan.com, with thousands more just outside the city limits in towns like Puerto Morelos. Fodor's indicates that the city's most lavish resorts sit along the Zona Hotelera, a stretch of white sand beaches along the Caribbean, while more affordable options may be found in the Centro region.
The Ritz-Carlton Cancun earned the full five diamonds from AAA and three out of three stars from Frommer's. Guests choose from guestrooms with ocean views or suites with separate bedrooms and living rooms. The Ocean View guestrooms include private balconies or terraces overlooking the Caribbean. Guests enjoy in-room amenities like a rainforest shower head, separate soaking tub, fully stocked refreshment center, plush terry robes and goose down pillows. The Ritz-Carlton's Beach Club sits on the largest private beach in Cancun, and you have access to beach villas and hammocks while visiting the 17,000-square-foot beach. Activities include cooking classes, wine tastings, a Cliff Drysdale tennis center, fitness center, freshwater swimming pools and the Kids Mayan Adventures supervised children's program.
Earning the full three stars from Frommer's, the Aqua Cancun Resort provides guests with 371 rooms overlooking the water. All rooms have whirlpools, Egyptian cotton sheets and private balconies or terraces that look out onto the sea. Aqua Cancun has eight outdoor pools, including infinity-edge pools overlooking the beach, and guests may rent private cabanas to use on the resort's stretch of beach. For active leisure options, Aqua Cancun has two tennis courts and a fitness center.
The resort features three restaurants and three bars, with all-inclusive options that include dining with the cost of your stay. When you book your room at Aqua Cancun, consider booking a treatment or two at the Aqua Spa, which offers both indoor and outdoor treatment rooms.
The Excellence Riviera Cancun earned the Fodor's Choice award for its ornate European-style furnishings and decor and comprehensive on-site amenities. Each of the over 400 rooms in the resort has a hot tub and a private furnished patio or balcony. Some rooms add a touch of elegance with four-poster king beds, and all guests receive bathrobes and slippers to use during their stay. The poolside Miile Spa features a Marine Spa, where guests can participate in water exercises, get water massages and relax in steam baths all fueled by mineral-rich saltwater. Take a beachside yoga class, sail or windsurf on the ocean, practice your archery skills at the on-site range or take dancing lessons.
At the Barcelona buffet restaurant guests sip margaritas and feast on Mediterranean-style meals. The resort's optional all-inclusive program includes all meals and snacks at the resort's eight restaurants and numerous snack stands and bars. The all-inclusive option also includes access to non-motorized water sports equipment, tennis clinics and nightly entertainment.
Harms, Nicole. "Resorts Near Cancun." Travel Tips - USA Today, https://traveltips.usatoday.com/resorts-near-cancun-17416.html. Accessed 24 April 2019.


Election, digital, and content creation were the buzzwords of 2012, but as the new year approaches, what trends, companies, agencies, and people will dominate?
Election, digital, and content creation were the buzzwords of 2012, but as the new year approaches, what trends will dominate the changing state of comms?
Many people breathed huge sighs of relief at 11:15pm on Tuesday, November 6, when TV networks called the election for President Barack Obama, not because they were particularly partial to either side, rather because it signaled the end of an interminable process that dominated the whole year.
The politics were a tedious but necessary demonstration of the democratic process in action. But the result highlighted several issues that marketers and communicators already know too well. Mitt Romney may not have noticed, but America has changed. The 2011 Census showed the increasing influence of the fast-growing US Hispanic population, which was then, unsurprisingly, mirrored in the election. And no marketer would ever underestimate the influence of women in selling popular “products” such as soap, automobiles, or a new president.
Voting patterns also underlined the views of American youth, many of whom are totally comfortable with gay marriage, the legalization of cannabis, and, particularly, the ubiquity of digital and social media.
It was telling that Pew Research Center analysis based on exit poll data from the National Election Pool found 18- to 29-year-olds, who represented 19% of the electorate in 2012, voted 60% for the Democrats versus 37% for the GOP. Obama's team better tailored its outreach to this audience. Outside the US, millions celebrated the re-election of a man they perceive as a more credible president.
It's a cultural context that smart marketers, communicators, and PR pros already recognize. The trends toward globalization, digital, social media-led conversations, the impact of women, and growing populations such as Latinos are producing major opportunities for brands, corporations, and organizations, but also major challenges – especially for the agencies servicing them.
Mark Hass, president and CEO of Edelman US, returned from Asia in May to take on his new role, having spent three years as president of Edelman China. He sees more similarities than differences between the two markets.
Clients are also demanding a more integrated approach to their communications needs.
Kathy Cripps, president of the Council of Public Relations Firms, noticed in the organization's Q3 survey that 80% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed clients are looking for more integrated solutions. “Agencies recognize that clients will take good ideas from wherever. Firms of all sizes have to offer a wide range of solutions,” she explains.
“Community management and monitoring is becoming more commoditized,” he adds. “But it is very complex, especially across different geographies.” Cripps agrees social media counseling especially will become more important. “There is a great opportunity to offer both counseling and implementation, but firms need to do both,” she says.
“Content” has to be the biggest buzzword in PR this year, with every communicator and marketer evangelizing the need to turn their brands and companies into “producers,” the term Procter & Gamble's global brand building officer Marc Pritchard uses to describe his communications team.
He also believes American employees still have a US-oriented point of view and need more integrated thinking when working internationally.
Fleishman-Hillard's president and global CEO Dave Senay highlights the migration to “more integrated higher-value propositions” that drives such thinking. The Omnicom firm's primary growth engine since 2008 is its “million dollar multi-region clients,” 40% of which Senay says now have headquarters outside the US.
It's evidence that, while PR pros may be way ahead of the game compared to the GOP, they still have a way to go to genuinely deliver a service mix with the digital, global, and diverse underpinning and cultural references the modern client is looking for in its communications and marketing.
The following highlight some of the trends, brands, firms, and individuals worth looking out for in 2013.
The departure of the Publicis agency's president of the Americas, Jim Tsokanos, presaged the promotion of the well-regarded Wilson to the top US executive spot. She has set about repairing the firm's reputation, including building up morale. Her next task is to extend the brand of customer service she showed on the Procter & Gamble account across the whole agency.
Former PRWeek Power Lister Cutter is probably the top talent in the next wave of political aides to go on the market now that the election is over. Experience gained in the hotbed of a political campaign is highly sought after and communicators such as Cutter with a proven record of delivering when it counts will be in high demand in the private sector.
Former Thomson Reuters, FT, and IBM communicator Hunt is part of the new regime at AOL spearheaded by CEO Tim Armstrong and Arianna Huffington, and they are definitely shaking things up at the one-time dotcom darling now fallen on harder times – though the share price has been rising recently. Hunt's dual marketing and communications role will give her ample opportunity to help shape the next iteration of a now mature digital firm.
These are just three of the senior PR executives who are looking for a new home at the time of writing. It will be interesting to see where the former senior Pfizer, Facebook, and Porter Novelli communicators end up.
Almost every brand or corporation is positioning itself as a content owner and this is creating great opportunities, and some challenges, for agencies as they staff up to meet the demand to help clients generate and manage content.
Some companies handle much of the process in-house, including Nissan, which poached BBC correspondent Roland Buerk to lead the Japanese auto brand's media channel as part of its global media center run by former Reuters correspondent Dan Sloan.
Facebook woke up when it realized a top-three PR firm was managing more than 130 communities for brands on the social network.
Widening its purview from the traditional ground of paid-for advertising, the Web behemoth is looking for ways to foster the genuine engagement with users that display and other ads just don't produce.
All businesses realize they now have to be part of the conversation and can no longer stand on the sidelines.
PR firms increasingly need to excel at communication skills more usually associated with direct marketing. Companies such as HootSuite, DataSift, Adobe, and Meltwater will be key partners as agencies evolve their analytics offerings to show clients hard evidence about the effectiveness of PR and the way consumers interact with brands and firms.
Nine more banks were subpoenaed this fall as part of the banking industry's Libor scandal, which dealt yet another blow to the financial industry's reputation, which is still struggling to rebuild its image after the 2008 crisis. Edelman's 2012 Trust Barometer prediction that it would take at least a decade to get the industry's reputation back on track is not looking unrealistic.
The lack of blockbuster drugs in the product pipeline means pharma firms such as Merck, Sanofi, and Mylan are doing more unbranded, general awareness campaigns around specific diseases as opposed to product-specific work.
The industry is going through another period of massive transformation with the exponential rise in consumption of electronic books.
The ongoing lawsuit between major book publishers and Apple versus Amazon is a by-product of this and will run and run in 2013 – book companies are enlisting PR support to overcome some of these challenges.
Barnes & Noble expanded its work with Fleishman-Hillard in the UK for the launch of its Nook e-reader. And then there's the likely merger of Penguin and Random House. This is going to be a busy space next year.
2011 and 2012 featured a trend for large conglomerates to break themselves into constituent parts.
ITT's split into three business units was followed by Sara Lee and Kraft both splitting in two this year. Hillshire Brands is the new name for the corporation's meat and frozen baked goods brands, while Kraft positioned its global snack business under the new Mondelez umbrella.
Next year will demonstrate whether the new arrangements have produced greater clarity with consumers and investors, and could signal to other companies with diversified offerings, such as PepsiCo, whether they should follow suit.
The world's largest CPG company instigated big changes in an attempt to reverse its waning fortunes. It merged communications with marketing under global brand building officer Marc Pritchard and did away with the global external relations officer role held by P&G veteran Chris Hassall, who retired in June of this year.
It is prioritizing media and channel-neutral thinking, agency collaboration, content generation, and an entrepreneurial spirit as it enters its second 175 years.
CEO Bob McDonald will hope the new strategy bears fruit in 2013 to keep baying analysts and shareholders from the door in a brutally competitive market.
This will definitely be a ubiquitous buzzword in 2013, causing businesses to hold back on strategy and investment because of fears the federal government won't be able to fix the US debt crisis, due to the inability of Democrats to work across the floor with John Boehner's (R-OH) Republican caucus.
A love/hate relationship has developed toward the US government as a client, with agencies excited to win lucrative contracts but frustrated at the length of time it takes to hear the status of an account. One notorious RFP took two years to award and the government canceled some due to lack of funds, which is a blow for the firms that spend hundreds of hours crafting pitches.
This is another sector that will be full of activity now the election is over and the situation somewhat clarified. Under the Affordable Care Act, healthcare providers will band together and strive to differentiate their offerings and their value proposition through effective PR and communications strategies.
Since May, the embattled electronics retailer has appointed a new CEO, senior director of PR, head of communications and public affairs, and restructured its overall comms operation.
All eyes will be on the Hubert Joly-helmed chain to see if it can restore fortunes with a revamped senior management team and fresh marcomms strategy.
The gloss around the daily deals business most definitely wore off in 2012 and principal amongst the troubled businesses within this sector was the one-time darling Groupon, which continues to see its share price and company value shrink as confidence in its business model wanes.
CCO Paul Taaffe will have his work cut out in 2013 shoring up the company's reputation and producing messaging that can help turn around the coupon firm's fortunes.
Every major agency network is scouring the PR market for acquisitions to beef up their offerings in the US and globally. In the US, smart mid-sized firms must ensure they don't get too distracted beating off the attention – wanted or unwanted – of their voracious would-be suitors.
Globally, networks must be mindful of the pitfalls of overseas acquisitions, as evidenced by Edelman's ill-fated trip into the Russian market, which ended with the Richard Edelman-owned firm closing down the agency it purchased – Imageland – and starting again.
WPP has long operated a Team Ford structure to service the Dearborn, MI-headquartered automaker's account, combining agencies across its marketing services portfolio in an integrated fashion.
More and more clients are insisting on a one-network approach to their marketing agencies, partly to save money, partly for global consistency, alignment, and continuity.
To this trend, InterContinental Hotel Group recently switched its PR account from Weber Shandwick and moved it to Hill+Knowlton Strategies, which competed against the WPP network's other PR agencies Ogilvy Public Relations and Burson-Marsteller.
After a period of stability among top 10 PR agency leaderships, 2012 was tectonic in its shifts.
Porter Novelli still searches for a permanent replacement for departed CEO Gary Stockman, and the longer the leadership vacuum continues the more uncertainty there will be. MSL switched out Jim Tsokanos for Renee Wilson. Burson-Marsteller replaced Microsoft-bound Mark Penn with Don Baer, and GolinHarris' second tier of global leadership completed its first year in situ, as did new Hill+Knowlton Strategies' CEO Jack Martin.
Rob Flaherty made his anticipated switch to the CEO role at Ketchum and will look to add his own stamp to predecessor Ray Kotcher's work at the Omnicom agency.
And, in November, Harris Diamond left Weber Shandwick and moved across to McCann Worldgroup. Replacing Diamond as CEO of the Interpublic Group-owned agency is longtime Weber president Andy Polansky.
In late September, the Daniel J. Edelman-owned agency opened four offices in Asia and one in Europe.
Richard Edelman has stated that he wants to turn Zeno into a $100 million agency, which is quite a goal for a firm that according to PRWeek's 2012 Agency Business Report achieved revenues just north of $14 million in 2011.
These ambitious targets will test the mettle of Zeno CEO Barby Siegel and the senior executives in the group responsible for achieving them.
The Interpublic Group-owned firm is also expanding fast across the globe, principally to follow the lead of its flagship client Procter & Gamble, which in its 175th anniversary year moved its global skin, cosmetics, and personal care operations to Singapore from its Cincinnati HQ.
It's a psychological move, but also a sign of the increasing globalization of business and, hence, the PR business. DeVries is responding to the needs of its clients, expanding to five new locations: Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Singapore, and London.


HIRSCH-Minnie. On October 14, 1998. Beloved wife of the late David Hirsch. Loving mother of Rita and Irving Wahl, and Terri and Martin Hirsch. Dear grandmother of Susan Wahl and Lisa Rosenstock. Great-grandmother of Debra Rosenstock. Graveside service today at 2:30PM, Beth-El Cemetery, Westwood, New Jersey.


Every time Trump tweets, he can count on an instantaneous reaction. His tweet fixation fuels a parasitic economy in which people compete to ride his digital coattails. Reporters, Democratic politicians, and social media influencers fall for it every time. They obsessively retweet, analyze and attack. This helps Trump tremendously.
First, they ensure that he dominates the airwaves – and the brainwaves. By focusing massive attention on Trump’s antics, they make him seem larger than life. This produces a cognitive effect called the “focusing illusion,” and it helps explain how Trump ascended from political clown to the presidency. He turned the media into a Twitter news service.
Second, they spread his message. Constant repetition of Trump’s words allows him to set the agenda. Like clockwork, his fellow tweet addicts – including his opponents – repeat every word. They enable him to embed his ideas and images into millions of brains, even yours. For example, which former presidential candidate comes to mind when you see the word “Crooked”? Trump got into your brain.
Third, the continual anti-Trump outrage bolsters his credibility with his base. He can play the victim of the “establishment” he promised to disrupt. He acts, but his opponents only react. He maintains heroic control.
The reasons why it works this way can be found in the cognitive sciences. By allowing Trump to constantly activate his ideas in our brains, we strengthen the neurocircuitry for those ideas. This allows Trump to dominate on a subconscious level – and 98 percent of thought is subconscious.
Trump isn’t a genius. He’s a super salesman, and has been for most of his life.
Now he’s president, and our gullibility to his antics threatens our democracy. That’s because Trump often uses social media to distract from what he’s actually doing, like dismantling our government and robbing the working class to pay off the rich. He often uses his tweet tantrums to “step on” big developments in the Russia investigation, creating a bigger story (“nuclear button!”) to distract attention.
With investigators closing in on Trump’s possibly treasonous Russia dealings, think of him as a trapped rat with a Twitter account. His attempts to distract will only intensify, but we must stop falling for them.
This doesn’t mean ignoring Trump. It means maintaining a steely focus on things that really matter, like the attack on our public institutions, the massive transfer of wealth and power to the rich, the resurgence of extreme racist politics, and the criminal investigation into the Trump Organization.
Let’s reclaim our power to decide what’s important. Let’s shrink Trump down to size. Let’s take away his power to control our brains.
It turns out that we were all puppets. As long as we allow Trump to manipulate our public discourse with his fingertips, we’ll remain puppets. It’s time to cut the strings.


The Director-General of the MKO Abiola campaign organisation, Senator Jonathan Zwingina, on Monday, said the SDP members who served in the Gen. Sani Abacha government all had the permission of Abiola.
Zwingina, who ran the campaign tagged ‘Hope ’93,’ said Abacha deceived them into working with him.
The former lawmaker said this during a live breakfast show on Channels Television on Monday.
He said, “I have been the secretary of most of the meetings on the June 12 campaign and I can tell you some facts that we sat in a meeting chaired by MKO Abiola and agreed as a team to work with the government of Abacha in anticipation of declaring June 12 after about six or 12 months.
He defended the likes of Kingibe, a former Lagos State governor, Lateef Jakande and Olu Onagoruwa (SAN), who all agreed to serve in the Abacha government.
Zwingina said he was in possession of the minutes of the meeting where the decision was taken by Abiola and others to serve in Abacha’s government.
He added, “It may not be quite accurate to say somebody jumped ship or ran away from a mandate. That is not accurate. I had the list of those who were presented to Gen. Abacha and we had protests about some areas and they were corrected.


Michael FITZPATRICK Death Notice: Michael FITZPATRICK’s Obituary by the The New Zealand Herald.
FITZPATRICK, Michael Bede. Passed away at Sarah Selwyn Hospital on 8th January 2019, aged 84 years. Loved husband of Wendy, father and father-in-law of Tony and Moira, Alison and Peggy. Beloved Pop of Michael, Daniel and Harry. Now at peace and forever in our hearts. Sincere thanks to the staff at Sarah Selwyn Hospital. A service for Michael will be held at St. Chad's Anglican Church, 117 Centreway Road, Orewa on Monday 14th January 2019 at 2pm.


New documents released by US Senate offer new window into 2016 meeting with Russians close to the Kremlin.
The Senate Judiciary Committee released thousands of pages of documents on a Trump Tower meeting between members of the incoming US administration and Russian officials.
The congressional testimony, totalling 1,800 pages, provided rare insight on Wednesday into the June 9, 2016, meeting attended by Donald Trump Jr and the US president's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort.
Senior adviser Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, also partook in a meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, who has close ties to the Kremlin.
Trump Jr admitted in testimony to Congress to seeking to obtain compromising material on then-Democratic Party frontrunner Hillary Clinton.
The meeting sparked a media storm and became of keen interest to investigators probing alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
The 40-year-old son of the president told Congress he does not remember informing his father of the meeting before it was reported by The New York Times a year later.
"Obviously he's aware of it now because he's read it, it's been in the papers, but that's the extent of my knowledge of his knowledge of it," he said.
Pressed to give further information as to whether he told his father immediately after the meeting, Trump Jr insisted he did not. "I wouldn't have wasted his time with it."
Steve Bannon, the president's former chief strategist, has said he believes the elder Trump likely knew of the meeting.
While Trump Jr has consistently maintained he did not tell his father of the meeting, a phone call with a blocked number suspected to be his father's has raised a number of questions.
On June 6, Trump Jr phoned Emin Agalarov, a Russian pop star and the son of an oligarch with close ties to President Vladimir Putin, who is said to have helped organise the meeting. Minutes later he called the blocked number.
Trump Jr then called Agalarov again. This time, the call lasted three minutes.
Corey Lewandowski, a former Trump campaign manager, told investigators Trump's "primary residence has a blocked [phone] line".
Investigators: Does your father use a blocked number on his mobile phone or on any phones that you call him on?
Trump Jr: I don't know.
Investigators: So you don't know whether this might have been your father?
Trump Jr was eager to find material that could be used to tarnish his father's political rival, Clinton.
Asked whether he was looking for potential information incriminating her, Trump Jr responded "yes", adding he didn't think "listening to someone with information relevant to the fitness and character of a presidential candidate would be an issue".
Following the publication of the Times report last year, Trump Jr downplayed the significance of the information offered.
"Her [Veselnitskaya's] statements were vague, ambiguous and made no sense. No details or supporting information was provided or even offered. It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information," Trump Jr said in a statement at the time.
Recent revelations show Manafort was so unimpressed with Veselnitskaya’s presentation that he is said to have spent much of the meeting fidgeting with his phone, the Russian lawyer's translator, Anatoli Samochornov, said.
Neither was Veselnitskaya satisfied with her hosts' absent-mindedness.
"I know she was expecting something else from the meeting, something bigger," her translator added.
Meeting attendees confirmed in their testimony the meeting failed to offer anything substantial.
Rob Goldstone, a music promoter who acted as an intermediary between Trump Jr and the Russians, said no damaging information was presented to the campaign team.
"I don't know what would be deemed 'damaging', but I didn't hear anything that I would deem to be damaging … and I didn't see anybody react in a way that I believed people would react if they heard damaging information," he said.
"All else being equal, I wouldn't have wanted to waste 20 minutes hearing about something that I wasn't supposed to be meeting about," he said.
A single page of notes taken during the meeting by Manafort shows 11 bullet points, the meanings of which so far remain unknown.
Russia and the US: Who is undermining democracy?


KANSAS CITY, MO—Sadly watching from the dugout as the lone spectator refused to abandon the game, the players of the Kansas City Royals confirmed this week that they were concerned about a fan who stuck out a three-hour rain delay. “I hope he’s okay, I mean, we appreciate the support, but it’s coming down in sheets and this game has absolutely zero playoff implications,” said third-baseman Mike Moustakas, who expressed concern that the fan had seemingly nothing better to do for an entire evening than wait for a mid-season baseball game to restart while sitting through a torrential downpour. “He’s all the way up in the 400 level—he doesn’t even have good seats. I mean, it’s the middle of the week, shouldn’t he have a family or someone to go home to? Maybe we should send up a security guard to ask if he’s okay?” At press time, the fan had gotten up to leave after being unable to endure an interminably long eighth inning.


Coral associate Neville Skelly comes from Liverpool, claims to be influenced by classic American songwriters such as Cole Porter and George Gershwin and cut his teeth in working men’s clubs and big bands. Yet the closest point of reference for ‘Carousel’ is probably Richard Hawley, with whom Skelly shares a whisky-stained voice that works well with the very un-2014 musical backing, all tasteful acoustic guitars, brushed drums and soft slide guitar. The result is a warm and polished album. ‘Carousel’ was recorded in a friend’s kitchen and at times it feels like you are there, with Skelly singing into your ear over a candlelit sink. Only the odd David Gray-type wail – as on ‘Love You Gave’ – upsets the effect.


ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - There have been a number of water main breaks in Roswell, but the city is working to repair them as soon as possible.
“We hired a contractor to come in to fix the leak on the 36-inch water line. The problem we have now is the one of plumbing caps that he’s done,” said Louis Najar, who is the city engineer.
Najar said it wasn’t sealed completely, which caused a small leak to occur.
“The replacement parts have been ordered, so the contractor is owning up to the repair, and he will fix it, with no additional costs to the city,” Najar said.
However, the closures of McGaffey St. and Union are impacting several businesses.
“It causes quite a lot of problems, but there’s people now actually trying to remove the signs to get around, because they are anxious to get through here, quickly, “said Julie Corbell owner of The Wrap Studio.
The city is working on a water infrastructure plan to prevent future problems in the city’s water system. It goes into effect early next year.


The first of the three fathers that Nicky Loutit remembers is Robert Kee. He had been a fighter pilot and prisoner of war, and later became a writer, broadcaster and member of the “famous five” who founded TV-am. He was handsome, charismatic and angry.
Aged two-and-a-half, Nicky was put in a children’s home by her mother, Janetta, who is now 95. “She said to me recently that she knew I didn’t like that home, but she was so mad about Robert that she put me there for my own protection,” says Nicky. “She felt she was saving me. I remember crying and crying and crying. Still now, it makes me cry. If I’d talked about it 10 years ago, I probably wouldn’t have cried.” Getting older, says Nicky, now 73, she “feels more tender”.
Nicky is a painter who has produced a unique and haunting memoir, in pictures and words, of her extraordinary childhood. It reveals a trio of fathers who were highly regarded figures in public, but who, in private, variously inflicted on her mental, physical or sexual abuse.
An image from Nicky Loutit’s book New Year’s Day Is Black.
Derek called her Knickers. “Oh, God, he was ghastly. I never liked him. He was quite happy to pay for me to go to school, he wanted to please my mother, but he didn’t care a fiddle about me.” He would test Nicky on maths and delight in her failures. She often confuses her numbers, even now.
When she was nine, the one reliable man in her childhood helped to reunite father and daughter. James MacGibbon was a publisher and friend of Nicky’s father Kenneth; Nicky played with James’s son, Robert, and adored them both. James, Robert and her father planned to sail across the Channel and on to Paris together and James, thoughtfully, suggested they invite Nicky along.
The MacGibbons slept in a separate cabin and didn’t know. They were appalled when Nicky told them 30 years later.
Boarding school was a release. “I felt saved by boarding school. I loved it but had to slightly pretend that I didn’t, because my mother and her bohemian friends were scornful of school,” she says. She was beaten by a maths teacher and then found friendship with one particular teacher. “He was wonderful, very inspiring,” she says. “He loved me and I was very important to him.” He took her on little excursions in his car and read Under Milk Wood and the Bible. He continued lessons in his bedroom, where several pupils joined him in bed. As his favourite, Nicky had to put her head on his chest. “Looking back, it was sexual, but it wasn’t overtly sexual like my father’s abuse,” says Nicky.
One day, she was swimming with other pupils, naked, in the lily pond in the school grounds (which, bizarrely, they were allowed to do). She had reached puberty and her friends were envious of her breasts, but he saw that she had “got too big” and “I wasn’t this sweet little girl snuggled up to him”. He ended their special relationship. “It was devastating. His rejection was like everything in my childhood. It wasn’t said, so I couldn’t reply, ‘Please don’t.’ It just happened. Suddenly, I was never invited into his room again.” She recalls his next favourite: a younger, skinnier pupil. “It was terrible,” she says.


• Visit Ħal Millieri medieval chapel, l/o Żurrieq, during the open day from 9am to 6pm. Mass at 10am. Tours at 11.15am, and 4pm.
• Visit the Fort Manoel open day from 9am to 4pm. Tours start at 11am.
• Visit the annual exhibition of Malta’s model makers association at the Catholic Institute, Floriana, from 9am to 5pm.
• Visit Piscopo Gardens’ Herb Weekend, Burmarrad, from 9am to 6pm.
• Take your kids to the Let’s Read Together show at the Eden Cinemas, Paceville, from 10am to noon. Ages 3+. edencinemas.com.mt.
• Listen to a Georgian Sinfonietta string orchestra concert at the MCC, Valletta, at 6pm. For tickets, 2559 5750 or visit www.mcc.com.mt.
• Attend the concert of 16th century music by the Controarco Consort and tenor Baltazar Zúñiga at St Augustine church, Victoria, at 7.30pm. www.gaulitanus.com.
• Watch MADC’s production of An Inspector Calls at Blue Box Theatre, Msida, at 7.30pm. Ages 12+. For tickets call 7979 3737 or visit www.bluebox.com.mt.


There should be no doubts about the U.S.’ decisive role behind the now-crumbling military coup in Honduras. As commander and chief of the U.S. armed forces, the blame for this intervention lies solely on President Obama.
This year U.S. aide to Honduras was $43 million.
It is utterly unimaginable that the Honduran military would act against the wishes of the hemisphere’s military and economic superpower.
In fact, the chief military leader of the Honduran coup — Joint Chief of Staff Romeo Orlando Vasquez Velasquez — lived and was trained at the notorious School of Americas (SOA), a U.S. military base that trains Latin American military officers to act in the best interests of United State’s corporations. It is no coincidence that another coup leader — Air Force head Gen. Luis Javier Prince Suazo — is also an SOA graduate.
When Honduran President Manuel Zelaya realized that Vasquez was acting against him, he was fired — the rest of the military chiefs resigned in protest; and the coup was on.
The highly conservative Honduran Supreme Court then gave the military the “legal” cover it needed to pursue the coup, a fact the U.S. media uses to justify the events.
The reason for the coup lies in President Zelaya’s recent foreign policy shift — away from the United States towards Venezuela and the rest of Latin America. This turn was the result of the United States largely ignoring Honduras, after a long lasting, villainous relationship had ended: the U.S. had, for years, funneled large amounts of cash and arms to the Honduran government to kill the regions political leftists, the high point being the regions turbulent 1980’s.
Nearly all of the U.S. media’s writing about the Honduran coup is littered with negative references to Hugo Chavez, the “socialist project,” and other buzzwords meant to influence the reader toward acceptance of the coup.
Obama himself does nothing to condemn the coup. Yes, he is “deeply concerned” about the events in Honduras, but his vague comments about “dialogue” and respecting “legal procedures” is full of loopholes — big enough for a coup to squeeze through.
If Obama immediately refused to recognize the newly installed coup government in Honduras, while threatening to withdraw U.S. military and financial aide — along with the U.S. ambassador — the coup would dissolve in seconds. Strong actions like these, however, were completely absent.
Such a statement did come not only from the General Assembly of the United Nations, but from the formerly U.S.-dominated Organization of American States (OAS). Both organizations are refusing to recognize the new coup government in Honduras and are demanding the return of Zelaya. This is a big blow to Washington, who in better times could rely on the OAS and U.N. to turn a blind eye to a U.S.-sponsored coup, such as the one in Haiti in 2004.
Now, however, the OAS has largely broken from the U.S. stranglehold, emboldened by the independent path taken by numerous Latin American countries, though especially Venezuela.
And this is the broader motive for the coup. The U.S. banks and other corporations that once dominated Latin America are being quickly pushed aside, so that governments may use their country’s wealth for social services and real economic development — not foreign for-profit plunder.
The U.S. coup attempt in Honduras is thus a sign of desperation. It was also a huge gamble. Obama had hoped that the U.N. and OAS would let this one slide. It was also hoped that the Honduran people would be intimidated by martial law and a communications blackout. Neither was the case.
Huge protests have defied the military-ordered curfew. Latin American countries have united in defiance of a tyrannical U.S. policy. It is reported that these happenings are causing splits in the Honduran military, while also a general strike was being prepared by the nation’s trade unions.
In consequence, the coup is likely to crumble, and Obama’s first attempt to re-tame Latin America will have failed. The actions of the U.N. and OAS are striking examples of the shrinking international influence of the U.S., meaning that future interventions — both military and economic — are likely to be more direct to restore U.S. hegemony. Obama’s more-subtle attempts to uphold U.S. “influence” in the world will ultimately require blunter, Bush-like tactics.
If the Honduran coup fails, Obama will eloquently discuss how pleased he is that “democracy was restored” — while refusing to admit that he tried to kill it.


MEXICO CITY — The latest round of NAFTA talks has begun without any substantive negotiating on key sticking points in a low-key meeting contrasting markedly with the previous round filled with bombshell demands and public scoldings.
Sources said it was unlikely any major counter-demands would be tabled as negotiating teams began meeting on Saturday in key topic areas that figured in the acrimony of the previous round.
Agriculture and rules-of-origin groups began four days of talks but people familiar with the negotiations downplayed the likelihood that Canada would offer a response to American requests on dairy and auto parts at this round.
At the outset of a round projected to be a status-quo affair on the most contentious files, there was a similar lack of movement on Buy American rules, as attempts to get the U.S. to budge yielded nothing.
Canadian officials said they do expect progress on a number of less-controversial files, to get those completed before the harder issues get tackled in future rounds. The three countries are scheduled to continue talking through at least March, after extending their timeframe.
“Progress is slow,” one official said.
Which is not a bad thing, according to those same officials.
They said there’s clearly a desire to lower the political temperature after lead ministers Chrystia Freeland, Robert Lighthizer and Ildefonso Guajardo practically debated on stage at the closing news conference of the previous round. The politicians have skipped this round, the professional negotiators are working on their own, and the timeframe for completing talks has been extended from an end-of-year target into next spring.
There were small hints of potential compromise.
Canada and Mexico expressed a willingness to discuss the U.S. demand for a review of NAFTA every five years. They insisted, however, that it not include a clause that would automatically cancel NAFTA unless everyone agrees to renew it.
A newly published list of U.S. negotiating objectives hints at the potential for a less-aggressive American posture on that front: It avoids tough talk of termination, and echoes the Canadian and Mexican language on creating some kind of review process.
But the list of broad U.S. priorities includes strong language on auto parts, and dairy.
Canada and Mexico have also said they’re willing to discuss auto changes, and updating the enforcement mechanisms — but not along the lines the U.S. has asked, and not in any substantive detail at this round.
Journalists hungry for stories from this round staked out the hallways in a mostly unsuccessful hunt for news.
The scene in the Mexico City hotel was described in a local newspaper article that related the mob scene of mostly Mexican media that surrounded Canadian chief negotiator Steve Verheul.
It described how media recognized the “blond-haired,” “clean-shaven” Canadian toting a dark bag, and how they chased him with their audio recorders, descending upon him like a flock of “monarch butterflies,” peppering him with questions in the three official languages of the NAFTA countries.
The result: “Nothing,” said the article.
One public figure who did figure prominently in Mexican news reports was Canadian union leader Jerry Dias. He attended a forum with Mexican workers Friday, held a rally later in the day outside the hotel, and spoke with numerous reporters in his goal of increasing Mexican labour protections.
Photos and stories about his rally ran in different Mexican newspapers on Saturday.
“It’s wonderful to see that labour and wage reform is getting coverage in the Mexican media,” Dias tweeted.


The longtime UN peacekeeping operation in Lebanon was extended Wednesday with new directions to conduct more patrols with Lebanese forces and report when peacekeepers run into roadblocks in Hezbollah strongholds in the country's south.
The UN Security Council unanimously approved the plan for the mission known as UNIFIL, extending it another year after a flurry of negotiations over U.S. and Israeli desires to do more to keep Hezbollah from gathering illegal weapons.
The two countries sought a more muscular approach for UNIFIL to tackle what they say is a blatant, unauthorized arms buildup by the militant group in southern Lebanon. Some other nations, including Lebanon, didn't want major changes in a peacekeeping force seen as playing an important role in the area's decade of relative stability.
In the end, the U.S. and Israel emerged pleased with what they saw as important changes, while other nations noted that the mission's overall mandate hadn't changed.
"The status quo for UNIFIL was not acceptable, and we did not accept it," said U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who has made a priority of scrutinizing the effectiveness and expense of UN peacekeeping missions. She said the changes will help ensure UNIFIL "has the power and the will to do its job."
For example, she said, Hezbollah sometimes bars peacekeepers from entering certain areas. Now, UNIFIL is being asked to provide "prompt and detailed" reports on where and why its troops were stopped.
Now a 10,500-member force with a $489 million budget, UNIFIL was originally created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops after a 1978 invasion. The mission was expanded after a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah so that peacekeepers could deploy along the Lebanon-Israel border, to help Lebanese troops extend their authority into their country's south for the first time in decades.
But this year, the annual exercise of renewing UNIFIL became unusually fraught.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised his criticisms of the mission personally — and publicly —with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during a joint news conference Monday, and Haley and UNIFIL's commander openly clashed last week. The commander, Maj. Gen. Michael Beary, told The Associated Press there was no evidence of the arms traffic and stockpiling that the U.S. and Israel describe in Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon. Haley said his remarks show Beary is blind to a "massive flow of illegal weapons."
Lebanon, which rejects the claims that Hezbollah is stashing weapons in the south, called Tuesday for renewing UNIFIL's mandate unchanged. Its UN mission didn't immediately respond to a request for comment after the vote. Neither Lebanon nor Israel is on the 15-member Security Council.
Council members largely wanted to keep UNIFIL as-is, said French Deputy Ambassador Anne Gueguen, whose country was in charge of drafting the renewal resolution. France didn't want to put "the delicate balance" of southern Lebanon into question, Gueguen said.
"UNIFIL, of course, can do better and can do more, but no one within this council can imagine, for one second, the environment (of stability) existing there without UNIFIL," she said.
Italian Ambassador Sebastiano Cardi, whose country is among the biggest contributors of troops to UNIFIL, said it was important not to blur lines between peacekeepers' duties and those of Lebanese forces.
"Promoting confusion in that regard undermines UNIFIL's operation and strips the Lebanese authorities of their own sovereign prerogatives," Cardi said. He said his nation was concerned about the changes but accepted them for the sake of Security Council unity.
The secretary-general has stressed that under UNIFIL's mandate, it is primarily the Lebanese military's responsibility to ensure the south is free of unauthorized weapons.


“We all knew that at some point we’d have to deal with losing castmembers and friends, but not this soon. Not at 52. Not in such an abrupt way," the 'Beverly Hills, 90210' actor said on last Thursday's episode of his podcast.
Brian Austin Green has finally spoken out about the death of his Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Luke Perry.
Green was the last of the major Beverly Hills, 90210 stars to pay tribute to Perry, who died March 4 at the age of 52 after suffering a stroke in late February.
"Luke was one of those people nobody had a bad story about. He was just a great guy," Green continued in the podcast. "And he was Luke no matter where you saw him, no matter when you saw him, no matter what he was going through. He was a rock."
Green also revealed that he sent Perry a text following his passing. "I texted him after he passed, knowing obviously that he can’t text me back but on some level, hoping that he would text me back, or that he was out there somewhere," he said. "And I know he is. I know he’s looking down and I know he’s smiling."
Prior to the release of the podcast, many fans criticized Green after he posted a video that promoted an event for the podcast on his Instagram page earlier on Thursday. A number of his followers wrote that they were disappointed that he didn't post a tribute to Perry. The event Green was promoting is set to take place at Torrance High School, which served as the exterior for West Beverly High School in Beverly Hills, 90210.


Assam, Feb 08 (ANI): A large number of people from different faiths gathered at a religious event in India's northeastern state of Assam. The two-day event was organized by nine Muslim villages of Charaibahi Panchayat area in Jorhat with an aim to foster peace, unity and brotherhood among different communities. Leaders from different communities also participated in the meeting to spread message of unity across the country. The leaders cautioned people against some elements who wanted to disturb peace in the region and called upon them not to pay any heed to them. Religious leaders preached that Islam stood for peace and universal brotherhood and not for violence as being misinterpreted by those involved in terror activities. The initiative was hailed by the people who came from far-off areas to listen to the religious leaders. The values and traditions of the people in India promote integration among different communities.


Clint Eastwood insisted on Monday that his Chrysler Super Bowl commercial was not some kind of political, pro-Obama ad.
In the two-minute ad Eastwood said it is "halftime in America," and talked about the comeback the city of Detroit and the auto industry has staged.
Critics, though, said it echoes Obama's policies.
"I'm a huge fan of Clint Eastwood, I thought it was an extremely well-done ad, but it is a sign of what happens when you have Chicago-style politics, and the president of the United States and his political minions are, in essence, using our tax dollars to buy corporate advertising," Karl Rove said on Fox News.
But Eastwood told the network, "I just want to say that the spin stops with you guys, and there is no spin in that ad. On this I am certain. l am certainly not politically affiliated with Mr. Obama. It was meant to be a message about just about job growth and the spirit of America. I think all politicians will agree with it. I thought the spirit was OK."
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Bowing to fan pressure, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue on Thursday relaxed penalties against players who high-five fans and throw footballs into stands.
Players still will be ''subject to'' a $1,000 fine for sending footballs into the crowd, but neither that act nor shaking hands with fans will cost a team a five-yard penalty.
Excessive, prolonged or provocative demonstrations on the field or in the end zone still will result in a five-yard penalty. Taunting is still a 15-yard penalty.
The league received more than 70 letters of protest after Denver quarterback John Elway was fined and the Broncos penalized for flipping a ball to a fan in a wheelchair during the first week of play. From now on, Elway still would be subject to the $1,000 fine, but the team wouldn`t be penalized. While the league will continue to police the throwing of footballs, Tagliabue urged individual clubs to enforce their own rules regarding other interplay with fans. He said it is a crowd control issue that officials should not have to police because it has no bearing on the game.
''I would tell Rodney to do it again,'' Detroit coach Wayne Fontes said.
After three weeks, the league said 12 penalties had been called for excessive or prolonged demonstrations. Nine were for either throwing the ball into the stands or high-fiving fans.
''After seeing the fan reaction to these particular penalties, it became apparent that a kinder, gentler approach was needed,'' Tagliabue said.
New Orleans Saints President Jim Finks, chairman of the Competition Committee that reaffirmed and strengthened the policies this season, objected to Tagliabue`s backpedal.
''I`m not backing down from any one of the rules we approved,'' Finks said, noting teams voted for the policy.
The league originally adopted the rules in 1984 to eliminate unsportsmanlike acts.
Clubs thought enforcement was getting lax, so the competition committee reaffirmed them.


"Cut, as in budget, Flowers"
Illinois EPA declined to comment on the looming budget reductions.
Congress appears unlikely to strike deal that would avoid the mandatory spending cuts totaling $85 billion, to say nothing of the second, albeit much smaller, cuts scheduled for March 27. The cuts are meant to help close a $4 trillion budget deficit.
Nationwide environmental programs will take a big hit. The National Science Foundation will issue almost 1,000 fewer research grants, and several thousand research personnel could lose their jobs as a result of cuts to The National Institutes of Health. Many national parks will face partial or full closures.
The sequester would slow down oil and gas permitting, due to cutbacks at the Department of the Interior and other agencies with a hand in that process. Permitting for solar and wind power plants on federal lands could also slow down.
The cuts would affect energy efficiency, too, perhaps counting 1,200 home weatherization professionals among those laid off as a result of the sequester.


Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel apologized for the 2014 police shooting death of Laquan McDonald, but protesters still want his resignation. In a rally on Wednesday, demonstrators called for Cook Count State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, who has come under intense scrutiny for her office's role in the investigation, to step down as well.
Protesters have turned out en masse since the release of the video showing former Chicago Police officer Jason Van Dyke shooting McDonald 16 times, several of those while McDonald was on the ground.
Protesters also blocked storefronts along the popular Michigan Avenue shopping district on Black Friday, causing some businesses to report sales numbers as much as 25-to-50 percent lower than expected.


Michigan and South Carolina will play in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1 in Tampa, Fla.
Matchup: Michigan (8-4) vs. South Carolina (8-4) in the Outback Bowl.
Where: Raymond James Stadium; Tampa, Fla.
TV/radio: ESPN2; WWJ-AM (950), WTKA-AM (1050).
Know the foe: Michigan gets an Outback Bowl rematch with South Carolina after suffering a 33-28 last-minute loss to the Gamecocks back in 2012. Things are quite a bit different now. Steve Spurrier is gone. So is Brady Hoke. It'll be Jim Harbaugh vs. Will Muschamp in Tampa on New Year's Day as the Wolverines will battle one of the SEC's worst offenses, as the Gamecocks finished 12th in the league at 340.2 yards per game. Defensively, South Carolina was a bit better, allowing 374.6 yards per game.
The QB: South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley has had an up and down year with turnovers (11 interceptions), but he has throw for 2,555 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also holds a completion rate of 64.2 percent. He's not known as a dangerous runner, though he's rushed for six touchdowns this season. The Gamecocks haven't been good in the passing game, though, as 27.9 percent of all South Carolina's pass attempts have resulted in either a pass breakup, an interception or a sack.
Iffy offense: This probably won't be a battle of elite offenses, as both South Carolina (108th in nation in total yards) and Michigan (101st) have struggled to move the ball this season. The Gamecocks have made it to the red zone on just 24 percent of their possessions, ranking No. 107 nationally. In four losses this season, South Carolina has averaged 50.3 rushing yards per game on 22 attempts. The offense averages just 5.49 yards per play. U-M's defense is still one of the best in the country and only allowed 400 yards or more once this season.
Turnovers: South Carolina's defense has been opportunistic, as the Gamecocks have picked off 12 passes and recovered 11 fumbles this season. The 23 turnovers gained ties South Carolina for No. 21 nationally. The Gamecocks have been stingy overall on the scoreboard, the most important stat. Opponents averaged 20.8 points per game this season.


The City of Pharr canceled their Veterans Day festivities, which includes a parade and concert originally scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 10, citing inclement weather, according to a news release.
Fireworks are now scheduled for 6:30 p.m on Sunday, Nov. 11. The display will launch from Liberty Middle School.