After a season that has seen them fail to reach the lofty levels anticipated in training camp, this was supposed to be the Washington Wizards' first decisive step toward a playoff spot.
But the Milwaukee Bucks got in the way last night at MCI Center. Playing with a determination the Wizards never exhibited, they stopped Washington from running at the outset and won the crucial season series tiebreaker game between the teams 85-82.
The victory gave the Bucks (31-31) a one-game lead over the Wizards for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs with the regular season fast dwindling. More importantly, if the teams end with identical records, Milwaukee will have the advantage because it won two of their three meetings.
The loss continued a debilitating trend that has seen the Wizards run for cover whenever they seem faced with adversity which can come in many different forms for this team.
One reason they are in this tenuous position is that they have dropped too many games against bad teams. And last night, against a team that clearly seemed to have a better grip on the gravity of the situation, the Wizards spent most of the night looking for the nearest bunker.
"I sure tried to downplay the game," Wizards coach Doug Collins said. "I did not try to add any pressure to our guys. I did not want them to feel tense. But tonight we were as impatient as we have been all year long. We were in such a hurry. We didn't get to our spots, and we ran on top of each other. Finally, when our guys settled down and got the ball where I asked them to get it, we got great shots."
Despite being outplayed all night and never leading the Wizards had their opportunities late in the game.
Larry Hughes (10 points, eight assists) sank a pair of free throws to pull the Wizards within 78-76. But then Milwaukee's Desmond Mason (11 points) nailed a 3-pointer over Michael Jordan with 1:44 left.
The teams traded baskets after a timeout, and a tip-in by Kwame Brown and a pair of free throws by Jordan closed the Wizards to 83-82. Sam Cassell was fouled by Jordan with 18.8 seconds to play and knocked down a pair of free throws to extend the Bucks' lead to 85-82.
The Wizards' final possession, which started after a 20-second timeout, was a complete disaster.
Christian Laettner (19 points, eight rebounds) stepped inside the 3-point arc and rifled the ball to Hughes, who later said he was not expecting it. He passed up what looked like a good shot from beyond the arc, opting to give the ball to Jordan with the clock ready to expire. Out of options, Jordan launched a 26-footer that Gary Payton deflected.
The Wizards got an uncharacteristically poor performance from Jerry Stackhouse, who finished with 15 points on 5-for-12 shooting. And they got nothing at all from starting center Brendan Haywood, who was scoreless in 19 minutes.
"We knew it was a big game. We wanted to win it, and we gave it our all," Laettner said. "I think we were trying a little too hard at the beginning of the game. Once we calmed down, we did all right. We just could never get over the hump."
Making last night's loss even tougher was that Orlando, the team with the seventh-best record in the East (32-31), lost to the New York Knicks.
"It doesn't sit well," Jordan said of the Wizards' defeat. "Five months into the season, we shouldn't be making the same mistakes we made in the first month. At some point, you've got to progress. And we progress and regress in the same week."
Jordan led the Wizards with 27 points and nine rebounds.
The Wizards are still in the thick of things this morning, just on the outside looking in. But they better not spend too much time licking wounds. After the Wizards play New York tomorrow at Madison Square Garden, they return to MCI Center on Tuesday for another huge game against Orlando.


Location- To be agreed, and there is a possibility for agile working.
We have an exciting role available supporting the corporate fraud team in planning and undertaking proactive anti-fraud activities. You will be responsible for developing and maintaining systems and processes to assist in the collection and analysis of data and information relating to fraud and error, including statistical analysis. This may include collating intelligence into allegations of fraud, error and corruption of varying nature and complexity, including using data matching exercises.
You will promote and develop fraud awareness and fraud champions internally and within partnerships organisations.
You will need a working knowledge of Social security and fraud legislation, and have an ability to analyse and process data accurately, and have good interpersonal skills to develop working relationships with other departments, teams and external organisations.
You will support our corporate fraud investigation team to undertake various reviews and gather intelligence that will support criminal prosecutions.
You will need to have good IT and communications skills.
As part of your CPD you may have the opportunity to work towards becoming a counter fraud specialist.


Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7 offers significant security improvements over its deservedly criticized predecessor. But the new IE still does not do enough to protect users.
Firefox's NoScript plug-in (a free download at NoScript.net) provides an elegant solution to the problem of malicious scripting. Once installed, NoScript prevents scripting from working at any Web site you visit until you approve it for that particular site. Being able to control scripting on a site-by-site basis with a single mouse click gives you a powerful security advantage.
But instead of the surgical script controls of NoScript, IE 7 still uses the same mud-covered sledgehammer that IE 6 did. Like NoScript, IE lets you block scripting for all sites in the Internet Zone, after which you can enable scripting for a particular site, but getting to the necessary dialog box takes at least six mouse clicks, and you must then enter the site's URL into the Trusted Sites list. It's a hassle most users won't deal with.
Microsoft touts IE 7's Phishing Filter as a significant new security feature, but a recent test of IE 7's filters by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that the Phishing Filter caught, at best, 68 percent of the phishing URLs that the researchers threw at the browser. (You can read more about the study's findings "Phinding Phish: An Evaluation of Anti-Phishing Toolbars.") Your best bet: Install an antiphishing toolbar as a safety net. In the CMU tests, SpoofGuard identified 91 percent of phishing sites. EarthLink's free toolbar placed second, with 83 percent accuracy.
None of this means that you shouldn't upgrade to IE 7. The new browser is more secure than IE 6--and given how tightly it's integrated into Windows, that extra protection is critical.
Andrew Brandt is a contributing editor for PC World. E-mail him at privacywatch@pcworld.com.


All male college to admit transgender men. Wait... what?
First of all, I didn’t realize we still had any all-male schools left in the country after the gender wars of the past several decades. It turns out we have three, or possibly four. In addition to Morehouse College, there are Wabash College in Indiana and Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia. St. John’s University in Minnesota is also male only, but they share a co-ed program with the College of St. Benedict where ladies attend.
So in order to get into Morehouse, you not only need to be African-American but male. That doesn’t sound very “inclusive,” does it? And even with the upcoming change, it’s not going to be completely integrated along these lines. The new policy will only apply to students who are born female but “identify” as male. If you you’re a boy who identifies as a girl you still won’t be admitted even though you have all of the correct reproductive equipment. And “cisgender” (ugh) females still need not apply.
There are still quite a few women’s colleges in the United States today. Personally, I have no problem with that at all. But if you’re going to demand that everyone play by the same rules, why are we still carving out exceptions? The inconsistencies in the social justice movement continue to pile up, but few seem to want to hold them accountable.


Honoka suggests the group stays overnight at Maki’s summer home to practice. When the girls arrive, they ignore their training and go play on the beach instead.
?'s complete their first concert in an empty auditorium. In attempt to get a massive crowd for their next performance, Honoka tries to recruit Hanayo.
Honoka’s group idol name is "?'s" and the group debuts their first song. Their popularity grows at school, and they have their first concert.
Honoka and friends form a school idol group to entice more students to attend. When pointed out that their group could have the opposite of their desired effect, Honoka becomes dispirited.
May Our Dream Come True!


It's the town east of Westhampton, which snobs will say is too far west to count as a Hampton. But what are you doing listening to snobs anyway?
That's about it for Quogue. Is it a Hampton? Is it an Un-Hampton? It doesn't matter. It's a perfect and peaceful couple of days.
By Pavia Rosati for Fathom | I have spent most summer weekends since 2000 in the Hamptons. And although I run this fine travel website and am usually a tireless, see-it-all traveler, when I'm the Hamptons, I become my alter ego, Lazygirl.
Lazygirl gets to her preferred Hamptons hamlet, Sagaponack — a wealthy potato field in Bridgehampton — as quickly as possible, lamenting throughout the entire journey that there is no quick way to get there, and then does nothing more than read books, go to the beach, and eat far too much grilled steak, tomato salad, and peach crumble.
This by way of an explanation for why I have never once bothered to stop on Quogue, which I know to be an equally lovely and sleepy hamlet. It's the town east of Westhampton, which snobs will say is too far west to count as a Hampton. But what are you doing listening to snobs anyway?
Quogue Club exterior. All photos by Pavia Rosati.
I was recently invited to visit The Quogue Club at Hallock House (47 Quogue St.; +1-631-653-0100), a hotel so new that the paint was still drying when my husband and I walked into our cottage after midnight last Thursday. (Not really, but just about.) The project is a local labor of love in pure capitalist style. Hallock House began its life in 1824 as the farmhouse of the Hallock family, who occasionally took in a few boarders. It was at its heydey during the Boarding House Era from the 1870s to the middle of the 20th century, and later survived a best forgotten moment in the 1980s as a crazy, coke-fueled party hotel. The building had fallen into disrepair recently, which is when a group of locals (250 member families, to be precise) got together to invest in giving the building a total structural refurbishment, including bringing the building up to modern building codes and restoring the facade to its original design, and transforming the property into a dining club and hotel, the only hotel in town.
If you're thinking Soho House by the beach, you're getting the picture. Only you should swap the hipster vibe for a refined English country aesthetic. Designer Alexa Hampton has filled the main house, fourteen rooms, and two cottages with beautiful textiles in gently coordinated florals, stripes, and ikats. (Patterns for him, patterns for her.) There are books everywhere, donated by members and placed on a striking bookshelf arrangement in the lobby as well as in the adjoining library. The sitting room is set up with an large, gorgeous enameled backgammon set decorated with peacocks and floral motifs. Brandy and backgammon by the fire? This is why the gods invented clubs in the first place.
The well-equipped gym, the yoga studio, and spa treatment room in the basement feel surprisingly light for underground rooms. This whole setup seems very impressive for such a small hotel, but then I remember that these are facilities for an expensive club. Hotel guests just get to reap the benefits. The hotel does not have a pool, but the beach is a 15-minute bike ride or a short drive away.
The dining rooms occupy most of the ground floor. Chef Matt Birnstil is using local ingredients — fish and produce — and doing good things with the pizza oven. I did not have dinner here, but he prepared a special lunch for me, my husband, and general manager Timothy Norton, and I can't remember a better lobster salad.
The photography throughout the hotel is noteworthy, images that are striking without being distracting. Tim explains that the majority of it comes from local photographers — an Instagram series in the dining room, an ice sailing series in the multipurpose screening room, beautiful photos of Cuba in the lobby.
Since I am on assignment, I can't just sit around playing backgammon. My Quogue research primarily involves calling my friend Ben Lerer, who has been coming to Quogue his whole life. Quogue is a very family-oriented town, and it's not unusual for someone to be a lifer. Ben gives me the download, which doesn't take long: There are a few restaurants, a beach, and a nature preserve that's great for running. "And that's about it," he says, "and that's why Quogue is so great."
Beth's Café (48 Main Street; +1-631-653-0222) is a casual eatery with a nice outdoor dining patio and a breakfast menu that includes quinoa-scrambled eggs and a killer croissant sandwich. The food is fresh and the prices are outrageous ($1.50 for a bite-size muffin), both proof that Quogue is, in fact, the Hamptons.
Quogue Country Market (146 Jessup Ave.; +1-631-653-4191), stocked with groceries and prepared foods, is a good place to stop before going to the beach. Docker's Waterside (94 Dune Rd.; +1-631-653-0653) is a no-reservations restaurant along the beach on Dune Road in East Quogue. Predictably, it's a nightmare to get a table on summer weekends. Cucina (674 Montauk Hwy.; +1-631-996-4550) is a casual Italian eatery in East Quogue. It's a good alternative to the always packed Baby Moon (238 Montauk Hwy.; +1-631-288-6350) in Westhampton Beach.
Mr. Q (the corner of Quogue St. and Jessup Ave.; +1-631-653-6559) sells preppy men's clothing for emergency polo shirt situations. The Lily Pad (130 Jessup Ave.; +1-631-653-6575) is a cute consignment shop. (Fun fact: Owner Theresa Fontana used to be the manager at Hallock House when it was the Inn at Quogue.) Double Rainbow Toy Store (140 Jessup Ave.; +1-631-653-6005) carries, well, toys.
Cycling on Quogue country roads.
This goose suffers from a condition known as "angel wings."
We hop on the beautiful Republic bikes the hotel has for guests and make our way to Quogue Wildlife Refuge (3 Old Country Rd.; +1-631-653-4771). We take Jessup Avenue, where most of the shops listed above area located on a one-block stretch, passing a charming old firehouse, the pretty Quogue Historical Society building and pond, and turn left on Old Meeting House Road. We bike as slowly as possible under a canopy of shady, gentle trees. This is a scene out of a movie.
We get to the refuge, expecting to have a quick look around, but we end up spending a few hours. Before we even got onto a trail, we spend time studying the small exhibit about the ice farming, the old action on the pond. (Ice farming! Who knew?) We hit the Main Pond Trail, I spend too much time sitting on the bridge boardwalk, bonding with and taking too many photos of the really friendly turtles who now occupy that same pond.
I meet Marisa Nelson, the kind and gracious assistant director of the Refuge in the Nature Center, and she tells me about the resident chinchillas and tortoises. The Center has a wall of windows overlooking the pond. They do yoga classes here on Wednesdays at sunset. I more than subtly suggest they should do them daily. This is the most serene, postcard-perfect setting. In the winter, it is no doubt just as amazing.
There are some six miles of trails in the reserve. We say hello to a woman sitting on a bench reading and to another one sitting on the ground with a sketchpad. I see a couple working out together, a grandmother and a toddler, and lots and lots of animals. This place is amazing, one of the best things I've ever done in the Hamptons. That it's free makes the case for Quogue not being a Hampton.
Quogue Village Beach was also a ten-minute bike ride in the other direction from Quogue Club, down Quogue Street and over the bridge on Post Lane to the famous strip of sand, Dune Road. You need passes to access the beach, which the hotel provides. It's a classic Long Island shoreline — lots of families, long stretches of sand. Quiet, pretty. There's nothing else along Dune Road except big houses and the two private beach clubs, Quogue Beach Club and Surf Club of Quogue.
Ben was right: That's about it for Quogue. Is it a Hampton? Is it an Un-Hampton? It doesn't matter. It's a perfect and peaceful couple of days.
Bus: The Hampton Jitney bus stop is directly across the street from The Quogue Club. Everything else is walkable or bikable.
See all the locations in the story.


JAMES COLLINS will wear his heart on his sleeve this afternoon - in more ways than one - as West Ham's Welsh international defender returns to his homeland on TWO dream missions.
The first will be to put one over Swansea because as a former Cardiff player and fan they are the enemy, so to speak.
But the second one - and the most important to him - is to play the sort of blinder that will help clinch his place in the Wales national squad that faces England in next summer's European championships.
Collins knows he will run a gauntlet of abuse from Swansea fans he never actually played against when he was with Cardiff City. But he's ready for them.
He said: " I get some stick down there which is understandable. Obviously as a Cardiff fan I don't want Swansea to do too well. All my pals are still Cardiff fans so it would be nice to put one over Swansea for them.
"I speak a lot to Ash (Williams). There is a bit of turmoil down there with the manager being sacked, but the rivalry (with Williams) has started already."
Having said that, Williams and Swansea full back Neil Taylor are his teammates in the Wales squad and there will be much talk about that as well today.
Collins said: "Qualifying for the Euros with Wales is probably the biggest achievement of my career. Being part of a squad which has qualified for the first time in 50 years or so is very important for me.
"Playing against England was destined to be and is a massive game. I am getting asked for tickets already so that's going to be fun leading up to the game."
But it is that game and that tournament that are the reasons Collins is so focused on playing out of his skin for West Ham between now and the end of the season.
"I will have to do that to go to the Euros," he added. "I will have to keep fit and keep my place in the West Ham team to eventually play in the Euros.
"Wales have a tremendous squad now. Years ago you might have expected to get into that team even if you weren't playing regular club football, but the Wales squad now is the best I have ever been involved with.
"I really have to play well regularly for West Ham if I am to go to France with Wales in the summer."


The U.S. House of Representatives committee investigating the 2012 attacks on an American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, said the State Department has pledged to hand over 5,000 new pages of documents related to the incident on Tuesday.
"The State Department has informed the Committee it will make a production of approximately 5,000 pages tomorrow - the second largest production the Committee has received and the largest since last summer," Republican Representative Trey Gowdy, the committee's chairman, said in a statement on Monday.
The documents are not expected to include emails involving former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who has been embroiled in a controversy over her use of a private email account while she was America's top diplomat.
At least four emails out of some 30,000 from Clinton's private account contained classified information, according to a government inspector's letter to Congress last week.
Clinton, who is the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, was secretary of state when Islamic militants attacked the Benghazi compound on Sept. 11, 2012, killing Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.
The State Department has provided the committee with thousands of documents, but Gowdy has repeatedly said he is looking for additional records relating to some of Clinton's staff as well as the former secretary.
The South Carolina lawmaker says he wants all relevant documents before Clinton testifies to the committee. Her campaign has said she would testify in October, but the committee said the timing was not set.
In exchange for receiving the documents on Tuesday, Gowdy said, the committee had granted a request from Secretary of State John Kerry's chief of staff, Jon Finer, to postpone a hearing set for Wednesday at which Finer was scheduled to testify.
"As a condition of postponing the hearing, we made the reasonable request for a significant production of documents," Gowdy said.
Republicans on the committee had been expected to grill Finer about what they considered the State Department's slow pace in handing over documents.
"If the State Department does not fulfill this production, or if production continues to be anemic and underwhelming, we will move forward with scheduling a compliance hearing before the Committee," Gowdy said.


Tyler Breeze defeats EC3. Breeze has a new facial hair pattern that makes it look like he’s trying out for the Vaudevillains and I don’t think I like it. EC3 dominates the early going with his strength, keeping Breeze grounded. This goes on for a short while before Breeze makes the spirited comeback. Breeze catches EC3 with a hurricanrana and cradles the legs to get the pin. Ugh. I like these guys, but how are these matches doing anything to help them out?
The Lucha House Party (Kalisto, Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado) defeat Jinder Mahal & The Singh Brothers (Samir Singh & Sunil Singh) in a Six-Man Tag Team Match. Last week we almost saw this same match, just swap Metalik out for Tyler Breeze. The LHP take early control and we go to commercial. When we come back, Sunil is in control of Kalisto. Eventually, Metalik gets the hot tag and he’s on fire. The referee loses control and there’s bodies flying everywhere. Sunil gets left alone in the ring and Metalik lands a top-rope elbow. Dorado follows with the Shooting Star Press to get the pin. Fine little match, but it’s time to move on from Jinder and the Singh brothers jobbing to every possible six-man babyface combination on the roster.
More people I like doing nothing of consequence or value on Main Event. I know it’s like, a D-show, but a little stakes or variety once in a while would be nice.


Bradenton, Florida -- Neal Communities has contributed $1,500 to the 2013 Empty Bowls luncheon as an Artisan Sponsor. The Food Bank of Manatee County hosts the annual event and proceeds raised help local children, families and seniors in need.
Guests at the luncheon events enjoy a variety of soup donated by local restaurants; the meal of soup and bread symbolizes the need of neighbors and how the local community can work together to fulfill that need. Last year, The Food Bank of Manatee distributed 3.8 million pounds of food to families in Manatee County and this year they hope to surpass four million pounds.
Empty Bowls 2013 will be held from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm on both Friday, October 18, at Renaissance on 9th near downtown Bradenton, and on Saturday, October 19, on Main Street in Lakewood Ranch. To get involved, or to find more information and purchase tickets, visit: http://www.foodbankofmanatee.org/sponsorship.php.


Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 isn’t a good movie. It’s about as bad a superhero movie as we are bound to see. And yet, those involved in the film are still able to say that it is a successful movie… to a certain extent.
I know the movie did well for Sony, but I also know a lot of people weren't happy with it. I think Sam is so talented. … He was like the president of a small country — by the way, [Spider-Man 3] had the gross national income of a small country, too. I have huge respect for him. I think, on a whole, he did such a fantastic job [on that trilogy]."
And he’s right. Sam Raimi’s third Spider-Man movie banked $336 million domestically, and totaled an impressive $890M worldwide. BoxOfficeMojo tells you that it’s the third-highest-grossing film in the Spider-Man series, besting both of Marc Webb's Amazing Spider-Man efforts… despite the fact that the abysmal creative performance of Raimi’s third movie led to the need for a Webb reboot in the first place.
However, no one is going to argue that Spider-Man 3 is a good film, and Grace begrudgingly admits that when he offers that a lot of people "weren’t happy" with the way that the movie turned out. It goes beyond the too-many-villains complaint that’s lobbed at Spider-Man 3 (though trying to cram Venom into a movie that already had Sandman and a second Goblin did reek of overkill). Something happened in between the second and third Spider-Man movies where Raimi lost his grip on the character of Peter Parker (played by Tobey Maguire for his final time). The director didn’t know how to grow and mature Peter. He grossly mishandled Gwen Stacy in the film, and obviously botched Venom because he didn’t care about him as a villain. But it’s the tone-deaf comedy in Spider-Man 3 that’ll always have me scratching my head. Because Spider-Man is a funny hero, but this sequel is anything but humorous.
Spider-Man gets another shot at silver-screen redemption when Marvel teams with Sony for a reboot starring Tom Holland as the wall-crawler. That movie hits theaters on July 28, 2017. Are you going to give it a shot?


The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) says its new whistleblowing website has helped it extinguish a cigarette-smuggling ring and sniff out falsely labelled garlic.
Since OLAF launched the internet-based Fraud Notification System last year, the number of fraud tip-offs has increased: previously, whistleblowers could leave a message on a freephone tip-line, but the system didn't allow for any dialogue with the tipster which made it tough to follow up clues and launch probes, Olaf said in its annual report.
This [online] system has the advantage of helping OLAF better to assess the credibility of anonymous reports of corruption and fraud. It also makes abuse of the system more difficult.
In 2010, with the help of both web fraud notifications, the phone line and other sources, as well as official reports from EU bodies and member states, OLAF received 983 different scraps of information on fraud and 225 new investigative and operational cases were opened.
Particular cases that OLAF highlighted in its report included consultants selling inside information to clients so that they could bid for contracts for the delivery of goods, and irregular use of European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) in Italy.
The office also aided Spanish Customs in "dismantling the largest ever counterfeit cigarette network uncovered in the EU", and the slightly strange case of helping Austrian Customs to "identify misdeclared garlic".
Importers of fresh garlic of the species Allium sativum must pay 9.4 per cent in ad valorem customs duty plus a specific duty of €1,200 per tonne. Allium sativum is the species that the general public commonly considers 'garlic'.
The fresh version of other garlic-like species, for instance Allium ampeloprasum, only attracts a 10.4 per cent ad valorem customs duty, with no specific duty in addition. Subsequently, by misdescribing fresh garlic, the importer can avoid paying nearly €1,200 per tonne or €30,000 per container.
After being alerted by Austrian Customs that there was something dodgy going on with garlic imports, OLAF naturally sent two specimens of the offensive material to independent DNA labs in Italy and Germany to be tested. They were both found to have been misclassified.
At this time, OLAF realised that these labs were among only three in the whole of Europe "able to undertake the DNA testing necessary to determine the species of the garlic", so the office shouted out to all member states to gather up their garlic and send it in so the office could arrange for testing.
While all this sounds like an extremely odd detective melodrama, the testing actually found that all the samples had been misnamed to avoid customs, which, incredibly, cost the EU around €1.6m.


ISLAMABAD - Jahangir Khan Tareen’s shadow looms large over the PTI as he continues to call shots from behind the scene and remains a dominant political player like he used to be before his disqualification by the apex court.
The prominent political player from Southern Punjab, who played a pivotal role in the formation of PTI coalition governments in Punjab and centre, is spending most of his time in his Lahore residence, which is sometimes also called as the ‘second headquarters of PTI’.
Interestingly, since the residence is always bustling with visits of political figures from ruling clique and coalition partners, both from centre and Punjab, some opponents dub his Lahore residence the ‘first headquarters of PTI’.
The award of Senate ticket to Seemi Ezdi, the sister of Jehangir Tareen, had recently also given an opportunity to the political opponents to raise objection over his lingering influence.
“It is one of the U-turns of Imran Khan, as he claimed his friend (JKT) would no more intervene in the party’s affair after disqualification but still he is considered as front liner,” PML-N’s senior leader Ahsan Iqbal commented while talking to The Nation.
Background interviews and discussions reveal that Tareen’s political opponents believe that many of the appointments in Punjab and centre are being made at his whims and wishes. Jahangir Khan Tareen’s consultation, they feel, plays a decisive role in key appointments in Punjab as well as in the centre.
The recently appointed Managing Director (MD) of Bait-ul-Maal Aun Abbas Buppi and Parliamentary Secretary Communication Mian Shafi Arian are considered close to Tareen.
In the matters of the seat adjustment with the coalition partners, he was among the prominent figures from the party. The influence of Jahangir Tareen in the party was also significant when Sulaiman Naeem (PP-217) who won against PTI’s stalwart Shah Mehmood Qureshi came in the rank of PTI.
Sulaiman Naeem’s introduction in the party by Jahangir Tareen reportedly annoyed Qureshi. Despite the earnest efforts by the party chief, the cold war between the duo is still on.
Tareen was seen much prominent for watching the party’s interest in Balochistan. Balochistan National Party (BNP-Mengal) had formally joined as an allied partner of the ruling party in his presence.
Likewise, the members of ‘Seraiki Sooba Mahaz’ from Southern Punjab also officially become part of the PTI by his efforts. The decision of making chief minister Punjab was also given in his credit by some media reports, but he had denied it.
Of late, Tareen is not seen in the party’s important meetings sitting next to Imran Khan. Perhaps, it was opposition parties’ constant criticism that JKT should not take part in official meetings that have forced the wily politician to step back a bit from media limelight.
However, he was recently seen prominently in a function about ‘New Pakistan Housing scheme’ with provincial minister Mian Mehmood Rashid and others at Lodhran (Southern Punjab area).
About his influence on Punjab agriculture sector, political opponents say that JKT remains more influential than the agriculture minister to deal with the matter related to agriculture policy.
A recent ‘leaked video’ of a conversation among PML-Q and PTI members to rein in the Punjab governor reinforced the impression of an unrelenting influence of ‘disqualified’ Jahangir Khan Tareen in the ruling party’s affairs.
Most of these Southern Punjab members, who were seen as being in Tareen’s camp, have successfully got some positions in the centre and Punjab governments.
The disqualified member had already faced criticism for carving out a political dynasty of his own as his son Ali Tareen was awarded a ticket to contest by-polls when the apex court disqualified him.
The party leadership, on the other hand, has time and again acknowledged the loyalty of Jahangir Khan Tareen in party meetings. The award of party tickets, especially in Southern Punjab area, was also linked with him as his opinion was given much importance in almost all the cases.
Iftikhar Durrani, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Media while talking to The Nation said that Jahangir Khan Tareen was not part of any decision-making process of PTI-led governments at the federal level and in Punjab.
He ruled out any possibility that Tareen was influencing PTI’s decisions. “He is part of the consultation process of the party but this doesn’t mean that he is influencing the government’s decisions,” Durrani said.
He said that PTI’s federal and provincial ministers were independent in making their decisions. “CM has financial powers and executive authority and how someone can surrender its powers,” he said.
Political observers believe that Jahangir Khan Tareen would remain a leading player in the party to influence on different affairs. His opinion on various matters would be given much weight.


Plymouth Argyle top scorer Reuben Reid returned from injury to help the Pilgrims beat Shrewsbury Town.
Reid's head met on-loan Bristol City midfielder Bobby Reid's first-time cross from the left to power home his sixth goal of the season on 33 minutes.
Dominic Blizzard's dipping shot from the left soon after was well saved.
Plymouth goalkeeper Luke McCormick palmed Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro's close-range header onto the bar in the second half and also denied James Collins.
Shrewsbury have not scored away from home in more than eight hours of football, since Andy Mangan's first-half match-winner at Leicester in the League Cup on 26 August.
"I would call anyone a liar in this stadium who says that we didn't deserve something out of this game - but we'll continue to play the way we have been .
"I can't question the commitment from any of our players. We just need to be better from set plays and be more clinical in front of goal.
"But I couldn't have asked any more from the players. I am happy with the group of players I've got. We have players who will continue to work hard. The fans stuck with us to end and were fantastic."
Match ends, Plymouth Argyle 1, Shrewsbury Town 0.
Second Half ends, Plymouth Argyle 1, Shrewsbury Town 0.
Attempt missed. James Collins (Shrewsbury Town) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
Corner, Shrewsbury Town. Conceded by Carl McHugh.
Attempt blocked. James Collins (Shrewsbury Town) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
Attempt blocked. Jordan Clark (Shrewsbury Town) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Attempt missed. Reuben Reid (Plymouth Argyle) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
Reuben Reid (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Substitution, Shrewsbury Town. Jordan Clark replaces Scott Vernon.
Corner, Plymouth Argyle. Conceded by Nathaniel Knight-Percival.
Attempt blocked. Jermaine Grandison (Shrewsbury Town) header from the right side of the six yard box is blocked.
Corner, Shrewsbury Town. Conceded by Kelvin Mellor.
Attempt saved. Lewis Alessandra (Plymouth Argyle) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top right corner.
Delay in match Reuben Reid (Plymouth Argyle) because of an injury.
Attempt missed. Josh Ginnelly (Shrewsbury Town) left footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high.
Corner, Shrewsbury Town. Conceded by Peter Hartley.
Substitution, Plymouth Argyle. Deane Smalley replaces Marvin Morgan.
Corner, Shrewsbury Town. Conceded by Anthony O'Connor.
Attempt saved. Jean-Louis Akpa-Akpro (Shrewsbury Town) header from very close range is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Substitution, Shrewsbury Town. Josh Ginnelly replaces Ashley Vincent.
Foul by Marvin Morgan (Plymouth Argyle).
Curtis Nelson (Plymouth Argyle) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Scott Vernon (Shrewsbury Town).


The 6th Air Mobility Wing is comprised of the 6th Operations Group, the 6th Maintenance Group, the 6th Mission Support Group and the 6th Medical Group. In addition to the 6th Air Mobility Wing, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, is also home to 28 mission partners, including U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command. The presence of these two unified commands and other mission partners creates a unique multi-service community at MacDill, with all branches of the armed forces represented.
So, although MacDill is an Air Force Base, it is also home to many soldiers, sailors, Marines and coast guardsman.
Because of this, we refer to ourselves as "Team MacDill.""


A firefighter who met the love of his life as they battled to save lives during 9/11 proposed on the anniversary of the terror attack 17 years later.
David O'Neal, 48, and Missy Epperson, 54, met as first responders at Ground Zero, where she worked with the K-9 police dog unit whilst he was a Station 43 fireman in Pennsylvania.
They kept in touch online following the Twin Towers atrocity, but had not met again in the flesh until he moved from Staten Island, New York, to Illinois, in July to see Missy for the first time since the horror of that day, which killed nearly 3,000 people.
After a whirlwind romance, David got down on one knee at a 9/11 memorial service and the couple are due to tie the knot on September 11 next year.
David, now retired, said: 'I wanted to get engaged on 9/11 to turn it into a happy day. I wish I had married her onsite 17 years ago.
Part time firefighter David was just blocks away from the World Trade Center when the first plane hit on the morning of September 11, 2001.
He was not on duty as a firefighter at the time of 9/11, but was meeting a friend near the the Twin Towers and rushed to help with the rescue effort due to his experience working at Station 43 in Monroe County, Pennsylvania.
David was then assigned to help with the rescue efforts, as he had also had experience in high-rise demolition, and worked at the site for the next seven months.
Three days after the terror attack, on September 14, Missy arrived with the midwest K-9 unit to help with the rescue effort.
Missy - who has assisted in over 50 relief missions from Hurricane Sandy and Katrina to the 2011 tsunami in Japan - stayed at the site for 33 days before returning to Illinois.
Missy, of Maytoon, Illinois, said: 'I was stunned when he got down on one knee in front of everyone.
'It's made something happy out of something devastating. In a way, 9/11 brought us together.
'We're going to get married on the 9/11 anniversary next year. David has already picked out my dress - it's beautiful.
Seven months later in March 2002 an accident on the site of the North tower forced David - who has two daughters from a previous marriage - to retire early.
In the years that followed, the pair suffered from PTSD, as well as from a number of health problems as a result of their time spent at Ground Zero.
Describing the terrible events of 2001, David added: 'I didn't see it, but I could hear it. The whole entire ground shook. It was chaos.
'Everything started falling. There was shattered glass and pieces of steel coming from the sky.
'People were running out and screaming. I was across the street when the second plane hit. There were injured and dead everywhere. I was scared as hell.
'My job was to find the remains. They were splattered apart all over. When I found them, I had to bag them, tag them, and drop them down to the morgue.
David proposed to Missy at the 9/11 memorial in Decatur, Illinois, on the anniversary of the attack last month.
Bride-to-be, Missy, a retired paramedic who has one daughter and three grandchildren from an earlier marriage, said: 'When I heard what happened [at 9/11] I immediately began making arrangements to volunteer.
'I knew what the loss of life was going to be, and I wanted to help. David and I were doing what we were supposed to do. The devastation was totally out of this world.
'Years later I added David as a friend on Facebook.
'If I was ever having a bad day, Davey was there for me - he understood.


News Analysis: Bill Gates' Tuesday announcement of Caller ID at the RSA Conference was the biggest boost ever for SMTP authentication technology. Yahoo! also chimed in with some news on its similar Domain Keys proposal.
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates on Tuesday announced a proposed open standard to deter e-mail spoofing, a k a caller ID for e-mail. Microsofts proposal pitched to the security experts at the RSA Conference falls right in line with the emerging industry consensus that changes must be made to the e-mail infrastructure in order to make serious progress in the battle against spam.
The actual "Caller ID for E-Mail" specification calls for a system that has more in common with competing proposals than it has separating them. Like the SPF (Sender Policy Framework) specification, the basic mechanism involves requiring domains that send messages to add records to their DNS that will allow recipients to determine the addresses of the authorized sending servers. Recipients can then see if the sender of a message is really authorized to do so.
SMTP authentications systems like Caller ID wont stop spam in and of themselves, but they will make it possible for reputation systems from vendors such as Brightmail Inc., as well as simpler blacklists and whitelists, to be more effective. With a far smaller amount of spam surviving such challenges, filtering would also become more effective.
Authentication would also put up a huge barrier to e-mail worms like MyDoom, Bagle and Sobig that have comprised the majority of malware attacks in recent years. These worms all use SMTP engines built into the attack code itself. With Caller ID, none of them would authenticate properly in their current form, and its not clear that virus authors would have an effective way to send authenticated mail on arbitrary systems they infected.
There are differences between Caller ID and Sender Policy Framework, but they arent fundamental ones. The format of the records is different, and the method of comparing message headers to those records also differs. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.
At the same time, these differences wont change the basic fact that to implement either standard, owners of e-mail domains will have to upgrade their SMTP mail server (often known as a Message Transfer Agent or MTA) to one that supports the standard.
Microsoft should be able to provide this capability in their Exchange Server by means of a plug-in, although its not clear which versions of Exchange they would support. Like SPF, Caller ID would require changes in the Message Transfer Agent to deal with forwarded mail accounts (accounts from which mail is simply moved on to another account, rather than being collected by the users mail client). And like SPF, Caller ID would authenticate just the domain of the sender, not the user within that domain.
With so much in common, why doesnt Microsoft just adopt SPF? According to George Webb, Group Manager of Microsofts Antispam Technology and Strategy Team, the company decided that the differences are important.


Tim Clark served as editor in chief, publisher and president of Government Executive in the years since it was acquired by National Journal Group in 1987. He and his colleagues have built Government Executive into an essential source for federal managers, a shaper of the government management debate and a key player in the good-government movement. Clark has spent his journalistic career studying and writing about government, and is a founder of National Journal, Washington’s premier source of political insight. He also founded Empire State Report, a monthly magazine about government in New York. He is a fellow and former board member of the National Academy of Public Administration.
Can ‘Veggie Burgers’ Boost Rural Economic Growth?


Political cartoonist Badiucao has given up his Chinese citizenship -- if not his critical views -- and built a new life as an artist in Australia.
Halfway up Mount Lofty, a squat, scenic mountain that overlooks the Australian city of Adelaide, Badiucao is uneasy.
The dissident Chinese artist left his phone in the car, over an hour's hike away, and now he feels cut off.
Even for a millennial, Badiucao -- he uses a deliberately nonsensical pseudonym to protect his identity -- is tied to his phone. With it in hand he is constantly checking Twitter, staying connected with China thanks to a non-stop stream of posts from journalists and fellow dissidents.
After almost seven years in self-imposed exile in Australia, more than anything else he fears being cut-off from his homeland, becoming another irrelevant overseas critic fighting yesterday's battles.
It was easier when he could use Weibo. Badiucao joined China's heavily-censored but incredibly dynamic answer to Twitter in early 2011, around the time of the Wenzhou high-speed train crash.
That was a pivotal moment in Chinese internet history, as hundreds of commenters took to social media to question the authorities' account of the disaster and fight back attempts at a cover-up.
"I felt this deepening of free expression, as everyone began to use the internet in a new way, I wanted to join in and be part of it," he said.
Badiucao began drawing cartoons about the crash, soon expanding into commenting on other political topics and scandals, racking up thousands of followers in the process.
The more attention he got however, the more censors started paying notice as well. After having more than 30 accounts deleted, he felt forced to give the platform up.
"I couldn't do it anymore. It wasn't effective. Every drawing was deleted, if I wanted to register new accounts I would have to give my personal ID, or have someone else take the risk," he said.
Weibo did not respond to a request for comment about its censorship policies.
"Around 2010-2011 when Weibo was becoming very active, it was a relatively free medium, and a few cartoonists became popular," said Sophie Beach, editor of the US-based censorship watchdog China Digital Times.
"Once the authorities started cracking down on Weibo, they specifically targeted several of these outspoken cartoonists and the environment shrunk for them."
By now living outside China, Badiucao decamped to Twitter, from where his cartoons could still occasionally spread to the other side of the Great Firewall -- China's sprawling internet censorship apparatus -- but there was no risk of account deletion.
Freed from worrying about what Chinese internet users sarcastically call "harmonization," his profile continued to grow.
When five young feminists were jailed in 2015 for trying to organize a campaign against sexual harassment on public transport in Beijing, Badiucao drew portraits of them. These were widely used in media coverage of the case, as were ones he later produced for Amnesty International highlighting the plight of dozens of lawyers and activists jailed in an ongoing crackdown on Chinese civil society.
"Badiucao has a knowledge and understanding of China and its human rights situation that comes from being a highly interested and keen observer," said Amnesty International's Tanny Chia. "His is a distinctive and impactful style that is quickly recognized among Chinese netizens."
Badiucao's cartoons meld the thick, blocky lines of German expressionism with the red-and-black punchiness of Chinese Communist propaganda posters.
"When I first saw Badiucao's work it resonated for me. It reminded me of Käthe Kollwitz's woodcuts," Canadian cartoonist Daniel Murphy said, referring to the early-20th century German artist.
According to Murphy, just as Kollwitz used posters and pamphlets to spread her political beliefs, Badiucao has taken advantage of social media.
"There's a power in pictures, they can immediately undermine some ruler on a golden throne in a golden hat and draped in ermine," he said. "It's the quickest way to yank somebody off a perch."
China Digital Times' Beach said that Badiucao's style lends itself to China's often opaque online discussions.
"Whereas a lot of the time people writing about politics in China use all this coded language, cartoons are a direct form of expression," she said.
Beach compared Badiucao to China's best-known dissident artist. "He has that same in your face manner as Ai Weiwei, of not caring what the authorities think," she said.
Outspoken Chinese artists often don't fare well at home. Ai was put under house arrest in 2010 and detained by the Chinese government in 2011 in a separate incident for tax evasion, and has claimed he found government listening devices in his apartment.
Cartoonist Wang Liming, better known as Rebel Pepper, fled to Japan in 2014 after what he said was prolonged harassment from the authorities.
"Maybe the Party wants to admonish people one by one as examples," Wang said in 2015. "If they don't throw you in jail, they'll make it impossible for you to live."
Like Ai Weiwei, Badiucao creates work in a number of different formats. His first major art show opened in Adelaide, Australia, in September 2016.
During that show, the artist stood silently in the corner in a prison jumpsuit with a hood over his head, both present and absent at the same time. A DJ played as attendees milled around, looking at brightly colored campaign posters stuck to the walls casting Chinese President Xi Jinping as a candidate in the recent Australian general election.
Under Xi's face, painted in thick, blotchy oils, were slogans like "China's Reds for the chairman," and "We'll put Party first."
On the floor, mounds of baby formula were piled on top of a black tarp and shaped to form the faces of six children killed in 2008 by a batch of milk powder contaminated with melamine, an industrial chemical used for making plastic tableware. Over the course of the two-month installation, the powder reacted with the moisture in the air, the faces of the children blurring and disappearing just as the story has faded from the headlines.
Opposite the powder, in a small glass case, lay the catalyst for the show, and Badiucao's desire to push beyond his previous work. A passport, its dark red cover embossed with the emblem of the People's Republic of China, with the top right corner sliced off. After years overseas, Badiucao is no longer a Chinese citizen.
Badiucao's parents hoped he would not be political. He said his grandparents were imprisoned during Mao Zedong's Anti-Rightist Movement and his father grew up an orphan.
His parents encouraged him to be a dentist or hairdresser -- "jobs that never get in trouble with the authorities" -- but instead he went to law school, dreaming of joining the ranks of China's incredibly brave and often arrested human rights lawyers.
At university, a roommate acquired a copy of the 1995 film "The Gate of Heavenly Peace," about the Tiananmen Square massacre of June 4, 1989.
"The guy who downloaded the documentary is now a public security officer," Badiucao said. "There's no room for that kind of thought outside university. China makes it just hard enough to achieve that people have to censor and watch themselves to get ahead."
The film had a profound effect on Badiucao however, one that is still visible in his work today.
On the 2016 anniversary of the massacre, he re-created the famous Tank Man moment in Adelaide's city center, standing impassively dressed in black-and-white, with shopping bags at his side and a mask covering his face, until security guards forced him to leave.
His parents sensed the danger in his talent and rebelliousness. "It was a constant struggle as I was growing up," he said. "There were lots of fights."
Even as he gets further away from the country of his birth -- becoming an Australian citizen and getting more involved in local politics and issues -- Badiucao has strived to maintain his relevance in China.
His latest show -- "Home Thoughts From Abroad," which ran until April 6 -- is a collaboration with two other artists who exist at the crux of two countries, Afghan refugee Elyas Alavi and Filipina-Iranian Aida Azin.
Badiucao's contributions to the show include a selection of his political cartoons, a giant air-pollution mask made from a Chinese flag, and a bed (the first he ever slept on when he came to Australia), with the mattress replaced by 4,000 individually-sharpened pencils.
He sharpened all the pencils, ordered in bulk from a Chinese website, by hand. "First they were all the same, after I sharpened them, I gave them individuality, made them different," he said.
He then took it away, with the piece representing his fear of fading back into the mass of China writ large: "On the bed they become united again, the personal characteristics of each pencil disappears, as if the individual is coming back under the control of the nation."
While Badiucao's installation work is based on his cartoons, curator Joanna Kitto said that creating 3D versions of the work added a layer of complexity not always visible in print.
"Cartoons must be very direct in the way they speak about issues, when you (create installations) you need to leave a degree of space for the audience," Kitto said.
Badiucao agreed. "People can feel that cartoons are exaggerations," he said.
"By making it into a real object, it will bring audiences back to reality. This is not a joke, this is something happening in the real world."


Why Do So Many Companies Shortchange Innovation?
Companies are still allocating a much greater share of the IT budget to routine operational and maintenance needs rather than to innovation-driven initiatives.
40% of the CIOs and other business-focused tech leaders surveyed said their organization's overall IT budget has increased by 10% or more over last year's.
On average, 55% of tech budgets support operational and maintenance needs, while just 13% fund innovation.
54% of the survey respondents said their organization is undergoing a major IT transformation, and 31% said their company is experiencing a high level of disruption due to this transformation.
43% of the respondents said legacy infrastructure presents a major hindrance to IT transformation efforts, and 39% cited a tech culture that is not agile when it involves change.
64% said their organization is focusing on and investing in the cloud, and 46% said that at least 20% of their apps, infrastructure and platforms are now run in the cloud.
44% of the survey respondents said their organization is focusing on and investing in agile processes.
39% said their company is using offshore resources to support or augment IT functions.
While IT budgets are on the rise, companies are still allocating a much greater share of the funding to routine tech operational and maintenance needs rather than to innovation-driven initiatives, according to a recent survey from Protiviti. The resulting report, "From Cloud, Mobile, Social, IoT and Analytics to Digitization and Cyber-Security: Benchmarking Priorities for Today's Technology Leaders," covers the wide range of technology topics referenced in its title. And the report indicates that, comparatively speaking, there is greater organizational commitment to innovation and digital transformation than in prior years. (But there is clearly a lot of room for improvement.) With this commitment, CIOs and other C-level leaders expect to develop new functionalities and cost savings, while more effectively adopting emerging technologies and aligning IT with the business. Investments in the cloud will support many of these efforts, but companies must overcome barriers such as security and privacy risks to maximize cloud opportunities. Business and tech leaders "have made stunning progress in terms of delivering increased levels of value during the last few years," said Kurt Underwood, managing director and global leader of Protiviti's technology consulting practice. "Yet more progress is needed to ensure that data-centric security and privacy matters remain top of mind in the design and operating effectiveness of cyber-security controls. Many digitization initiatives can quickly create new cyber-security vulnerabilities. Without the right oversight, capabilities and metrics, management teams and boards are too often getting blindsided by data breaches." Nearly 400 C-suite executives, including CIOs and other business-focused tech leaders, took part in the research.


Our elected leaders must have the strength to speak frankly about entitlement reform if we are to right our nation’s financial course and get the USA working again. For too long, politicians have been afraid to speak honestly about Social Security. We must have the guts to talk about its financial condition if we are to fix Social Security and make it financially viable for generations to come.
Now, I’m pretty sure the Washington Post would have given Perry a little more room on their op-ed page if he’d truly wanted to speak frankly and gutsily about how to fix Social Security, as opposed to merely saying that we ought to speak frankly about it and then calling it a day. But for some reason, Team Perry decided that USA Today, with its vast hotel-bound audience and 300-word limit, was a better bet.
Which is too bad, because of course, we should speak frankly about the financial condition of Social Security. So here’s some gutsy talk for y’all: Social Security has a small long-term funding shortfall. It can be fixed easily. The CBO recently estimated that Social Security has a long-term cumulative deficit of 0.6% of GDP, and the table below lists 30 options for fixing this. All you have to do is pick some combination of options that adds up to 0.6% and you’re done. It’s so easy that even Rick Perry can do it.
Personally, I’d wait and begin phasing in changes starting in about 20 years or so, which would require picking a basket of options that adds up to something like 1.2% or so. But that’s just little old coastal left-winger me. Either way, though, whether you make the changes now or later, it’s all pretty simple. And that, my friends, is some gutsy talk.


TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING, CONTAINING 0.52 ACRES MORE OR LESS.
PAGES 1581-1583 IN THE REGISTER’S OFFICE OF ANDERSON COUNTY, TENNESSEE.
RIDGE SUBDIVISION OF RECORD IN THE ANDERSON COUNTY REGISTER’S OFFICE.
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE PRIORITY OF ANY FIXTURE FILING.
T.C.A. 35-5-101 ET SEQ. HAVE BEEN MET.
AT THE TIME THE FORECLOSURE DEED IS DELIVERED.
WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE.
This is improved property known as 151 VOLUNTEER LANE, CLINTON, TENNESSEE 37716.


Haaretz - Israel News Wednesday, April 24, 2019.
Finance minister vowed last week to ban slots and horse betting; his son worked for Mifal Hapayis's Reuben Even-Tzur at a time.
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Exam time. Three pupils find themselves holed up in the same exam hall, waiting for their papers to arrive.
As the wait lengthens, each has to survive a powerful barrage of self-doubt, parental pressure and adult incompetence.
Written by Andy Hamilton, regular team member on Have I Got News For You, The Exam offers an often hilarious yet thought-provoking look at the considerable pressures facing pupils today.


Were they paid to protest?
Protestors for hire? Demonstrators along the Syria-Israel border were paid thousands of dollars by President Bashar Assad's regime to take part in Sunday's riots, Syrian opposition activists charge.
Israeli officials later reinforced the claims, accusing the Syrian regime of encouraging protests along the northern border.
Late Sunday, Syrian officials claimed that 23 people were killed and 350 were wounded after the IDF fired at protestors aiming to rush the border fence earlier in the day. However, the army dismissed the figures, claiming that they were inflated.
Washington-based members of the Reform Party of Syria said intelligence sources close to the Syrian government in Lebanon informed them that the protesters on the Syrian side of the Druze community of Majdal Shams were in fact poverty-stricken farmers paid by the Assad regime.
According to the sources, the farmers migrated over the last few years from drought-stricken northeast Syria to the south. They reached the Israel-Syria border on Sunday in the aims of reenact "Nakba Day" events, the sources said.
The Syrian opposition group claimed that each farmer was promised $1,000 for showing up at the rally and $10,000 to their families if they are killed by IDF fire.
According to the report, the average salary of a Syrian citizen is about $200 per month, meaning that participation in Sunday's demonstration could provide a protester and his family with five months worth of financial relief.
Opposition activists noted that such tactics were previously used by Iraqi tyrant Saddam Hussein when the Ba'ath Party leader offered a $25,000 reward to the families of Palestinians who died while hurling stones at Israelis during the Intifada.
Reform Party members added that Assad's payments were aimed at diverting attention away from his regime's barbaric oppression of opposition members in the last three months and the killing of more than 1,000 citizens.
The opposition group stressed that while it believes that the Golan Heights belong to Syria, it wishes to return the land through peaceful negotiations.
"If Assad really wanted the Golan Heights, he would walk the same peaceful path Anwar Sadat walked long before him," the group said in a statement.
IDF officials said that forces along the Syrian border showed restraint Sunday during clashes with rioters aiming to breach the border fence.
“We could have taken the easier route of uncontrolled fire, but we decided to operate in a very limited manner,” one army official said.
Meanwhile, army officials fear that the border with Syria will turn into a regular protest and riot site, similar to weekly Palestinian and leftist demonstrations at West Bank villages.
Military officials say that should riots continue in the area on a regular basis, the IDF will have to change its deployment in the region. “At this time already we have several regiments that are here instead of following their regular plans,” a military source said.
Notably, the border area with Syria also offers greater operational challenges in containing riots compared to similar events in Judea and Samaria. For example, the firing of tear gas across the border is limited by law and cannot be used as a collective means of crowd control.
See all talkbacks "Syrian opposition: Anti-Israel rioters paid $1,000 "


Republican presidential nominee and avid football fan Donald Trump generated controversy this past weekend by attacking the established schedule of general election debates this fall, because two of the four (including the VP face-off) conflict with NFL games. Trump alleged that Hillary Clinton's campaign had somehow "rigged" the process to ensure that fewer viewers would tune in.
Trump's claims of tampering on the part of Democrats can be easily debunked, since the dates were set by the non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates, and they were selected prior to the NFL's official schedule was revealed and before the 2016 primary campaign was in full swing, which would seem to preclude any involvement from the Clinton camp.
Yet, with "Sunday Night Football" dominating as the reigning top network TV program for four years in a row, there may be legitimate concern over whether audiences are being done a disservice by having such a high-profile diversion competing with potentially decisive debates. However, history suggests that the impact of NFL games, and sporting events in general, on presidential debates has been relatively negligible, at least ratings-wise.
The NFL was not the cultural force it is today when the first major televised presidential debate took place between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960. But as the NFL's stature grew in the 1970s and '80s, the presidential debates gave them a wide birth, with no face-offs between top-tier contenders running opposite pro-football games.
However, in 1992 the debates broke precedent, with not one but two major debates running opposite evening games. Yet with that unpredictable race -- and the presence of third-party candidate Ross Perot on the debate stage -- the ratings didn't suffer substantially. In fact, the Oct. 15 debate, which aired during a regular season Vikings vs. Lions game, ranks among the highest-rated presidential debates in history, with nearly 70 million viewers.
In 1996, one of the debates between incumbent President Bill Clinton and Republican nominee Sen. Bob Dole competed with an Oilers vs. Bengals game airing on cable. Ratings dropped that year compared to '92, but that may have been a result of a less competitive general election race than football cutting into the audience share. Neither of that year's presidential debates cracked the all-time top 10 for viewership.
The debate commission, intentionally or not, steered clear of NFL games from 2000 through 2008, only venturing into football's territory again in 2012. That year one of the presidential debates and the vice presidential debate ran opposite a Monday night game and a Thursday night game, respectively.
The ratings for the first of President Obama's and then-GOP nominee Mitt Romney's debates that year ranks among the highest ever (a total of 67 million viewers tuned in). Their third debate, which ran opposite a Monday Night Football game between the Lions and Bears, did take a significant dip in the ratings, drawing 59.2 million viewers. However, a bigger factor may have been that it also coincided with Game 7 of that year's Major League Baseball's National League Championship Series, which determined whether the San Francisco Giants or St. Louis Cardinals would be headed the World Series. The Giants, and that November, Obama, eventually prevailed. ESPN did drop planned four-game coverage of the MLB playoffs that year in deference to the first debate.
Ironically, baseball has presented the bigger ratings conflict for the NFL on Sundays in the fall. With the MLB playoffs and the World Series often stretching into mid-October, when regular season NFL games are ongoing, there have been multiple instances where viewer loyalty was divided. However, there is some evidence, from as recently as this past year, of debates viewership being hindered by sports competition, too.
But in an era where DVR, streaming services and the Internet provide so many options for audiences who can't catch a program in real time, voters should be able to get access to debates, if they seek them out. Still, the NFL would clearly like to avoid the competition, even though the league has emphatically denied Trump's assertion that they reached out to him about the issue.
"The Debates Commission released the dates in September 2015. Our ’16 schedule was released in April ’16 (our scheduled is annually announced in April)," NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told NBC News in a statement on Monday. "Naturally, we would prefer the Debates Commission would select a different night for the debates."
Meanwhile, as far as Trump is concerned, some are already speculating that the entire "controversy" is just a ploy to avoid having to participate in any general election debates at all.


RT’s sister channel Actualidad caught up with the WikiLeaks founder in London. Assange shared his views on NSA scandal in Latin America and the future of freedom of information.
The whistleblower, who was granted asylum by Ecuador last year and since then been waiting in the country’s embassy in London for safe passage, shared his thoughts on how WikiLeaks helped saved Edward Snowden – the prominent NSA leaker – from a US manhunt.
“We were involved in filling out the asylum requests for Edward Snowden formally and informally for around 20 different nations. Some because we thought there was a decent chance, others because we wanted to show the public the refusals, to generate some public debate and awareness how their government is behaving,” Assange said.
Speaking on the topic of President Obama’s recent declaration on US exceptionalism, Assange was quick to point out that such this was reflected in American power to violate laws.
“Whenever you see the President talk about exceptionalism what he is trying to say is that rules of civil behavior do not apply to him. Whether that is invading some other country or whether that is abuse of laws at home,” Assange said.
The Australian native went on to criticize the US leadership saying that the White House was abusing its power more than any other administration in history.
For more on Assange revelations tune in this Friday to RT to see the full version of this interview, in which the journalist recounts his experience after spending over a year in Ecuador’s embassy in London.


India Today reported on January 4, that a secret report prepared by the government's joint intelligence committee has confirmed India's worst fears - China is planning a military base in Pakistan. The paper said that the report, based on inputs from the (Indian Intelligence agency) Research and Analysis Wing, is meant for the Prime Minister, members of the cabinet committee on security and the national security adviser.
The report says China is keen to build military bases in FATA or the Northern areas while Pakistan wants to counterbalance Indian naval forces by having a naval base in Gwadar. But it does not spell out the exact location of these bases. "China's deepening strategic penetration of Pakistan and joint plans to set up oil pipelines/ rail/ roads and naval and military bases are a matter of concern," the report says.
India Today report says that it may not be politically feasible for Pakistan to openly allow China to set up military bases on its soil. But it might allow China to use its military facilities without any public announcement. According to the Indian intelligence assessment, Chinese presence in these areas might enable the People's Liberation Army to counter the Muslim separatists operating from such areas for terrorist activities in Xinjiang.
The paper claimed that the issue of Chinese bases in Pakistan was discussed during the visits of Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to China and during a visit late last year of the ISI chief, Shuja Pasha, to Beijing.
"Recent suggestions emanating from Beijing that China is likely to set up military bases overseas to counter U.S. influence and exert pressure on India have been interpreted in certain sections in New Delhi as a veiled reference to China's interest in having a permanent military presence in Pakistan.
"Indian concerns have also risen that China and Pakistan are coordinating their efforts in regard to border issues with India. The presence of the Chinese military in the Gilgit--Baltistan area of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, purportedly to repair and upgrade the Karakoram Highway, has enormous implications for Indian security."
Tellingly, the India Today and The Washington Quarterly reports came on the eve of a five-day official visit to China by Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Kiyani. This was General Kiyani's third visit to China as cordial relations with Beijing is a pillar of Islamabad's foreign policy.
During his January 5-9 January visit General Kiyani met separately with the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, State Councilor Dai Bingguo; Defense Minister Gen. Liang Guanglie, General Chen Bingde, PLA Chief of General Staff, and Chen Qiufa, Administrator, State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND).
Premier Wen Jiabao told Kiyani that Pakistani armed forces have made important contributions toward maintaining bilateral relations and boosting the China-Pakistan strategic cooperative partnership. He pledged to support stronger military exchanges and cooperation between both countries. Defense Minister Liang assured Kiyani that Beijing hopes to develop "pragmatic and effective cooperation with Pakistan in national defense arena."
The PLA Chief of General Staff, General Chen said "under the current complex and volatile regional and international situation, China and Pakistan have resolved to further consolidate and strengthen their relations in accordance with their fundamental interests." Since the future of Pakistan and China hinges on the cooperation and understanding of their young generation, therefore, during their meeting Kayani and General Chen agreed that, in future there would be "enhance exchanges of younger soldiers and officers of the two armed forces." In the field of military cooperation, General Chen assured General Kayani that, "China would like to strength military ties with Pakistan and take the existing cooperation to a new, higher level."
With Chen Qiufa, Administrator, State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND), General Kiyani discussed how to consolidate existing defense industry cooperation and to explore new avenues for shared technological platforms? Projects covering joint production and defense trade have created a strong interface between the two armed forces.
In recent years, China has emerged as Pakistan's largest defense supplier, with joint projects to produce armaments ranging from fighter jets to guided missile frigates.
Pakistan 's military modernization is largely dependent on Chinese assistance, with China supplying Pakistan with short-range M-11 missiles and helping Pakistan develop the Shaheen-1 ballistic missile. In the last two decades, the two states have been actively involved in a range of joint ventures, including the JF-17 fighter aircraft used for delivering nuclear weapons, an Airborne Warning and Control System, and the Babur cruise missile.
In a major move for its indigenous defense industry, China is supplying its most advanced homemade combat aircraft, the third-generation J-10 fighter jet, to Pakistan in a deal worth around $6 billion. Negotiations are also underway between the two for the purchase of six new submarines by Islamabad.


Sentenced to death, Dylann Roof stared down blankly as U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel read the jury's verdict. The 22-year-old white supremacist kept his eyes on the desk in front of him, as he has through most of the trial, and slowly sorted through a stack of paper. As part of their decision that Roof deserved the death penalty, jurors were asked to consider his ability to change if sentenced to life in prison. The 12 jurors were unanimous in their belief that Roof could find redemption.
The final verdict came after just three hours of deliberation. Before jurors were given the chance to discuss Roof's fate, the man who killed nine parishioners at Emanuel AME Church was given the opportunity to deliver a closing statement. He asked for no forgiveness, offered no apologies. Instead, he told the jury that he still felt he had to kill those people in the church that night.
Federal prosecutor Jay Richardson delivered his closing arguments earlier in the day. He reminded the jury that the death penalty is reserved as punishment for only a small set of murders. And then he called for Roof to pay for his crimes with his life.
"He understood the horrific nature of the crimes he had committed. He knew the consequences that would be coming," Richardson told the jury.
The prosecutor closed his statements by repeated calling on the jury to sentence Roof to death for those he murdered. Richardson punctuated each line with the names of the nine men and women killed by Roof. And after weeks of painful testimony from the families and loved ones of the victims, the jury heeded his call.


Q: When I purchased my home, the home inspector’s report mentioned that the basement crawl space "soil is wet and includes a moisture barrier that should be removed."
The termite inspector’s report said the moisture barrier is necessary because the moisture in the soil could entice termites. What is your experience with moisture barriers? Is it best to leave it in place or should I remove it?
The term "vapor barrier" is a misnomer because it implies that all water vapor is stopped from migrating out of the soil. The term "vapor retarder" is more accurate because the diffusion of water vapor is slowed by the barrier, not stopped.
We’re not surprised that the soil beneath the plastic is damp. That’s supposed to happen. Even if the dirt in the crawl space appears dry, lurking beneath the surface is a large amount of water that’s constantly being pulled to the surface. This water turns into water vapor. Water vapor is attracted to warm air.
The air in the house is almost always warmer than the air in the crawl space. Floor insulation and carpet or wood flooring does little or nothing to stop the water vapor from migrating into the living space. If the vapor content is too high, you risk developing mold or mildew and the odors they cause.
The only effective way to impede the migration of water vapor is to properly install a vapor retarder, coupled with proper ventilation of the crawl space to control the moisture level. Installation of a crawl space vapor retarder is a relatively uncomplicated task.
But, to do it right calls for some attention to detail. The goal is to cover the entire crawl space and limit as much as possible water vapor migration from the soil.
We imagine you’ve got the standard 6-millimeter polyethylene sheeting acting as a vapor retarder. When properly done, all seams overlap a minimum of 12 inches and are sealed with pressure-sensitive tape. The vapor barrier should lap up onto the side walls of the crawl space and attach tightly to the foundation.
If yours doesn’t, a little retrofit is in order. Buy yourself some additional 6-millimeter plastic sheeting and cut it into strips wide enough to extend up the foundation walls and overlap the existing plastic by a couple of feet. Attach the new sheeting to the foundation wall by nailing it up using 3/4-inch pressure-treated furring strips and masonry nails.
Trim any excess plastic that projects beyond the wood strips. Apply a bead of acrylic caulk at the top of the wood strips to complete this part of the job. Next, tape all the seams where the new plastic marries to the old.
Finally, inspect all objects (pipes, columns, piers, etc.) that are sprouting from the soil. These require special attention. The vapor barrier must be carefully cut around these objects and sealed with pressure-sensitive tape. If it’s not, patch it with new material, sealing the seams with pressure-sensitive tape.
As long as you’ve gone this far, you should check that you have enough foundation vents to ventilate what moisture you do get in the crawl space. There should be at least 1 square foot of vent space for each 150 square feet of crawl space. If you’re short, consider installing extra vents.


Want to stay in New York City for $79 a night? The Pod Hotels are offering rooms for that price in winter at a number of Big Apple locations.
The deal: The Pod Hotels, also known as capsule hotels, feature smaller, basic rooms for travelers who want to keep prices down. The Winter Wow room deal is good at Pod 39 (145 E. 39th St.), Pod 51 (230 E. 51st St.) and Pod Brooklyn (247 Metropolitan Ave.). Rooms begin at $85 for Pod Times Square (400 W. 42nd St.).
When: The offer is good for January and February stays, based on availability. Some blackout dates may apply.
Tested: I found plenty of available $79 rooms, including a queen pod (with a queen-sized bed and bathroom), when I checked on three-night stays in February. Anytime New York City hotel rooms cost less than $100, it’s a good deal. The bonus of Winter Wow is that you can have your pick of locations too.


Criminal justice reforms will depend on healing this population group too frequently left out of the equation.
Violent offenders, more often than not, are victims long before they commit their first crime: A former inmate who spent two years in a Boston prison for robbery was given away by his mother, a heroin addict, by the time he was 5 — the same year her boyfriends began beating him up; when he was 8, he watched another kid get shot in the head in his housing project.
Another man, in and out of prison from age 18 to 33 for assaults and drug crimes, grew up getting routinely beaten by his mother and frequently saw neighbors get stabbed and shot in the New York community of his childhood.
Each man, unlike many of the perpetrators who victimized them, faced harsh punishment.
The complex reality of their lives — and the lives of so many other men and women like them — as both violent perpetrator and violence victim is one the U.S. justice system is ill-prepared to acknowledge or treat. This is a mistake that has put limits on criminal justice reforms designed to reduce the prison population.
NEWSLETTER: The top things you may have missed in policing. Find it on Fridays.
The push for sentencing reform is a strong one. For certain crimes, many states have rolled back long sentences and some prosecutors are even declining to press for maximum prison time.
Even so, elected officials are careful to say we should reconsider the tough-on-crime approach only for non-violent drug offenders. Victims of violence, they say, must be protected.
The truth, however, is that most people who go to prison have had to deal with violence all their lives.
When you listen to the stories of people who have committed violence, the distinction between victim and offender almost falls apart.
In a three-year Boston Re-entry Study, for which I was the chief investigator as part of a Harvard team, half of the 122 people we interviewed told us they had been beaten by their parents; 40 percent had witnessed someone being killed; 30 percent grew up with other family violence; and 16 percent reported being sexually abused. Nine out of ten of the people we interviewed got in fights throughout adolescence. An additional 50 percent said they were seriously injured in assaults or accidents as children.
Prison is also dangerous. Three-quarters of the people we interviewed reported they had seen an assault involving inmates or prison staff.
There are lifetimes of trauma that fill the prison system, and reform efforts have failed to confront issues of violence. Recent initiatives have reduced drug sentences and legalized marijuana. But direct drug crimes account only for a small share of state prison populations, where the majority of inmates in the USA are incarcerated. Most state inmates, 54.5 percent, have been convicted of violent crimes (though in many cases even those crimes may be drug related).
Reductions in incarceration will depend, at least in part, on reducing sentences for violent offenses.
The political challenges for achieving criminal justice reform are formidable. Political debate portrays violence as a characteristic of certain people — thugs who are beyond redemption, people with no conscience. Using anger and fear to punish them with life sentences or death has become an intractable part of public policy.
The violent offender of political debates is mostly a fiction.
Violence is as much a characteristic of places as of people. Poor and chaotic homes, disorderly and low-income neighborhoods, and the prisons and jails that lie, in some cases, in close proximity to them, are places where violence frequently happens.
Some of the same violent conditions (domestic abuse, childhood sexual trauma) also exist in middle- and upper-income households. But people in higher-income areas also have more economic opportunity, greater access to mental health treatment and the ability to more easily leave bad situations behind.
Many of the people we interviewed found peace in their lives after incarceration by re-uniting with their families, finding stable employment, and in some cases by moving away from neighborhoods that could still be threatening and unpredictable. Changing social context was an antidote to the violence they had confronted throughout their lives.
What would justice look like if we recognized that violence is contextual often attaching to conditions of poverty and that victimization haunts those who have hurt other people? The anger that drips from our harshest sanctions — the death penalty, life without parole and lengthy enhancements for third-strike felonies — might be softened by mercy and compassion. This would mean re-examining long sentences for violent crimes, expanding parole release, and considering past victimization as a mitigating factor in sentencing.
We should also take victimization more seriously and attend directly to the needs of those who have been hurt. A sincere acknowledgement of harm by the perpetrator, in ways that survivors want and that guarantees their safety, can be important for finding peace. This kind of accountability asks for moral agency from the perpetrator to struggle with his actions in a way that incarceration does not.
Finally, if the chaotic circumstances of poverty can contribute to and perpetuate violence, then justice is found less in punishment and more in addressing the circumstances of poverty.
Relieving untreated addictions, fixing issues surrounding mental illness, and alleviating other social insecurities that accompany the harsh conditions of American poverty must be part of the compassion equation.


The Prices page of Crisil Ltd.. captures the information on Price and Volume for a user defined time interval. It also contains the Live Stock Price and Volume, 52 Week High Low, Bid and Offer Price and Volume, Intraday and Historical Price Chart.
The counter of CRISIL takes a hit with its having declined 5% on disappointing Q4 numbers.
Motilal Oswal, Adani Transmission, Ramco Cements, CRISIL and TVS Motor figure as the top gainers from the BSE midcap space.
The counter of Suprajit Engineering is catching the glare in the backdrop of CRISL having upgraded the long term rating from CRISIL AA-/ Positive to CRISIL AA/ Stable.


Jerry Dammers celebrated Glastonbury‘s 40th birthday by bringing a host of special guests – including Arthur Brown – onstage during his West Holts stage set tonight (June 26).
The Specials founder played a number of reworked songs by jazz legend Sun Ra during his 90-minute performance, which saw him joined by upwards of 20 other musicians playing under the name of the Spatial AKA Orchestra.
The biggest cheers, however, came both when he unveiled a 10-minute dub version of The Specials‘ ‘Ghost Town’ and his cover of Brown‘s ‘Fire’.
Introducing the song, Dammers paid tribute to Brown.
Despite adding that the band hadn’t rehearsed the song properly, Dammers led his orchestra through the track, which was sung by Jamaican singer Johnny Clarke, while Brown appeared onstage wearing a red outfit (complete with red sunglasses).
Dammers was also joined onstage by ska legend and former Specials cohort Rico Rodriguez and singer Anthony Joseph for several songs.


French macarons have been a chic trend for a few years now, but a new spin on the trend is decorating the pastries in adorable styles. Bakeries have been experimenting with icing their treats like animals, unicorns, and even Disney characters.
If you're a fan of the sweet, chewy snack (and who isn't?), you're about to fall in love with these Disney-themed designs. The creators of these delightful desserts have fashioned everything from Star Wars-themed sweets to Disney-princess-adorned morsels, making it so there is a macaron for every Disney-lover.
Getting inspired? Try making these tasty treats yourself with a DIY recipe and easy decorating tips.
Read on to see all the Disney magic.


Aaron Levie is Chief Executive Officer, Cofounder and Chairman at Box, which he launched in 2005 with CFO and cofounder Dylan Smith. He is the visionary behind the Box product and platform strategy, incorporating the best of secure content collaboration with an intuitive user experience suited to the way people work today. Aaron leads the company in its mission to transform the way people and businesses work so they can achieve their greatest ambitions. He has served on the Board of Directors since April 2005.
Aaron attended the University of Southern California from 2003 to 2005 before leaving to found Box.


The op-ed and following criticism comes as Trump has ramped up his efforts to campaign on the behalf of Republicans in the 2018 midterm elections.
USA Today is under fire for publishing an op-ed article from President Donald Trump on the Democratic party's efforts to push for "Medicare for All" that many allege contains factual inaccuracies.
The article, published Wednesday morning, claims that the Democratic plan would hurt seniors and effectively eliminate the Medicare program, which provides health care to Americans older than 65 and those with disabilities, among other dubious statements.
Others pointed out that the op-ed contained links that included information directly refuting its claims.
"Pretty amazing," tweeted Matthew Gertz, a senior fellow at the liberal media watchdog Media Matters for America. "USA Today lets Trump lie about his position on pre-existing conditions, but if you click through the link you get a WaPo fact-checker piece pointing out that his administration is trying to gut those protections in court."
"USA Today not only published a White House press release disguised as an 'op-ed by Donald Trump,' it is using its Twitter account to blast out the article’s lies to 3.6 million followers," tweeted Daniel Dale, Washington correspondent for The Toronto Star.
"Publishing this op-ed is journalistic malpractice," tweeted journalism professor Dan Gillmor. "It is full of outright lies, easily demonstrated lies. Disgraceful."
Requests for comment emailed to USA Today's standards editor and to the White House were not immediately returned.
The op-ed and resulting criticism comes as Trump has ramped up his efforts to campaign on the behalf of Republicans in the 2018 midterm elections, appearing at rallies and ratcheting up rhetoric directed at Democrats.
Chip Stewart, professor of journalism at Texas Christian University, said USA Today and Trump do not bear any legal issues with regard to printed falsehoods, but said he felt the paper had given the president too much leeway.
He noted that newspapers often provide a wide berth to powerful people who offer to write for their op-ed pages, but that Trump poses unique challenges to existing norms of journalism.
"When you know the president is going to be using your pages for partisan purposes and is going to more than just stretch the truth in doing so, you really ought to go back and run a fact check on that or have an editor’s note in there saying that some of those things aren’t actually true," Stewart said. "It just seems negligent on behalf of USA Today not to provide some check to that."


Khan, Umair, "Tunable frequency selective surface and high-impedance ground plane using ferroelectric thin-films" (2005). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 3912.