The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) wednesday lost its bid to takeover the land known as the Federal Secretariat Complex, Ikoyi, Lagos, as a Federal High Court in Lagos dismissed its debt recovery suit it filed against businessman, Dr Wale Babalakin (SAN).
Justice Ibrahim Buba, in his judgment, also awarded the sum of N3 billion damages against the federal government and AMCON in favour of Babalakin for publishing his name in THISDAY Newspaper of February 5, 2016, as a First Bankâ€™s debtor.
AMCON had dragged Babalakin and one of his companies, Resort International Limited to court in November 2012, seeking an order for the repayment of the sum of N20.5 billion comprising principal sum and accrued interest as at October 2011 on various loan facilities allegedly granted to the businessman and personally guaranteed by his company.
It is also sought an order granting it the power of sale or disposal of a parcel of land known as Alma Beach property, and the parcel of land known as the Federal Secretariat Complex, Phase 1 & 2, Ikoyi in partial or final liquidation of the debt.
AMCON also wanted the court to grant it the power of sale or disposal of all the fuel hydrant tanks situated at the Domestic Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, owned by the Ist defendant and given as security for the debt, or in the alternative, an order of the court appointing AMCON as receivers over the business and assets of Resort International Limited and Wale Babalakin for the purpose of managing same to fully realise the alleged judgment debt.
But in a counter-claim, Babalakin and his company contended that they are not indebted to AMCON but that a N4 billion facility offer to the company is an equity contribution which was wrongly classified as a loan from First Bank Plc.
They also claimed that it was not a loan that they are obligated to repay with interest and same cannot be acquired by AMCON.
They therefore asked the court to set aside the purported loan for being inconsistent with the provisions of the AMCON Act (2010) as amended and the CBN guideline for the operations of AMCON and to declare same as illegal, null and void and of no effect whatsoever.
The counter-claimants further contended that the publication of their names and that of their directors by the AMCON in the list of delinquent debtors in relation to loan facilities purportedly acquired by the 1st Defendant which are the subjects of pending suits between the counter-claimants and the defendants is unconstitutional, illegal, an infringement of the rights of the counter-claimants and an affront to the judicial powers of the court and the administration of justice system.
In his judgment, Justice Buba agreed with the arguments of the counter-claimants and dismissed the claims of the federal government and AMCON.
Justice Buba also ordered the federal government to comply with the terms of the arbitral award rendered on December 3, 2015 which awarded N55 billion to the counter-claimants.
The judge also held that the counter-claimants is not indebted to AMCON in the sum of N21 billion or any sum whatsoever arising from the facility purportedly acquired from Zenith Bank Plc, and First Bank of Nigeria Plc.
The court further declared that the Loan Purchase and Limited Servicing Agreement entered into between Babalakin and First Bank of Nigeria Plc on April 6, 2011, for the purported acquisition of the Loan Rights of First Bank of Nigeria Plc in the sum of N18,843,081,673. is inconsistent with the provisions of the AMCON Act 2010 (as amended) and the CBN Guidelines for the Operations of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria issued on November 15, 2010, and therefore illegal, null and void and of no effect whatsoever.
The court therefore set aside the Loan Purchase and Limited Servicing Agreement for being illegal, null and void and of no effect whatsoever.
Justice Buba also ordered AMCON to immediately discharge and release to Babalakin all collaterals, guarantees and assets held by it and / or any of the banks in connection with the facility and ensure the return of the original title documents in respect of such collaterals to the counter-claimant.
The collaterals ordered to be returned by the court included: leasehold interest in the Federal Secretariat Complex Phase I and II Ikoyi, Lagos, for a term of 99 years, domiciliation of proceeds from the sale of luxury apartments from the Federal Secretariat Complex Phase I and II Ikoyi, Lagos and fixed charge over Fuel Hydrant Tanks situate at the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.


Above: The Scuf Infinity1 gamepad.
The Xbox One Elite Controller is still the best gamepad I’ve ever used, but I can see why some people may choose Scuf’s Infinity1 instead. Scuf, which also works with Microsoft on the Elite, provides similar functionality in its Infinity1 customizable controllers. You can swap out thumbsticks and use back paddles to activate face buttons. But it is also much lighter and also much more likely to survive use as your everyday input on Xbox One and/or PC.
The Scuf Infinity1 custom controller is available now starting at $120. You can also get it in a PS4 variation. For Xbox One or PC players, however, you may wonder if this is worth it compared to some of the other options on the market, and I think Scuf makes its case in a few key ways.
You can compare the Infinity1 in two directions. The more affordable, standard Xbox One controller is better than ever at $60. Microsoft has made constant updates to dial in the right feel for the analog sticks and bumpers, and it has also added crucial features like Bluetooth. But every Xbox One controller is still essentially the same. On the other side of the price spectrum, you have the $150 Xbox One Elite Controller. That is a phenomenal gamepad that uses expensive polymers and metals to give you a premium feel. It also comes with multiple analog sticks, D-pads, and removable back paddles so you can customize it depending on your play style. Compared to those alternatives, the Infinity1 fits right in the middle and does some things better than both.
If you play a lot of shooters, the optional paddles and a taller stick can make a big difference on a console. Even playing something like Assassin’s Creed: Origins on the PC can feel a lot more comfortable if you have a stick that fits the size of your hands. The Infinity1 can do that. Scuf sells extra sticks, but unlike the Elite’s magnet system, you can lock these into place so they don’t inadvertently fall off. This is big for me because it means I can leave the Infinity1 laying around, and I don’t have to worry that I’m going to come back to find pieces missing.
So the Infinity1 gives me a lot of freedom to control my games how I want, but it is also sturdy enough to stand up to daily use.
Scuf has also built a pro controller that is still light. I love the Elite’s heft, but I also tend not to game with a pad for a half-dozen hours at a time. For those of you who do get into those kinds of lengthy gaming sessions, the Infinity1 may help because it has significantly less mass.
At the same time, the gamepad uses nice external materials to ensure you can maintain a comfortable grip. You can also get a textured grip add-on for the Infinity1 from Scuf for $7, and that adds even more friction to the device. I used it both ways, and while I was fine with the standard plastic, the Scuf grip did give me more stability.
The Infinity1’s lightweight design has a cost. The gamepad has a cheap feel. It is especially plasticy, and the materials have a toy-like quality to them. Nothing is rattling around or falling apart, but Scuf’s controller doesn’t have the premium, high-end feel of the Elite. Even after a couple of years, I’m still stunned by the build quality whenever I take my Elite out of its case. I’ve never felt that way about the Infinity1.
Everyone’s hands are different, but I really don’t like how Scuf has arranged the rear paddles. They are all in a row pointing straight down from the battery-compartment door in two groups of two. I have no trouble reaching the outside paddles, but I’ve struggled enough with the inside paddles that I’ve given up on using them.
Scuf’s gamepads are popular among pros who use controllers for their competitions, and I can see why. Even if I think the Elite is better, the Infinity1 will survive on the road a lot better. It also reduces fatigue due to its lightweight design. If you are considering a new Xbox One controller, you should probably get the latest updated Xbox One controller with Bluetooh for $60. But if you are serious about gaming and competing, and you think other people might use this gamepad or you’re going to throw it into a travel bag, then I can recommend the Scuf Infinity1 even over the Elite.
Scuf provided a sample unit for the purpose of this review. The Team Scuf Infinity 1 is available now starting at $120.


It was just two years ago when representatives of 195 countries met in Paris and reached a historic international agreement to combat the climate crisis. Only two countries – Syria and Nicaragua – rejected the accord.
Nicaragua is set to join the Paris climate agreement, according to an official statement and comments from Vice President Rosario Murillo on Monday, in a move that leaves the United States and Syria as the only nations outside the global pact.
Nicaragua has already presented the relevant documents at the United Nations, Murillo, who is also first lady, said on local radio on Monday.
It’s worth noting for context that when representatives from the Nicaraguan delegation balked at the Paris accords in 2015, it wasn’t because they were fringe climate deniers embracing oddball conspiracy theories. It was actually the opposite: Nicaragua opposed the agreement because officials believed it didn’t go far enough.
And as a result, there are now only two countries on the planet that are operating outside the Paris accord: Syria, which is home to a brutal civil war, and the United States, which is home to Donald Trump, who announced an end to the country’s commitment to the agreement in June.
Americans may remember a time in which we helped lead the world, rather than sit on the sidelines. One wonders if and when that time will return.
At least in theory, according to Trump, the White House wants to begin a new round of negotiations on a climate agreement, but in the nearly five months since the president’s withdrawal announcement, there’s no evidence that any such efforts have been made.
In other words, the Trump administration is operating from the assumption that our allies are trying to hurt us, deliberately, through an international agreement to combat the climate crisis.
We’ve isolated ourselves internationally in a way that hardly seemed possible a year ago, and Nicaragua’s announcement yesterday made this dynamic slightly more embarrassing for the United States.


The former vice president sat down with WPP chief Martin Sorrell at Cannes.
Former Vice President Al Gore told WPP CEO Martin Sorrel at Cannes that representative governments need to use technology to tap into the vox populi.
"The wisdom of crowds is not just a buzz phrase; there’s something quite incredible about it," he said on-stage at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. "When you trust in the collective judgment of people who communicate with each other and share their own individual points of view and bring that wisdom together, that’s the best way to make decisions. Democracy is supposed to work that way."
Gore also railed against the influence of big money in "propaganda" campaigns.
"When you have campaigns to convince people of falsehoods backed up by huge budgets, that distorts the ways public decisions are made," he said. "It is urgent that we speed up the movement of democratic principles, traditions, and institutions into the digital age so people can once again become involved, so ideas and opinions can once again matter, and so it’s not just big money determining the agenda and driving the decision."


Microsoft's strategy for keeping recent builds of its latest operating system tightly under wraps sprang a few holes last week.
On Friday, longtime Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley reported that new pictures and videos (here and here) of the "M3" build have been leaked online, to Redmond's chagrin. The images show various Windows 7 functions, including the Start button, calculator and WordPad, plus sticky notes and ribbon functionality.
Foley, who saw a preview of the build last week from an non-official source, said on her All About Microsoft blog that Microsoft won't confirm or deny the legitimacy of the images leaked, nor will it comment directly on any Windows 7 rumors.
Microsoft has said it will reveal much of Windows 7 at its upcoming Professional Developers Conference in late October and/or its Hardware Engineering Conference (subtitled "Windows 7 Unveiled") in early November -- and may, as reported last week, launch an early public beta of Windows 7 at one or both of the shows.
While Microsoft may not be speaking out on the leaks, it appears to be trying to stop them: Foley also reported that Microsoft has attempted to identify the sources of the leaks and -- depending on who is telling the truth -- either some site owners hosting leaks have asked for spots on the beta team/copies of the beta in return for revealing their sources, or Microsoft is offering the beta spots/copies as rewards for those who do.
Read Foley's full report on these leaks here.


The gesture by the child resembles what rock stars are famous for.
Parenthood is a sublime experience made better when the parents get to take a look at the child before birth, and people often keep images or videos of the child’s initial glimpse on ultrasound as a memory.
When a mother was looking at the screen to check if her child was fine, the infant in the womb gave indication of intentions on making an entrance in the world. The child can be seen making a gesture with hands resembling a devil’s horn as rock stars often do.
The child seems all set to rock the world after arriving and promises to go a long way.


The massive 80-foot antennas at the Very Large Array are regularly repositioned. Here's how it's done.
Deep in the New Mexico desert sits the Very Large Array radio telescope. The VLA is different from many other telescopes in that it's not just a single installation, but is made up of 27 giant radio antennas that work together to study the sky. These antennas are more than 80 feet across, and are usually oriented in a Y shape that spans 30 miles. And they move.
The people who run VLA routinely reposition these radio antennas to change the resolution of the array and focus on specific bands. Picking up and moving a giant antenna is no easy task. You can watch this process in the video above.
The VLA uses a hydraulic lifter to pick up the antenna and transport it along sets of railroad tracks to its destination. The VLA uses sets of tracks set at 90 degree angles, and the lifter is designed to raise itself off the ground and rotate its wheels to switch tracks. Once the lifter is in position, the antenna is lowered onto a preset concrete platform.


You are strong. You are Mom.
I have something important to tell you, mama: I don't see you.
Now, don't stop reading just yet. Please hear me out. It's true I don't see you, but I know what you are going through.
I know that these days you are almost always exhausted and fueled by caffeine and anxiety ... I know that more than once a day you scream on the inside, "There's only one of me!" I know you feel deep mommy love, as well as deep mommy guilt, for not being the person you think you should be.
Mia is personally familiar with the days when you just want to run away but instead escape to the grocery store and stay in the car a bit longer than necessary just to savor the alone time. Mia is also aware of the endless to-do lists that stack up while you're trying to raise tiny humans, which can leave you feeling overwhelmed, disorganized, and even flawed.
"I know the weight of responsibility sometimes feels so heavy you can barely move," she wrote in a post on Scary Mommy. "I know you worry that you are not patient enough, present enough, fun enough, or even enough at all. I know all these things because I feel them too. I don't see you, but I am you."
Like me, you wear a brave mask. You smile to hide your stress, even on the bad days. You get up every day, put yourself together, and do what needs to be done. You are strong. You are Mom.
Please remember this the next time you feel like the only hot mess mom at the playground. It may not be obvious by looking around because we all wear our own masks, but you're not the only one who feels like they're dropping the ball in one way or another. It is OK. That is why we have each other. And wine. Or chocolate. You choose.
You got this, mama. Give yourself a break. Having our sh*t together all the time is overrated anyway.
Can You Spot The Kid Drowning In This Public Pool Before The Lifeguard Does?


KINGSTOWN, St Vincent, November 28, 2006 – The search for the missing SVG Air aircraft and its two occupants has been called off.
Search teams from Barbados, Martinique, Trinidad, and Venezuela coordinated by the St Vincent and the Grenadines coastguard have combed several square miles of sea between St Vincent, Bequia, and Mustique with no sign of the Aero Commander 500S which vanished Sunday evening November 19 sometime between 6:51 pm and 6:55 pm.
However, government has announced they still wanted to locate the wreckage and bodies to bring closure for the families and was therefore seeking to source and commission sonar equipment to locate the plane believed to have crashed about one mile from the ET Joshua Airport.
The five-seat plane was on a routine flight from Canouan in the Grenadines to the mainland St Vincent. On final approach to the ET Joshua airport around 6:51 pm, as the pilot was descending 1100 feet over Bequia he radioed the Control Tower to advise on his position and seek permission to land. He was cleared for landing and advised the tower that he should be on the ground around 6:55 pm. He never landed and they never noticed that the plane had not arrived until after 8:00 pm when SVG Air triggered the alarm. The search started around 9:30 pm.
The Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority (ECCAA) is investigating the crash.


IPOH, Feb 11 (Bernama) -- The Perak squad must take full advantage of playing at home in the second round of the Asian Champions League (ACL) qualifiers here tomorrow night.
Team captain Shahrul Saad, when met during the press conference today, said although the team was aware that Hong Kong League champions, Kitchee SC were the favourites to qualify for the third round, it was no reason for the Bos Gaurus squad to surrender.
"We play at home, of course, we want to win. We will play all out and move on to the next round,” he said, calling on supporters to get behind the team.
The Bos Gaurus squad need to win to advance to the third round to face South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai.
If they get past the two qualifiers, they will be placed in Group H, with Sydney FC (Australia), Kawasaki Frontale (Japan) and Shanghai SIPG (China).
Meanwhile, Perak head coach Mehmed Durakovic said the match was very important for his team, especially the younger players, to gain experience against overseas clubs.
"This match is very important to us and as we know, Kitchee SC are the defending champions of the Hong Kong League and it is not an easy one.
"However, we will give them a tough fight even though we are a bit short in terms of players due to injuries," he said.
Kitchee SC head coach, on the other hand, said that his team was ready to battle it out against the hosts, and hoped that star striker Lucas Espindola da Silva would be on target this weekend.
“Kitchee has several import players and our strength lies behind Lucas, who was the top scorer in the Hong Kong League last season with eight goals,” he said.


Nicky Hilton has already cemented her status as a style icon, but the mom-to-be is clearly set to inspire our maternity wardrobe dreams as well. Keeping cool New York breezes at bay, the socialite wore a brown sheepskin jacket over cool yet casual jeans and heeled boots for a Wednesday (Jan. 27) stroll, topping off the ensemble with a chic Louis Vuitton shoulder bag.
It was revealed earlier this month that 32-year-old Nicky is pregnant with her first child. The heiress tied the knot with financier James Rothschild at the Orangery in Kensington Palace Gardens in July 2015, and now her aunt, Kyle Richards, has confirmed the news in a sit-down interview with E!.
Nicky Hilton looked stylish as she stepped out in New York.
"Nicky's pregnant, and she's the first of the cousins to have a baby, so we're all really excited," the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star said. "I can't wait to see what that baby is going to look like. It's going to be gorgeous."
On Jan. 13, an insider revealed to People that Nicky and James were expecting their first baby, thought to be due in the summer. "Nicky is very excited to become a mom. She's feeling great," the source said. "They've just begun telling close friends and family. Nicky and James are over the moon!"
Nicky and husband James Rothschild are expected to welcome their baby in the summer.
Speaking shortly before Nicky and James's wedding, her older sister, Paris Hilton, said the couple were a match made in heaven. "They're so loyal and they're so in love. They're like a prince and princess," said the 34-year-old, who acted as maid of honour at the nuptials.
"I think it's important to find someone you trust and love … I think that's the meaning of life: to get married and have a family."


*Performing program support functions for an office/organization in the areas of time and attendance/payroll, accountable property and records management.
*Using multiple Microsoft Office (or comparable) computer software programs, such as Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Access and Internet Explorer.
*Preparing and editing a variety of electronic documents such as reports, spreadsheets, forms, tables, etc. using Excel.
GS-09: Must have Master's or equivalent degree in a related field from an accredited college or university or two full years (36 semester hours or equivalent) of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, if related.


“I was never part of any commission to advise or make decisions on the border road project,” Adrián Chinchilla, President Laura Chinchilla’s brother and a former adviser, told lawmakers on Tuesday during a Legislative Assembly commission investigating irregularities in the construction of a road along Costa Rica’s border with Nicaragua.
Two other presidential advisers, Carlos Espinach and Federico Baltodano, also attended the probe.
They also presented copies of retraction letters for similar statements made by La Nación journalist Vanessa Loaiza and former Culture Vice Minister Karina Bolaños.
Route 1856 is a 160-kilometer road that runs along Río San Juan on the border with Nicaragua, ordered by President Chinchilla to provide local residents with a transit route and an access road for police, following a dispute with Nicaragua over navigation rights on the river.


Trial of a woman facing a DWI charge from an incident several months before she was accused of causing a fatal crash while driving drunk has been continued.
COVINGTON, La. — The trial of a Louisiana woman facing a DWI charge from an incident that occurred several months before she was accused of causing a fatal crash while driving drunk on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway has been continued until Dec. 19.
Olivia Matte was scheduled for trial Tuesday in state district court in Covington in connection with her Dec. 7, 2016, arrest but the proceeding was postponed at her attorney's request. The postponement marked the second time the trial was delayed. It had originally been scheduled for May 9.
NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune reports Tuesday's scheduled case stemmed from her second of three DWI arrests, which happened about three months before the fatal March 23 accident that claimed the life of 37-year-old James Blackmond, of Columbia, Mississippi.
Charges in that case are pending.


Last night on Breaking Bad, Badger got baked and explained his can't-miss idea for a Star Trek episode: a pie-eating contest that turns deadly. So. Many. Pies. And now, Vulture has put up an animated version, which is quite possibly the best animated Trek since 1974.


In a scene that’s repeated at many other conferences throughout the country, attendees of the National School Boards Association’s Technology + Learning (T+L) Conference in Seattle, Wash., crowded into the main hall Oct. 28 to hear what the keynote speaker had to say. But unlike at other conferences, where the flashing lights and neon colors that educators have come to expect emanate brightly from the stage, the mood was somber—with keynote speaker Paul Saffo asking serious questions about the future of education and the role technology will play.
As attendees and exhibitors sat in their seats, sipping Seattle’s trademark beverage, their eyes focused on the stage: Seattle’s black skyline with hues of purple and blue, clouds massed on the horizon—signaling rain clouds on the way.
According to Saffo, there are some tips educators can use to predict the next big technological innovation that will directly affect the economy.
First, take a look at history: In the 1950s, the key technological innovation was the television—and the media expression of it was broadcasting in the 1960s. In the 1980s, it was the client server that led to the media expression of the World Wide Web of the 1990s. Earlier this decade, peer-to-peer file sharing and online social networks emerged, and perhaps in the next decade, sites like Twitter will be the definitive media expression.
“If you look at these trends, technology makes the medium possible, but the … medium is not ubiquitous until the next big innovation comes along,” explained Saffo. There is a trend of a decade’s difference between the technology and the medium—and most media will not be fully integrated until the next new technology is able to leverage the decade-old medium.
Saffo listed examples, such as an avatar site called Habitat in the 1980s. Even though it was the same concept as we see today in sites such as Second Life—the avatar moved around a virtual world, buying things and being able to talk to people—the right platform just wasn’t there, and it failed.
According to Saffo, it wasn’t until gaming became popular and gaming software improved that people got into virtual worlds. Thanks to new gaming technology, Second Life is now a huge success.
Another example is handheld electronic books. In the 1980s, Franklin Electronic Publishers made a handheld device that stored books. But it wasn’t until the invention of sturdier hardware, newly designed plastic frames, and the switch from print to digital nearly two decades later that Amazon’s Kindle eBook reader was able to take off.
Saffo related the popularity and successful mainstream implementation of technology to an “S”-shaped curve.
At first, educators and technology trend watchers usually overestimate the influence of a new technology on the market. Then, just when educators and tech enthusiasts give up hope and severely lower expectations, the technology is diffused into society.
Saffo also provided analysis of some future trends educators should look for: the rise of “superstar” educators, thanks to the ability to blog and post free classes online; the change from the information revolution to the personal media revolution; and the switch from a consumer economy to a creator economy.


Editor’s Note: In an interview with NPR’s Steve Inskeep, Elizabeth Ferris discusses the effect of the Arab spring on massive migration across North Africa’s borders.
STEVE INSKEEP, NPR: Now, early in Libya’s war, people were sometimes leaving the country at the rate of thousands per hour. Foreign workers were mainly fleeing the country. Now that rebels control Tripoli, a different kind of refugee is on the move, including some of Moammar Gadhafi’s relatives, who slipped across the border into Algeria.
Elizabeth Ferris of the Brookings Institution is tracking Libya’s migrations.
ELIZABETH FERRIS: Whenever there’s a turmoil such as this and a change in government and regime, people associated with that regime try to get out.
FERRIS: And there are rich people who have resources and homes elsewhere and bank accounts they can tap into. Poorer people tend to be displaced closer to home. So you’ll have displacement inside Libya. You’ll have people going to both borders, the Tunisian and the Egyptian, trying to find safety.
INSKEEP: I’m thinking of two categories of people. One would be extreme Gadhafi loyalists or Gadhafi troops who perhaps people would not really be concerned about very much. But then there’s another category of sub-Saharan Africans who migrated into Libya and there’s concern now that they could be targeted because it would be assumed that they were mercenaries for Gadhafi whether they were or not.
FERRIS: Right. You know, Libya has a population of about six and a half million. It has two and a half million foreign workers. I mean, they’re dispersed throughout society. They’re mercenaries, but they also run shops and run public services and so on. And we’ve already have seen mass movements of those people outside the country.
And there’s another category people who are likely to leave, and that’s people who get caught up in the violence, who have experienced their house being destroyed or a child being killed, who think I’ve had it, I want to get out.
Listen to the full interview or download the transcript at npr.org.


Stephanie Sallee, from left, Naomi Dalton, Sandrine El Hage and Sylvie El Hage at the Nutcracker Market opening night party.
'Tis the shopping season, right?!
That's what some 4,000 guests had on their minds at the Wells Fargo Preview Party on Wednesday for the 38th annual Houston Ballet Nutcracker Market at NRG Center.
The party goers got a jump on the shopping before the market officially opens today with an expected 100,000 in attendance through Sunday. The market features some 270 vendors, with 26 new ones, from across the nation. New this year, Kendra Scott hosted a jewelry pull in which 100 percent of proceeds benefited the Houston Ballet.
Attendees enjoyed cocktails, buffet stations and music by David Caceres Band, took holiday photos with special guests Santa and Mrs. Claus.
Eleven percent of merchandise sales and all proceeds from ticket sales directly benefit the Houston Ballet Foundation. Since its inception in 1981, the Nutcracker Market has raised more than $63 million for the Houston Ballet Foundation.
Guests included: Nutcracker Market Chairman Wendy Wilkins Burks, Preview Party Chairmen – Kim and Scott David, C.C. and Duke Ensell, Wells Fargo Financial Advisor and Houston Ballet Board Member Patricia Green and Wells Fargo Regional Vice President Darryl Montgomery. Other party goers included: Cade Burks, Kristy Bradshaw, Rosanette S. Cullen, Patricia Sewing, Sidney Faust, Jo and Jim Furr, Mignon Gill, Jesse H. Jones II, Dawne Proffitt, Macey Reasoner, Shelly Ludwick, Ann Trammell and Phoebe Tudor.


JAKARTA, Indonesia, Sunday, Oct. 2 - A series of bomb blasts rocked popular tourist areas on the island of Bali on Saturday night, killing at least 25 people and injuring 101, the Indonesian government and a local hospital said.
Among the places hit were a crowded restaurant outside the Four Seasons hotel at Jimbaran beach, and a shopping square in Kuta, not far from the terrorist bombing that killed 202 people in October 2002.
Witnesses described lifting bloodied bodies from the badly damaged Raja Bar and Restaurant in Kuta, and taking the injured to hospitals.
Tourists who had been eating and drinking at the Raja at a peak dinner hour staggered onto the sidewalks of the Kuta Square shopping district. The front of a middle-aged man's beach shirt was drenched in blood, his forehead gashed. Another man lay on his back on a bench, his face, head and arms covered in blood.
At Jimbaran, a blurred amateur video caught the sounds of confusion soon after the blast, as survivors tried to escape and motorcycles and cars carried the injured to hospitals.
Indonesian police believed that three suicide bombers carried out the bombings at the two sites, a presidential spokesman, Dino Djalal said this morning.
The police found a total of "six legs and three heads but no middle bodies, and that's the strong sign of suicide bombers," Mr. Djalal said.
At the beach-side restaurant in Jimbaran, near the Four Seasons hotel, two heads and two sets of legs without torsos were discovered in the debris, he said. This indicated two suicide bombers carried out the attack there, he said. At Kuta, another set of such remains was found in the shattered restaurant, Mr. Djalal said.
Mr. Djalal said there were no suspects yet. "The police can only speak to what they know," he said.
But immediate suspicion fell on Jemaah Islamiyah, a radical Islamic terrorist group in Indonesia that has used suicide bombers in the past and has been behind other major attacks, including the 2002 bombings at a Bali nightclub.
There were conflicting reports on casualties and the number of bombs. Mr. Djalal initially said six bombs had gone off at different locations about 7 p.m. Later, the police had confirmed only three bombs. A hospital in Bali said early Sunday that 25 people had been killed and 101 seriously injured. Mr. Djalal said two of the dead were foreigners. The Australian foreign minister, Alexander Downer, said that one Australian had been killed but that he feared others could be among the dead. Diplomatic missions from other countries reported that one Japanese woman was among the dead and that five South Koreans were wounded, Agence France-Presse reported.
Among the wounded were 49 Indonesians, 17 Australians, 6 Koreans, 3 Japanese and 2 Americans, according to officials at Sanglah Hospital near Denpasar, the capital of Bali.
Television reports showed chaotic scenes at a hospital as badly wounded people were wheeled into crowded corridors on gurneys, and dazed foreign tourists searched for friends.
One witness, I Wayan Krisna, told El Shinta radio that as he tried to drag victims from the debris at the Raja Bar, he saw dismembered bodies scattered on the floor. The first and second floors of the restaurant, a favorite hangout for foreigners, were heavily damaged, but the third floor was virtually intact.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono immediately met with counterterrorism police investigators in Jakarta who have dealt with previous attacks here, Mr. Djalal said. The government did not know who was behind Saturday's explosions, he said. "We are going to marshal all our resources to hunt the perpetrators; the people who are going to do this are seasoned," Mr. Djalal said.
The bombs were timed in sequence much like those in the 2002 bombings by Jemaah Islamiyah and came just short of the Oct. 12 anniversary. Two suicide bombers, including one with a car bomb, were responsible for the earlier attacks. Of the 202 people killed, more than 80 were Australians. At about the same time, a smaller bomb went off outside the United States Consulate, where there were no fatalities.
"The president feared something like this would be attempted around this time," Mr. Djalal said, referring to the anniversary.
Initial reports Saturday night indicated that there did not appear to be a car bomb involved in the attacks. The first blasts occurred in Jimbaran, and they were followed by the blast at the Raja in Kuta.
Whoever was behind the bombings chose two different sides of Bali. Kuta is a reasonably priced, crowded shopping street with cheek-by-jowl shops, bars and boutiques. Jimbaran, about three miles away, is a more spacious area, with five-star hotels and new luxury condominiums, that appeals to more affluent tourists. One of the blasts in Jimbaran went off about 500 yards outside the Four Seasons hotel, said Fajar Yulinto, the duty manager of the Four Seasons in Jakarta.
The blasts came just as Bali had seemed to put the 2002 terror attacks behind it, and as the tourism industry, the mainstay of the economy, was steaming to recovery.
Tourists, particularly Australians, have been flooding back to the island, even though the Australian government has kept a travel advisory in place, warning Australians that travel there was risky. The United States and Britain also have warnings about travel to Bali.
Although President Yudhoyono has been praised by the United States for cracking down on terrorists, American officials expressed nervousness several months ago that another major attack in Indonesia could be in the works. Much of the attention focused, however, on the capital, Jakarta, not Bali.
The two main bomb-makers for Jemaah Islamiyah remain at large despite the arrests of scores of members of the group. Indeed, Mr. Yudhoyono worried that Indonesia was vulnerable to further terrorism, his aides said. Two other major attacks in Jakarta, in 2003 and 2004, were attributed to Jemaah Islamiyah and carried out by suicide bombers.
In August 2003, 12 people were killed and at least 150 injured at the JW Marriott Hotel. In September 2004, at least 9 Indonesians were killed when a suicide bomber drove up to the front gate of the Australian Embassy.
The attack on Bali in 2002 began when a suicide bomber set off his explosive vest inside Paddy's Club at 11:08 p.m. The explosion is believed to have killed eight people, and it also drove panicked patrons out into the street, where another bomb was waiting. That bomb, a much bigger one hidden in a van parked outside the Sari Club, was set off by a second man 29 seconds later, ripping through the crowds in the narrow street.
The attacks did severe harm to Bali's tourism industry, which was further hurt by the scare over sudden acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, and the outbreak of the Iraq war. While tourist visits have steadily increased in the past two years, they have not reached their former levels.
The bombings also galvanized the Indonesian government to act against Islamic militants after years of ignoring or failing to act on warnings from the United States and other nations that terrorists were active there. Since then, the government has made hundreds of arrests of suspected militants, including people accused of plotting attacks against United States interests overseas.
Three brothers were convicted for organizing the 2002 Bali bombings. One brother, Ali Gufron, who is known as Mukhlas, was sentenced to death in 2003 after being found guilty of having overall responsibility for the attack. His brother Amrozi was also sentenced to death. The third brother, Ali Imron, received a life sentence after cooperating with the authorities and expressing remorse.
Prosecutors said that before that attack, Mukhlas assumed the role of operations chief of Jemaah Islamiyah. He took the commanding position from another Indonesian, Hambali, who also goes by the name Riduan Isamuddin. Hambali, who is believed to be directly involved in Al Qaeda, was captured in Thailand in August 2003 and is now in American custody.
This past March, Jemaah Islamiyah's supreme leader, the cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, was convicted of criminal conspiracy in connection with the Bali bombings.


“Miracles From Heaven” begins with voice-over narration from Christy Beam (played by Jennifer Garner), a Fort Worth mom who explains that a miracle is defined as an unexpected, positive event that cannot be explained by science. Of course, in reality, that’s only part of the definition. Any unexplained, welcome situation necessarily needs the person or people involved in the event itself to decide that it’s a miracle.
This poses a problem for the cinematic retelling of a story that its author is convinced is miraculous. In fact, it’s a problem facing almost all recent faith-based films; faith is an unseen force, and film must give audiences something to see. “Miracles From Heaven,” then, qualifies as a success: It delivers its miracle without strain.
Based on the memoir by Beam, “Miracles” tells the story of young Anna Beam (Kylie Rogers, “Space Station 76”), whose unexplained digestive disorder leads Christy to battle with a variety of doctors and misdiagnoses. Confidently told that the situation is merely lactose intolerance, or acid reflux, Christy remains unconvinced. Anna vomits everything she eats and is in near-constant pain.
Desperate for an answer, the mother and daughter travel from Texas to Boston, with Christy begging her way into seeing Dr. Samuel Nurko (Eugenio Derbez, “Jack and Jill”), a leading pediatric gastroenterologist. Once there, Anna is diagnosed with intestinal motility disorder, a paralysis of the G.I. tract, a degenerative condition with no cure.
Driven away from church by fellow members who blame sin for the child’s illness, Christy’s doubts overwhelm her. “I don’t have faith in anything. I can’t even pray,” she tells husband Kevin (Martin Henderson, “The Ring”). Anna, too, succumbs to hopelessness, in one of the more honest depictions of childhood depression in recent mainstream film. A good-hearted pastor (John Carroll Lynch, “American Horror Story”) and waitress (Queen Latifah) intervene, but nothing can solve the medical or spiritual crisis.
Then comes the miracle of the title, and it either happened that way or it did not. Thankfully, that’s mostly beside the point, since much of the strength of this film lies in its reasonably restrained script from Randy Brown (“Trouble With the Curve”), which refuses to force itself onto skeptical viewers, and its calm, un-showy direction by Patricia Riggen (“The 33”). She makes only occasional moves into fluffy-cloud-based religious kitsch, wisely focusing instead on human beings trapped between belief and despair.
Meanwhile, the film’s real power comes from Garner, whose solid, memorable work anchors everything around her. Her anxiety spills into every frame she occupies as she demands answers, worries about health insurance coverage, and refuses to smile or stifle her anger. She is real and tough, in ways her film work has seldom given her the chance to be. She’s the bridge the story needs to avoid being pigeonholed as another smug Evangelical advertisement, and her performance elevates “Miracles” to a Christian film worthy of the name.


UPDATE: A BAN on parents smacking their children risks turning Australia into a nanny state, says PM Tony Abbott, who admits he smacked his own kids.
A BAN on parents smacking their children risks turning Australia into a nanny state, says Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who admits he smacked his own kids.
A UN Committee on the Rights of the Child report asks Australia to abolish the right of parents to use reasonable chastisement to discipline children.
The committee would also like teachers and childcare workers to report cases of parents smacking.
But the idea hasn't grabbed Mr Abbott.
"I was probably one of those guilty parents who did occasionally chastise the children, a very gentle smack I've got to say,'' Mr Abbott told the Seven Network today.
"I think that we've got to treat our kids well, but I don't think we ought to say there's no place ever for smacks.
Mr Abbott said it was "always a danger'' that these types of bans moved Australia towards a nanny state.
"I think we often see political correctness taken to extremes and maybe this is another example,'' he said.
Comparing corporal punishment to domestic violence and assault, the UN has demanded that Australian parents use "other forms of discipline''.
Parents who smack their children should be prosecuted and teachers ordered to dob in tough-love mums and dads, the UN has told the Australian government.
And it recommends that all professionals working with children - such as teachers and childcare workers - be "trained to identify and report all cases of violence against children''.
The UN recommendations were outlined in the first report to Federal Parliament by National Children's Commissioner Megan Mitchell.
Ms Mitchell called for a "national conversation'' about a smacking ban.
"There's an argument to be had that violence and assault of any form against children is not in their interest,'' she told News Corp Australia.
"We certainly don't want children growing up in fear of violence, and replicating violence.
"But we don't want to be criminalising parents for trying to save their child from running across a road - it's about crossing lines''.
Ms Mitchell said the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child gave parents the right to "discipline'' a child.
"It doesn't say exactly what that is and how that should happen,'' she said.
Ms Mitchell - Australia's child rights watchdog - called on the Abbott government to sign an international treaty giving kids the right to complain to the UN about "violations of their rights''.
She said children in jail or other types of detention - including child asylum seekers - would be able to appeal to the UN.
"It would also establish the means for children to make complaints about breaches of their rights across the whole spectrum of rights under the (treaty),'' her report to parliament states.
"Before a child or their representative could make a complaint to the UN Committee … they would be required to have exhausted domestic remedies that are available.
Children's rights under the treaty include a right to "rest and leisure'', education and protection from "cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment''.
Ms Mitchell said she did not think children would be able to lodge complaints about smacking.
The Royal Australasian College of Physicians has also called for physical punishment to be made "unlawful'', warning that smacking can lead to depression, anxiety, aggression and substance abuse among children.
Ms Mitchell recommended that state and territory governments stop locking teenagers in adult prisons, which she described as "a ticket to a life of crime''.
And she called for struggling families to be given help before their children are removed and put into care.
Ms Mitchell said nearly 40,000 Australian children were in foster care - a 27 per cent increase since 2008.
"The system is all set up to remove children rather than support families,'' she said.
Ms Mitchell said parenting courses, counselling and playgroups could help families stay together.
"It's really important that we look out for each other,'' she said.
1. Be treated fairly no matter what.
2. Have a say about decisions affecting you.
3. Live and grow up healthy.
4. Have people do what is best for you.
5. Know who you are and where you come from.
6. Believe what you want.
8. Find out information and express yourself.
9. Be safe no matter where you are.
10. Be cared for and have a home.
11. Education, play and cultural activities.
12. Help and protection if you need it.


It's pretty rare to see any straight-eight-powered cars on the road today. This one makes a terrific sound.
There are dozens of fantastic-sounding V-8s out there. But if you're into more obscure engines, this supercharged Packard straight-eight should do the trick.
The engine is an 327 cubic-inch eight-cylinder set up in an inline fashion, taken out of a 1948 Packard. It has four carburetors and a supercharger pushing five pounds of boost. Powering a 1930 Ford Model A body up the Colorado Hot Rod Hillclimb event in 2016, it sounds sort of like a V-8, but different enough to stand out.
Chevy Confirms the Mid-Engined Corvette. Finally.


1 What Are the Aims & Objectives of HR Development?
One of the key roles of the human resources department is to keep the workforce safe, productive and engaged in the company’s activities and interests. HR training objectives support this role by educating employees and managers on the relevant procedures. Training objectives focus on what the organization needs to achieve and how to help employees attain company goals. Depending on the type of business and specific challenges the company faces, there are a wide range of possible HR training objectives. However, some are important in almost every organization.
Every employer has a duty to provide a safe and healthy working environment. Every employee has a duty to protect himself and those around him. Health and safety is an area that is often included as part of the HR function in small and medium-sized companies. In large organizations, there may be a dedicated health and safety department. Managers need to be trained in risk assessments and the importance of undertaking them regularly and correctly, while implementing any necessary actions quickly. Neglecting this duty can lead to injury, illness, death and legal action against the company. All of these have significant financial costs that may put the company’s future at risk. As all staff must be made aware of health and safety issues and company policies, this is a significant ongoing training objective for every company.
Companies avoid unlawful behaviors and potential lawsuits by ensuring all staff are aware of the basic legal requirements regarding equalities and have an understanding of the benefits of diversity. Equality training equips managers to work within the legal structure and avoid discrimination in recruitment and how they treat staff. A diverse workforce brings many advantages to a company including a range of skills and ideas. However, it is important that everyone is able to communicate effectively with a desire to work together. HR training in diversity can help staff make the most of their working relationships and develop new insights into how the business interacts with its customers and the wider community.
Being able to manage staff effectively is essential for every manager. This includes how to run recruitment campaigns and choose the right people; supervise them and maximize their performance; maintain good employee relations; and build teams. While complex issues can be handed over to an HR manager, day-to-day staff management is the responsibility of line managers. Often, managers are promoted to their posts with expertise in their relevant fields but little knowledge of employment law, HR policies or good practice in relation to managing people. This makes competent staff management a key objective for HR training programs.
Ongoing training in job-related skills is essential and takes priority in company training programs. However, soft skills, which often take a back seat, can be just as important. Time management, team leadership and communication skills are vital for many types of roles, particularly where there is front line customer contact. Personal development skills such as confidence building and assertiveness training help individuals feel empowered in their personal lives and at work. Consequently, they are better able to communicate with their colleagues, which makes them more effective in their jobs.
Dillon, Shelagh. "HR Training Objectives." Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/hr-training-objectives-60381.html. Accessed 21 April 2019.


A woman who police said was drunk allegedly punched a man aboard an MBTA Silver Line bus Friday night.
Police said Carmen Torres, 47, of Dorchester tried to speak to the male passenger around 11:30 p.m., however when he attempted to move away from her, she punched him. When a transit officer tried to interview Torres, she allegedly "pulled her fist back and attempted to strike the officer in the face."
But she apparently missed her target. Transit police wrote in their blog, "The quick thinking officer moved and avoided being struck however her punch found it's way to the male victim's jaw."
Torres was transported to transit police headquarters to be booked. During this time it was discovered there were two warrants in existence for her arrest, transit police said.
The warrants were issued for Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon, Disorderly Conduct and Assault and Battery on an Ambulance Personnel, transit police said.
She was due to be arraigned for assault charges.


Ukraine's telecommunications system has come under attack, with equipment installed in Russian-controlled Crimea used to interfere with the mobile phones of members of parliament, the head of Ukraine's SBU security service said on Tuesday.
Some Internet and telephone services were severed after Russian forces seized control of airfields and key installations in Ukraine's Crimea region on Friday, but now lawmakers were being targeted, Valentyn Nalivaichenko told a news briefing.
"I confirm that an...attack is under way on mobile phones of members of Ukrainian parliament for the second day in row," the security chief told a news briefing.
"At the entrance to (telecoms firm) Ukrtelecom in Crimea, illegally and in violation of all commercial contracts, was installed equipment that blocks my phone as well as the phones of other deputies, regardless of their political affiliation," he said.
Ukrtelecom has already said armed men raided its facilities in Crimea on Friday and tampered with fibre optic cables, causing outages of local telephone and Internet systems on the continent.
The Ukrainian security chief did not say whether the new issues were linked to the earlier raid or a separate tampering incident. Ukrtelecom said it was working on a response to questions from Reuters about Nalivaichenko's remarks.
Russia's domestic intelligence service, the FSB, declined to comment when asked if Moscow was behind the communications disruptions in Ukraine.
The main Ukrainian government website, www.kmu.gov.ua, was offline for about 72 hours after Russian forces seized control of the peninsula, but went back up early on Monday, said John Bumgarner, chief technology officer for the U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit.
Bumgarner, whose firm advises companies and government agencies on how to fend off cyber attacks, said, he is not sure that the site went down as a result of a cyber attack. Still, he said he believes Moscow has the ability to cause major disruptions using cyber operations.
"I know they have the ability to do at least as much damage as they did in Estonia and Georgia," he said.
Estonia suffered a 10-day attack on its internet services in 2007, which caused major disruptions to its financial system, during a spat with Moscow over a Soviet-era war memorial, and Georgia was hit by mass cyber attacks during a brief 2008 war with Russia over its pro-Moscow South Ossetia region.
Russian authorities denied direct involvement in both attacks, saying they had no influence over the actions of self-styled patriotic hackers.
Much of Ukraine's telecommunications infrastructure was built when it was part of the Soviet Union, along with what is now the Russian Federation, and is particularly vulnerable to penetration by Moscow.
"The Russians have the place completely wired," said Jim Lewis, a former U.S. foreign service officer and now senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
"They are right next door and most traffic has to go through Russia. That they haven't done more probably reflects their confidence that they're going to come out ahead and there's nothing anyone can do about it," Lewis said.
Cyber warfare experts say that while Russia certainly has the ability to conduct such campaigns against Ukraine, it has yet to need to use those capabilities.
"This would show the Russians acting with more discretion and targeting than recently," said John Bassett, former head of the London and Washington stations of GCHQ, Britain's top secret government communications centre.
"This wouldn't expose any great depth of their technological capability and they would be keeping the harder stuff back," said Bassett, now associate at Oxford University's Cyber Security Centre.
Marty Martin, a former senior operations officer with the CIA, said Moscow would likely only take action to damage Ukraine's Internet and internal communications systems if hostilities broke out.
"A lot of times you don't want to shut things down. If you do that, then you don't get your flow of intelligence. You are probably better off monitoring it," Martin said.
Experts believe Russia was behind the hacking of a confidential phone conversation between senior U.S. State Department official Victoria Nuland and U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt, which was leaked over YouTube last month.
"Russia's strategy is control the narrative, discredit opponents, and coerce," Lewis said.


Conor McGregor isn't opposed to seeing Floyd Mayweather don four-ounce gloves in a cage - far from it, in fact.
After the undefeated boxer dropped a pair of videos in which he appeared to tease an MMA foray, McGregor told street reporter Adam Glyn on Wednesday that while he'd have a grand old time at Mayweather's expense if ever they met in the Octagon, he'd wholeheartedly respect his former foe for daring to make the transition.
"I'd do as I please against him, but if he does do it - I know he's flirting with it - I would have respect for him," McGregor said. "I think it would get his earned respect if he was to step in."
Mayweather may have merely been cutting a promo for Irish sports book Paddy Power - a sponsor of his August blockbuster opposite McGregor - and if that proves to be the case, it could tarnish his legacy, said the Irishman.
"If it is, it will follow him the rest of his days. You know what I'm saying? It will follow him for the rest of his days that he did not do it.
"I said I would do it and I stepped up and did it. His time now."
McGregor hasn't fought since falling to Mayweather by 10th-round TKO in his boxing debut, and hasn't seen the inside of the Octagon in 14 months. The date, location, and dance partner of his return to action have been the subjects of incessant speculation, and he offered little in the way of clarity when speaking to Glyn prior to a charity event in New York City.
"We'll see, I'm currently in negotiations to face my next opponent. We have many options. There's current interim lightweight champion (Tony Ferguson). There's an undefeated Dagestani (Khabib Nurmagomedov). There might be a big Russian event. There's obviously the (Nate) Diaz trilogy. Of course, the Mayweather fight is there.
"We're just at the table at the moment. Times are good."
Bellator 220 breakdown: With Rory MacDonald vs. Jon Fitch, who will set the range?


Confidential diplomatic cables from the U.S. embassies in Beijing and Hong Kong lay bare China's growing influence as America's largest creditor.
As the U.S. Federal Reserve grappled with the aftershocks of financial crisis, the Chinese, like many others, suffered huge losses from their investments in American financial firms — from Lehman Brothers to the Primary Reserve Fund, the money market fund that broke the buck.
The cables, obtained by WikiLeaks, show that escalating Chinese pressure prompted a procession of soothing visits from the U.S. Treasury Department.
In one striking instance, a top Chinese money manager directly asked U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner for a favor.
In June, 2009, the head of China's powerful sovereign wealth fund met with Geithner and requested that he lean on regulators at the U.S. Federal Reserve to speed up the approval of its $1.2 billion investment in Morgan Stanley , according to the cables, which were provided to Reuters by a third party.
Although the cables do not mention if Geithner took any action, China's deal to buy Morgan Stanley shares was announced the very next day.
The two Treasury officials to whom the cables were addressed, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia Robert Dohner and Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Monetary and Financial Policy Mark Sobel, declined through a spokesperson to comment for this story.
The State Department also declined to comment.
China is America's biggest foreign lender, playing a crucial role in the U.S. Treasury auctions that allow Washington to borrow what it needs to keep its government running. At the same time, the United States is China's top export destination: America's trade deficit with the nation reached a record $273.1 billion in 2010.
Most economists describe the two economies as co-dependent.
The concern in certain influential Washington and Wall Street circles is that Beijing would leverage its position as the main enabler of U.S. overspending. And the cables provide a glimpse into how much politics inform relations between the world's two largest economies.
One cable cites Chinese money managers expressing concern that U.S. arms sales to Taiwan — a major, longstanding irritant in the relationship — could sour the Chinese public on Treasury purchases.
The subject of Taiwan came up during an Oct. 9, 2008 meeting the U.S. financial attache's office had with Liu Jiahua, Deputy Director General of China's foreign currency reserve manager, the secretive behemoth known as the State Administration for Foreign Exchange, or SAFE.
"Liu observed that the recent U.S. announcement of another arms sale to Taiwan made it more difficult for the Chinese government to explain its policies supportive of the U.S. to the Chinese public," reads an account of his comments in one of the cables.
The cables also indicate a high level of confidence among the Americans that China can't entirely stop buying U.S. debt, a sentiment shared by most economists who describe the dynamic as a form of mutually assured financial destruction. But the cables do show that China can and will pull back, with financial repercussions.
In the spring of 2009, with U.S.-China financial tensions running especially high, China's Treasury holdings fell to around $764 billion, down from nearly $900 billion. In July, after tensions between the two nations mostly subsided, its holdings rose to a record $940 billion.
During the financial turmoil, the cables show that Beijing also shifted its portfolio away from longer-term Treasury notes, which helped drive up America's long-term borrowing costs.
The collapse of Lehman had a swift and powerful impact on SAFE.
"Several interlocutors have told us that Lehman was a counterparty to SAFE in financial transactions and as a result SAFE suffered large losses when Lehman collapsed," Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing Dan Piccuta wrote in a cable to Washington on March 20, 2009.
The hit to its balance sheet is likely what prompted a Chinese official to tell a U.S. diplomat months earlier that SAFE was afraid to re-enter the U.S. repo market — that is, it was reluctant to resume lending its short-term Treasurys to counterparties wanting to use them as collateral in cash loans.
On Oct. 9, 2008, officials from the U.S. embassy's office of the financial attache in Beijing met with SAFE Deputy Director General Liu Jiahua.
"SAFE is very concerned over the danger involved in lending U.S. Treasurys to U.S. financial institutions in the repurchase agreement market," Liu said.
Liu said SAFE's confidence in U.S. banks had been shaken.
SAFE had exited the repo market, which is a way for corporations and financial institutions to borrow overnight.
The cable continues, "Liu remained noncommittal on the possible resumption of lending, but agreed that SAFE had sufficient confidence in those institutions and would consider a system whereby the Federal Reserve or other U.S. government agency would act as a guarantor." Public opinion clearly rattled China's financial leaders.
One cable shows Liu citing an internet discussion forum, saying "the Chinese leadership must pay close attention to public opinion in forming policies." The U.S. government does not appear to have offered the Chinese a special setup guaranteeing U.S. banks.
Instead, the cables show, American diplomats reassured the Chinese by pointing out that Washington had infused banks' balance sheets with $700 billion in fresh capital, effectively propping up the banking system.
China holds hundreds of billions of dollars in debt issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the housing agencies known as Government Sponsored Entities, or GSEs.
Like many other investors, it purchased agency debt before the crisis with the expectation that Fannie and Freddie were implicitly backed by the U.S. government.
In Sept. 2008, when the Treasury Department took control of the two GSEs, SAFE officials grew alarmed, the cables show.
Suggestions that senior GSE debt holders would have to take a haircut sparked a public outcry in China. The media warned that the government's currency manager faced monstrous losses similar to those suffered earlier by the nation's sovereign wealth fund, China Investment, after its investments in U.S. financial institutions blew up.
Media outlets had already heavily criticized the government for CIC's losses — a Financial Times story circulated by outlets such as China Daily speculated that CIC had lost $80 billion of the government's foreign reserves. In late 2008 Chinese newspapers routinely ran headlines with the words "Fannie Mae" and "Freddie Mac" spelled out in English.
To defuse the situation, the Treasury Department sent Undersecretary for International Affairs David McCormick to Beijing for two days in October 2008. The gesture went over well.
"All of Undersecretary McCormick's counterparts appeared to appreciate his willingness to come to Beijing in the midst of a financial crisis," Piccuta wrote in a cable dated Oct. 29, 2008. "Interlocutors stressed that unless leaders' concerns about the viability of banks and U.S. government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) are assuaged, lower-level officials will be constrained from taking on greater counter-party risks."
The cables show McCormick trying to reassure the Chinese.
"In each meeting, Undersecretary McCormick emphasized that even though the U.S. government did not explicitly guarantee GSE debt, it effectively did so by committing to inject up to $100 billion of equity in each institution to avoid insolvency and that this contractual commitment would remain for the life of these institutions," Piccuta wrote.
The U.S. Federal Reserve announced a program to buy agency mortgage-backed securities and Treasurys in early 2009 to help flood the financial system with liquidity and stop Treasury yields from rising. But at first the purchases had very little impact on yields, which climbed steadily while the Treasury Department's auctions of new debt wobbled.
In China, top officials began publicly criticizing the inflationary side-effects of the Fed's program. They said the expansion of the Fed's balance sheet would devalue their Treasury holdings — and indeed, the Chinese public watched as Treasury yields rose and the older debt the Chinese had sank in value.
On March 13, 2009, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said at a press conference he was "concerned" about the security of China's investments in U.S. Treasurys. The March 20 cable, titled "Premier Wen's comments on U.S. Treasurys: Protect China's investments," documents a score of Chinese officials discussing their worries about U.S. Treasurys and the potential consequences of their uncertainty.
One economist at Caijing Magazine, which diplomats described as a "respected" Chinese outlet, told U.S. officials in late February "there has been a 'huge debate' within the government about China's holdings of U.S. Treasurys."
According to the cable, the Chinese economist told U.S. embassy officials that "SAFE has been shifting its portfolio toward shorter-term assets to reduce the risk of capital losses from higher inflation."
That information dovetailed with data, released many months later, showing the Chinese had indeed sold longer-dated Treasurys and bought more T-bills, which surged to $210 billion by May 2009. The move likely contributed to the rise in long-term yields.
Tensions remained high during Geithner's visit to China — his first as Treasury Secretary — on June 1 and 2, 2009.
Geithner, who has lived in China and other parts of Asia and holds a master's in East Asian studies, met with top Chinese officials, including the head of CIC, China's $200 billion sovereign wealth fund, and the ministers of finance and commerce.
The trip had been scheduled for months with a predictable agenda, but the meetings were full of spontaneous discussion and frank complaints from the Chinese, the cables reveal.
Xie Xuren, China's minister of finance, met with Geithner on June 1 and "expressed concern about the potential for inflation and the long-term sustainability of U.S. budget deficits," according to a cable detailing Geithner's visit, dated June 17, 2009.
The next day, June 2, CIC Chairman Lou Jiwei confided in Geithner that his fund had halted all new investments in 2008 after the financial crisis broke out, but had since scoped out a new stake in Morgan Stanley, the U.S. investment bank.
At the time of Geithner's visit, Morgan Stanley was planning a new share issue to raise funds to repay the government for the money it received during the financial crisis.
"Lou asked if it would be possible for the Fed to expedite approval of CIC's request that this investment be exempted from restrictions on investment by bank holding companies, as the customary two-week process for considering such exemption requests is too long to allow CIC to take advantage of this opportunity," according to the cable.
There's no record in the cable of how Geithner responded, but it was only a day later, on June 3, that CIC announced plans to purchase $1.2 billion in Morgan Stanley shares.
A spokesperson for the Fed said in the instance of the June 3 CIC investment, no application for an exemption was made to the Federal Reserve Board.


The name Live MB Music may not instantaneously strike a chord with many, but if persons take a deeper look into the industry, they will discover that the Montego Bay-based record label has been steadily making inroads on the entertainment scene. They have been the driving force behind reggae artiste Jae Prynse, and this year, the record label is looking to expand its reach even more.
In a release sent to THE STAR, the label revealed that they have embarked on a new project that they hope will be 'revolutionary'.
The project is called the 'Reggae Revolutionary' Rhythm, a 14-track compilation which includes some of the biggest names in reggae. Capleton, Jah Cure, I-Wayne, Freddie McGregor, Fantan Mojah, Jah Mason and Lukie D are just some of the heavy hitters to be featured on the project, which includes other notable names such as Chino, Jah Bouks, Dotta Coppa, Wickerman, Nitty Kutchie, Falkonection, Jah Izrehl and Unstoppable Fyah.
The project is to be distributed through 21st Hapilos.
With many top entertainers working on the project, the label believes they may have a hit rhythm on their hands. They promised to showcase an authentic reggae vibe as they send out tracks that promote conscious, positive messages.
"We wanted that authentic reggae vibe with clean and conscious offerings to set the tone for the year going forward, hence the reason we took such great care to hand-pick the featured acts. We wanted to start the new year right, and what better way to do so than assembling some of the biggest stars in our industry on one project. We hope music lovers globally will appreciate what we are presenting with this project," the release said.
Released on January 4, the 'Reggae Revolution' Rhythm is now available on all digital platforms. Other notable rhythms produced by Live MB Music includes the 'Brick Mansion' and 'Vision' rhythms.


Peaceful location in the foothills south of Eagar. Lots of cedar/juniper trees. Level building lot. Electricity & city water available.


The federal government just can’t stay out of agriculture. From subsidy programs that decide winners and losers in the markets by favoring corporate farms over family farms to ethanol rules that sacrifice food for fuel to laws that give undue influence and power to a select few pesticide and seed producers, Washington has maintained a stranglehold over farming that has forever altered the industry’s competitive landscape and doomed consumers to pay ever-higher prices at the grocery store.
It wants even more power. Now, another assault comes from the Capitol and the unlikeliest of agencies: the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, an arm of the Department of Transportation. The DOT/FMCSA has new standards currently in the public comment period that, were they to become law, would override states’ rights — and the rights of the individual farmer — and have a detrimental impact on how business is done.
First and foremost, the DOT wants to reclassify farm vehicles and implements — everything from tractors to cattle haulers — as Commercial Motorized Vehicles (CMVs), which would then mandate all farm workers to meet the same set of requirements that over-the-road truck drivers do. Farmers would have to acquire a Commercial Drivers License (CDL), display DOT numbers, track mileage, limit hours worked, and maintain health cards while farms would have to monitor all of the above and pay highway use taxes (and probably higher insurance rates).
The regulatory burden is daunting. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more than 800,000 farm workers in the United States; 24,000 of them are considered Agricultural Equipment Operators, whose primary responsibilities are to drive and control farm equipment to till soil and to plant, cultivate, and harvest crops. But if you’ve ever been around a farm, you know that number is under-reported, for it ignores those who dabble in the use of equipment as required by their job and the task at hand. Many agricultural employees, at one time or another, operate tractors and other heavy equipment. Even in a labor-intensive environment (such as fruit-picking or dairy), motorized equipment is utilized every minute of every day to get people, product, and resources from Point A to Point B or tend the health of the plants or animals. It wouldn’t be stretch to say one-fifth of all farm workers at one time or another drive farm machinery. That’s 160,000 people — and their countless employers — nationwide who would suddenly fall under the bureaucratic umbrella of the federal government and the state governments charged with enforcing the new regulations.
The CDL cost would be wealth-transfer, taking money from agriculture (actually, the consumers who would be paying for the higher overhead) and giving it to others. Other similar expenses would be incurred as well. Insurance, health exams, recordkeeping, licenses, and taxes are not free.
Legally and constitutionally, this regulatory activity should be off-limits to the DOT and left in the hands of the states since all farming activities occur within a state’s borders and nothing of it comprises interstate trade — most goods are sold in roadside stands and local markets or to large processors (national direct-to-consumer sales are incredibly rare).
So, just how does the DOT plan to stake its claims over tractors and haulers and get around the unconstitutionality of these new standards? By reclassifying the farming trade.
Basically, the DOT plans to identify all agricultural commodities delivered to a processor as “interstate commerce” because there exists the chance that the crop might eventually leave the state. That’s an incredibly dangerous undertaking, for it will affect far more than drivers’ licenses: This one, simple change would allow all federal agencies to override local, state, and personal oversight of farms. The federal government would have full jurisdiction and the ability to micromanage farms’ day-to-day activities and practices. Certain to be instituted would be long-simmering federal bills that would mandate the use of farmland based on a supposed importance of the environment or require the tracking of all farming inputs and activities to supposedly prevent outbreaks of E. coli and the like.
The public comment period for these pending transportation rules changes is set to expire at the end of this month. It is hoped that the farming industry and constitutionalists everywhere come out in numbers, voicing their displeasure over such measures. If they don’t, and the DOT is allowed to run roughshod over state’s rights, the very definition of federal power will change when it comes to how, why, and by whom our food is produced.
Once the federal government has total control over agriculture, the cost to farm will likely be utterly astronomical and, likewise, so will be the cost to feed and clothe a family. What can and will happen will make the CDL requirement look like a walk in the park. If that one measure can affect the markets to the tune of just under a half billion dollars, imagine what else Uncle Sam could do with an array of regulations similarly — if not far more — damaging.


1 If you buy something from a charity shop, pay double.
2 Carry stress balls to squeeze when you feel under pressure.
3 Use your umbrella with manners.
4 Buy your electricity from a supplier who uses only sustainable resources.
5 Give your Lottery money to a good cause (only 28p of every £1 you spend goes to charity).
7 Swich off your mobile phone before going into the cinema or theatre.
8 Tell someone their label's sticking out. Especially if you don't know them.
9 Stop yourself saying 'I'.
10 Bring birds into your life; get a bird-table, and make sure your cat has a bell around its neck.
12 Volunteer. Try www.idealist.org for ideas.
13 Make your own compost. Vegetable peelings, leftovers, garden waste, tea bags all do it.
14 If you're buying a car, consider the new breed of zero-emission vehicles.
15 Put a brick in your toilet's cistern to reduce the amount of water used in flushing.
18 Go out, don't stay in.
19 Write down the number of mistakes you make in one day, and aim to double it. It's the only way to learn.
20 Make a fuss. Don't let chatter about the 'death of ideology' mean you lose your passion. Take action on things you think are wrong or offensive. Complain. Participate. Get organised.
21 If you have any clothes you haven't worn for a year, give them away: to friends or relatives or charity shops.
22 Watch the film It's A Wonderful Life. As many times as possible.
23 Plant a tree. Put one in your garden, or a local communal space; go to www.treesforlife.org.uk/tfl.patfsyl.html and learn how.
24 Have a party for people in your street. Ask them to bring a picture of themselves as a baby, supply lots of booze and food; get out Twister if you're really getting on.
25 Ditch the gym and join a team instead.
26 Register as an organ donor. Details at www.argonet.co.uk/body 27 Listen to children as you listen to adults - give them as many rights as you give yourself.
28 Paint the outside of your house for the pleasure of those walking past (not just the inside for you).
29 Take responsibility for your problems; don't blame others.
30 Use small local shops.
31 Take a mug into work, instead of using Styrofoam cups. Campaign to abolish Third World debt - the new millennium's most pressing cause . Call Jubilee 2000 on 020-7739 1000 or go to www.jubilee2000uk.org to find out what you can do.
34 Don't backstab: be honest, but not bitchy, with your colleagues instead.
35 Go to non-Premier League football matches and show your support.
36 Learn a new language.
37 Do at least one cultural thing a week.
38 Get to know more about where you live. Go to www.upmystreet.com for property information, crime rates, local politics and education information.
39 Wear bright clothes once a week. It will cheer everyone up.
42 If you're a Christian, read the Koran. If you're a Muslim, read the Bible. And so on. If you're not at all religious, read all of them.
43 If you have the choice, travel by train, not plane.
44 If you live in Leeds, take part in the council's hugely successful Two-Plus Lane (motorists are allowed on certain roads only if they are carrying a passenger). If you don't live in Leeds, lobby your council to follow the Leeds example. To share a lift, look at www.freewheelers.co.uk/freewheelers - save energy and make new friends.
46 Join a LETS (Local Exchange Trading Scheme) in your area - in which people exchange goods or services with each other (for example, you plumb in my bath, and in return I'll weed your garden) without the need of money. Contact Letslink UK on www.letslinkuk.demon.co.uk or write to 54 Campbell Road, Southsea, Hampshire PO5 1RW, tel 01705 730639. Or try www.oneworld.org/ letslinklondon if you live in the capital.
47 If you want to invest money, do so with an ethical investment company. Contact the Ethical Investment Research Information Service (EIRIS) on 020-7840 5700.
48 Encourage children to become leaders. It will teach them to care for others.
49 Telephone someone you haven't seen for five years.
51 Buy two copies of the Guardian and give one to a non-Guardian-reading friend.
52 Have your ticket ready at the barrier.
53 Get email. Who'd have thought technology would bring us together?
54 Check out www.globalideasbank.org for lots of ideas about improving the world - add your own, and you could win £1,000.
55 Read your newspaper's international pages.
57 Don't talk in the cinema.
58 Dog owners: pick up their dirt. It may be disgusting, but think of the children.
59 If you made a charitable donation during 1999, Millennium Gift Aid could generate an extra 30% for the charity. Find out more on 0151-472 6038/6056.
60 Carry mints and go to the dentist; don't inflict bad breath on anyone.
61 Write letters of complaint.
62 Take a plant into your office. Or a packet of biscuits. Buy everyone tea.
63 Plant green plants in window boxes on the street-side of your home to help combat car pollution.
65 Eat together, and not in front of the telly.
66 Learn jokes. Start by memorising Tell Us A Joke, every Saturday right here in Guardian Weekend.
67 Ring your parents more often.
68 Listen to songs that make you feel at one with the world - John Lennon's Imagine, say. Or ones that make you stand up for yourself, such as Respect, by Aretha Franklin.
70 Sniff walnut essence, eat walnuts. No, really. Alternative therapists claim that it helps you break with your past.
71 Visit www.thehungersite.com once a day. Every time you click on to it, the site's sponsors pay for three cups of rice for people in famine areas.
72 Stop abusing traffic wardens. Hell, say hello to one. You could even say hello to a policeman (but don't snort afterwards).
73 Don't shout at children. Especially not your own.
74 Why don't you just turn off your television set and go and do something less boring instead.
75 Pray. Not neccessarily to God, just say a short prayer offering thanks at the end of each day.
76 Crouch down when you're talking to someone in a wheelchair; offer your arm to a blind person at a zebra crossing; take a drink from the bar over to someone with mobility problems without making a fuss about it.
77 Take a first-aid course.
79 Buy fleeces by Komodo from 100% recycled plastic bottles - from £60, call 020-7490 8101.
80 Make hay, not war.
81 Give blood. Call the National Blood Service on 0845 7711711 or go to www.bloodnet.nbs.nhs.uk 82 Adopt an elderly neighbour. Stop for a chat, keep an eye open for curtains left shut. They might even do some babysitting for you in return.
83 Write to elderly relatives.
84 Get rid of all the clutter in your workplace. And at home, too.
86 Shop from companies that have ethical investment policies; subscribe to Ethical Consumer magazine (0161-226 2929) or visit its website at www.ethicalconsumer.org 87 Don't be too obsessive about 'dry clean only' labels. Often, hand-washing in cool water can be just as effective, and cuts down on harmful cleaning chemicals.
88 Pretend that the speed limit is 20mph in urban areas. Drive slowly - don't be bullied by the impatient person in the vehicle behind you.
89 Don't put condoms, tampons or sanitary towels down the toilet; instead, wrap them up and put them in the bin. Otherwise, it's swimmers, surfers and the fish who get it.
90 Buy the Big Issue, but don't just give the seller money - stop for a chat.
92 Get more sleep, and don't drive when you're tired.
93 Keep a bowl of fruit on your desk at work.
94 Don't just visit museums and galleries; use their cafes and buy from their shops, too.
95 If you get to a public phone and it has a credit of 10p, make your call but add more money to leave a 10p credit for the next person.
96 Take time off when you're ill.
97 Risk ridicule - smile at strangers, talk to shop assistants.
98 Find out the names of the security guards, cleaners and canteen staff at your place of work. And use them.
99 If you see someone lost, show them the way.
100 Fill the world with love, laughter and joy. Go on. It's our millennium.


On its 100th birthday, the National Parks System is more popular than ever. A record 307 million people visited its 410 sites in 2015. With that many visitors trampling through, of course some of them are going to be ignorant, ill-prepared, or just plain dumb—putting flora, fauna, and themselves in danger. After a recent incident involving tourists loading a bison calf into their SUV (more on that below), we felt compelled to make this guide for what to do …and importantly, what not to do the next time you visit Acadia, Yellowstone, or any of the country’s parks and monuments in between.
Last week, two Yellowstone tourists spotted an abandoned bison calf by the road and decided to put it in their car and drive it to a park ranger. Bad move. The poor little guy had to be put down because its new scent prevented its herd from taking him back. Oh, and no selfies either. Bison injure more people in Yellowstone than any other animal, and last year, two selfie snappers got headbutted when they turned their backs on bison.
Venturing into America’s deserts can be an other-worldly adventure, but a sandy walk will quickly turn deadly if you’re unprepared. Last summer, a family hike in New Mexico’s White Sands National Monument turned tragic when a mother and father apparently died of heat exhaustion while attempting to keep their 9-year-old son hydrated with only two bottles of water (the child survived).
Sweaty travelers might be enticed by a dip in the river, but they shouldn’t underestimate the power of a current. In 2012, two young campers drowned after wading into the Merced River in Yosemite National Park. According to a Wonkblog analysis of National Park Service data, drowning is the leading cause of death in National Parks.
Emergency rescuers responded not once, not twice, but three times to satellite tracker calls of one group of Grand Canyon backpackers in 2009 despite there being no real emergency. The first time, the hikers feared they ran out of water. Upon finding a water source they called again fearing the water tasted too salty. Finally, after calling a third time, a helicopter lifted them out of the canyon.
Weather is often unpredictable in wild areas—if storms are remotely in the forecast, don’t risk it. When one group of canyoneers in Utah’s Zion National Park left to belay down Keyhole Canyon, weather reports noted a moderate chance for flash flooding, but by the time that warning went up to probable, the group was out of cell phone range. The group was later found dead after drowning in the canyon.
We’ve all gotten the memo from Smokey the Bear, but some people just don’t listen. Investigators tracked the origin of the devastating 2013 Rim Fire around Yosemite National Park to a hunter’s illegal campfire. Four hundred square miles burned, adding up to $127 million of damage.
Yes, the view is stunning, but if you’re behind the wheel, pull over before taking it in. In 2014, the Blue Ridge Parkway in Shenandoah National Park saw over 300 car accidents, according to the Asheville Citizen-Times.
Parks like Joshua Tree and and Arches boast stunning rock formations that make for some of the best rock climbing in the world. But those rocks are not there to be carved into, even if you consider yourself an artist. Both parks have reported an increase in vandalism in recent years, including one carving found in Arches last month that is so deep it might be impossible to remove.
A critically endangered Devils Hole pupfish, whose species lives only in one pool in Death Valley National Park, died after three drunk dudes broke into their protected habitat with alcohol and a shotgun, leaving behind vomit and floating underwear.
The NPS has issued a temporary ban on recreational drones in national parks, but that hasn’t stopped tourists from trying to capture Planet Earth-worthy shots with their flying devices. In 2014, one person’s drone ended up at the bottom of a 121-foot deep Yellowstone hot spring.


Breweries find spaces — and a welcome — in D.C.
As brew lovers celebrated the growing popularity of craft beer during last week’s fifth annual D.C. Beer Week, real estate observers are marveling over the market changes that have seen the return of the first production breweries to the District since the Christian Heurich Brewing Co. shut down its Foggy Bottom brewing operations in 1956.
Back when D.C. Beer Week first started in 2008, there were no production breweries in the District proper. Now there are three, and two more breweries are planning to open. The growing popularity of craft beer in the region dates back to 1992 when Capitol City Brewing Co. became the first “brewpub” to open in the city since Prohibition. Since then, numerous brewpubs have opened throughout the region. The chief distinction between these establishments and breweries is that brewpubs primarily brew beer for sale on site in their restaurant and bar locations, and as such they generally occupy retail/restaurant spaces.
Production breweries, on the other hand, primarily produce beer sold off-site in local bars, restaurants and other outlets. As production facilities, they generally occupy industrial-quality space, with high ceilings and reinforced flooring to accommodate the brewing, bottling and distribution equipment.
These days, the trend appears to be favoring more of a hybrid approach with the newest breweries serving their wares on site as well as having the production capacity for distribution.
DC Brau Brewing Co. became the first production brewery inside the District lines since the Heurichs closed up shop. Originally operating in a modest 6,600-square-foot space at 3178 Bladensburg Rd. NE, the operation has since doubled in size (as of 2012) and currently operates out of 13,150 square feet.
Next to follow suit was Chocolate City Beer, opening at 2801 8th S.t NE in 2011. Working out of a two-story brick industrial building, this operation now serves its brews at more than 40 different local restaurants.
The most recently opened D.C. brewery is 3 Stars Brewing Co., which leased more than 15,000 square feet to open the largest of the D.C. breweries, at 6400 Chillum Pl. NW. This property has 22-foot-high ceilings, which provide ample room for the brewing equipment.
On the horizon, there are at least two more players hoping to quench the thirst of D.C. beer aficionados. Atlas Brew Works has leased close to 14,000 square feet at 2052 West Virginia Ave. NE and plans to open this quarter. The soon-to-open BlueJacket Brewery took a slightly more upscale approach than its predecessors. It converted a historic boilermaker building on the D.C. waterfront into a full production brewery, tasting room and restaurant housed in the 8,159-square-foot glass-enclosed space at 300 Tingey St. SE, near Washington Nationals stadium.
The growing popularity for craft beer and the “buy local” trend appears to favor the possibility of more brewers making moves into the city, creating new demand for this kind of retail/industrial space. If the rapid growth in the D.C. brewery scene over the past five years is any sign, the future is looking pretty hoppy.
Kirstie Boatright is a research manager with CoStar Group in Washington. More information available at www.costar.com.


New music video shows the cycle of gun violence.
The Rube Goldberg machine has been a staple of light-hearted music videos and ads. However, Kesha, working with her younger brother Sage Sebert and on-the-rise rapper Chika, used the technique for very different reasons—and to stunning effect— to highlight the scourge of gun violence and encourage people to vote in this year’s midterm elections.
Created by McCann in partnership with the students leading March for Our Lives and Mill+, “Safe,” is an incredibly powerful way of unpacking the human toll that gun violence has in America, especially in schools.
What starts as a typical day at school suddenly turns chaotic as a hail of gunfire erupts in slow motion. The camera follows a pathway of teachers pushing students into classrooms, machines symbolizing the predictable “thoughts and prayers” that occur after shootings, memorials of victims (from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas and Pulse nightclub shootings, and everyday gun violence in Chicago), posters imploring change and more.
What’s most interesting about the video is that it doesn’t play just once but three times. While each version is essentially the same, there are added elements that tell a more specific story. One version includes the names of victims and in each. In each iteration, posters that drop from the ceilings become more direct in demanding action by politicians and imploring people to vote.
According to the Brady Center, there are 96 gun-related deaths each day in America and, in one year, close to 125,000 people in the country are shot in murders, assaults, suicides, suicide attempts, unintentional shootings or by police intervention.
Digital Marketing, Jon Romero for Vector Management.


Supporters say providing lockers would be a neighborly thing to do. Critics worry they would attract problems.
Imagine having to carry all your possessions with you all the time.
That’s a situation many homeless people face every day.
How would you handle that?
If you had a job at a construction site, for example, how would you feel about bringing your stuff to work? Would it be OK to leave it unattended while you focused on doing your job?
What if you had a job interview? Would you want to show up lugging a big backpack?
What if you did have a place to store your stuff but could only access it during business hours Monday through Friday? What if you needed a change of clothes on the weekend?
Those are some of the arguments advocates for the homeless have pitched to Fort Collins officials for several months to illustrate the need for lockers in Old Town that could be used by homeless people.
Lockers are available at local service providers, such as the Murphy Center, but not enough to meet the need, advocates say.
In response, the city is considering a pilot program to provide lockers that would be accessible 24/7. The Fort Collins Mennonite Fellowship, 300 E. Oak St., has offered to provide space for the lockers outside its building.
The proposal has raised alarms with downtown business owners and residents. Critics say the neighborhood has enough problems with homeless people hanging around. Disturbances at Old Town Library and the adjacent city park are common.
Lockers would only attract more vagrant foot traffic and issues, they argue. The lockers could be used to store drugs and dangerous materials, and their presence could lead to conflicts among homeless people.
Under the current proposal, about 20 lockers would be placed on the north side of the church building. The city would provide the lockers as well as an awning to protect them from the weather.
The church would manage and maintain the facilities with reimbursement from the city. The total tab would be about $10,500, said Beth Sowder, city director of social sustainability.
Fort Collins Mennonite Fellowship Pastor Steve Ramer said he understands neighbors have concerns, although some appear to be based on stereotypes of the homeless.
The church would have final say on who may use the lockers and enforce rules to ensure security. Draft guidelines include assigning lockers three months at a time; prohibiting storage of weapons, illicit drugs, alcohol, and food; and reserving the right to search lockers.
The City Council would have to approve the locker program. A second neighborhood meeting on the proposal is scheduled for Dec. 14, Ramer said.
The city shouldn’t be telling people where they may and may not be based on their social status, he said.
Criteria for how lockers would be assigned are still being developed. Making the lives of homeless people simpler would be a neighborly thing to do, Ramer said.


From tattooing, to satire, to cooking - this week on Unreserved we look at the many ways Indigenous people are reclaiming their culture.
From tattooing, to satire, to cooking — this week on Unreserved we look at the many ways Indigenous people are reclaiming their culture.
Four months ago Tim Fontaine was a serious journalist, but he decided to set his journalism career on fire with a new satire website, Walking Eagle News.
Chef Sean Sherman's new book The Sioux Chef's Indigenous Kitchen dispels the myth that Indigenous food is fry bread and Indian tacos, and instead offers recipes made with foods Indigenous to North America.
Reporters in New Zealand are getting hate mail for occasionally using Maori words in their broadcasts. This prompted Kanoa Lloyd, a New Zealand host for Newshub, to take a stand.
Nakkita Trimble is reclaiming her Nisga'a heritage one tattoo at a time, and learned her craft from some of the best traditional Tomoko tattooists in New Zealand.
A few years ago Tanya Sayer turned to her Indigenous spirituality to help her recover from an addiction to drugs. From this, Spirit Wear was born — an company that makes ribbon skirts and shirts for use in ceremony.