A new company that makes whiskey barrels out of white oak wood has been born from efforts to rebuild a devastated West Virginia community following deadly floods.
"We will be coming on into the marketplace at a perfect time," he said.
"This idea, which some people thought was a little crazy when we started, it evolved out of the recovery from the flood," Crabtree said. "The people who invested in West Virginia to rebuild homes truly believed that rebuilding homes was just the beginning of the economic recovery of West Virginia. They have pulled together a group of 20 investors to make this project a reality and to complete the economic recovery, which only economic development can do."
West Virginia Economic Development Authority executive director David Warner says the authority's board on Thursday approved a $6 million loan for the company, to be coupled with $6 million in bank financing and $15 million from a group of investors. In addition, a sawmill will undergo a $3 million upgrade.
West Virginia Commerce Secretary Woody Thrasher said using West Virginia white oak "will support jobs in our state's timber industry, on which many families and communities rely."
The project "epitomizes the absolute best in our state," he said. "It uses our raw products. It utilizes West Virginia investment and labor. And it's a real testimony to I think the governor's initiative by seeing this private investment."
"Today, we're changing that landscape," Justice said. He said the lowest-paying job at the company will be $40,000.


HOUSTON — Alex Rodriguez said dealing with his 211-game suspension stemming from baseball's Biogenesis drug investigation has been a "big burden" and adds he's ready to face it "head on" when the arbitration hearing on his grievance begins Monday.
The Yankees third baseman didn't expect to play this weekend during the team's season-ending series at Houston because of soreness in his legs.
He said he's excited to get the hearing started before arbitrator Fredric Horowitz and he plans to attend every day. Horowitz has set aside all five business days next week for sessions. "I'm fighting for my life and my whole legacy," Rodriguez said. "Yeah, I should be there."
Rodriguez was suspended by MLB Aug. 5, the day he returned from January hip surgery and a quadriceps injury sustained during a minor league rehabilitation assignment.
He dodged the question when asked whether he would consider it a victory if his suspension were shortened or would he would be satisfied only if it were overturned completely.
He said he will discuss the case in detail at some unspecified point.
"Obviously this is going to be a grueling process all the way through," he said. "You'll hear the full story when the time is right for me, and that time is not just now."
The 38-year-old is hitting .244 with seven homers and 19 RBI in 44 games this season and is six homers shy of tying Willie Mays' 660 for fourth place on the career list, behind only Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714).
Rodriguez is owed $86 million in salaries by the Yankees: $25 million next year, $21 million in 2015 and $20 million in each of the final two seasons of his $275 million, 10-year deal.


Bossier City and Louisiana state officials said last week that chlorine levels in the city's water will remain safe.
Erin Brockovich, the famed legal clerk-turned-environmental activist, claimed in a social media post last week that Bossier City officials were not telling the truth about the safety of the city's water.
Brockovich made her claim Oct. 10 after Bossier City officials announced that the city would flush its water system with chlorine as a precautionary measure after a nearby water system tested positive for the brain-eating amoeba.
State officials confirmed later that day that the water system tested positive for the brain-eating amoeba and that the flush was underway.
In the post, Brockovich claimed that the chlorine-flushed water would be dangerous for residents to drink and bathe in.
The state's health officer and Bossier City officials maintain that the water is safe and that the slight increase in chlorine levels is well within proper guidelines.
Brockovich is best known for legal work in California in the 1990s. Her efforts inspired the 2000 film "Erin Brockovich" starring Julia Roberts. Brockovich regularly posts on social media about drinking water systems and water resources across the country.
"You are going to be burned out and flushed ... because the City won't get off chloramine and clean the dirt out of your drinking water like they are supposed to," she said of Bossier City's chlorine flush. "And the line about the 'Water Still Safe to Drink' is a ridiculous LIE !!!"
Brockovich said one result of chlorine flushing is an elevated level of trihalomethanes, chemicals formed in drinking water primarily as a result of the coloration of organic material in the water supply.
Brockovich said the chemicals are toxic.
"You can actually inhale more than you could possibly ever drink," she wrote. "These toxic volatile chemical compounds will linger in your homes as indoor air pollution."
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that chlorine protects against waterborne diseases and small amounts are not harmful to health.
Bossier City began flushing chlorine through its water system on Oct. 10 after one of five samples of city water tested positive for Naegleria fowleri, the brain-eating amoeba. The flush is to last about 60 days.
In 2017, the World Health Organization wrote about trihalomethanes in a section of its "Guidelines For Drinking-water Quality." The chemicals are bromoform, bromodichloromethane, chloroform and dibromochloromethane. Of the four, chloroform is the most common, the WHO wrote.
The state department of health records and analyzes trihalomethane levels for water systems statewide.
Long-term health effects of exposure to trihalomethanes in the water could include liver, kidney or central nervous system problems and increased risk of cancer, said the Louisiana Department of Health.
Only two of the four trihalomethanes — bromodichloromethane and chloroform — are considered potential human cancer-causing agents, the World Health Organization reports.
During the 60-day flush, Bossier City will switch to free chlorine, which is a stronger and faster-acting disinfectant than the substance it normally uses. That substance is chloramine, a combination of chlorine and ammonia.
Sligo Water Systems, which serves a portion of southern Bossier Parish, tested positive for the amoeba in late September.
Country Place Subdivision, the Town of Benton and the Cypress Black Bayou Water Systems also are undergoing the chlorine flush because those entities buy water from Bossier City.
Dr. Jimmy Guidry, the state health officer, said the chlorine levels during the flushes will rise temporarily from .5 milligrams per liter to 1 milligram per liter, which he said is well within best practices and standards.
Those levels aren't close to the chlorine levels of water you'd swallow in swimming pools, he said.
"There are many water systems in the country that actually (and) routinely have chlorine at 1 milligram to treat their water," he said. "We use it occasionally when we find the amoeba, but it's a perfectly safe level."
Some residents may notice a chlorine taste or odor in drinking water as a result of the chlorine burn. Medical facilities, aquatic pet owners, dialysis centers and others who take special precautions to remove chlorine should continue to take the same precautions, according to the health department.
"I'm absolutely sure about my science," Guidry said of the chlorine levels.


Megaport’s (ASX:MP1) losses have retreated for the six months ending December 2017, to $13.3 million, representing a 3.27 per cent boost from the $13.8 million net loss the company reported for the same period the year prior.
During the half-year, Megaport invested $6 million cash into its network and ecosystem expansion. Of this amount, $3.6 million was invested in rolling out additional data centres globally, including setting up its Europe sites and adding additional sites in North America.
Meanwhile, $2.4 million was invested in the company’s software development and innovation including its recently-launched Megaport Cloud Router (MCR), among other items.
After direct network costs, the company reported a $2.1 million profit for the half-year period, compared to a loss after direct network costs of $831,000 in the same period ended 31 December 2016.
“The first half of fiscal year 2018 saw the company driving increased adoption of Megaport services which grew significantly while we continued to expand our network footprint into markets underserved by cloud connectivity,” Megaport CEO, Vincent English, said.
Looking forward, English said Megaport will further deepen its integration with the hyperscalers to maximise ease-of-use while bringing more managed and network service providers into its ecosystem.
“In the second half of the year we will continue to work with our partners to accelerate service adoption and drive greater revenue,” he said.


The Kirin 980 will power Huawei’s Mate 20 Series that is set for launch this year.
Technology giant Huawei has said it is on course “to rise above all” in the global smartphone market.
Based on an IDC report of H1 2018 smartphone sales, Huawei took its place as the No 2 global smartphone vendor manufacturer, “establishing a new world order in smartphone hierarchy”, the company has said in a press statement.
While the industry was still abuzz with the news, Huawei marked two more milestones before the month was out.
The company sold 10mn units of the Huawei P20 series in the first five months and marked another “world’s first” with the launch of its new Kirin 980 chipset – the first commercially available 7 nanometre chipset that delivers “never-seen-before speed and efficiency”.
Huawei also took second spot in the Middle East and Africa.
According to the GFK May 2018 report, Huawei CBG’s market share in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) was 21%, an increase of 31.25% when compared with the brand’s market share in December 2017.
Huawei’s market share across countries in the MEA region exceeds 20%, including Levant at 37.4%, Oman at 30%, Iraq at 25% and Pakistan at 22.2%, among others.
The Huawei P20 Pro and P20 were the first two devices to receive a triple-digit score by DxOMark, the industry standard for camera and lens image quality measurements and ratings.
Today, the Huawei P20 Pro remains at the top of DxOMark Mobile leaderboard with a score of 109, a lead of six points above the second place competitor.
“Many have begun to call Huawei’s dominant innovation and unstoppable ascent impossible to outpace with its AI evolution that offers richer user experiences, better visuals and greater efficiency.
Leading the AI innovation agenda in the smartphone industry, Huawei’s AI on-device empowers users with everything they need to help optimise interaction and phone experience, without the hassle of downloading and engaging with multiple applications,” the statement notes.
With cloud computing (server side) primarily supported by AI, smartphones are in their evolution phase with on-device AI.“But with AI as a standard across all Huawei devices, we are headed to an era where both on-device AI and cloud AI will continue to converge and complement each other.
This, in simple terms, means that a device will be intelligent both on cloud level and its own handset level, leading to a future where mobile devices can serve as capable personal assistants,” it adds.
Huawei has stressed that its operational performance is “already seeing rapid and healthy growth and the brand’s influence is swiftly on the rise.
Innovations still to reveal before the end of the year will help it further bite into the global smartphone marketshare”.In the first half of 2018, Huawei shipped more than 95mn phones globally and ranked in the second spot in terms of market share across 38 countries, according to a GFK report.
In fact, with the Mate Series and P Series sales revenue increasing by 45% YoY, Huawei’s global market share in the greater than $500 premium segment has increased to 16.4% YoY.
“That’s no coincidence considering that the Mate 10 Series spearheaded the trend for AI and strengthened the company’s position in the high-end market with global shipments of over 10mn units in H1 2018.
Figures also showed that Huawei’s P20 Series, which fuses art and technology, was very well received among the fashion-forward consumers, while the number of users for the latest nova Series exceeded 50mn,” the company explains. The tech giant operates more than 53,000 Huawei stores and 3,500 Huawei Experience stores globally.
With a brand value of $38.046bn, Huawei ranked 25th in the Brand Finance Global 500 report for 2018.
The company is also projected to build another 10,000 stores and 700 experience stores this year as consideration from global consumers, measured by IPSOS, grew from 37% in 2016 to 44% in 2017.


WICHITA — A Sedgwick County district judge has ruled that most of the evidence and a suspect's confession in a double homicide last Thanksgiving is inadmissible at trial.
Judge David Kaufman ruled this afternoon that Wichita police made illegal entry into the Mulvane home of Sam Holton last year. He said any evidence they obtained afterward, including Holton's confession, cannot be used at trial.
The trial for Holton in the deaths of Adrian Jackson and Jessie Foust, who were found dead on Thanksgiving Day 2009, was originally scheduled for next week. But prosecutor Marc Bennett said he will seek a continuance.
While Kaufman ruled that Holton's confession was voluntary, the judge said it could not be used at trial because it was a result of the illegal entry.


"Ever-prevalent gun violence has become the 'new' normal plaguing our City and the news headlines. And I am not going to absolve law enforcement for whatever role we have played in being complicit in the calculus of racial disparities," he wrote. "Given this sobering backdrop, one can understand why there is a sense of hopelessness and desperation with those who have not enjoyed (or even had the same access to) all of the opportunities that many of us take for granted. Systems improvements borne out of intentional, long-term, collaboration is our 'best' option for the future. Unrest like we have witnessed elsewhere in our country cannot possibly aid in constructive engagement and only holds us back."
Dozens of volunteer peacekeepers will take to the streets, said Ruben Anthony, president of the Urban League of Greater Madison.
On Sunday (May 10), Ozanne announced that he had made a decision in the case, but refused to tell the family the results of the investigation before Tuesday’s press conference.
This tragedy adds to the fueling debate over racism and excessive force used by police.
Earlier on Tuesday (May 12), Cuyahoga County sheriff Clifford Pinkney held a press conference in Cleveland on the death of Tamir Rice and asked for more time to finish the investigation.
Just over a week ago, Maryland state’s attorney Marilyn Mosby charged six Baltimore police officers in connection to the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray.


STUART PEARCE'S first game as England's interim manager ended in defeat as Holland's Arjen Robben scored an injury-time winner in the friendly international at Wembley.
Two down after an hour following goals by Robben and Klaas Jan Huntelaar, Harry Redknapp must have been sat at home wondering whether he really wanted the "impossible job".
By the time England had rallied manfully in the final five minutes and dragged themselves level through Gary Cahill and Ashley Young, interim boss Stuart Pearce had claims on being Fabio Capello's replacement for Euro 2012.
Robben's brilliant response - his second superb goal of the evening - gave the hosts a reality check. But after the madness, now the Football Association must get to work and sort out who will lead England into the summer, and whether Scott Parker gets to keep the captain's armband.
The stability Holland brought to Wembley, starting with nine of the team that began the World Cup final, under the same coach, Bert van Marwijk, contrasted sharply with the upheaval England have endured.
Coach and captain were making their debuts in the role - neither secure of the status beyond tonight - while Leighton Baines was among the four players to keep their spots from the November win over Sweden, with Ashley Cole on the bench.
On his first England start since November 2007, Micah Richards tempered his normal attacking instincts, yet when he did get forward, the combination with Manchester City team-mate Adam Johnson was quite rewarding.
Johnson had a goalbound shot deflected wide by John Heitinga, then released Richards, whose pass to Young led to calls for a penalty when the Manchester United man half went down under Heitinga's tackle.
Yet all too quickly, Pearce had to rip up his game plan as Steven Gerrard ambled off, as a precaution it was claimed, after feeling a niggle in his hamstring. A worrying end to an unsatisfactory day all round for the man so many expected would get the job Parker was given.
Daniel Sturridge's introduction meant Johnson had to swap sides, which rather curtailed his involvement.
The new boy did well, though. Sturridge was the source of England's first shot on target after the break, when his strike flew through a packed area and was beaten away by Maarten Stekelenburg.
Holland had managed one in the opening period, from the boot of Robben, which Joe Hart was equal to.
There was also the rare sight of Robin van Persie failing to snaffle a decent chance, the Arsenal man - who shrugged off worries about a groin injury to play - scooping over from 12 yards.
Amidst it all, Parker scurried and cajoled, making his tackles, putting his body on the line and leading from the front, just as Pearce wanted.
At one point the Tottenham midfielder was the meat in a touchline sandwich with Nigel de Jong and Dirk Kuyt, and then landed on a camera stand.
England had reason to be quite pleased with themselves, but that changed in the space of two minutes just before the hour.
Sturridge conceded possession to Robben inside his own half, failed to track back properly, then watched as the former Chelsea winger scorched to the other end of the field and exploited a momentary misunderstanding between Smalling and Cahill before drilling a precise shot past Hart.
Holland scored again on their next attack as Huntelaar got the better of Smalling to nod home Kuyt's cross.
The awful consequence of that goal was a sickening clash of heads between Huntelaar and Smalling, which ended the involvement of both in the game.
Huntelaar was so groggy that initially he still had the clump of grass in his mouth that got lodged there when he landed.
At least he was able to walk off, though. Smalling departed on a stretcher, although he was conscious.
Sturridge wasted England's best chance when he anticipated Baines' misdirected shot but then tamely turned the ball to Stekelenburg.
Cahill showed him how it should be done five minutes from time when he collected Baines' through ball and finished neatly.
It was the prelude to a mad finish as England seemed to have secured a draw in stoppage time when Phil Jones rolled a brilliant through ball to Young, who clipped home, only for Robben's second moment of class to give the visitors victory.


After two black men were arrested at a Starbucks in Philadelphia, CEO Kevin Johnson said the company will review what happened and train workers on "unconscious bias."
Q: Do you know more about what happened?
A: The incident that unfolded in our store last Thursday and the outcome of that were reprehensible. The decision to call the police in that instance was wrong and that led to an outcome that should not have happened. I've apologized to the two gentlemen that went through that experience, and I apologized to the community of Philadelphia.
Q: Have you met with the two men yet (as of Monday morning)?
A: I have not met with them yet but I am scheduled to do so while I'm here in Philadelphia over the next couple of days.
Q: What do you want to tell them?
A: I would like the opportunity to apologize to them face to face and I'd like to have a dialogue with them and the opportunity to listen to them with compassion and empathy. And finally I'd like to invite them to be part of helping me in a constructive way to ensure this never happens again.
Q: How can you make sure this doesn't happen again?
A: A big part of this is ensuring that I review all of the elements that could have contributed to this. Every company makes mistakes, but great companies are the ones that learn from those mistakes and take appropriate action. And that's exactly what I intend to do. In this particular instance, the guidelines that were provided on when to call the police had ambiguity in them. If there's a threat or a major disturbance in the store, certainly that would be an appropriate time to call the police. In this instance, none of that existed.
Q: Did you watch the video of the arrest?
A: I have watched the video, and I must admit it's very hard to watch. That is not what Starbucks stands for.
Q: So what's the first step? Is it training employees?
A: The first step is doing a thorough review to understand how this could even happen in the first place. And from that, we're making conclusions on the set of things that we need to change to ensure that it doesn't happen. Clearly, we will be making changes in the guidelines that were provided some of the stores. We will focus on the training; I think there's additional training that we will take action on for store management, including training around unconscious bias. So those are just two examples of actions we're taking, but the entire set of actions will be a result of the review that we're doing.
Q: You say unconscious bias; do you think what happened was racism?
A: Starbucks was built around the concept of a third place where we create a warm and welcoming environment for all customers. What I do know is that did not happen in this instance. And that is what we're focused on.
Q: Have you seen an impact on the business, or do you expect there to be one?
A: My priority is to ensure that we're focused on the customer experience and all the things that we're doing to address this. And I know if we do that in the right way and create that Starbucks experience, the business will take care of itself. But my priority right now is focusing on the review, the assessment and the action that we're going to take to ensure this does not happen again.


With consumers spending $70 billion a year on pets, one startup is finding success in a trend that was more recently confined to their human owners: healthy eating. The Farmer’s Dog, a direct-to-consumer startup that delivers crafted fresh pet food to one’s door, just closed $39 million in Series B financing. It now boasts total funding of $49 million.
The latest round was led by Insight Venture Partners (HelloFresh, Delivery Hero) and includes participation from previous investors such as Shasta Ventures and Forerunner Ventures (Hims/Hers, Dollar Shave Club).
Cofounders Brett Podolsky and Jonathan Regev launched the subscription service in 2015 to disrupt an industry that mostly relies on food-shelf stable, preservative-heavy dry food. Regev, who also serves as CEO, explains that kibble varieties don’t necessarily rob pets of nutrients, but do potentially impact a number of different health concerns, including obesity, lethargy, diabetes, and cancer. Currently, 56% of dogs are classified as obese and canine diabetes increased by 79% since 2006.
The Farmer’s Dog markets view fresh dog food delivery not as a luxury, but more like common sense, albeit with a personalized touch. The company offers various food plans via a customized profile for each dog based on breed, size, activity level, and sensitivities. Fresh food is then sent in pre-portioned packages within just days of preparation. Weekly subscription prices vary on dog size, but on average, small dogs average $3 a day.
The actual food, which includes whole chunks of fresh ingredients like carrots, turkey, parsnips, chickpeas, broccoli, and spinach, has been tested on humans and is actually safe for owner consumption (if a human should be so inclined). While there is no study showing a direct correlation between traditional dry food and pet medical issues, research has shown that starchy foods cooked at extremely high temperatures produce acrylamide, a chemical that increases risk of cancer.
Meanwhile, a 2002 Purdue University study found that servings of fresh vegetables at least three times a week slowed, and in many cases prevented, the development of certain types of cancer in dogs. Researchers at the University of Illinois concluded that fresh and raw diets do demonstrate a number of pet health benefits.
“Our problem [with dried food] is that it’s being sold as healthy food it’s not,” stresses Regev.
The Farmer’s Dog doesn’t have any hard stats to prove its product radically affects canine health; Regev instead relies on customer anecdotes about dogs finding new energy or moving with more agility. A strong portion of owners say the food cures a strong “doggie smell” odor and that digestions issues quickly fade away.
The Farmer’s Dog now has thousands of customers across the country. The brand originally thought it would resonate more with health-conscious millennials, but even older age groups want to invest in better pet nutrition. That echoes nationwide pet ownership trends: Roughly 85 million families–68% percent of U.S. households–have a pet, according to the 2017-2018 National Pet Owners Survey. Of those, 55% say they worry about filler ingredients in pet food, with obesity topping concerns.
As Fast Company previously reported, consumer concern with pet well-being is fueling an entire “alternative” dog food category dedicated to all-natural, premium, or otherwise superior foods. Between 2007-2016, pet food spending increased 36%, driven by sales of premium brands. Dog food brands with raw claims saw a 68% increase in dollar sales, reports Nielsen.
The Farmer’s Dog has a leg up on many of its competitors by virtue of its fresh food. No matter how “organic” or “natural” dried food claims to be, it’s still processed food aging on a shelf. Then there are the number of pet food recalls and tainted food fiascos that have led many to distrust big kibble brands altogether.
With the latest round of funding, The Farmer’s Dog intends to grow its team, with an emphasis on technology, customer service, and infrastructure. A high priority will also be put to marketing and brand awareness. Regev suggests the company is also looking at other products that might benefit from its model.
“Pets used to really be for the kids. Now pets are becoming the kids in a whole new way. Therefore, their place in the household is sort of unprecedented,” Gabby Slome, cofounder and chief experience officer of pet wellness brand Ollie, said in an earlier report on dog food.


LONDON– Prince Philip, the 95-year-old husband of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, was admitted to hospital Tuesday evening as a “precautionary measure,” Buckingham Palace has told CNN.
The Prince, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, was being treated at London’s King Edward VII Hospital for an infection arising from a pre-existing condition.
“Prince Philip is in good spirits and is disappointed to be missing the State Opening of Parliament and Royal Ascot,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement. The Queen, who will give her annual speech at the opening of Parliament today, will attend the Royal Ascot races later this afternoon.
In the hours before the announcement, wild speculation swirled in the British press about the Prince’s health.


Tulsa police officer Betty Jo Shelby was found not guilty in the death of the unarmed black man.
Tulsa police officer Betty Shelby was found not guilty Wednesday for the fatal shooting of unarmed black motorist Terence Crutcher, whose death was captured on video.
The verdict, which Tulsa World reported came after nine hours of deliberation, was met with tears by members of the jury and outrage from Crutcher’s family.
“Let it be known that I believe in my heart that Betty Shelby got away with murder,” Crutcher’s father, Joseph, told reporters after the verdict. “I don't know what was in the mind of that jury.” Crutcher’s sister, Tiffany, accused the police for trying to “cover-up” her brother’s murder to protect Shelby and criticized them for not immediately providing care after he was shot.
Shelby, a five-year veteran of the Tulsa Police Department, faced a first-degree manslaughter charge for Crutcher’s death—an event that began as a routine traffic issue but quickly escalated after Shelby, flanked by three other officers, shot Crutcher, who was standing next to his stalled SUV with his arms raised over his head. Shelby said in a statement that she feared for her life and believed Crutcher to be reaching for a gun during the incident. She also claimed he appeared to be on drugs. A toxicology report revealed Crutcher was on two hallucinogenic drugs, including PCP, during the encounter, but authorities found no weapons on him.
The U.S. Justice Department launched its own investigation into possible civil-rights charges related to Crutcher’s death, but the status of the inquiry is unclear.


Each year, thousands of Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns, as well as lay people, gather in Seda, a remote town in the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of China, known as Sertar to Tibetans.
For days, they listen to recitations and chants as part of the Bliss Dharma Assembly, the last of four prayer meetings taking place each year.
"Sertar sits in a valley on the Tibetan plateau at an altitude of about 4,000 meters," says freelance photographer Kevin Frayer. "It is as rugged as it is beautiful, and very remote. For most of the year the closest airport is at least a 12-hour drive. And it’s an arduous one. The road is bumpy and felt never-ending but then you arrive at this place and it is breathtaking."
The celebration is different from other Tibetan Buddhist rituals, Frayer adds, because it is less about pageantry or processions than it is about the atmosphere of happy pilgrimage. "Everywhere on the Tibetan plateau you can feel Buddhism in the air, from prayer flags on a mountain-top to a pilgrim prostrating on a road," he says. "Being Tibetan is to follow the dharma; identity and faith are one and the same."
Frayer had always wanted to visit Sertar to include the remote valley in his ongoing project on nomadic people—but, now that he's been, he's still not planning to cross it off his list. "The Tibetan plateau is an incredibly alluring part of the world," he says. "It is the sort of place you wait to get back to."
Kevin Frayer is a photographer working for Getty Images.
Chelsea Matiash, who edited this photo essay, is a Multimedia Editor at TIME.


BOSTON (AP) — Police say the sound of popping balloons mistaken for gunfire prompted schools around Boston’s Fenway Park to go into lockdown.
Boston police say officers responded to a call for shots fired around 2:30 p.m. Thursday near the campus of Simmons University.
The university, as well as nearby Emmanuel College, the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston Latin School and the Winsor School all took precautionary measures, including issuing lockdown and “shelter in place” orders.
But Sgt. John Boyle said it was eventually determined a student activity involving balloon popping was the noise source. The lockdowns were lifted just after 3 p.m.
The Boston Globe reports the purpose of the balloon-popping activity wasn’t immediately clear. A Simmons spokesman told the newspaper no such activity was planned on campus.


It was great to finally get a real look at the Nintendo Switch and some of the things it’s capable of. But even if the future of Nintendo’s latest console remains uncertain, what I’m really worried about is Mario. I just have a feeling New Donk City is going to eat him alive.
Not only is our favorite little overalled meatball apparently half the size of the city’s other citizens, but, well, the city can be a rough place. Especially one with a name like New Donk City. Sure, everything looked nice and whimsical in the trailer, but take a wrong turn down a dark alley, and who knows what kind of trenchcoat wearing goons you might run into.
So this week, as the ‘Shop Contest makes its triumphant return for 2017, scarf down some of your grandma’s Sunday pasta and get shopping Mario into any and every situation that might befall him as he hops around New Donk City’s lesser known locales. I don’t have any PNG files to get you started this week, cause life can be cruel like that. You think Mario had a single coin to his name when he showed up in the Donk’s East bay?


A new way of awarding the visas that allow seasonal foreign workers to enter the U.S. is devastating Hoopers Island, Maryland.
HOOPERS ISLAND, Md. — This community voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump. But now his immigration changes are killing its livelihood — legendary crabs that are a mainstay of the local economy and a regional delicacy.
For decades, Hoopers Island, known for its crabbing industry, has relied on a federal seasonal work program — known as H-2B visas — to keep its businesses humming. This has allowed employers to hire foreigners, mostly Mexican women, to come temporarily to pick crab meat.
But this year, the cap on H-2B visas — and a shift from the first-come, first-served based model to a lottery system that has disadvantaged Hoopers Island seasonal workers — has left the island without 40 percent of the visas they have needed in the past.
"Right now, we're shut down," said Morgan Tolley, manager of A.E. Phillips and Sons Seafood. "We're in self-preservation mode."
Just two miles away, in what should be the start of the peak season, Harry Phillips, owner of Russell Hall Seafood, stands in an empty picking room once filled with the women he's had working for him for over 25 years.
"We can't operate the way we're going," Phillips told NBC News. "I've had to let truck drivers go. I don't need truck drivers if I don't have the product. It's going to affect us to the point where we may have to totally close."
"(President Trump's) vow was to create American jobs, but this is not creating American jobs,” Phillips added.
In 2016, Trump won easily in Dorchester County, which includes all of Hoopers Island, largely based off of his pledge to help small businesses.
Capt. Larry "Boo" Powley, a fifth-generation fisherman who makes his living catching bait for crabs, pulls his boat into Russell Hall and says his small business is hurting. At a time when he would usually bring in roughly 300 boxes of crab bait, he's been limited to just 100 boxes a day.
"The more demand that there is for bait, the better I do," Powley said. "Right now, there's no demand because they can't handle the crabs because they have no pickers. And it's really hurting us right now."
"How would you like to be in business for 30 years and they tell you, 'Well, we're going to pick out of a hat if you're going to run your business or not?' How do people stay in business? Does Washington not get it? You've got to have workers," Powley said.
For years, Powley and other watermen have fished for crab bait to deliver to processors like Russell Hall Seafood and others. Those processors use the fish, particularly menhaden, to lure crabs, bring them back to their facilities and steam them. Once they're steamed, these seasonal workers, who stay from roughly April to November, pick the meat from the crabs, package it and send it off to stores and restaurants.
While the town usually receives 500 visas for crab pickers, only about 300 were approved this year.
Forty years ago, women who lived on Maryland's Eastern Shore would pick crab meat. But as their children grew older, more educated and left town, that workforce dried up and businesses turned to the H-2B visa program to bring in foreign workers.
"We've been doing this 25 years the right way, the way the government wanted," Phillips said. "They're not a threat to the community, they spend money in the community and they do their banking here. So to me that looks like a win-win situation."
"I do not have any Americans that want to do this job," said Brian Hall, the owner of G.W. Hall & Sons seafood, one of the few facilities on the island that was able to secure enough H-2B visas this year. "We support a lot of different businesses from a lot of different states and it's all because of these H-2B girls."
The Trump administration is expected to add about 15,000 H-2B visa this year because of high demand. But with crabbing season already underway, and because of the long trek from Mexico to Hoopers Island, many here worry that it may be too little, too late.
Of the eight crab processing facilities on Hoopers Island, only four received the visas they requested. Beyond those businesses, others are feeling the effects as well.
"Our business has very much suffered because of the loss of the people here," said Katie Doll, the owner of Hoopers Island General Store, the only general store within 30 miles. "The trucks aren't running, the boats aren't working, our hours are less."
Beyond Hoopers Island the visa changes are not only costing jobs, but will probably end up hurting consumers who enjoy the legendary Maryland Blue Crabs. "A typical crab cake might be four times the price," Doll said.
But given the chance, many Hoopers Island residents say they'd vote for Trump again. They believe that if he only knew about their plight, he would change his policy.
"I just don't think Donald Trump knows what's going on down here right now," Powley said. "Because if you're for business, well, you're putting businesses out of work here."
CORRECTION (May 15, 2018, 12:30 p.m, ET): A previous version of this article misstated the roles of two branches of government that affected immigrant workers in the crab industry. The Trump administration imposed a lottery system to award visas that disadvantaged the seasonal immigrant workers on Hoopers Island, and it determined the final number of visas that were awarded. But in doing so, it followed a requirement to limit the number of H-2B visas that was imposed by Congress, not by the Trump administration.


Impressive Lakefront home with beautiful Divide Mtn Views privately set on Hidden Lake. First time on the market, this custom log home offers an open floor plan with formal entry, soaring ceilings & 10" hand hewn log construction. Impeccably built with main level Master & 5 piece luxury bath. SS appliances, hickory cabinetry & gleaming Australian Cypress wood floors make this home shine. Huge Rec room and bar- perfect for entertaining.Enjoy the private stocked lake with your own personal dock!


"Do you have chicken nuggets?"
1. The life of a picky eater is not an easy one.
2. You always miss out on the newest food trends because they're bound to be gross.
3. And eating fancy food has never been your forte.
5. But it's either that or risk having to pluck all the crap off your food yourself.
6. Most of your friends don't understand your refined palette.
7. While others sometimes take your tastes into thoughtful consideration.
8. Some may say it's just a childhood phase.
9. But only you know that it's obviously not.
10. You're very proud of yourself when you try something new.
11. And feel bad when it doesn't quite work out.
12. You'd think your parents would be on your side, but nah.
13. They're just as fed up as everyone else.
14. You often open your full fridge and eat the same damn thing.
15. And you will only eat that same thing if it's made and presented to your liking.
16. Like I said, being picky is not easy.
17. But ya might as well be picky and proud if you're gonna go all out.


A new group exhibition opened at Ashford Community and Heritage Centre on Friday for a weekend viewing and will run again from Friday, November 30 to Sunday, December 2.
Entitled 'Wind, Earth & Fire, the exhibtion features the work of five artists, three of whom are based in County Wicklow. Paintings, glass and ceramics are included.
The title refers to the subjects of the paintings and the firing of the ceramics and glass.
Niki Purcell's landscape paintings evolve from her fascination with the interactions between the light, wind, sea and the landscape. Some of the paintings portray the effects of wind on the landscape (in particular trees) and the rushing restless cloudscapes of the sky, while others focus on moments of sheer stillness and the quiet calm a of a summer's day. In each work she tries to capture the magic relationships that occur between these elements so that an ordinary scene can be transformed in so many different ways depending on the play of light, wind etc.
Wendy McCarroll Sandeman's work features abstracted acrylic and oil landscapes and seascapes as well as figurative forms. She is a process painter and mark making is integral to how she paints. Her work features traces of how she has put down and removed paint, creating order out of a kind of energetic chaos. She uses traditional as well as new techniques and materials to produce modern abstract paintings based on what she observes and experiences around her.
Christien Van Bussel works from her studio in Aughrim where she designs and makes pottery and woodturned objects. She makes moulds of plaster in which she casts clay-slip to shape the pottery. All pieces are glazed in bright colours and fired to 1250 degrees Celcius to make them strong and food-safe. Over the years she has gained wide experience in teaching adults and children in pottery and woodturning. She is on the panel of tutors of the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland and is involved in their CRAFTed programme since 2008.
A professional gardener since the 1980s Frances (Mick) Tottenham has a lifelong love of colour and landscape. She feels that design and colour in the garden equate to painting the landscape in 3D.
In the 1990s Mick attended the National College of Art and Design and completed a degree in printmaking, but a short spell as assistant to the late sculptor Conor Fallon, a wonderful experience, kindled a desire to make 3D art.
Ceramics came out of this desire and the love of that medium increased under the guidance of Christien van Bussel. Mick's study of printmaking techniques has transferred to her ceramics. Landscape, nature, wildlife, pets feature heavily in her work.
Lucinda Robertson (Cinders Glass) creates simple shapes with tension in the form. Each piece is free blown where the profile is judged by eye. Colour inclusion in her tableware range are kept to a minimum with a contemporary twist. She likes to blow the glass thinly as it creates a feeling of delicacy and weightlessness. Robertson is fascinated by colour and how it influences the viewer, hence her ongoing experimentation of combinations expressed though her dual coloured Encalmo Bowls and Platters.


While there are many positives around the sport right now with the attendance at the NCAA Tournament at its highest level in 15 years and play in the WNBA at a high level, there are concerns. The number of girls playing basketball across the nation has dropped nearly 10 percent since 2000-01. In 2015, the number of girls playing volleyball for the first time surpassed basketball and it's steadily increased since.
"I felt that it was important for me to join even with the draft that night," Smith said. "To be in that room with all those contributors to our game and for us to have discussions how and what we need to do to grow our game in all areas is something I value and wanted to be a part of. The game has given me so much and I want to make sure I do my part in pushing it forward for all involved."
The event was organized by Carol Stiff, ESPN's vice president, programming and acquisitions. Ackerman said that Stiff have been trying to put together the summit for a few years and that the timing worked for most people with many of the attendees in New York for the draft. Ackerman also ran a summit at the FIBA World Championship in 2010 in the Czech Republic.
"The 60 representatives from all levels have a unique perspective on the history, successes and continued opportunities surrounding the sport," she said.
"The discussions were educational, candid and spirted, focusing on strategies and enhancements for the future of the game. This type of dialogue is critically important as ESPN continues to expand our women's sports portfolio — specifically our women's basketball commitment at the professional, NCAA and high school levels."


In a recent announcement, following a multi-agency pitch, Bengaluru based mattress brand Duroflex has appointed Happy mcgarrybowen, now part of Dentsu Aegis Network, as the agency on record to lead the communication mandate.
Happy mcgarrybowen has been bought on board to manage the integrated communication mandate for Duroflex and fuel the brand's aggressive growth plans.
On the partnership, Mathew Joseph, director (marketing) - Duroflex, says in a press release, "Over the next few years, we have a range of new and innovative products made for the Indian market that we wish to introduce. It was therefore imperative for us to find a partner who could do justice to the vision we had for these products. We are happy to have found Happy mcgarrybowen, an exciting dynamic partner with who we are confident of achieving what we set out to do."
Kartik Iyer, chief executive officer, Happy mcgarrybowen, says in a press release, "Duroflex is almost like the Amul of mattresses when it comes to its legacy in India. The founders shared with us their plans and vision to absolutely disrupt the category. Nothing excites us more than that. We thank the young team of third generation entrepreneurs for placing their trust in us. We look forward to some exciting new launches in the coming year."


Urban legend has it that when Atari’s sorry adaptation of “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” showed disappointing sales figures, they took the remaining copies from their warehouse and had them crushed into a cement cube at a landfill in New Mexico. If this is a fallacy, whoever still has that warehouse full of cartridges might have a potential buyer, after all.
Geekware, a quirky upstart out of Edmonton, Canada, has taken it upon themselves to repurpose technology as fashion, creating a boon of cool items for the geek niche — among them, analog clocks made from rescued Atari cartridges, currently available in Asteroids, Centipede, and Ms. Pac-Man models (24.95 USD). Numbering among those getting the clock treatment are vintage film reels, Commodore Vic-20 carts, microwaved CDs, and this blogger’s personal childhood fave, the Little Professor math tutorial toy.
5-inch floppy disks vie for their return to your desktop, as the front and back cover of a cute 100-page notebook (9.95 USD). A piece of advice — don’t put your secret formulas on the center of the first page. Also at the ready is a handy pocket-size 3.5-inch 50-page edition. We have it on good authority that if you put a magnet on top of these notebooks, the writing inside remains intact. Progress!
Keys from various models of Macs and PCs past have been made into keychains, pendants — even cufflinks. At 9.95 USD, a six-key refrigerator magnet set won’t be enough for you to replace your magnetic poetry, but if you were looking for a fun way to get rid of your latest six-figure bonus, this could be your calling — and, if you order over 49.99 USD worth of stuff, they’ll throw in the shipping.


But Vegemite is so, so good.
Ty Burrell stopped by to chat with Ellen Degeneres about the cast of Modern Family's recent visit to Australia.
They adventured around Australia, learning a few things in the process.
Ty was also aware of the attention he was BOUND to attract.
And he also tried Vegemite — and liked it!


Two companies have announced significant new developments in wireless Internet access.
Aimnet, which develops infrastructure software, said it will provide the "first true borderless, ISP-independent roaming service." That service is similar to cellular phone roaming, allowing users to make local calls and connect to their local service provider from anywhere in the world.
"This saves the user from making costly long distance or international calls to the home country," the company said in a statement. "The technology essentially blurs the differences between regional and national ISPs and between national ISPs and international ISPs. Suddenly, every ISP can be a global ISP."
Aimnet will initially offer its service in Asia to provide access to customers within that region and between Asia and other countries. Pricing for the system was not disclosed.
In the United States, CAI Wireless Systems has started testing an Internet access service that it says could transmit information nearly seven times faster than the fastest T-1 lines at costs competitive with other access providers.
The company is testing its service in Washington, D.C., using wireless modems from Hybrid Networks in conjunction with Internet National Digital Network. The modems download information at 10 mbps--compared to 1.5 mbps for a T-1 line--but CAI expects that rate to eventually reach 27 mbps as wireless modem technology improves.
The company is planning to roll out a full-fledged wireless service in Washington in the fall but to eventually expand to 15 regional markets in the Northeast.
The CAI system uses MMDS (multichannel multipoint distribution system) wireless technology, which transmits microwave signals over the 2-GHz band of the radio spectrum. By transmitting at a relatively low frequency out of the range of environmental disturbances like high humidity, MMDS is supposed to be vulnerable to fewer disruptions than other wireless frequencies.


I’m doing something a little different this week in honor of a titan of streaming services. Earlier this week, we learned that the cinephile’s dream service and home of the beloved Criterion Collection, Filmstruck, is set to close down at the end of this month. Which means you have a ton of classic films on your watch queue to speed through over the next 27 days — many of which are probably some foreign films that you never got around to.
I’m dedicating this week’s column to Filmstruck by listing five essential classic foreign films to watch before the service shutters on November 29, 2018.


The Environmental Protection Administration said yesterday that the owner of an Indonesia-registered cargo ship sunk off Taiwan's coast must remove the wreckage by April next year.
Loaded with 1,000 tonnes of banana oil and 30 tonnes of other oil products, the Dewi Bunyu was wrecked near Taipei Port in July.
Hsu Jen-tse (許仁澤), chief of the administration's marine pollution prevention section, said yesterday that the ship's owner informed the administration last month that there were only 87 tonnes of banana oil and 4 tonnes of fuel oil left on the ship. There was no immediate threat to the marine environment, he said, adding that banana oil is soluble in water.
The administration has used unmanned aerial vehicles to monitor the wreckage. Their records show that shortly after the accident only a minor oil spill occurred. The ship's owner has employed a third party to help clean up the mess, Hsu said.
However, since floating wreckage might endanger other vessels, the administration has instructed the company to clean up the area as soon as possible.
As the sea is calmer in the spring, which should help facilitate the clean-up process, the administration decided to set an April deadline.
The administration said it has spent NT$3 million (US$92,370) handling the incident and expects to be reimbursed by the the owner of the Dewi Dunyu.
A far more damaging spill occurred when an estimated 1,150 tonnes of oil spilled into the sea after the Amorgos ran aground near Kenting on its way to China on Jan. 14, 2001.
The spillage contaminated coastal areas in Oluanpi and damaged nearby coral reefs.
The failure of the administration to cope adequately with that shipwreck and the oil spillage led to the removal of former administrator Lin Jun-yi (林俊義).
Lin was replaced by Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), who last Saturday was elected Taipei mayor.
This story has been viewed 2982 times.


Everything’s bigger in Texas, but your electric bill doesn’t have to be. As the temperatures rise and mercury starts to boil, sit back and relax: Your energy savings this summer translate to money saved next year.
Pre-cool your home between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., then set the thermostat a few degrees higher during the peak hours of 2–6 p.m. If you’re away, bump it up 7–10 degrees.
Consider using devices and appliances that can automate when you use energy. Water heater timers are a great example. They can be set to run only during times you use hot water.
Keep blinds closed in the afternoon, or install solar screens on south- and west-facing windows.
Avoid running your washing machine, dryer or dishwasher during peak times.
Use ceiling fans, which allow you to raise the thermostat about 4 degrees with no reduction in comfort. Turn fans off when you leave the room.
If you have a pool, run your pool pump before 2 p.m. or after 6 p.m.


PHOTO: Atlantic Highlands Chamber of Commerce hosted a business networking breakfast on March 31 2017.
ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, NJ - The Atlantic Highlands Chamber of Commerce had a Business Networking Breakfast on Friday, March 31 at the Town & Surf Diner in Atlantic Highlands.
Everyone spoke and exchanged business cards. The conversation flowed and connections were made. Everyone enjoyed the meeting so thoroughly, it was decided to have a networking breakfast once a month.
The mayor of Atlantic Highlands, Rhonda "Randi" LeGrice, joined the group. She offered her support and spoke of ways to make businesses grow.


Travelling from Auckland to Wellington by train has been on the to-do list for some time.
KiwiRail's TV ads whet the appetite and the dreamy accompaniment from Sol3 Mio's tenors is the cream.
So, when the opportunity arose to tick two wishes in one, it was too good to miss.
Visiting Wellington for the annual World of Wearable Art was a major buzz. The show's fantasia aside, this city certainly glams up to celebrate.
KiwiRail is a partner of WOW — and it's easy to see why. The Northern Explorer was packed to the gunnels — several tour groups taking control of carriages as passengers fuelled their enthusiasm for what lay ahead.
The stark contrast of Tongariro National Park's landscape.
The Northern Explorer is New Zealand's longest-running passenger service — and also the longest at 680 kilometres — taking a full day between downtown Auckland and Wellington.
It's an epic journey through the heart of the North Island, with short stops at Hamilton, National Park, Ohakune and Palmerston North.
Tongariro National Park — home to Ruapehu, Nguarahoe and Tongariro — is arguably the most scenic.
On a clear day, these volcanic mountains are spectacular — particularly when draped in snow. Obviously the best time is between late autumn and early spring when the snow line is lowest.
Viewing these giants from the train highlights the multi-layered complexities of the Central Plateau's terrain.
In winter, fields are often blanketed in white. In spring, lush pasture cuts a stark contrast as the snow retreats. Dense beech forests add further depth to this tapestry.
To reach the elevation of some 800 metres however, the train must first navigate the tight corners of the historic Raurimu Spiral. It's a triumph in engineering and massive effort in construction.
This is rugged country — even more so when the track was first contemplated in the late 1880s. Given the same situation today, health and safety demands would probably have scotched the idea entirely.
It has even been said the Raurimu Spiral would never have been built if planes had existed when reconnaissance surveys were made. Today it lures train fanatics from around the world.
To conquer the 139-metre hill with an ordinary engine, a grade of 1 in 50 was required, creating a path that curves in a horseshoe, loops, spirals and through two tunnels over almost seven kilometres.
This spiral attracts the most attention. The observation carriage was packed — people either taking photos as the train navigated the tight curves; or simply marvelling at how such a feat was achieved back then.
A headphone commentary on board runs periodically to highlight points of interest. Enjoying the journey with friends however, it's hardly conducive to conversation.
Which means a little attention is required if you want to see all the viaducts from the observation carriage; at the front of the train by the way — several carriages away from our group at the rear. One at the back would be helpful, please KiwiRail?
The series of viaducts bridging deep ravines in the Central Plateau are magnificent.
Makatote is the largest at 79 metres tall and spanning 262 metres, followed by Manganui-o-te-Ao then Hapuawhenua. At 414 metres long, its magnificent curve is a photographer's dream from the observation carriage.
On through the Rangitikei district, the journey traverses another series of towering viaducts; views gazing down to winding gorges below. From here the train rumbles on to the final stretch along the rugged Kapiti coast before chugging into Wellington and back to reality.
Is this great rail journey worth it? Definitely. As part of a package tour to see WOW next year — consider it seriously and tick two highlights off in one.


The World Green Tourism conference opened in Abu Dhabi earlier with a declaration that a new kind of sustainable tourism can help protect the cultural heritage of the United Arab Emirates.
Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, secretary general of the Environment Agency, Abu Dhabi (EAD), told an audience of travel trade professionals the tourism sector has a crucial role to play in reducing footprint carbon footprints and combating climate change.
She said: “Abu Dhabi has a fantastic natural heritage with a real mix of geology, habitats and species, on land and in the sea. Several million birds each year pass through Abu Dhabi on their migration from the heart of Asia southwards to Africa, or eastwards to India or beyond.
“In addition to the biodiversity value, the natural environment of the UAE is closely associated with the cultural heritage of the Emirati people.
“Given these natural assets and their importance to the cultural identity of the UAE, there is a world of opportunity for a new kind of tourism in Abu Dhabi that not only raises awareness on the unique biodiversity of the Emirate, but can also play a role in celebrating and safeguarding the cultural heritage of its people.
She added: “It is vitally important that as Abu Dhabi seeks to diversify its economy and to encourage the tourism sector to grow and contribute more to the economy, that we do so in an environmentally responsible manner.
The opening of the conference then saw the presentation of the inaugural World Green Tourism Award to Maurice Strong, senior advisor to the 2012 Rio+20 Summit, in recognition of his pivotal role in shaping the global sustainable development agenda.
Sponsored by Etihad Airways, in partnership with the International Council of Tourism Partners (ICTP), the award acknowledges Strong’s outstanding efforts to encourage thought leadership and action for green initiatives in travel and tourism.
Organised by Streamline Marketing Group, the first commercial conference and exhibition specifically for the sustainable tourism sector is hosted by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority – recognised as the World’s Leading Tourist Board by the World Travel Awards - and the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.
The opening day of the conference programme was devoted to practical steps for the travel and tourism industry to “green” their operations and make their businesses more sustainable.
Moderated by professor Geoffrey Lipman, a world authority on green tourism, the first of a series of panel debates dealt with the question of how can large scale tourism ever be made sustainable, and whether the industry’s large players are doing enough.
Breaking Travel News recently caught up with Lipman to get the latest in green developments in the tourism industry.


Traffic on the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge has been halted since 11:30 a.m. after it became stuck in the "up" position.
ROCKAWAY BEACH — Traffic resumed Monday evening after it was stopped for hours on the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge, which connects the Rockaway peninsula to Brooklyn, because it was stuck in the up position after a boat passed underneath, according to officials.
The bridge was lifted at 11:30 a.m. for marine traffic and became stuck a short while later due to a power problem, according to an MTA spokeswoman.
"There was a problem with a Con Ed feeder cable, we don't have enough juice to bring it down," the spokeswoman said.
A generator was used to lower the bridge shortly before 5 p.m. and the bridge was opened to traffic in both directions around 6 p.m., according to an MTA statement.


Two weeks ago, George “Super Bunnyhop” Weidman published a YouTube video alleging he had information about the ongoing tension between Konami and Hideo Kojima. Now, it’s offline.
The video was always a little bit suspect, since Weidman admitted he could not verify the source who claimed to have this information, and, as pointed out below, Weidman didn’t necessarily believe all of the source’s claims. Nevertheless, he published the video and it spurred a huge amount of discussion, especially since Konami and Kojima have been relatively silent lately.
If this was all true, it would make the situation sound really nasty.
There are two ways for a video to disappear from YouTube that doesn’t involve the creator deleting the video.
One, there’s YouTube’s Content ID system, which scans videos for copyrighted material. Content ID, however, typically kicks in as soon as the video is uploaded, and wouldn’t normally bring a video down from the service two weeks later. It’s possible but unlikely, as all my interactions with Content ID have occurred very early in the process.
Two, a company purposely (and manually) issues a takedown notice, knowing YouTube will err on the side of rights holders, at least until the issue is resolved. During that time, the video is offline. Companies have used this tactic in the past to suppress videos they didn’t care for.
Konami has not yet responded to my request for comment, though, and neither has Weidman.
The only thing we know right now is the video is offline, and just a day ago, it wasn’t.
The way Konami handled this could potentially backfire. When you want to fuel conspiracy theories, you have videos taken down. People are going to have field day with this.


President Trump will hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Feb. 27 and 28 in Vietnam, the president announced Tuesday night.
During his State of the Union address, Mr. Trump said his administration has made great progress in nuclear negotiations with the reclusive state and said a second meeting offers a chance to move forward toward a lasting denuclearization agreement.
“Much work remains to be done, but my relationship with Kim Jong-un is a good one. And Chairman Kim and I will meet again on February 27 and 28 in Vietnam,” the president said.
Mr. Trump first met with Mr. Kim last summer in Singapore in a historic meeting that the White House cast as a pivotal moment in the relationship between the two nations.
The announcement of a second summit comes as top U.S. and North Korean officials negotiate behind the scenes toward a deal. While Mr. Trump has claimed great progress — he claimed in the immediate aftermath of the first meeting with Mr. Kim that North Korea was no longer a nuclear threat — regional analysts and international watchdogs have said Pyongyang has done little to actually dismantle its nuclear weapons program.
United Nations experts on Tuesday, for example, said that North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs “remain intact,” with Pyongyang recently dispersing aspects of them to prevent “decapitation” strikes.
In his State of the Union address, the president cast himself as a successful negotiator who not only has put North Korea on the path toward denuclearization but also has kept the U.S. out of another war.
“If I had not been elected President of the United States, we would right now, in my opinion, be in a major war with North Korea with potentially millions of people killed,” he said.


The Clinton Foundation’s Too Small to Fail is joining forces with pediatricians and others in a literacy push aimed at low-income families: prescribed reading.
Protesting commencement speakers: What happened to free speech on campus?
Several high-profile commencement speakers have withdrawn or been ‘disinvited’ because of protests. Free-speech advocates worry that today’s students only want speech they like.
The school discipline guidelines are a response to a growing body of statistics showing both the costs of harsh disciplinary policies and the frequent inequities in how they’re applied.
Sen. Rand Paul (R) of Kentucky, widely viewed as a presidential prospect in 2016, said through a spokesman that he will be more careful in the future in attributing sources for his speeches.
Senate leaders said Monday that they were optimistic that they would reach a deal to end the government shutdown and raise the debt limit. But time is short, and the House is a wild card.
After ousting two state senators last month for backing gun-control legislation, activists aim to recall Sen. Evie Hudak. If the recall bid succeeds, Republicans take control of the Senate.
The statistics for the storm that produced the Colorado floods are stunning. But there was a very similar storm in 1938, suggesting nature can surprise even without human help.
After Colorado floods, state will rebuild, but should it ‘redo’?
The Colorado floods are leading to a massive rebuilding effort, but with winter closing in, the question is whether the state can wait to rebuild better and smarter, or whether it must simply move fast.
For the thousands in Colorado displaced by the floods, the uncertainty is the hardest part. Even homes left standing may be inaccessible for months, and the future of entire communities could be in doubt.


America's Quest for Global Dominance.
Henry Holt & Company. $22.
''9-11,'' a slight collection of interviews (largely conducted via e-mail), was published in 26 countries and translated into 23 languages, finding its way onto best-seller lists in the United States, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Japan and New Zealand. And at home, as mainstream dissent dissipated in the wake of 9/11, a new generation of disgruntled critics has turned to Chomsky for guidance.
Chomsky finds the Bush administration new in only two ways: the crassness of its motives is far more transparent, and it is now playing for far higher stakes. ''Over the years, tactics have been refined and modified,'' Chomsky writes, ''progressively ratcheting up the means of violence and driving our endangered species closer to the edge of catastrophe.'' Unless American statesmen stop ranking hegemony above survival, he says, our 100,000-year-old experiment in human life may well be doomed.
For Chomsky, the world is divided into oppressor and oppressed. America, the prime oppressor, can do no right, while the sins of those categorized as oppressed receive scant mention. Because he deems American foreign policy inherently violent and expansionist, he is unconcerned with the motives behind particular policies, or the ethics of particular individuals in government. And since he considers the United States the leading terrorist state, little distinguishes American air strikes in Serbia undertaken at night with high-precision weaponry from World Trade Center attacks timed to maximize the number of office workers who have just sat down with their morning coffee.
It is inconceivable, in Chomsky's view, that American power could be harnessed for good. Thus, the billions of dollars in foreign aid earmarked each year for disaster relief, schools, famine prevention, AIDS treatment, etc. -- and the interventions in Kosovo and East Timor -- have to be explained away. The Kosovo and Timor operations' prime achievement, he writes, was to establish the norm of resort to force without Security Council authorization. On this both the Kosovars and the Timorese, whose welfare Chomsky has heroically championed over the years, would strongly disagree.
''Survival or Hegemony'' is not easy to read. Chomsky's glib and caustic tone is distracting. He relies heavily upon quotations, but rarely identifies the speaker or writer. The endnotes supply more frustration. Bill Clinton's humanitarian rationale for the Kosovo war was ridiculed ''by leading military and political analysts'' in Israel, we are told, but the citation leads only to an earlier book by Chomsky himself. When he agrees with a claim, Chomsky introduces it with the word ''uncontroversially'' or credits it to ''distinguished authorities.'' Those who don't share his viewpoint don't simply disagree; they are the ''prevailing intellectual culture'' or the ''educated classes.'' This is a thinker far too accustomed to preaching to an uncritical choir.
Often he meets official falsehoods with exaggerations of his own. President Clinton, he says, ''was flying Al Qaeda and Hezbollah operatives to Bosnia to support the U.S. side in the ongoing wars.'' And ''radical Islamists'' have taken over in Kosovo, leading to a ''Taliban phenomenon.'' These are far-fetched claims that he doesn't adequately back up.
But for all that is wrong with ''Hegemony or Survival,'' reading Chomsky today is sobering and instructive for two reasons. First, his critiques have come to influence and reflect mainstream opinion elsewhere in the world; and second, the radicalism of the Bush administration has laid bare many of the structural defects in American foreign policy, defects that Chomsky has long assailed.
Much blood was shed in the last century by United States forces or proxies in the name of righteous ends. Because every state justifies its wars on the grounds of self-defense or altruism, Chomsky is correct that any ''profession of noble intent is predictable, and therefore carries no information.'' He is also right to object to the historical amnesia that American statesmen bring to their dealings with other states. He seethes at the hypocrisy of Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz and Colin Powell, who invoked Saddam Hussein's 1988 gassing attacks in order to help justify the recent war, but who did not see fit to explain why the Reagan administration (which they served as senior officials) doubled its aid to Hussein's regime after learning of the gassings.
Chomsky also denounces the dependence of foreign policy elites on special interests. With African agriculture ravaged by American farm subsidies, with Israeli settlements unchallenged by Washington's elites and with campaign contributors to both parties landing mammoth paybacks in overseas contracts, it is certainly well past time to sound the alarm.


This week we’re celebrating Christmas the only way we know how: Chinese food and a movie. Plus a bunch of amazing guests!
We’re joined by Marc Tracy, a former Tablet staffer who now covers sports for The New York Times. He tells us about two of his most memorable Tablet articles—about the tradition of Jews eating Chinese food on Christmas and the Jewish songwriters behind some of the most well-known Christmas songs. Jessica Grose, the editor of Lenny, an email newsletter from Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner, tells us why it’s OK for Jews to have a Christmas tree. Film critic Jordan Hoffman shares his favorite Christmas movies—and one classic he’s not so into. Librarian Rachel Kamin talks about a No Good Very Bad children’s Hanukkah book (and recommends a few good ones), writer and activist Robin Rice tells us about her latest project, Your Holiday Mom, and Natasha Zaretsky explains why Soviet Jews have New Years trees.
Wishing you and your loved ones, pets, and frenemies a wonderful, meaningful, and delicious Hanukkah, and a merry Jewish Christmas!


Melania Trump rocked a red coat as she boarded a plane Monday afternoon in West Palm Beach, Florida that was bound for Washington, D.C., ahead of Christmas with President Donald Trump.
The first lady looked fantastic as ever in the full-length coat when she was spotted boarding a C37A government plane — an adapted Gulfstream V— for the trip back to the White House, per the Daily Mail.
The news comes following reports over the weekend that FLOTUS would be returning from Mar-a-Lago to spend the holiday with Trump after the president shared that he had cancelled his plans to spend Christmas in Florida due to the government shutdown.
On Sunday, the first lady shared a wonderful clip on Instagram of all the happenings at the White House, from the various Christmas celebrations to the work that went on behind-the-scenes to transform the People’s House for the holidays.
“December at the @WhiteHouse! #MerryChristmas,” FLOTUS captioned her post.
In another, we get to see highlights from her multi-stop Christmas trip to visit the troops.


When suicide comes up as a policy issue, as it does today in assisted-dying debates like the recently defeated referendum in Massachusetts, we tend to think of it as chiefly a private matter - a tragic but personal choice whose impact is limited to circles of family and friends.
But suicide hasn't always been seen that way. In his book "We Shall Be No More: Suicide and Self-Government in the Newly United States," University of Maryland historian Richard Bell argues that suicide was a public preoccupation in the early Republic, where acts of self-destruction were viewed as a threat to the stability of the wobbly union. In a recent interview with the history journal Common-Place, Bell quotes an article in the Pennsylvania Herald, June 1785, which worried, â€œSuicide is making a most alarming progress in these states.â€� He goes on to note a number of news reports from the era that claimed suicides rates had tripled or more since independence.
Suicide is not illegal anymore. Most state laws were repealed beginning in the 1960s and today the act has been completely decriminalized. Bell traces the inflection point to the mid-19th-century, a period that Ralph Waldo Emerson (per Bell) later described as â€œthe age of the first person singular.â€� By that point the United States had become sturdy enough to support the modern idea that your life is yours to do with as you please.
Image: "Chatterton" by Henry Wallis (1856). Photograph of the painting by Damian Entwistle.
Does slime know the way to Calgary?
Run for your lives! It's Michel Foucault!


The makers of Vegemite have bowed to intense pressure from the public and canned their new iSnack 2.0 product branding.
The new name has been ridiculed Australia-wide since it was revealed last Saturday during the AFL grand final.
Kraft chose the name iSnack 2.0 from over 48,000 entries in Australia and New Zealand in a competition that was launched in July this year.
But today, Kraft has admitted that while Aussies are buying the new product, they just aren't buying the new name.
Head of Corporate Affairs Simon Talbot said in a statement they are going to give the public another shot at coming up with a better name.
"The new name has simply not resonated with Australians. Particularly the modern technical aspects associated with it," he said.
"Our Kraft Foods storeroom currently has thousands of jars of the iSnack2.0 named Vegemite. This product will be distributed around Australia, and will continue to be sold in supermarkets for months to come - until Australia decides upon a new name."
ABC News Online readers mocked the new name earlier this week, with one person saying they should have just called it "Vegeshite".
Over three million jars have been sold so far, but they may soon be destined for the pool room once a new name everyone likes is decided on.
Mr Talbot says details of the new competition will be announced on October 2.
"Australians and New Zealanders will shortly be invited to help us make a choice," he said.
"Please bear with us for the next 48 hours as we finalise how Australians and New Zealanders can decide the new name through an independent popularity vote. "
He says the new Vegemite name has "never been about initiating a media publicity stunt."
"We are proud custodians of Vegemite, and have always been aware that it is the people's brand and a national icon," he said.


After years of persistent public opposition, recent polls show an uptick of support for President Barack Obama’s health care scheme. The truth is that the plan was as ruinous as most thought, but some of us have forgotten why.
Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner John Doak weighed in on a controversial policy, stating he supports the push to expand access to short-term health plans.
Some Medicaid expansion supporters are hopeful Virginia's approval will shift the conversation in Oklahoma, but top Republicans said that is unlikely.
A proposed plan would charge a fee on some health care plan providers that would amount to about $60 per year for more than 1 million Oklahomans.
Americans aren't enthralled with "Obamacare" and they definitely don't like the Republican plans offered in Congress, so what does the public want the government to do about health care?
A health care proposal from Senate conservatives would let insurers sell skimpy policies provided they also offer a comprehensive plan. It's being billed as pro-consumer, allowing freedom of choice and potential savings for many.
Senate GOP leaders abruptly shelved their long-sought health care overhaul Tuesday, asserting they can still salvage it but raising new doubts whether President Donald Trump and the Republicans will ever deliver on their promises to repeal and replace "Obamacare."
Senate Republicans trying to craft a health care overhaul discussed Tuesday how to ease provisions in the House-passed bill phasing out President Barack Obama's expansion of Medicaid. On television talk shows and congressional town hall meetings, meanwhile, attention on the GOP drive to repeal Obama's law showed no signs of fading.
"Obamacare" is showing surprising staying power, thanks in large part to doctors, hospitals and other health industry players opposing the alternatives that Republicans have proposed.
Going into this week's federal budget battle, the White House toyed with a hardball tactic to force congressional Democrats to negotiate on President Donald Trump's priorities.


Nearly 153 years ago, a five-hour battle in Franklin became one of the bloodiest in the western theater of the Civil War.
A five-hour battle in Franklin became one of the bloodiest in the western theater of the Civil War nearly 153 years ago.
It is now known as the Battle of Franklin. Union and Confederate soldiers fought in the southern portion of the city on Nov. 30, 1864. The battlefield spans both directions up and down Columbia Avenue, where thousands fell as a result of the carnage.
To commemorate the battle, 10,000 luminaries, representing the casualties, will be lit at dusk Thursday on the recently reclaimed battlefield around the Carter House.
The ceremony starts at 4 p.m. at the Carter House. Additionally, Carter House and Carnton will be open for free walk-through tours 5-7 p.m.
Those interested in volunteering at the event should contact Jayde Jacobs at jayde@boft.org or 615-794-0903.
Here are five things to know about that day and its influence.
According to historian and Battle of Franklin Trust CEO Eric Jacobson, the population of Franklin now is nearly equal to the number of people in the city the day of the battle.
"There were more than 60,000 men here," he said.
Between the Union and the Confederacy, the number of casualties came out to 10,000 among the fallen and wounded.
Jacobson said there have been several bills at the congressional level throughout the years to save the Franklin battlefield.
But decades after the battle, some in Franklin wanted to forget it ever happened, building houses and businesses on its grounds.
"Those bills all died in various committees," Jacobson said. "Veterans and their supporters at the time were trying to save it."
Back in the mid-2000s, residents in Franklin decided they wanted to reclaim that ground. Since then, more than $19 million in private donations has gone toward buying back lots. The City of Franklin also now owns Carter Hill Battlefield Park, a 20-acre piece of land that spans across Columbia Avenue.
At least 11 men received the Medal of Honor as a result of their actions during the Battle of Franklin.
"And most people don't realize that," Jacobson said.
Of Tennessee battles, Chattanooga and Nashville are the only other places where more men received that honor.
At least three of the men received the award for capturing the flag. Others captured the enemy flag but returned them back to their own side. One soldier even got in a fight with a color bearer to capture his enemy's flag.
No one knew that Franklin would lead to the end of the Civil War, Jacobson said.
"Near the end of 1864, no one knew when it was going to be over," he said. "After Franklin, it was much clearer."
At least six of the Confederacy's generals were killed in the Battle of Franklin. The others were either wounded or captured.
Four months after the battle, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered, signaling the war's end.
Jacobson said the generals from the Battle of Franklin have influenced the names of other places in the country.
The Army base Fort Hood in Texas is named for Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood, who led the Tennessee Army out of Atlanta with the hopes of overtaking Nashville.
On the other side, Major Gen. John Schofield of the Union Army has an Army barracks in Honolulu named after his efforts. Schofield's troops slid by the Confederates during the middle of the night before the battle, which ultimately led to the Union's advantage.


Plaintiffs attorney in Olivia Y foster care case says the state will be in violation of settlement agreement if agency delays reforms.
The plaintiffs' attorney in the long-running Olivia Y federal case over Mississippi's foster care system says the state could violate a court order if the Department of Child Protection Services implements a hiring freeze and delays a software upgrade to wipe out an unexpected budget deficit.
Marcia Lowry of New York-based A Better Childhood said Friday she has requested a meeting with Gov. Phil Bryant and Attorney General Jim Hood.
"If they go ahead with adoption of this plan, they will be in contempt of a court order," said Lowry, attorney for the plaintiffs in the case initially filed in 2004. "We don't understand what is happening with the agency."
Lowry said Friday by telephone that she hadn't received a response from Bryant or Hood to her meeting request.
"Gov. Bryant is confident in the leadership at CPS and does not believe the agency’s budgetary plan violates the settlement agreement. He has no plans to meet with Ms. Lowry," Bryant spokesman Clay Chandler said Friday.
CPS Commissioner Jess Dickinson said last week the agency has a $49 million deficit, but it has a plan to wipe it out with a $12 million deficit appropriation from lawmakers, $12 million in federal matching money and other financial help from the Mississippi Department of Human Services.
But the plan also includes a hiring freeze and the delay of a software update at the agency that oversees about 5,800 abused or neglected children in the care and custody of the state.
Dickinson said he was certain the attorney for the plaintiffs wouldn't be happy about a delay in implementing reforms, but he hopes the federal judge on the case would understand the state's situation.
In December 2016, U.S. District Judge Tom Lee agreed to the latest settlement agreement in which the state admitted it hadn't complied fully with previous agreements.
The new agreement set timetables for the state to obtain reforms over a three-year period.
Part of the agreement says the state would complete the creation and implementation of a fully functional child welfare agency, independent of, although housed within, the Mississippi Department of Human Services, no later than July 1, 2018. The agreement also calls for adequate staffing and other remedies.
Dickinson said last week CPS is short by about 240 caseworkers and about 60 supervisors.
Bryant took on the effort to reform the foster care system in the state. He made CPS an agency independent of DHS and appointed a commissioner to oversee it.
One of the problems of separating CPS has been less federal money because of the way federal matching funds must flow through DHS.
Now there is legislation to return CPS as a sub-agency of DHS, which would allow federal money to flow to the agency.
The bill would keep CPS independent with its own department head, but it would once again be under DHS for budgetary purposes.


MSNBC's liberal crusader abruptly resigned on air Friday, ending a provocative eight-year run. Howard Kurtz on Olbermann's career highlights and his clashes with network brass.
MSNBC's liberal crusader abruptly resigned on air Friday, ending a provocative eight-year run. Howard Kurtz on Olbermann's career highlights and his clashes with network brass. Plus, watch Olbermann’s signoff below and seven memorable Keith Olbermann videos.
Keith Olbermann, the liberal crusader whose combative style put him increasingly at odds with his network bosses, resigned abruptly from MSNBC Friday.
The cable channel confirmed his unexpected departure as Olbermann was rather calmly announcing the demise of Countdown after an eight-year run that included a bitter feud with Bill O’Reilly, fiery denunciations of Republicans and occasional acknowledgements that he had gone too far.
Olbermann said he had been “told that this is the last edition of your show” and thanked his audience, saying: “My gratitude to you is boundless.” He also thanked a list of people who have worked with him, notably excluding MSNBC President Phil Griffin, whom he has known for three decades.
A knowledgeable official said the move had nothing to do with Comcast taking control of NBC next week, although the cable giant was informed when it received final federal approval for the purchase that Olbermann would be leaving the cable channel. This official described the dramatic divorce—Olbermann was about halfway through a four-year, $30 million contract—as mutual.
Olbermann, who quit MSNBC once before—in 1998, ripping his bosses in the process—almost single-handedly revived the network by leading it on a leftward march and aggressively attacking the rival operation he called Fox Noise. But his relations with top NBC and MSNBC executives sharply deteriorated when he was suspended for making donations to Democratic candidates, and they began to talk about how the channel was now on solid enough footing to survive without him.
Officially, the network offered little guidance, saying in a bland statement: “MSNBC thanks Keith for his integral role in MSNBC's success and we wish him well in his future endeavors.” A new host, former Democratic Senate staffer Lawrence O’Donnell, will move his program from 10 p.m. eastern to Olbermann’s 8 p.m. slot, with Ed Schultz moving from 6 p.m. to O’Donnell’s time period.
Olbermann has also gotten involved in several flame wars with little-known critics on Twitter, blocking them from his account.
Olbermann almost single-handedly revived the network by leading it on a leftward march.
But Olbermann’s departure is certain to disappoint legions of fans who viewed him as standing up to the conservative establishment. He long resisted the liberal label, saying he was radicalized by the abuses of the Bush administration and the Iraq War. “I find myself currently aligned, not in the sense of having membership, but being in the same part of the ballpark as a lot of liberals,” he told me in 2006.
Whatever his excesses, he led third-place MSNBC out of the cable wilderness to the point where it overtook CNN in prime time, boosted not only by his numbers but by those of his protégé, Rachel Maddow.
Without question, he was a polarizing presence, and several NBC veterans, including Tom Brokaw, complained to network management that he was damaging MSNBC’s reputation for independence.
At a meeting with Olbermann’s representatives last September, NBC Chief Executive Jeff Zucker and NBC News President Steve Capus said that some of their client’s behavior was unacceptable and had to stop. Griffin said that Olbermann’s personal problems were affecting his work and he looked angrier on the air, eclipsing the smart and ironic anchor they had once loved.
In November, when Griffin suspended Olbermann indefinitely over the political donations, the two sides engaged in blistering negotiations over how long it would last. Olbermann’s manager, Price, warned Griffin that if the matter wasn’t resolved quickly, Olbermann would take his complaints public by accepting invitations from Good Morning America, David Letterman, and Larry King.
“If you go on GMA, I will fire Keith,” Griffin shot back.
The suspension wound up lasting just two days, and Olbermann said he was sorry for the “unnecessary drama” and “for having mistakenly violated an inconsistently applied rule” in making the $7,200 in contributions. But after years of internal warfare, Olbermann had no major allies left at 30 Rock.
The high-level talks came to include Jeffrey Immelt, chief executive of GE; Zucker; Rupert Murdoch, owner of Fox’s parent company, and Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes. But every attempt at hammering out a truce broke down.
Numerous staffers at MSBNC believed it was only a matter of time before the prime-time host, who once quit ESPN, would either bolt or be pushed out. If Olbermann concluded that he would no longer have the independence he craved in the more buttoned-down Comcast era, it is unlikely that anyone in the NBC executive suites tried to talk him out of it.


It�ll be a time to honor the past, celebrate the present and look to the future.
Bell Fork Church of Christ will celebrate its 60th anniversary with events and revival services throughout the weekend. Ricardo Morgan, chairman of the church�s anniversary committee and life long member of the church, said the ceremonies will offer historical perspective as well as a look into the church�s future.
One aspect of the church�s past that will be celebrated is the late Matthew Moore, who served as the church�s minister for more than 15 years in the 1970s and 1980s. Moore is credited in his obituary with starting the first meals on wheels campaign in the Jacksonville area. Morgan said Moore is a �legend� in Jacksonville who practiced what he preached.
Those sentiments were echoed by the church�s current minister, Luis Lugo. Lugo, who has been the church�s minister since 2008, met Moore late in his life and called him an �uncommon� man that loved his church and his community. Moore died in 2010.
Lugo, a reformed Philadelphia gang member, said he wants the community know the Bell Fork Church of Christ is a community oriented church that cares about reaching to Jacksonville and beyond. Lugo cited the church�s gleaning ministry which picks vegetables and donates them to those in need of fresh food.
Each day of the celebration, a revival service will be held at 7 p.m. with a different event occurring at 6 p.m., including a catered banquet on Saturday, June 22and a special Sunday anniversary service that will honor long time members of the church.
Lugo said the ceremony will not only celebrate the past and present, but look to future plans for the church. That includes an online, two year Bible School program to develop new church leadership.
Morgan said that while the church is celebrating its own accomplishments and history, these events are open for the community as a whole.
�If you are one of God�s people � someone who cares about the community and their relationship with the Lord, you ought to come,� said Morgan.
Want to Go? Bell Fork Church of Christ�s 60th Anniversary celebration will include a 6 p.m.banquet on Saturday, June 22and a special anniversary service the following day at 10 a.m.at their location on 321 Bell Fork Road. All events are free of charge.


L.A. floats its future on the Soylent buoyancy of recycled imagination, but did you know the plastic fantasy of yesterday's Tomorrowland actually sells today for $.15 cents a pound?
For those about to shop, we salute you. For those about to nap, here are a few alternatives to fill the hours of festive, digestive distress known as Black Friday.
Fiona Apple wrote an open letter to explain that she's stopping her tour to care for her dying dog Janet, a pitbull she rescued almost 14 years ago in Echo Park.
Every camera in Disneyland was focused on Mitt Romney when he stopped into Orange County's Magic Kingdom on Tuesday.
California raisin concerns are headed to the Supreme Court by way of Horne v. U.S. Department of Agriculture, justices said Tuesday.
The amazing trace is underway! With Thanksgiving on the brain and markers in hand, 'hand turkey' artists everywhere are getting competitive.
L.A. Galaxy heads to the MLS Cup for the second year in a row as Snoop Dogg tells a Scottish newspaper he'd like a stake in Celtic F.C. and to sign pal David Beckham.
A world helium shortage and lack of consistent sponsorship has taken the lift out of California-based Airship Ventures. The Eureka Zeppelin has been grounded.
Twilight body art battles Breaking Dawn-induced jokes in a war between zingers and ink slingers. Who's winning?
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 opens in movie theaters starting Thursday, Nov. 15 at 10 p.m. Here's where to go/what to avoid as events unfold in L.A.
Like a terrible mirage, fake Coachella lineup posters have started to appear, bringing with them years of thirsty pleas for the same bands to play our local desert.
It wasn't the 400 MTV secret show attendees inside a Santa Monica Airport hangar that prompted police to shut it down, it was the 2,000 people in line.
The San Diego Zoo's giant panda cub has an official name — Xiao Liwu or "Little Gift."
"Tens of thousands" of flood-compromised cars are changing hands and potentially entering the auto auction market, warn consumer groups.
The $40 million award in the Wynn versus Francis defamation lawsuit was scaled back by roughly half on Friday.


The white iPhone 4, you won’t expect to see one of them for a good few weeks, will you?
Not unless you head down to Apple’s UK flagship store in Regent Street, the place is literally crawling with them. Perhaps that is a slight exaggeration but the much sought after handset is spotted on two separate occasions in a 2:09 minute report by Sky News.
9to5mac stumbled across the video, on the 1:23 and 1:31 marks you will quite clearly see a white iPhone 4. Both the guy in the suit (do you think he looks a little out of place?) and the lady interviewee don’t look like they are Apple employees and it’s openly visible on both occasions.
White iPhone 4 handsets aren’t expected to arrive until mid-July, how and why are the devices in the above video?! Conspiracy theories in the comments please.
Read next: iPhone 4 reception problems could be fixed come Monday.