Sign of rage: Phil Stenzler, left, and Barbara Becker are so upset with the new hotel developement on E. 49th Street in Mill Basin that they made a whole sign about it! Locals fear that the hotel’s developer plans to convert his “Comfort Inn” into a homeless shelter once construction is finished.
Checking inn on E. 49th Street!
A controversial hotel on E. 49th Street that local leaders and neighbors feared would become a homeless shelter or an hourly hot-sheet motel finally opened as a Days Inn a few weeks ago, and all appears to be kosher so far, said one woman who lives just a block away and protested the hotel’s construction back in 2015.
Becker and other locals questioned the location of the 46-room lodge, between Avenues N and O, with a Department of Sanitation garage on one side and an auto shop on the other. Many skeptics, including Councilman Alan Maisel (D–Mill Basin), were certain that once it opened the hotel wouldn’t attract overnight guests, but developers insisted the location is perfect since it’s just a short, 11-mile drive from John F. Kennedy International Airport and offers travelers more moderate prices.
Suspicions about the new inn only grew as Mayor DeBlasio came under fire for failing to reduce the number of hotels used as homeless shelters, and as several hotels in Sunset Park became shelters — to the consternation of many nearby residents.
But even now that the hotel is finally open and everything appears to check out, so to speak, Maisel said he’s still concerned for the what the future holds — if the hotel is not able to sustain a profit over the next few years, its owners could still look to partner with an organization to open up a shelter.
The Department of Homeless Services says it is not currently using the Mill Basin hotel as a shelter, has no plans to, and would notify neighbors a minimum of 30 days in advance if it plans to open one, said a spokeswoman for the city agency.
Wyndham Hotel Group, the parent organization to Days Inn, did not respond to a request for comment.


Note: Use this as a topping or to fill butter cookies or spread on croissants. Or simply eat it by the spoonful.
Step 1Pour milk into 8-quart or larger pot. Add sugar and stir with large wooden spoon until sugar dissolves and none is left at bottom.
Step 2Place pot over medium-high heat and add onion, if using, and cinnamon stick while mixture is still cold. Allow mixture to warm, stirring once or twice, until it begins to simmer. Bring mixture to boil without stirring (it should bubble up) 10 or 15 minutes. Do not allow to bubble over.
Step 3Reduce heat and cook mixture 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring frequently. Test for doneness by removing a teaspoon of liquid and allowing it to cool. It is done when it is cool and smooth and creamy, not runny. Allow it to cool. Remove onion and cinnamon stick.
70 calories; 15 mg sodium; 2 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0 fiber.
It's just after 5 a.m. on a typically chilly morning in this small Andean town, but for Emma Guzman, the day is already at full force. Guzman, 74, has prepared cake batter, determined the number of loaves of bread to be baked and double-checked on the delivery of fresh milk for her famous arequipe pastries.
"All these recipes came from my mother," says Guzman, as she stops to take a sip of coffee. Dressed in a black robe and leather slippers, she is periodically interrupted to issue an order or taste the sweets made in her famous kitchen.
Arcabuco is famous in Colombia for its pastries, which are prepared according to old family recipes and sold at the dozens of red-tile-roofed shops that line the small town square. In fact, cookies and other sweets are literally bread and butter for most of Arcabuco's 2,000 residents.
Started in 1949 as a small cafe that sold tinto (strong coffee) and pastries to bus passengers who stopped on their way to the capital city of Bogota, Guzman's shop slowly built a reputation. Just a few years later, Guzman changed the name of her shop to El Pomeque, after the bus company, and began to expand her business. Eventually she built a bakery and added a house behind the cafe.
Today, El Pomeque is still a family-run shop, and its customers come from as far as Bogota, nearly two hours away.
"I've been stopping at her shop ever since I was a child," says Juan Carlos Olarte, a 30-year-old businessman from Bogota. "My parents always stop at her shop, and now I go there with my family."
Among the main draws at El Pomeque Cafe are Guzman's delicate little arequipe pastries, thin layers of pastry almost like filo layered with cream, in effect a Colombian napoleon.
Made from milk, sugar and cinnamon, arequipe, or dulce de leche, as the cream is called in Mexico, is as basic as apple pie in the United States. Though it has taken various incarnations across the Americas, its essence is simple and pure.
Also known as manjar blanco and cajeta in other parts of Latin America, it is among the most common desserts found in the region. The creamy concoction is often used as filling in cookies and cakes or simply as a spread.
And it is gaining popularity outside Latin America. Haagen-Dazs' dulce de leche ice cream is one of the company's fastest-growing flavors. Shortly after its introduction in 1997, it became the company's second best-selling flavor after vanilla.
"It's just something so delicate and yet very rich and basic," says Olarte.
"It's such a typical dish here that everyone makes it," says Gina Magnolia Reano Baron, who has been a customer of Guzman's since she was a child and who, until recently, was Colombia's minister of labor under President Andres Pastrana. "It's just a taste you grow up with. I can still remember going to her shop as a child and tasting it."
In fact, arequipe is thought to have its roots in Europe. Sugar and much of the confectionery tradition of Latin America were imported from Spain. Because the indigenous population rarely used sugar, pastries and sweets were relatively unheard of until the 19th century, when coffee and sugar cane plantations began to flourish in Colombia and other Latin American countries.
Initially molasses was used to sweeten dishes, but by the early 20th century, sugar was available and used by the growing influx of Europeans desperate to re-create some of the dishes they had left behind. Today, arequipe is a staple in Colombia just as dulce de leche is commonplace in Mexico.
To learn the secret to making this not-for-dieters treat, one must go to kitchens like Guzman's, where it is still prepared according to century-old recipes.
Standing over a metal canister filled with milk, Guzman's assistant carefully measures the liquid, placing it in a large pot. Then comes the sugar, sugar and more sugar. In fact, Guzman's recipe calls for nearly three pounds of sugar. She laughs, "Today everyone is so worried about their weight. Look at me I'm 74, and I still eat sweets and I'm fine."
If Guzman has a trick for arequipe, it's the use of a single long, green onion. "You're cringing, but the onion helps give it a creamy taste so it isn't too sweet and helps blend the flavors," she says. Further, the onion must be added while the milk is still cold.
Guzman insists that an onion placed in the mixture will be undetectable in the final product. In fact, she says, leaving it out will create a less textured flavor because the milk, sugar and cinnamon will not quite have fused into the caramel-like taste of arequipe.
After adding a large stick of cinnamon, the mixture is placed over high heat and boiled until it begins to bubble, nearly reaching the top of the pot. She cautions against stirring the mixture at this early stage.
And then comes the hard part. After the pot boils for a few minutes, the heat is reduced to a simmer and the mixture is left to cook for three to five hours, with frequent stirring, until the liquid is transformed into a creamy sauce. When cool, its texture is similar to that of creamy peanut butter, but the taste is full of subtle hints of sweet cinnamon and rich milk.
"This, along with using pure and fresh ingredients, is the secret to making good arequipe," says Guzman. "Well, that and I don't recommend making it if you are in a bad mood. The flavor won't turn out right. I don't know why but I've known people who try and make it when they are angry or upset, and the whole thing will just go sour on them."


Madhusudhan Menon, Executive Chairman of MHFC, 61, has over 30 years of banking (and now housing finance) experience. After completing his CA, he initially was with the Reserve Bank of India where he worked for 2 years. He then worked with American Express Bank for over 20 years - across most areas and departments - with his last role being the India Head - Commercial Banking and Capital Markets. He left the Bank in 2002 and spent a few years as an advisor to various Indian business groups as a capital markets and investment specialist, before co-founding MHFC in 2008 to help support lower income financially excluded families own a home and in general, support the eco-system of new housing and financial inclusion.


DREAMS DEFERRED: In what is becoming a depressing refrain of the Obama presidency, Senate Republicans again wielded their filibuster power to block a vote on two critical legislative items—the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” (DADT) and the DREAM Act, the latter of which would expedite the process for foreign-born students of good standing to obtain citizenship. Both were bundled as amendments to the 2010 defense authorization bill, marking the first time in forty-eight years that Congress left for recess without approving annual military funding.
The amendments’ failure came despite broad support across the political spectrum. Gallup reported in May that 70 percent of Americans favor a repeal of DADT, including 60 percent of Republicans. Even Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said repealing the policy is the right thing to do. But this consensus wasn’t enough for Senator Susan Collins, the Democrats’ fair-weather friend from Maine, whom Harry Reid had hoped to court. She joined the rest of her caucus—along with Arkansas Democrats Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor—in voting no, justifying her opposition on the grounds of procedural objections.
The DREAM Act had also enjoyed widespread popularity. On Meet the Press, Colin Powell urged Senate Republicans to vote yes. “We can’t be anti-immigration,” he said of his party. Angela Peoples, policy and advocacy manager for Campus Progress, was hopeful that the DREAM Act would again be put up for a vote during the lame-duck session of Congress, this time as a stand-alone bill. She noted that several senators who said they supported the measure voted against it on procedural grounds. “Let’s give them the opportunity to put their money where their mouth is and take a vote for the DREAM Act on its merits,” she said.
ONE NATION TOGETHER: The sobering new data on poverty have given fresh impetus to the One Nation Working Together movement, a coalition of union members, community activists, students, civil and human rights leaders and progressive politicians who will march in Washington on October 2. Wrestling the populist mantle away from the Tea Party and Glenn Beck, One Nation will call on government to do more for the increasing number of Americans whose basic needs go unmet. As the recent data show, one in seven Americans lives in poverty—that’s 44 million people.
It’s a full-fledged crisis, and groups on the left are making every effort to marshal grassroots pressure to force the administration to rise to the occasion. Initiated largely by the AFL-CIO and the NAACP, One Nation has scores of sponsoring organizations, including La Raza, union affiliates, major environmental groups and Code Pink. The challenge is to keep a march as diverse as this from degenerating into a laundry list of slogans that diffuse the coalition’s core message of economic equality. Fortunately, organizers have laid out some concrete policy goals, including extension of the federal unemployment program, mortgage assistance and other initiatives for the unemployed; legislation to ensure that all workers earn a living family wage; the expansion of antidiscrimination laws; the reform of bankruptcy laws; universal healthcare; and increased support for higher education.
POPE RAGE: If Pope Benedict XVI arrived in England expecting a rapturous welcome from the God-fearing British public, he must have left vowing never to return. From the day the pontiff arrived on a state visit, secular figures and the media subjected him to a relentless stream of criticism, culminating in a march that saw 10,000 take to the streets to object to his presence on the island.
He was greeted with an open letter in the Guardian protesting his views on condom use, gay rights and the treatment of women, with prominent signatories, including actor and writer Stephen Fry and scientist Richard Dawkins. This was followed up with a barrage of abuse from all corners of the media, mocking everything from his beloved red loafers to his papal headgear—the latter being a perennial target in the tabloid press.
Some of his critics had a more serious point: in secular Britain today, the reactionary views of the pope do not sit well with a people who have made great strides in the acceptance of most of the social issues on which the Catholic Church still takes a hard line. In a recent poll, 83 percent of the British public declared themselves to be in favor of abortion rights and 90 percent support measures to stop discrimination against gay people in the workplace.


“I will never see telephone poles the same way,” Mary Ann Gwinn said, sotto voce. I nodded my assent, reminded of how economically Biss had transformed that mundane object into something sinister.
Now Graywolf Press has reissued Biss’ penetrating essay collection — a wise and welcome decision. In a moment when geography seems to have a stranglehold on political sensibilities, “Notes From No Man’s Land” delivers nuanced regional dispatches from New York, California and the Midwest. And for both editions, a telephone pole stands sentinel on the cover.
Rutherford B. Hayes called the installation of a White House phone “one of the greatest events since creation.” But other citizens angrily chopped down telephone poles as intrusions. In Oshkosh, Wis., the mayor ordered the police chief and fire department to dismantle them.
In other spots – Belleville, Ill.; Pine Bluff, Ark.; Purcell, Okla.; Springfield, Ohio – the new structures were adopted for lynching. Mobs and murderers lynched black men from telephone poles in all but four states.
A reader of Biss — or Isabel Wilkerson or Ibram X. Kendi — is better equipped to ponder news of violence against black bodies, less likely to respond with an incredulous “this is not our country.” Looking back less than a decade, some of Biss’ words can seem prescient.
Rereading that passage puts one in mind now of Steve Bannon, and the title Bob Woodward gave for his book on the current president.
Biss — best known for her excellent 2014 book “On Immunity: An Inoculation,” which explores the mythic, scientific and cultural soup around vaccinations — is a 41-year-old professor at Northwestern University.
A child of a poet and a doctor, young Eula grew up in rural upstate New York. Both parents seem to undergird her clear eye, crisp wording and unpretentious sentences. “No Man’s Land” samples remarks from neighbors and husband, sprinkled with a bit of Herman Melville, Marilynne Robinson and Toni Morrison. But mostly, Biss is worth quoting.
Other entries — and Biss’ serious jones for Joan Didion’s versions of California and New York — are less successful, although her unvarnished frankness on the loneliness of New York City remains a standout of its ilk.
White women, as a demographic cohort, tipped the election to Donald Trump. Biss is an unusual one for having spent decades pondering her whiteness, a preoccupation she doesn’t like to attribute to her multiracial family. Families, inspected across time and marriages, are ipso facto multiracial.
Biss probably made the right choice in leaving journalism.
And yet this is a writer whose unorthodox approach awakens fresh delight. There is nothing of the scold in her; her insights are startling and sly, even if we long to argue some of her points.
“Only something that continues to hurt stays in the memory,” Frederick Nietzsche wrote in his book “On the Genealogy of Morality.” Biss seems to want our national pain to hurt more productively.
Perhaps “Notes From No Man’s Land” will be a lasting contribution to the cause.
Karen R. Long is the manager of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, part of the Cleveland Foundation.


The diverging political fortunes of Barack Obama and McCain can be traced to a single moment. In the middle of September, the net favorable rating for each candidate was about the same. By Oct. 7, Obama was ahead on this measure by about 16 points. Did McCain suddenly become a stumbling failure? No, the world suddenly went into an economic slide. Americans blamed the party with executive power, which is also the party most closely tied in the public mind to bankers and Wall Street. None of this was fair to McCain, who has never been the Wall Street type. But party images are vivid, durable and almost impossible to shift on short notice.
Perhaps no Republican could win this year. But I doubt Gerson would want to deny that as tough as McCain’s circumstances are, he could have maneuvered better within them. The wasted months between McCain’s nomination victory and Obama’s come to mind.


A 14-year-old student from West Shore Middle School is in stable condition at the trauma center at Yale-New Haven Hospital after being hit by a car on Route 1 in Milford this morning, according to officials.
Fire officials said the boy was on his way to school and was trying to cross the road at Route 1, or Bridgeport Avenue, and Camden Street, at 7:25 a.m. when he was hit by a car. There is no crosswalk in this section of the busy road, according to officials.
"Being that it's during the rush hour period and with school being back in session, there’s a lot going on in that area," Battalion Chief Anthony Fabrizi with the Milford Fire Department said.
Paramedics began treating the boy, who sustained potentially serious but non-life threatening injuries, and more units were called in.
“We met with the student and his family at the hospital," Paul Cavanna, principal of West Shore Middle School, said in a statement to families. "The student is listed in stable condition and is being cared for by hospital staff. We would like to thank our emergency responders for their efforts and all of you for your support."
Milford police are investigating and fire officials said this is the second time a pedestrian was hit on the same stretch of road in 48 hours.
A 34-year-old woman was hit by a car at 10:47 p.m. on Sunday at Route 1 and Woodland Drive, according to the fire department.
Officials said she was taken to Bridgeport Hospital and has life-threatening injuries.
Mayor Ben Blake said he is working with the state DOT about adding more pedstrian walkways on this area of Route 1. The mayor urgest drivers to slow down with school back in session and for parents to remind children to use designated crosswalks.
"Crossing that type of roadway with that volume of traffic, any time you step in that roadway you’re taking your life into risk and you’re approaching a dangerous situation," Fabrizi said.


AFTER THE CRASH: The broken tablet.
In a telephone interview with the Arkansas Times, Michael Reed, who is charged with destroying the Ten Commandments monument at the Arkansas Capitol less than 24 hours after it was erected, said of driving his Dodge Dart into the granite tablet, "I meant to do it, fully well."
"I just couldn't help myself," Reed said. "I knew God told me I needed to run the car into it."
We talked to Reed on Friday, July 7, (not June as originally written) after sending a letter to Pulaski County Jail with the Arkansas Times phone number. Reed called and an interview was arranged. The approximately 20-minute conversation cost $20 in jail phone expenses, which we paid.
"I did it because I fully believe I'm the rider on the first white horse in Revelations," Reed said, among a longer explanation of his interpretation of Scripture and his communications with God. He said that he understands that he "sounds insane" and if properly evaluated could be considered mentally insane with "chemical imbalances galore."
"I'm legally insane," he said. "But, in my heart, I don't believe I'm mentally insane."
Reed said that he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, among other mental illnesses, in Oklahoma, where he mowed down a similar Ten Commandments monument on Capitol grounds. It was rebuilt, as sponsor Sen. Jason Rapert has vowed to do in Arkansas, but ordered removed by a court. A lawsuit has been promised by several groups over the Arkansas monument, once back in place, for violation of the constitutional principle of separation of church and state.
Reed said he was also influenced by a belief that "we are to maintain the separation of church and state."
Reed was at a friend's house in Alma, when he heard about the monument's erection on TV. Without telling anyone his plans, he drove to Little Rock.
He finally found the 10 Commandments at the State Capitol and as he prepared to run it over, Reed claims, a police officer pulled up near him.
He still drove ahead. He recorded the event on Facebook live and a video of the crash (shown below) has circulated widely. He was taken into custody immediately and jailed on multiple charges for trespass and destruction of the monument. He's continued to be held on a $100,000 bond. The court docket currently shows no scheduled proceedings in his case.
After the crash, the officer took Reed inside the State Capitol and arrested him while they waited for EMTs, according to Reed. He requested to go to St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center for a psychiatric evaluation. Reed claims there he was not given a full psychiatric examination, but then sent to jail.
In the county detention facility, Reed says he told officials he was "hearing voices" and was then put on suicide watch. Reed described this as being bound in a straitjacket and being held in a room without a toilet or sink. He said he had to relieve himself over an uncleaned grate in the floor. With bad knees, Reed complained that he could not squat.
"They told I had to sit down on the grate," he said.
Once out of suicide watch, Reed claims that one jailer warned him to stop complaining about his type 2 diabetes or "I'm going to send you back on suicide watch."
Reed said he wants to leave Pulaski County Jail but his $100,000 bail is "insane" and his GoFundMe pages for bail have been shut down. He is represented by a public defender.


The UK could face blackouts as soon as 2016, because the planned clean power projects aren't coming online fast enough. That's the blunt analysis of the government's new energy adviser, according to the BBC. So what can the UK do to keep the lights from going off in a few short years?The problem has rarely been publicly addressed in the UK (though it's been reported on by the likes of the Economist)--and certainly not by government officials, who've all denied that they're heading for an energy gap. But the new energy adviser, David MacKay, says it comes down to one single thorny issue: the public keeps objecting to new energy projects.
Specifically, the public keeps shutting down proposals for wind farms and nuclear power plants, which is "creating a huge problem." Citizens object to the appearance of wind turbines in their communities--as they do in the US--and have repeatedly thwarted plans to build turbines across the country. So when the coal plants get phased out in 2016, as per the UK's climate plan, Mackay anticipates a severe lack of power capacity.
He thinks that they'll be forced to turn to natural gas, which isn't the long-term direction they want to be heading in. Mackay's solution? Simple. Up the build rate of alternatives--and get the public to accept that their expressed desire for change requires certain sacrifices.
"We've got to stop saying no to these things and understand that we do have a serious building project on our hands," he said, according to the BBC. "You cannot oppose them all and hope to have a viable policy on energy and climate change."


I know Meisha is deserving of the next shot, but I'd rather see McMann get a rematch, that fight never got to live up to what it could've been, Ronda struggled with the takedown then landed a good knee but I think it'd be a way different 2nd fight, Meisha will do the same as always try to make it a scrap get thrown 15 times wear down then get arm barred, granted Mcmann needs a few wins but I think style wise she could battle, or get knocked out has who knows.. But I'd like to see it go longer get to the ground and watch the Olympians really battle.
McMann got destroyed by Tate. Let Sara fix the holes in her game before she challenges again.
I'd like to see a rematch without Herb Dean there to spoil it.
Well if she beats Amanda Nunes, she's right back in the mix.
True a traditional wrestler doesn't have submissions like a judoka, but if Sara could get on top learn a few chokes and rolling armbars she could have a shot, I'm not saying she wins I just think it'd be a more interesting fight if as stated before she cleans up s few holes and utilizes her wrestling IE takedown defense it'd be fun to see it go a few rounds at least.
I want to see Nunes get the shot.
But both Nunes and mcann need to work on there ability to get up off the bottom.
I wish people that were never good grapplers would just stop. She didn't struggle with the take down. You don't expect your first attempt to be the one that works against another good grappler. You make a move forcing the other person to counter and how they counter dictates your next move.
Agreed. I cant stand early stoppages, ESPECIALLY in title fights.
Eh, it's as I've been saying for at least a few weeks now Miesha is getting the next shot. Let's just all take a deep breath and accept it.
Thats Alexis Davis who is still a top 5 contender in the WBW division.
McMann has not impressed me at all in her UFC stint, very overrated coming into the UFC. Her most impressive performance was against a natural strawweight.
You mean Davis? No, she went on to submit Sarah Kaufman.
Nobody else deserves it as much as Tate. No doubt about it.
Who is that chick that ran across the cage and missed the knee. Get her back in there see if she does it again.


Wealthy men say in a survey that they prefer a good body over a pretty face. Among other revelations, a nice smile is more important than great hair.
Holy flaming bourbon barrels! Here are 10 things you probably didn't know about bourbon and Kentucky.
The next frontier for the gold rush is the neighborhood malls.


Cape Town – Throwing cigarette butts out of car windows should constitute attempted arson, Western Cape premier Helen Zille said on Friday.
Presenting her State of the Province address in Cape Town, Zille outlined the threat fires presented to the economy of the Western Cape.
She said 10 years ago, they were dealing with 12 000 fires in one year.
“It was almost an unmanageable number. Now, more than 17 000 fires have already been recorded this fire season,” she said.
A lot of the fires were started by people, she said, whether by accident or ill intent.
She said they would support the authorities in using the full force of the law to deal with alleged arsonists.
Condemning the throwing of cigarette butts out of car windows, she said it merely took a spark on a dry patch of land to lead to an inferno.
She also detailed what the province was doing to deal with the current water shortages.
With the 3B water restrictions in Cape Town, the latest dam levels were at 34.8%, she said, down from 44% at the same time last year.
Some of the key interventions, she said, included the fast-tracking of the development of the Table Mountain Group Aquifer, the underground water table.
They were working on saving water in government buildings as well, she said.
Zille said they had established a digital means of optimising water usage of the entire agricultural sector.


A Long Island high school senior who is the first-generation son of immigrants accomplished a feat few other students have even attempted -- getting accepted to all eight Ivy League schools.
Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, Yale and the University of Pennsylvania all sent acceptance letters to 17-year-old Kwasi Enin's home in Shirley.
"The yesses kept coming," Enin, a William Floyd High School student who wants to be a physician, told Newsday. He said he couldn't believe it.
Neither could Nancy Winkler, a guidance counselor at Enin's school.
"It's a big deal when we have students apply to one or two Ivies," Winkler told USA Today. "To get into one or two is huge. This is extraordinary."
Few students even apply to all eight ultra-selective universities, college counselors told USA Today, because each school looks for different qualities in their freshman classes. Each college accepts fewer than 15 percent of applicants.
Enin, a first-generation American whose parents emigrated from Ghana, scored 2,250 out of 2,400 on the SAT, according to USA Today. That places him in the 99th percentile for all students taking the exam.
Enin told USA Today he got the idea to apply to all eight Ivy League schools in 10th or 11th grade and said each of them had qualities he liked. He also was accepted at Duke and three State University of New York campuses.
He says he hasn't made a decision on which school to attend, but says his preference is Yale.


Sandy, the four-times-married, three-times-divorced owner of a wedding chapel in Las Vegas, has certainly seen her fair share of matrimonies! In the hilarious "Four Weddings and an Elvis," you'll witness four of her most interesting: Bev and Stan, who are getting married as revenge on their exes; Vanessa and Bryce, two arrogant former Hollywood stars who are tying the knot as a publicity ploy; and Martin and Fiona, a gentle postal-worker and a tough ex-con trying to get married before the police arrive. The fourth wedding is the quirkiest of all: Sandy’s fifth and (hopefully) final wedding, which reveals an unexpected twist. And of course, no visit to Vegas would be complete without an appearance by The King!


This was bound to happen eventually. Now, Dorkly isn't saying that Town Portal scrolls aren't an incredibly convenient way to get out of hell and sell off your extra stuff. It's just that eventually the forces of evil are going to get curious about that glowing blue circle floating down the hall and send someone to check it out.
Honestly I'm not sure why they hadn't thought of this sooner, seeing as they always seem to have the damn things on hand.
And thus fell Tristam. Might as well stuff a crystal in your head.
I dont even know what to make of this one Fahey.
Who is Dorkly and what the hell are you on about?
Maybe you don't see the video?
Video? Where is this video you speak of?
You guys are obviously using the mobile version. Log in from a PC and you'll see the Dorkly Bits video.


An estimated 500 banks will work with medical marijuana companies, but the majority still won't.
Experts say the cannabis industry could be a front-runner in adopting bitcoin as a safer alternative to cash.
The cannabis industry may offer clues to the future of bitcoin.
Although medical use marijuana is now legal in more than half the states and recreational use is in some others, the drug is still illegal on the federal level. As a result, most major banks shun the marijuana business.
The cannabis industry, projected to grow to $50 billion from $6 billion by 2026, has long been in need of a financial solution.
Many in the industry are hanging their hopes on cryptocurrencies.
Technology companies like SinglePoint and POSaBIT are working to generate a payment method for dispensaries and consumers using bitcoin. In recent years, some cryptocurrencies have cropped up specifically for cannabis transactions, like PotCoin and HempCoin.
Before bitcoin was dominating headlines with its spectacular runup, there were people using it to buy illegal drugs. But now, ironically, some people in the marijuana industry are hoping bitcoin will bolster its legitimacy.
"That reputation is being turned around," said Wil Ralston, president of SinglePoint, which is creating an app called "SingleSeed" in which consumers and dispensaries can exchange bitcoins.
Some even say that the cannabis industry can lead other businesses to embrace virtual money.
While the number of banks that will work with medical marijuana companies is growing — estimated to be around 500 today — the majority still don't.
Another complication for most dispensaries is that they can't access typical merchant services, which companies need to accept credit or debit cards. There is no "cannabis" store identification, as there is with a flower shop or restaurant, and so most dispensaries remain cash only.
In 2014, SinglePoint, a mobile app payment company, placed terminals in medical marijuana dispensaries, in which people could use debit cards to make their purchases.
"They were going great," Ralston said. "Then overnight the banks shut them all down. There were no guidelines about how banks were supposed to interact with the cannabis industry. They didn't want to risk it."
Ralston said the attitude around cannabis at most banks remains: "We don't want to even bring up that word in our bank."
And so, he said, "we had to stop, and say, what other solutions are we going to provide?"
A vendor weighs buds for card-carrying medical marijuana patients.
Ralston and others at SinglePoint started looking into cryptocurrencies. Now, SingleSeed will allow dispensaries to accept bitcoin and consumers to pay with it.
SinglePoint won't stop with pot. He said 14 percent of the population is locked out of the banking system because they don't have credit or are involved in high-risk businesses.
Cryptocurrencies offer to provide these people an alternative, he said.
"Blockchain is applicable to any industry," he said. "We're letting consumers know, this is just an additional way to pay."
"Everybody wants to discuss the solution to the financial constraints of the cannabis industry," said Bryan Meltzer, a partner at Feuerstein Kulick, a law firm that represents people and companies in the cannabis business. "Cryptocurrencies and the marijuana industry have a natural intersection."
Meltzer said that in states where medical marijuana is legal, the government wants to know where the plant comes from. And all transactions need to to be recorded.
Blockchain, which shows a clear trail of the virtual money, could supply that level of transparency.
Jeffrey Zucker, co-founder of Green Lion Partners, a cannabis strategy firm, said the fact that most dispensaries are only able to accept cash poses dangers for buyers and sellers. He said he knows of a family that owns a dispensary and was recently robbed, losing all their cash for the day.
"It's an unnecessary risk," he said. Cryptocurrencies "could help the operator to avoid cash on hand, and therefore make it a little less dangerous for them."
Still, purchasing in bitcoin can mean additional costs for the consumer. The IRS has ruled that bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are property, not currency, for tax purposes — meaning that transactions trigger either short- or long-term gains or losses that must be reported.
For consumers who are worried about securing their privacy, blockchain technology — the mechanism that's behind cryptocurrencies — tracks people by an identification number, called a "key," meaning that their name is concealed.
Leslie Bocskor, president of cannabis advisory and services firm Electrum Partners, pointed to the recent string of security breaches at major banks and credit unions as a comparison.
"We're seeing there are fewer risks with blockchain transactions than with your normal credit card," he said.
He said the cannabis industry, with all its idiosyncrasies, could end up being the first to fully embrace cryptocurrencies.
"If it finds a way to avoid the traditional banking system, other businesses would follow suit," Bocskor said.


One out of every five residents in the Inland Empire – nearly 1 million people – is an immigrant, and that population is growing.
Yet the region of Riverside and San Bernardino counties isn’t necessarily associated with immigration. Instead, it’s sometimes connected to white flight, or older communities where people flock for lower-priced housing.
A report released this week by UC Riverside’s newly created Center for Social Innovation is looking to change that. The 20-page report – billed as a first-ever detailed look at immigrants in the Inland Empire – offers demographic information that reveals a complex, growing world of immigrant communities in the two counties and contrasts those groups with similar immigrant populations throughout Southern California.
While most of the data comes from the 2016 American Community Survey, it also pulls together history and brief profiles of some community members, along with some comparisons to the rest of Southern California and the state. The report also identifies policy issues and includes recommendations.
A key takeaway is that the makeup of immigrant populations vary widely throughout the region.
While most of the Latinos in both regions are Mexican or of Mexican heritage, Los Angeles has a much larger cluster of immigrants from Central and South America, compared to the Inland Empire, which is home to a higher percentage of Mexican immigrants.
Likewise, the Asian population of the Inland Empire differs from Asian communities in other parts of Southern California.
For example, the report found that Filipino-Americans and immigrants from the Phillippines comprise roughly one in three Asians in the Inland Empire and nearly one in four Asians in Los Angeles. But in Los Angeles, the biggest part of the Asian population — also about one in three — is Chinese.
“This region is rapidly changing,” said Javier Hernandez, director of the Inland Coalition for Immigration Justice, which collaborated with UCR’s new center and the California Immigrant Policy to craft the report.
Latinos represent a greater share of immigrants in the Inland Empire than in the rest of Southern California: 69 percent in each of Riverside and San Bernardino counties, compared to 56 percent in Southern California and 51 percent in California overall.
Just over half of the Inland Empire immigrant population are not U.S. citizens.
The number of immigrants has grown, especially in Riverside County, and the share of immigrants becoming citizens in the Inland Empire has increased over the last decade, from 39 percent in 2005 to 48 percent in 2016.
Overall, Latinos were more likely (70 percent) to have been born in the United States, while Asians were more likely (64 percent) to be born outside the United States.
“Being an immigrant is not synonymous with being Latino and being Latino is not synonymous with being an immigrant,” Ramakrishnan said.
The report’s authors said they hope the information can be built upon in future projects, and become a resource and provide needed data on immigrant communities in the region, for the general public and immigration advocates.
Among the report’s recommendations: more public and private investment to help immigrant communities.
“There are a lot of important efforts underway in the region to make sure that immigrants are better integrated into policymaking and decision making. But funding for these efforts still lag behind funding in places like Los Angeles and Orange County,” said Ramakrishnan, who is also associate dean of the UC Riverside School of Public Policy.
The UC Riverside report also offers some details that break down populations within the two county region.
The Coachella Valley, for example, is probably best known as a music venue. But it also is a key employment base for seasonal agricultural workers, who primarily are immigrants, said Erick Lemus, Coachella Valley organizer of the California Partnership, a coalition focusing on economic justice.
“Coachella Valley is sometimes not celebrated for its true agriculture and artists,” Lemus said.
The report found that while immigrants are employed in seasonal agricultural work in the eastern Coachella Valley in Riverside County, immigrants in western San Bernardino County are more likely to work in transportation and logistics.
“The region has not been welcoming to immigrants for many years,” Hernandez said.
But, he added, that’s beginning to change.


Nashville, Tenn. – Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has signed 2013 third-round draft pick Felix Girard to a three-year entry-level contract.
Girard, 19 (5/9/94), won the Guy Carbonneau Trophy as the QMJHL’s top defensive forward for the second consecutive season in 2013-14 after posting 43 points (11g-32a), 130 penalty minutes and a +30 rating while leading the league in face-off winning percentage for the second consecutive season (64.5 percent). In his fourth season with Baie-Comeau and second as team captain, the 5-11, 193-pound center helped the Drakkar win the QMJHL regular-season title and sweep their first two playoff series; they’ll host the winner of the Blainville-Boisbriand/Rimouski series in the QMJHL semifinals.
Nashville's third choice, 95th overall (fourth round), in the 2013 Entry Draft, Girard represented Team QMJHL in the 2013 Subway Super Series, helping them beat Russia by scores of 3-2 and 4-3. The Quebec, Quebec native also helped Canada earn bronze at the 2012 Under-18 World Championships.


Investors in this hot tech IPO should notice the elephant in the room.
Cloud communications platform Twilio (NYSE:TWLO) went public on June 23, raising $150 million and booking a first-day gain of over 90% from its IPO price of $15. The stock dipped slightly during the post-Brexit sell-off, but subsequently recovered and soared to the low $30s.
Twilio's platform enables developers to create apps that can interact with customers through messages, video, and voice. Major customers include Facebook's (NASDAQ:FB) WhatsApp, Uber, and Airbnb. By connecting apps to mobile networks, Twilio's service lets WhatsApp users look up users through phone numbers, and enables Uber passengers to call or text their drivers. Thrivent Asset Management analyst David Rudow recently told the Wall Street Journal that Twilio "absolutely revolutionized" the way apps were built, since it would be tough and costly to build those services from scratch.
Twilio's growth indicates that excitement is justified. Revenue rose 78% to $88.8 million in 2014 and another 88% to $166.9 million in 2015. The company generates most of that revenue by charging customers per-minute rates for calls, per-message rates for text messages, and monthly rates for dedicated Twilio phone numbers. But that business model isn't profitable yet -- Twilio's net loss narrowed from $26.9 million to $26.8 million between 2013 and 2014, but widened considerably to $35.5 million in 2015.
High sales growth and low profitability are common in high-growth tech companies, but Twilio faces a much bigger risk that investors should be aware of -- its heavy dependence on Whatsapp.
How much does WhatsApp matter to Twilio?
In its S-1 filing, Twilio reveals that 17% of its 2015 revenue came from WhatsApp, up from 11% in 2013 and 13% in 2014. At first glance, that doesn't seem like a huge risk -- WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app in the world, and its active user base topped 1 billion users in April.
However, WhatsApp is also somewhat redundant in conjunction with Facebook's own Messenger app, which topped 900 million active users in April. While Messenger is gradually evolving into a monolithic app with mobile payments, in-app games, and chat bots, WhatsApp remains curiously separated from that ecosystem.
Twilio's ability to match users based on their phone numbers is seemingly the backbone of WhatsApp, but the company warns that WhatsApp "has no obligation to provide any notice" if it decides to stop using the platform. WhatsApp's unclear plans for expansion also cast a shadow on Twilio -- it recently ditched its $1 annual fee (its only source of revenue), refuses to display ads within the app, and hasn't explained how it will monetize WhatsApp beyond vague plans to connect businesses to customers. But on the bright side, Twilio added API support for Facebook Messenger in April, indicating that the relationship between Facebook and Twilio remains strong.
To understand why WhatsApp could eventually ditch Twilio, we should understand the difference between full-stack and no-stack companies. In the past, "full-stack" companies would create an app from scratch, creating their own communications features like the ones Twilio provides. That process was costly, time-consuming, and often resulted in compatibility issues.
This led to the rise of "no stack" start-ups, which develop a core technology and subscribe to other services. For example, Uber develops its core ride-hailing technology, but uses Twilio for text messages, PayPal's Braintree for billing, and Alphabet's Google Maps to find routes. Tapping into those "best in breed" services ensures that Uber provides a smooth experience for its customers, and lets it scale its operations in a cost-efficient way.
But Facebook isn't like Uber. It's a mainly full-stack player, with its own AI platform and data centers to host messages across its social network. Since Facebook has nearly a billion mobile daily active users worldwide, looking up users via Facebook profiles on WhatsApp could gradually reduce phone number-based searches. The recent addition of scanable profile codes to Messenger further eliminates the need for phone number exchanges. If WhatsApp introduces similar features, its dependence on Twilio's phone number service could dramatically decline.
Facebook Messenger codes. Image source: Facebook.
WhatsApp probably won't stop using Twilio anytime soon, since phone numbers and SMS messages will likely remain universal lookup and default communication tools for the foreseeable future. But over the long term, Twilio could shed revenue if Facebook uses its own social network as a search directory for WhatsApp and its own platform to deliver messages. If Facebook extends those services to other apps -- as it has already partially done with single sign-ons -- it could even evolve from a customer into a competitor.


Tyson is a staggering movie.
James Toback's documentary about the career and life of boxer Mike Tyson gives the lie to the Nietzschean thought, "That which does not kill me makes me stronger." Tyson may not be the walking dead but he is lost, his glory years tainted as well as faded.
At one point the most admired and feared heavyweight ever to grace the ring, and later the most loathed, he empties his heart and mind to Toback. He still revels in his victories while trying to explain his self-destructive character.
What emerges is a fallen warrior's tale: the inside story of a man bloodied and bowed.
Blaxploitation hits big screens again; Review: 'Black and White' exploits cultural clashes and race relations rather than exploring them.


Marc Briganti is a Market Data Analyst at CNBC.
On a week where oil topped $73 per barrel for the first time in 8 months before receding on Friday, treasury auctions moved the equity market, and GM and Citi were replaced in the Dow, the markets are flat to positive on the week, but the Dow manages to go positive year-to-date.
All major US indices finished in the black for the week, marking three weeks of consecutive gains, as improving economic data released this week boosted investors hopes of a recovery.
All major U.S. Indices ended the week in positive territory, led by a 4.46% gain in the NASDAQ Composite Index. Commodity prices continued to fall broadly across the board, with oil prices tumbling $9.90 this week.
On a down day for the markets and with the exception of the S&P 500, the month of July finished with the major US indices showing modest gains.
Dow performance for the first half of the year. How does 2008 stack up historically?
There are 42 instances where there was negative performance for the Dow during the first half of the year (Q1 + Q2) back to 1900.


Zoiks! Online - The Very Best in Stand-Up And Music!: MUSIC NEWS: PIERCE THE VEIL & SLEEPING WITH SIRENS ANNOUNCE LEG TWO OF "THE WORLD TOUR"
MUSIC NEWS: PIERCE THE VEIL & SLEEPING WITH SIRENS ANNOUNCE LEG TWO OF "THE WORLD TOUR"
With more than half of "The World Tour's" Leg One already sold out, Sleeping with Sirens and Pierce The Veil announce Leg Two of their five-month, multi-leg, co-headline global trek, and Rockstar Energy Drink is on board to present all dates. Leg Two launches on Friday, January 23, 2015 in Pierce The Veil's hometown of San Diego, CA, and follows the 19+ Leg One stops that play from November 5 through December 6 (all dates below). The 30 concerts will hit all four corners of the continent in early 2015, from Phoenix to Pittsburgh, Miami to Seattle, San Francisco to New York, and Dallas to Chicago. PTV and SWS will alternate the closing spot, and Leg Two support acts will be announced shortly. VIP Packages and limited pre-sale tickets are available now at www.theworldtour.info. Tickets go on sale to the public Saturday, October 4 at 10:00AM local time.
"The World Tour" represents the first time PTV and SWS have toured together since Pierce The Veil's completely sold-out "Collide With The Sky" 2012 headline tour, and both bands will be releasing brand new albums in tandem with the 2015 dates. "We're definitely going to be playing new songs on this tour," said Pierce The Veil's Vic Fuentes.
PTV has been sequestered in a New York recording studio for the past two months, working with Dan Korneff who produced the band's 2012 critically-acclaimed, award-winning breakthrough, Collide With The Sky. Basic tracks are completed, and the band's vocalist, Vic Fuentes, is currently finishing up lyrics and vocals. The still untitled album will see an early 2015 release (Fearless Records). Said PTV's bassist Jaime Preciado, "We don't just play metal or just play punk, or any one kind of music, but we cross and mix different kinds of music to make our own sound. The new music reflects that, it has a little bit of everything, some of it's heavy, some of it's fast, it definitely has the Pierce The Veil stamp, but it's all brand new."
Sleeping With Sirens has been preparing for the release of a brand new album, working with producer John Feldmann (The Used, Panic! At The Disco, Good Charlotte). This past August, fans that attended a special, intimate show in London took part in the filming of a music video for a new single to be released this fall. Although the official release date is yet to be determined, the album is currently being mixed and fans can expect to hear new music soon.


We have heard rumors that the popular Wine software that is used to run Windows apps inside Linux was being ported to Android for a few months now. Over the weekend at the FOSDEM conference held in Brussels, a demonstration of Wine running on Android was given during a talk about Wine on ARM.
Alexandre Julliard, the original developer behind Wine, showed a very brief demonstration of Wine on Android. Julliard is now employed by CodeWeaver to update and maintain the Wine project due to the company's vested interest in the software based on its commercial Wine-based crossover software for Linux and Apple OSX.
So, does this mean that we will see Windows applications like Adobe Photoshop CS6 or Office 2013 running on Android anytime soon? I do not think so, the demo was said to run very slow, and programs like Photoshop simply need more resources than any Android phone or tablet has at the moment. What do you think about Wine coming to Android? Is there a need for such software with Android having such a vast app selection already? Let us know in the comments.


Even before the jubilation in Kuwait City died down -- indeed, even before the Gulf War ended in a decisive allied victory -- many who warned that the war would go badly were warning that the war's aftermath would go badly. That is a safe prediction. No one has ever won a nickel betting on peace and harmony in the Middle East or gained a reputation for political clairvoyance by predicting that a war in the region would end its ancient conflicts.
But for all the postwar uncertainties, there ought to be no remaining doubt that the Gulf War was worth fighting and winning. In liberating Kuwait, we blocked the attempted murder of a country. In defeating Iraq, we averted the danger that an aggressive, militarist regime, hostile to liberty, might have continued to accumulate oil wealth, transform it into yet greater military force, intimidate and take over other nations in the region, and then -- as it acquired nuclear weapons -- reach a threshold of virtually impregnable power.
Preventing that concentration of self-reinforcing financial and military power in the hands of Saddam Hussein was the central, legitimate, national interest not just of the United States, but of the many other countries who joined us in the coalition. On that basis alone, the war was justified, and our victory in it genuinely a victory for international security.
Yet the indirect effects of the war are also likely -- with some notable exceptions -- to be largely positive. The magnitude of Iraq's defeat may well cause another regional power to hesitate before undertaking aggression against a neighbor. I am not suggesting that the war will fulfill the Wilsonian hopes that President Bush has evoked in his talk of a "new world order." The Gulf War is no deterrent to aggression by one of the major powers, and it may lead another Iraq one day to believe it can avoid the fate of Saddam in Kuwait if only it has a better air force and nuclear weapons. Obscure conflicts in areas remote from the Middle East oilfields or other vital international interests are unlikely to mobilize world attention, much less an effective military response.
All the same, the war serves as a reaffirmation of the sovereignty of small nations and the elementary principles of international law for which Saddam showed contempt. Strict enforcement of those principles is unlikely. But the better they are observed, the safer are people everywhere. And the more strongly we affirm such principles, the more we create moral expectations that we will abide by them ourselves.
Some who opposed the war, or at least the ground campaign, warned that our casualties would be so high that, instead of deterring aggression, the war would deter future countermeasures against aggression. This fear proved to be baseless. Had we gotten bogged down in a long and inconclusive stalemate, there would have been little deterrent value to our deployment of troops to the Gulf. But because we emerged victorious and with minimal losses, the effort appears reproducible and, therefore, less likely in need of being reproduced.
Throughout the war, critics raised the specter of repercussions in the Arab street. This was, of course, one of the fears on which Saddam was counting; the excitement of Arab passions was partly his motivation for hurling Scuds into Israel and trying to cast the war in religious and ethnic terms. The effort did not succeed. Yet many of the war's critics in America were only too ready to accept Saddam's definition of the conflict as Arabs versus the West, even with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Syria as partners in the coalition.
The scenes of euphoria from the streets of Kuwait City after the liberation were perhaps the best answer to those concerned about the emotions that a war might release. And the mounting evidence of Iraqi atrocities against Kuwaitis -- entirely in line with Saddam's record as a serial killer of his own citizens -- are the best answer to the Baathist regime's claims to represent the forces of Arab brotherhood. The unequivocal defeat of Iraq and the discrediting of its moral claims provide a healthy antidote to whatever illusions some in the Arab world may have harbored, not just about Saddam, but about other "strong" leaders raised on revolutionary violence and bent on war.
So it is by no means clear whether America's role in defeating Iraq will stir stronger passions against us, strengthen radical pan-Arabism, and undermine moderate governments. Defeat has its disenchantments; none of the bluster from Baghdad in the days after the collapse of its armies could hide the disaster that Saddam brought upon his nation. The defeat diminishes Iraq both as an ideological symbol and as a direct, political sponsor of violence. Along with diminished Soviet influence in the region, the war creates a new structure of power likely to have a positive impact in promoting moderate forces in Arab states.
Some may nonetheless still think that the war was unjustified because sanctions would have succeeded. In the congressional debate in January on the war resolution, Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell asked pointedly how, if we went to war, we would ever know whether the sanctions would have worked. But, in fact, from Saddam's refusal to give in after a month of devastating attacks from the air, we have a pretty good idea that he would not have yielded to a protracted economic embargo. The sanctions did not have the slightest promise, moreover, of reducing the scale of the Iraqi military. More than likely, had we continued with sanctions, American forces would have been sitting in the Gulf for a year and longer with no end in sight, suffering greater casualties from training accidents than they suffered in forty days of air strikes and one hundred hours of ground combat.
The Democrats who opposed the war in January on the basis of fears that it was too risky raised objections that were entirely reasonable at the time. It just happened to turn out they were wrong. Some questioned whether air power could be very effective; the whole history of air power, we were told, showed the contrary. After the air strikes proved to be effective came warnings that a ground campaign would be too costly; we should do everything possible to avoid it. When the Soviet-Iraqi peace plan was initially announced, prominent Democrats were ready to enter into negotiations and all but ruled out a ground war.
There is no shame in being reasonable but wrong. The experience, however, is not encouraging. Political leaders are judged not only on the reasonableness of their qualms, but on the sureness of their instincts. On this score, the Democrats have suffered a major embarrassment. For some time, the public has rated the Democrats as the less credible party on national defense; the Gulf War has now exacerbated all the worries that cause so many in their own natural constituencies to vote Republican in presidential elections.
Yet the real problem is not that the Democrats will continue to be "weak" on defense. On the contrary, the danger is overcompensation. Many Democrats who voted against the war resolution are now going to find it hard to oppose a future military intervention abroad, even if the circumstances are different and the case is much less sound. On defense appropriations, they will now feel a need to redeem themselves by proving their devotion to new generations of sophisticated weaponry. In short, the most likely reactions in the Democratic Party to its embarrassment on Iraq is to still or at least mute the voices of restraint in foreign policy and defense.
For a generation, Vietnam has been emblematic of the dangers of military intervention; many who opposed the war in the Gulf thought they were applying the lesson of Vietnam. But in failing to recognize the crucial differences between the Vietnam and Gulf wars -- the shared international interest in blocking Iraqi expansion; the clear moral foundations for the liberation of Kuwait; the weak hold of the Iraqi police state on the loyalty of its soldiers; and the practical advantages of fighting in a desert -- the opponents of the Gulf War inadvertently ended up discrediting the lessons of Vietnam. If the next prospective intervention is more like Vietnam than Iraq, many Americans will simply not believe it. Or, if they do see a lesson, it may be the one conservatives draw -- that we lost the Vietnam War because we reined in the military.
That was not, in fact, the cause for our defeat. We lost in Vietnam for one reason above all: we were fighting an indigenous movement that had its origins in anti-colonialism and was able to mobilize nationalist passions against the United States. But during the Gulf War, some left-wing Democrats and many in the antiwar movement performed the parts conservatives might have assigned to them. By calling for premature cease-fires and limits on air and ground operations, they confirmed fears that if in power some day, they would so limit military operations as to prolong a war and increase our casualties.
It is one thing to oppose entry into a war on moral grounds; that is an honorable view. But, once in a war, to oppose the military operations that will end it most quickly does not have the same moral or political weight. America does need a strong opposition to put every thought of foreign intervention to a hard test. Liberals will have the honor of remaining that opposition if in time of war we give the impression that our judgment is too colored by pacifist sentiment, too reflexively averse to the military, to be entrusted with ultimate responsibility for war and peace.


UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – December 13, 2012 – NBC’s reality competition series “Fashion Star” will premiere its second season on Friday, March 8, 2013 (8-9 p.m. ET). This season, 13 talented designers from around the country, including a team of two competing together, will vie for the multi-million dollar prize of launching a clothing line in Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Express. As previously announced, celebrity mentors Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie and John Varvatos return to the show and Louise Roe joins this season as host.
This season’s contestants include: Los Angeles-based designer David Appel; Milan, Italy-based designer Silvia Arguello; New York City-based designer Hunter Bell; Austin-based designer Priscilla Barroso; Los Angeles-based designer Johana Hernandez; New York City-based designer Cassandra Hobbins; New York-based designer Tori Nichel; Austin (Texas)-based designer Amber Perley; Brooklyn-based designer Daniel Silverstein; Los Angeles-based designer Brandon Scott; Malibu-based designers Jesse Vasquez and Garrett Gerson; and Los Angeles-based designer Bret Young.
Additional information on the designers follows below.
The announcement was made today by Paul Telegdy, President, Alternative and Late Night Programming, NBC Entertainment.
When it returns to NBC in March, “Fashion Star” will resume its search for the next big brand in fashion. Each week, the show will feature exhilarating fashion shows built around a weekly challenge that is designed to further develop and expand the designers’ brands. Celebrity mentors Simpson, Richie and Varvatos will guide their teams through the weekly challenges – giving them a chance to win the multi-million dollar prize of launching their collections in three of America’s largest retailers. During each episode, viewers will have the chance to immediately purchase the winning designs showcased on the episode that week. What viewers see on TV that night will be available online and in select stores immediately after the program.
David Appel – The Los Angeles-based designer has worked in the fashion industry for 12 years. His men’s contemporary sportswear line Cohesive has been sold all over the country, including Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, Kitson, Gilt, Planet Blue, Atrium and Neiman Marcus LC.
Silvia Arguello – Currently based in Milan, Arguello began her fashion career at Emanuel Ungaro in Paris shortly after graduating from Texas A&M. In 2008, she created the fashion line Rosa Clandestino, which has sold in boutiques around the world, including Fred Segal Couture in Santa Monica. In 2010, she was chosen by Vogue Italia as one of seven designers to watch in the fashion industry.
Hunter Bell – Originally from Florence, S.C., Bell is currently based in New York City. She is co-founder/designer of the brand Hunter Dixon, a contemporary women’s fashion line, which has been carried in over 150 boutiques nationwide.
Priscilla Barroso – Barroso is an Austin, Texas-based fashion designer for Crowned Bird, a French retro-inspired women’s apparel collection. She began her career as a custom tailor at Al’s Attire atelier in San Francisco. She is a fashion design graduate of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and has been recognized for her eclectic vintage styling and emerging talents in the indie fashion industry.
Johana Hernandez – The Los Angeles based fashion designer was raised in the garment industry while her parents worked in sweatshops. Despite her humble beginnings, Hernandez achieved success at the young age of 19, when she started designing for national brands. She has designed collections for Seven7 Jeans, Isaac Mizrahi, Eli Tahari Jeans and many more. Her collections for men and women, including Plus size, are available at mass retailers including Macy’s, Bloomingdales, Lane Bryant and more. In 2010, she launched her own brand, GLAUDI by Johana Hernandez, which helps raise funds for underprivileged children in Latin America.
Cassandra Hobbins – The Canadian-born designer is currently working and living in New York City. Her first fashion job was with Orthodox Clothing and from there she went on to hold positions with a variety of companies, including most recently, head sportswear designer for Tahari ASL. She also devotes much of her time to PROSE IV, her own line, which has been sold at American Rag, revolveclothing.com, EVA and select boutiques.
Tori Nichel – Originally from Michigan, the New York-based women’s wear designer is currently a creative design consultant for various corporate design companies in addition to running her namesake collection, Tori Nichel. Tori Nichel is sold online through eBay.
Amber Perley – Texas native Perley is the owner and designer of Pearl Southern Couture, a modern and fresh take on traditional Southern style. Her collection can be found in over 50 boutiques, predominately in the Southeast region.
Brandon Scott – Los Angeles-based Scott serves as designer and owner to his family-run business ScottxScott, Inc. ScottxScott is composed of four brands, ranging from men’s sportswear to women’s contemporary and shoes. The lines have been sold at Bloomingdales, Urban Outfitters, Revolve, American Rag, and many more.
Daniel Silverstein – The Brooklyn-based designer is the youngest in the competition and currently serves as creative director for the “zero-waste” fashion label, 100 percent NY, which he created in 2010. An honors graduate of the renowned Fashion Institute of Technology, Silverstein has previously worked with Carmen Marc Valvo, Republic Clothing Group, Swimwear Anywhere Inc., Carolina Herrera and Victoria’s Secret.
Bret Young – The self-taught, Los Angeles-based designer spent 10 years working as a Fit model before developing his own collection, Heirloom. With no formal training, he was able to observe and learn all aspects of the design business though his extensive modeling career.
JesseRay Vasquez and Garrett Gerson – The first duo to compete on “Fashion Star,” these Malibu-based designers came together to form Sjobeck, a contemporary brand that epitomizes “Old Malibu Laid-back Luxury” style. Sjobeck has seen success from the top boutiques in the country, including Intermix, Ron Herman, Fred Segal, Alene Too, By George, Carolina Boutique and several others.
The “Fashion Star” format was developed by Ben Silverman of Electus (NBC’s “The Biggest Loser,” “The Office,” and “The Tudors”), Rick Ringbakk and Craig Armstrong of Emmy Award-winning 5×5 Media (“Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution”), E.J. Johnston and James Deutch of EJD Productions.
The show is executive-produced by Elle Macpherson, Ben Silverman of Electus, Jane Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth of The Magical Elves, Rick Ringbakk and Craig Armstrong of 5×5 Media and EJ Johnston and James Deutch of EJD Productions. Electus/Engine Distribution will retain all international distribution rights.


After months of work, a mural depicting what its creators describe as "the way Greenwood looks in 2013" was unveiled last week at the Chamber of Commerce.
The painted mural, 10 feet by 6 feet, adorns the outside of the chamber office on the north side of the Greenwood square. It depicts a map of the city, noting key points and features.
"It shows all of the steeples of the churches, all the parks system and all the subdivisions," chamber director Doris Tate said. "I feel like it adds a lot to downtown."
The Greenwood Art Guild began the mural in July. Tate said it was an idea she had considered for some time.
"I thought a mural would be great on the front of the building," she said. "I had no idea what the design would look like. I just turned it over to the art guild, and they did their magic."
Guild member Sharla Derry said she and the other artists "have always wanted to do a nice, big, noticeable mural in the town of Greenwood that people can see."
"It’s meant to be a time capsule of the way Greenwood looks in 2013," she said. "What better fit for the Chamber of Commerce than to have a big map of Greenwood."
The mural was painted on three panels, which were later attached to the building and framed, Tate said.
"They basically did it for the community out of the kindness of their hearts," she said. "I just thought they did an outstanding job. I was excited to show Greenwood the type of artists we have in the area."
A plaque that matches current markers on the square is planned at the mural. Other mural artists included Teri Hicks, Jeannette Hunnicutt, Martha Efurd, Lorrie Bridges, Linda Faber, Lisa Clay, Wanda Granderson, Ginger Hamm and Candy Ware.


Carabao Cup TV schedule: Which matches are being shown on Sky Sports this week?
CARABAO CUP action returns this week with the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea playing but who is being shown on TV?
The tie of the round will see Liverpool host Chelsea at Anfield on Wednesday night.
The Reds will also take on the Blues in the Premier League this Saturday and will look to end Maurizio Sarri’s good start at Stamford Bridge.
Manchester United will welcome Derby to Old Trafford while Manchester City face a tricky try to Oxford.
Meanwhile, Arsenal face Brentford and Tottenham play Watford at Stadium MK.
Carabao Cup: Which fixtures will be shown live on TV?
There will be two matches shown on Sky Sports this week.
Manchester United against Derby will be shown on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football tomorrow night.
The game kicks off at 8pm as Jose Mourinho goes up against Frank Lampard.
The tie of the round though is Liverpool v Chelsea and the 7.45pm kick-off will again be on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football.


When buying a home, most people gravitate toward the flashy features, like a recently remodeled kitchen or hardwood floors. But if you’re in the market for a sweet deal, here are some overlooked features that you should be searching for.
The front door is the first thing you see when shopping for a new home, but most people give it little thought. Most exterior doors are hollow-core and made of wood. They offer adequate protection, but they aren’t nearly as safe as a steel security door. Not only are steel doors more secure, but they can also offer better insulation from the elements and dampen the sounds from a noisy street.
Most potential buyers do a quick scan of the backyard without realizing that a incredible time-saver could be lurking beneath the surface of the soil. An in-ground irrigation system can make gardening and lawn care a snap. With a few sprinklers scattered across the lawn, or a self-watering vegetable garden, you can put your greenery on an automated schedule and reap the harvest of this backyard upgrade.
Water heaters have changed little over the years. An electric or gas burner heats up the water, which gets stored in a large tank. The problem, however, is that the tank has to constantly work to keep that water warm. That’s why many people are turning to tankless water heaters, an upgrade that can save you money. Rather than store the water in a tank, these heaters use powerful burners to heat up the water only when you need it. So when you’re doing the home inspection, make sure to check out the hot water heater to see if your future home comes equipped with one of these high-tech — and money-saving — devices.
Those who live in a winter climate know the torment of sliding into a frigid car on an icy morning. If you’re on the prowl for a new home and hate the indignity of chilly car seats, check to see if your potential new home comes with an insulated garage. Of course, an insulated garage isn’t just about keeping the car warm in the winter. It also allows you to use the garage as an all-seasons, multi-purpose space, like a workshop or a man-cave.
Most people don’t think much about the pipes when they are buying a home. The pipes are hidden behind the walls, and as long as they keep the water flowing, why worry about them? In most homes today, PVC pipes have become the standard. But if you’re lucky, you can land a home with cast iron plumbing. Much sturdier than PVC, high-density cast iron is also a better sound insulator, which means that you’re not going to hear a loud whoosh of water when someone flushes a toilet or takes a shower.
A home retrofitted with energy efficient upgrades can save you money in the long run, and few upgrades pay off better than new double- or triple-paned windows. When it comes to keeping a house warm, leaks and drafts are the number one culprit, which is why old single-pane windows with cracked seals do such a poor job. While new windows can save you money on your monthly utility bills, they can also be a pricey upgrade. However sellers rarely recoup the full cost of major upgrades, which means that a buyer can get a great deal on a feature they might not otherwise be able to afford.


COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State put coach Urban Meyer on paid administrative leave on Wednesday while the school tries to figure out what the coach knew about domestic-violence allegations against former receivers coach Zach Smith.
Smith's ex-wife, Courtney, filed for an order of protection in late July. After that, information surfaced about multiple incidents in 2009 and 2015 involving the former coach, who was fired on July 23.
Meyer denied any knowledge of incidents from 2015. But reports from Wednesday suggest that he might have known, thus prompting the paid administrative leave.
So how did we get to this point?
We have to start at the beginning. Here's a timeline of Smith's connection to Meyer, including Meyer's relationship with Smith's grandfather, former OSU coach Earle Bruce.
2001: Urban Meyer took his first head coaching job at Bowling Green. Bruce was the one who encouraged Meyer to take the BG job.
2002: Smith walked on at Bowling Green, where Meyer was entering his second season as head coach.
2003: Meyer was hired at Utah. He went 22-2 as the head coach of the Utes and won the 2004 Fiesta Bowl.


About Me outspoken bipolar awkward and at times stubborn.
My Philosophy dont eat yellow snow.
What/who changed my life and why STEPBROTHERS.


Hurtling into award season it's easy to get lost in all the incredible cinema made by charismatic and compelling performers and insightful and provocative filmmakers. But for all the art it may produce, moviemaking is always essentially a business.
While some on the list seem obvious calls, it's surprising to see Denzel Washington here. The modest successes of The Book of Eli, Unstoppable, and Safe House prove to Forbes that the two-time Oscar-winner demands too high a paycheck. (Note: Flight was not considered as its totals are not in yet.) The rest of the list is noticeably dominated with actors associated with broad comedies and actresses associated with wacky romantic-comedies. But it's Eddie Murphy that comes out on top as the least valuable star.
Not counting voice work, which Forbes did not, Murphy's last three starring vehicles were Imagine That, Tower Heist, and A Thousand Words. By Forbes count, Tower Heist, which was produced for $75 million and made $152 worldwide, barely turned a profit, while the other two—whose budgets combined come to about $95 million and earned only $42 worldwide combine—are outright disasters.
The accompanying article reveals other mind-boggling revelations, like that Heigl has demanded a salary of roundabouts $12 million since The Ugly Truth, and that the completely forgettable Witherspoon-fronted romantic-comedy How Do You Know cost an absurd $120 million to make. Most interesting of all is that while much of this list is made up of beloved stars, our love for them doesn't translate into actually turning out for their films.


Basel III (or the Third Basel Accord or Basel Standards) is a global, voluntary regulatory capital and liquidity framework agreed upon by the members of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) in 2010–11. It was scheduled to be introduced from 2013 until 2015; however, the implementation has been extended to March 31, 2019. Another round of changes was agreed upon in 2016 and 2017 (informally referred to as Basel IV) and the BCBS is proposing a nine-year implementation timetable, with a “phase-in” period to commence in 2022 and full implementation to be expected by 2027. Basel III was developed in response to the deficiencies in financial regulation that came to light after the financial crisis of 2007–08. Basel III is intended to strengthen banks’ capital requirements, liquidity, maturity profile, and leverage. It also introduced macroprudential elements and capital buffers designed to improve the banking sector’s ability to absorb shocks from financial and economic stress; and reduce spillover effects from the financial sector to the real economy. Basel is an “art” form in the context of the need to perform skillful planning and creative visualization in fully comprehending its dynamic processes and uncertainties.
The timing of BSP Circular 989 and the adoption of IFRS 9 will be of equal interest to regulators as well as boards and management, who are keen on understanding the impact on financial institutions’ (FIs) loss-absorbing capacity under stressful conditions and implications for macro-prudential policy on one hand, and the strengthening of strategic plans on the other. FIs are expected to deal with expected credit loss (ECL) and time series data sets and calculation templates at granular and portfolio levels and draw upon multiple scenarios using their own expanded methodologies. They will need to achieve clarity on which would be considered base case and stressful scenarios, in order to help establish the range that would feed into the overlay mechanism of IFRS 9. When this development happens, the top-down and bottom-up approaches to adjusting Probability of Default (PD) for the overlay mechanism will become manifested in the coming months, so it is helpful to understand these two simultaneous processes that may converge (with the corporate and institutional exposures in mind).
Under the bottom-up approach, the PD is determined from the base credit risk model that accounts for idiosyncratic properties before it is adjusted for industry-level factors. The final adjustment is the overlay of the macroeconomic scenarios. Methodology-wise, this process involves recalibrating the rating or scoring PD models to incorporate macroeconomic factors. In practice, and for communication purposes, it would be helpful to distinguish the base PD and the corresponding overlay adjustment, which could be illustrated as a scalar or multiplier of 1 to 1.2 given an intense view of the economy.
On the other hand, the top-down approach is influenced by macroeconomic modeling that may involve auto-regression and would use a combination of an underlying Basel PD model and a portfolio model associated with stress testing. This Basel PD model produces a long-run or through the cycle PD that requires scaling, such that the portfolio average PD matches the predicted PD from the stress testing model. Forward-looking macroeconomic factors are applied in this exercise, with a scalar derived through optimization when linking the two models. In addition to regression, single factor models and credit index approaches may also be employed for top-down approaches.
Currently we are observing more bottom-up approaches being employed by the industry as it improves its base credit risk models and the relevant industry factors given the segment of the exposure. With the introduction of BSP Circular 989, we would expect top-down approaches to be revisited.
At some point within the next 12 to 15 months, we would expect a ‘VaR to VAR’ methodology connection between IFRS 9 and stress testing. From Value at Risk models to Vector Autoregressive models and back, this development could usher in the second generation of overlay and stress testing models that would allow economic forecasting (and potentially reduce the probability-weighting exercise to a sense-check exercise rather than as the main input) and incorporate lifetime and transition criteria. Regardless of the advancement to be implemented by financial institutions, there are helpful operational guidelines to be noted. The first point is that the exercise could result in an unintended front loading of losses, leading to capital erosion. The second is for any stress testing methodology and overlay mechanisms to be connected to internal risk management, notwithstanding the regulatory floors that may be imposed for capital adequacy purposes. The final point is for the Board to be directly involved in the identification and evaluation of stress scenarios, the stress test interrelationship map and oversight on the macroeconomic projections and its linkage to the institution’s resilience plan. Readers may refer to our July 26, 2010 article in this column, “Stress Testing as a governance tool,” for more guidance.
1. Segmentation process -— covering the traditional data processing and management, risk profiles and internal risk rating system, with a subset for emerging and unstructured data capture assessments, “Big Data Small Data” initiatives, and clustering of observed attributes and properties.
2. Credit evaluation — covering mainly the financial condition, industry assessment and outlook and management quality of the corporate and institutional customers.
3. Assessment of factors and variables — covering both single factor and multifactor analysis, analysis and binning, and other approaches used to ascertain the relationship between the data points to the intuition and judgment of experts to be used for the model selection step.
4. Model selection — covering model runs that will result in candidate integrated models (composed of main and sub-models); these models initially start with an optimization algorithm of instructions and eventually “learn” over time; it may take another two to three learning rounds over the next 12 to 15 months to help stabilize the PD models.
5. PD transformation — covering the derivation of the through-the-cycle and point-in-time PD from the models chosen.
6. Portfolio analytics — assessment of the results against the internal policies and portfolio management, which then feeds back to the segmentation process.
This “future-proofing” recommendation will help FIs transition from parametric thinking to the rise of coding drivers — specifically on the adoption of machine learning while monitoring any progress on artificial intelligence for risk management and provisioning calculations.
At this point, the emerging parametric thinking underlying the ECL calculation has established the boundaries of PD and Loss-Given Default (LGD) to reflect both idiosyncratic properties and to a certain extent — through the overlay mechanism — the systematic risk that the obligor, or broadly the portfolio, is exposed to. But what is this systematic risk factor? Are we still talking about the generic market or financial economy? Or should this now be expanded to include “funding the real economy” discussions?
The connection between Basel and IFRS 9 has been limited so far to excessive concentration, contagion and spill-over risks. What has not been covered are the network and transmission risks that arise from stagnation. In an upcoming article, we will examine its application to the areas that have the strongest potential to break inertia and have an impact on the economy — agriculture and infrastructure.
Christian G. Lauron is a Partner of SGV & Co.


This makes intuitive sense. Presidents have more leverage with Congress to shape legislation to their liking when their party controls one or both chambers, and congressional leaders usually try to avoid showdowns with presidents of their own party. Conversely, a Congress run by the opposition may deliberately seek out confrontation — sending bills to the White House that are sure to get vetoed so as to sharpen political contrasts with the president.
By their nature, pocket vetoes can’t be overridden, since Congress isn’t in place to act. And while Congress can try to override a regular presidential veto, it doesn’t often succeed: Only 31 of the 194 vetoes referred to above (16%) were overridden. Override attempts failed in 74 cases (38%), and in the remaining 89 cases (46%) Congress accepted the vetoes with no attempt to override. Put another way: If the President vetoes a bill it has a better than 8-in-10 chance of staying vetoed.
The chances of a successful override improve when one or both houses of Congress are controlled by the party in opposition to the president’s. According to our analysis, of the 29 regular vetoes issued when either the House or the Senate (but not both) was run by the opposition, six (20.7%) were overridden. Twenty-three of the 140 vetoes issued when both chambers were controlled by the opposition (16.4%) were overridden. By contrast, only two of the 25 vetoes issued during the dozen years when the same party controlled the House, Senate and the White House were overridden.
George W. Bush’s presidency may hold some clues to what lies ahead for Obama. Bush vetoed no bills in his first term and only one (which was sustained) in his second. (Democrats controlled the Senate for most of Bush’s first two years in office; otherwise the GOP dominated Capitol Hill.) In 2006, however, Democrats won control of both the House and Senate. During the subsequent 110th Congress Bush issued 11 vetoes, four of which were overridden.
To date, Obama has vetoed just two bills — both, as it happens, during the two years Democrats controlled both the House and Senate. The first, a stopgap budget resolution, was vetoed in December 2009 as “unnecessary” given the subsequent passage of a regular defense-spending bill. The other veto, in October 2010, was of a bill concerning the interstate recognition of notarizations by federal and state judges — which doesn’t sound like much, except that it came as several major banks were entangled in the “robo-signing” foreclosure scandal. In his disapproval memorandum, Obama said he was concerned about the measure’s “possible unintended impact…on consumer protections, including those for mortgages.” Both vetoes were sustained.


NETBALL: Sunshine Coast assistant coach Kylee Byrne believes her side's ability to stay calm under pressure holds them in good stead for their preliminary final clash with the Giants on Sunday.
The Lightning edged the Firebirds by a single goal amid tense scenes in enemy territory last weekend to keep their title defence alive.
And during the second half of this season, they've dropped just one of six close encounters.
"If you look at how we've won games it (generally) hasn't been by big margins but ... we're actually really good at that. We know how to control those situations," Byrne said.
"We'd love to win by more, for our hearts more than anything, but we'll take one goal if we have to."
The Lightning showed composure under fire last time the two teams met, at Sippy Downs in June, when Caitlin Bassett found the hoop at the death to level the scores.
The Sunshine Coast players head to Sydney having proved a point this season, according to Byrne.
They won the national league title in their inaugural campaign in 2017 but she said they've emphasised their talent this time around.
"Where people might have said last year that we might have been lucky or it was first year and we went with it, I think it (this year) shows we have the calibre of players who can compete at this level, whether it's here or (on the) international (stage) and I hope people are starting to look at that," she said.
They've managed to get this far without star midcourter Laura Langman, who left in the off-season.
"There's been a lot of talk about how we've been without Laura but I think it's hats off to, particularly to Laura Scherian and Maddy McAuliffe, who have put their hands up and filled that role for us."
The Lightning are likely to head into the grand final replay against the minor premiers as slight under-dogs but Byrne was okay with that. "We're loving that situation and particularly down there, where it's a hostile environment against the crowd. We don't want it any other way," she said.


Wait, They're Making A Theme Park Based On The Hunger Games?
Theme parks based on dangerous concepts tend to be terrible ideas. Just ask the folks behind Jurassic Park, who apparently didn’t learn their lesson. So you’ll forgive us for not embracing the concept of a theme park based on The Hunger Games, because from what we remember about those first two Games movies, not a lot of people make it out of the arena alive.
Lionsgate, however, has started down the path to bring both a Hunger Games and a Step Up theme park to Dubai through a partnership with Dubai Parks and Recreation. THR reports that the Motiongate Dubai parks would open in October 2016, and feature attractions, retail shops and stage shows inspired by both the Hunger Games and Step Up movie franchises. See, one of those makes a lot of sense! Step Up is a high-octane dance franchise that could inspire several DIY showcases for global talent.
The Hunger Games, on the flip side, just sounds deadly. Will there be a giant cornucopia filled with weapons that visitors will have to run to at the start of each morning? Instead of a traditional fireworks display, will each night end with cannon fire, signifying how many tourists gave their lives up in honor of the most exclusive, immersive vacation destination in film-fan history?
We’re exaggerating, of course. The rides and attractions at the Hunger Games theme park likely will do an excellent job of incorporating elements of the behemoth, dystopian YA film franchise, possibly letting you eat lunch in The Capitol, ride a roller coaster through District 13, or buy an Effie Trinket wig at a Hunger Games gift shop near the park’s entrance. You know a lot of girls will be leaving the Motiongate Dubai park with a customized Katniss Everdeen archery set.
This isn’t the only effort by Lionsgate to extend the Hunger Games brand after the final film, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 opens in theaters on November 20. Variety reported last year that the studio is teaming up with Imagine Nation and Triangular Entertainment to bring a Hunger Games live show to the stage. The show will be established in the UK at Wembley Stadium in London. Can’t travel overseas to either Great Britain or Dubai? Not a problem. The trade also reported that a U.S. tour of The Hunger Games: The Exhibition is expected to hit numerous locations this summer.
Could it work? Sure. Universal Studios has an extremely popular Harry Potter theme park in Orlando. There have been plans for a Fast & Furious theme park. So yeah, theme parks based on very popular movies are the new fad. Expect Divergent to follow up with a copycat attraction in coming weeks.


No, the man who was busy assuring that he had no problems with Klan membership was one President Franklin D. Roosevelt. FDR made the assurance not to just anyone, either. He made it to Alabama progressive Democrat and senator Hugo Black — when Black had been nominated by FDR to, yes indeed, the Supreme Court of the United States. Black revealed the conversation decades later in his memoirs because, yes indeed, he, Black, had been a member of the Ku Klux Klan himself.
This episode really tells us much more about Roosevelt than Black. There appears to be little doubt that he knowingly appointed a member of the Ku Klux Klan to the Supreme Court and saw nothing wrong with it since he had many “friends and supporters” who were also members.
The point here is very simple. There is no umbrage in the Democratic Party today about FDR and his “friends and supporters” in the Klan because, in fact, then, now — and always — the Democrats have been the Party of Race. Ralph Northam is not some sort of exception — he is the rule. This is, recall, the party that celebrates progressive icon and president Woodrow Wilson — he the Democrat who segregated the federal government and show-cased the Klan supporting the film Birth of a Nationwith a showing at the White House.
As Dan Flynn reminds, before Northam, Democrats didn’t just dress up as Klansmen — they were the Klan.
The six presidential platforms that supported slavery. When slavery was defeated, the party quickly moved to support for segregation, either supporting it outright or being silent on the subject in 20 presidential platforms from 1868 to 1948.
There is more to this — oh so much more — but the point is crystal clear. This heavy dependence on racism to win elections is not some lurid past. And Ralph Northam is far from alone in his party right this minute.
Oh, so pious. Oh, so righteous. And phony as the proverbial three-dollar bill.
Did either Hillary or Biden refuse to speak at Sharpton’s events, saying that Sharpton must go from any and all influence in their party because he has been captured on tape going on about “Chinamen,” “Greek homos,” “punk faggots” and “n****rs”? Of course not.
The hard political fact is that the American Left, having built an entire political apparatus on racism, is going to keep right on playing the race card to win elections — and no one in their leadership is going to call for this to stop.
And don’t forget the media. Where are the calls at CNN and MSNBC and the Times and the Post for Sharpton’s head? Silence. Except for MSNBC — which has made a point of giving Sharpton a television show.
What this entire Northam incident has illustrated is — yet again — just how obsessed with race is the American Left and the Democratic Party. In moving from supporting slavery to supporting segregation to now supporting the son of segregation — identity politics — the party has not moved at all.
What Ralph Northam has inadvertently illustrated over the last several days is just how race obsessed his party has, in fact, always been. And still is. With no Democrat having the political courage to stand up and say — enough.


Every fall, designers and curators (and the plain curious) descend on Eindhoven for Dutch Design Week. And more and more each year, the post-industrial town plays host to a series of experimental design projects, the most impressive of which play with our perception of what materials are and what they can do.
There to take it all in was industrial designer Max Lipsey–who singled out for Co.Design the standout projects from both up-and-coming and established designers. His report includes the “mind-bending” concentric circle table from Eindhoven-based Akko Goldeneeld, and the “immaculately finished” workshop space of Dirk van der Koolj, from the town of Zaandam.
Refreshingly, the collection of work presented here is largely off-the-grid and tech-free. Designers dialed back on sensors and digital fabrication for 2013, preferring instead to give second life to tangible wares like denim shirts, or to invent new methods for painting tabletop china.
See Max Lipsey’s selections in the slide show, and see more work from Dutch Design Week here.


Dollar1 offers the My Arcade Wireless GamePad Pro Controller for NES Classic for $5 plus $4 for shipping. That's $2 under our September mention and the lowest price we could find by a buck. It's also compatible with the Wii and Wii U.


Calderdale Council has put a new flashing speed sign on Bradford Road, Brighouse.
The sign, opposite Brighouse Swimming Pool, has been installed in response to residents’ concerns about the speed of vehicles travelling on the road. It will be fixed in its current location for 12 months before being moved elsewhere on Bradford Road.
“Speeding on Bradford Road has long been a problem,” said Coun Scott Benton.
“The introduction of this sign, which councillors have campaigned for, will hopefully make motorists aware of the speed at which they are travelling and will help to slow the traffic down.
Coun Benton added: “The council is currently conducting a review of the different parking and speeding issues on various sections of the road.