My story this week started when a friend invited me to his rural home in Mfang’ano Island, Homa Bay County - my first ever visit to the iconic island surrounded by Lake Victoria.
I have this habit of looking for football-related snippets whenever I visit parts of Kenya with a history of football. That is how I penned up previous pieces from Turkana, Rabai, Freretown, Kitale, Eldoret, Nakuru, Lodwar, Berlin and Frankfurt, Kigali, Arusha and Juba in South Sudan.
Visiting the island is not for the fainthearted. The journey can be torturous and scary if you are not used to travelling on water and climbing rocky hills.
The place is inhabited by a community that confounds many - the Suba. Most speak Dholuo and when I asked for reasons, I was told they are unable to speak Suba because either one of their parents is pure Luo, or both father and mother, though Suba, always spoke to them in Dholuo. That although there have been instances when politicians have taken advantage to ‘set them free’, it has been very difficult. Thanks to historical intermarriages.
I witnessed this first hand when my friend asked me to accompany him to a funeral deep inside the island in a village called Wakula. There was this old man who conducted opening prayers in a language that sounded more Luhya or Luganda. I thought he would continue but in the end, he switched to Dholuo. I was baffled.
Seated next to me was another old man by the name Romanus Philip Onyango or simply ‘RP’. I asked him why the whole function was not conducted in Suba since we were at the heart of the community. Well, his answer is a story for another day and for another interest group.
The community resides in five main places namely Mfang’ano, Rusinga, Gembe, Gwassi and Mbita. Through long historical intermarriages with the Luo, the Suba language is classified as endangered and the modern generation hardly speaks or identifies with it.
My interaction with this old man formed the basis of my story about the island. ‘RP’ had also attended the same function but from neighbouring Rusinga Island. Also in the lake are several other islands namely Ringiti, Remba and the controversial Migingo.
Mzee RP, now 80, but although his gait may betray him when he speaks Kiswahili, one would think he was born in the 1970s. He was born around 1938 and moved to Nairobi in the mid-1940s after World War II. Like many educated Kenyans in Nairobi at that time, his father worked for Kenya Railways. That helped shape his outlook towards the world and fluency in Kiswahili and English besides mastering Dholuo.
RP was educated at St Peter Clavers Primary School and trained as a teacher in both Kenya and the UK. Before going overseas, he was a teacher in 1959 when he started off at St Peter Clavers. He later taught at St Philomenas on Racecourse Road, St John’s Kaloleni and was headmaster at St Michael’s Jogoo Road as well.
Can you imagine meeting someone who saw the City Stadium being constructed? I was excited. He was a goldmine of information on Kenya’s early soccer years.
RP narrated how before independence, most African communities that loved football (read Luos and Luhyas) who also lived around the railway quarters in Makongeni and Kaloleni, had their own teams. The Suba had their own team comprising players from Gwassi, Rusinga, Gembe, Kaksingri and Mfang’ano. They were called the ‘5 Nations’ or Pinje Abich in Dholuo.
They had among their ranks many talented players who did duty for Kenya. Mfang’ano, in particular, had good players whose names became prominent within football circles.
The famous Mfang’ano Street is named after the island I just visited and which many Kenyans cannot place on a map without the help of Google Maps. ‘Five Nations’ produced great football talents like Joe Okeyo Kapila ‘Mwalimu’ who commanded Kenya’s midfield with all the ball artistry never seen before. Okeyo from Wakula village in Mfang’ano shared the position with Steve ‘McQueen’ Yongo from Gwassi. Yongo was arguably the first Kenyan footballer to exhibit chest ball control. No Kenyan had ever chested the ball until McQueen did it around 1967. The McQueen name was derived from Steve McQueen, the American actor whose anti-hero persona rode on the counterculture of the 1960s and ‘70s in films such as Papillon, Towering Inferno and The Great Escape.
George Solomon Otieno aka Solo from Gembe Island was Gor Mahia’s right-back for many years. He was in the heroic 1987 team and was famous for his hard tackles. Other players who hailed from the islands were Bernard ‘Zico’ Otieno and his brother Felix Otieno. Sons of Elisha Otieno from Kakimba Village in Mfang’ano, the duo played for Tusker FC and Gor Mahia respectively.
We also had Tobias Maira, Tillen Oguta and Tom Ogweno. Great players whose footsteps were followed by the mercurial George ‘Blackberry’ Odhiambo. All these stars, until recently, converged every December at the famous Sindo Sports Festival to showcase their skills and soccer club officials scouted for talent.
Going to our football records, we see many tournaments won by the 5 Nations team until around 1968 when Tom Mboya convened a meeting to form one strong ‘Luo team’. Like the Suba language, their 5 Nations team was swallowed and all their players mopped up by Gor Mahia. The perception was that the Luos had regrouped.
Mzee RP was among the people who saw the simultaneous dissolution and merger. He was at some point elected deputy secretary to Mahallon Danga. RP retired in 1999 and now leads a quiet fulfilling life on Rusinga Island. His only regret is that nobody has ever documented the role 5 Nations played in the formation of Gor Mahia in 1968.
When I promised to write something about it, he was excited and happy that finally their contribution may be acknowledged.


WASHINGTON (AP) — Bernie Sanders is netting a few extra delegates at Colorado's Democratic state convention — though it's not having a real impact on his chances to win the presidential nomination.
Colorado has a multistep process of allocating delegates. Based on the March 1 caucus, Sanders initially picked up 38 delegates to Hillary Clinton's 28.
Since then, Sanders has won additional support at congressional district conventions and Saturday's state convention, resulting in a few more delegates.
The final delegate allocation for Colorado: 41 for Sanders, 25 for Clinton.
That means, to date, Clinton has 1,289 delegates from primaries and caucuses to Sanders' 1,045.
When including superdelegates, or party officials who can support any candidate, Clinton has 1,758 to Sanders' 1,076.


ATLANTA, Ga. (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — M2SYS Technology, an award-winning fingerprint biometrics research and development firm, announced today that Harms Software, a leading provider of management software to the spa and salon industry, has agreed to begin providing M2SYS fingerprint readers and software to their customers worldwide.
Harms Software has successfully integrated M2SYS’ Bio-Plugin(TM), an enterprise-ready fingerprint biometrics solution, in its award-winning flagship product, Millennium(TM). Harms Software will begin offering Bio-Plugin(TM) as a seamless component to their existing application, instantly providing their customers with flawless employee tracking/management and faster log-in and point-of-sale transactions that result in minimal customer wait-time, and easier overall functionality.
Harms Software, Inc., www.harms-software.com, is an industry leader in spa and salon management software. Harms Software develops Millennium Software(TM), a suite of products that is installed in hundreds of spa and salon locations worldwide.


While kissing a slimy frog may not be the best route to finding your Prince Charming, frog slime has been suggested to protect against flu. According to researchers from the Emory Vaccine Center and the Rajiv Gandhi Center for Biotechnology in India, frog slime can destroy the H1 variety of influenza viruses.
Mucus secreted from the skin of the Hydrophylax bahuvistara frog may kill certain strains of the flu virus.
The discovery was published in Immunity and was led by senior author Joshy Jacob, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the Emory Vaccine Center and Emory University School of Medicine.
Prof. Jacob and graduate student David Holthausen collaborated on the research project with M.R. Pillai, Ph.D., and Sanil George, Ph.D., from the Rajiv Gandhi Center for Biotechnology.
Previous research has shown that frogs' skins secrete mucus that contains "host defense peptides," known to protect them from harmful bacteria. The new study reveals that the skin secretions from South Indian frogs act as "anti-flu peptides" and could prove useful in the antiviral drug arena.
For example, anti-flu peptides could be an invaluable resource if there were a new influenza pandemic. Influenza pandemics occur when there is an outbreak of a novel influenza strain that emerges, infects, and spreads quickly and easily. In the absence of a vaccine for the new strain, or if strains that are already circulating become resistant to current drugs, anti-flu peptides could be utilized.
A peptide is a tiny compound made from a small chain of amino acids, commonly referred to as the "building blocks of proteins." Prof. Jacob and team called one of the antiviral peptides they discovered "urumin," after a whip-like sword used many years ago in the south of India called the "urumi."
The team used mild electrical stimulation to collect urumin from the skin secretions of the Indian frog Hydrophylax bahuvistara. Some antibacterial peptides are poisonous to mammalian cells and work by punching holes in the cell membranes. However, when viewing urumin through electron microscopy, the researchers uncovered that the peptide only disrupted the flu virus' integrity.
Jacob notes that urumin attaches to the stem region of the viral hemagglutinin protein - a part of the virus responsible for binding the virus to the infected cell. "This specificity could be valuable because current anti-influenza drugs target other parts of the virus," says Prof. Jacob.
This region of the flu virus is also the target of the proposed universal flu vaccine, a new generation of vaccines that protect against multiple strains of flu.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), annual influenza epidemics affect around 5 to 15 percent of the population of the northern hemisphere. Currently, the most efficient way to prevent flu for people who are most at risk of serious complications is to have an annual vaccination.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that all individuals 6 months of age and older should be vaccinated against the flu every season.
In an experiment, the researchers identified that administering urumin to unvaccinated mice through the nose protected them against a lethal dose of flu. However, the protection was only specific to some strains of flu. Urumin worked against the H1 strains of flu - the 2009 pandemic strain - but were not effective against other current flu strains, such as H3N2. The infectious agent from which urumin protects frogs is currently unknown.
"Because flu viruses from humans cannot infect frogs, producing urumin probably confers on frogs an advantage in fighting some other pathogen."
Developing antimicrobial peptides from frogs' skins into active drugs is challenging since the body's enzymes can break them down. Future work by Jacob and colleagues will center on exploring ways to stabilize urumin and other antiviral peptides. The team also aims to search for other frog-derived peptides that might tackle viruses including dengue and Zika.
Learn how the novel universal flu vaccine works.


Why Isn’t 2018 Album of the Year Nominee Lorde Performing at the Grammys?
For a Grammy nominee who isn’t performing at the Grammys, Lorde is certainly owning Grammy Week.
On Wednesday night she performed with Jack Antonoff at his fourth annual Ally Coalition benefit at New York’s Town Hall, where they played four songs: a sublime cover of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Run Away With Me,” an amusing one of Roy Orbison’s “You Got It,” and two from her 2017 sophomore set “Melodrama,” which happens to be nominated for the big prize, Grammy Album of the Year. (Antonoff also shouted down a heckler who criticized Lorde’s decision to cancel a concert in Israel over the country’s policies toward Palestinians, but that’s a different story.) On Thursday she attended an A-list birthday party for new Columbia chief Ron Perry (who A&R’ed “Melodrama”) with manager Jonathan Daniel. And on Friday night she absolutely slayed “Silver Springs” — a Stevie Nicks song that, incredibly, was left off of “Rumors” due to space considerations — at the MusiCares tribute to Fleetwood Mac, bringing an intense physicality to the verses that contrasts with but also compliments Nicks’ sweeter, folkier take on the original.
It’s left many wondering why a charismatic young Grammy Album of the Year nominee who’s in town and has performed two out of the last three nights isn’t performing on the show. Sources close to the situation tell Variety that the Grammys approached Lorde about performing with other artists but not solo; one source says it was part of a tribute to the late Tom Petty involving his song “American Girl” (which would have been an odd fit for the New Zealand-born singer). Lorde declined.
That source added that the other Album of the Year contenders — all of whom are male — were offered solo spots performing songs from their respective nominated albums.
Lorde was nominated for four Grammy Awards in 2014 and won two — Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance — for her breakthrough song “Royals,” which she performed on the show that year (solo, with her band). She was 17 years old at the time.
Reps for the Grammys and Lorde did not immediately respond to Variety’s request for comment.


While the Senate appears to have reached a deal on executive-branch appointments that heads off a showdown over filibuster rules, the fact that the confrontation went as far as it did points up the increasingly polarized state of Congress. From immigration reform to food stamps to student loans, it almost seems as if congressional Republicans and Democrats inhabit different worlds.
In a way, they do. Not only are Republicans and Democrats elected from very different districts with distinct voter bases, but Congress reflects an America that has been growing further and further apart ideologically for decades.
In addition, as The New York Times illustrated recently, red and blue America have very different racial and ethnic makeups. House districts represented by Democrats are collectively just over half white, 16% black and nearly a quarter (22.5%) Hispanic; Republican-represented districts are nearly three-quarters white, 8.5% black and 11.1% Hispanic.
That’s in part because most House districts have been carefully drawn to be as “safe” for Republicans or Democrats as legally possible. Last year, 30 out of 435 House elections were decided by less than 5 percentage points, while 69 percent of incumbents running for re-election won with more than 60% of the vote. The Rothenberg Political Report currently lists just 47 House seats as “in play” for next year’s election; exclude the races where Democrats or Republicans are favored to win, and you’re down to 29.
Ornstein and Mann list the average ideological positions of House and Senate Republicans and Democrats in each Congress since the end of World War II, adopting a scoring procedure developed some three decades ago by Keith Poole of the University of Georgia and Howard Rosenthal of NYU. The Poole-Rosenthal scale, based on members’ voting records, runs from -1 (most liberal) to +1 (most conservative).


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Conferences, Oxford Global. "Oxford Global's Free Webinar on Bioelectronics & Biosensors, 7th September 2016 - 10am GMT." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 18 Aug. 2016. Web.


Let's enjoy one more year of flat tolls. Come 2020, Rockland-to-Westchester commuters can expect the toll bill to come due, likely in a big way.
As 2019 dawns, we’re just a year away (maybe) from a much-anticipated, much-dreaded toll increase for the bridge across the Tappan Zee. How much will tolls rise? When? Who knows — well a few officials may, but we don't.
Tolls on the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, are frozen until “at least” 2020, according to the New York State Thruway. Does that mean tolls could go up Jan. 1, 2020 or mid-2020 or maybe even not at all? Shrug.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo likes to talk a lot about his pet project and its "innovative" design-build construction method that should keep down costs and speed up completion. (We don't know the final details on either of those yet, really.) But the cost for commuters who rely on the crossing? The governor doesn't talk much about that.
We could ask some of the members of a special Tolls and Financing Task Force. But that panel has still not met. Never. Not once. There are, according to Thruway officials, no plans yet for the task force to hold a meeting.
The stakes are high, for everyone.
The Thruway Authority relies heavily on toll revenue from the Tappan Zee crossing, which, for decades, provided about one-fifth of the agency's operating revenue for its 570-mile system. During the construction of the new bridge, which is reported to cost $3.9 billion, all kinds of techniques have been used to help boost the Thruway Authority's bottom line, from moving the money-losing Canal Corporation to the New York Power Authority to giving bank settlement payouts to the authority. While the feds provided a record $1.6 billion worth of super-low-interest loans, they are still loans.
Toll revenue will, sooner or later, be a main mechanism for funding the Thruway Authority and paying off the bridge construction costs.
The future cost of Cuomo Bridge tolls will surely impact real estate values in Rockland and likely Orange County as well.
Tolls are now $5 for eastbound/southbound cars, or $4.50 with an E-Z Pass (which everyone should have, especially as the thruway is now tollbooth-free and a missed payment can cause huge fines).
Another consideration for tolls: Trucks. The thruway corridor, with connections to Interstates 95, 84 and 287, provides a conduit for Northeast and New England commerce.
Commercial tolls on the Tappan Zee were supposed to go up a whopping 45 percent back in 2012. Amid pressure from the industry, the Thruway Authority reneged and tolls have remained the same since. So, a five-axle truck pays $24.75 during peak times on the Cuomo Bridge, with some off-peak rates as low as $16.38; on the GW, that same truck would pay $90 peak and $85 off-peak. (These are all E-Z Pass prices).
Wonder why the I-287 corridor through Westchester and Rockland always seems so clogged?
Then there's the cashless tolling mess. This month, the Thruway Authority announced all its fixed-price toll collection sites are 100 percent cashless. But the system's far from perfect — missed tolls revenue had cost millions at various cashless crossings even before the Tappan Zee switch.
Before making the Tappan Zee all-cashless, the authority prepared for toll losses by hiking fines and supposedly streamlining the collection process by linking it to vehicle registrations through the DMV.
Scores of commuters either missed or never received notifications. Many ended up with thousands in overdue fines; in some cases, vehicles were impounded on the spot for yanked registrations due to toll debts.
The Thruway's made improvements, but a bill called the Toll Payer Protection Act still awaits Cuomo's signature. Some fairness is due tollpayers. Cuomo should sign the legislation by its Dec. 31 deadline.
The bridge has benefits: The new dual-span crossing adds reliability by replacing an undersecure overtaxed roadway that could come to a halt after just a minor fender-bender. Yes, traffic still stacks up along the I-287/thruway corridor each morning heading east and each evening heading west. But special bus lanes and breakdown shoulders (only, so far, on eastbound lanes) and turnarounds (not yet functional) are designed to make traffic more predictable, even if it remains slow.
Let's not forget the constant cost of maintaining the old bridge that handled much more traffic than intended, was made on the cheap and didn't meet the security needs of a post-9/11 world.
What's that worth? An extra couple bucks a day? Double what drivers pay now? Triple?
Let's enjoy a new year of flat tolls. Come 2020, though, expect the toll bill to come due, likely in a big way.


Exactly 110 years after the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank, an Australian billionaire has recommitted himself to building a replica of the boat, complete with the same interiors and cabin layout as the original vessel.
Mining magnate Clive Palmer has been working on the project billed as Titanic 2 since 2012, and only recently resumed construction on the project after work had to be suspended due to financial difficulties.
The boat is expected to be complete with a ballroom and Turkish baths, with reports also suggesting that passengers will be given period costumes to wear.
Titanic 2 will follow the same journey as its namesake had planned, carrying passengers from Southampton to New York.
But Mr Palmer said the ship will also sail the world ‘inspiring and enchanting people while attracting unrivaled attention, intrigue and mystery in every port she visits’ he told MSN.
The project has faced years of delays over payment disputes and lack of funding until a court ruling enabled Mr Palmer to re-start building.
Work had to be suspended in 2015 following a payment dispute between one of the businessman’s companies and Chinese company Citic, which starved the project of funds.
But the West Australian supreme court ruled in 2017 that Citic had to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in back royalty payments to Mr Palmer’s company.
The ruling enabled him to continue with his passion project.
Although there have been reports that the boat will launch its maiden voyage in 2022, a spokesperson for Blue Star Line, the company behind the Titanic II project, told the Guardian that no dates had been announced yet.
According to Blue Star Line, Titanic II will have the same class categories as the original ship — first, second and third class.
It will also be the same length, and will have replicated dining rooms and restaurants.
There is no word yet on how much a ticket will cost.


Newswise — MINNEAPOLIS – Men who experience restless legs syndrome (RLS) may have a higher risk of dying earlier, according to research that appears in the June 12, 2013, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The disorder is characterized by an irresistible urge to move the legs and often causes leg sensations of burning, creeping, and tugging, which are usually worse at night.
“RLS affects five to 10 percent of adults across the country,” said study author Xiang Gao, MD, PhD, with Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School and the Channing division of network medicine, Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston. Gao is also a member of the American Academy of Neurology. “Our study highlights the importance of recognizing this common but underdiagnosed disease.” For the study, 18,425 men with an average age of 67 who did not have diabetes, arthritis or kidney failure were evaluated for RLS. A total of 690 of the men, or 3.7 percent, met the criteria for restless legs syndrome at the beginning of the study. Information about major chronic diseases was collected every two years. During the eight years of study follow-up, 2,765 of the participants died. Of the people with RLS, 171, or 25 percent, died during the study, compared to 2,594, or 15 percent, of those who did not have RLS.
The study found that men with RLS had a nearly 40 percent increased risk of death compared to men without RLS. The association dropped only slightly after adjusting for factors such as body mass index, lifestyle, chronic conditions, lack of sleep and other sleep disorders. When the researchers excluded people with major chronic conditions such as cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure from the analysis, the association between RLS and an increased risk of death rose to 92 percent higher than those without RLS.
Although RLS can occur in children, the study did not assess whether there was a long-term risk in this population. The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
To learn more about restless legs syndrome, please visit www.aan.com/patients.


Plaintiff's bill in suit of equity before the Virginia High Court of Chancery in the case of Patrick Boyle and Michael McKewan vs George Lindenberger. Witnessed by Charles Ossick, 12 January 1801. Injunction written and signed by George Wythe, 26 January 1801. Patrick Boyle made his oath in Berkeley County, Virginia. Other names mentioned George C. Lindenburger, Charles Ingolesby and Charles McGovern.
George Wythe Collection, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.


Standing Rock Special: Historian Says Dakota Access Co. Attack Came on Anniv. of Whitestone Massacre | Democracy Now!
Standing Rock Sioux tribal historian.
While reporting from the standoff at Standing Rock in September, Democracy Now! sat down with Standing Rock Sioux tribal historian LaDonna Brave Bull Allard to speak about another attack against her tribe—this one on the same day 153 years before. On September 3, 1863, the U.S. Army massacred more than 300 members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in what became known as the Whitestone massacre. LaDonna Brave Bull Allard is not only the tribal historian, she’s also one of the founders of the Sacred Stone Camp, launched on her land April 1, 2016, to resist the Dakota Access pipeline.
AMY GOODMAN: That day, September 3rd, we also sat down with Standing Rock Sioux tribal historian LaDonna Brave Bull Allard to speak about another attack against her tribe, this one on the same day 153 years before. It was on September 3rd, 1863, that the U.S. Army massacred more than 300 members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in what’s become known as the Whitestone massacre. LaDonna Brave Bull Allard is not only the tribal historian, but also one of the founders of the Sacred Stone Camp, the first resistance camp launched on her land April 1st, 2016, to resist the Dakota Access pipeline.
LADONNA BRAVE BULL ALLARD: A hundred and fifty-three years ago—fifty-two years ago, the Whitestone massacre happened, which the people in this community, the Cannon Ball community, are from, descendants of that massacre. We are the survivors of that massacre. One of the things that, you know, I always say is, this massacre happened, America forgot they killed us. And we have just—spending this time trying to figure out how to survive. So, we were the wrong Indians that they killed at that time. The Dakota Wars were happening in 1863. And so the government put up these armed forces to go after the Isanti, the Santee, and so they put this military action together.
On the morning of September 3rd, our people were gathered, as we do every year at this time. We gather because it’s harvest time. The fruit and vegetables are ready. It is a time when we are doing the buffalo call, and we have ceremonies to call the buffaloes for the people to come to hunt, so that we can prepare the meat for winter. So this is what was happening at Whitestone at that time. And so, we have a large gathering of 4,000 people. And I think that’s kind of unique. There’s almost 4,000 people here. And so, we had all of these communities coming in together to go into this trade. And as people are preparing buffalo hides and getting dry meat ready, they are also visiting, making relatives, having marriages. All of these things are happening in this camp. And so, they say the soldiers are coming. And our leaders said, “We have never had an argument with the white people. We have only been at peace. We do not have a treaty with them.” And so, our people got together and said, “We heard that if you take a white flag, they will honor that to talk with us.” So they took a white flour sack, and they put it on a stick, and our leaders all went out into the soldiers to say they wanted to talk.
AMY GOODMAN: Your grandfather was one of them?
LADONNA BRAVE BULL ALLARD: Yes. So my grandfather was a medicine man. His name was Tatanka Ohikita, Brave Buffalo. So, Brave Buffalo was among them, with the chiefs. They went out to talk to the soldiers. The soldiers surrounded them and took them as a prisoners of war and cordoned them off from their people. And so, the people were watching. And just like we are taught, automatically, if there is an enemy coming in, we gather all the children in the center, all the women. People were starting to tear down their lodges. People were trying to move in the chaos. So the first things the women did is they tied the babies to the dogs, they tied the children to the horses, and they shooed the dogs and the horses out of the camp. And then they gathered what they could, and they started running.
Well, at the camp, at Whitestone, they came down, and there’s this ravine. And so the people started making their way down to the ravine. And it’s kind of bizarre to us that these soldiers came in just as the sun was going down. And so, they were going to the ravine. And the soldiers came on this top of the ravine and this top of the ravine, and started shooting the women and children in the ravine. And one of the—one of our soldiers went out in front and broke the open, so that people can continue running. So, as night is falling, my grandma, Nape Hota Win, Grey Hand, she was running, and, she said, all of a sudden she had a sharp pain in her hip, and she fell down.
AMY GOODMAN: She was a child.
LADONNA BRAVE BULL ALLARD: Yeah, she was nine years old. And she laid on that ground, and she spent the night calling, “Ina! Ina!” or “Mom! Mom!” with no answer. Everywhere, she could hear the crying and screams, the songs of people dying. And as the sun came over and she could see everything that was happening, two of the soldiers came and grabbed her and threw her in the back of a buckboard. I am unsure of why that happened, because they went around, and they killed the other wounded. Why they did not kill my grandmother, I do not know.
So she laid in the buckboard as she watched the soldiers come and start killing the dogs and the babies, killing the horses, killing the wounded. They gathered up all of our property—the tents, the meat, the hides, everything we own. And we had one section of soldiers sitting down there poking holes in the bottom of our pots. And they gathered all that, and they started this great big fire, burning all our food, our homes, everything. They said that there was so much buffalo meat that they burned, that tallow ran down like rivers out into the creeks. And the people ran. For three to four days they ran, as the soldiers continued to chase and kill them. Part of our people came across here. This used to be a narrow crossing, where they crossed. And they crossed over on this side of the river to get from the soldiers.
And one of the things that we always say at this massacre is they forgot they killed us, and we weren’t even the right Indians.
AMY GOODMAN: That river crossing that you’ve described, the people fleeing from the soldiers, that’s where the Dakota Access pipeline will be built?
LADONNA BRAVE BULL ALLARD: Yes. Right where the Dakota Access pipeline is the area where our people made it across the river. It is our major river crossing there. And I will say that where this pipeline is going underneath the Missouri River is also a burial site, and so they’ll be going underneath this burial site. We are very concerned because any type of motion can bring up our remains.
AMY GOODMAN: Standing Rock Sioux tribal historian LaDonna Brave Bull Allard. We’ll be back in a minute.


Ab. L #7 Pastor Wilbert and Pastor Zinni Young of From the Heart of God Ministry, 5406 Laroach Ave., starting February 2, 2014 will have Morning Glory Sunday Service at 8am and bible teaching on Mondays at 7pm. All are invited to come and worship.


Malcolm Butler’s days in New England appear numbered.
The Patriots cornerback was the subject of a lot of contract drama this offseason, waiting a month to sign his restricted free agent tender after the two sides were unable to agree on a new deal. Butler reportedly wanted to be traded to the New Orleans Saints, too, after a visit there, and he could eventually get to New Orleans — or anywhere else in the league — as NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport said Thursday night that 2017 likely is Butler’s last season with the Pats.
Butler has been the No. 1 cornerback in New England since Darrelle Revis left after the 2014 season, but the Patriots already have that role filled by Gilmore if they do end up losing the 27-year-old in free agency.


Most teachers say they expect to contribute resources to their classrooms—bringing in everything from extra books for a classroom library to basic hygiene supplies like tissues and hand sanitizer.
But teachers aren’t only putting up the cash themselves. In addition to old standbys like grants and bake sales, many are turning to other fundraising opportunities, including online crowdfunding platforms like DonorsChoose.
1. The rise of online crowdfunding sites like DonorsChoose has given teachers more options for raising money. Still, teachers are most likely to spend their own when they need something for their classroom.
Nearly all teachers—95 percent—said they had put out some cash themselves this past year when they needed resources other than what their district provided. Teachers said they spent a median amount of $338 of their own money over the past school year. (Estimates of how much teachers spend out of pocket vary. In the National Teacher and Principal Survey, teachers reported spending an average of $479 a year on their classrooms.) Only about 12 percent said they had crowdfunded online in the past year.
Teachers’ responses also suggested that they aren’t able to fill all the funding gaps they see. Almost half said that when they need something the district doesn’t provide, they just do without.
2. Crowdfunding sites aren’t necessarily a game-changing source of funding for teachers. Educators reported receiving more money, on average, from grants and live fundraising events than they did from DonorsChoose.
Only about a quarter of teachers reported raising money for their classrooms through crowdfunding in the past year. Among them, the median amount raised was $750. But crowdfunding is still slightly less profitable than grants or live fundraising events: Teachers who used those methods typically raised $800 and $850 in the past year, respectively. And online fundraising isn’t always reliable: Nearly 1 in 3 teachers who had tried to use crowdfunding said they had never gotten a project fully funded.
3. Teachers in lower-income areas report the greatest need for additional resources. But they have a harder time fundraising than people in high-income areas.
At schools where more than 75 percent of students are from low-income families, teachers reported needing an average of $980 over the past year for materials not provided by the school or district—more than twice as much as teachers in schools where less than a quarter of students come from low-income families. And yet teachers in higher-income schools are able to raise the most money to outfit their classrooms.
These gaps are far greater in some areas than others. For example, teachers who work with students from mostly high-income families get seven times as much money from their school, district, and/or state for classroom materials and net almost five times as much from live fundraising events like bingo nights or bake sales than those teachers working with students from mostly low-income families.
Teachers in areas with mostly low-income families also spend more of their own money on classroom resources. In schools where more than 75 percent of students are from low-income families, teachers spent $767 out of pocket on average in the past year, compared with the $525 that teachers spent in schools where less than 25 percent of students are from low-income families.
4. When teachers do turn to crowdfunding sites, DonorsChoose is the favorite.
A quarter of teachers have used DonorsChoose at some point in their careers. The website is the clear leader among teachers who fundraise online: The next most popular platforms are Adopt-A-Classroom and GoFundMe, which each have been used by 3 percent of respondents. Still, most teachers have never used a crowdfunding site—71 percent say they’ve never listed a project.
What are teachers asking for on these sites? Books top the list, followed by classroom furniture, technology, and manipulatives.
5. Some schools and districts have banned crowdfunding—but that’s rare. It’s more common for schools and districts to impose regulations on how teachers use the sites.
About a quarter of teachers say there are either formal or informal procedures that govern their use of crowdfunding. Most often, they require teachers to get approval from a school administrator.
Only about 8 percent of teachers report that crowdfunding on DonorsChoose or similar sites is banned in their school or district. It’s possible that the actual number is higher, though, as 38 percent said they don’t know whether crowdfunding is permitted.
A little more than 30 percent of teachers said they could use the site without any restrictions, and 1 in 5 said that administrators encourage them to create projects.
6. For the most part, teachers think that school and district leaders are right to keep tabs on the crowdfunding going on in classrooms.
82 percent of teachers said the rules at their school or district around using DonorsChoose and similar sites are appropriate. And 56 percent of respondents said that crowdfunding should be allowed but regulated by districts.
Teachers aren’t always sure if their colleagues are always making purchases that meet district needs. While 72 percent agree that the instructional materials teachers buy are aligned to standards, only 46 percent say that teachers read the fine print on tech purchases to make sure that student data are protected.
"Teachers Are Fired Up About District Bans on DonorsChoose," (Teaching Now) March 20, 2019.
"School Districts Are Banning Teachers From Using DonorsChoose," (Teaching Now) March 14, 2019.


Adam Levine has been pretty psyched about his married life, now that he has married Victoria Secret model Behati Prinsloo.
Adam Levine is an American singer famous for his lead vocalist position in the band Maroon 5. He has received three Grammy Awards, and his new album V was recently released and is doing well on the charts. His wife Behati Prinsloo is a Namibian model who became a Victoria Secret Angel.
The two started dating in 2012, announced their engagement in July 2013, and then married in Mexico on July 19, 2014. Before Adam Levine, Prinsloo dated British model Jamie Strachan from 2005 to 2012.
According to another report from Inquisitr News, Adam Levine’s new marriage makes him feel for masculine. “I think it does change, but in a great way because… you feel like a man or something, it’s weird. The relationship doesn’t change, but you feel slightly more masculine. I feel like from a man’s perspective… at the end of the day, if you’re with the right person, the guy is supposed to feel like, I think, a little bit more of a man,” Levine told Ryan Seacrest.
Adam Levine is also more excited to be able to use the word “wife.” “I abuse that word right now, a lot. I’ll say it for no reason. I’ll say, ‘Where is my wife?’ And she’ll be right there. Wife, wife, wife. I love that term,” he tells the talk show host, with his “Voice” co-judges by his side. “I even changed the number on my phone to ‘Wife’ when she calls,” says Adam Levine.
Levine and Prinsloo got married in July, and have been enjoying life since. Facebook and Twitter posts confirm that the two are happily married and enjoying each other’s company. The two have even started planning the future in terms of kids. “I want to have like 100 kids. I want to have more kids than it would be socially responsible to have. I don’t know when we’re going to do it, we can’t do it right now. But it’s absolutely in the works for some future date, not right this second,” said Adam Levine.
“I do [have a ring on]. I know. I never really thought I would. It’s trippy. I’m such a child. How did this happen?”, he continues to add.
Levine is set to premiere on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on its new season airing Monday, September 8. Levine will most likely discuss more about what it’s like to be married in-depth and reveal what the future holds.


The FBI has filed two charges against Floyd Lee Corkins II, the 28-year-old suspected gunman who police say opened fire in the lobby of the Family Research Council, injuring security officer Leo Johnson in the arm. One was a federal offense of interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition (because Corkins transported the gun and ammunition from his home in Virginia), and the other was a D.C. offense of assault with intent to kill while armed. Corkins has been held without bond and prosecutors have requested he undergo a psychiatric evaluation.


- LUNCHTIME YOGA: Head to Union St at 12.30pm today for a spot of lunchtime yoga, in the venue’s co-working space, with hatha and vinyasa flow, suitable for all.
- TALK: A history of Mary Anne Rawson and the Read family, of Wincobank Hall, at Bishops House from 7.30pm to 9pm.
- QUIZ: Game of Thrones fans will have their knowledge put to the test at The York, on Fulwood Road, at 9pm tonight.
- POP-UP: Enjoy Shed’s pop-up cafe at Union St, from 11.30am to 2pm today. Shed champion healthy eating and wellness.


Apparently, just adding a tincture of Tintri to your virtualised server-storage array pathway gets those VMs running like super-charged rockets. The firm says a European customer is running 800 virtual machines off one Tintri box, leaving a NetApp array chastened in the background.
The unnamed customer makes things like railway carriages and power stations. It had virtualised a lot of infrastructure and file servers and its virtual machines (VMs) were stored on a NetApp array. But the VMs were not running fast enough and storage was fingered as the bottleneck.
A Tintri 540 VMstore product was purchased to sit inline between the servers and the file store and the VMs were vMotioned onto it. A 540 has eight 3TB disk drives and eight 300GB multi-level cell SSDs providing 26.4TB of raw storage and 13.5TB of usable capacity. Virtually all VM I/Os are serviced from the flash.
The customer was pleased with how the 3U box performed. The firm moved more and more VMs to the Tintri box, and now 800 are running on it, an amazing number.
Tintri is a startup and has about 80 customers for its VMstore products, with sales organisations in the USA, Japan and Europe. CEO and founder Kieran Harty says Tintri comes in when customers are approaching a breakpoint after virtualising servers. The firm's NFS protocol product technology is designed to execute VM I/O as efficiently as possible to fix VM I/O problems they are facing, she says.
There's a Tintri white paper explaining its performance-enhancing magic potion available here (PDF).
Geoff Stedman, Tintri's marketing veep, claimed that one customer told him they had been quoted $2.5m by one of the storage giants for enough storage to get their VMs running quickly enough. The customer looked at Tintri as an alternative while negotiating with its bigger rival, whose bid – according to Stedman – went down to $1.25m. The marketing bod said his firm eventually sealed the deal for $300,000, giving the customer 12 VMstore rack units instead of 84 rack units of the rival vendor's storage.
That's a lot less data centre space to be provisioned, powered and cooled.
These numbers tell us that a single Tintri box, which is 3U high, costs around $75K.
Stedman says there a couple of other Tintri customers who are running 500 VMs off their VMstores. The storage arrays that are now not being used for storing VMS are used for space rather than performance. They don't go away but they demoted.
How can NetApp respond? Stick your suggestions into this forum topic please.


There were 72 construction cranes visible over the centre of Dublin on June 1st from the seventh floor of The Irish Times building on Tara Street.
This is a drop of six – or 8 per cent – on last month’s total of 78 and eight less than the 80 recorded on December 1st, 2017 – the highest score yet registered by the Irish Times Crane Count. June’s total, however, is still more than double the 31 recorded on February 1st, 2016, when the newspaper’s crane survey was launched.
There were 50 cranes recorded on the southside – a drop of eight from May – as construction nears completion on many sites. However, clearance work is now well-advanced on developer Marlet’s 1.7-acre site at Lime Street and Sir John Rogerson’s Quay in the south docklands.
This is the last significant site being developed in Dublin’s south docklands special development zone. Marlet plans to build 9,290sq m (100,000sq ft) of offices and 100 apartments on the site, which cost about €90 million to assemble.
This site, which once housed the Irish Steam Packet Company, is next to Cardiff Lane, where Marlet is developing a large mixed-use scheme.
Meanwhile, there were 22 cranes visible on the northside – a rise of two on the previous month. This reflects a trend noticeable since the start of the year as development is starting to take off in the north docklands. Many significant sites in this part of the city are either being cleared or are about to move into the construction phase.


At first, the only identification authorities were his tattoos. On his upper left arm was a drawing of a tombstone and the name that authorities believed was a deceased family member, with the words, "Die before I forget."
On his back were a five-point star and crescent moon with "World Wide" and "RPSN Love" around it. And on his right upper arm, a pyramid topped with a five-point star and the words "Almighty El Rukn" above it.
In 1992, Antonion Fort was sentenced to a 70-month prison term for conspiring to buy a half kilogram of cocaine for $15,500. He was not the only one of Jeff Fort's children to have a run-in with the law.


After I dropped off Carmen, at Seattle Humane last week, I took home a black beauty – Sweet Pea. Tyler and I decided to take a break from fostering young kittens and try to help out an “older” cat that might demand less supervision. So we ended up with Sweet Pea. She is a 4-year-old, long haired female looking for love, protection and someone to trust.
Sweet Pea came out from under the bed to visit and playfully lay on the catnip scratching mat.
Her first few days here were a big adjustment for Sweet Pea. She came from a house with too many cats, and gave birth to a litter of kittens upon arrival at the Seattle Humane Society; not surprisingly, Sweet Pea has some trust issues, and needs more socialization – the two main reasons she is out in foster care Sweet Pea spent her first 2 days with us under the bed and behind the couch. But on day three she ventured out to meet our cat and dog, Lucifer and Glory.
During Sweet Pea’s first encounter with Lu, she was calm and collected – Glory, on the other hand was a bit hyper for her liking and she quickly retreated to her safe place under the bed. Slowly, but surely, over the next few weeks, we hope to see Sweet Pea gain more confidence.
P.S. Don’t forget to join me at the Seattle Humane Society’s Walk for the Animals on September 27th. It is a great event to share with your canine companion that benefits all creatures. Register to walk with me or if you cannot participate, donate today! I hope to see you there!


BOURNEMOUTH, England (AP) - Crystal Palace extended its unbeaten run in the Premier League to five games to move above Manchester United in the standings after drawing 0-0 at Bournemouth on Saturday.
The point takes Alan Pardew’s side to 30, one more than United in sixth.
Palace went closest to scoring in the first half when Damien Delaney had a shot cleared off the line by Simon Francis.
Fraizer Campbell then shot narrowly over for Palace.
Host Bournemouth, which itself went into the match with three straight victories, had chances through midfielder Eunan O’Kane, while Matt Richie also headed wide inside the penalty area.
Bournemouth is now 14th with 20 points.


The two and a half month old Rajasthan cabinet was expanded with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot inducting ten more ministers two of cabinet rank and eight ministers of state.
The two and a half month old Rajasthan cabinet was expanded on Saturday with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot inducting ten more ministers two of cabinet rank and eight ministers of state.
Governor S K Singh administered the oath of secrecy to the new ministers at a simple swearing in function at Raj Bhavan in the presence of Gehlot and his other cabinet colleagues, government officials and supporters of the newly anointed ministers.
Dr Jitendra Singh and Rajendra Pareek were sworn in as cabinet rank ministers while Ram Lal Jat, Bharosilal Jatav, Ashok Bairwa, Mangilal Gharasia, Pramod Jain Bhaya, Babulal Nagar, Ameen Khan and Gurmeet Kunnar were inducted as ministers of state.
With this expansion, the strength of the Gehlot ministry has gone up to 22. The Chief Minister was sworn in on December 13 last year and four days later on December 17, he inducted 13 ministers with two of them as ministers of state.
As per the norms in the house of 200, Rajasthan can have 30 ministers.
Gehlot, is at present holding charge of 38 departments including some important ones such as home, finance and taxation, energy, urban development and housing, excise, mining and public works department.


The marketing gets higher, further, faster.
We get some more Brie Larson/Sam Jackson this time.
The actor talks about her character's maturation into a superhero and what's next.
From Brian Michael Bendis, Ryan Sook, and Brad Anderson.
Cruel & Unusual no more.
The Guardians assemble (as do their artists).
Leah Williams talks about her and German Garcia's unique crossover.
After several set-back with its TV projects.


A woman stands next to candles and flowers after a van attack that killed at least 14 people in Las Ramblas promenade, Spain, Monday, Aug. 21, 2017.
Julie Hanahan had just checked into the Citadines Las Ramblas, an apartment hotel along Barcelona's famous La Rambla pedestrian mall, when she heard shouting and sirens.
"People were running by and screaming," says Hanahan, who flew to Barcelona from Chicago last week with her husband and two children to board a Mediterranean cruise.
Only seconds before, a van had plowed through pedestrians on the tree-lined thoroughfare, killing 13 and injuring 100. Hanahan's daughter watched the aftermath from her hotel balcony. "We were on the back of the hotel, thankfully, so she did not witness the van going by," Hanahan says.
But then she, like many other visitors to a destination hit by a terrorist attack, wondered: "Now what? Do we stay in the hotel?" After a long transatlantic flight, her family was hungry, and the Citadines Las Ramblas didn't offer room service. Should they call the U.S. Embassy? Contact their friends at home to let them know they were still alive?
What, exactly, do you do when you're on vacation and terrorists attack?
That's a question experts say you shouldn't ever have to ask, because the answer should be written into your travel plans. In fact, there are several simple steps you can take to ensure you'll remain safe for the duration of your visit in the event that it is disrupted by a terrorist attack.
It could happen to you, warns Charles Goslin, a retired CIA officer and author of "Understanding Personal Security and Risk: A Guide for Business Travelers." He expects incidents like the Barcelona attack to become more common, as terrorists aim for more soft targets.
"They're going after locations where people congregate in large numbers, such as restaurants and cafes, hotels, resorts, theatres or sports stadiums, or departure areas of an airport," he says.
In the chaos that follows such an incident as the one in Barcelona, or the similar terrorist attack in Nice, France, last summer, it's not always clear what to do. Wendy Gordon, who was staying at a vacation rental a short walk away from the scene of the Barcelona attack, says she immediately texted her friends and family back in the United States to let them know she was fine. She also used Facebook's "safety check" feature to tell all her online friends that she had survived the attack.
"I didn't even think to contact the embassy until a friend told me that they were asking U.S. citizens to contact them," says Gordon, a publicist who lives in Washington. She emailed the embassy and received a form response with a phone number to call in case of emergency.
Her instincts were good, says Chris Chesak, a spokesman for Redpoint Resolutions, a San Mateo, California, company that offers insurance and extraction services for travelers. The first priority is staying safe, which Gordon did by returning to her rental and staying there.
"You need to stay as calm as possible, because panicking can make a situation worse and cause poor decision-making," he says. "Stop, assess, and plan your next move to a place of ultimate safety. Then reach out to your local embassy or consulate, as well as loved ones, as you're able."
There's an easier way of communicating with the embassy. Instead of reaching out to authorities after a terrorist incident, you can enroll in STEP, the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, a free service that allows U.S. citizens to register their whereabouts. The State Department automatically sends visitors information about safety conditions in their destination country, contacts them in the event of an emergency and helps friends and family get in touch with them if there's an emergency.
Another key preventive step is proper planning for an attack. "Prepare before vacationing," says Pete Canavan, a public safety professional and self-defense instructor based in Kingston, Pennsylvania. "You can mentally prepare for your visit abroad by training yourself to research multiple routes out of the area, noting the equivalent of 9-1-1 and looking for entrances and exits when entering buildings or tourist attractions."
"Avoid large crowds and crowded areas if possible," he adds. "Stay on the perimeter."
When you get away, stay away. So says John Iannarelli, a retired FBI special agent and author of "How to Spot a Terrorist Before It's Too Late." "Frequently, terrorists have multiple approaches to an attack," he says. "In Paris, terrorists used guns and then detonated suicide belts. In London, a vehicle was used to ram persons then the driver jumped out and started attacking others with a knife." He advises agreeing on a meeting place if your group is separated in the aftermath of an incident.
If you're safe, whom should you call? Experienced travelers recommend adding your travel agent and travel insurance company to your list.
A good agent can find you the fastest way out of town, safely. A great agent may even contact you within minutes of the incident, offering options for getting you back home. "Travel advisers have extensive networks and access to advanced booking tools that can help you see options and make your next moves faster - faster than you could do on your mobile phone, especially if you're under duress," says Erika Richter, a spokeswoman for the American Society of Travel Agents, a trade group.
Also, call your travel insurance company. The major travel insurance companies maintain a 24-hour hotline for customers. And they field all kinds of questions, not just those related to your policy. For example, Allianz Global Assistance's hotline can offer guidance for all kinds of issues, ranging from terrorism worries to medical advice if you're in an area with high pollen. "Every provider will be able to explain your policy's terrorism coverage and may be able to start the claims process immediately," says Carolyn Leckie, a spokeswoman for Squaremouth, a travel insurance website.
Zak Lee, an engineer from San Francisco who was in Barcelona during the attack, says he relied on firsthand sources for information - in his case, official communications from law enforcement authorities. "They're almost all in Catalan or Spanish, so Google translate has been my friend there," he says. Social media and English-language media were either unreliable or lagged behind the Spanish news sources.
"I think it's important to take cues from the locals," he adds. "In this case, a lot of the locals seem to be going about normal business, so I'm carrying on with my trip."
That's what Hanahan, who watched the aftermath unfolding from her hotel window, also did. A hotel representative advised her to stay in the room, and she complied. After things calmed down, she left the safety of her quarters to find food. "We found a tiny market around the corner that was still open and bought some basics to turn into a make-do dinner in our room," she says. She boarded her cruise ship without incident and is now vacationing at sea.
Elliott is a consumer advocate, journalist and co-founder of the advocacy group Travelers United. Email him at chris@elliott.org.


If you feel fed-up with criminal justice reform efforts touted by the Koch brothers that leave our prison industrial complex firmly in place, two new books offer practical solutions to the longstanding dilemma of how to hold people accountable for violent crime without perpetuating mass incarceration.
In Until We Reckon, Danielle Sered draws on her work as founder and director of Brooklyn-based Common Justice — the first victim services and alternative-to-incarceration program that focuses on violent felony crimes like gunpoint robberies, shootings and assaults, — to show how restorative justice is a process of charting “a course for repair.” It helps survivors heal and makes us all safer, unlike the current criminal justice system.
In the examples Sered highlights, this process supports healing for survivors, provides an “avenue to dignity” to people who caused harm and fosters their intrinsic motivation not to be violent again. As she notes, “although we can sometimes escape the police, we can never escape ourselves.” This outcome seems much better than imprisonment, which she cautions shares the same core features that often drive violence in the first place: shame, isolation and an inability to meet one’s economic needs.
In a fascinating titled chapter, “Printing Abolition,” Thuma allows us to follow the feminist discussion that unfolded in prison newsletters and grassroots publications about alternatives to relying on law enforcement to protect women against sexual and domestic violence, including a woman’s right to defend herself against her attacker. She features excerpts of letters, essays, poetry and covers from Through the Looking Glass, No More Cages and Aegis: Magazine of Ending Violence Against Women.


Jeremy Corbyn Says He Has A Plan To Put A Stop To "Forced Gentrification"
The policy could cause friction between the leadership and local councils.
The Heygate estate, Elephant and Castle, south London, which has been demolished.
Jeremy Corbyn has said that housing regeneration is too often "forced gentrification and social cleansing" – and said that under a Labour government, councils would have to meet tough new tests to protect residents.
His announcement was met with wild applause at Labour's conference in Brighton but is likely to probably lead to tensions with his own councils, many of which have overseen controversial regeneration schemes in London.
Corbyn also pledged to control rents as he vowed to make sure that Labour's housing policy was on the side of local people and not private developers and property speculators.
"Regeneration is a much-abused word," Corbyn said. "Too often what it really means is forced gentrification and social cleansing, as private developers move in and tenants and leaseholders are moved out."
Councils would have to ensure that people who live on an estate being redeveloped "must get a home on the same site and the same terms as before", he said.
And local authorities would have to "win a ballot of existing tenants and leaseholders before any redevelopment scheme can take place".
Neal Hudson, a housing market analyst, told BuzzFeed News there was a desperate need for new housing in London but development "hasn’t always been done in the most sensitive of manners".
He said: "Clearly there’s a lot of distrust and concern among local residents about why this is happening – and it’s happening in Labour boroughs and so we could see some tension there.
"A lot of the development in London over the last few years has been very heavily weighted towards the top end of the market, beyond the affordability of any normal household living and working in London.
"Clearly where that is happening it creates further resentment from people who have lived there for many years."
Regeneration is a big issue in inner London boroughs, where many councils have attempted to replace social housing by striking deals with private developers.
Some of these sites, such as the redevelopment of the Heygate estate in Elephant and Castle, south London, have attracted controversy after residents of the original flats complained they were unable to return to the new buildings.
In Haringey, north London, Labour MPs David Lammy and Catherine West have raised serious concerns about the council's plans to privatise social housing and public buildings.
The issue is also increasingly being used a proxy battle between new pro-Corbyn left-wing Labour activists and the party's elected councillors, many of whom have been in power for many years and some of whom are perceived to hold more centrist political views.
Corbyn also confirmed that Labour would curb rents, saying the younger generation's housing costs were three times more than those of their grandparents.
"Rent controls exist in many cities across the world," he said. "And I want our cities to have those powers too and tenants to have those protections."
But housing charity Shelter warned that rent controls could make life worse for the poorest people. Spokeswoman Polly Neate said: "Shelter supports controls that lengthen tenancies and protect families from unfair rent rises but not old-fashioned rent-setting, which we think could end up harming the very people on low incomes they’re meant to help, if and when landlords sell their properties."


This is a strange week as far as team defenses are concerned in the NFL. It seems we either have team defenses with good matchups or with terrible ones. I wouldn’t want to have to start any of the Top 14 here but would give it a go with any of the bottom 14. It’s unusual to have that kind of symmetry. I never truly panic about team defenses. Yeah, if I had Denver in any league I probably would’ve kept them, but other than that, if I didn’t have a dead spot on my roster, the team defense gets released when their bye comes up. I never like rostering two team defenses (assuming you’re in a standard league and not one that gives out an unusual number of points to team defenses). There are just too many solid team defenses and you can easily play the matchup game each week. Keep your depth.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Sure the Bucs can score points, as that offense is finally starting to look dangerous, but they can also give them up early and often. Playing the Falcons in Atlanta may not be pretty. Perhaps this is the game in which Matt Ryan makes his Fantasy owners happy once again.
Detroit Lions: Somehow, I don’t think playing in England is going to fix this defense. While it’s true that Kansas City doesn’t have its weapon in Jamaal Charles (knee) for this game, they have enough with Charcandrick West and the return of Jeremy Maclin to make life miserable for the Lions.
Chicago Bears: I doubt the bye week was enough time to fix the Bears’ defensive issues. The Vikings are suddenly hot with Stefon Diggs leading the passing game, and we all know the type of damage that Adrian Peterson can do, assuming he doesn’t eat any bad shrimp or swallow tobacco.
New Orleans Saints: The Saints would rank even lower on this list if the Giants’ offense had been playing well. The Giants supposedly will have a completely healthy Odell Beckham this week and may even feature a new running back in Orleans Darkwa. Can the Giants really play poorly on offense for a third straight week?
Oakland Raiders: Good for the Raiders; they are playing very well this season (about time, I know). They do get a tough Jets team this week, with a better offense than they’re given credit for. The Jets have the weapons at WR (Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker) to make life miserable for any defense and assuming Chris Ivory is over his hamstring pull, they can run the ball as well.
Cleveland Browns: Well, the good news for Cleveland is that CB Joe Haden (concussion) looks like he will return to game action Sunday. The bad news is that he can only cover one of the trio of good wide receivers that Arizona will throw out there. Good luck.
Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens didn’t play terribly Monday night in Arizona but they were far from a lockdown unit. Now they get the incredibly hot Phillip Rivers. To let you know how much I don’t trust the Ravens’ defense, I would start Rivers over Aaron Rodgers this week.
Indianapolis Colts: This defense would certainly be ranked lower if they were playing a better offense. The Panthers aren’t inept offensively but don’t possess the weapons at the skill positions to truly take advantage of the Colts’ shortcomings.
Kansas City Chiefs: They have been ripped apart by just about every passing game they have faced this season, with the possible exception of Landry Jones and Pittsburgh. Why should Detroit be any different?
Atlanta Falcons: Yes, the Falcons were the streamer’s delight last week playing against the offensively challenged Titans. Well, this week they play another subpar team, but one that can put points on the board in both the running game (Doug Martin) and a revitalized passing game (Mike Evans).
New York Giants: The G-men were shredded last week by the Cowboys in the run game, and the Saints will look to exploit this weakness as well. But unlike the Cowboys, the Saints also have a QB who can make the passing game work.
Pittsburgh Steelers: It’s not really fair that a divisional game will be played with one team coming off a bye week. Why would the NFL do this? The Steelers have played better defense than expected but this game could be asking too much from this unit.
Minnesota Vikings: This is yet another divisional game in which one opponent is coming off a bye. Well, in this case we can excuse the schedule maker, as Chicago needs all the help they can get. The Vikings have been solid defensively so far this season, but this game will be a test, as a healthy Alshon Jeffery will once again make the Bears’ offense a threat to score from anywhere on the field.
Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys defense is actually better than people think. We can all think whatever we want about DE Greg Hardy the person, but the fact is he is an outstanding football player and can get to the QB. He should make life difficult for Russell Wilson on Sunday. The problem for the defense, however, is that they haven’t had a turnover since Week 2.
San Diego Chargers: I still don’t think the Chargers have any idea what hit them last week. Here’s hoping the game versus the Raiders was an anomaly and not a sign of things to come.
Houston Texans: Well, if the Texans want to make some kind of statement on defense, this would have to be the game, wouldn’t it? The Texans had their doors blown off last week by Miami. They have to be an angry bunch, and facing a team that doesn’t have much in the way of offensive weapons may just be what the doctor ordered.
Miami Dolphins: Well, now we will really find out if new coach Dan Campbell has turned this team around or if they just beat up on two hapless teams in Tennessee and Houston.
Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals defense is legit and I’d like to rank them higher, but, unfortunately for them, they will likely have to face Ben Roethlisberger in his first game back from a knee injury. To say the least, the Bengals will be tested here.
Carolina Panthers: I probably should’ve ranked the Panthers a couple of spots lower, as Andrew Luck has been good for a couple of picks of late and that Colts’ offensive line is unlikely to be able to keep the Panthers’ pass rush away from Luck.
San Francisco 49ers: We all love Todd Gurley, I know, but SF knows this too, and you have to think they will sell out to stop him and see if QB Nick Foles can beat them in the passing game.
New York Jets: This defense should be in an ornery mood after allowing Tom Brady to throw for over 350 yards against them last week, in what was seen as a divisional showdown (imagine how many yards Brady would’ve thrown for had his receivers not dropped at least 12 passes).
Seattle Seahawks: Yeah, Dez Bryant is likely to return but as we saw last week, Matt Cassel can’t get the ball deep and if he throws up more punts, Earl Thomas will have a field day taking them back. Also, with the Dallas coverage teams well below average, Tyler Lockette should have at least one big return in this game.
Green Bay Packers: Denver’s offensive line is still terrible and the Packers will put pressure on Manning. Perhaps the week off will give him more zip on his passes, but if not, he will be in for a long day.
Denver Broncos: This is their toughest test so far this season, but they may be up to the challenge. DeMarcus Ware will return from his back injury, allowing him and LB Von Miller to attack Aaron Rodgers from both sides.
Louis Rams: The 49ers’ offense may not be as bad as the Browns, but it’s not that far off either. That pass rush is going to make life difficult for Colin Kaepernick.
Arizona Cardinals: Umm, Johnny Manziel be the starting QB. ‘Nuff said.


Just how bad are "power users" from both an IT and auditor standpoint? A fiairly good academic study of 3,744 disclosure documents admitting error concludes that only about 8% of companies can do financial statements directly from their financial systems, with the rest massaging the data in spreadsheets - unauditable, uncontrolled, error prone spreadsheets presumably weilded by power users.
Do spreadsheets lead to compliance failures?
A full 92% of all US public companies use spreadsheets for critical accounting activities in their revenue reporting processes, according to a recent survey of financial executives. And that increases the likelihood of compliance failures and financial restatements. The research, which involved 685 companies, was conducted by www.RevenueRecognition.com and IDC and sponsored by Softrax Corp.
The reason for widespread spreadsheet use, says the survey, is that key revenue recognition and reporting tasks are still not automated in financial/ERP systems. Only 8% of all responding companies say they are able to complete their revenue reporting process without having to take data offline and into spreadsheets. The rest of the surveyed companies use spreadsheets, which are prone to errors, lack audit capabilities and resist internal controls.
According to the survey, more than half of all companies use spreadsheets to create their accounting entries for revenue. Other spreadsheet-based tasks include revenue scheduling, allocation and redistribution based on accounting guidelines. Surprisingly, public companies with more than $200 million in revenue are substantially more reliant than the overall sample on spreadsheets for revenue accounting entries.
Revenue recognition restatements increased 42% from 2002 to 2006 leading to a lot of speculation about the underlying causes. With all the hype about Sarbanes-Oxley, increased auditor scrutiny, and complex guidelines it is surprising to learn that mundane internal errors were the leading cause of restatements from 2003 to 2006. That's the conclusion of a new report entitled "An Analysis of the Underlying Causes of Restatements" by Marlene Plumlee, University of Utah and Teri Lombardi Yohn from Indiana University.
The authors analyzed 3,744 disclosures related to each restatement to identify and categorize the underlying causes. Of restatements caused by revenue recognition errors, approximately: 57% were due to a basic internal error, 28% were due to some characteristic of the accounting standards, 13% were due to intentional manipulation, and 2% were due to transaction complexity. That would make over half of all revenue recognition restatements avoidable if companies had better procedures for performing, monitoring, and controlling their revenue processes.
User spreadsheet abuse leads to compliance failure - and can be largely attributed to IT's failure to gain top management support for the provision and use of adequate integrated ERP/SCM and related functionality in central systems.
Speculation: the symptoms, frequent restatement requirements, are heavily correlated with large client-server installs. And why do I think that? because if you implement something like Oracle's combined ERP/SCM suite on Sun with tools like Hyperion for real time, cross functional, reporting you won't need Excel or any other PC client tools to get your reports out - but if you implement that same suite using Windows client-server you not only invite "power users" into the hen house, but I don't think you can actually get the reports out without them.


The Bougainville Government says Bougainville Copper Ltd will have first right of refusal when the first negotiations over mining licences get underway.
Last week, the autonomous Papua New Guinea province passed its first mining law - one that gives ownership of the resources to the landowners for the first time.
It also stripped companies like BCL of existing licences.
The Bougainville Chief Administrator, Chris Siriosi, says they do not anticipate legal action from the owners of BCL, Rio Tinto, because the new law allows for BCL to be the first cab-off-the-rank in new negotiations with the people.
"It is incumbent on the company to try and come up with a suitable agreement in place of the Bougainville copper agreement. An agreement that matches the times - this day and age, an agreement that gives additional wealth to the people of Bougainville."
The Chief Administrator in Bougainville, Chris Siriosi.


Terri-Lynne McClintic is transported from court for proceedings in the Michael Rafferty murder trial in London, Ontario, Wednesday, March, 21, 2012.
The controversial decision to transfer convicted child-killer Terri-Lynne McClintic from prison to a healing lodge could be up for immediate reassessment.
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale on Wednesday announced new rules for how Correctional Service Canada approves and assesses inmate transfers to healing lodges in light of a report delivered to him by the departmental commissioner that was ordered after news of McClintic’s transfer from prison to a healing lodge kicked off weeks of political outcry.
The length of an offender’s sentence.
The time remaining before an offender is eligible for an unescorted temporary absence.
A requirement that long-term offenders be at least into the “preparation for release” phase of their correctional plan.
For those serving long sentences, institutional behaviour.
As well, any such transfers will need to be authorized by Correctional Services Canada’s deputy commissioner for women.
Goodale would not say whether the changes, which go into effect immediately, have already sparked a review of McClintic’s transfer.
A spokesperson stressed the placements of all inmates in the corrections system will have to comply with those factors and said the changes give the tools to officials to reassess any offender placement currently in the system.
Goodale also said he can not comment on specific cases but stressed repeatedly that when an offender is transferred, the family of the victim is informed.
Rodney Stafford, the father of McClintic’s victim Tori Stafford, told Global News he has not been informed of any change to her transfer.
McClintic is serving a life sentence without eligibility for parole for 25 years for the first-degree murder of eight-year-old Tori Stafford in 2009.
But because she was sentenced prior to the elimination of the faint hope clause, she can actually make her first bid for early release in as soon as six years.
She was transferred earlier this year from Ontario’s Grand Valley Institution to the Okimaw Ohci healing lodge in Saskatchewan.
Under federal rules, inmates seeking a transfer to a healing lodge can self-identify as Indigenous.
McClintic’s brother, however, told Global News she is “no more Indigenous than I am green from the planet Mars” and said whoever approved her transfer should be fired. He also said McClintic is an expert manipulator who only wanted to go to a healing lodge to make her own life easier while serving her sentence.


In a season of firsts, the UW-Stout gymnastics team accomplished a few more firsts as they placed a best-ever second at the 2019 NCGA Championship at UW-Oshkosh Saturday.
Two weeks after winning their first-ever conference title with a school record score, the Blue Devils jumped past that school record with a new mark of 190.275. Stout’s previous best finish at the national meet came in 1984, the first year of the meet when the program finished fourth.
Shadae Boone earned a national title on the vault. The sophomore, who was the final performer of the night on the vault, broke the previous school record with a mark of 9.825, winning the event by more than a tenth of a point. The second place finishers scored a 9.750. Boone is the second Blue Devil to win a national vault title. Naomi DeLara won the event in 2011.
As a team, each of the six Blue Devils on the vault hit their routines and Stout established a new school record on the event, their final event of the evening, with a 48.025.
Mikala Bugge completed her first complete year as an all-arounder and finished with a second place finish, scoring a 38.050. Bugge was seventh on the vault (9.675) and eighth on the beam (9.650). Brooke Terry was eighth on the all-around (36.400). The top eight finishers on each event earned All-America honors.
Not everything for Stout went according to plan Saturday night, but the Blue Devils turned adversity into more success.
The floor exercise didn’t go the way Stout would have wanted it to, said assistant coach Seth Helland.
“After our floor didn’t go well, Cassie Ehman told us that the only event we hadn’t set a new record for this season was the vault,” Helland said.
The vault was the team’s final event and each of the Stout gymnasts hit their routines to set a school record, Helland said, topped off by Boone’s record setting performance.
UW-Stout unleashed a 16-hit offensive onslaught in the second game to earn a split at MacMurray College, Saturday, losing the first game, 4-3, but coming back with an 11-4 win in the nightcap of the nine inning doubleheader.
The Blue Devils (3-1) second, third and fourth batters led the offensive parade, combining for nine of the Blue Devils’ 16 hits.
Jordan Wilson went 3 for 5, Hunter Merrill was 4 for 6 with three RBI and Kasey Bass was 2 of 5 with two RBI. Eight of Stout’s starters had at least one hit. Caleb Hurt, batting in the sixth spot, was 2 for 5.
UW-Stout held leads in both games, but late inning runs by their opponents spelled two defeats for the Blue Devils on their second day of the PFX Athletics Spring Games Saturday. The Blue Devils lost 3-2 to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and 4-1 to Wellesley College.
Against fifth-ranked MIT, the Blue Devils scored single runs in the third and fourths innings to jump out a 2-0 lead. Mary Iliopoulos popped out a one-out infield single in the third inning, then moved on Jessica Christiansen’s sacrifice bunt. Kyncaide Diedrich’s single up the middle plated Iliopoulos and Stout led 1-0. The Blue Devils doubled their lead in the fourth inning when Jessica Daley’s triple down the right field line brought home pinch runner Kate Horn.
Against Wellesley (3-1), the Blue Devils opened the game with a run in the top of the first. Korin Hall reached on a lead-off infield single, advanced to second on Mary Iliopoulos’s misplayed fielders choice, advanced to third on a wild pitch, then scored on Meghan Kelly’s sacrifice fly.
UW-Stout came back to win game one with two outs in the top of the seventh for a 5-4 win, then carried that momentum forward to sweep Blackburn College, 10-4, Sunday.
Trailing 4-3 with two outs and the bases empty, Stout’s Jordan Wilson found a way to get on, hitting the ball to third base and advancing to second on the overthrow to ignite a rally. With two strikes against him, Hunter Merrill plated Wilson with a single, then came home when Kasey Bass reached on an error for the eventual game-winning run.
Sophomore transfer Aaron Plotsky, making his first appearance as a Blue Devil, picked up the complete game win, but had to work himself out of a bit of a jam in the bottom of the seventh.
The Blue Devils (5-1) kept the offensive pressure on in the second game, but got some help as Blackburn (2-14) committed six errors.
UW-Stout got their bats moving in a big way, earning two wins at the PFX Athletics Spring Games Sunday. The Blue Devil came from behind to defeat Tufts University, 12-10, in eight innings to open the day, then needed only five innings to defeat Minnesota-Morris, 11-3.
Tufts (13-2), one of the premier softball programs that won Division III titles in 2013, 2014 and 2015, jumped all over Stout (6-3) in the opening five innings to take a 7-0 lead before the Blue devils tallied three runs in the sixth and five runs in the seventh to send the game into extra innings.
Mary Iliopoulos drove in two runs in the seventh inning to help forge the tied score, then drove in two runs in the eighth inning.
Stout built up a 6-0 lead over Morris (9-9) through four innings, then allowed the Cougars back into the game with three runs in the fifth.
UW-Stout opened their annual spring break trip to Florida with a 3-0 shutout over SUNY-Geneseo, but suffered their first loss of the season with a 5-1 decision to 18th-ranked Calvin College at Legends Way Park.
In game one, Melea Bruns tossed a four-hit shutout and Meghan Kelly drove in what would prove to be the game-winning runs as the Blue Devils (4-1) opened the week with a 3-0 win over SUNY-Geneseo (8-4). Geneseo received six votes in the latest NFCA Division III poll, while the Blue Devils received four.
Stout wasted little time getting on board, scoring their first two runs in the top of the first inning. Jessica Christiansen was hit by a pitch to lead off the game, then was moved to second on Jessica Daley’s sacrifice bunt. Kyncaide Diedrich, in her first at-bat of the season, drew a walk. Kelly drove both Christiansen and Diedrich home on her third double of the season.


It looks like Rochester is getting closer to establishing a board that would oversee complaints against the Rochester Police Department.
The Rochester City Council released a draft of what it thinks would work, but the community group working with the council says it doesn't go far enough.
The city council president says the council met with the police union, the Center for Dispute Settlement and it will meet again with the Police Accountability Board Alliance.
"It's not fair that people can come to your house and beat you up, or on the street or asking you for some identification and if you don't respond, they can beat you up," said Phyllis Harmon of Rochester.
Five years ago, Phyllis Harmon says she was beaten in her home by a then Rochester Police sergeant and an officer.
She says there was no reason for the beating.
The officers were there to take a report about some stolen items, but somehow managed to get inside her home before she arrived.
She says the beating started when she questioned why they were in her house.
Harmon says she sustained numerous injuries that give her trouble to this day.
A federal judge dismissed claims against the city, but ruled Harmon has enough evidence to pursue a trial of the officers for excessive force.
"I should be enjoying being retired...my days consist of doctor's appointments and surgeries," said Harmon.
The Police Accountability Board Alliance says the city council's draft proposal lacks five essential pillars that will help people like Harmon.
It wants to be an agency, independent of the city, with the power to conduct independent investigations and to subpoena witnesses and evidence.
It also wants the board to have the power to recommend discipline that's binding, and the power to review and evaluate the RPD's patterns, practices and procedures.
City Council President Loretta Scott says the alliance has only a draft proposal, not the formal legislation.
"We actually were looking forward to having the opportunity to sit with them and work out the differences. We know what the five pillars are...we've been looking at this for months. Simply because it's not framed in the way that they have stated them doesn't mean it's the only way it can be achieved," Scott said.
Scott says the two sides have a meeting scheduled for Friday. She says she hopes they can iron out the differences.
The alliance is encouraging those to voice their opinion at the city council meeting on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.


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THERMAL, Calif. (AP) — Talk about driving a lemon!
Authorities say a man has been arrested in Southern California after deputies found about 800 pounds (363 kilograms) of stolen lemons inside his car.
Riverside County sheriff's officials say 69-year-old Dionicio Fierros was arrested Friday and booked on a charge of theft of agricultural products.
Inside his car, deputies say they found several large bags of freshly picked lemons they say were stolen from a nearby farm.


WHEN it seems there’s nothing in the cupboard, there’s always a can of tuna.
And when best-selling author Joie Warner got her hands on the pantry staple, she went wild with can-tastic possibilities, coming up with a whole bookful, “Take a Tin of Tuna” (Chronicle Books, $19.95).
Tuna tapanade and crostini with lemon and capers led to deep-fried wontons with plum sauce, Thai tuna cakes with chili dip, chowder and even a souffle.
Sandwiches include “not your mother’s tuna melt,” made with artichoke salad. Even tuna noodle casserole gets a little classy with its lemon cream sauce.
We couldn’t resist trying tuna-eggplant caponata. It could hardly be easier to whip up this spread, a no-brainer blend of the flaky fish and jarred antipasto of eggplant, celery, capers and olives in tomato sauce. The results tasted OK, but was too scary-looking to serve company.
Farfalle with tuna, lemon and caper sauce was a better bet all around. The pretty bow-tie noodles dressed with piquant and salty flavors hit on all notes, the sauce is no-cook, and, as with many of the dishes, most of the ingredients are probably already in your kitchen.
Best of all were tuna cakes, crisp-coasted, lightly packed patties brightened with lime and Tabasco – they really don’t need the bland créme-fraiche tartar sauce, though.
Warner also offers stock-your-pantry info: An unopened can will keep for a year if stored in a cool place, and tuna in olive oil yields the best flavor.


A local company's information technology program that employees teams of veterans is working so well in its first months that it has nearly doubled.
We first told you about Freddie Mac's strategy of employing teams of veterans last summer. The tech services firm Sharp Decisions hires and trains vets who are trying to transition from military to civilian life.
Freddie Mac has discovered the work ethic and team spirit of veterans has been wildly successful. Projects are being done ahead of schedule and under budget.
So Freddie Mac has expanded the number of teams it's employing.
Toma Smith is one of the original vets in the program.
He said the experience has changed his life.


Police are looking for this man who they believed shot and killed 34-year-old Christopher Pierce not far from his Webb Avenue home.
It's been a few days since the 50th Precinct recorded its fifth homicide of the year, but police believe they are zeroing in on someone who may have been involved with the shooting of 34-year-old Christopher Pierce on Monday.
Police are looking for a man described as a Hispanic male, last seen wearing a gray hooded sweater, black pants and black sneakers. They were not able to provide any futher details, however detectives did provide video of the man, which can be seen here.
Pierce, who lived on Webb Avenue in the University Heights area, was shot in the upper torso not far from his home at 124 Eames Place at about 9:30 Monday evening, police said. He was taken to Saint Barnabas Hospital, where he died.
Anyone with information can call the New York Police Department's Crime Stoppers Hotline at (800) 577-8477, or log into the Crime Stoppers website at NYPDCrimeStoppers.com. Tips can be texted to 274637 by entering "TIP577."
All calls, police said, are strictly confidential.


Krieger: You call that cold?
Half an hour afterward, Peyton Manning was diplomatic about the third 50-point explosion of the season by the Broncos offense he runs.
Chip Kelly wanted to revolutionize the NFL by picking up the pace, wearing opponents down and blowing them out. In his fourth game as an NFL head coach, he got to see a team do it.


Internet tax… a good idea?
Back in 1998 there was a moratorium placed on internet taxation. Simply put, lawmakers decided that they didn?t want to come to a decision on the whole issue of Internet taxation just yet. On November 1st 2003, the moratorium expired, leaving states open to begin taxing however they see fit.
However, only a few state legislatures are in session at the moment. This is good news, as lawmakers won’t have much time to draft anything before the year is over. Oregon Senator Ron Wyden is co-sponsor of a bill that would have broadened the ban on Internet taxes. It was killed just before the senate ended this year?s session. The bad news is, congress won’t be addressing this until they resume in 2004. This will give states additional time while congress drags its feet and senators change the language and drum up support for their potential cash cow.
One tactic that is being used is to define the Internet as a telecom based business. If this is successful, then states can tax the Internet using existing telecom laws and models. By doing so, they avoid having to put the tax measure up for vote by the people.
How would the internet be taxed?
There are two schools of thought when it comes to Internet taxation. One is to tax the Internet Service Providers. This could be a tax on Internet access, a charge per email message, a web hosting tax, or countless other possibilities.. The other is a sales tax or transaction tax. This would be in addition to the current state sales taxes.
Why are either of these a bad idea? Well let’s take a look the purpose of taxes. Taxes should be paid by the people who enjoy the services they provide. For example, education benefits everyone; therefore everyone should pay taxes for education. Roads benefit drivers who pay taxes on the gas required to power cars. Hikers pay fees at trail heads for the benefit of rangers maintaining those trails. What would Internet taxes be used for? Whatever the state wants to use them for. Would the money go to improving the Internet or subsidizing access for the poor? I doubt it. As a matter of fact, this would only increase the so-called digital divide. If taxes are levied against the Internet, access and use will become more expensive and put it out of the reach of poorer Americans, who might otherwise benefit from the educational and economic opportunities that the Internet provides.
The second method of taxation would be sales taxes. How would an Internet sales tax work? Based on the locality you are buying from? Or based on where the business you?re buying from is located? And again, where would the money collected go?
One possible solution to the Internet tax problem, would be a nominal fee on all email that is sent. Let’s say ten cents on every 100 emails sent. For me this would be about fifty cents a month max. This would help cut down on spammers and the money could be used to help low-income families get Internet access.
However, as it stands now, some senators see the Internet as a potential cash cow and something they are loosing revenue on. Loosing revenue? It’s not their money to start with!


Islamic State insurgents have threatened to turn the Gaza Strip into another of their Middle East fiefdoms, accusing Hamas, the organisation that rules the Palestinian territory, of being insufficiently stringent about religious enforcement.
“We will uproot the state of the Jews [Israel] and you and Fatah, and all of the secularists are nothing and you will be overrun by our creeping multitudes,” said a masked Islamic State member in the message addressed to the “tyrants of Hamas”.
“The rule of sharia [Islamic law] will be implemented in Gaza, in spite of you. We swear that what is happening in the Levant today, and in particular the Yarmouk camp, will happen in Gaza,” he said, referring to Islamic State advances in Syria, including in a Damascus district founded by Palestinian refugees.
Islamic State has also taken over swaths of Iraq and has claimed attacks in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Yemen.
Hamas is an Islamist movement that shares the jihadis’ hostility to Israel but not their quest for a global religious war, defining itself more within the framework of Palestinian nationalism.
Deemed a terrorist group by Israel, the United States and the European Union, and viewed by neighbouring Arab power Egypt as a regional security threat, Hamas’s struggle against Islamic State-linked jihadis has not won sympathy abroad.
Israel’s intelligence minister, Israel Katz, accused Hamas on Tuesday of partnering with Islamic State affiliates in the Egyptian Sinai – a charge long denied by the Palestinian group.
“There is cooperation between them in the realm of weapons smuggling and terrorist attacks. The Egyptians know this, and the Saudis,” Katz told a Tel Aviv conference organised by the Israel Defense journal.


Okay, so once you get past the excitement and the "OMG!" factor, and process that this isn't Michael Jackson coming at you from beyond the grave, you can fully absorb and enjoy 'Xscape.' It's the title track from the upcoming posthumous, contemporized release from the late King of Pop.
The album 'XSCAPE' is out May 13 via Epic Records and has received the full support of Jackson's estate.
The album will boast eight unreleased recordings that were fleshed out by the likes of Timbaland and other powerhouse producers. The label pledged to keep the integrity of Jackson's legacy and his work in tact with this release.
These are Jackson sourced recordings and the original sources will appear on the deluxe edition of the album.
The song 'Xscape' was gleaned from the 2001 sessions for the 'Invincible' album. It's super funkdafied and certainly sounds current, but it still retains that vintage, signature Michael Jackson sound, thanks to his inimitable voice and the healthy helping of his hallmark vocalization -- his "whoas."
It's got a beat that won't quit, either. You can totally get your groove on or moonwalk all over the living room floor when you blare this song from the speakers. Doubters and skeptics will find themselves totally won over by 'Xscape,' since it sounds like Jackson and it doesn't feel falsely strung together and doesn't sound like something forced out of the leftover material from his vaults.
The song was co-written by Rodney Jerkins, who has the distinction of being the sole producer on the 'Xscape' release that was actually present for an original recording with Jackson.
We're loving it. It makes us miss the late, great Jackson that much more. His legacy lives on with 'Xscape,' both the song and the album.
Kate Hudson -- Good Genes or Good Docs?!