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[ "Hi there, we've noticed you are using a computer with an outdated browser and/or operating system that does not allow for secure online shopping. Please call South Dakota Magazine at 800-456-5117 to place your order by phone or if you have any further questions. We apologize for the inconvenience.\n- Heidi Marsh, Marketing Director\nSouth Dakota Magazine, Yankton, SD" ]

[ "7:13 I-85 Roadway Collapse - Press Conference 3-31-17 Pause\n1:32 Large fire causes Georgia highway overpass collapse\n3:26 United passenger attorney: Airlines have bullied us, and Dao is 'the guy to stand up for passengers'\n1:42 Man yells 'Trump' at Starbucks employee in Miami area\n3:20 Doolittle Raiders take to the sky 60 years after historic battle\n1:13 Sindarius Thornwell throws out first pitch prior to USC-Vandy\n0:34 Making Final Four special for Dozier family\n1:15 Eggstravaganza\n6:28 'A big relief': Chad Holbrook reacts after win over Mississippi State", "This slideshow requires JavaScript.\nWith spring in the air and children’s imaginations filled with visions of life size bunnies and chocolate eggs, we invite you and your family to brace yourselves for a day of mayhem and madness at Pinecrest Gardens’ Annual Eggstravaganza presented by Williamson Automotive on March 24, from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Be part of Miami’s most exciting and activity-filled day for kids. We’re not bragging when we say it’s the biggest and the best egg hunt in town with over 50,000 eggs featured at scheduled egg hunts throughout the day along with prizes, face painting, balloon art, interactive games, music, arts and crafts, a petting zoo, story-telling, delicious food and even a wild life show.\nIt’s a virtual wonderland of children’s happenings. General admission is $5 if you pay in advance at our administrative office or on-line (cutoff date for on-line purchase is Thursday, March 22)…and $7 at the gate the day of the event. Pinecrest Gardens members enter free of charge, but call in advance to reserve your hunt. If you purchase your tickets on-line, there is a special advanced ticket sales Will-Call area to avoid long ticket purchase lines. So round up your toddlers, boppers and tweens and bring them to the Gardens for a day devoted to fun and entertainment just for them.\nFAMILY FUN CONCERTS presented by…Nicklaus Children’s Pinecrest Outpatient Center\nSunday, March 25 at 3:00 p.m.\nCome to the Gardens for another fabulous performance by Orchestra Miami designed especially for kids to enjoy. BEHOLD THE BOLD UMBRELLAPHANT is a performance where poetry & music come together to create magic! Silly rhymes + great music = a whole lot of fun.\nWhat do you get when you cross . . .A toaster with a toad? You get… A Pop-up Toadster\nWhat do you get when you cross… A tuba with a baboon? You get… A Tubaboon\nWhat do you get when you cross…A clock with an octopus? You get… The Clocktopus\nWhat do you get when you cross…A hat with a chicken? You get…A Hatchicken\nAnd finally…what do you get when you cross…an umbrella with an elephant? You get The Bold Umbrellaphant!\nAdvance Purchase Tickets: $10- Kids (3-17), $12 Seniors (65 & Up), $15 Adults $12/$15/$18 at the Door Free Lap Seating for Children under 3 years. For advance tickets visit orchestramiami.org.\nHIBISCUS GALLERY\nSpring Equinox Performance\nMarch 20 at 10:30 a.m.\nYou are invited to join Xavier Cortada for a special performance at the site of his Longitudinal Installation at the Gardens. This extraordinary participatory art piece captures voices from 24 individual across the globe who have been impacted by Climate Change. The event is free and…\nAbout the Longitudinal Installation:\nCortada created the Longitudinal Installation at the South Pole in 2007 and at the North Pole in 2008. During both visits, Cortada placed 24 shoes in a circle, each aligned across 24 longitudes. He stopped in front of each of his longitudinal shoe markers and read a quote aloud that revealed a person’s experience with climate change from that part of the world. His artistic ritual illustrated how everyone in the world has been profoundly impacted by climate change.\nhARTvest Project\nARTbreak\nJoin us at a special breakfast on Wednesday, March 21 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon when fabulous food, art and the world of fashion collide. This unique event will feature a talk by Armando Droulers about Yves Saint Laurent’s art inspirations.\nFee: $40\nCerealFest (a special hARTvest project event) will happen on Saturday, March 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. If you happen to be coming to our EGGSTRAVAGANZA, stop by Cypress Hall with your children for a very creative cereal breakfast served with a variety of milks, yogurts and toppings.\nFee: $7", "East Grand Rapids City Commissioners have shot down a possible request from a developer looking to direct Grand Rapids traffic onto their streets.\nMosaic Properties has a proposed development at 2200 Griggs St. in the city of Grand Rapids and has developed a proposed site plan with a single point right-of-way ingress/egress access to Oxford Road in the city of East Grand Rapids.\nThe proposed development is currently comprised of 55 residential units and a clubhouse consisting of three different residential types of housing to be developed as a condominium, Doug LaFave, East Grand Rapids assistant city manager, said in a letter to the commission.\nEast Grand Rapids staff met briefly with the developer on March 26, when the possible request was proposed.\nIn turn, the city staff requested a traffic impact study for their streets and asked that alternative access points to Griggs Street and Breton Road in the city of Grand Rapids be studied as well.\nThe study was conducted by AECOM, an engineering consulting firm hired by the developer. It found that for Oxford Road and adjacent streets in East Grand Rapids, the development would generate approximately an additional 420 trips per day, with 34 additional trips during the morning peak hours and 40 additional trips during the afternoon peak hours.\nThe alternative options for Griggs Street and Breton Road were not included in the study.\nEast Grand Rapids had the study reviewed by the city traffic engineer from Progressive AE, which found no issues aside from not including the alternative route.\nThe recommendation from the traffic engineer is that the traffic impact to Oxford Road and adjacent streets in East Grand Rapids would have a similar impact to Griggs Street and adjacent streets in Grand Rapids.\nThe request caused a stir with many community members, and even commissioners, as residents who live in the area and those who take the route during peak travel times experience heavy traffic.\nRon Redick, a lawyer from the law firm of Mika Meyers, attended a City Commission meeting Monday, July 2, representing the developer.\n\"What we're asking you to do tonight is to not reject the resolution but rather to table it at this point,\" Redick said, adding that acting on the request before it has been formally submitted would be \"very unusual.\"\nHe also told the commission that making this type of decision could raise some legal issues.\n\"We believe this is the far preferable course of action rather than the commission diving head first into a decision that will almost certainly require a litigated solution,\" Redick said.\nSeveral residents voiced their opposition following Redick's presentation, including Cathy Cohen, who has lived in the neighborhood for 25 years and said they've been experiencing traffic issues since they moved there.\n\"It's just a big congested area,\" she said and added allowing traffic onto their streets \"exacerbates\" it.\nResident Melissa Conway said she's concerned for the safety of her children and the others who frequently walk along the sidewalk.\n\"Our children that go through this neighborhood aren't taking buses to go to school, they're walking and they're riding their bikes,\" she said. \"And that's a lot more traffic that's coming in.\"\nAnother resident, Frank Spies, even brought a petition signed by 139 people opposed to the request.\nResidents weren't the only one's stating their opposition.\n\"There are some real quality-of-life issues that we're talking about here, but there's a lot of safety issues,\" Commissioner Claudine Duncan said. \"I don't want to see East Grand Rapids streets burdened with this amount of traffic.\"\nCommissioner Karey Hamrick was not in attendance at the Monday night meeting, but shared a written statement via Duncan.\n\"I agree with the traffic engineering recommendation that, 'If the development is approved by Grand Rapids, the traffic generated by the development should be placed on Grand Rapids streets,'\" Hamrick said in her statement.\nThe entire City Commission, including Mayor Amna Seibold, supported the resolution that states that the city of East Grand Rapids would not approve a request from the developer if it was brought forth.\n\"I think that he (the developer) would be welcoming this input because this is letting him know before a single stone has been turned, or a piece of lumber or a piece of cement has been laid,\" Seibold said.", "1:23 Don’t say things that aren’t nice… stop doing that … he’s a grown man Pause\n1:32 Frank Martin reveals how he knew Dozier, Silva were primed for breakout year\n6:28 'A big relief': Chad Holbrook reacts after win over Mississippi State\n1:15 Eggstravaganza\n1:13 Sindarius Thornwell throws out first pitch prior to USC-Vandy\n1:03 How Rep. Jim Merrill got wrapped up in the S.C. Corruption Probe\n1:11 Questions about mass murder at Kirkland Correctional Center\n7:13 I-85 Roadway Collapse - Press Conference 3-31-17\n0:34 Making Final Four special for Dozier family", "KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Pastor Brian Goines is practicing what he preaches — faith over fear.\nHe’s learning to swim for the first time.\n“The first time I was like wow, y’all trying to drown me,” Pastor Brian Goines said. “It was a little intimidating.”\nHe’s taking part in what’s called \"Pastors in the Pool,\" a six week long program that teaches pastors how to swim to encourage young people to do the same.\nKC Urban Aquatics Council, along with its seven partners said the idea came from James Sanders, an athletic director for KCPS and his pastor. Sanders’ pastor, Johnnie Fields at Christ Temple North, learned how to swim at 60 years old for a sermon he did on conquering fear.\n“We look for pastors for so many different reasons, you know. They give us guidance,” organizer David Darmitzel said. “They save lies, literally. We're just asking them to do it in a different way.”\nAccording to USAswimmingfoundation.org, nearly 80 percent of children in households with incomes less than $50,000 either don’t know how to swim or can’t swim very well.\nAnd that of kids who have little to no swimming ability, 40 percent are white, 45 percent are Hispanic or Latino and 64 percent are African-American.\n“The old saying is there's more drownings in the urban community,” swimming instructor Kimmer Songer said. “I don't want that anymore.”\nThe KC Urban Aquatics Council is hoping to break that cycle.\n“It's really about teaching kids and adults that 'Hey, if we're playing in a pond, in a lake, in a boat, if I fall in, can I make it back to safety?'” Songer said.\nThis is the fifth week Pastor Goines has been in the pool.\n“Man I’m gonna be a brown Michael Phelps around here! I'll be swimming laps around here,” Goines said.\nHe said he hopes to encourage children in his congregation to conquer their fear.\n“There are a lot of ways we can touch the community and touch each other by learning new things,” Goines said. “I think when you see somebody's who's a leader, then that sparks the willingness to learn.”\nThe program wraps up on March 30, when there will be an Eggstravaganza underwater Easter Egg Hunt from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Club Thornberry Unit. For more information on the event, contact David Darmitzel at 816.807.7134\n—", "GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- The city of Grand Rapids has canceled the Memorial Day parade slated for 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 30.\nThe city announced it would be canceling the parade due to \"inclement weather\" two hours before the parade was set to start.\nThe parade -- and a subsequent ceremony at Veterans Memorial Park -- will not be rescheduled, according to city officials.\nSeveral Memorial Day 2018 events planned in Grand Rapids area\nThunderstorms are expected in the Grand Rapids area Wednesday evening, according to the National Weather Service.\nSubtropical storm Alberto is expected to bring heavy rain to communities across Michigan, including Grand Rapids. The National Weather Service warns of heavy downpours and occasional cloud-to-ground lightning strikes, and of the possibility of an isolated tornado.\nAlberto's tropical rains on the way to Michigan, Chicago\nIsolated tornado risk from Alberto centered over Michigan", "GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Bike sharing may soon be coming to downtown Grand Rapids.\nThe city is in the final stages of determining the effectiveness of a bike sharing program, according to a 2017 parking report released by Colliers International on Wednesday.\nThe real estate firm says 20-35 stations containing traditional and electric propelled bicycles would pop up downtown as part of the program.\nColliers International pointed to three cities where similar programs have been successful, including Chicago.\nThe bike sharing program would fall in line with the Grand Rapids’ goal of making downtown a “park once” place, where visitors park their vehicle then rely on public transportation, walking or alternative means to move around the city.\nA consultation firm cited in the report found 94 percent of Grand Rapids workers commute by vehicle, leading to tighter competition for the city’s limited parking spaces. The city owns 6,754 parking spots and 1,800 metered spaces; an additional 10,852 parking spaces are privately owned, the report stated.\nEven more difficult to get is a free space in Grand Rapids. Colliers International says three areas offer free parking, but the city is considering making those spots metered in the near future. Those locations are:\nIonia Avenue NW north of I-196\nScribner Avenue north of Bridge Street\nCentury and Grandville Avenues southwest of Founders Brewing\nThe report points to a possible model for handling Grand Rapids’ growth amid limited parking. Spectrum Health at 25 Ottawa Avenue SW doesn’t have on-site parking for the 396 staff and contractors who work there. Instead, the hospital offers two options: a $75 monthly stipend for employees to come up with their own way to commute to work or a reduced rate for city-owned parking ramps.\nShare this: Email\nPrint\nFacebook\nTwitter\nGoogle\nPinterest\nMore\nLinkedIn\nTumblr\nReddit", "Legendary NFL placekicker Adam Vinatieri hadn’t seen his high school football jersey since he graduated from Rapid City Central High School in South Dakota. That changed when the Colts visited the Texans in Houston in November.\nAs reported by the Rapid City Journal, South Dakota ABC affiliate KSFY and other outlets, Caney Creek football coach Steve Svendson has had Vinatieri’s jersey in his possession since it was almost accidentally unearthed during his time as Rapid City Central’s head coach between 1999-2007.\nDuring that time Rapid City Central would hold a throwback week each year, and during one of those throwback weeks one of Svendson’s daughters asked to wear a jersey and happened to choose Vinatieri’s old No. 8. Svendson noticed the name across the back and held onto the shirt across the years, before coming to the conclusion that it needed to be handed back to Vinatieri.\nThe handover occurred on November 5 when the Colts visited the Texans, with Vinatieri accepting the jersey … but not before making sure that Svendson really did want to return it to him.\nOld Vinatieri jersey, destined for trash, reunited with kickerhttps://t.co/S7m97OsDAh pic.twitter.com/gDel5GduJI — Rapid City Journal (@RCJournal) December 4, 2017\nNow Vinatieri has the ultimate memento of those times … and another piece of memorabilia for the ever-expanding trophy case.", "Copyright 2018 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. A photo of Brian Donovan. (Courtesy East Grand Rapids)\nEAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — East Grand Rapids City Manager Brian Donovan is retiring after 25 years in the position.\nDonovan’s retirement will go into effect this winter. He took the position in 1993 and has led numerous capital projects within the city. He has received several awards for his public service, including the 2013 Outstanding Service Award from the Michigan Municipal League.\nA city release said the city commission is planning to develop a process to replace Donovan in the coming months, and information on its search will come after plans are finalized.", "ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. (AP) - An airman at Ellsworth Air Force Base has pleaded guilty to fatally hitting his infant son in November 2016.\nTwenty-four-year-old Airman 1st Class David MacDonald pleaded guilty to murder shortly after his court-martial began Wednesday at the air base.\nThe Rapid City Journal reports MacDonald admitted striking his 3-month-old son, Elliot, after he got frustrated trying to calm the infant at their on-base residence on Nov. 4, 2016. He had been watching the infant on his own while his wife was out working.\nMacDonald told the judge he remembered striking the baby at least three times. The child was taken to Rapid City Regional Hospital and pronounced dead three days later.\nAn autopsy found the baby died of blunt trauma injury to the head.\nSentencing was scheduled Wednesday afternoon.\n___\nInformation from: Rapid City Journal, http://www.rapidcityjournal.com\nCopyright © 2018 The Washington Times, LLC.", "GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Rapid will be making some changes that will allow Kent County riders to board faster.\nThe bus system will be adding e-fare, which comes with two pass options.\n“One thing is a smart card. You can use that to board – that’s going to be a lot quicker for people because you’ll be able to just tap it when you get on the bus, you don’t need to insert your card in anything. It doesn’t have to read anything, it’s just a quick tap and then you can sit down,” said Jennifer Kalczuk with The Rapid.\nThe transit organization will also allow riders to pull up their ticket on their cellphone so drivers can scan the bar code.\nThe changes are good news to riders who lose their card or paper ticket. Right now, they’re out whatever money was loaded onto the card or ticket; with the more durable smart card, that won’t happen.\n“If you lose it, because it has a unique number, you won’t ever lose the value. We can turn that original card off and then issue a new card and transfer the value right over,” explained Kalczuk.\nRiders will also have an online profile they can set up to manage their e-fare. From that profile, riders can add money to their account and set up automatic fund transfers when their account drops to a certain level.\nThe Rapid says the changes will be gradual. The transit group will start installing card readers on busses this summer; testing will begin in the fall with the hope of completely rolling out the system by early next year.\n“We want everyone to feel confident and we want to be confident that when we roll this out that it’s ready to go and will work smoothly,” said Kalczuk.\nThe Rapid is also proposing changing its fare structure, potentially eliminating up-front costs for a fixed number of rides.\n“With this new way, you would pay as you go. So you would start paying that $1.75 per ride. After two rides in one day, you would have earned a one-day pass, so any other ride you took that day would be paid for. So unlimited rides for the rest of that day – just the same as you would have (if you) bought a one-day pass,” explained Kalczuk.\nThe Rapid will accept cash payments from riders.\nRiders can weigh in on the e-fare system and potential fare structure change at any of the following public meetings:\nFare Structure Change Meeting #1 at Rapid Central Station\nTuesday, April 18, 2017\n3 p.m. – 4 p.m.\nCentral Station, Second Floor Community Room\n250 Grandville Ave SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503\nFare Structure Change Meeting #2 at Rapid Central Station\nWednesday, April 19, 2017\n7 a.m. – 8 a.m.\nCentral Station, Second Floor Community Room\n250 Grandville Ave SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503\nFare Structure Change Meeting at Kentwood City Hall\nThursday, April 20, 2017\n4 p.m. – 5 p.m.\nKentwood City Hall, City Chamber\n4900 Breton Ave SE, Kentwood, MI 49508\nFare Structure Change Meeting at Grandville Library\nMonday, April 24, 2017\n7 p.m. – 8 p.m.\nKent District Library – Grandville Branch\n4055 Maple St SW, Grandville, MI 49418\nFare Structure Change Meeting at Walker City Hall\nTuesday, April 25, 2017\n10 a.m. – 11 a.m.\nWalker City Hall, Commission Chambers\n4243 Remembrance Rd NW, Walker, MI 49534\nFare Structure Change Meeting at Wyoming Library\nWednesday, April 26, 2017\n6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.\nKent District Library – Wyoming Branch, Library Meeting Room B\n3350 Michael Ave SW, Wyoming, MI 49509\nFare Structure Change Meeting at East Grand Rapids Community Center\nThursday, April 27, 2017\n1 p.m. – 2 p.m.\nEast Grand Rapids Community Center\n750 Lakeside Dr. SE, East Grand Rapids, MI 49506\nShare this: Email\nPrint\nFacebook\nTwitter\nGoogle\nPinterest\nMore\nLinkedIn\nTumblr\nReddit", "3 July 2018 — Rapid MFG proposes to you the many useful tools and manufacturing for projects of any range. If you are planning to start a new project and need a rapid prototyping or a low-volume manufacturing to purchase, then you will definitely need the advice of Rapid MFG. The many advices that can definitely help people get the necessary parts of enquiry will assure for you a nice experience and a fast start of your business.\nThe website of Rapid MFG is a very user friendly web page, that presents all the necessary info about their services. If you somehow would like to know more about their services, then do not hesitate to select the Contact us rubric in order to send a message to the Rapid MFG representatives and get as fast as possible a relevant answer. The personal service of Rapid MFG contains a lot of advantages provided by the CEO and Founder of the company whose experience is presented right on their website.\nWhy Rapid MFG is one of the most worth choices to take into consideration? The Rapid MFG services are designed for beginner and small companies who are not sure about their knowledge about the factory needed enquiries. For any advice and help, Rapid MFG is ready to give the best service from the initial design of your facility to the successful delivery of the parts. The many engineers of Rapid MFG will ensure a perfect match with your all requirements and needs. One other point to refer to, Rapid MFG is really a great option for people not sure about where to buy everything necessary. Almost any service related to the facility designing will be the task of Rapid MFG. Last but not least, you will remain totally impressed by the actual Rapid MFG offerings and prices, that is why do not hesitate to find out more about them.\nAbout Rapid MFG:\nRapid MFG is a company with a 16 years old experience that helps growing companies to have the proper facility parts in time. With the hugest knowledge in engineering and technology, Rapid MFG is able to advise and aid small companies. If you are interested in similar services, then do not wait to contact them.\nContact:\nCompany Name: Rapid MFG\nAddress: 3rd Building, Beifanf Yongfa Sci. & Tech Park, XinerXinQiao Shajing Twon, Bao’an District, Shenzhen City, Guangdong, China\nEmail: engineers@rapid-mfg.cn\nPhone: +86 0755 27284387\nWebsite: http://www.rapid-mfg.cn/", "News Release\nDES MOINES, IA - Iowa Wild General Manager Brent Flahr announced the American Hockey League (AHL) club has recalled goaltender Adam Vay and defenseman Matt Caito (kay-toe) from Iowa's ECHL affiliate, the Rapid City Rush. In addition, the club has released goaltender Branden Komm from his professional tryout agreement (PTO).\nCaito leads all Rapid City Rush defenseman in scoring with 11 points on two goals and nine assists in 13 games played. Last season, as a rookie, the 24-year-old appeared in 13 games (1g, 1a) with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL and 23 games with the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL. Caito turned pro in March of 2016, joining the Walleye after he finished his collegiate career at the University of Miami-Ohio. The California native was signed by Iowa Wild to an AHL SPC (standard player contract) on July 1, 2017.\nVay rejoins Iowa again after another stint with the Rush. The Budapest, Hungary native made his AHL debut with the Wild on October 28 in Tucson, a 5-4 overtime loss to the Roadrunners. Vay is 3-3-0 with the Rush this season. Last year he won 20 games at the ECHL level, his first professional season in North America.\nKomm, 26 (3/19/91), did not appear in a game for Iowa after signing a PTO on November 28. He will return to the Quad City Mallards (ECHL).", "A cold, windy night started the high school football playoffs in South Dakota. Here are the teams that have moved one step closer to Vermillion.\nClass 11AAA\nClass 11AAA went as expected with results, but there were a couple of chances for an upset bid. Sioux Falls Washington rolled over Rapid City Central, while Brandon Valley beat Rapid City Stevens. O'Gorman managed to score the game deciding touchdown with a minute left to beat Aberdeen Central, while Roosevelt stormed back in the second half after trailing 9-7 to beat Watertown.\nWashington 56, Rapid City Central 24\nO'Gorman 21, Aberdeen Central 14\nBrandon Valley 35, Rapid City Stevens 17\nRoosevelt 30, Watertown 16\nSemifinals, November 3rd\n(4) Sioux Falls O'Gorman @ (1) Sioux Falls Washington - 4:00\n(3) Brandon Valley @ (2) Sioux Falls Roosevelt - 7:30\nClass 11AA\nClass 11AA is completed outside of one game. Yankton and Douglas will meet on Friday night (Oct. 27) to determine who gets to face Pierre. The Govs beat Brookings 35-14. Mitchell had no issues with Sturgis, and Harrisburg won another edition of the \"Tiger Bowl\" as they defeated Huron.\nPierre, 35, Brookings 14\nMitchell 41, Sturgis Brown 12\nHarrisburg 27, Huron 8\nYankton/Douglas - Playing October 27, 7:00 CT\nSemifinals, November 3rd\nYankton/Douglas @ (1) Pierre\n(3) Harrisburg @ (2) Mitchell - 7:00\nClass 11A\nA couple of teams that were in lower seeds ended up winning on Thursday night. 6th seed St. Thomas More defeated Dell Rapids 21-20, while 5th seed Milbank also advanced with a 55-0 win over Todd County. The top two seeds Madison and Dakota Valley had shutout victories to advance to the semifinals.\nMadison 43, Tea Area 0\nMilbank 55, Todd County 0\nDakota Valley 58, Pine Ridge 0\nSt. Thomas More 21, Dell Rapids 20\nSemifinals, November 3rd\n(5) Milbank @ (1) Madison - 7:00\n(6) St. Thomas More @ (2) Dakota Valley - 6:00\nClass 11B\nSioux Falls Christian has moved on after a dominate win over Groton Area on Thursday night. They will host Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central next week after the Blackhawks took care of Red Cloud. Sioux Valley remains the team to beat in the class as they have moved on and will be set with a Week 8 rematch with Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan.\nSioux Valley 46, Aberdeen Roncalli 0\nBridgewater-Emery/Ethan 18, Winner 8\nSF Christian 48, Groton Area 14\nWoonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central 60, Red Cloud 6\nSemifinals, November 3rd\n(5) Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan @ (1) Sioux Valley\n(3) Woonsocket/Wessington Springs/Sanborn Central @ (2) Sioux Falls Christian - 7:00\n9-Man Semifinal Rounds - All games played on Friday, November 3rd:\n9AA\n(4) Miller/Highmore-Harrold @ (1) Gregory\n(7) Kimball/White Lake @ (3) Irene-Wakonda\n9A\n(4) Howard @ (1) Corsica-Stickney - 7:00\n(3) Britton-Hecla @ (2) Warner - 7:00\n9B", "GRAND RAPIDS –– One of the largest proposed developments in downtown Grand Rapids in recent years took a significant step forward on Thursday.\nJackson Entertainment LLC and the affiliated Olsen Loeks LLC closed on the $6.9 million acquisition of two surface parking lots from the city of Grand Rapids’ Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and now plans to move forward with its proposed mixed-use Studio Park development immediately south of the Van Andel Arena.\nThe city on Thursday closed off the northbound and southbound business routes onto U.S. 131 between Cherry and Oakes Streets, as they will be absorbed as part of the $140 million development.\nA groundbreaking is expected to be announced soon and project is expected to be complete in the fall of 2019.\n“We are happy to be at this moment,” J.D. Loeks, a principal with Jackson Entertainment and Olsen Loeks Development, said in a statement. “An enormous amount of cooperation, creativity and care goes into planning a project like this, but now it begins to have life. We are excited that we can officially begin to move some dirt.”", "1st Street SE in downtown Cedar Rapids around 10:30 a.m.\nCrews are working very hard to clear streets in Cedar Rapids.\nAccording to Cedar Rapids Communication Coordinator Emily Muhlbach crews have been working since early Sunday night and additional crews were called in around 4 this morning to help clear streets in time for the Monday morning commute.\nStreet crews are using 50% salt and 50% sand on the roadways.\nAs of this morning they are continuing to keep up with main roads while also working to clear neighborhood streets.\nCedar Rapids police responded to 31 crashes between 6 p.m. Sunday and 8:30 Monday morning.\nThe city says about 90 plows are out.", "Grand Rapids-based Third Coast Development LLC, which is developing Diamond Place along Michigan Street east of downtown Grand Rapids, has shifted away from strictly market-rate housing to more affordable and middle-income projects.\nGRAND RAPIDS — Demand remains strong for urban apartments, although occupancy rates for the burgeoning market have begun to slip as new units come online.\nThat’s according to data presented last week at a commercial real estate forecast from the Grand Rapids office of Colliers International Inc., a commercial brokerage firm.\nOccupancy rates for apartments in Grand Rapids peaked in early 2017 at about 96.8 percent and have since dropped slightly to 96.5 percent, largely as new supply comes on the market and not as a result of any decrease in demand, according to the Colliers data.\nEven with that dip, researchers say there’s little indication that demand will diminish for high-amenity, newly-built projects in the foreseeable future.\n“I think amenities continue to drive rental rates and I think that’s going to continue through 2018,” said Jeff Hainer, senior research analyst for Colliers International. “There’s still high demand for nice (amenities). … I think residential developments will continue to differentiate themselves by using different amenities.”\nThe recent federal tax reform could also add to the demand for more apartments, according to Paul Isely, an economist and the associate dean of undergraduate programs in the Seidman College of Business at Grand Valley State University.\nIsely projects that the recently-passed tax legislation will add about 20 percent in costs for new homebuyers in the short term, meaning that many renters who were looking to buy a home might continue renting.\nThe Colliers research comes at a time of continued concerns over housing affordability, and as municipalities re-examine their own policies about how to incentivize new housing development.\nTo that end, plenty more development remains in the pipeline.\nAs of the close of 2017, 1,025 new housing units were under construction around Grand Rapids, according to Colliers. Additionally, the firm was tracking 776 “prospective” units –– units that have been discussed but for which there have been no documents or filings –– and another 642 planned units for which documents have been filed with municipalities.\nADAPTING TO THE MARKET\nThat influx of new projects has led to some developers exploring new strategies.\nThird Coast Development LLC, a development firm primarily focused on the Grand Rapids apartment market, largely has shifted away from the market-rate sector. That move comes mostly as a result of the proliferation of what Principal Max Benedict called “the same white boxes” being built all over the city.\nInstead, the company has pivoted to building affordable units and middle-income housing developments, with two currently underway along the Michigan Street corridor and on the city’s west side at the southeast corner of Leonard Street and Alpine Avenue.\n“Our company made that fundamental shift because we knew the demand for market rate was being satiated by all the cranes in the air building it,” Benedict said. “And (affordable housing is) the biggest problem that the city has right now, so it just kind of made sense to follow the demand.”\nPRIORITIZING AFFORDABILITY\nAs housing development continues to heat up, it’s not just developers like Third Coast that are tapping into the demand for increased affordable options. Municipalities like Grand Rapids and a variety of stakeholders in Ottawa County have sought to address concerns related to the affordability of housing, particularly as newly built units rent for an average of $1.33 per square foot, according to the Colliers data.\nSources contacted for this report agree there’s no silver bullet to make housing more affordable. Still, many stakeholders believe that by bringing a large influx of supply to the market while financial conditions remain strong, they can slowly move the needle on affordability.\n“The city is doing everything they can and I’ve never seen such a large entity be as agile as they are to solve a problem,” Benedict said. “They have it as a top priority and they’re saying, ‘What levers can we pull?’”\nCity officials in Grand Rapids have been holding public meetings in recent weeks to lay out anticipated changes to the city’s zoning code in the hopes of spurring more development and supply, particularly for more small-scale projects.\nProposed changes include zoning incentives to allow for more two-, three- and four-unit projects; permitting for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), or additions to homes and garages for living purposes; and incentives for increased density.\nThird Coast Development’s Benedict –– who served on the committee that came up with the zoning proposals –– said one recommendation to reduce the amount of Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) related to subsidized housing could affect his firm. The PILOT functions essentially as a service fee that affordable housing developers pay based on rent collected by the project instead of paying property taxes.\nThe proposal would reduce PILOT from 4 percent to 3 percent. One third would go to the city, while the remaining portion would go into a proposed fund the city of Grand Rapids hopes to use to incentivize future affordable housing projects.\nTIME FOR ACTION\nReal estate industry sources hope that by aligning land use and zoning policies at the city, they can get enough supply to move the needle on rental rates.\nThe Seattle Times, citing data from RealData Inc., reported in mid January that rents in the booming Pacific Northwest city fell 2.9 percent in December compared with the previous quarter, equating to about $50 per month in savings for the average renter in the area. The report described how many newly built units remain empty as a massive amount of supply hit the market in recent months.\nLocally, stakeholders acknowledge that it will take considerable development to change the West Michigan region from a landlord’s market to a tenant’s market. But with economists like Isely anticipating that a minor recession is likely in 2019 or 2020, now is the time to bring more units to market, according to policymakers.\n“Understanding the way in which the economic cycles work in the greater economy, if we’re going to try and address things on the supply side, you have to do it while financing is available,” said Jon O’Connor, a Grand Rapids city commissioner representing the city’s west side neighborhoods. “And so right now, it’s still possible to do this. Given our extremely low vacancy rate in housing in the city, we clearly need to get more on the books as fast as we can.”", "GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A sign of victory now hangs in Van Andel Arena.\nThe Grand Rapids Griffins raised their 2017 Calder Cup championship banner over the ice Friday evening.\n“I think this last ceremony is kind of turning the page to a new season. One more time to celebrate with the city, the fans, and then it’s back to work,” forward Eric Tangradi, an associate captain this year, told 24 Hour News 8 before the banner raising.\n“I’m kind of taking it as a little bit of a closing ceremony, sort of tying a ribbon on last year,” defenseman Joey Hicketts agreed. “Raising a banner in front of these fans, it should be a great night. I’m really excited and I know the guys are as well.”\nIn June, the Griffins beat the Syracuse Crunch in six games to earn the cup. It was their second time winning the championship, but the first time they did it on home ice. As the buzzer sounded, the crowd erupted in to wild cheers and thrilled players collided into a group hug. A few days later, hundreds of people rallied in downtown Grand Rapids to celebrate the victory.\n“The crowds in the playoffs, this place was bananas; I mean, it was something else. It was very special,” Tangradi said. “It made me and everyone in that dressing room excited to get back just for the regular season. We now know that we’ve set some expectations for ourselves as players in this city, and hopefully they can come out and support us the same way they did in the playoffs.”\nTeam members are expected to get their championship rings late this month or early next month. Last week, 24 Hour News 8 got a look at how those rings are being crafted at local factory Terryberry.\nThe Griffins also unveiled their Western Conference Championship banner Friday. Following the ceremony, they opened the 2017-2018 season versus the Manitoba Moose.\nLooking forward to the coming season, Griffins head coach Todd Nelson has been warning his team not to fall victim to a so-called championship hangover.\n“When you look at Cleveland, two years ago they won the cup and then last year, they got off to a slow start and never recovered and they weren’t in the playoffs,” Nelson said. “So we’ve got to take a lesson from that and hopefully get off to a good start.”\n“We know that we have a target on our back the rest of the season as champions and it’s going to be a tough season,” Tangradi said.\nGriffins raise 2017 Calder Cup banner View as list View as gallery Open Gallery The Grand Rapids Griffins' 2017 Calder Cup championship banner is raised at Van Andel Arena. (Oct. 6, 2017) The Grand Rapids Griffins' 2017 Calder Cup championship banner is raised at Van Andel Arena. (Oct. 6, 2017) The Grand Rapids Griffins' 2017 Calder Cup championship banner is raised at Van Andel Arena. (Oct. 6, 2017) The Grand Rapids Griffins' 2017 Calder Cup championship banner is raised at Van Andel Arena. (Oct. 6, 2017) The Grand Rapids Griffins with the Calder Cup before the 2017 championship banner is raised at Van Andel Arena. (Oct. 6, 2017) The Grand Rapids Griffins raise their 2017 Calder Cup championship banner and Van Andel Arena. (Oct. 6, 2017) The Grand Rapids Griffins' 2017 Calder Cup championship banner is raised at Van Andel Arena. (Oct. 6, 2017) The Grand Rapids Griffins' 2017 Calder Cup championship banner is raised at Van Andel Arena. (Oct. 6, 2017) The Grand Rapids Griffins' 2017 Calder Cup championship banner is raised at Van Andel Arena. (Oct. 6, 2017) People file in to Van Andel Arena for the Grand Rapids Griffins' season opener. (Oct. 6, 2017) People file in to Van Andel Arena for the Grand Rapids Griffins' season opener. (Oct. 6, 2017) Van Andel Arena before the Grand Rapids Griffins' season opener. (Oct. 6, 2017) The Grand Rapids Griffins' 2013 Calder Cup championship banner at Van Andel Arena. (Oct. 6, 2017) Grand Rapids Griffins fans at Van Andel Area before the 2017 Calder Cup championship banner raising. (Oct. 6, 2017) The Grand Rapids Griffins take the ice before their season opener at Van Andel Arena. (Oct., 6 ,2017)\n>>App users: Photos of banner raising\n—–\nOnline:\nGrand Rapids Griffins\nShare this: Email\nPrint\nFacebook\nTwitter\nGoogle\nPinterest\nMore\nLinkedIn\nTumblr\nReddit", "Please enable Javascript to watch this video\nGrand Rapids Whitewater CEO, Richard Bishop stopped by Fox17 to talk about Tribute on the Grand. FOX 17 is proud to partner with Founders Brewing Co. The event, which takes place from 2:00pm – 10:00pm on August 19, 2017 at Ah-Nab-Awen Park in downtown Grand Rapids is expected to draw 6,000 people to the river.\nThis community event, which is FREE to the public, will feature plenty of Founders beer along with national tribute acts Saved by the 90s and Hotel California, with a local act Brother Wolf and the Wolfpack from Mars. “Tribute on the Grand” will also feature a one-of-a-kind beer dinner on the Blue Bridge overlooking the Grand River.\nGrand Rapids Whitewater is a group of individuals, rowing and paddling clubs, anglers and businesses dedicated to helping Green Grand Rapids achieve the dream of putting the namesake rapids back in the Grand River for everyone’s enjoyment. Their goal is to partner with the city to create a safer, more exciting river experience for everyone.", "GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — After spending many years as a community leader, Ellen James was awarded as the 2018 Giant Among Giants Saturday night.\nThe award recognizes notable contributions of black community members who improve the quality of life in Grand Rapids. Since 1983, 13 individuals have been recognized annually for their efforts in the community.\n“It started basically on their vision to recognize African-Americans within the community who have dedicated their lives to service as well as excellence in their careers,” said Giants Award Organizer Vanessa Greene.\nJames has spent several years on the Grand Rapids Community College Board of Trustees and the City of Grand Rapids Community Relations Commission.\nShare this: Email\nPrint\nFacebook\nTwitter\nGoogle\nPinterest\nMore\nLinkedIn\nTumblr\nReddit", "Among ancient shrines Donald Blakeslee has found, several limestone boulders in Tami and Greg Norwood’s backyard stand out.\nSculptors from the Wichita Nation carved the images hundreds of years ago. There are small holes with basins just below them, and from the basins, curved miniature channels, some shaped like stairsteps moving down the sloping face of the stone.\nNobody made much of this rock art, not even previous archaeologists who’d looked at it.\nBut two years ago, Blakeslee, an anthropologist, stood under the shade of the Norwood’s trees, and felt a little flash of recognition.\n“It has to do with souls.”\nSo he picked up his water bottle, and poured.\nThe water pooled, in basins under the holes. The water filled the little basins, then trickled down the carved channels, which curved around and then came together, or spread out.\nHe’d discovered an interactive sacred shrine, still functional after four centuries.\n“It is in their religion that everything is in three layers — the sky, this world, and the underground — and that water moves between these worlds,” he said.\nThe shrine was rooted deeply in religious beliefs of the Wichita Nation. Moving water was sacred. Believers also thought they could look into a pool on a moonlit night and talk with spirits and souls in reflections they saw.\nBlakeslee keeps finding more images, and thinks it’ll be possible to record more about the lost mythology of the Wichita.\nMany stones beside springs were sacred. A few feet from the water shrine sits another boulder, with dozens of small, smooth depressions carved into stone. Women hundreds of years ago carved the little holes, filled them with water, then drank that water while saying a prayer for successful pregnancies.\nSprings and water pools, especially those coming out of caves, were sacred portals, he said. And that’s where the Norwood’s boulders come in.\nfacebook twitter email Share More Videos 7:13 I-85 Roadway Collapse - Press Conference 3-31-17 Pause 3:26 United passenger attorney: Airlines have bullied us, and Dao is 'the guy to stand up for passengers' 3:20 Doolittle Raiders take to the sky 60 years after historic battle 1:32 Frank Martin reveals how he knew Dozier, Silva were primed for breakout year 2:15 Transfer Kory Holden watching, learning as he sits out 6:28 'A big relief': Chad Holbrook reacts after win over Mississippi State 1:11 Questions about mass murder at Kirkland Correctional Center 1:15 Eggstravaganza 1:03 How Rep. Jim Merrill got wrapped up in the S.C. Corruption Probe 2:36 Why not USC? Preview, final thoughts on USC-Duke NCAA showdown Share Video Video link: Select Embed code: Select\nfacebook\nfacebook twitter\ntwitter email Wichita State professor explores ancient Native American city Wichita State anthropologist Donald Blakeslee talks about the Wichita Indian settlement of Etzanoa, which was discovered near present-day Arkansas City by Spanish explorers in 1602. It is estimated the settlement was home to 20,000 Plains Indians. theying@wichitaeagle.com\nThe pastures of Rice County and the bluffs and ravines around Arkansas City and Etzanoa are nourished by burbling springs that likely became drinking supplies and sacred shrines.\nThis has fascinated Gary McAdams, who has held leadership positions with the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes, headquartered in Anadarko, Okla.\nAmong the ancient Wichita, he said, “Water is transformational — you go into a stream or a spring, and come out transformed. When babies are born, they baptized them with water. They would pray to the spirit in the water, or in the moon.\n“And when they were about to do something important, a battle or some other big undertaking, they would go to a nearby stream and bathe, a preparatory thing they would do with prayers.\n“They would do that also when someone passes away, the family would make sure to bathe, to get rid of a bad feeling — a cleansing action, to bathe, and do it with prayers.\n“Things have changed now.”", "MLS side Colorado Rapids have started negotiations with Manchester City over the possible signing of midfielder Bismark Adjei-Boateng.\nThe 22-year-old has been identified as the perfect replacement for Jermaine Jones who has joined LA Galaxy.\nRapids are determined to tie up the youngster after the international transfer window reopened on Sunday.\nAdjei-Boateng was signed by Manchester City in 2011 from the Right to Dream academy in Ghana.\nHe has spent the last four seasons on loan with Norwegian side Stromsgodset, scoring 17 goals in 85 league appearances.\nComments\nThis article has 0 comment(s)", "Ready to take action to build the community, state and nation you want, but not sure what to do next? Here are some opportunities for political activism this week.\nStart local by getting to know your county supervisors and city council\nIowa City Council meeting City Hall — Tuesday, April 18 at 7 p.m.\nLinn County Supervisors meeting Jean Oxley Linn County Public Service Center (935 2nd St SW, Cedar Rapids) — Wednesday, April 19 at 10 a.m.\nJohnson County Supervisors meeting Johnson County Administration Building (913 S Dubuque St, Iowa City) — Thursday, April 20 at 9 a.m.\nGet involved with a political party\nLinn County Republicans meeting Longbranch Hotel (90 Twixt Town Rd, Cedar Rapids) — Tuesday, April 18 at 7 p.m.\nCheck in with the GOP at this monthly meeting to find out what the party’s doing in your county and how you can help.\nT3: Grassroots Organizing Webinar Monday, April 17 at 5 p.m.\nLearn Democratic Party-specific organizing skills with this free six-week online master class from the Iowa Democratic Party and Association of State Democratic Party Chairs. Twice-weekly sessions include topics like digital organizing, managing volunteers, phone banking, voter registration, candidate recruitment and fundraising Register for the full course, and you will be sent alerts about upcoming trainings.\nPrep for the March for Science\nMarch for Science sign-making party Cedar Rapids Public Library — Monday, April 17 at 5:30 p.m.\nMarch for Science sign-making party Big Grove Brewery & Taproom (1225 S Gilbert St, Iowa City) — Wednesday, April 19 at 6 p.m.\nShow your support for science-based policy and meet like-minded activists at a sign-making party, and check our upcoming issue for detail on the satellite marches across Iowa happening Saturday and Sunday, April 22 and 23.\nGet to know the candidates for North Liberty City Council\nNorth Liberty Candidate Forum North Liberty Community Library — Monday, April 17 at 6 p.m.\nNorth Liberty is about to elect a new city council and mayor! Meet the candidates and ask them questions at this public forum.\nFight the Trump agenda at this weekly event\n#ResistTrumpTuesday Rally & Office Visit Federal Courthouse (111 7th Ave SE, Cedar Rapids) — Tuesday, April 18 at 12 p.m.\nBring a personal message to Sen. Grassley, Sen. Ernst or Rep. Blum to share at a rally outside the courthouse, then send it along with a delegation from the group who will meet with each of the members of congress’ staff. If you can’t make it, send your letters to SwampCabinet@gmail.com and they will be delivered. This event is organized by MoveOn, Indivisible and the Working Families Party.\nGet a word in with Sen. Chuck Grassley\nChuck Grassley Town Hall Keokuk County Courthouse (101 S Main St, Sigourney) — Tuesday, April 18 at 2:30 p.m.\nTake a little road trip to visit Sen. Grassley while the U.S. congress is on break at his closest public forum.\nFind out what’s up in Linn County\nLinn State of the County The Hotel at Kirkwood Center (7725 Kirkwood Blvd SW, Cedar Rapids) — Wednesday, April 19 at 11:30 a.m.\nHear about the state of Linn County at this presentation and luncheon with the League of Women Voters. Buy tickets online or email libby.slappey@gmail.com.\nAttempt to contact Rep. Rod Blum\nThursdays @ Blum’s Blue Strawberry Coffee Company (118 2nd St SE, Cedar Rapids) — Thursday, April 20 at 9 a.m.\nMeet up with other activists from Indivisible to strategize, then head to Rep. Blum’s office to share your concerns with his staff.\nWe Wish You Were Here Rod Blum Community Forum Cedar Rapids Public Library — Friday, April 21 at 3 p.m.\nRep. Blum was invited to this town hall but is not expected to attend. However, since this event was announced Blum has scheduled a public forum for May 8 in Cedar Rapids, so this event will be used to formulate questions for that forum and discuss other strategies to expand communication between the congressman and his constituents.\nCatch some tunes and support workers’ rights\nBenefit Concert for the Center for Worker Justice The Mill (120 E Burlington St, Iowa City) — Thursday, April 20 at 7:30 p.m.\nCatch multiple bands and support the Center for Worker Justice of Eastern Iowa for the bargain price of $7.\nShare your thoughts with a Johnson County state senator\nLegislative Forum Washington County Courthouse (222 West Main Street, Washington, Iowa) — Saturday, April 22 at 10 a.m.\nHave a conversation with state senators including Sen. Kevin Kinney, whose district includes Johnson County, at this public forum.\nLearn activist skills at this Latino/a-focused training\nLatino Political Network — Iowa City Event University Capitol Center (201 S Clinton St, Iowa City) — Saturday, April 22 at 11 a.m.\nLearn to run for office from Iowan Latino political leaders and gain other political organizing skills at this workshop.\nGet in on the ground floor of the political revolution in Johnson County\nState of the Revolution Livestream Robert A. Lee Recreation Center (Iowa City) — Sunday, April 23 at 3:30 p.m.\nHear from Our Revolution (Bernie Sanders’ political organization) leaders Nina Turner, Lucy Flores, Larry Cohen and Mike Connolly to explore next steps at the local and national level at the first-ever Our Revolution Johnson County event, in a livestream simulcast to groups nationwide. Hear from local candidates and Sanders supporters, find out how you can get involved and share your organizing ideas. Sign up online.", "HOWARD CITY — The Big Rapids girls soccer team edged Tri-County 2-1 on the road Monday. The game was originally scheduled to be played at Big Rapids, but […]\nYou’re not getting the whole story… Not a member yet? Sign up today for a 1-month free trial or purchase a daily pass.\nAlready a print subscriber? Activate your online account! Already a member? Log in to see this story. Username\nPassword\nRemember my password? Signup Here\nLost Password", "The Yaris will be available with a petrol engine only unlike its competition\nToyota is going to launch the Yaris in India in the month of April. The Japanese manufacturer's Honda City-rival will also take on other popular sedans in this segment like the Hyundai Verna, the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, Volkswagen Vento and the Skoda Rapid. If you have already finalised on buying the Yaris, well, you can click here to know more about its bookings that are already underway.\nBut if you're still wondering how it fares against its rivals on paper, we have got the answer.\nDimensions:\nToyota Yaris*\nHyundai Verna\nHonda City\nMaruti Suzuki Ciaz\nVolkswagen Vento\nSkoda Rapid\nLength\n4425mm\n4440mm\n4440mm\n4490mm\n4390mm\n4413mm\nWidth\n1730mm\n1695mm\n1729mm\n1730mm\n1699mm\n1699mm\nHeight\n1475mm\n1495mm\n1475mm\n1485mm\n1467mm\n1466mm\nWheelbase\n2550mm\n2600mm\n2600mm\n2650mm\n2553mm\n2552mm\n*Singapore-spec Yaris used for reference. We expect no major changes in dimensions of the India-spec Yaris\nThe Toyota Yaris won’t set any new standards when it comes to exterior dimensions. It’s neither expected to be the longest nor the tallest car in its segment, but will be at par with the widest car in the segment, the Ciaz.That said, it might have the shortest wheelbase amongst competition. While that might result in the least legroom inside the cabin, we’ll save the judgement until we test it.\nWe saw the India-spec Yaris first at the Auto Expo 2018, and here’s what we feel about its looks and design.\nEngine:\nPetrol\nToyota Yaris\nHyundai Verna\nHonda City\nMaruti Suzuki Ciaz\nVolkswagen Vento\nSkoda Rapid\nEngine\n1.5-litre\n1.6/1.4-litre\n1.5-litre\n1.4-litre\n1.6/1.2-litre\n1.6-litre\nPower\n108PS\n123PS/100PS\n119PS\n92PS\n105PS/105PS\n105PS\nTorque\n140Nm\n151Nm/132Nm\n145Nm\n130Nm\n153Nm/175Nm\n153Nm\nTransmission\n6-speed MT/CVT with paddle shifters\n6-speed MT/ AT (only with 1.6-litre)\n5-speed MT/ CVT with paddle shifters\n5-speed MT/ 4-speed AT\n5-speed MT/ 7-speed DSG\n5-speed MT/ 6-speed Tiptronic\nToyota will offer the Yaris with a petrol engine only. It will be a 1.5-litre unit that is more powerful than that of the Ciaz, Rapid and the Vento. However, the Yaris will not be the most powerful car in its class as the Verna’s 1.6-litre and the City’s 1.5-litre petrol engines make significantly more power. The Vento is the only sedan in this comparison to feature a turbocharged petrol engine, although it's not the most powerful unit here.\nTransmission duties on the Yaris will be handled by a 6-speed manual or a CVT with paddle shifters. Other cars in this comparison are also offered with both manual and automatic transmission options.\nBoth the Yaris and the City get CVT with paddle shifters, while the Verna, Ciaz and the Rapid are available with a torque converter unit. CVTs are more fuel efficient than torque converters, in general. The Honda City, equipped with a CVT, returns 18kmpl, which is more than its manual version by 0.6kmpl. Hence, we expect the Yaris to deliver manual-like fuel efficiency figures in its automatic avatar.\nThe Vento is the only petrol-powered automatic car in this segment that gets a dual-clutch automatic transmission. Its 7-speed DSG gearbox is mated to the 1.2L TSI engine. A dual-clutch transmission is widely regarded as more technologically advanced compared to CVTs and torque-converters. Having two clutches not only quickens the gear shifts but also makes the transition from one gear to another smoother. Related: Volkswagen Vento Gets A Sportier Variant To Compete With The Ciaz S\nFeatures:\nEven though the entire feature list isn't out yet, Toyota has revealed a few goodies the Yaris will get. The Yaris will pack some segment-first features like front parking sensors, power-adjustable front seats, 7 airbags, tyre pressure monitoring system and roof mounted rear AC vents.\nAll cars in this comparison get features like touchscreen infotainment system, climate control, rear parking sensors, and alloy wheels in the top variants. The Yaris will also follow suit as suggested by the VX variant showcased at the Auto Expo. The City and the Verna are currently equipped with 6 airbags in their top variants, but the Yaris will trump that by offering 7. Sunroof, a feature that might not be the most practical but is still sought-after in India, might not be on offer on the Yaris. So, the City and the Verna will continue to be the only cars in this segment to get a sunroof.\nPrices (ex-showroom Delhi):\nToyota Yaris\nHyundai Verna\nHonda City\nMaruti Suzuki Ciaz\nVolkswagen Vento\nSkoda Rapid\nPrice Range\nRs 9 lakh to Rs 14 lakh (expected)\nRs 7.79 lakh to Rs 12.94 lakh\nRs 8.71 lakh to Rs 13.77 lakh\nRs 7.83 lakh and Rs 11.51 lakh\nRs 8.19 lakh to Rs 13.87 lakh\nRs 8.35 lakh to Rs 13.92 lakh\nWe expect Toyota to price the Yaris in the range of Rs 9 lakh to Rs 14 lakh. At that price, the Yaris might be the most expensive car of the lot but it is expected to pack a long list of features to justify the premium.\nAlso Read: Hyundai Verna vs Honda City: Comparison Review\nRead More on : Maruti Ciaz diesel", "Please enable Javascript to watch this video\nGRAND RAPIDS, Mich.--- Calvin women`s basketball senior Anna Timmer always dreamed of playing her college career in the city of Grand Rapids. After playing her high school career at South Christian she followed in the footsteps of her dad, who is now the athletic director, by coming to Calvin.\nCalvin`s women`s basketball team is 11-4 in MIAA play this year and has already secured a spot in the league tournament but tomorrow night they're hoping to get a win for their seniors who will out on a high at Calvin.", "Please enable Javascript to watch this video\nYUBA CITY -- Yuba City's Mayor Stanley Cleveland, Jr. organized a candlelight vigil Friday night to pray, reflect and honor the victims of Sunday's massacre in Las Vegas.\nA Yuba City police Sgt. Dennis Hauck spoke at the event. He was in Las Vegas and heard the rapid gunfire.\n\"I could just hear the volley, the rapid firing of machine gun,\" Sgt. Hauk said.\nHauck was supposed to be in the crowd with his wife and friends, but tickets to the concert were sold out. He said he went into action, working to protect his wife and friends. His group watched as people covered in blood ran to safety.\nYuba City mother Teri Hause was at a Jason Aldean show just two days prior with her children. The national tragedy hit close to home, she told FOX40 at the vigil.\nThere were even more personal connections to the region, the mayor told people Friday night.\nA woman from Wheatland was shot in the side. A police department employee's daughter and her boyfriend were also shot. All three are expected to recover.", "The final South Dakota Prep Media Basketball Poll for the season has been released and it features more chaos in Class AA.\nRegular seasons have come to a close and all the attention has shifted to the Round of 16 in each class. Regions are taking place for Class A, B boys and girls, while Class AA will start the Round of 16 this upcoming Friday.\nThis week's poll is consistent in terms of the teams that are top ranked. It is also consistent in that Class AA boys continues to be a guessing game in ranking spots 3-5. Class AA girls also features one change at the bottom of the ranking as Brandon Valley has jumped into the 5th spot in the final poll.\nClass A boys saw no changes in the poll this week, while Class B boys had a little change in the middle. There were no polls released for Class A, B girls this week due to the regular season ending last week.\nThe final South Dakota Prep Media basketball poll is listed below, ranking the top-five teams, the team’s record, points received and ranking in the previous poll. First-place votes are indicated in parentheses.\nBoys\nClass AA\nRapid City Central (17) 15-3 104 1 Rapid City Stevens (5) 15-3 93 2 Aberdeen Central 13-7 57 5 Sioux Falls Lincoln 12-6 38 RV Harrisburg 16-4 30 3\nReceiving votes: Sioux Falls O’Gorman 5, Sioux Falls Washington 3.\nClass A\nSioux Falls Christian (22) 20-0 110 1 Madison 19-1 88 2 Sioux Valley 18- 2 64 3 Dell Rapids 16-4 31 4 Tea Area 15-5 25 5\nReceiving votes: Miller 9, Crow Creek 2, Dakota Valley 1.\nClass B\nBridgewater-Emery (17) 17-3 104 1 Sully Buttes (5) 19-1 92 2 White River 18-2 60 4 Corsica-Stickney 18-2 40 5 Clark/Willow Lake 15-5 22 3\nReceiving votes: Canistota 8, Colman-Egan 2, Warner 2.\nGirls\nClass AA\nAberdeen Central (22) 19-1 110 1 Sioux Falls Lincoln 16-3 86 2 Rapid City Stevens 17-3 61 3 Sioux Falls O’Gorman 15-5 50 4 Brandon Valley 13-7 17 RV\nReceiving votes: Harrisburg 6.\nSEE ALSO:", "GRAND RAPIDS, MI - The oldest bridge in Grand Rapids could close to vehicles after 131 years of providing safe - albeit sometimes harrowing - passage across the Grand River.\nGrand Rapids city commissioners will be asked to authorize a $50,000 traffic study of the Sixth Street bridge at their Tuesday, Aug. 15, meeting.\n\"There's always been a concern about how narrow the bridge is,\" said Rick DeVries, assistant city engineer.\nThe study will examine the city's options - including closing the bridge to vehicle traffic, changing the direction of traffic to one direction only or adding signals to manage the traffic flow.\nThe bridge is inspected every two years. And after every inspection, DeVries said the inspectors always ask if the city has ever considered making the bridge one-way only or putting up a signal.\n\"It's really just something that was brought up again that we should take a look,\" DeVries said.\nThe wrought-iron bridge was built in 1886 by Massillon Bridge Company.\nThe 544-foot-long structure has four spans. It appears narrow by modern standards, partly because it has no shoulder. By comparison, interstate bridges, with traffic passing in two directions, require a shoulder of at least three and a half feet wide.\nThe bridge was saved from the wrecking ball in 1975 and restored. In 2012, the city paid $2.3 million to remove the bridge deck's asphalt-covered wooden joists and install a new deck made of metal grids covered in concrete.\nIn 2012, city officials believed the new deck would sustain the span for up to 30 years.\n\"The bridge itself is in great shape,\" DeVries said.\nAt 18 feet wide, the road is too narrow for a center line -- but two vehicles can pass each other with care. A typical two-lane road with a centerline has lanes each about 14 feet wide, DeVries said.\nThe bridge has had a weight limit of three tons for at least 35 years, DeVries said. Big trucks can't pass over the bridge, DeVries said.\n\"It's just the way that the bridge operates. People can't go very fast; some basically stop for oncoming traffic,\" DeVries said. \"They're concerned about that width.\"\nGrand Rapids Sixth Street bridge to get $2.3 million makeover, close for 3 months", "After nearly 25 years on the job, East Grand Rapids City Manager Brian Donovan has announced he will retire this coming winter.\n\"Twenty-five years at the city of East Grand Rapids has taught me a lot about how dedicated our staff, commissions and residents are to building a community we can all be proud of,\" Donovan said.\n\"It has truly been an honor and privilege to be the manager of such an exceptional community,\" he said. \"I could not have asked for a better experience and look forward to seeing how our community continues to progress.\"\nMayor Amna Seibold said Donovan has been \"a tremendous asset and advocate\" for the city. \"He has brought not only strong skills and expertise as a city administrator, but has truly put his heart and soul into making our community a better place to live.\"\nDonovan, 59, has been in his role as city manager since 1993 and city officials listed numerous capital projects that were implemented and significant financial decisions made under his leadership, including:\n-The Community Center redevelopment in 2006, which included raising more than $1 million in private funds and passing a millage in 2004 to connect the City Hall and library.\n-Reactivating the Gaslight Village business district through a redevelopment and streetscape overhaul in 2005.\n-Managing the city through the 2008 foreclosure crisis and severe revenue declines due to the Headlee Act and Proposal A with no reduction in services and no layoffs.\n-Redeveloping city parks, including the upgrade of John Collins Park in 2000 and successfully completing the redevelopment effort of Waterfront Park Phase I in 2011.\n-Leading the city through two master plan updates, including the Gaslight Village sub-area plan update.\n-Formalizing the Reeds Lake Trail into a comprehensive system, including path construction, boardwalk expansion and bridge creation, through a public-private partnership.\n-Working to update almost 50 miles of road and 80 miles of sidewalk within the city limits after the street and sidewalk millage passed in 2015.\n\"The many projects we've executed during my time here would not have been accomplished if it weren't for the collaborative and energetic efforts of our high-caliber team,\" he said.\nDonovan, who is a native of Cincinnati, held a number of municipal government positions in Missouri, Oklahoma City and Illinois before becoming city manager of Charleston, Missouri, in 1990. He officially joined the city of East Grand Rapids on Nov. 1, 1993.\nDonovan has received a number of awards for his public service, including the 2013 Outstanding Service Award from the Michigan Municipal League in recognition of exceptional contributions to state and local affairs initiatives and the 2007 Civil Libertarian of the Year from the Western Michigan branch of the American Civil Liberties Union.\nDonovan also serves on the board and executive committee of the Grand Valley Metro Council and has served as president of the West Michigan Local Government Managers' Association and Lower Grand River Association of Watersheds.\n\"His leadership has guided us through big decisions and challenging times, and along the way he has always kept a forward-thinking mindset of how we can continue to improve the quality of life for our residents and visitors,\" Seibold said.\nDonovan and his wife, Sherri, have been residents of East Grand Rapids for 25 years. The couple has three adult daughters -- Erin, Eileen and Glenna.\nIn retirement, Donovan said he plans to stay active within the local community, utilizing his managerial and financial skills for charitable and not-for-profit work.\n\"We realize how difficult it is going to be to find Brian's successor as city manager,\" Seibold said. \"He has left the city in a much better place than when he started here, and we're grateful for that. He is leaving big shoes to fill.\"\nThe City Commission plans to develop a process to replace Donovan in the coming months.", "Voters in Grand Rapids will decide next month whether to authorize a tax to support the city's library system for another 20 years.\nThe tax began in 1997, when voters agreed to help the library pay off a bond for building projects and an expansion of the library system.\nThe tax expires this year and the bond will be paid off.\nThe new tax would raise $1.75 million in the first year and would last until 2037.\nThe Grand Rapids Press reports the library system could see reduced hours, closed branches and less outreach to schools if the property tax fails to pass on Nov. 7.\nThe eight-building library system is running on a budget of $9.4 million — the same amount the library was spending in 2006.", "GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- The Grand Rapids City Commission is readying to make a decision on the city's next top administrator this week as Greg Sundstrom has officially retired as of Feb. 2.\nThe commission is asking for the public's input at a candidate forum 5:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 5, at the Wealthy Theatre at 1130 Wealthy St. SE.\nA final round of interviews with three candidates will take place at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6, at city hall. The commission is expected to make a decision Tuesday on extending a job offer to one of them.\nThe vote is slated for a week after the names of the candidates were first revealed publicly one by one as they interviewed with the city commission.\nThe city has relied on its $25,000 consultant, GovHR, to recruit candidates nationwide. Out of the 61 applicants, 14 were selected to move forward by the consultant. Five of the 14 dropped out, citing concerns for their current job status.\nOut of a list of nine applicants privately presented to the city commission, five were selected for interviews Jan. 29. The commission then picked three candidates to move forward to the second round.\nAn administrator from Washington D.C. and two officials from mid-sized Michigan towns are now in the running to oversee Grand Rapids' 1,500 city workers and $528 million budget.\nFinalists for Grand Rapids city manager: D.C. admin, mid-size town officials\nJane Bais-DiSessa\nAs deputy mayor of Pontiac, a city of 59,000, Bais-DiSessa acts as chief of staff in the mayor's executive office, overseeing the city departments of finance, public works, economic development and building and planning.\nBais-DiSessa has managed a number of cities in Michigan and in Texas, including Berkley (2001-2015), Franklin (1998-2001), Holly (1990-1992) and as an assistant at Grosse Pointe Woods (1993-1998).\nJames Freed\nAs the Port Huron city manager, Freed is responsible for an annual budget of $90 million and 400 employees across all city departments, including police and fire. The city's population is about 30,000.\nFreed has worked for two other cities, managing both of them at the same time. He was the city manager in Stanton (2011-2014) and was the village manager in Lakeview (2008-2014).\nCarol Mitten\nAs the deputy manager of Arlington County, Virginia, Mitten oversees 400 people in the county's $97 million Department of Environmental Services and 57 people in the county's $9 million economic development department.\nMitten has worked as an administrator for two major federal agencies, the National Park Service (2010-2011) and the Department of Homeland Security (2011-2015).\nShe represented Amtrak during negotiations for the expansion of Penn Station in New York City from 2007 to 2009 -- a project that eventually stalled on multiple fronts and is now moving forward again. Her first public sector job was in 2003 when she worked in the District of Columbia's office of property management.\nHer early career started in the private sector as a real estate appraiser.\nHere are four things to know about the three finalists:\n1. Bais-DiSessa has the most experience with city government\nOut of the three, Bais-DiSessa has logged the most years working for a city. She started in her career in 1979 with the city of San Antonio, Texas, in the human resources department, and worked her way up to a budget analyst. Since then, she has been the top administrator at three cities and the second-in-command at two cities.\n2. Freed is the only candidate currently managing a police and fire department\nThough he may have the shortest resume, Freed is the only candidate that is currently managing a police department and a fire department.\nBais-DiSessa previously has managed a public safety departments, most recently in Berkley, a city of 14,500 near Royal Oak. In Pontiac, where she currently works, the city is policed by the Oakland County Sheriff.\nMitten does not have direct experience managing a police or fire department.\n3. Mitten has the most experience with large-scale organizations\nIn addition to being the only finalist from outside of Michigan, Mitten also has the most experience working in a large-scale organization -- from the Department of Homeland Security to the National Parks Service to Amtrak.\n4. All of the candidates have master's degrees\nThe three candidates each have advanced degrees. Bais-DiSessa received a master's degree in public institutional administration from St. Mary's University in San Antonio.\nFreed received a master's of business administration from Northwood University DeVos Graduate School in Midland.\nMitten received a master's of business administration from The Ohio State University.\nMeet the candidates for Grand Rapids city manager" ]

[ "RSFSR Supreme Council" ]

[ "separation of a substance from a matrix", "separator", "The Dog Who Came in from the Cold", "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold", "isotope separation", "possession of legal personality separate from shareholders", "spring separators", "a robber who stole from travellers", "Magnetic separation", "separate tanks", "separation of overflights", "pattern separation", "boy from the United States", "A seed separator", "The Who by Numbers", "sand separator", "vortex separation", "separate microprocessor", "charge separation", "Betty Who", "The Who's Tommy", "who is singing", "Serum separation tubes", "Separation anxiety disorder", "on separate hardware", "Dr. Who", "oil water separator", "The Guess Who", "Runcorn State High School", "Who You Are", "Who Is Fancy", "Who's That Girl" ]

[ "Carlo Ancelotti si coccola i suoi campioni e si gode il 5-2 rifilato al Napoli, ma soprattutto la pr..." ]

[ "23/11/04 - Flash - Milano - Si terrà il 24 novembre a Milano il primo "SPAM Forum 2004" organizzato da Wireless, un incontro ad accesso gratuito che sarà interamente dedicato al fenomeno dello spam, dalle sue origini ai metodi di contrasto fino agli", "Cannes-Monteschiavo Jesi 1-3 (25-23, 19-25, 23-25, 21-25) in un incontro del girone A della Champion...", "Un dato emerso dalla prima ricerca in Italia sul fenomeno", "(AGI) - Milano, 23 ago. - Slitta a domani la sentenza per lo scandalo scommesse: Disciplinare divisa sulle posizioni dei singoli tesserati. Sembrano allungarsi i tempi per la sentenza sul calcio scommesse: la", "AC Milan and Brazil star Kaka beats Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to the title of Fifa world player of the year.", "AC Milan striker Ronaldo faces up to nine months out after rupturing a tendon in his right knee." ]

[ "On Tuesday it is 25 years since the start of the Premier League. To mark the occasion, there will be two special Rewinds on the BBC website and the Red Button (UK only).\nAt 14:55 BST watch the full match between Sheffield United and Manchester United - plus there will be a live text commentary with clips of numerous goals from the opening afternoon.\nAnd at 22:00 BST on the Red Button and website you can relive the first Match of the Day of the Premier League era, with presenter Des Lynam joined by guests Alan Hansen and Gary Lineker.\nI was not a regular pundit on Match of the Day until 1994, but I did that first Premier League show in 1992 as a one-off.\nI was still a player but it was during a gap I had after leaving Tottenham to join Japanese side Grampus Eight because the J-League did not start until September.\nEven then, I always knew I wanted to present and I never really saw myself as a pundit because, in terms of analysis, I only really knew about strikers - and that was what I talked about.\nOn that first show, I gave my opinion on a certain Alan Shearer, who had scored twice on his Blackburn debut.\nAs you will see, Match of the Day in 1992 was a very different programme to the one it is now - we only showed highlights of one or two matches, and just the goals from the rest.\nI got the presenter's job when Des Lynam left for ITV in 1999 and, when the BBC got the rights back in 2004, I thought it would make a real difference if we could show highlights of all the games.\nIt really worked and what happened then was people stopped complaining about their teams never being one of the main match edits - and started complaining about where they were in the running order.\nSubsequently, that has become a bit of a battle, but most people agree with it most of the time - unless it is their team that are not on early enough.\nIn all the years of criticism on social media about the running order, I have never had anyone complaining about the treatment of a team different to the one that they support - and you get it about all of them!\nThe discussion about it on Twitter has actually become quite fun in many ways, though. It is just part of the show now and another way it has evolved.\nWhat has not changed since 1992 is what makes the show so special: the mix of audience that we get on a Saturday night.\nWe have to be very mindful of that. Sometimes the absolute football anoraks will want more analysis but the people that just get their little football fix from Match of the Day want the action - so you have got to strike a balance somewhere in the middle.\nOver the years, I think we have found the balance that placates most people, which ultimately is what you want. The audience figures reflect the fact we have got it about right.\nAlmost five million people watched the first Match of the Day of the season on Saturday night, which is an astoundingly high figure, despite it starting later than scheduled.\nIt is clearly still very much part of the staple diet of football fans in this country, despite how much the Premier League has changed in the past 25 years, along with the way people watch their football.\nIn many ways Match of the Day is remarkable. It bucks the trends for all other sports shows because, these days, where everyone has the information at their fingertips, highlights shows generally do not really work.\nFor some reason, even in this modern era, Match of the Day still does.\nIt is a good watch and don't forget it is an important aspect of the Premier League that it has something on terrestrial television.\nHalf the country do not have Sky or BT so Match of the Day gives them their weekly fix of football. I think it is important for the Premier League that everyone can watch it - and I think they understand that too." ]

[ "That is not the case for the defending champions so far this season, however.\nClaudio Ranieri's side were beaten only three times in the whole of 2015-16, but Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Sunderland means they have lost seven of their 14 league games in 2016-17, and are only two points above the relegation zone.\nWhat is going wrong for the Foxes? Deeney, who helped Watford beat Leicester 2-1 on 19 November, compares playing them now with what it was like during their fairytale campaign.\nN'Golo Kante made 175 tackles and 156 interceptions for Leicester last season, more than any other player in either category. Since his move to Chelsea, he has made 44 tackles and 39 interceptions in 2016-17. Only Everton's Idrissa Gueye has made more in total.\nDeeney: \"Probably the biggest factor that has changed for opposition teams against Leicester this season has been in the middle of the park.\n\"You can get through their midfield and get at their back four a little bit easier now.\n\"Whenever we broke on them last season, I always had the fear factor that N'Golo Kante was coming back and I knew we didn't have much time before he got there.\n\"Even if I actually did have time, I always thought he might be there, so I would rush things a bit.\n\"Now that element of playing Leicester has gone, and there seems to be a bit more freedom in midfield when you play them.\n\"It is inevitable really, unless they were to play with two dedicated defensive midfielders instead.\n\"I always felt Kante did the work of two players, so without him it is very hard to get the same sort of balance they had with him and Danny Drinkwater playing together.\n\"Kante was everywhere for them. He is still the same player now of course, getting up and down the pitch, but it is for Chelsea instead.\"\nJamie Vardy scored 24 goals for Leicester last season but has not found the net for 16 games in all competitions for the Foxes. In the Premier League alone, Vardy has had six shots in his past 10 matches, with none on target.\nDeeney: \"Leicester's gameplan last season was based on hitting sides on the counter-attack.\n\"They are not doing anything too differently now - against us they were still going out wide to Riyad Mahrez for him to work his magic.\n\"I just think teams have got used to playing against them, and I mean that in the most respectful way.\n\"I looked at their team before we played them and I knew Jamie Vardy would be up front, and I also knew he would be trying to run in behind our defence.\n\"Last season, it surprised a few teams to begin with when he did that, and then it got to the point where he and the other Leicester players were playing so well, it did not matter if teams adjusted.\n\"They did not care if the opposition dropped off, because they were confident they could score in other ways - look at the long-range volley Vardy scored against Liverpool in February, for example.\n\"Now teams are defending deep against them from the start, to deal with the threat of Vardy's pace, and letting Leicester have possession.\n\"That does not seem to suit the players Leicester have got, especially with confidence levels the way they are at the moment.\"\nLeicester have taken only one point from a possible 21 on the road in the Premier League this season. They have lost six out of seven away games, with their only draw coming at Tottenham. In 2015-16, the Foxes won 11 of their 19 away games, losing only two.\nDeeney: \"Because they became the team to beat, a lot of sides have changed their approach when they play Leicester, thinking they will keep hold of the 0-0 for as long as possible and then try to nick it.\n\"When we played them, in November, we did things a bit differently and decided to start by going at them.\n\"It was our first game since losing 6-1 to Liverpool, so our approach was a bit of a ploy to try to get our fans back onside straight away.\n\"We set our stall out to put them under pressure straight away. We started fast and scored after 33 seconds, and part of the reason it worked was because it was so early in the game.\n\"What Leicester's back four were doing last season was sinking deep, with all four of their defenders inside their area, inviting crosses and sort of saying 'go on then, try to beat us'. It was very effective.\n\"This time, we nicked the ball off them and counter-attacked them so it was very difficult for them to get back into position and be ready for it.\"\nLeicester manager Claudio Ranieri has made twice the number of line-up changes this season compared to this stage of 2015-16. In the whole of last season, Ranieri made 33 changes, the fewest in the top flight.\nDeeney: \"It is partly down to injuries, like the one to goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, and partly down to Leicester being in the Champions League too, but Claudio Ranieri has made far more changes to his team this season.\n\"When their team stayed the same, I always got the sense everyone knew what everyone else was doing off the ball. That is no longer the case.\n\"I think they spent a lot of money in the summer on players who were a bit different to what they had already got.\n\"Firstly, it was always going to be hard for all those signings to quickly slot into a team that has a definitive way of playing. It would be the same at any club.\n\"Another problem Leicester had is they are the champions. By that, I mean the people who are coming in have to drop their ego and behave a bit differently to the way they would if they were big-money signings at other clubs.\n\"I am not saying anyone at Leicester is not doing that but I was linked with a move there myself in the summer and that was one of the things I thought about straight away.\n\"If that move had happened, I knew it would not be about me being the big fish there.\n\"To succeed, I would have had to have got in line with everyone else and adopted the culture that brought them success in the first place.\n\"It is something that Claudio Ranieri has spoken about - he knows it is going to take a little while.\n\"There is an adjustment stage when players sign for any club, let alone the champions.\"\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\nAfter 14 games last season, Leicester had lost once and were second in the table with 29 points, behind Manchester City on goal difference. This season, they are 16 points worse off.\nDeeney: \"Part of Leicester's problem in the Premier League is definitely that they have got the Champions League to think about as well.\n\"I would not say their players have switched focus but obviously there is a lot of excitement around them being in Europe and mentally it must be hard for them to be at the same level for every game they play.\n\"In the space of 18 months, a lot of their squad have gone from fighting relegation to winning the league and then reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League.\n\"Now their manager has come out after Saturday's defeat against Sunderland and said they are in a battle at the bottom.\n\"Looking at the table, that is the way it is. To get out of it, a lot is going to come down to their attitude and how they approach their Premier League games.\n\"It shows how standards have risen so much in recent seasons that not even the defending champions are safe.\n\"At Watford we are buying players from Juventus now - for me, that sums up how much more of a level playing field the Premier League has become.\n\"Last year, Newcastle and Aston Villa spent a lot of money but got relegated, and I don't think you can say anyone is too good to go down.\n\"You have to be on your mettle every game you play. If you are not, then you get found out - whoever you are.\"\nTroy Deeney was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.", "Media playback is not supported on this device\nBritish-based Hawk-Eye has been awarded the contract to provide the system.\nHawk-Eye uses seven cameras per goal to detect the ball and claims its system is \"millimetre accurate, ensuring no broadcast replays could disprove the decision\".\nThe Football Association will install a system at Wembley Stadium in time for August's Community Shield.\nTop-flight clubs voted to adopt the system during a meeting of the 20 Premier League chairmen on Thursday.\nHawk-Eye is known for providing tennis and cricket with ball-tracking technology. Its football system notifies the referee if the ball has crossed the goal line via a vibration and optical signal sent to the officials' watches within one second.\nInventor Paul Hawkins said: \"It will not slow the game down - it is not going to become like rugby.\n\"In under a second we will provide the information to the watch, then afterwards we will show a TV replay that will definitively prove what we showed the referee was correct.\n\"Football's a great game. It does not need enhancements to add to the drama. Our technology is there to ensure decisions are correct.\"\nEngland manager Roy Hodgson welcomed the Premier League's move, saying it would prevent \"gross injustices\" affecting results.\n\"It is something that people in football have wanted for a long time. There's been a big debate, and for a while it was pushed back but now everyone's on the same page and we've introduced it,\" said Hodgson.\n\"At least it will stop some of those gross injustices that we have seen in recent years where goals have obviously been scored and not allowed.\"\nOnce work is under way, installation of the system for the 17 Premier League clubs who avoid relegation and the three teams promoted from the Football League is expected to take up to six weeks to complete.\nRichard Scudamore, chief executive of the Premier League, added: \"When these incidents come along, they are so controversial, so seismic, that it is all about getting it right.\nSome involved in the game hope that this is the start of a technological revolution. Off-side decisions and contentious fouls could also benefit from video analysis, something that Fifa insist will not happen. But many believe that the game has opened Pandora's box by approving systems for goal-line decisions.\nWhile English football looks set to embrace change, the Champions League will continue to live without digital help as the European football authority Uefa remains ideologically opposed to its use. And that's something that looks set to persist for as long as Michel Platini remains as its president.\n\"If there is some technology available to help the officials get it right then it is right we should be doing it.\"\nStoke City chairman Peter Coates also welcomed the decision, but was wary about whether the use of technology should be extended to look at other areas, such as offside decisions.\n\"I think we should be careful,\" he said. \"The great thing about our game is that it should be simple, free-flowing and that it carries on. We don't want to become like a rugby game, so I'm probably in favour of simplicity and keeping a lot as it is.\"\nWest Ham co-owner David Gold was open-minded on further use of the technology.\nHe said: \"It's a start, who knows where it will take us? Fans will have a big say in this, and also TV will have a big say.\n\"We want to take the big, bad decisions out of football, and this kind of technology will do that. It's been a good day for football.\"\nMomentum for the introduction of goal-line technology increased after Ukraine were denied an equaliser when the ball appeared to cross the line in a 1-0 defeat by England at Euro 2012.\nThe following month, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in Zurich approved two systems for use in the sport. At this time the Premier League said it wanted to see its introduction \"as soon as is practically possible\".\nAfter the IFAB vote, Fifa president Sepp Blatter said Frank Lampard's \"ghost\" goal at the 2010 World Cup played a decisive role in the decision. Lampard's \"goal\" came when England were 2-1 down in the second round against Germany. Fabio Capello's team went on to lose 4-1.\nLampard welcomed the Premier League's decision, saying: \"It's a no-brainer. It's been a long time coming but they got here in the end.\n\"It's a simple thing that will bring an excitement factor when it's used. And it will give you the correct answer which I think, when it's used at this level, is so important. We need that.\"", "Media playback is not supported on this device\nEx-Magpies boss McClaren paid tribute after the Ivorian, 30, collapsed and died after training on Monday.\n\"At Newcastle if [Papiss] Cisse and Cheick were smiling I knew the world was OK,\" McClaren told BBC 5 live.\n\"He was the kind of player that everyone wants in their team.\"\nTiote joined Chinese second-tier side Beijing Enterprises from Newcastle in February. He died in hospital after collapsing at the club's training ground.\nIn his seven years at Newcastle the Ivory Coast international made over 150 appearances, including three last season.\nMcClaren, who was his manager at both Dutch side FC Twente and Newcastle, added: \"I knew him first as a young player at Twente. He was the toughest player I've ever seen.\n\"On the field and in training he was such a competitor. He wanted to win every game, kick every player and win every tackle.\n\"He was a winner. I just can't believe it.\n\"Some days we would have to pull him out of training because he was such a ferocious competitor, such a winner. He was a warrior and could play too.\n\"It was his dream to play in China and I was so delighted for him when it happened. He earned money to look after his family.\n\"He loved playing football to look after his family. All the relatives, uncles, aunts, grandparents, they all relied on him to look after them.\"\nAnother former Newcastle manager, Alan Pardew, said he was \"devastated\" by the news of his friend's death.\n\"Cheick was a wonderful presence around the dressing room and his performances on the field often defied belief,\" he said.\n\"None of us will ever forget that incredible day when our Newcastle team came from 4-0 down to draw an unbelievable Premier League game against Arsenal, with Cheick's incredible goal in the final moments of that game [see top of story] one of the iconic moments in Premier League history.\n\"I loved him. He was everything that you wanted in a Newcastle player.\n\"Life is not fair sometimes and I will remember Cheick Tiote as a giant of a midfielder who I loved to manage. Rest in peace my friend.\"\nTiote was part of the Ivory Coast squad that won the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.\nHe began his professional career in Belgium with Anderlecht in 2005 before moving to FC Twente, where he made 86 appearances and won the Eredivisie league title in the 2009-10 season under manager McClaren.\nTiote, a defensive midfielder, then signed for Newcastle in 2010 for £3.5m.\nHe joined Beijing Enterprises Group FC for an undisclosed fee in February 2017.\nNewcastle manager Rafa Benitez said: \"It is with great sadness that I have this afternoon learned of Cheick's death.\n\"In all the time that I have known him, he was a true professional, dedicated and above all, a great man. Our hearts go out to his family and friends at such a sad time.\"\nNewcastle's current captain Jamaal Lascelles said the news of Tiote's death had devastated the team.\n\"There are not words to express how saddened I am to hear the news that Cheick has died,\" he said.\n\"I have spoken to the team and none of us can believe it, my thoughts are with his family at this time.\"\nThis content will not work on your device, please check Javascript and cookies are enabled or update your browser", "In his regular BBC Sport column, football pundit Robbie Savage looks at how Sunday's Manchester derby is the start of a big week for Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini, why Burnley do not come close to his old Derby side as being the worst team in Premier League history and what happens next for Leeds after their latest managerial change.\nThe people saying they are a club on the brink of a crisis are not far wrong - this is a pivotal moment for City's season and, possibly, Pellegrini's future too.\nI am expecting Chelsea to beat QPR on Saturday and, if they do, City will go into Sunday's derby with Manchester United nine points behind Jose Mourinho's side.\nAfter two defeats and a draw in their last three games, the defending Premier League champions will be under massive pressure to find some form, beat their neighbours and stay in touch at the top.\nIf they don't get three points against United then, with their hopes of Champions League progress also in the balance, there could be serious questions asked about Pellegrini's future for the first time since he arrived in English football in the summer of 2013.\nIn that time, the spotlight has usually been on the manager on the other side of Manchester - firstly David Moyes, and now Louis van Gaal.\nPellegrini, who is very much the quiet man anyhow, has rarely made the headlines other than by winning the Premier League title in his first season in charge.\nIt is a mystery why City have failed to find the electric attacking form from last season\nThat was a superb achievement, and he did it playing some brilliant attacking football, but now he is finding out how hard it is to deliver the dominance that is the long-term goal for City's owners.\nFor City to become as big as they want to be, which is a worldwide force in the same bracket as Manchester United and Real Madrid, they have got to win the Champions League.\nThat is almost certainly not going to happen this season - they might not even get out of their group.\nCity have another must-win game against CSKA Moscow on Wednesday but even then they face a fight to reach the knockout stage.\nAnother Premier League title this campaign already looks a huge ask and, for me, defeat by United would all but finish their hopes - I do not see Chelsea losing three times all season and that nine-point gap would be too big to make up.\nWednesday's defeat by Newcastle means their defence of the Capital One Cup is already over too so, by Bonfire Night, they could be realistically down to being in the hunt for one trophy - the FA Cup.\nThe worry for Pellegrini is whether winning that would be enough to keep him in his job.\nA run in that competition did not seem to help his predecessor at the Etihad Stadium, Roberto Mancini, very much.\nMancini's departure appeared to have been decided before the 2013 final, which City lost to Wigan. If that is true, then even winning the FA Cup would not have saved him.\nCity's struggles this season already remind me of what happened under Mancini after he won the Premier League in 2012.\nThey failed to improve their squad, flopped in Europe and ended up finishing a distant second in the title race.\nThis time around, their early-season form has not been disastrous, just not very good.\nTheir defensive problems are obvious and, on the face of it, most worrying.\nBut it is a mystery why they have failed to find the electric attacking form from last campaign that saw them become the quickest team to score 100 goals in a season in the Premier League era.\nYaya Toure seems to be getting a lot of the blame but, while he has not been at his best, City's problems are clearly not all down to him.\nIgnoring domestic cup games against non-Premier League teams, they scored 37 goals in their final 14 games of last season.\nIn the same period at the start of this one, and again ignoring games against lower division opposition, they have found the net only 22 times.\nI don't know what has gone wrong and why they are missing their spark, but the worrying thing is that Pellegrini does not seem to know either.\nIt is not beyond him to turn things round, however.\nThis time 12 months ago, City were smashing teams all over the place at home but shipping goals badly on the road and had lost four away games in the league by mid-November.\nPellegrini adapted his tactics, added some defensive solidity to their attacking flair and did not lose again away until the middle of April.\nHe needs to do something similar again now, starting on Sunday.\nThings look pretty grim for Burnley right now - they are bottom of the table without a win from their first nine games, and look unlikely to break their duck when they play Arsenal on Saturday.\nEven so, I do not see the Clarets rivalling my old Derby side as the worst team in Premier League history, which we were when we sank like a stone in 2007-08.\nWe were the first Premier League side to be relegated as early as March and went down with only 11 points and just one victory, going 32 games without a win - all unwanted Premier League record lows that still stand.\nThe Rams had picked up that win before I joined them from Blackburn in January of that season, so I didn't even win one game with them.\nI knew going into every game that we would get beaten, and most of the time that is what happened\nI can laugh about it now but it was a horrible time.\nDerby were eight points adrift at the bottom of the table when I moved to Pride Park so I knew there was a good chance they would go down.\nBut they had just made a few signings to try to stay up - players like Laurent Robert, Hossam Ghaly and Danny Mills - and, as far as I was concerned, they were still fighting. The worst case scenario was going down, and then helping them get straight back up.\nAny positive thoughts had disappeared within a week of me going there, though, just from what was happening in training.\nThe players had no confidence and we ended up going into games every week looking at the opposition and thinking 'how are we going to get anything here?'\nI learned a big lesson about how big a part self-belief plays in sport.\nI knew going into every game that we would get beaten, and most of the time that is what happened.\nI would still do my best but for the first time in my career I did not think that would be enough to make a difference.\nI think things are different at Burnley, though.\nYes, they are the only team without a victory in the top four divisions in England but they are not playing like a beaten team.\nTheir manager Sean Dyche is a big believer in positive thinking, and his players are responding to that, despite their results.\nOn the pitch, Derby's big problem was goals. There just were not enough of them in that Rams team, and we only scored 20 in 38 league games.\nKenny Miller was our top league scorer with four. Then came Emanuel Villa, a £2m Argentine who was new to the Premier League and scored three times after signing in January.\nOur other strikers, Steve Howard and Robert Earnshaw, scored one apiece.\nI wasn't going to score any from midfield and neither was David Jones who, ironically, is now playing for Burnley. He is probably worried that he is going through a repeat of that 2007-08 season all over again.\nTheir statistics do not look good, with Burnley near the bottom of the rankings in most attacking categories, particularly shots on target and their ratio of goals to shots.\nI still think that is an area they will improve in when Sam Vokes returns from injury and can partner Danny Ings again.\nEven if they do find the form that won the Clarets promotion, the bottom line is that it is a huge step-up from the Championship and Premier League, as Burnley are finding out.\nBut they will not go down without a fight and, sadly for Derby, I think that means their records are safe.\nI have not forgotten that Leeds fans pelted me with hot-dogs when I was working as an on-pitch TV pundit at Emirates Stadium before an FA Cup tie against Arsenal in January 2012.\nIt was the first time I had been attacked with fast food.\nDespite that, I still feel sorry for them with the managerial circus that is going on at Elland Road right now.\nAcademy boss Neil Redfearn is set to become Leeds' third head coach of the season after the club's owner Massimo Cellino sacked Darko Milanic after just 32 days in charge.\nI had a great call from a young Leeds fan on 606 on BBC Radio 5 live on Saturday, who said that he still thinks they can finish in the top six in the Championship with Redfearn in charge.\nBut, realistically, survival has to be the target for Leeds. To achieve that, stability has to be the main aim for Redfearn and Cellino.\nI don't think Leeds will go down but it is sad to see such a massive club with a great history and a fantastic fanbase face such an uncertain future.\nThe only way that is going to change is if Cellino gives Redfearn time.\nRobbie Savage was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan", "Bradley, the first American to manage in the Premier League, has won only one game since taking charge in October.\nBradley believes his nationality is leading to \"cheap shots,\" and dismissed some of his critics for fixating on his accent and making up stories about him.\n\"I've coached far bigger players than some of the pundits who now like to talk,\" he said.\n\"Somebody said something about 'offence and defence', I've never spoken like that and I've never used those words in relation to football.\n\"The idea that somebody throws that out there is just garbage.\"\nThe Swans are bottom of the Premier League having won only one of Bradley's first seven games in charge and two games all season.\nBradley, who succeeded Francesco Guidolin in October, was the first football appointment made by Swansea's new US owners and the former Le Havre and Egypt boss feels his nationality has been used against him.\n\"My sense is that there are parts of the press in the UK that like to be clever, so they look for anything that they think is different, funny, interesting whatever,\" he said.\n\"I've had my chance to prove myself on the job and so when people on the outside, who are paid to talk, take cheap shots, whatever.\n\"It's just not something I'm going to spend any time with. And again, sometimes I'm going to say 'field' instead of 'pitch', I could try to sound like I'm from the UK, but it would come off very poorly, and that's not who I am.\n\"Some of the phrases that get thrown out there, listen, nobody that has been involved in football for a long time talks like that. It's just people making stuff up.\"\nBradley, who managed the USA at the 2010 World Cup - where they topped their qualification group ahead of England - believes he has the respect of his players who do not care about his accent.\n\"Players love to joke around,\" he said. \"Do they give me some stick behind my back? Probably they do, I hope so. Having said that, none of them could care less where I come from.\n\"It's up to me how I speak to them, with training and everything; it's up to me to earn credibility and respect.\n\"Look, I understand, I knew that I would have to fight every day for respect. That's fine and I'll continue to do it.\"\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\nBradley says he was not offended when pundits said that Swansea should have appointed Ryan Giggs instead of him.\n\"There are some ex-pros that have real information, they look hard at the game,\" he told BBC Radio Wales Sport.\n\"The idea that some of them who played with Ryan Giggs feel strongly that he would have been a good choice, good for them. I don't have a problem with that.\n\"That's proper respect for a guy they played with who they think deserves a chance.\n\"There is nothing to be said about that. That is fair and is a far cry from someone who said from the beginning that they didn't like my accent. Because come on, that's nothing to do with anything.\"", "Riyad Mahrez's goal secured a 1-0 win over FC Copenhagen on Tuesday to leave the Foxes one victory from qualifying for the Champions League last 16.\nBut the English champions, unbeaten in Europe with three wins in three, are 13th domestically after four losses.\nRanieri said it is a \"psychological\" problem and the league is his priority.\nLeicester are only the fifth Champions League debutants - after AC Milan, Paris St-Germain, Juventus and Malaga - to win their opening three games.\n\"I'm very proud of the side from one side but from another, when I think of the Premier League, I am very, very angry,\" said Ranieri, 64.\n\"In my career this has happened. When you are in the big competition for the first time you grow and then you lose something when you go back into your own competition.\n\"When you play in the Champions League you are switched on, very, very smart and focused on every situation. You use up a lot of mental energy in the Champions League.\n\"We want to change this though because the Premier League is our priority.\"\nLeicester have already lost more games in the Premier League this season than they did in their title campaign - and conceded 14 goals.\nBut in Europe, the Foxes have become only the third team to begin a Champions League campaign with three straight clean sheets, and they can secure a place in the last 16 with a win in Denmark on 2 November, having already guaranteed at least a Europa League spot.\n\"It is good to go into the Europa League but we are in the Champions League and we go step by step,\" added Ranieri.\n\"We have to stay calm now and change our mentality in the Premier League because we have Crystal Palace coming up - a tough, tough match.\"\nPhil McNulty, BBC Sport's chief football writer\nWhen Leicester's thoughts turned to their first Champions League campaign, qualification from Group G would have been regarded as a major success for manager Claudio Ranieri and his players.\nBut the Foxes may just fancy their chances of taking the dream journey a step further.\nTopping the group would make life a lot easier in the last-16 draw as it vastly increases the chances of drawing beatable opponents when all logic - something, admittedly, they defied last season - suggests they would struggle against Europe's elite.\nThe King Power Stadium is a compact and atmospheric arena, swirling with noise, that is perfectly designed for European nights and making even the most illustrious sides uncomfortable.\nIf Leicester can keep up this form, and the likes of Riyad Mahrez, Jamie Vardy and Islam Slimani can provide the threat to supplement the defensive resilience that won the Premier League, then there may be plenty of sides they can trouble.\"\nRead Phil McNulty's report from the King Power Stadium\nLeicester City will not face Uefa charges after FC Copenhagen fans let off flares before Tuesday's Champions League game at the King Power Stadium.\nEuropean football's governing body has opened disciplinary proceedings against the Danish champions for supporters in the away end \"setting off fireworks\".\nUefa holds host clubs responsible for security inside and around the stadium, \"unless they can prove that they have not been negligent\".\nUefa's control, ethics and disciplinary body will deal with Copenhagen's case on 17 November.", "Greg Dyke, the FA chairman, said recently that English players in the top flight are an \"endangered species\".\nJust 33.2% of the players who started games on the opening weekend were English, down from 35% last season.\n\"The 35% is not a bad number per se, just lower than Germany,\" said Glenn.\nAlmost 50% of starters in the Bundesliga last season were German, with the top divisions in Spain, France and Italy boasting figures of 58%, 56% and 43% respectively.\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\nOnly 73 of the 220 players who started the opening Premier League weekend were English, a figure that Glenn accepts is a concern.\n\"The clubs, the Premier League, the Football League and the FA all agree it would be desirable to get a higher percentage of England-eligible players playing, we are just not totally aligned yet on the means,\" said Glenn, who was speaking at the launch of the National Game Strategy for Participation and Development.\n\"It is an opportunity for all of us and I am confident through sensible dialogue and a few tough arguments we will get to a better place.\n\"I am a big believer in collaboration rather than antagonism\".\nIn 2013, Dyke created a commission with the aim of increasing the number of English players in the Premier League to 45% by 2022.\nDyke made a number of proposals to help achieve this goal, including increasing the minimum number of home-grown players in a club's first-team squad of 25 from eight to 12, phased over four years from 2016.\nThe Premier League agreed to a consultation over the proposed changes in March this year.\nGlenn agrees with former Manchester United, Everton and England player Phil Neville, who said in March that a generation of English talent is disappearing \"down a black hole\" because of a lack of opportunities.\nThe FA chief executive suggested one way of \"unblocking\" the \"logjam\" would be to follow the example of other European countries who \"produce talented kids who go across the world to play football\".\nThe FA wants to increase the number of home-grown players in Premier League squads in order to improve the quality of the pool of players available for the England team.\nRoy Hodgson's side exited the 2014 World Cup at the group stage, but have won all six of their games in qualifying for Euro 2016.\nGlenn has said England's aim is to win the 2022 World Cup, but sees no reason why success cannot come earlier than that.\n\"We are investing a lot more in coaching to give us a great chance and it takes time, but tournaments do not come around very often,\" he added.\n\"I look at every tournament as massively precious. For the Euros and the World Cup in Russia we have strong ambitions to absolutely win those tournaments. Why would you not go in to give it your best shot?\"\nHodgson's deal as England boss runs to the end of Euro 2016 in France.\nNew contract talks are not expected to take place until after that tournament, and Glenn suggested it is a situation Hodgson is happy with.\n\"I think it is right in the sense that, more than anything in life, football is a results game,\" he said.\n\"Roy is a great manager, we are lucky to have him. He has fantastic international experience, the qualification we are enjoying with the Euros has been great.\n\"Think about the disappointment of the World Cup, we stuck with him and that has been repaid handsomely.\n\"Roy is a proud man and, if he doesn't do well in the Euros, he would be the last person to say 'give me a contract extension'.\"\nEngland's women's team enjoyed great success in 2015, finishing third at the World Cup.\nTheir performance in Canada saw an increase in interest in the domestic game. Record crowds have watched Women's Super League matches, while just over 30,000 people attended the Women's FA Cup final between Chelsea Ladies and Notts County Ladies, more than double the previous record.\n\"We know leagues and clubs are being inundated with girls who want to play and teams who want to set up girls' teams,\" said FA director of participation and development Kelly Simmons.\n\"It is a key moment - utilising that support and getting more girls playing.\"\nThere still remains a notable absentee from the WSL, with Manchester United without a women's team.\nUnited run junior female sides but disbanded their senior team in 2005.\n\"The landscape has changed in those 10 years,\" said former Everton and England goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis.\n\"It was probably a decision made at executive level at the time - that the women's game was not something they wanted to brand up. Now it is very different. It is a very commercial product, something Manchester United could use to their advantage.\n\"It seems a win-win situation and I'd like to think it is only a short amount of time before they do decide to take the plunge and back a women's team.\"\nLast season there was just one black manager working in the Premier League - Chris Ramsey at QPR. Now there are none.\n\"The numbers don't lie,\" said Brendon Batson, FA consultant on equality. \"The season started last weekend and we have not got a black manager in the Premier League.\n\"When you look at the integration of black players from the mid-'70s you would have thought they would have graduated to the elite end in terms of coaching and management. That hasn't happened.\n\"We need things to be done. We want to see that, for those who have the qualifications and apply for jobs, there is a proper process.\"\nDespite the lack of representation at the top level, Batson believes positive steps are being made.\nThe coach bursary programme, which started last year, offers aspiring coaches from the black minority ethnic (BME) community better opportunities to gain the qualifications required to boost their chances of getting elite-level coaching positions.\n\"I think this is one of the few times there has been a wind of change and it is starting blow a lot harder,\" added Batson.\n\"What the game is doing is providing these coaches with the qualifications and saying to rest of the game that when you have an opportunity to employ, look at these coaches.\"", "Media playback is not supported on this device\nThe Reds went in front against the Premier League leaders through Emre Can but goals from Gary Cahill and Diego Costa consigned the Reds to a third successive loss.\n\"It'll turn for us but it is a difficult moment,\" said Rodgers.\n\"The players are giving everything but as you would expect when you are not winning the confidence is a bit low.\"\nHe added: \"We haven't scored anywhere near the goals that we would like or that we have in the last couple of years.\"\nThe Anfield side finished as runners up to Manchester City last season but they currently trail Chelsea by 15 points with just 11 matches played.\nThe eighth-placed Reds have lost five league games this season, just one less than they lost in the whole of 2013-14.\n\"It's a big decision in a big game that we didn't get. I wasn't even in doubt.\n\"My players gave everything. They deserved something from it and if we weren't going to get it in open play, then certainly we should have had it from the penalty spot, so we're disappointed we didn't get that.\n\"But that's where we are at, at the moment. We're not getting the rub of the green and it's been a tough week in terms of results. These players are so committed and they are giving everything, but we're not getting that bit of good fortune that you need.\"\n\"The players understood where they were at.\n\"We had a decent performance in the week. The players coming into the game knew exactly what we were looking at. Whenever you lose a game, it will always go against you.\n\"We were playing a gameplan today, which was to look to keep Cesc Fabregas quiet because he's a big player for them. For that, we had Jordan Henderson in a marking role and he did it very well.\n\"The influence from Fabregas in the game was limited. We needed him [Henderson] for that energy to do that over the course of the 90 minutes.\n\"The changes raised a lot of criticism in the week, which I can take - there's no issue with that.\"\n\"We just needed to try something else to create something in the game.\n\"We put an extra striker through the middle to try and give us more of a threat and occupy their back four who were strong through the game.\n\"We wanted to change the momentum of the game. Sometimes it works for you and sometimes it doesn't.\"\n\"We hope so - it has been a long time. We're hoping that he can now get to work. He hasn't trained with the team at all during that time.\n\"But he has just gone onto the grass with the rehab team. Hopefully, over the course of the next couple of weeks, he can be out there training with the squad and we can have him back. It will be important because he makes a big impact for us.\"", "Phil Neville is co-commentating on the Europa League final for BBC Radio 5 live on Wednesday, 24 May. Build-up to Ajax v Manchester United starts at 18:30 BST, with kick-off at 19:45.\nIf United were heading to Stockholm having already qualified by finishing in the Premier League top four on top of having the EFL Cup in the bag, then I think their players would be a lot more relaxed.\nInstead, all of United's eggs are now in one basket.\nThe outcome of Wednesday's game feels like a matter of life and death for them, which is a dangerous situation to be in against a really good young Ajax team.\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\nAjax are very impressive technically and they have lots of energy too.\nTheir front five - with Bertrand Traore and Amin Younes either side of Kasper Dolberg in attack, and Davy Klaassen and Hakim Ziyech in the centre of midfield - give them goals and creativity, and a good mixture of pace and skill.\nTraore is very quick down the right but a little bit erratic, while Younes on the left is a good dribbler - he is not rapid but he is pretty sharp.\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\nWhat Peter Bosz's team do well is play a high-tempo game - they like to press and win the ball back early.\nTo counter that, United have to be really brave and mirror the approach they had when they beat Chelsea at Old Trafford in April.\nThey tore out of the blocks in that game and went toe to toe with Antonio Conte's side. They were positive and they put the champions under pressure, and never allowed them to settle.\nUnited played on the front foot that day and used the speed of Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford to pester Chelsea. The energy in midfield of Ander Herrera, Marouane Fellaini and Paul Pogba overpowered them.\nIf they do the same again on Wednesday, I don't think Ajax will be able to live with them.\nKlaassen and Ziyech, in particular, are capable of dictating play if you let them, but if United get in their faces early on then they will not be able to find their rhythm.\nAnd Ajax's defence is definitely their weakness. They press on transition - whenever they lose the ball - but if you get past that initial press then there are some big spaces behind it, and their back line looks vulnerable.\nKenny Tete at right-back is not quick, and centre-back Matthijs de Ligt is only 17 and erratic. The Europa League final is going to be a huge occasion for him.\nWhat United definitely shouldn't do is sit back like they did at Old Trafford in the second legs of their quarter-final and semi-final.\nWhen they did that against Anderlecht and Celta Vigo, they got nervous. United were not playing well and it became a struggle as their opponents grew in confidence.\nUnited cannot allow that to happen again. They should see this as a game where they have to go out and start fast.\nIf they put Ajax under pressure early on, and do some damage, they can seize control of the game.\nAjax's inexperience is definitely something United should try to exploit - none of their players have featured in a game as big as this before.\nBut the Dutch team also do not have to deal with the same expectation of winning that United do, and they are already into the third qualifying round of next season's Champions League after finishing second in the Eredivisie - so the final is not make or break for them.\nOn occasions like this, you wonder whether players will freeze or play without fear, and it is the same for United's younger players too.\nIf there was ever a game in which United needed the know-how of injured striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, it might be this one - because he would not be scared of what was at stake.\nIbrahimovic has already delivered for United in the Community Shield and EFL Cup final. It is big games like this in which you need your big players, and there are none bigger at United than him.\nI think United will miss Zlatan, but what they do have in their favour is a manager who has been there and done it all before.\nJose Mourinho has great experience, not just of the big occasions but of winning them. He is a serial winner and knows how to set up a team to win a final, and that is where I think United have the greatest advantage.\nMourinho will have a massive influence on the day but he has already got all of the energy back into his team before the final.\nI don't think he can complain about them being tired because he has given his players the rest they needed in the three Premier League games they have played since they reached the final.\nUnited will be mentally fresh for this game, for the first time in about five or six weeks.\nIt is a one-off game and finals are so unpredictable - but, under Mourinho, they will be ready.\nThe difference between United's form going into this final and the 1999 Champions League success that I was part of comes down to momentum.\nBack then, we had just won the Premier League and then the FA Cup.\nBut there are still similarities this time - things that were drummed into you at Old Trafford when I was there, and still are under Mourinho.\nIt is still the case that you cannot enjoy a final unless you win it. Getting there is not enough, even if by doing so you have already created history, as United have done by reaching a Europa League final for the first time.\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\nAnd United still measure themselves on trophies won, not the fact they have finished outside the Champions League positions in the Premier League.\nMourinho's whole philosophy is about winning, so you have got to admire the fact that, if they beat Ajax, they have two major trophies to show for their season.\nFor me, that means they have been more successful than three of the clubs who finished above them in the table - Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool, who finished second, third and fourth.\nI would rather finish sixth and win two major trophies than finish second with none - that was the mentality I was brought up with at Old Trafford and I am pleased it is the same there now.\nWinning trophies gives you a taste of something you want more of, which is why success in Stockholm is important for this United team in the future, as well as the here and now.\nIf you finish second, third or fourth and you don't get your hands on a trophy or a medal, you don't get to step on to that winning podium. There are no prizes in fact.\nThere are several United players who have never won a trophy with the club, and I know what a boost getting some silverware gives you and how you get a thirst for more.\nBeating Ajax would make a big difference for next season, not just by getting them into the Champions League but to give them an advantage over the teams who have finished above them but have not got anything to show for it.\nPhil Neville was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.", "Chester played in Wales' 3-2 defeat by Netherlands, but has started only once in the Premier League this season.\nThe 26-year-old does not understand why manager Tony Pulis has not played him more often.\n\"To be playing for Wales I have to start for my club. It's impossible to play at this level and not be playing week in, week out,\" he said.\n\"I know myself I need to be playing at my club to give me the best chance of going to France and playing when we get there.\n\"I don't think it's good enough to be playing for Wales when I'm not playing for West Brom.\"\nFormer Manchester United trainee Chester was promoted to the Premier League with Hull and had two seasons in the top flight before joining West Brom last summer in the wake of the Tigers' relegation.\nThe 26-year-old was part of a three-man central defence at Hull and also with Wales, playing a key role as Chris Coleman's side qualified for the European Championships next summer, but his rare Albion appearances under Welshman Pulis have come at right-back.\n\"[Wales manager] Chris Coleman has been brilliant to me and that's nice to hear, so it's up to me to go back to West Brom and play. But I'm finding it difficult,\" he added.\n\"When I signed [Pulis] said he knew I could play at centre-back but he wanted to use me at full-back.\n\"I think the disappointing part for me is I played the first game of the season and I think I showed enough, with hard work and playing there regularly, that is something I could become quite good at.\n\"But to only give me one opportunity there I find it quite difficult to understand.\"\nChester, the most expensive defender in Albion's history, revealed he spoke to Pulis in October to enquire what he had to do to get back in the first team at the Hawthorns.\n\"He said he understood it was a new club and a new position and we had some work to do,\" Chester said.\nAsked if he would look elsewhere in the January transfer window, Chester replied: \"I'm 12 games into a four-year contract, but I'm not one who likes to sit and watch.\n\"I want to play and I thought I was coming to West Brom to play in the Premier League.\n\"Hindsight's a wonderful thing and you see how Hull are doing at the start of the season, and I had other options which makes the situation a little more difficult.\"", "\"He wanted to go and train one against one,\" Kalou told BBC Sport. \"We were only teenagers but I remember it like it was yesterday.\"\nLike both of the Toure brothers - Kolo and Yaya - Kalou began his football career with the academy at Asec Mimosas in the Ivorian city of Abidjan.\nIn fact most of the players who will start against Japan in Ivory Coast's opening match of the World Cup in Recife on 14 June have known each other for nearly two decades.\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\n\"I joined the academy in 1997 and Yaya was already there and Kolo, too,\" said Kalou. \"We've had at least 17 years of playing together.\n\"We always want to lift each other and make each other get better. I can't thank Kolo enough for knocking on my door every morning.\n\"As a kid you don't realise how important that is but now I realise it is vital to have people to push you to your limit.\"\nIn Brazil, Ivory Coast will be aiming to qualify for the knockout stages for the first time in their history and they have been drawn in a group - along with Colombia, Greece and Japan - that appears to give them a great chance of progressing.\nKalou also feels that the relationships the players have forged since they were youngsters could make all the difference.\n\"I remember the last qualifying game against Senegal and the assist Yaya Toure gave me for the last goal,\" Kalou said.\n\"I knew that his first intention wasn't to pass the ball to the first striker who called for the ball because I know that he always has that second touch to try to play the perfect ball.\n\"So I waited a little bit and I ran at the right moment to receive the ball and score the goal.\n\"That can change the game so it's important to have that kind of understanding on the pitch, and off the pitch as well, because it can help us to win the game.\n\"I know how they play, I understand their game and how they want to give the ball. Sometimes it's very important to have those feelings in an important game.\"\nDespite the fact that he was part of a Chelsea team that won the Champions League, a Premier League title and four FA Cups, Kalou admits he has sometimes been in the shadow of the other stars of Ivory Coast's so-called golden generation.\nBut he has developed and matured since he joined French side Lille and in World Cup qualification he was the top scorer for Sabri Lamouchi's side, with two crucial goals in the play-off against Senegal, which the Elephants won 4-2 on aggregate.\n\"That's what I've learnt at Lille, playing for this club I knew couldn't hide behind a Yaya Toure or a Didier Drogba,\" he said.\n\"Being at Chelsea was an amazing experience, I arrived there young and I was surrounded by big players and big brothers so I was kind of the little kid.\n\"I was well protected by players like Didier and when things were bad at Chelsea I was not the one to take the blame.\n\"At Lille that's not the case; if Lille is not going right, I'm taking the blame. I've learnt through tough experiences. I knew I couldn't hide anymore. Lille changed the way I see things and I'm not afraid of going forward and showing that I can bring a team to the top level.\n\"In the World Cup qualifiers I finished with five goals for Ivory Coast and finishing as top scorer in the qualifiers was a good moment because it's something that I pushed myself to achieve.\n\"Usually I wouldn't be among the top scorers but scoring those important goals was a challenge.\n\"I pushed myself to do that and if we're going to do well at the World Cup we have to push each other. Pushing Gervinho, pushing Didier (Drogba) pushing Yaya is good for the team because we'll get the best out of each other.\"\nFor all their success at club level, the likes of Kalou, Gervinho and Yaya are yet to win a trophy with Ivory Coast.\nThe Elephants were runners-up at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2006 and 2012 but with the likes of Drogba and Kolo approaching the end of their careers, this could be the final chance for the current group to make an impact on the world stage.\n\"People would like to see that generation winning something,\" Kalou says.\n\"The generation of Drogba, Didier Zokora and Kolo are a little bit older than us but what they did so well was to bring the team to their level because nobody did it before; Ivory Coast had never qualified for a World Cup before that generation.\n\"I think they have done brilliantly for the country. Today Ivory Coast is the highest ranked African team on Fifa's list so that's a big achievement.\n\"We have one dream and that is to win something together I think because we've worked so hard to get to this level, it would be important to achieve something together, it's so important for our generation and also the country.\"", "But there is a problem. You've never written a musical before.\nThat was the challenge facing the Irish playwright Conor McPherson, when he was contacted by none other than Bob Dylan's management company.\nThe writer, who is best known for his critically acclaimed play The Weir, says he was \"puzzled\" and has no idea why he was approached.\n\"And I don't really want to know,\" he adds.\n\"It's almost too frightening to contemplate,\" says Conor McPherson. He thinks Dylan \"has 650 songs. It's just too vast to please everybody.\"\nHe also did not believe that Dylan was \"that kind of jukebox musical artist\".\nEventually, though, he came up with an idea to set the play during the Depression in America in the early 1930s, before Dylan was born in 1941.\nWithin days he received a message. \"Bob Dylan had read it and wanted me to go ahead and do it,\" he explains.\n\"He liked the idea. I knew then that if it was something that he approved of then we were okay.\n\"He was very supportive saying use the songs in whatever way you want. You don't have to use all of a song, you can use part of a song, or you can have one song which becomes another song. So all of those things began to feel very exciting.\"\nConor McPherson has set the play in a guesthouse in Dylan's birthplace of Duluth in Minnesota.\nIt is called Girl from the North Country, after a track Dylan wrote in 1963.\nThe songs in the show span five decades of Dylan's career. Hits such as Like A Rolling Stone, I Want You, Make You Feel My Love and True Love Tends To Forget are included.\nThe most recent song used is Duquesne Whistle from 2012. McPherson also promises \"hidden gems that you've never heard before.\"\nDylan rarely allows his music to be used in theatrical productions. The last time was in the musical The Times They Are A-Changin', conceived by the choreographer Twyla Tharp.\nMost critics hated it and it closed on Broadway after just three weeks in 2006.\nConor McPherson hopes Girl from the North Country, which receives its world premiere at the Old Vic Theatre in London in July, will fare better.\nHe says he would like Dylan to come to see it, but he has no idea whether he will or not.\n\"Part of me thinks probably not, but another part of me thinks he's so unpredictable, maybe he'll just show up on a wet Tuesday night, unannounced, and will just be sitting there in the audience.\"\nFollow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "The broadcaster has won the rights to show all 350 fixtures each season from 2015 after talks with European governing body Uefa.\nA BT spokesman said it had \"shaken up the UK TV market\" and would make some matches, including finals, free to air.\nThe news is a major blow to Sky and ITV, which currently share the rights.\nWhile BT said it was the first time a single UK broadcaster had won the exclusive live rights to all matches from the two tournaments, Sky said the deal was \"far in excess\" of its own valuation.\n\"I am thrilled that BT Sport will be the only place where fans can enjoy all the live action from the Champions League and Europa League,\" said BT chief executive Gavin Patterson.\nITV has been the free-to-air broadcaster of the Champions Leage since it launched in 1992.\n\"We were not prepared to pay over the odds in the latest live rights round,\" read an ITV statement.\n\"Viewers will be able to continue to watch both competitions free on ITV through to 2015 and we remain the home of live England football.\"\nThe new contract, priced at £299m a season, is worth more than double the current arrangement, which could mean significantly more money for clubs in the two European competitions.\nEach of the 32 teams in the group phase of the Champions League currently receive a participation payment of around £7m and £396,000 for every match played in the group stages. The winners get more than £30m in total.\nAs part of the deal, BT has said it will show at least one match involving each participating British team for free every season.\n\"We are new to the market. The key for us is growing our broadband business. We are available on all platforms. If customers do not want to be BT broadband customers, they can pay for the service as well,\" Patterson told BBC News.\n\"This is a staggering statement of intent from BT, changing the landscape of sports broadcasting and sending shock waves throughout British football.\n\"Having already secured 38 Premier League games a season, BT has now taken its offering to a whole new level by going all out to land exclusive live rights to the most coveted tournament in club football.\n\"BT must now hope these prized rights will significantly increase its subscribers and encourage more customers to buy broadband, phone and television services from them.\n\"Uefa and the clubs will be delighted at the increase in television revenue, but both viewers and sponsors will be concerned that, for the first time since it began, live Champions League games will not be shown on terrestrial TV.\n\"BT has agreed to show some games free to air, but this will be of little comfort to many fans. The deal represents arguably the biggest defeat Sky has suffered since it began sports broadcasting, and is further proof that its latest rival presents a much sterner challenge than predecessors Setanta or ESPN ever did.\n\"It is also grave news for ITV which had already lost the FA Cup rights and must now hope it can cling on to the Champions League and Europa League highlights.\"\nJohn Petter, boss of the company's consumer division, added: \"Today, to get the whole competition, you typically have to pay Sky £40 or so a month. The pricing is not being announced today, but I can say that this will be far more affordable than currently.\"\nHowever, Sky indicated its rival had paid much more than it was prepared to offer.\n\"We bid with a clear view of what the rights are worth to us. It seems BT chose to pay far in excess of our valuation,\" read a statement from Sky.\n\"There are many ways in which we can invest in our service for customers. We take a disciplined approach and there is always a level at which we will choose to focus on something else. If we thought it was worth more, we'd have paid more.\n\"Nothing changes until 2015 and we look forward to 18 more months of live Champions League on Sky Sports. We will now re-deploy resources and continue to bring customers the best choice of TV across our offering.\"\nBT launched its UK sports channels on 1 August 2013 in a challenge to the dominance of sports coverage on Sky.\nBT has already spent £738m over three years for the rights to show 38 live Premier League matches for the 2012-13 season, while Sky paid £2.3bn for 116 matches a season.\nOther events in the BT portfolio include the rights to Premiership Rugby and motorsports such as Moto GP and Nascar, as well as taking over ESPN's UK sports channels.\nOnly last week, it said more than two million people had subscribed to its television sports channels since August and reported six month pre-tax profits of £948 million.\nFor its part, Sky announced in October that record numbers had tuned into the start of the football season - with an average audience of 1.55m compared with 1.29m last year.\nBBC News business correspondent Joe Lynam said: \"Sky has achieved well over 10 million paying subscribers in the UK. The backbone of that success is well-presented live football coverage.\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\n\"While Sky has seen off challenges from ITV Digital, ESPN and Setanta, BT is posing the most formidable challenge.\n\"BT is already in almost every UK home with a telephone line and is also the largest broadband provider in the market. It isn't charging anything to show live Premier League football for existing broadband customers but will be charging for some Champion League games from 2015, although no pricing structure has been published.\n\"Their aim of becoming the home of live football coverage in Britain takes a giant step forward with this announcement and might even have an impact on Sky shares when trading restarts on Monday.\"", "Media playback is not supported on this device\nThe versatile forward can play anywhere in attack - out wide, in the hole or up front - and he has emerged as one of the Premier League's most dangerous players and one of Africa's brightest stars.\nTo vote for the BBC African Footballer of the Year follow this link\nHis searing pace, superb close control and quick thinking has struck fear into his opponents and earned him a place in fans' hearts as well as plaudits from pundits.\nHe is a box of tricks who is clinical in front of goal and also able to pick a pass and create chances for his team-mates.\nMady Toure, the founder of Academie Generation Foot where Mane began his football education, is convinced the 24-year-old is the complete package.\n\"Sadio Mane has something something that even Lionel Messi doesn't have, something that even Neymar doesn't have,\" he told BBC Sport.\nMane ended last season as Southampton's leading scorer with 15 goals in all competitions and sealed a summer move to Liverpool for £34m.\nThat switch to Anfield made him the most expensive African player in history, with his transfer fee easily surpassing the £28m Manchester City paid Swansea City for Ivorian striker Wilfried Bony in January 2015.\nMane has six goals and four assists in 11 matches for the Reds this season.\nHe has been instrumental from the off at Liverpool, scoring on his league debut in the 4-3 win at Arsenal on the opening day of the season.\nMane made a big impact again in the next game, creating two assists as Liverpool thumped Burton Albion 5-0 in the EFL Cup.\nHe followed that up by scoring one goal and creating another in the 4-1 home win over reigning Premier League champions Leicester City to send the Anfield fans into a frenzy.\nHis other goals came in league victories over Hull and West Brom and most recently a brace in the 6-1 rout of Watford.\nOn the international scene Mane starred for Senegal in their opening 2018 World Cup qualifier in October, proving a key man and providing a crucial goal in the win against Group D rivals Cape Verde.\nCapped 36 times by his country, Mane has 10 goals and 11 assists for the Teranga Lions and will be crucial to their hopes of making it to Russia 2018 as well at next year's Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon.\nMane's performances for club and country have made him a worthy candidate on the shortlist for the BBC African Footballer of the Year for the second consecutive year.\nAlready his decision to abandon school at 15 to pursue a professional career in football has brought him handsome rewards.\nHe won a league and cup double with Austrian side FC Salzburg in 2014, is Senegal's go-to man, and in May 2015 he set the record for the fastest hat-trick in league history when he struck a treble in 176 seconds for Southampton against Aston Villa.\nFrom street football in his home town of Sedhiou to the Premier League via Dakar, France and Austria, Mane's journey has been thrilling.\nAnd the sense is he has the potential to become one of the finest African players of all time.", "But he stressed that that the show of public support simply confirmed that \"there is no grey area\".\nLevein has been pictured passing information from the stand and has been present in the dressing-room.\n\"There are maybe misunderstandings that continue to exist, but they are not our responsibility,\" said Cathro.\nThe head coach has previously stated that technical staff \"in different vantage points\" would be involved throughout games.\n\"It is a very strong, comfortable working relationship that we all have here,\" he stressed ahead of Friday's game away to Kilmarnock.\n\"One of the reasons why this is the right club is because of the leadership that's here and the support that's here.\"\nSince Cathro took over in December after Robbie Neilson moved to MK Dons, Hearts have slipped from third to fifth in the table and have won only twice in 10 games.\nThe 30-year-old, who was previously assistant at Rio Ave, Valencia and then Newcastle United, realises it has led to some questioning his credentials.\n\"There is certainly a level of respect for what I've done and how I've prepared for this challenge and maybe it's forgotten a bit,\" said Cathro. \"I have done some things.\n\"Of course, this is my first experience as a head coach and there will always be a big number of differences involved in that.\n\"I am here because I was ready at that point. I am more ready now and none of those things have ever been in question for the people on the inside.\"\nStriker Isma Goncalves, who previously worked with Cathro at Rio Ave, had told the media earlier that he believed it would be next season before Hearts see the best of their new team boss.\n\"I wouldn't disagree,\" said Cathro. \"It's something that time's definitely going to help.\n\"I don't use that as something to try to get close to almost sounding like an excuse for not getting the start or results that we would want.\n\"But certainly, when I look forward, there is no doubt that all of us are going to be a stronger position the more time I have to work with the players.\"\nIf Hearts are to start next season in the qualifying rounds of the Europa League, they must make up a five-point gap between themselves and fourth-top St Johnstone and hope that one of the Premiership's top three - and not city rivals Hibernian - win the Scottish Cup.\nWhile Cathro believes that the Europa League would become a benchmark for the club's progress, he questioned whether they were ready to make an impact next season.\n\"What's important in that situation is that we arrive at that point when we are ready to compete,\" he added.\n\"Right now, there are other things that are priorities, but I see that as a very valid measuring stick that we'll work towards.\n\"I don't talk about a couple of games in June and 'oh nearly'. I am talking seriously about Europa League.\n\"Are we ready for that? Not sure. But that is definitely something that has to be an ambition of ours.\"", "A takeover by the Pompey Supporters' Trust can now be completed after the club\nTheir takeover is conditional on taking control of Fratton Park which was owned by the club's major creditor Portpin.\nNow the next chapter of hard work begins to transform our club into something the community of Portsmouth can be proud of\nPortpin, led by Balram Chainrai, claimed they were owed £12m by the club and held Portsmouth's home as security.\nThe PST had offered £3m for the ground but with Portpin unwilling to sell at that price, administrators BDO went to the High Court to force the sale.\nBut it did not get that far, with an agreement reached out of court between administrators and Portpin, thought to be a figure of £3m plus add-ons.\nIt means the fans' group can now go ahead with their purchase of Fratton Park and BDO can start the process of finally bringing the club out of administration.\n\"It's fantastic, it's exactly the news we wanted. It's really exciting,\" PST chairman Ashley Brown told BBC Sport.\n\"It's taken a lot longer than we wanted but in the end we got the result we wanted. It's brilliant news, we're over the moon.\n\"Of course we believed it was possible otherwise we would not have put so much effort into it.\n\"There have been times where we thought we would definitely do it and times where we thought we wouldn't.\n\"Recently we've been very bullish, we've kept at it and we were right to as we've brought it home.\n\"The belief kept us going, we knew we were the right answer for the club and we all knew that we had to keep plugging away at what we wanted to achieve.\n\"This moment should be something special for all fans, not just Pompey. This should give a belief of what is achievable.\n\"We like to say we are the biggest community club in the country and we hope other clubs will follow.\n\"This club now has a very bright future. It is not going to be easy. We're going down to League Two but we have to accept that and use it as an excuse to rebuild.\"\nAdministrator at BDO Trevor Birch added: \"I'm completely relieved. My reaction is that - relief that's is all finally over.\n\"It's taken quite a bit out of me personally. It's been a very difficult and complex case.\n\"It's been hugely frustrating, but at the end of the day it's all been worth it and Pompey are alive and kicking.\"\nThe club had been in danger of losing their 'Golden Share' - and effectively membership - with the Football League, who had warned Pompey they must come out of administration before the end of the season.\nThe PST have raised around £2m in pledges with fans' donating £1,000 each to save the club.\nThey are also backed by several High Net Worth individuals, who also support the club, and they have bankrolled the Hampshire outfit for several months now,\nOne of those HNW's is Iain McInnes and he will become chairman of the club as and when the PST takeover is complete.\nThis was the second case to determine the future of Pompey with the initial hearing in December adjourned.\nIt marks the end of several torturous years for a club that has been in administration twice in three years and suffered relegation from the Premier League to the Championship and now League One.\nWith another 10-point penalty on the way, a further relegation to League Two is expected.\nOn a day of drama at the High Court after two adjournments the case was finally heard and lasted only several minutes as Katharine Holland QC revealed an \"agreement in principle\" had been struck.\nHolland asked for further time to seal the deal and after BDO returned at 15:00 BST several more adjournments followed before the judge declared it had been completed and the sorry saga was finally over.\nIt means Chainrai's four-year hold on the club is at an end.\nBirch will now start the process of bringing the club out of administration, which is expected to be completed on 22 April.", "Lawrenson feels United boss Louis van Gaal and Liverpool's Brendan Rodgers are already under growing pressure.\n\"Whatever happens at Old Trafford, there will be an over-reaction concerning the beaten team,\" he said.\n\"Defeat would not actually be a crisis, but the loser would find himself under that kind of scrutiny.\"\nUnited and Liverpool both have seven points from their first four Premier League matches, and both lost their last game before the international break.\nLiverpool were beaten 3-0 at home by West Ham while United lost 2-1 at Swansea.\n\"Losing at Swansea was United's first defeat of the season but people are now questioning Van Gaal's signings and his style of play,\" BBC football pundit Lawrenson added.\n\"He has probably made them more difficult to beat but the problem is they have lost their attacking flair.\n\"That is what scares teams, and they don't have it at the moment. Regardless of the start Van Gaal has made, he is already under pressure.\n\"It is about standards. We are talking about United here, who are used to dominating games in the Champions League as well as the Premier League. Looking at them at the moment, I don't think they will be - their team is a bit like a patchwork quilt.\n\"The David De Gea deal is a boost and something I thought might happen after he stayed on transfer deadline day, but United still have problems at the back.\n\"Van Gaal has paired Chris Smalling, who has improved a lot this season and taken on the responsibility of leading the defence, with Daley Blind, who reads the game extremely well.\n\"But if you are a top striker in the Premier League, and you are up against Smalling and Blind then you must be thinking you are going to score. They are not exactly Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, or Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister are they?\nRodgers' position has been in doubt before and defeat would bring more speculation about his future.\n\"Saturday could be a crossroads game for Brendan,\" added Lawrenson.\n\"Like United, Liverpool have made a good start in terms of results but their performances have been less convincing.\n\"They looked all right when they were sat on seven points from three games before they played West Ham but, all of a sudden, that game left a lot of people saying they are not sure about him again.\n\"He was always living on something of a knife edge after what happened last season, but I did not think that would happen after one defeat.\n\"The fans are becoming a little apathetic, which will not help his cause. I have never seen Anfield empty as early before the end of the game as it was during that defeat by West Ham.\"\nAfter scoring three goals in their first four league games, United moved to bolster their attack before the transfer window closed by spending £36m on 19-year-old Monaco forward Anthony Martial, a world-record fee for a teenager.\nMartial, who has completed 90 minutes just seven times in senior football, scored 15 goals in 74 appearances for Monaco.\n\"It is massive money for someone who is going to take a long time to mature,\" added Lawrenson.\n\"Martial has got tremendous potential but he has barely played. If he starts every week for United, what is that saying? That there is no-one else.\"\nUnited's other big forward signing over the summer saw 21-year-old Memphis Depay arrive for £31m from PSV Eindhoven in June.\n\"Memphis is a bit older and a bit further along in his development than Martial,\" Lawrenson said.\n\"But United's two big signings in attack are both kids, who are talented but are going to be hit and miss by virtue of the fact they are young and inexperienced.\"\nLiverpool also spent heavily on new forwards over the summer, including £29m for Roberto Firmino and £32.5m for Christian Benteke.\n\"The difference between Benteke and the forwards that United have brought in is that he is a proven Premier League goalscorer, while United do not know what they are getting,\" said Lawrenson.\n\"They know Benteke will score but Liverpool's problem is getting the best out of him. Football is really simple sometimes - give your striker the service and he will get you the goals.\n\"With Benteke, the way to do that is to deliver crosses into the box, but that is hard when Liverpool lack width in their attack.\n\"That was one of their big problems against West Ham. Instead they were going down the middle all the time and found it really difficult.\n\"Using former Liverpool forward Raheem Sterling as an example, what he has done since joining Manchester City is make the pitch wider for the rest of their attacking players.\n\"What Liverpool are doing this season is making the pitch narrower, and relying on their full-backs for width rather than their forwards. It has not worked for them so far.\"\nRead Lawro's predictions for this week here.", "Crystal Palace manager Tony Pulis covered the World Cup as a pundit for BBC Radio 5 live.\nPlenty of players caught my eye too, although I did not go to the World Cup expecting to discover any amazing new talents. There just aren't any unknown gems at major tournaments anymore.\nThere were still some players I liked there that I didn't know a lot about, however. For example, the Dutch side did well with a lot of young players who are still based in the Netherlands, which is not always the case with their international team.\nAnd there were players from some of the South American sides who are based in Spain who impressed me too.\nBut what has changed things from the days when new talents might announce themselves at a World Cup is the way the Premier League has gone over the past 20 years.\nIt is a global league now - not just an English league - and teams have been scouting all over the world for a long time already.\nEven if I don't know much about a player, someone at the club will be aware of him.\nIt is the same for club competitions around the world, as well as international ones. We scout the Copa Libertadores (the South American Champions League) for example, but only the bottom 12 teams.\nWe know our position at Palace - we do not go anywhere near the top clubs or nations!\nThere were not many surprises left for us at the World Cup, but of course we still wanted to take a look at teams and players in Brazil.\nWe nailed it down from back home beforehand in terms of who we were watching - individual players we had already been recommended, or those we were looking at closely for the first time.\nIt was not my job to do any of that in Brazil - Palace had scouts to do it for me - but it was nice to be out there, and I still did my homework.\nBefore I flew out there, I got a book from the BBC with detailed analysis and information on every player in the tournament. Everything at this level that can help us is worth using.\nI went to watch Germany, the Netherlands and Spain play - and also watched the Spanish train, which as a manager was really interesting.\nI saw some fantastic players. If money was no object I would not try and sign one player - I would probably share it around and bring about 10 or 11 of them back.\nThere were not too many I knew personally, though. I got in touch with Bosnia-Hercegovina goalkeeper Asmir Begovic - who was my goalkeeper at my former club Stoke - before the tournament to wish him well, but I only had one current player out there, Australia midfielder Mile Jedinak.\nMile made history when he scored a penalty against the Netherlands in their group match, becoming the first Crystal Place player to score at a World Cup finals, and I am absolutely delighted for him.\nI had texted him before the game to wish him luck. He was disappointed when they lost and failed to get out of Group B but I don't feel sorry for him because it meant he could have a nice rest before the new Premier League season starts.\nSo, being selfish, from Crystal Palace's point of view, Australia failing to get out of their group was the best thing that could have happened for us.\nOne of the most interesting things about the World Cup was how open it was, especially in the early stages.\nTeams like the Netherlands tightened up as they went through the knockout rounds but, initially, they were spreading wide and making the pitch really big when they got the ball.\nThat meant when possession changed over, if you had pace in your team you could counter-attack and end up creating chances.\nDefensively, though, it looked like there was a weakness in every team, even some of those who progressed far into the tournament.\nIt is all down to different coaches using different systems, and from my point of view as a manager that was fascinating to watch.\nBut one thing I noticed while I was out in Brazil was how poor some of the marking was in the group stage, and that should not happen whatever system you use.\nI don't know how many goals in total were scored from set-plays but, to me, there seemed to be a heck of a lot where people had not been marked properly.\nI was in Salvador to watch the Dutch destroy Spain and then in Rio a few days later when the defending world champions lost to Chile and were knocked out of the tournament.\nIt was disappointing to see them go out like that, and along with Jedinak's Australia side become the first teams to be eliminated after just two group games.\nThat Spain team had been a fantastic side for so long and I felt they deserved to bow out with some respect. In the end it was a bit of a damp squib.\nOn a personal level, however, that was my first visit to the Maracana. It is a superb stadium and synonymous with everything spectacular Brazil has done for football for years and years.\nThe first World Cup I can remember was in 1966, when I was eight, but the next one was Mexico in 1970, which was superb. That was the first time I saw how brilliant the Brazil team was.\nStanding in the Maracana before that Spain-Chile game kicked off, I could relate the stadium to the whole history of one of the greatest nations to have played the game. To be there was an absolute pleasure.\nIn fact, there was a real buzz everywhere I went because everybody in Brazil embraced the tournament so much.\nIt was the first World Cup I have been at in a working capacity, and that gave me a fresh perspective on a lot of things.\nSomething I had not done previously was to be around fans from all over the world before, during and after matches and to talk to them and get a taste of the electric atmosphere around grounds when there is a game on, not just in them.\nI am in Austria now, preparing for the new Premier League season with Palace, but I will look back at my time at the World Cup as a new experience for me, and I had a wonderful time.\nTony Pulis was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.\nFor the best of BBC Sport's in-depth content and analysis, go to our features and video page.", "Or an innocent catch-up with old friends to discuss a pre-season tournament?\nA degree of intrigue surrounds a meeting this week of the Premier League's big five clubs at prestigious London hotel The Dorchester.\nAccording to The Sun, which broke the story, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea were there to resurrect an idea we have seen mooted in the past - a European super league.\nThis time, the talks were with American billionaire Stephen Ross.\nIt would be a new, invite-only competition that would see the biggest English clubs partner with their continental counterparts.\nSuch a move would mean the end of the Champions League and pose a huge threat to both the Premier League and Uefa, which governs European football.\nSimilar to the outcry that accompanied the Premier League's aborted plans for a '39th game', the story sparked an inevitable backlash from those who view such an idea as elitist nonsense, motivated by greedy clubs about to benefit from a record £8bn TV deal and already under pressure over the cost of tickets.\nWest Ham co-chairman David Gold told The Daily Telegraph that the plan \"would destroy football as we know it\", adding: \"It's so sad that five clubs all owned by foreigners are even considering it.\"\nIt has also been noted that the so-called 'big clubs' present at the summit currently lie third (Arsenal), fourth (Manchester City), fifth (Manchester United), eighth (Chelsea) and 11th (Liverpool) in the table.\nLeaders Leicester City and closest rivals Tottenham, who could go top of the table on Wednesday evening, do not seem to have been invited.\nRoss himself was not present, the talks held with executives from his company Relevant, which organises increasingly important and lucrative summer tours and pre-season tournaments - under the guise of the International Champions Cup - for Premier League clubs in the United States, China and Australia.\nGiven how much business Ross has done with these clubs, the meeting, which reportedly took place on Tuesday, should not therefore come as that big a surprise - and those present did discuss future tours and fixtures.\nThey also insist a breakaway from the Premier League is not on the agenda. However, the talks did focus on possible reform of the Champions League, something that is very much on the agenda within European football's corridors of power. A number of forces are driving this.\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\nLast week, the Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu told me he was in favour of tennis-style 'wild cards', guaranteeing automatic entry to the Champions League for big clubs that miss out on qualification via their domestic leagues.\nMany fans despise the idea, believing it devalues the Champions League and means unnecessary meddling with the meritocracy, integrity and excitement of domestic competition, as well as adding up to unfair protectionism for the richest clubs, but it is easy to see why this more pragmatic approach, offering greater certainty, would appeal to some.\nThis year, for example, the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea all seem likely to miss out on the riches of the Champions League, as clubs like Leicester City threaten an elite that, since 1992, has enjoyed almost routine entry to Europe's premier competition.\nThanks to Uefa's huge television deal with BT, a British winner of the Champions League could now hope to earn around £100m, so failing to qualify is a serious dent on the balance sheet. The problem is that the Premier League's own bumper £5.136bn TV deal has been something of a leveller.\nManchester United are understood to be in favour of the traditional footballing calendar, but with US owners the Glazers, it would not be a shock if the club looked at the American model of closed sports leagues, with no threat of relegation, and asked whether automatic qualification for the Champions League was that much to ask for a club of its standing.\nIt may be on course to become the richest club in the world, but United's share price has dropped 20% since the start of the year.\nThe drop in investor confidence could be down to a growing nervousness about increasing competition, especially at a time when China is emerging as a serious footballing powerhouse and suddenly in the market for the top talent.\nThe European Club Association - which represents more than 200 teams - is in discussions with Uefa about the future of the competition, with no unified position expected until the latter months of 2016. And last month, Christian Seifert the head of Germany's Bundesliga, said that a \"Super League\" could be beneficial to his clubs.\nA memorandum of understanding between the ECA and Uefa, lasting until 2022, was signed last year - but there is a sense the current formats need improving, with the group stages of the Champions League and Europa League seen as predictable and dull.\nAnd while it may seem ironic given the recent failure of English clubs, the continent's top teams are particularly concerned about their ability to remain competitive with the Premier League once its new TV deal kicks in next season.\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\nRecall again that Bartomeu told me he now sees the Premier League as a bigger rival to Barcelona than Real Madrid.\nHence the desire for all Champions League games to be as enticing for fans and broadcasters as possible, with every match a compelling offering. The view is that currently this is not the case.\nThe meeting with Relevant should be seen in this context then, as an attempt by the Premier League's top clubs to take stock of the growing pressure from their European rivals for a new and improved Champions League or Super League and to form a collective position on the debate.\nIt is too soon to judge what view English clubs will form. There is no reason to think they would rebel against Uefa, but there is no doubt change is in the air.\nThis all comes at a fascinating moment for the sport. We are in the midst of regime change at both Fifa - the world governing body - and Uefa, offering new opportunities for the game's various interests to show they mean business.\nThere is growing frustration among football's stakeholders - the players, the fans, but especially the top clubs - that their interests have been neglected.\nDespite employing, training and then providing the world's best players, the top European clubs feel that they are sometimes taken for granted.\nThey are frustrated by the prospect of a 40-team World Cup - as suggested by new Fifa president Gianni Infantino - which would mean more call-ups, injuries and greater pressure on the footballing calendar.\nThey are angry about the disruption a winter World Cup in 2022 will cause. They note that Fifa's reforms do not mean the clubs - or fans and players - will have any representatives on its new council. And they will be preparing to fight their corner when it comes to negotiating a greater share of Uefa revenue.\nHere, then, is a timely reminder of the clubs' clout, what is at stake and what the future may hold.", "Media playback is not supported on this device\nMoyes has endured a torrid and humiliating fall from grace after being deemed worthy of Ferguson's personal seal of approval to take on Manchester United in 2013 after 11 years of reliable and stable work at Everton.\nThe manager labelled \"The Chosen One\" on a banner draped from the Stretford End was out of his depth and sacked after 10 months, the end coming after a defeat at Everton that meant United would not qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 19 years.\nMoyes moved abroad to restore his good managerial name but was sacked after a year at La Liga side Real Sociedad - and his return to the Premier League with Sunderland has been an unrelenting nightmare.\nMoyes was a well-received appointment at the Stadium Of Light in July in succession to Sam Allardyce, who rescued the Black Cats from relegation before his brief, inglorious reign as England manager.\nThe Scot was seen as a safe choice, a man with a point to prove after failures at United and Real Sociedad, and a manager boasting the sort of track record that suggested he was a decent fit to lift perennial Premier League strugglers.\nAt Everton, he was regarded as capable of getting a team to punch above its weight. Survival would have been seen as success at Sunderland, a situation seemingly suited to his instincts.\nIn 11 years at Goodison Park, Moyes had only finished outside the top 10 twice, guided Everton to fifth twice and defied the odds in remarkable fashion to take the Toffees into the Champions League qualifiers after finishing fourth in 2004-05.\nMoyes, strangely in the eyes of some, departed without mourning among many Everton supporters who felt his attitude was too negative, not helped by a record that saw no Premier League away wins at Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal or Liverpool during his entire reign.\nHe was also portrayed as a manager who came up short on the big occasions, the 2009 FA Cup final loss to Chelsea, the 2012 semi-final defeat by under-strength Liverpool at Wembley and a hapless 3-0 quarter-final loss to struggling Wigan Athletic at Goodison Park in 2013 being prime examples.\nThese perceived failings have been underscored by recent failures.\nIf Sunderland fans were looking for an upbeat message when Moyes arrived, they were to be sadly mistaken when he flagged up a season-long relegation fight after only his second game in charge, a 2-1 home loss to Middlesbrough.\nAsked about supporters fearing a season-long struggle, he said: \"Well, they would probably be right.\"\nRealism is one thing - negativity and defeatism is another. This was a message that was badly received by Sunderland's fans and set the tone for a season that turned into a long, slow, painful, joyless march into the Championship.\nIt was also a message delivered with 10 days of the August transfer window remaining, hardly enticing words to potential new signings.\nAnd, damningly, it became a self-fulfilling prophecy as Moyes was unable to do anything to defy his own ominous predictions for Sunderland's season.\nThe rot may well have already set in before Moyes uttered those ill-fated words but when fans and players looked to the new manager for leadership and inspiration, that would only have made matters worse. The Black Cats fans did not expect Moyes to reach for the stars but the cloak of conservatism was a poor fit.\nMoyes was always regarded as cautious in the transfer market at Everton, which was perfectly understandable given the financial restraints he operated within. He knew if he spent and wasted precious transfer cash he was unlikely to get it back.\nIt saw him saddled with a \"Dithering Davie\" tag by some because of his desire to get every deal and detail right, and it was a nickname he knew all about.\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\nHe could answer by outlining how his meticulous approach saw him bring bargain-priced gems to Goodison Park such as Tim Cahill for £2m from Millwall, Phil Jagielka for £4m from Sheffield United, Joleon Lescott from Wolves for £5m, Mikel Arteta for £2m from Real Sociedad - and the inspired signing of young Irish full-back Seamus Coleman from Sligo Rovers for only £60,000.\nThe Scot had lost that sure touch by the time he turned up at Sunderland.\nMoyes was restricted by a relatively small transfer budget and an owner in Ellis Short who wants to sell the club, but his dealings smacked of conservatism and suggested he was not prepared to broaden his horizons beyond the familiar.\nIt led to accusations he was putting the old band back together from Everton as Steven Pienaar arrived from Goodison Park after being released following lengthy injury problems.\nAnd the Everton old boys continued to pitch up, striker Victor Anichebe signed after being released by West Bromwich Albion, veteran defender Lescott after his contract was cancelled by AEK Athens and January's £8m double deal with the Merseyside club for Darron Gibson and Bryan Oviedo. None were a success.\nMoyes would suggest it was simply the market he was forced to work in but the policy of going with what he knew failed dismally, while big-money signings such as £13.6m Didier Ndong from Lorient and Papy Djilobodji, signed for £8m after flopping at Chelsea, also failed to deliver.\nAs Sunderland took root at the foot of the Premier League, the toxic combination of apathy and anger set in and Moyes then made headlines for the wrong reasons when he reacted to a question from BBC reporter Vicki Sparks about the presence of owner Short at a game adding pressure by replying she \"might get a slap, even though you're a woman.\"\nOn Wednesday Moyes was charged by the FA, citing his remarks as \"improper and/or threatening and/or brought the game into disrepute\".\nTwo sackings and a relegation on from his Old Trafford appointment, the Sunderland season is another black mark on his CV.\nMoyes is the manager who has taken Sunderland into the Championship - but wasn't someone going to do it eventually at a club suffering from diminishing returns and increasingly reduced circumstances?\nPaolo Di Canio, Gus Poyet, Dick Advocaat and Sam Allardyce all had to engineer escapes from relegation as owner Short shuffled his managers to keep Sunderland in the Premier League.\nSunderland last finished in the top 10 (10th to be precise) under Steve Bruce in 2010-11. Since then it has been a miserable diet of struggle and mediocrity that has finally ended in the drop.\nAs Aston Villa eventually found out, there is only so long you can flirt with relegation before you end up in the full-blown embrace of the Championship.\nMoyes has had to contend with a hierarchy whose desire to sell reduced ambition and created an air of resignation and stagnation. He, crucially, acted in a way that fell into line with that mood but others must also take responsibility for Sunderland's decline.\nSunderland were only going to get away with survival for so long barring a radical change of policy or new owners - many will see the consequences of that home defeat by Bournemouth as simply a price paid for years of mismanagement on and off the pitch.\nWhen Newcastle United were relegated at the end of last season, manager Rafael Benitez was regarded as blameless and the man who would take them back up. The Toon Army pleaded with him to stay and owner Mike Ashley to keep him.\nNewcastle will now swap places with their rivals - but Moyes enjoys none of the goodwill and optimism showered on Benitez. Indeed, Sunderland's fans have turned on the manager they believe has appeared to publicly accept the Black Cats' fate for months.\nIt would be a very hard sell to Sunderland's fans to keep him in charge. The reputation won with his work at Everton has been eroded by failure in his three subsequent posts.\nThe Scot may well wish to stay in charge of Sunderland as a Championship club because that is likely to be as good as it now gets for a manager who was coveted throughout his time at Everton for shrewdness, stability and motivational acumen.\nMoyes was linked with the Celtic vacancy, as he has been often before, last summer but Brendan Rodgers was eventually appointed and even the safety net of a move back to a big club in his native Scotland now looks to have passed him by.\nIn 427 league games at Everton, he won 173 for a win ratio of 40.5%. He won exactly half of his 34 league matches at Manchester United but at Sunderland he has only won five out of 34, just 14.7%.\nMoyes regards himself as a fighter but this season he has looked worlds away from the fired-up, intense touchline operator who made his way at Preston North End and moved on to Everton.\nHe has looked world-weary, by-passed in the Premier League by a younger generation such as Eddie Howe at Bournemouth and Marco Silva at Hull City, a worn-down figure struggling to find the powers he could call upon in the past. He was once a symbol of that emerging group but his recent record makes him damaged goods.\nMoyes could not rouse his players and looked to be struggling to rouse himself. Has he got the desire to try and rebuild Sunderland and his own reputation from the lower divisions?\nLeon Osman, a stalwart of his Everton dressing room during his years at Goodison Park, made a telling observation as he remarked to BBC Radio 5 live after the midweek loss at Middlesbrough: \"He even sounds resigned and defeated in his voice at the moment.\n\"I have worked with him when he had a lot of fire in his belly and you could see it in his eyes. A caller has told us he was sitting down and letting Robbie Stockdale do the talking.\n\"When I played under him, David Moyes was the one on the sidelines. David Moyes was the one with his eyes popping out of his head, screaming and pointing at you. At the moment he seems to be taking a backward step.\"\nMoyes was hurt by his failure, and indeed his treatment, at Old Trafford when a six-year contract was cut spectacularly short. He was unsuccessful in his short-lived move to Spain and now has suffered the ignominy of relegation.\nHave the fires of passion that drove him before the torture of his time at Manchester United been extinguished? Is the 54-year-old suddenly a manager out of his time, still reliant on tried and trusted methods and a transfer strategy that have been overtaken?\nMoyes is a proud manager who stands by his record throughout his career, despite the recent downturn.\nHe is now, however, a manager who must rebuild his badly damaged stature in the Championship - if he gets the chance. The fall from grace is complete.", "In fact live club football did not return to the screens until January 1986 after a bad tempered war of words between the Football League, which ran the top flight then, and broadcasters at the BBC and ITV.\nThey were wrangling over a deal offered by the TV firms worth just £19m over four seasons, about £55m in today's money.\nThe Football League chairmen felt that the true value was closer to £90m.\nHowever, unlike now, 30 years ago the TV companies - not football clubs - held the upper hand, and when no agreement could be brokered (there was also a row about the split between live games and highlights) they had reached an impasse.\nAs a result, there was a football blackout for the first half of the 1985-86 season, and in the second half, only 13 English club games were shown live.\nThe Football League had capitulated in December 1985, accepting a pitiful £1.3m (£3.74m now) for nine First Division and League Cup games. A separate FA Cup deal was also signed for four games.\n* The BBC and ITV both also showed the FA Cup Final live as normal. The 1986 European Cup Final, and England v Scotland were also broadcast live.\n\"It is strange to look back and realise there was nothing more than a few games shown live on TV that season,\" says Robin Jellis, editor of respected industry journal TV Sports Markets.\n\"Things have changed beyond recognition since then. There has been the advent of pay-TV, and the need for premium content - such as Premier League football - to drive sales.\n\"In fact, there is now so much football content that new sports channels are constantly appearing to handle the volume.\"\nMr Jellis points to the 1992-93 launch of the Premier League as a watershed moment for football on TV, and Rupert Murdoch's vow to use sport as a \"battering ram\" to sell Sky pay-TV subscriptions.\nIt was that deal which kick-started the ever-increasing sums paid for rights over the past two decades, during which time other broadcasters such as Setanta and ESPN have entered and left the fray.\nBack in 1986, after the blackout season, the BBC and ITV then agreed a deal worth £3.1m a season (£8.4m now) to the football authorities - less than the money they had been offered in 1985 - covering the following two seasons.\nEach broadcaster would show seven live games each a season.\nCompare that with the forthcoming 2015-16 season, the last year of the current Premier League deal with Sky and BT, which is worth £1bn a season for 154 live matches.\nAnd those figures are dwarfed by the £1.72bn a year deal the Premier League has secured for the three seasons from 2016-17 to 2018-19, for 168 matches a year.\n\"The current inflation is the result of competition between Sky and BT. Sky's whole business model is based around the Premier League football TV rights, and securing of the majority of the games,\" says Mr Jellis.\n\"BT's number of games is smaller, but they are coming to it from a different perspective. They saw their broadband customer business being lost to Sky, and their aim was always to stop that migration.\"\n\"Football was a totally different product to what it is today. It had gone through a very bad period in a PR sense, with the Bradford fire, riot at Luton, and Heysel disaster.\n\"Football, it seems strange to say now, became unfashionable for a time, it was not dominating in the newspapers, and of course TV coverage was off air from the start of the season until January. The mood was one of disillusionment.\n\"The crowds at some of the old First Division grounds were not great, I remember just 12,000 at a West Ham match.\n\"There was a gradual uplift, some put it down to the 1990 World Cup, others to the founding of the Premier League. Some would say the nadir was Hillsborough, but the Taylor Report which followed ushered in new, all-seater, stadiums.\n\"Strangely enough, having no live football on TV for the first half of the season benefitted one player, Frank McAvennie, who had signed for West Ham from St Mirren. Only West Ham fans had really seen him in action, and the unknown factor meant he was able to score 18 goals in the first half of the season.\n\"I commentated on the first live game back on television in January 1986 for Charlton v West Ham in the FA Cup, and when McAvennie appeared on screen I said 'now you know what he looks like'.\"\nLooking further ahead, to the next domestic deal cycle, which would begin in season 2019-20, Mr Jellis says possible threats to Sky and BT could come from Discovery, which has just secured future Olympic TV rights in Europe, and BeIN, Al-Jazeera's rebranded sports channel, which is becoming increasingly acquisitive.\n\"I can't see there being anything but increasingly-aggressive bidding in three years time,\" says Mr Jellis.\n\"Premier League clubs are certainly benefitting from the competition. The influx of top foreign players is because of the big salaries that can be offered as a result of the TV deals.\n\"The amount of money the clubs are getting is already vast, and that is going to increase even more.\"\nHe says that while the team that wins Serie A in Italy earns roughly between €30m to €40m (£21m to £28m) in broadcasting revenues, estimates show that the team that finishes bottom of the Premier League in 2016-17 could earn up to £100m from TV monies.\nEver-inflating bubbles have a tendency to burst, but Mr Jellis believes that moment - if it ever arrives, is still some way off, especially as the Premier League has still to sell the next tranche of its international TV rights.\nThose rights are worth about £2bn in the current deal cycle, and the Premier League has launched tenders for bids in two of its most lucrative regions - the US and MENA (Middle East & North Africa).\nMr Jellis believes that, as in the UK, the rights are about to soar overseas. US rights are currently with NBC Universal at $83m a season, but he believes that is set to more than double.\nIn addition, BeIN and rival Abu Dhabi Media could also be set to fight it out in the Middle East.\n\"Another huge market is Asia and South East Asia, as seen in the relentless Premier League club touring there,\" he says.\nBack in the UK, some other factors could also be in play in the run-up to that next domestic deal, beginning in 2019-20.\n\"Quad-play could be a huge factor then,\" says Mr Jellis, referring to a communications bundle that includes high-speed data, telephony, TV, and wireless.\n\"The fruits of what Sky and BT are looking to put in place now won't be known until then. We also have BT looking to tie up its deal with EE, to give it that mobile platform.\n\"If the competition authorities give that the go-ahead then I think we will see Sky look to do something similar with a mobile operator.\"\nHowever, a visitor from the mid-1980s would be totally confused by today's TV football landscape.\n\"The idea of buying a subscription to watch live football, or the notion of these new platforms that are available to watch football on - the internet, mobile devices - would not have been imaginable 30 years ago,\" says Mr Jellis.\n\"All you had then in 1985 were the handful of terrestrial TV channels. Football viewing in the UK has totally changed since then.\"", "Uzbek-born Russian Usmanov has made a £1bn bid to take full control of the Gunners, but majority shareholder Stan Kroenke has shown no interest in it.\n\"He has put in the bid and it is great news,\" Wright told BBC Radio 5 live.\n\"Something has to change, whether it is the manager Arsene Wenger or whether it is the board upstairs.\"\nArsenal need other teams to slip up in Sunday's final round of matches to avoid missing out on Champions League qualification for the first time in 21 years.\nWenger, who has been manager since 1996, has been the target of protests from some of the club's fans.\nThe Frenchman's future at the club will be decided at a board meeting after Arsenal meet Chelsea in the FA Cup final on 27 May.\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\n\"It is not looking good for Arsenal at the moment,\" Wright told 5 live's Friday Football Social.\n\"They may be out of the Champions League - something they are not used to - and they have to beat one of the best Chelsea sides I have seen for a long time in the FA Cup final to try and get something from the season.\n\"Where are they going to sign players from? Who is going to want to come to Arsenal instead of anywhere else in London? At the moment, they are not an attractive proposition.\n\"We are already missing out on the managers we are supposedly interested in and we are going to start missing out on the kind of players that are going to be available and want to play in the Premier League.\n\"Top players may want to leave. Too much is up in the air.\n\"Something has got to happen for Arsenal to go to that next level. This bid will galvanise the fans.\"\nMetal magnate Usmanov owns 30% of Arsenal's shares but is not part of the board or decision-making at the club.\nUsmanov said in April that Kroenke must \"bear huge responsibility\" for the club's failures on the pitch.\nThe Gunners' London rivals Chelsea won the Premier League this season - the fifth time they have done so under the ownership of billionaire Roman Abramovich, who has spent heavily since taking control in 2003.\n\"Abramovich is a winner,\" added Wright, who scored 185 goals in 288 appearances for Arsenal.\n\"Stan Kroenke sees it as another asset. If you look at all his other franchises, they are doing the same. They are mediocre, with poor attendances and aren't achieving anything as a team. That is where Arsenal are at the moment.\n\"We need an owner like Abramovich, who wants to win. I would swap Arsenal's last 10 years for what Chelsea have done.\"\nRichard Conway, BBC Radio 5 live sports news correspondent\nAlisher Usmanov has wanted control of Arsenal for some time.\nA long-standing critic of the current board, he has attempted to curry favour with fans by calling for greater investment by Stan Kroenke. He believes the team should be performing at a much higher level.\nNow, with questions swirling over Arsene Wenger's future and with a lack of Champions League football next season looking inevitable, he has made his move.\nHowever, he has been rebuffed.\nThe big question is whether this was a final throw of the dice by Usmanov? And, with seemingly no prospect of Kroenke selling, will he turn his purchasing power towards another Premier League club?", "Thousands of fans celebrated on the pitch at full-time after the Seagulls beat Wigan.\nThe promotion came 34 years after the club reached the FA Cup Final but was relegated.\nThe club's chief executive Paul Barber said a 25,000-strong crowd remained at the stadium after the game on Sunday.\nVirgo said the scenes of euphoria at the Amex stadium followed the heartache and \"dark, dark times\" since 1983.\nFrom brink of disaster to the Premier League\n\"Nothing will ever top this success in the history of the football club,\" he said.\n\"They're not just going into a big league, they're going into a worldwide league and the club now will be seen all over the world.\"\nChampionship leaders are promoted to the Premier League\nMr Barber said: \"We stayed in the ground for quite a long time because we had about 25,000 people we had to look after.\n\"We can never encourage people to go on the pitch, but we knew they would and we knew that people had waited a very, very long time for this moment and we certainly weren't going to spoil it.\"\nDescribing the scenes as \"unbelievable\", he added: \"They'll last in people's memories for a lifetime.\"\nSetting out the club's plans before the next season, he said managers had to look at players' contracts and the stadium needed infrastructure improvements of up to £5m, including floodlights, media facilities and improvements to the players' area.\n\"We're going to have some of the biggest clubs in the world visit the city and no doubt all of them will be bringing huge numbers of fans as well - so this is a special time, not just for the football club but for the whole city.\"\nThe club last played in the old First Division in 1983 - they reached the FA Cup Final that year but got relegated.\nIn 1997, the club had to sell the Goldstone Ground to pay off some of its debts.\nIt spent two seasons 70 miles away at Gillingham's Priestfield Stadium.\nThe club then moved into the Withdean Stadium in 1999 - a council-owned athletics track on the suburbs of Brighton.\nChairman Tony Bloom's arrival eight years ago paved the way for their new permanent home at the Amex stadium and the success that followed.\nDJ and Albion fan Norman Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim, who lives in Hove, said he was going to enjoy the moment \"from now until the middle of August\".\n\"I'm going to make the most of it and enjoy it because reality will kick in.\n\"In the middle of August we could get pasted, but it's going to be part of a learning curve,\" he said.\nLifelong Albion fan Attila the Stockbroker - aka John Baine - said: \"It's an incredible journey. Twenty years ago, bottom of the league with no ground. Now we're going into the Premier League.\"\nIngram Losner, who has supported Brighton since he was a child and travelled from the US to watch the match, said: \"The atmosphere was just building up throughout the day, and the actual game and the celebrations after were just nothing like I'd ever experienced.\"\nOn Twitter, Brighton council's leader Warren Morgan tweeted the club's chairman Tony Bloom should be given the freedom of the city.\nHove MP Peter Kyle posted that he was \"bursting with pride\".", "Media playback is not supported on this device\nThe 50-year-old Portuguese, who first managed the Blues between 2004 and 2007, was officially announced as Chelsea's new boss on 3 June.\n\"I am the Happy One,\" said Mourinho at a Stamford Bridge news conference.\nCareer record up to 1 June 2013\n\"Calmer? I believe so. I'm in the best moment of my career in terms of knowledge.\"\nHe added: \"I began management in 2000. I thought I knew everything, but after 13 years you realise you know nothing and have to learn every day. My adventures around Europe were fantastic for me, different countries, different cultures, different media. It was fantastic.\n\"At 50, I think I am still very young as a manager and I think it is like the beginning of a new period. Do I have a different personality? No, but for sure I have a different approach and perspective.\"\nFormer Real Madrid boss Mourinho, who replaces Rafael Benitez at Stamford Bridge, has signed a four-year deal and said he wants to stay for the entire term.\n\"I hope I can go to the last day of the contract. If the club is happy and the club wants me to stay then I'll be more than happy to stay.\"\nWhen asked whether he was disappointed that neither Manchester United nor Manchester City had approached him about their managerial vacancies, he said: \"I am where I want to be - I wouldn't change it for anything.\"\nThe former Porto and Inter Milan boss helped Chelsea win five major trophies during his first spell at the club - two Premier League titles, two League Cups and an FA Cup. He believes he can emulate that achievement.\n\"I want to believe it is possible - I always trust my work,\" added Mourinho.\n\"I know many people who belong to the club and I know the type of mentality and ambition people have.\n\"My career has been built and raised on success. I was able to achieve success and win trophies and leave different types of legacies at every club. I have to believe in that.\"\nWhen Mourinho left the Blues in 2007 it came as a surprise to many, although it was widely reported that his relationship with owner Roman Abramovich had become strained.\nBut the Portuguese boss stressed on Monday: \"That is not true.\n\"I read and keep reading that I was fired and we had a complete breakdown in relationship. At the time we thought it was the best for both of us [to go our separate ways].\n\"Jose Mourinho produced none of the fireworks that marked his first arrival at Stamford Bridge. This was a studied Mourinho, a mature Mourinho, a Mourinho intent on hammering home that this was an older, wiser manager.\n\"And he was at pains to stress how happy he was to be back. So happy he repeated it countless times, although his subdued manner did not exude joy.\n\"Mourinho, the master controller, perhaps knew the media expected an equally spectacular performance on his second coming. And he was determined to give us what he wanted rather than what we expected.\n\"This may change, of course, when the first ball is kicked.\"\n\"It was a decision that was difficult for both of us, but a decision made by mutual agreement. There was never a breakdown of the relationship and that is why it is possible for me to be here today.\n\"I am back because we feel we are in the best moments of our careers, ready to work together again and in much better conditions this time to succeed in what this club wants, which is stability.\"\nMourinho also stated he wants to make defender John Terry \"the best player he can be\" again.\nThe 32-year-old, who was made club captain by Mourinho during his first spell in charge, missed much of last season because of injury and suspension.\nEven when Terry was available he was often overlooked by Benitez.\n\"I won't speak one word about Rafael Benitez's decisions, either on John Terry or any other player,\" said Mourinho.\n\"All I can speak about is the future and the future is to meet John on 1 July and try to get the best out of him. I know what he can give, so let's try to make him again the best player he can be.\"\nHowever, Mourinho insists there will be \"no privilege\" for his former players, saying: \"There are still a few boys from my time but it's important to tell you - not them because they know - that there is no privilege for them. They know my nature. They don't have an advantage in relation to other people.\"\nAnd he has warned Chelsea fans not to expect several new signings: \"We have 60 players I think because there are 20 new buys in the media in the last two days. No - I need to work with the players, not commit injustice, give them a chance, be fair with them.\n\"After that we'll have time to make decisions. A couple of signings is normal, correct practice in every club, but I want to see the players I have.\"\nMourinho arrives at Chelsea after a turbulent three-year term at Real Madrid, where it was reported that he fell out with some players, notably goalkeeper Iker Casillas, and irritated the media by not appearing at news conferences.\nHowever, he gave a caustic response when reminded of Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta's suggestion that he \"damaged\" Spanish football.\n\"I damaged Spanish football by being the manager that broke Barcelona dominance.\n\"They were dominant and dominant and dominant and it looked like it was a dominance without an end.\n\"Real Madrid won the cup final against Barcelona, Real Madrid won the Super Cup against Barcelona, Real Madrid won in Barcelona and Real Madrid won the championship, which is the historical [2011-12] championship of 100 points and 121 goals.\"\nBefore moving to the Bernabeu, Mourinho won the Champions League and Italian league title at Inter Milan.\nMedia playback is not supported on this device", "A Sam Vokes header in a 1-0 win against QPR at Turf Moor on Monday guaranteed the Clarets an immediate return to the top flight with one game to spare.\n\"We've balanced the books and been successful again,\" Dyche told BBC Radio Lancashire. \"I couldn't be more proud.\"\nBurnley reported profits of £30.1m in March, following their 2014-15 season in the Premier League.\nThey broke their transfer record to sign striker Andre Gray from Brentford in August, having recouped sizeable fees from the departures of Danny Ings to Liverpool, Kieran Trippier to Tottenham and Jason Shackell to Derby.\nDyche said the amount of money spent by other clubs had made the Championship \"a different league this year\", adding: \"People have been having a real go this season financially, putting money into it.\"\nAsked about the challenge of the Premier League, Dyche told BBC Radio 5 live: \"We'll be written off immediately.\n\"I asked two years ago (when Burnley were promoted in 2014) for people to give us 24 hours to enjoy it, before they started slaughtering us and telling us we've got no chance.\n\"If they could just be lenient and give us maybe 48 hours this time, that would be nice.\"\nBurnley, who are unbeaten in 22 league games since a 3-0 defeat by Hull on Boxing Day, will clinch the Championship title with victory in their final game at already-relegated Charlton on Saturday.\nEither Brighton or Middlesbrough will be promoted automatically alongside the Clarets - they play each other at the Riverside on Saturday, with a draw good enough for Middlesbrough.\nBurnley produced a long undefeated run to seal promotion after an indifferent first half of the campaign, which saw them eight points adrift of the automatic promotion places on Boxing Day.\nFormer Watford manager Dyche, who masterminded Burnley's return to the Premier League just 359 days after they left it, said the Championship presented a \"different challenge\" from when the club last won promotion in 2014.\nDyche added: \"The expectation rises from everyone, the money available to the club for its future - all of the things that it brings.\n\"The mentality of the players has been firm all year. We were questioned heavily around Christmas, but I never blinked.\n\"I knew what we were about, I knew the group we'd got, I knew the mentality and I knew we could go all the way.\n\"Last time we were under the radar, it was a fairytale. This one was organised, it was business-like and it was well-fashioned from all involved, especially the players.\"\nDyche's sentiments were shared by striker Gray, who has scored 22 league goals for the Clarets this season.\n\"It's crazy, it's been a hard-fought year and the last five or six games have been very tough,\" he told BBC Radio 5 live.\n\"It was a bit nervy as we knew the Brighton result and knew we needed to win. We got over the line in the end.\"\nCentre-back Ben Mee, who has been an ever-present this season, added: \"All the boys have been immense and everyone has contributed to this.\n\"We'll enjoy this, but we want to go and win the league now. That is the next step.\"", "On Friday, Tottenham slipped up at West Ham - meaning Chelsea can move seven points clear at the top of the Premier League with victory over Middlesbrough on Monday.\nAt the bottom of the table, Hull slipped into the relegation zone as Swansea defeated Everton, while Boro will return to the Championship if they lose at Stamford Bridge.\nDo you agree with my selection or would you go for a different team? Why not pick your own team of the week from the shortlist selected by BBC Sport journalists and share it with your friends?\nPick your XI from our list and share with your friends.\nI'm still trying to work out how Sunderland managed to pull this result off and the only plausible suggestion I can think of is Jordan Pickford. This was the sort of game that could haunt a team for a long time but Marco Silva's boys need to get over this result fast.\nThis stage of the season is all about teams at the bottom holding their nerve. Sunderland are relegated and played like a team who have their eyes on winning promotion back to the Premier League next season.\nPickford started his superb performance by getting a hand to a fabulous strike by Sam Clucas. He then pushed a wonderful header from Lazar Markovic over the bar, before producing a great reaction save from Oumar Niasse.\nSunderland seem to have recognised that chopping and changing managers is futile, and that David Moyes is the right man to bring the Black Cats back into the big time and I agree.\nHowever, the real challenge for Moyes is to keep Pickford at the Stadium of Light. The player has proved he can play in the Premier League and needs the intensity of that environment to assist his progress.\nPickford failed to keep Sunderland in the Premier League but without him the Wearsiders might fail to get out of the Championship.\nI had never even heard of this lad before this fixture. Making your debut for any team is an ordeal but it's an entirely different matter when it's for Manchester United and away at Arsenal.\nWhat made the occasion even more intense was the amount resting on the match for both teams. Well, what a performance by Axel Tuanzebe. The approach from the 19-year-old was just perfect. He did exactly what his senior professionals in the United line-up told him to do and played everything simple.\nHe never once over-complicated the game when in possession and although United lost, Tuanzebe took care of Alexis Sanchez as if he was playing a youth team game and looked a star in the making.\nWe've already seen Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard come through at United. Where are they getting these kids from? It's great to see a Premier League club bringing through home-grown talent. I was beginning to think we'd forgotten how.\nArsene Wenger has invested in a number of top-class French players during his 21 years at Arsenal. Some have been better than others, and whilst my personal favourite - Patrick Vieira - takes some beating as arguably Arsenal's all-time best French player, Laurent Koscielny is the latest in a line of great Frenchman to have played for Wenger.\nI admit he can be erratic at times but when he is on top of his game there aren't many better defenders in the league. Against Manchester United, and a very lively Anthony Martial, he coped comfortably.\nEven when United's speed merchant Marcus Rashford came on, Koscielny didn't seem the least bit concerned about the threat posed. And why should he be? He's seen it all before and coped admirably.\nWhatever decision Wenger makes about his future at Arsenal in the days and weeks ahead, the manager can look back at a career where his countrymen have never let him down. And, for that matter, he hasn't let them down either.\nWhat a finish by Vincent Kompany. I've seen top strikers struggle to convert opportunities like the one presented to him against Crystal Palace on Saturday. However, his ability to score the occasional impressive goal is not the reason I have selected him for my TOTW.\nWhat impresses me about Kompany is his ability to lead. Since his return to first-team action from a horrendous run of injuries, the Belgium captain has shown a tremendous run of form.\nHis very presence engenders confidence and belief in everyone who plays alongside him. The improvement in Nicolas Otamendi's performance, for example, has been amazing.\nSome players command respect and Kompany is clearly one of them. If he can somehow remain injury-free next season then Manchester City must be taken seriously as title contenders. The problem for Kompany is that is a big if.\nAny win for Swansea at this stage of the season could be a lifesaver as we approach the season's finale.\nIf ever there was a game where a Swansea player could be forgiven for taking a stiff drink at half-time then this was it. This was a game that needed cool heads and Swansea played against Everton with a cold clarity of purpose.\nSwansea's entire defence was brilliant but the standout player for me was Alfie Mawson. The ball that Romelu Lukaku flashed across the face of goal was an instant cure for constipation but somehow Mawson kept his head and cleared the danger when a lesser defender might have panicked and deflected into his own net.\nMawson's decision-making was so impressive, and with two games left to play, Swansea now have their Premier League future back in their own hands.\nThis lad has become a top-class performer. To watch his development at Southampton has been a real pleasure. We all knew that he was a player as a youngster at Chelsea - the question was: What sort of player?\nHe showed maturity beyond his years when he surprised us all and performed so well in the 2012 Champions League final in Munich, but it all seemed to come too soon.\nSince leaving Stamford Bridge he has become the master of his own destiny and looks more accomplished the more I see him. Against Liverpool, who appeared to get more desperate with every minute, Bertrand look composed and in control.\nEven when he picked up his yellow card for kicking the ball away he knew precisely what he was doing; stopping the ball from re-entering the field of play before the Saints could reassemble. He took a booking for the team.\nShould Liverpool qualify for Champions League football next season I seriously suggest Jurgen Klopp gets his chequebook out and pay whatever it takes to take Bertrand to Anfield. The player is in that class.\nIt's official: West Ham are safe and they can look forward to next season in the Premier League. There will be fans who expect much more than mid-table mediocrity from the Hammers, some of whom spend most of their time sitting in the directors' box.\nHowever, they are deluding themselves. West Ham have gone through a tremendous upheaval this season and in my opinion they are lucky to have survived.\nIn fact, without Slaven Bilic and Manuel Lanzini I doubt whether they would have. Bilic has been the man given the responsibility of managing the transition of moving to a new stadium and the departure of Dimitri Payet - a wonderful player but a disruptive influence.\nLanzini has been West Ham's and Bilic's saviour. The Argentine has not only filled the vacuum left by Payet but produced a quality and a style of football that has made West Ham look more like a team and not one dependant on the performance of one individual.\nMeanwhile, Spurs looked like a side whose season had come to a predictable end. And although they have blown the league title for the second consecutive year, this team is very close to winning something major.\nThe only way that they can do that is to keep every one of their players. Add to them if you must, but lose any of the current team and it will be a testimony to Tottenham's lack of ambition. In other words, put up the 'not for sale' signs now, or otherwise stop talking about Premier League titles.\nTop four is the name of the game for Manchester City now, and it took Pep Guadiola's team less than three minutes to get their first goal.\nThe king of the assists Kevin De Bruyne didn't score it but he might as well have done. He was involved in everything City did. It was De Bruyne's inviting pass that encouraged Kompany to smash the ball past a stranded Wayne Hennessy.\nDe Bruyne clearly loves providing openings for his team-mates but make no mistake - he enjoys scoring goals just as much.\nI've played alongside many midfield players who can either provide goals from that position or score them but there are not that many who can do both. De Bruyne's goal (City's third) was struck home with such authority it was in the back of the net the moment it left his foot.\nI don't even know why Wayne Hennessey even bothered to dive. De Bruyne is a class act but he will need to produce this sort of performance on a more consistent basis if City are going to make a real challenge for the title next season.\nWell, what a difference a few days make. I said after last week's defeat at Spurs that Arsenal could still finish fourth and win the FA Cup and nothing has changed.\nIn order to keep this dream alive the Gunners had to take care of Manchester United and they did it without a great deal of fuss. Admittedly, Jose Mourinho's priority is no longer finishing fourth but winning the Europa League.\nIf United were to win that competition they would secure a Champions League place and win a major trophy at the same time - all in Mourinho's first season.\nAaron Ramsey, on the other hand, could, by winning the FA Cup and finishing fourth, provide Arsene Wenger with the perfect leaving gift. Wenger would be mad to subject himself to any more of the vicious bile that has been thrown in his direction from some of his own supporters.\nIf I were him I wouldn't stay at the club for one second more than was absolutely necessary.\nThere are some players that you just love to watch. They move well across the turf, glide past opponents, make goals for others and on their day make the team tick.\nRiyad Mahrez is one of those players but unfortunately I don't see it often enough. Against Watford he looked amazing, but he is also one of the reasons Leicester have had an indifferent season.\nClaudio Ranieri has gone but Leicester have retained their Premier League credentials, a point that was threatened under the Italian's regime.\nThe suggestion that Mahrez could follow Ranieri out of the King Power Stadium door to play Champions League football next season may be posed by the player's agent.\nHowever, the reality is that, whilst he has the quality to be effective in that competition the question is: Does he have the mentality to cope with the requisite demands? Having the ability is great but it's the courage and consistency you need most to play at that level.\nCongratulations to Burnley, who have survived another season in the Premier League. To have amassed 40 points with two games to play is an amazing team effort by Sean Dyche and his boys.\nThe only way to guarantee survival is to score goals and Dyche has shown great faith in Sam Vokes and Ashley Barnes. Both have taken time to acclimatise to top-flight football but look the real deal in the fortress that Turf Moor has become.\nAgainst West Brom, who have not given up on producing a record Premier League points tally, Vokes looked as sharp as I have seen him, which would also account for his first brace in the big time.\nWhat Burnley have done is provide teams coming up into the Premier League with a template for survival. Which is, if you get relegated don't sack your manager, keep your players, add one or two more to your squad and retain the same regime that got you promotion in the first place. Brighton take note.", "Van Gaal was sacked by Manchester United and replaced by Jose Mourinho after winning the FA Cup but failing to qualify for the Champions League.\nThe Dutchman was heavily criticised during his two-year Old Trafford reign.\nBut Smalling, 26, leapt to Van Gaal's defence at England's training base in Chantilly.\nHe said his erstwhile club manager's desire for defensive organisation will help him when England's Euro 2016 campaign opens against Russia in Marseille on Saturday.\nSmalling, whose England place is assured alongside either Gary Cahill or John Stones, said: \"Louis is very tactically aware.\n\"Despite the ups and downs of the season, I think on the whole we as a team were very solid. We didn't concede too many goals. That's something he implemented.\n\"He really drilled us from the front to the back in terms of how we move, how we shift, and that's helped me because that's a large part of my game.\"\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\nRussia's main aerial threat will come from 6ft 5in striker Zenit St Petersburg striker Artem Dzyuba, who scored eight goals in qualifying.\nSmalling said: \"We have been watching videos. He is a big guy and it will be a physical battle. Picking up second balls is crucial and not letting him dictate and bring the ball down on his chest.\n\"Our central defenders will have to be very physical and aggressive against him. As defenders in the Premier League, we are used to big guys and those challenges and it's something we enjoy as centre backs.\"\nFormer top-flight referee David Elleray has addressed England's squad about areas in which they may be punished in France, away from the more physical environment of the Premier League.\nAnd Smalling is hoping to put the lessons into action and not fall foul of referees.\nHe said: \"David came in and explained a lot of things that we may or not get away with in the Premier League compared to here now so we get some idea.\n\"I think in the Premier League you maybe do one or two fouls before a booking comes, whereas here they may clamp down sooner. It is tiny little things like that, not things that will distract away from how we normally play, and individually play.\"\nSmalling is aware that some of the wrestling in the box that is accepted in England may not be ignored in France.\n\"It is a very hard job for referees to gauge what goes on, defending and attacking, because so much does go on,\" said Smalling.\n\"You do need to be careful, because you don't want something like that to be a turning factor in the game.\"\nCreate leagues and play against your friends in BBC Sport's new Euro 2016 Predictor game", "But how hard is the transition? How difficult is it to swap the glare of the camera for the focus of thousands of supporters? BBC Sport Scotland looks at some of the big names who have crossed the Rubicon.\nThe former winger, who had a previous coaching spell at Dunfermline Athletic, has worked as a pundit covering Scottish football for Sky Sports. He decided to accept Scottish Premiership outfit Dundee's offer of becoming interim boss until the end of the season.\nHe succeeds Paul Hartley at Dens Park with Dundee second bottom of the table and fighting for their top-flight safety.\n\"It's not a big risk for me - it's maybe a big risk for the club, a lot of guys will think, because I've not been in a job before,\" said the 42-year-old.\n\"This opportunity was just too good to turn down.\"\n\"I'm not going to kid anyone on and say, 'it's just going to be easy', because it's not. There's a lot of hard work ahead. The other sides in and around us will have that same mentality. It's a massive job.\n\"I think most people know the type of person I am, type of character, the standards that I liked to have when I was playing and training - those qualities I would like to think I'll bring to the football club.\n\"It's my job now to sit with the players and try to get them to understand the requirements that's going to get them that extra yard or that extra wee bit that's going to be enough to see us win games of football.\"\nMcCann started his playing career as a winger at Dundee in 1992 and enjoyed stints at Hearts, Rangers, Southampton and Falkirk before ending his career at Dens Park in 2011. He also won 26 caps, scoring three international goals.\nFormer Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville was sacked by Valencia in March 2016 after less than four months in charge of the Spanish club.\nThe 41-year-old, who was part of the England coaching set-up under Roy Hodgson, has returned to his previous role as Sky Sports analyst.\nValencia won three of their 16 league games under the former television pundit, and 10 of 28 games overall.\nNeville said he wanted to stay but results had \"not been to my standards\" or those \"required by this club\". Neville's management career began with a Champions League loss to Lyon at the Mestalla and it was not until 13 February that Los Che clinched the first of only three league wins.\nCup competitions provided some respite for Neville, with seven wins coming in the Copa del Rey and Europa League.\nNeville retired from playing in 2011 after 602 Manchester United appearances and 85 England caps. He won 16 trophies at United and represented his country at five major tournaments.\nFormer England captain Alan Shearer was in charge of Newcastle for a short spell in 2009, in his only stint in football management to date.\nShearer quit playing in 2006 as Newcastle's record goalscorer before becoming a Match of the Day pundit.\n\"I've been out of football for over four years and I'm not looking to get back into it,\" he told the BBC in 2013.\nIn eight games as manager, he could not prevent the Magpies being relegated from England's top flight.\n\"I love my job and know I'm lucky to have it. Could I see myself returning to management? Probably not,\" Shearer told BBC Newcastle.\nBorn in Gosforth, just three miles from St James' Park, Shearer scored 206 goals in 404 appearances for his boyhood club after joining for a then-world record £15m fee in 1996.\nHe began his career at Southampton and won the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers in 1995 before moving on to Newcastle.\nHe was named Magpies manager on a short-term deal in April 2009, with boss Joe Kinnear undergoing triple heart bypass surgery. Shearer took over with the club two points in the relegation zone but one win in eight games saw them drop out of the Premier League, finishing one point behind Hull.\nBellshill-born McCoist was a Rangers player for 15 years as well as playing for St Johnstone, Sunderland, Kilmarnock and Scotland.\nAfter retiring in 2001, McCoist continued to build a burgeoning media career, which included being a team captain on BBC's A Question of Sport.\nHe returned to football in 2004 as part of Walter Smith's Scotland coaching staff, and he followed Smith to Ibrox as assistant manger in 2007, before stepping up as his successor in summer 2011 while Rangers were still in the Scottish Premier League.\nHe subsequently led the side from the bottom tier of Scottish football by winning two consecutive league titles.\nExpressing his gratitude to the Rangers supporters following his departure, McCoist said: \"They were superb and they backed me and my staff.\n\"They also stood firm when their club was in dire straits and even at the bleakest moments they did not flinch.\n\"They are the heart and soul of this club and no-one should ever forget that.\"\nMcCoist has returned to his football pundit role since his managerial stint at Ibrox.", "Media playback is not supported on this device\nFor the second successive year, the top-flight crown was decided on the final day in 2015 - Emma Hayes' side completing the league and FA Cup double by edging out Manchester City.\nBut could 2016 possibly throw up even more drama? Arsenal have strengthened and the minnows of the league are looking at Leicester City's exploits in the men's Premier League with renewed optimism that anything is possible.\nBBC Sport looks at what is driving each club as they prepare for the new campaign.\nListen: 'The most unpredictable WSL ever'\nChelsea winger Gemma Davison says the feeling of being the hunted in 2016 is a welcome one for a team that has strengthened since last season.\n\"Everyone wants to defend the title, but when you achieve something and win things people want to beat you,\" she said. \"But they can also fear you.\n\"I love that feeling, the feeling of teams wanting to beat you means you are strong and it's something to enjoy.\"\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\nEngland international Karen Carney is the highest-profile Chelsea arrival and adds to an already impressive forward line that includes three England attackers and FA Cup match-winner Ji So-Yun.\n\"We are continuing to build as we did last season and there is definitely more depth to take us to another level,\" added Davison. \"We want to compete in everything.\n\"It's a great league and no-one can really predict how it will go.\"\nManchester City have been a growing force in the top flight, marking their induction to WSL by clinching the Continental Cup in 2014 and then going on to claim a Champions League spot as league runners-up last season.\nCity and England captain Steph Houghton says it is an \"exciting\" place to be, and boss Nick Cushing has brought in Sweden striker Kosovare Asllani from Paris St-Germain and prolific Scotland forward Jane Ross.\n\"We want to be successful. There is a lot of pressure on us, but it is a good pressure to allow us to go and perform,\" said Houghton.\n\"The individuals in this side strive in these circumstances and situations.\n\"Everybody will look at us, we are a big club with a lot of international players here and we have a great set-up that everyone is trying to emulate now.\"\nLeicester City's exploits in the Premier League, going from relegation escape artists one season to frontrunners the next, resonates with the little-fancied clubs in the women's game.\nSunderland Ladies had already gone a long way to rewriting the expectations of sides outside the established guard last season by topping the league for a few weeks after winning promotion from the second tier.\nReading came up as last term's WSL 2 champions and forward Amber Stobbs says they will be keen to follow the examples of the Foxes and Lady Black Cats.\n\"Hey, we can be the new Leicester,\" grinned Stobbs. \"Any hope in sport is good hope. It's an inspiration.\n\"Seeing a club do what Sunderland did makes you believe what is possible. It showed that the league is not set in its ways. You can challenge, it's not that you are new and will stay at the bottom.\"\nDoncaster striker Natasha Dowie, a WSL 1 title and FA Cup winner with Liverpool, echoed Stubbs' sentiment.\n\"Teams learned last year not to underestimate sides,\" she said. \"Look at the men's Premier League with Leicester City, who would have thought?\"\nSunderland boss Carlton Fairweather, a member of Wimbledon's infamous Crazy Gang that rose through the English football ranks and won the 1988 FA Cup final against Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool, knows well the power of self-belief.\n\"Look at the Leicester side, they haven't spent as much money as the big 10 teams in the Premier League and they are competing,\" he said. \"It shows you what a bit of togetherness and having individuals that are willing to learn and who want to improve can achieve.\"\nArsenal midfielder Jordan Nobbs can pin-point the moment the WSL 1 title began to slip for the Gunners' grasp last year - a 1-1 draw just six games into the season against a Bristol side that would eventually get relegated.\nWith only 16 league matches to play, the margin for error is small.\nFor the second successive year, the title was decided on the final day and Arsenal were not in the running.\n\"Look at the season before when Liverpool went from third to first on the last weekend - that does not really happen,\" said Nobbs. \"One game like that shows how ruthless it is and that's what makes it exciting and why fans get excited - you don't know what's going to happen.\"\n\"There are not many games in our league. When you lose one game it can knock you from first to third - every game is crucial.\"\nAnd yet Arsenal were still able to add to their trophy cabinet last season with a Continental Cup triumph that Nobbs says signified the end of a disappointing season and marked new hope for a better 2016.\n\"To say we won the Continental Cup at the end a bit of a rollercoaster of season was a good turning point for us to put that behind us and get us thinking about winning some more trophies,\" she said.\nThe Continental Cup triumph - their first piece of silverware under Spanish boss Pedro Martinez Losa - inflicted a second major final defeat on Notts County in 2015, with the Magpies also losing the 2015 Women's FA Cup decider.\nNotts' England international goalkeeper Carly Telford says the Meadow Lane club is determined \"to go one better\".\nShe added: \"Of course you want to make progress from having an empty cookie jar to starting to fill it.\"\nIt has been all change at Liverpool Ladies.\nTwo-time title-winning manager Matt Beard has left and gone are a host of players, including England's most-capped international Fara Williams, Lionesses striker Dowie and Nigeria forward Asisat Oshoala.\nIn their place are a number of new arrivals - among them England defender Alex Greenwood - as well as new boss Scott Rodgers, who was promoted from assistant manager.\nFor a side that meekly relinquished their title last season, having eventually finishing second from bottom, defender Satara Murray says a fresh feeling at the Reds is a welcome one.\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\n\"Sometimes it's good to have new faces in the team,\" she said. \"With nine new signings and a new manager, I hope that will allow us to be a whole different team.\n\"As a team we have to prove people wrong and show that we have not gone anywhere. We had one bad season - it happens.\n\"It now has to be a better year. Liverpool were champions in 2013 and 2014 and that meant we had a big target on our back in 2015. This year, not having that is a nice thing.\"\nWhile Liverpool have been the busiest club in the transfer market, Birmingham City Ladies have been among the least active, brining in Corina Schroder from Liverpool while Hall of Fame player Carney and goalkeeper Becky Spencer moved to Chelsea.\nBlues manager David Parker admits trying to compete pound-for-pound with the rich is beyond them and says it is \"essential\" the club produce home-grown talent.\nBirmingham vice-captain Kerys Harrop says the policy is \"refreshing\".\n\"We have to be realistic, we don't have the budget to go and buy world-class international players and it is nice to think that we are using our own resources, our own youngsters coming through the system,\" she said.\n\"It is a shame other clubs aren't doing that and it is going more like the men's game. I'm proud that we are staying true to our roots.\"\nAcross WSL 1 and WSL 2, there will be a total of 16 commentaries live on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra this season, starting with Manchester City's first home game against Notts County on Wednesday, 23 March.\nEach programme will feature news and interviews from the women's game, followed by build-up and commentary of the featured match. And, for the first time this season, the BBC will also be publishing a Women's Super League podcast.", "The 34-year-old midfielder has represented Swansea in all the top four divisions since 2002, playing more than 520 games for the Welsh club.\n\"I am very happy. Everyone knows how much the club means to me,\" he said.\n\"I just spoke with the chairman and it was just a five minute conversation phone call and everything was agreed.\"\nSwansea chairman Huw Jenkins paid tribute to the club's stalwart.\n\"Leon has been and still is a fantastic servant to this football club,\" said Jenkins.\n\"He is a model pro and we are very proud he is representing Swansea City.\n\"I hope this new contract paves the way for Leon to remain with us for many more years to come.\n\"He has made a tremendous contribution to this club, both on and off the pitch, over the last 15 years.\"\nThe new deal also guarantees Britton a coaching role at Swansea after he retires from playing. He has been doing his coaching badges with the Football Association of Wales.\n\"It (coaching) is something I spoke to the chairman and manager [Paul Clement] about,\" Britton said.\n\"There is maybe an opportunity when I decide to finish my playing time at Swansea the club will keep me on in some capacity.\n\"It is still something to speak about later on down the line but we have had discussions about.\n\"At the moment I am focusing on the football side of things and when that finishes we will sit down and see what the club are thinking.\n\"I have done the B licence and the A licence with the FAW the season just gone.\"\nBritton helped Swansea avoid relegation from the Football League and rise up the divisions to become a top-eight club in the Premier League.\nHe made 18 appearances last season and feels he can still hold his own in the Premier League.\n\"I am delighted with the option of another year which gives me a target coming into the new season to try and hit the criteria to get an extension as well,\" he added.\n\"I feel fit. I am training hard and well with the rest of the squad.\n\"When I have played I feel I can still contribute to the team. If I felt I couldn't I would not want to extend my time at Swansea.\n\"I want to make sure I go out at the right time. I still feel there is enough in the tank to go ahead.\n\"It depends how the manager wants to use me next season and the seasons coming.\"\nAfter having joined from West Ham United, initially on loan, in 2002, Britton remained at Swansea until 2010 when he left for Sheffield United - only to return to Swansea just months later.", "But a World Cup appearance and place up front for a top-flight London side are a world away from the humble beginnings of the £12m summer signing with the 70mph shot.\n\"I come from a very poor background. In order to buy my first boots I had to go to work with my dad on the farm and milk some cows,\" recalls the Ecuador forward.\nFrom attending to the cattle to the heat of Premier League battle, Valencia will spearhead the Hammers' attack when they play Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday.\n\"I'm extremely happy, very very thankful for being here and I'm trying to enjoy every minute,\" says the 24-year-old, who scored his first goal in England with a thunderous strike against Hull City.\n\"I used to watch the Premier League on the telly and now being here I am living the dream.\"\nHe grew up on a modest farm on Ecuador's Pacific coast, began his career at Emelec in the port city of Guayaquil and went on to help them win the league title last year.\nValencia moved to Mexican side Pachuca, where he scored 18 times in 23 matches, netted three times for Ecuador in the World Cup and then signed for West Ham.\nAlong the way his scoring heroics earned him the nickname 'Superman', but it was a different kind of film that helped him learn more about the Hammers - confessing to watching the hooligan flick Green Street.\n\"I knew about West Ham mainly from some films I watched. I was not scared but respected the fact that they are very passionate supporters,\" he says when asked about the movie.\n\"When I knew I was coming here I didn't know what to expect, but as soon as I arrived people said that was back in the old days and it's all changed now.\"\nThings are changing at West Ham, who are in their penultimate season before a move to the Olympic Stadium - sales of high-end hospitality packages for the revamped venue began this week.\nManager Sam Allardyce is pursuing a more attacking brief - which reaped dividends in Saturday's 3-1 win over Liverpool - after a turbulent 2013-14.\nLast season some fans, unhappy about the style of play, even booed the side off after one victory, over Hull.\nHowever, Valencia makes a point of how respectful he thinks fans are in England.\n\"Here, we lost the opening game [against Tottenham] but people stayed and showed their support,\" he smiles as his answers are given through an interpreter.\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\n\"In South America, if you lose a match you cannot even go out in the street.\n\"It happened in Ecuador when I was playing for my previous club Emelec. It was a derby and our main rivals were top of the league.\n\"We had to beat them in order to be level with them on the same number of points and we couldn't get the win and it was very difficult for everyone to get out of the stadium.\"\nValencia's opening Premier League salvo, a 25-yard rocket from a standing start, travelled at about 70mph. His midfield team-mate Mark Noble says such efforts are a regular feature in training, but the striker is not about to get carried away.\n\"It's been a good start the way I have adapted,\" says the Ecuadorian.\n\"It's exactly what I was expecting and what I like about the Premier League that anyone can beat anyone - that's what makes it such an interesting league.\n\"The culture is very different. The main thing for me is the language barrier. I'm improving my English and people here are very respectful. I study English on a daily basis.\n\"I hope I can continue to score to help get the team as high as possible.\"\nFrom Ecuador to east London via Mexico and Brazil in nine months, but Valencia still has his feet on the ground.", "Sunday's Premier League fixture is only Mourinho's second trip to Stamford Bridge as an opposition boss.\nHe won there with Inter Milan in 2010, before his second spell with the Blues in which he added a third league title to his trophy haul in west London.\n\"I have the maturity to control the emotion,\" said Mourinho.\n\"If my team score a goal am I going to celebrate like a crazy kid? No.\n\"Am I going to have a negative reaction if the crowd has something negative with me? No.\"\nSunday will be Mourinho's first appearance at Stamford Bridge since he was sacked in December 2015, with the club 16th in the Premier League.\nI think he deserves a good reception, because he wrote with the club, with his players, with the staff part of the story of this club\nIt is also the first time he has been back since Mourinho settled a discrimination claim with former Chelsea physio Eva Carneiro, following the Portuguese's furious reaction to her going on the pitch to treat Eden Hazard in a game against Swansea in August 2015.\n\"When some managers leave clubs, they like to 'wash the dirty clothes', to go back and speak and speak and speak about what happened.\n\"I leave clubs with a very good feeling. I gave everything to the club. I want to keep the good memories - and at Chelsea I had so many.\n\"The other things - I don't forget, I keep. But I keep it to myself.\"\nMedia playback is not supported on this device\nTwice Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich appointed Mourinho as his manager. On both occasions he was rewarded with Premier League titles.\nYet twice the mega-rich Russian sacked him.\nThe United boss says the pair were never close. \"We always had the relationship of owner-manager,\" said Mourinho.\n\"It was a very respectful relationship but he was never my friend. We were never close to each other.\"\nMourinho, won three Premier League titles, an FA Cup and three League Cups during his two spells at Chelsea, says he is unconcerned about the reception from fans.\n\"I cannot say I care because I have a job to do and I will be more focused on the game,\" he said.\n\"What do I expect? I don't know. They could think about me, remember our great relationship and have a good reaction. They could look at me and say 'for 90 minutes he is Manchester United manager and he is playing against us, so he is not someone we like'.\n\"I will always respect them.\"\nMourinho's return apart, Sunday's game is important for two clubs seeking to re-establish their Champions League credentials.\nBoth clubs have won the title within the past four years, but neither made the top four last season and they are both outside it going into this weekend's game - Chelsea fifth and United two places further back.\nThey have each lost two of their eight games but know if results go their way, they could be in the top four by Sunday night.\nMourinho said: \"I am not a gambler but if I was, I wouldn't bet a lot on the title or top four because there is a big risk of losing money.\n\"The distances are so short. A team that wins three in a row is immediately in the top three or four. And the team that has a bad run for just a couple of results goes immediately outside the top four.\n\"My feeling is it will be close and probably one team that you think is playing for the title in March, probably in May doesn't finish in the top four.\"\nChelsea manager Antonio Conte says his counterpart should be given a warm welcome when he arrives at Stamford Bridge.\nThe Italian was appointed Mourinho's permanent successor in April and began his job in July.\n\"I have great respect for him,\" said Conte.\n\"He won three championships and I think he was an important man for the club.\n\"I think he deserves a good reception, because he wrote with the club, with his players, with the staff part of the story of this club.\"\nTake part in our new Premier League Predictor game, which allows you to create leagues with friends.\nSubscribe to the BBC Sport newsletter to get our pick of news, features and video sent to your inbox." ]

[ "Since no has taken a stab at this yet, I'll try:\\n\\n As an experiment, food was first cooked (to kill germs)\\nand then stored in air-tight bottles. It was taken aboard an \\nEnglish ship. After a couple of months the bottle was opened\\nand the food was found not to have spoiled.\\n A sheet metal worker found out about this, and thought \\nabout storing food in cans instead. James Burke discusses \\nthis in one of the Connections Programs. I've included a \\nlink in the sources part.\\n There is no reason the surface area of the can would vary\\nbetween now and then unless the cans were first made with \\na square bottom. I don't believe it was." ]

[ "Purpose-so you know what you are trying to accomplish and so others can quickly see what the experiment is about.\\n\\nHypothesis-What do you think will happen when you are doing the experiment based off of background info and other's attempts \\n\\nProcedure- exactly what you are doing in the sequence you do it, so others can repeat your process\\n\\nResults- what did you observe, see, hear, any senses experience. This will show others what they might expect and what your data was.\\n\\nConclusion- what did you learn from this experiment, how does its results effect scientific knowledge, How and why did this experiment happen. What factors were expected and not expected. Many other questions may fall under this section. You are answering why did you spend so much time completing this experiment. and did everything go as you wanted it to.", "many chemical reactions happen at the interface between different phases of solid, liquid, or gas. the reaction rate is often limited by the surface area - so to increase the rate, you can increase the surface area. \\n\\n an example of this is in batteries - the ion-exchange process that batteries use happens at the surface of the electrode, where the solid metal electrode exchanges ions with the electrolyte solution. lots of newer batteries use highly-porous materials for the electrode - all those little pores can increase the surface area by several orders of magnitude, allowing the reaction to run much faster.\\n\\nso, if you know how to drive it out of the rocks, then you're in good shape. a simple answer to increase the rate is to crush the rocks into small grains. this will allow for a much greater surface area, so water diffusing through the rock will make it to the surface sooner.\\n\\nalso, many reaction rates are sped up by increased temperature. so you could build a fire and heat the rocks. an increase in temperature means, on the molecular scale, that the atoms are moving faster - this means your reaction goes faster - and the water comes out faster.", "Simple; when falling more than a few feet, cats will spread out their limbs to maximize their surface area. This maximizes the force of drag, and minimizes the terminal velocity and acceleration. Since they don't weigh much relative to their surface area when spread out, their kinetic energy (=1/2mv^2) isn't very much (low velocity and low acceleration) and so they are able to absorb the impact.", "I loved this show. I got hooked when they were showing a marathon of the first 5 episodes. I watched it faithfully from there out. I loved the concept for the show and seeing what the designers would create. I loved Chole from the begining and I was rooting for her the whole time. I didn't think she would win it so I was so happy when she did. She did such a great job designing clothes that women would wear and she put so much of her heart and soul into everything that she made.", "They are made to run faster so that they last longer when ran at the normal speeds in society. If cars were made only to go 65mph then they would stop working much sooner than a car that can go twice that speed.", "How much blood does your heart pump in one minute? This is called cardiac output. \\n\\nTo calculate cardiac output you need to know your body surface area in square meters and your cardiac index (how much blood is pumped per minute for every square meter of body surface area).", "I used to be just like that. You have to realize that you have to please yourself before you can really please anyone else. Don't go through your life regreting what you did not do and resenting someone else because of the choices that you yourself made. Try it slowly at first and see how it works for you. You will be surpised at how much better you will feel. Take baby steps. The world was not made in a day.", "The larger something is, the greater the volume is compared to surfac area. Volume grows as a cube of the radius, while surface area grows as the square of the radius. So, if a cell gets twice as large in diameter, the surface area grows by 4-fold, while the volume grows by 8-fold. This is why small animals are so much more vulnerable to cold, because they have greater relative surface area through which to lose heat, while large animals have the opposite problem-not enough surface area to get rid of the heat generated in the large volume.", "Dear Mr. Holmes:\\n I am writing to find out what you thought was your best detective work and why? What happened and when? What were the clues? Did anything or anyone fool you? What steps did you take to solve it? What was the final outcome? Did Dr. Watson help you? If so, how? And finally, from start to finish how much did it cost you to solve this mystery? \\nThank you.\\n\\n Sincerely,", "Umm I dont think this has anything to do with snell or refractions.\\n\\nLet me ask you this question: How come you can see a shadow on the ground , but not in the air between the object and the ground?\\n\\nThe answer is that you can see shadows clearly on opaque surfaces like the ground or muddy waters, works resonably well on a translucent surface too. And does not work on a transparent surface like air or clear water.\\n\\nDo I hear you still asking WHY?\\n\\nA shadow is created when there is considerably lesser amount of light falling in a certain region. And you can notice a shadow when the amount of light reflected for a certain region of a surface is lesser. now a transparent surface does not reflect much light in the first place ( it lets it pass through, thats why the surface is transparent ). So you do not detect the disparity in the amount of light reflected back to your eyes, and u do not sense the shadow. now if there was an opaque surface behind the transparent surface, you will see a shadow on that.", "he means one action can turn something around and make it the opposite of what it is. Like when they made it legal in some areas to carried guns,that was meant so that people can protect themselves that just make crime increase.", "Well you have to sit and analyze what went wrong the day before. What were you in control of? What did you have no control over? If you made mistakes, figure out how you can make up for it. Look ahead. Look for the positive outcome. Instead of worrying over it, do something about it. And remember........always tell yourself you are a good person, even when you are feeling like the pits!!!", "Because a ship has surface area, a needle doesn't. Water can flow around it, so it sinks.", "The curved surface area of the cylinder would be made up of the circumference times the height. Figure the circumference then divide the surface area by that to get the height. it would probably be best to convert M2 into cm2 first. 100 cm=1M so 1 sq m would be 100 x 100 or 10,000sq cm x 4m2 equals 40000 cm2. The C would be 2(pi)r which is 2 x 3.14 x 70 = 439.6 cm. Divide 40,000 by 439.6 = 90.99 cm for the height. volume would be (pi)r2h or 3.14 x 4900 x 90.99 = 1399972 cu cm", "There were studies on letting office workers \"dress down\" and it made people more productive because they did not feel so restricted by their clothing. They also did the same on music where it relaxed people, gave background noise which made office work bearable :) I heard this about 2.5 years ago when I worked in my office but I can not remember where it came from, just remember a little about what it said.", "You can't really explain how it feels to be in love because it feels different for everyone! When I first fell in love, I felt happy and my other person, no matter how much I use to hate when someone did certain things, when he did them it wasn't that big of a deal. He reminds me what it's like to be young again.", "Been there! Done that! Ah, the innocence of youth! Here's what we did. \\n\\nList all of your credit cards, starting with the lowest BALANCE first (not the highest interest rate - I'll explain why in a minute). This way, you know who you owe and how much you owe.\\n\\nIf you can afford the minimum payments, but not much more: pay the minimum on everything EXCEPT the lowest balance. Put as much as you can (until it hurts a bit) on that card. But don't neglect necessities, like shelter (including utilities), food (not fa(s)t food), transportaion, and clothing - you need these to earn an income. Pay for them first, then credit card debt.\\n\\nWhen the first card is paid off, take what you were paying them and ADD it to the next card, so your total debt payment stays the same. Keep doing this until they're all paid off.\\n\\nThe reason you start with the smallest balance first is so that you see yourself making progress much more quickly and will be encouraged to keep at it. The difference in the interest paid when it's all said and done, is very small.\\n\\nIf you can't even afford the minumum payments: contact the banks that gave you these card BEFORE they start calling you. Explain your situation and tell them you WANT to pay these debts, but can't afford to. Tell them what you can pay, don't let them tell you how much they need (only YOU know how much you can afford).\\n\\nThen go get a second (or third) job and get rid of these things.\\n\\nWhen you're finished, don't forget where you've been and remember that you NEVER want to go back there.", "Generally, most river systems were formed on what were originally geological faults. These areas were naturally lower then the surrounding land mass and as the surface water built up it would naturally drain towards the lowest point.\\n\\nAs to flooding this is usually where an excess of surface water has developed and the inability of the natural drain to remove or drain off the surface waters. In this case the waters draining to the river bed simply rises to the point that the \"bottle neck\" can be over come and the excess water levels are removed from the area. Once this happens the normal drain capacity and the normal inflow are balanced and the river returns to it's normal river bed.\\n\\nDave Cooke", "The people who elected him. He sucked the first time, so what so they do...VOTE HIM IN AGAIN!! How dumb can you get? Did you think he'd get better with practice?", "They think that protons and neutrons are made of quarks. No one is sure what a quark is made of, however. When we break apart a proton or neutron in the lab, we can see the effects of quarks, but not the quarks themselves. So far, the best ideas regarding what quarks are made of are contained in the 'Superstring' theory, but we have a lot of experimenting to do so see how superstrings work.", "Certain areas were populated by people from different countries and when they learned english they spoke with what ever accent they had from their first language. These accents on certain letters or even dropping letters just became the norm for that area. I know that where I live (NC) there is a place called Salter Path that has a very strange accent compared to the people that live only a few miles away from it. It is very hard for many people to understand what they are saying because their accents differ so much from the others around. So it all depends on what country the first settlers to that area were from. Think about it this way if you moved to Japan and started speaking Japanese, they would most likely be politely laughing at you bacause of your strange accent. :)", "tricky question... you could probably get a fair approximation by looking at a computer model of the wonders and having the computer determine the surface area based on how much mesh is required to cover the model.\\n\\nIRL I would probably just take a model and see how much paint is required to cover the surface, that should give you a good estimate.", "If you gave it your best shot then you didn't really fail. You'd only be a failure if you were too much of a coward to have made the effort in the first place.\\n\\n\\n*Thomas Edison took 2000 tries to invent the lightbulb - when he was asked 'how did it feel to 'fail' 2000 times he just laughed and said:\\n\\n'I didn't fail I invented the lightbulb. It just so happens that it was a 2000 step process!'.\\n\\nPick yourself up, dust yourself down and try again", "the person before me solved for the capacity, which is how much charge the earth can hold, not how much charge it is actually holding.\\n\\nthere is no way to know for sure how much charge is on the earth's surface, it's too big, and it is constantly changing. Charged particles go up into the atmosphere all the time, and everytime there's a lightning storm, it changes dramatically at one time, and there's no way to really measure how much charge is there at any given time. Plus, it's not really 'charged' becaue it is so big and has so little charge compared to its mass, which is why it can act as a 'grounding' and not be affected when large amounts of charge are put into it, because they are still small charges relative to the mass of the earth. it is impossible to calculate the total charge on the entire earth at any given time.", "For a specific kind of solid, yes. In general, no.\\n\\nFor example, a cube with a side length of s will have a volume of s^3 and a surface area of 6s^2. So, for any cube, the volume and surface area will be in the ratio of s/6.\\n\\nFor a right cylinder, the volume is (pi)r^2*h, while the surface area is given by 2(pi)r^2 + 2(pi)r*h, which through some algebraic manipulation can be reduced to 2(r+h)(pi*r). So the ratio of volume to surface area for a cylinder will be r*h to 2(r+h)... \\n\\nFor other solids, you could observe similar relationships, but in general, the relationship depends on the shape of the solid, so you could not make a definitive statement about the surface area enclosing a certain volume unless you also knew what shape that volume was in.", "Depends on what you mean by efficient? Being that the purpose of the digestive system if to extract nutrients from food, how well it does that would be a measure of how efficient it was. Since the absorption of nutrients in the digestive system is dependent on the surface area of the intestines, if you were missing any of them you would be less efficient.", "At room temperature, 0.968 g/cm³", "To a certain degree. I mean, when Galileo lived, it was pretty much against the law to make scientific progress if it went against what people then believed (such as the belief that the Sun revolves around the Earth). But he still made his \"heretical\" scientific progress. So even the most hostile government can't completely stop science. But at the same time, governments choose how much funding goes to what arms of independent science, how research is regulated, and all sorts of other things that can affect the development of science. \\n\\nSo my answer is, science doesn't depend entirely on government, but it's never completely free of government influence, either.\\n\\nOn top of that, there's the question of who's in charge of the scientific research itself. I mean, if a drug company finds out that their product is dangerous in no uncertain terms, then they'll probably let you know. But if it's a gray area, they're going to play it down as much as they can.", "averagely it would be 1 cm ^3 (1 cm cube) because its as big as one of those 1 cm blocks. or it cloud be 1ml, seeing as they're the same.\\nthis is an estimate.", "I believe it was around 300 psi.", "As much as we ALLOW it to be. That's right, the price IS controlled by the citizens of this country and the amount of abuse they tolerate before standing up and fighting for what is right. Is it right that we as tax paying citizens must work as hard as we do just to buy more fuel to take us to work so that we can pay more taxes and buy more fuel? Enough is enough. The oil companies made BILLIONS in profits last year. How much did you make?", "decrease\\nthe greater the surface area of the reactant the more it is exposed to its other reactant, and more of it can react, thus the reaction rate increases. This is the opposite for a decrease in the surface area." ]

[ "VOA News / August 13, 2017\nWASHINGTON — A provincial leader of the Islamic State militant group in Afghanistan has been killed in a U.S. air strike in eastern Kunar province, Afghan and U.S. military officials confirmed Sunday.\n“U.S. and Afghan Forces have confirmed the death of Kunar provincial Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-Khorasan (ISIS-K) emir, Abdul Rahman,” U.S. forces in Afghanistan said in a statement.\nRahman was killed along with three additional senior IS members on Thursday in Kunar’s Dara-e-Pech district, the statement added.\nAbdul Rahman was a potential candidate to become the IS leader in Afghanistan following Abu Sayed’s death in a U.S airstrike last month.\n“The death of Abdul Rahman deals yet another blow to the senior leadership of ISIS-K,” said General John Nicholson, Commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. “He found out just like those before him that there are no safe havens in Afghanistan.”\nU.S. and Afghan forces have been engaged in joint- counterterrorism operations against IS in eastern Afghanistan. American and Afghan military forces have promised to eliminate IS in Afghanistan in 2017.\nHundreds of IS fighters, including several senior commanders, have been killed in recent months.\nAbu Sayed, the group’s top leader in Afghanistan, was killed in a U.S. airstrike last month. Sayed was the second IS leader in the past four months, and third in the past year, to have been targeted and killed. Abdul Hasib, his predecessor, was targeted in a U.S.-Afghan security forces raid in Nangarhar’s Achin district in April.\n“We will hunt them down until they are no longer a threat to the Afghan people and the region,” the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan said following the death of Abdul Rahman.\nBased in southern parts of eastern Nangarhar province, IS’s Khorasan Province branch (ISIS-K) emerged in early 2015 in the mountainous areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan to cover Afghanistan, Pakistan and “other nearby territories.”\nIS in Afghanistan has primarily been active in several districts of eastern Nangarhar province. Since its emergence, the terror group has targeted villages in several districts in the province, killing and abducting hundreds of people and setting their homes on fire.\nIS under increasing pressure\nFacing large-scale joint-U.S. and Afghan forces operations in Nangarhar, IS militants are trying to expand to mountainous parts of the adjacent Kunar and Nuristan provinces which share a border with Pakistan.\nJuma Gul Hemmat, Kunar’s police chief, told VOA that the terror group has a presence in at least eight districts in Kunar. “The group runs a training base in the Patash valley, where foreign fighters, including Arabs and Pakistanis train new fighters,” Juma Gul Hemmat said.\nPolice authorities in Nangarhar last week arrested five minors – 10 to 15 years old, who were being transported by IS recruiters from Kunar to a Nangarhar’s remote district for training purposes.\nDespite the battlefield successes of Afghan and American Special Forces against the Islamic State in Afghanistan, IS has carried out or claimed responsibility for several deadly attacks across the country, sparking fears that the group might be seeking to trigger sectarian conflict in Afghanistan and the greater central Asian region.\nIS said its fighters stormed Iraq’s embassy in Kabul last month, and the terror group also claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a Shi’ite mosque in western Herat province in early August.\nAmongst the dead was the father of Fatima Qaderyan, captain of the Afghan all-girls robotics team that made headlines last month after managing to get U.S visas to participate in the International Robot Olympics for High School Students in Washington D.C.\nThey were initially denied U.S visas, but following President Trump’s personal intervention, they were able to travel to the U.S.\nSome information in this report came from Reuters." ]

[ "KABUL The Taliban says its annual spring offensive will be a mix of conventional, guerrilla and suicide attacks on Afghan and foreign forces, underlining the challenges facing the U.S. administration as it weighs its options in Afghanistan.\nDubbed Operation Mansouri, after former leader Akhtar Mohammad Mansour who was killed last year in a U.S. drone strike, the spring offensive announcement on Friday comes a week after one of the most devastating attacks on Afghan forces since the Taliban was driven from power more than 15 years ago.\nThat attack, by a group of around 10 suicide commandos, killed at least 135 Afghan soldiers on a base in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, according to official figures although the actual toll is believed to be as much as double that number.\nThe operation, which forced the defence minister and army chief of staff to resign, was a stark illustration of the struggle facing Western-backed Afghan forces in containing the Taliban insurgency since most NATO troops left in 2014, leaving a smaller training and advisory mission.\nU.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis, who warned of \"another tough year\" in 2017, and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster both visited Afghanistan this month as U.S. President Donald Trump's new administration works on developing a strategy for the region.\nAccording to U.S. estimates, Afghan security forces, which have suffered thousands of casualties, control less than 60 percent of the country, although the insurgents have so far been unable to capture any major provincial centres.\nIn a statement on Friday, the Taliban said government forces would be \"targeted, harassed, killed, or captured\", although it promised to minimise civilian casualties.\n\"The main focus of Operation Mansouri will be on foreign forces, their military and intelligence infrastructure and in eliminating their internal mercenary apparatus,\" it said.\nOperations would include \"conventional attacks, guerrilla warfare, complex martyrdom attacks, insider attacks, and use of IEDs (improvised explosive devices)\".\nIn February, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John Nicholson said he needed a few thousand more international troops to break a \"stalemate\" with the Taliban.\nThe U.S. currently has around 8,400 troops in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led Resolute Support training and advisory mission, as well as a separate counterterrorism mission that mainly targets Islamic State and al Qaeda fighters.\nThe costs of that mission have been highlighted this month by the deaths of three U.S. service members in operations against Islamic State along the border with Pakistan.\nU.S. officials say a solution to the conflict can only come through a political settlement which includes the Taliban, who have rejected peace talks while foreign forces remain in Afghanistan.\nBut there is as yet no clarity on Washington's broader strategic objectives for the region, including its approach to nuclear-armed Pakistan, which has long been accused of aiding the insurgents, a charge Islamabad denies.\n(Reporting by James Mackenzie; Editing by Michael Perry)", "MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan (Reuters) - At least one person was killed and nine were wounded in the Afghan province of Faryab on Wednesday during a protest that underlined the tension between powerful regional leaders and President Ashraf Ghani ahead of elections due in October.\nHundreds of demonstrators gathered in Maiman, the capital of the northern province of Faryab, to demand the release of a prominent militia commander close to General Abdul Rashid Dostum, the ethnic Uzbek vice president who is in exile in Turkey.\nThe commander, area police chief Nizamuddin Qaisari, was arrested after a violent dispute during a meeting with leaders of government security forces on Monday, drawing angry protests from Dostum’s supporters.\nThe dispute has highlighted fragile security in Faryab, where Islamic State fighters have gained a foothold, battling militia commanders loosely affiliated with the government.\nDostum, in exile in Turkey after accusations that he ordered a political opponent to be tortured and sexually assaulted, issued a statement calling for the release of Qaisari and warning that the province, on the border with Turkmenistan, could collapse in chaos.\nThe protest descended into violence when protesters tried to force their way into governor’s compound and security forces fired in the air to stop them, said Karim Yourish, spokesman for the provincial police.\nBut the head of a provincial council, Mohammad Tahir Rahmani, said at least one person was killed and eight wounded in the firing, which then prompting the crowd to break into the compound.\n“We were trying to control the protesters and have a peaceful protest, but unfortunately it turned violent after security forces opened fire,” Rahmani said, adding that one member of the provincial council was among the injured.\nThe trouble underlines the important role that Dostum plays in politics despite the international outrage that prompted his departure from Afghanistan last year.\nSince his exile, there have been regular reports that he will return to Afghanistan, where he commands loyalty among ethnic Uzbeks who make up a significant minority in the north of the country.\nWith parliamentary elections due in October and presidential elections due early next year, there has been growing tension between powerful regional leaders, like Dostum, and Ghani’s Western-backed government in Kabul.\nThis week, Atta Mohammad Noor, the former governor of Balkh province, who stepped down in March after a months-long standoff with the central government, announced a new opposition movement called the Grand National Coalition of Afghanistan.\nNoor, a leader of a party supported mostly by ethnic Tajiks, is associated with both Dostum and Mohammad Mohaqiq, a leader of the Hazara minority. He has insisted that the coalition be involved in overseeing the elections.\nThe political tension is a distraction for the central government as it battles the Taliban insurgency and a growing threat from Islamic State.", "QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - A bomb exploded near a crowded market in the Pakistani city of Quetta on Saturday, killing at least 15 people, officials said, the latest attack to hit the restive southwestern province of Baluchistan.\nMiddle East-based Islamic State, which has a branch of loosely affiliated fighters in Afghanistan and Pakistan, claimed the attack shortly afterwards, saying a motorcycle suicide bomber had killed 17 soldiers.\nThe powerful blast hit as a paramilitary patrol passed by on the road, Baluchistan provincial home minister Sarfraz Bugti said, adding the patrol may have been the target.\n\"According to the information we have received so far, there are around 15 casualties, people who were martyred, and around 40 people were wounded,\" Bugti said.\nHe said a state of emergency had been imposed in the city and all hospitals were on alert.\nQuetta's chief of bomb disposal squad, Aslam Tareen, said initial information was that a suicide attacker rammed a motorcycle into a military vehicle.\nPakistan's army press wing said the patrol was the target and there were at least seven civilians among the 15 killed.\nVehicles are seen burning after a bomb blast in Quetta, Pakistan August 12, 2017. Naseer Ahmed\nIt cited army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa as saying terrorists were trying to disrupt Monday's celebrations of 70 years of independence from Britain.\n\"Our resolve won't succumb to any challenge,\" Bajwa was quoted as saying in an official tweet from a top military spokesman.\nSeparatist militants in Baluchistan have waged a campaign against the central government for decades, demanding a greater share of the gas-rich province's resources.\nTaliban and other Islamist militants also operate in the province, which shares borders with Afghanistan and Iran. A U.S. drone strike killed Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour last year in Baluchistan.\nThe province was rocked by a series of attacks late last year that claimed over 180 lives and raised concerns about a growing militant presence, including fighters affiliated with Islamic State, which has claimed several bombings in Baluchistan.\nA judicial report released after an attack on the province's lawyers left more than 70 dead criticised security provisions in the region and called for increased clampdowns on extremists.\nInterviews with Baluchistan police and an internal police report viewed by Reuters described a Baluchistan-based militant network in the province's remote mountainous area of Wadh with 500-1,000 operatives led by a former military asset. However, military intelligence officials denied the Wadh network exists and the father of the alleged leader says his son is not involved with militants attacking the state.", "Enemies of peace and stability of Afghanistan committed a crime on the behest of their masters by waging a terrorist attack in Lashkargah , provincial capital of Helmand as a result of which our compatriots were martyred and\nPrint 12 February 2017 – The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) today expressed its grave concern at the recent escalation of violence in Helmand province, which...\n(Source: Office of the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ) News 01 February 2017 Prominent ISIS Commander was killed in joint counter-terrorism operations...\nPresident Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has called on Taliban group leaders to return to Afghanistan and live in the country with dignity. In his speech during a gathering to mark...\n(Source: UNOG - United Nations Office at Geneva ) 7 February 2017 The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly terrorist...\nThe Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said terrorism is a common enemy of both Afghanistan and Pakistan. Nawaz made the remarks during a telephone conversation with...\nRelated News\nKarzai reacts at alleged civilian deaths in Helmand airstrike, Lashkargah bombing The former Afghan President Hamid Karzai reacted at the alleged civilian deaths in Helmand airstrike conducted by the US forces. Karzai in a Twitter post said “I condemn in strongest terms foreign airstrikes that killed people in Sangin and terrorist attack that killed people in Lashkargah.” The former President further added that he shares the deep pain of suffering families.... Khaama Press\nNo:46, 14 February 2017, Press Release Regarding the Terrorist Attack in Lahore, Pakistan (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey) (Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey ) We learned with great sorrow that a suicide attack perpetrated on 13 February 2017 during a demonstration in front of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab in Lahore resulted in loss of life of many, including civilians and security officials, while many others were injured. We strongly condemn this terrorist attack... Public Technologies\nWolesi Jirga message on the occasion of 28th anniversary of former Soviet Union occupying troop’s withdrawal from Afghanistan (House of People of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan) (Source: House of People of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ) Wolesi Jirga message on the occasion of 28th anniversary of former Soviet Union occupying troop's withdrawal from Afghanistan Wolesi Jirga National Assembly of Afghanistan congratulates arrival of 28 anniversary of former Soviet Union occupying troop's withdrawal from Afghanistan to all the country's brave people... Public Technologies\nAfghanistan: UN mission expresses grave concern at high civilian casualties in Helmand (UN - United Nations) (Source: UN - United Nations ) 12 February 2017 - The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) today expressed its grave concern at the recent escalation of violence in Helmand province, which reportedly claimed the lives of at least 25 civilians, mostly women and children, and injured many more. On 9 and 10 February, international military forces conducted airstrikes in... Public Technologies", "The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb is pictured in this undated handout photo. Elgin Air Force Base/Handout via REUTERS\nA member of Afghanistan's special forces point his gun as he observes the enemy lines in Achin district of Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan April 23, 2017. REUTERS/Parwiz\nA member of Afghan Special Forces unit walks down from a roof of a house which was used by suspected Islamic State militants at the site of a MOAB, or ''mother of all bombs'', that struck the Achin district of the eastern province of Nangarhar, Afghanistan April 23, 2017. REUTERS/Parwiz\nAfghan Special Forces patrol at the site of a MOAB, or ''mother of all bombs'', which struck the Achin district of the eastern province of Nangarhar, Afghanistan April 23, 2017. REUTERS/Parwiz\nAfghan Special Forces patrol at the site of a MOAB, or ''mother of all bombs'', which struck the Achin district of the eastern province of Nangarhar, Afghanistan April 23, 2017. REUTERS/Parwiz\nAfghan Special Forces walk down from a roof of a house which was used by suspected Islamic State militants at the site of a MOAB, or ''mother of all bombs'', that struck the Achin district of the eastern province of Nangarhar, Afghanistan April 23, 2017. REUTERS/Parwiz\nAfghan Special Forces keep watch at the site of a MOAB, or ''mother of all bombs'', which struck the Achin district of the eastern province of Nangarhar, Afghanistan April 23, 2017. REUTERS/Parwiz\nAfghan Special Forces patrol at the site of a MOAB, or ''mother of all bombs'', which struck the Achin district of the eastern province of Nangarhar, Afghanistan April 23, 2017. REUTERS/Parwiz\nBurn trees are seen the site of a MOAB, or ''mother of all bombs'', which struck the Achin district of the eastern province of Nangarhar, Afghanistan April 23, 2017. REUTERS/Parwiz\nBurn trees are seen the site of a MOAB, or ''mother of all bombs'', which struck the Achin district of the eastern province of Nangarhar, Afghanistan April 23, 2017. REUTERS/Parwiz\nAfghan Special Forces patrol at the site of a MOAB, or ''mother of all bombs'', which struck the Achin district of the eastern province of Nangarhar, Afghanistan April 23, 2017. REUTERS/Parwiz\nACHIN DISTRICT, Afghanistan The remote site in eastern Afghanistan where the U.S. military dropped its largest non-nuclear bomb ever deployed in combat earlier this month bears signs of the weapon's power, but little evidence of how much material and human damage it inflicted.\nReuters photos and video footage - some of the first images from journalists allowed to get close to the site - reveal a scarred mountainside, burned trees and some ruined mud-brick structures.\nThey did not offer any clues as to the number of casualties or their identities.\nSince the GBU-43 Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb was dropped on a fortified tunnel complex used by suspected Islamic State fighters in Nangarhar province, access to the site has been controlled by U.S. forces who are battling the militant group alongside Afghan troops.\nThe U.S. military has said that ongoing fighting had prevented media or independent investigators from visiting the site, and Afghan soldiers said special forces from both countries were still engaging the enemy in the area.\nA Reuters witness viewed the site from several hundred yards (metres) away, because of what troops he was accompanying said were continued threats in the area.\nWhile the 21,600-pound (9,797-kg) GBU-43 is billed as the U.S. military's most powerful non-nuclear bomb, its destructive power, equivalent to 11 tonnes of TNT, pales in comparison with the relatively small atomic bombs dropped on Japan at the end of World War Two.\nThey had blasts equivalent to between 15,000 and 20,000 tonnes of TNT.\nWithin a few hundred feet of the apparent blast site, leaves remained intact on trees, belying initial expectations that the explosion may have sent a destructive blast wave for up to a mile.\nAfghan officials have said nearly 100 militants and no civilians were killed, but the remoteness of the area, the presence of Islamic State fighters, and, more recently, American security forces, has left those claims unverified.\nU.S. commanders said the bomb was used to target a tunnel complex and destroy landmines and other booby traps laid by Islamic State militants holed up in the mountains.\nNo obvious crater or bodies were visible at the scene, according to the Reuters witness.\nTUNNELS INTACT NEARBY\nSeveral hundred yards from the strike, Afghan soldiers explored a large tunnel dug beneath a home.\nThe entrance within the home descended into tunnels large enough for a person to stand in upright, strung with electric cables and light bulbs and strewn with rugs, cushions, and men's clothes and shoes.\nOne cave was said to have once held prisoners, but was unused at the time of the strike, according to soldiers at the scene.\nU.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis told reporters on Thursday that U.S. troops would not be digging into the site to determine how many people may have been killed.\n\"Frankly digging into tunnels to count dead bodies is probably not a good use of our troops' time when they are chasing down the enemy that is still capable,\" he said.\nThe strike came as President Donald Trump declared a focus on Islamic State, and was part of a larger operation to clear Islamic State militants from their strongholds in the mountains along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.\nIn March, U.S. forces conducted 79 \"counter-terror strikes\" against Islamic State in Nangarhar, killing as many as 200 militants, according to the U.S. military command in Kabul.\nU.S. military officials estimate there are about 600 to 800 Islamic State fighters in Afghanistan, mostly in Nangarhar, but also in the neighbouring province of Kunar.\nTaliban militants, meanwhile, remain the dominant insurgent group in Afghanistan.\nA Taliban attack on a large Afghan army headquarters in the north of the country on Friday killed more than 140 soldiers, in what is believed to be the deadliest single attack on Afghan forces since the Taliban were ousted in 2001.\n(Writing by Josh Smith; Editing by Mike Collett-White)", "An Afghan Security personnel arrive at the site of deadly attack on the interior ministry, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 30, 2018. Afghan officials said a suicide bomber struck outside the ministry, allowing gunmen to pass through an outer gate where they traded fire with security forces, who eventually killed the attackers. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)\nAn Afghan Security personnel arrive at the site of deadly attack on the interior ministry, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 30, 2018. Afghan officials said a suicide bomber struck outside the ministry, allowing gunmen to pass through an outer gate where they traded fire with security forces, who eventually killed the attackers. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)\nKABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Islamic State militants, including two suicide bombers, dressed in military uniforms and riding in two armored vehicles launched a surprise attack on the Interior Ministry in Kabul on Wednesday but Afghan forces managed to repel the assault, leaving all the attackers dead.\nIt was a rare victory for Afghan security forces, who have struggled to secure the capital in recent months amid relentless attacks by the Taliban and the IS affiliate in Afghanistan.\nAccording to the ministry spokesman, Najib Danish, one policeman was killed and five were wounded in the assault.\nThe attack began around noon when a group of 10 militants tried to storm the ministry compound in Kabul, Danish said.\nTwo of the attackers detonated their explosives, allowing eight others to pass through an outer gate at the ministry where they traded fire with security forces before they were eventually killed.\nDanish said the \"attackers were dressed in military uniforms\" - apparently seeking to confuse Afghan security forces guarding the ministry.\nHours after the attack, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the assault in a brief statement carried by its Aamaq news agency. The statement called it an \"immersion attack\" on the ministry in Kabul.\nAn eyewitness at the scene, Mohammad Safi, said an explosion first went off and then bullets started flying near where he was standing with a group of people on the road.\n\"We ran to escape to the other side of the road,\" said Safi.\nLike Danish, Safi also said the attackers wore military uniforms but could not provide more details. Video footage from the scene showed that the assailants wore what appeared to be imitations of U.S. military uniforms.\nIt wasn't immediately clear how the militants managed to penetrate so close to such a high-security location. Last year, the Interior Ministry moved into a new building, surrounded by numerous security barriers and close to the Kabul international airport and several military compounds.\nLater Wednesday, the American commander of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan cast doubt the attack was the work of IS, saying instead there are indications the Taliban-allied Haqqani network was behind it.\nGen. John Nicholson, speaking to reporters at the Pentagon from his Kabul office, said U.S. forces \"believe it was a Taliban-Haqqani attack, but we're still developing that information.\"\nThe tactics used in the attack \"track with\" the tactics that the Haqqani faction has used in the past, he said and added: \"We at this time do not believe it was an ISIS attack.\" ISIS is an alternative acronym for IS.\nThe Taliban and the Afghan IS affiliate have both carried out scores of attacks, mainly targeting security forces and the country's Shiite minority, that have killed hundreds of people in recent years.\nBoth militant groups seek to establish strict Islamic rule in the country. Their relentless assaults underscore the struggles that Afghan forces have faced since the United States and NATO concluded their combat mission in Afghanistan at the end of 2014.\nElsewhere in Afghanistan, the Taliban attacked a district headquarters in the northern Takhar province, killing five security forces, according to provincial police spokesman Khalil Asir. He said another three people were wounded in the battle Wednesday. He said 10 insurgents were killed.\nIn the eastern Logar province, Taliban suicide bombers attacked a police station, killing at least three policemen. Among the dead were the commander of the police station and the deputy director of traffic police for Puli Alim, the provincial capital, said Khalid Safi, a spokesman for the governor.\nAnother four policemen and eight civilians, including two children, were wounded in the Logar attack early Wednesday, said Shah Poor Ahmadzai, spokesman for the provincial police chief.\nHe said the attackers set off a suicide car bomb at the entrance to the station before three suicide bombers tried to enter. He said all three were shot and killed by security forces within minutes of the initial attack, adding that a number of nearby homes were damaged.\nThe Taliban claimed the attacks in both provinces.\nIn the southern city of Kandahar, a roadside bomb killed three people and wounded another 13, said Daud Ahmadi, spokesman for the Kandahar provincial governor. He said the victims included mechanics who had been contracted to repair Afghan army vehicles. No one immediately claimed the attack.\n___\nAssociated Press writers Robert Burns in Washington, Amir Shah in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.", "The US military said Wednesday that US troops killed \"dozens\" of Taliban leaders when a US artillery barrage struck a meeting of insurgent commanders on May 24.\nScroll for more content...\nUS military officials said the strike took place after US military intelligence assets were able to monitor Taliban commanders following their major attack on the Afghan city of Farah, a well-coordinated assault in which the Taliban managed to overrun the police security cordon surrounding the provincial capital before they were repelled by US and Afghan troops in an intense battle.\nThe commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, Gen. John Nicholson, said the retreating Taliban leaders were observed attending a meeting of other leaders in Musa Qala in Helmand Province, an area under the Taliban's control.\nNicholson said the highest ranking insurgent killed in the strike was the deputy shadow governor of Helmand.\n\"It was a group of commanders, meeting in part to discuss the operation in Farah that many of them had just participated in,\" Nicholson told reporters at the Pentagon Wednesday via a teleconference from Kabul.\nThe US Marines \"tracked 50 of them to a meeting in Musa Qala and struck them with HIMARS rockets, killing dozens of the enemy leaders,\" he added.\n\"Among the more than 50 casualties was the deputy shadow governor of Helmand, multiple Taliban district governors, intelligence commanders and key provincial-level leadership from Kandahar, Kunduz, Herat, Farah, Uruzgan and Helmand provinces,\" the US military said in a statement issued Wednesday.\nThe artillery strike was carried out by US Marines firing the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, more commonly known by its acronym, HIMARS.\nUS Marines in Afghanistan are based in Helmand Province, where they primarily advise and assist Afghan troops battling the insurgency.\nNicholson said the major attack on Farah earlier this month was carried out by the Taliban in order to distract from its setbacks in Helmand, an area which he said was key to the Taliban's finances due to the presence of the group's narcotics operations there.\nHe also said that a major focus of the security assistance effort in Afghanistan is now aimed at better defending the country's capital of Kabul where approximately five million Afghans live.\nNicholson lauded the performance of the Afghan police Wednesday saying they were able to stop a coordinated attack on the Interior Ministry in downtown Kabul on Wednesday.\nWhile the attackers, using a captured Humvee and military uniforms, managed to penetrate the security corridor, Nicholson noted that during the firefight Afghan special police commandos from the country's Crisis Response Unit 222 managed to kill seven of the eight attackers and capture the remaining one. One Afghan policeman died in the attack, which Nicholson said is initially assessed to have been carried out by the Taliban's Haqqani Network.\nWhile Nicholson said that the number of car bombs in Kabul had decreased, the local ISIS affiliate had increased the number of suicide bomber attacks against civilians. He said that additional efforts had been made to strengthen the Afghan security forces and their ability to protect Kabul including deploying additional US military advisers from the new Security Force Assistance Brigades, units touted by the US military as critical to the success of the campaign.\nBut despite the strikes against the Afghan leaders, Nicholson also acknowledged that since February the Taliban had managed to capture five rural districts from the Afghan government while saying that Afghan troops managed to recapture all of them within 10 days.", "By AFP\nWASHINGTON: Senior Taliban officials have been secretly negotiating with Afghan officials on a possible ceasefire, the Pentagon has said, even as US forces killed over 50 Taliban leaders in a series of strikes.\n\"A lot of the diplomatic activity and dialogue is occurring off the stage, and it's occurring at multiple levels,\" General John Nicholson said in a teleconference with reporters at the Pentagon.\nHe would not identify the figures involved in the negotiations, except to say that they included mid- and senior-level Taliban officials.\n\"I should point out they met in secret. This is how they were able to advance the talks,\" he said, adding that the success of the effort depends in part on the \"confidentiality of the process.\"\nAfghan President Ashraf Ghani in late February proposed peace talks with the Taliban, saying they could be recognized as a political party if they accepted a ceasefire and recognized the country's 2004 constitution.\nThe Taliban have not officially responded, but deadly attacks have proliferated since then, particularly in Kabul, which has become the most dangerous place in the country for civilians.\nYesterday, militants launched a gun and bomb attack on the Interior Ministry in Kabul, killing a policeman in another demonstration of their ability to strike at the heart of the Afghan capital.\nThe Taliban also claimed responsibility for a predawn attack on a police station in the capital of Logar province, about 70 kilometers (45 miles) southeast of Kabul.\nSix police officers were killed and eight civilians were wounded, provincial police spokesman Shapoor Ahmadzai said.\nBut Nicholson, who has sought to drive the Taliban to the negotiating table by bringing to bear increased US military pressure, maintained that violence and progress can coexist.\nHe likened the situation in Afghanistan to that of Colombia where the fighting continued up until the FARC guerrilla group and the government signed a peace accord in 2016.\nIn a statement yesterday, the US command in Afghanistan said the strikes against those behind a recent attack in the Helmand provincial capital of Farah resulted in \"more than 50 casualties.\n\" After pushing out fighters in Farah, Afghan and US forces continued to pursue them, Nicholson told reporters at the Pentagon via video link.\nUnder surveillance by the Marines, the Taliban fighters returned to their Helmand stronghold, a center for poppy cultivation.\nOn May 24, they were spotted in a known Taliban command center in Musa Qala.\nAmong the dead was the number two Taliban leader in Helmand, Abdul Manan, and several district governors and local leaders in Kandahar, Kunduz, Herat, Farah, Uruzgan and Helmand provinces.", "US attack on Isis in Afghanistan left devastation in its wake, but an Afghan commando is among those praising the bomb: ‘It gives us pleasure to kill them’\nThe Afghan commando knew when the big bomb would hit, so he turned on his phone camera to capture the impact.\nWhen the blast came at 7.32pm – as the Americans had said it would – a giant white flash lit up the evening sky over the Spin Ghar mountains. But the explosion was not as loud as he had expected, the commando said. In the moment, it felt more like an earthquake.\nThe 11-ton GBU-43/B, or Moab (“mother of all bombs”), dropped by a US cargo plane on an Islamic State stronghold in eastern Afghanistan on 13 April, was the largest non-nuclear bomb ever used in combat.\n'It felt like the heavens were falling': Afghans reel from Moab impact Read more\nResidents in nearby villages felt the strike differently, depending on their location. Some spoke of ringing ears and crying children, others of houses shaking and walls cracking.\nThe bomb was the culmination of an offensive launched in early April to push Isis back. About a kilometre from the blast site, on a hill above Shadel Bazar, which derives its name from a history as an opium market, Afghan special forces have now set up base in a shady grove named Asadkhel.\nAmerican special forces “advisers”, resting 50 metres away, ordered their Afghan colleagues – unsuccessfully – not to talk to reporters.\nThe commandos looked weary, but they livened up when talking about Isis. On a tour of the area, they pointed to locks of curly beard and worn-out shoes which they said belonged to dead Isis fighters.\n“It gives us a lot of pleasure to kill them,” said the commando, who asked not to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the press.\nFor Islamuh Ahmad, an elderly resident of Shadel Bazar – about two miles from the blast site – the Moab detonation meant that he could come home.\nAhmad had fled two years ago, when Isis first appeared in the valley. After the Moab strike last week, Ahmad felt safe enough to return to his village with 50 family members in tow.\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest Islamuh Ahmad, an elderly resident of Shedal, returned this week after fleeing the village over two years ago. “Isis were so cruel to us,” he said. Photograph: Sune Engel Rasmussen for the Guardian\nHe found the village, which normally houses up to 2,000 families, all but abandoned. A few farmers and children were walking the green fields, but Shadel Bazar was eerily quiet.\nThe village bears the marks of a frontline, which it was for months. A burned-out front of a car greets arrivals at the village entrance. Storefronts are boarded up with padlocks, although only a front mud wall remains.\nThe local school has been almost obliterated. In front of it are two unmarked graves where two Isis fighters were recently buried by villagers, supposedly to prevent their corpses from rotting in the sun.\nA large private compound containing an orchard appears to have been used by Isis as sleeping quarters and training grounds. The walls are pockmarked with bullet holes and scrawled with chest-thumping graffiti: “Islamic State forever” and “Khorasan” – the name of the Afghan Isis branch. More recent ones read: “Death to Isis” and “Long live the national army”.\n“Isis were so cruel to us,” said Ahmad. “They destroyed our houses.” The Moab bomb broke what was left of his doors and windows, but still he applauded the strike.\n“It would be good if they threw another bomb on Maamand Valley, as long as it’s far away from villages,” Ahmad said, referring to the nearby Isis stronghold.\nSince Isis announced its arrival in Afghanistan in early 2015, the group has treated civilians with a brutality familiar from its reign in Iraq and Syria. Beards and burqas became mandatory, and cellphones banned. In Nangarhar, Isis fighters decapitated police officers and forced community leaders to sit on explosives which were then detonated.\n“When Isis blew up 10 men,” said Atebar Gul, remembering one such incident, “the people fought back. But then Isis became stronger and took revenge.”\nYet Gul was one of the few residents of Shedal who did not flee. He lived right on the frontline, but said Isis largely left him alone, perhaps because he is an old man. He also supported the American airstrike.\n“Isis were dangerous for the government,” he said.\nThough residents are slowly trickling back into Shedal, war is never far away. During the Guardian’s visit, two American helicopters and a fighter jet circled overhead. Every 20 minutes or so, the crack of more airstrikes punctured the silence.\nThe “mother of all bombs” was dropped on a complex of Isis tunnels on a mountain slope. Since the strike, US forces have conducted clearing operations. Assessing the damage is complicated by the collapse of the tunnels and risk of explosive ordnances.\nAfghan authorities indicate that the Americans have allowed them limited access to the blast site, though it is unclear how much.\nThe same goes for the casualty toll. The Afghan government says 92 Isis militants were killed, but with restricted access to the site and bodies likely charred and buried underground, that number seems inconclusive. The US military has yet to put out an official estimate. Reports of civilian casualties are few and unconfirmed.\nMoab attack on Isis was a baffling choice in cold-blooded terms of cost Read more\nThe bombing raised questions about the necessity of deploying the largest weapon ever used by the US against a few hundred militants. Not only is Isis a comparably small militia in the broader Afghan insurgency, it is also geographically isolated.\nWhile the Taliban number tens of thousands of fighters, and are amassed on the cusp of numerous provincial capitals, the bulk of Isis’ estimated 600-800 fighters are tucked away in remote mountains.\nThe road to the Isis stronghold in Achin runs east from the bustling provincial capital Jalalabad, then south toward the snow-capped mountains lining the Pakistani border. Thick with shrubs and trees, the area provides ample cover for insurgent fighters. Government forces control little outside the road.\nAs asphalt gives way to rubble, the population thins. Achin district seems almost deserted. Small groups of children herd cattle in the fields. A few men carry shovels along the road. Visible government presence is limited to a fortified administrative centre and an Afghan army base on a hill.\nIn Achin, Isis members have access to mines, timber, opium, an untamed border with Pakistan – and the same nearly impenetrable mountains that US warplanes have pounded since the beginning of the war.\nAfter increasing airstrikes last year, the US managed to contain Isis to four districts in Nangarhar, and kill a number of its fighters. With the latest Moab strike, local security officials hope the group is finished.\nIsis in Afghanistan: 'Their peak is over, but they are not finished' Read more\n“Their backbone is broken. Most of their commanders are killed,” said Abdul Rahman Rahimi, the provincial police chief. “They brought their families and planned to settle but most of the families have now gone back across the Durand Line [to Pakistan].”\nHe said critics of the strike were foreigners or city people who didn’t understand the suffering of living under Isis.\nBut as the villagers returning to Shadel know, one battle does not win a war. Afghanistan has been in conflict for more than 30 years, and the violence shows no sign of abating.\nEven without Isis, Achin is hardly safe. The rest of the district is firmly under insurgent control, the commando said.\n“Everyone who is left here who is not Isis, is Taliban.”", "Senior Taliban officials have been secretly negotiating with Afghan officials on a possible ceasefire, the Pentagon said Wednesday, even as US forces killed over 50 Taliban leaders in a series of strikes.\n\"A lot of the diplomatic activity and dialogue is occurring off the stage, and it's occurring at multiple levels,\" General John Nicholson said in a teleconference with reporters at the Pentagon.\nHe would not identify the figures involved in the negotiations, except to say that they included mid- and senior-level Taliban officials.\n\"I should point out they met in secret. This is how they were able to advance the talks,\" he said, adding that the success of the effort depends in part on the \"confidentiality of the process.\"\nAfghan President Ashraf Ghani in late February proposed peace talks with the Taliban, saying they could be recognized as a political party if they accepted a ceasefire and recognized the country's 2004 constitution.\nThe Taliban have not officially responded, but deadly attacks have proliferated since then, particularly in Kabul, which has become the most dangerous place in the country for civilians.\nOn Wednesday, militants launched a gun and bomb attack on the Interior Ministry in Kabul, killing a policeman in another demonstration of their ability to strike at the heart of the Afghan capital.\nThe Taliban also claimed responsibility for a predawn attack on a police station in the capital of Logar province, about 70 kilometers (45 miles) southeast of Kabul.\nSix police officers were killed and eight civilians were wounded, provincial police spokesman Shapoor Ahmadzai said.\nBut Nicholson, who has sought to drive the Taliban to the negotiating table by bringing to bear increased US military pressure, maintained that violence and progress can coexist.\nHe likened the situation in Afghanistan to that of Colombia where the fighting continued up until the FARC guerrilla group and the government signed a peace accord in 2016.\nIn a statement Wednesday, the US command in Afghanistan said the strikes against those behind a recent attack in the Helmand provincial capital of Farah resulted in \"more than 50 casualties.\"\nAfter pushing out fighters in Farah, Afghan and US forces continued to pursue them, Nicholson told reporters at the Pentagon via video link.\nUnder surveillance by the Marines, the Taliban fighters returned to their Helmand stronghold, a center for poppy cultivation.\nOn May 24, they were spotted in a known Taliban command center in Musa Qala.\nAmong the dead was the number two Taliban leader in Helmand, Abdul Manan, and several district governors and local leaders in Kandahar, Kunduz, Herat, Farah, Uruzgan and Helmand provinces.", "\"These strikes represent one of the largest blows to Taliban leadership in the last year,\" said US Army Gen John Nicholson\nRepresentational Image\nA series of precision strikes over a ten-day period have killed more than 70 senior Taliban leaders in Afghanistan, a top American commander based in the war-torn country said on Wednesday.\n\"These strikes represent one of the largest blows to Taliban leadership in the last year,\" said US Army Gen John Nicholson, commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan.\n\"The cumulative effects of which will be felt nationwide for quite some time,\" he said.\nThe largest of these strikes came on May 24 when four High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) rockets destroyed a known Taliban command and control node in Musa Qal'ah during a high-level meeting of Taliban commanders, a media release said.\nAmong the more than 50 casualties was the deputy shadow governor of Helmand, multiple Taliban district governors, intelligence commanders and key provincial-level leadership from Kandahar, Kunduz, Herat, Farah, Uruzgan and Helmand provinces.\nIn a separate airstrike the same day, US Air Force A-10s struck a Taliban Red Unit commander for Helmand and an associate while they were transiting in Sangin district. US Air Force A-10s also killed a shadow district governor and destroyed a shadow district headquarters in Nahr-e-Saraj, May 25.\n\"We're still assessing the specific names and positions. But what it looks like it was a group of commanders, meeting in part to discuss the operation in Farah that many of them had just participated in. They obviously thought they were meeting in relative safety in Musa Qala, but our intelligence was able to identify the group and effectively conduct the strike,\" Gen Nicholson said.\nA day later on May 26, an MQ-1C Gray Eagle killed a senior improvised explosive device facilitator, who has been coordinating improvised explosive device operations against Afghan National Defence and Security Forces, international forces and the people of Afghanistan for the last 13 years.\nAdditionally, from May 17-26, more than 15 Taliban were killed in separate strikes around the province, a media release said. \"National and international leaders have been a clear victory in Afghanistan will be a political reconciliation. As we continue the season of fighting and talking, we will continue to increase pressure on the Taliban and remain vigilant to opportunities for negotiated peace,\" Nicholson told Pentagon reporters here.\n\"The Taliban, to avoid the casualties that come from our airpower, have not sought to gain and hold new ground. Rather, they have tried to inflict casualties and gain media coverage,\" he said.\nCatch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates", "The Diplomat February 14, 2017\nRecently, Russia’s ties with the Taliban were discussed by Zamir Kabulov, the Russian special envoy for Afghanistan. Russia has effectively allied with its former enemy, the Taliban, in Afghanistan, and declared its contacts with them.\nMoscow’s links with Taliban date back for some time. The Russians’ first in-person contact with the Taliban was established in 1995 when a Russian helicopter transporting weapons was forced to land in Kandahar by the Taliban and seven Russian citizens were arrested. It was none other than Zamir Kabulov who traveled to Kandahar and met the Taliban’s reclusive leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar. After the negotiations failed, the seven arrested Russian pilots escaped by helicopter to UAE and also took with them three Taliban.\nA more recent meeting, per an account by the Sunday Times, was held between the former leader of the Taliban and Russian President Vladimir Putin in September 2015 for the purpose of collaboration. Putin met Mullah Akhtar Mansour in an unpublicized meeting at a military base in Tajikistan. The meeting was reportedly conducted to discuss mutual cooperation in the fight against Islamic State (ISIS). The Taliban denied that any such meeting took place. After Mansour was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, the Russians continued their contacts with the Taliban under Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, the current leader of Taliban.\nRussian policymakers have extended their hand to the Taliban for the following four strategic reasons.\nFirst, by maintaining ties with the Taliban, Russia reminds the West not to ignore Moscow’s interests in discussions of the Afghanistan agenda at regional and international platforms. In January 2016, a Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) was formed for to advance the peace process, with the participation of the United States, China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. The four states conducted meetings on talks with the Taliban; Russia felt marginalized, thought the QCG’s efforts ultimately failed.\nMoscow instead organized a trilateral meeting on Afghanistan attended by Russia, China, and Pakistan, later supported by Iran. By this, Moscow alerted the West to the fact that Russia can play a role in Afghanistan, including by forming another regional coalition. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in his visit to Kabul last week, announced an international meeting on a peace process with the participation of Russia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Iran, and India to be held in February this year in Moscow. Neither the United States nor any NATO member state has been invited yet.\nSecond, by supporting the Taliban, Russian policymakers intend to strengthen barriers to U.S. and NATO interests in the region. Since 2001, more than 2,300 American soldiers have died in Afghanistan in the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Moscow also intends to expand its influence beyond Central Asia — covering Afghanistan and Pakistan — apart from being involved in Middle East.\nIn order to strengthen its links with the Taliban, Moscow is also getting close to Pakistan. In September 2016, 70 Russians and 130 Pakistani special forces conducted their first-ever joint military exercise in the north of Pakistan. Pakistan has been supporting the Taliban since its establishment and now it will enjoy the partnership of Moscow for this cause.\nPakistan has been also criticized, particularly by Afghanistan and India but also by the international community more broadly, for its support for militant groups. But now, Russia’s ties with the Taliban may lessen Islamabad’s burden of international condemnation.\nThird, Russia feels a threat from the Islamic State (ISIS) in Afghanistan and in the Middle East. In 2014, ISIS expanded to Afghanistan, which the Kremlin fears may lead to its expansion, particularly to the north of Afghanistan into Central Asia and Russia. The Taliban and ISIS have been fighting each other since ISIS entered Afghanistan, so Russia has extended its hand to the Taliban. Last December, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova made it public that Moscow is engaged in intelligence sharing with the Taliban in its fight against the Islamic State. Russia’s regional collaboration with Iran and Turkey on Syria, which have brought it some success, suggest it may look to pursue a similar approach in Afghanistan by bringing Iran, China, and Pakistan together.\nFourth, Afghan opium is another headache for Moscow. Afghanistan supplies 90 percent of the world’s illicit opiates, which are mostly being produced in territory controlled by the Taliban. The opiate producers target Russia as one of the largest markets in the world; each year illicit drug use kills 70,000 people in Russia. Policymakers in Moscow thus believe that in the fight against narcotics, the Taliban can be a better partner than Afghanistan’s National Unity Government.\nAfghan opium has been an issue not only for Russia, but for the entire region and Europe for more than a decade. Therefore, Russia can’t justify its ties with the Taliban solely on the elimination of opium. It is clear that the Taliban will not stop supporting opium production, given that opium generates the bulk of the group’s income (it earns about $400 million annually from opium production). Russian meetings with the Taliban since 2007 have not helped in opium reduction in the least. Only a stable Afghanistan and a powerful Afghan government can address the challenge of narcotics in Afghanistan, not the Taliban.\nEven if a primary goal behind Russia’s ties with Taliban is sincerely fighting the Islamic State, Moscow is making a strategic mistake, since the Taliban cannot eliminate ISIS by themselves. In fact, a majority of the ISIS fighters in Afghanistan used to be Taliban in the past; more Russian-backed Taliban might join the Islamic State later. Hence, Russian support to the Taliban will only further deteriorate the security in Afghanistan.\nThe proper approach is to cooperate with Kabul, since the National Unity Government (NUG) backed by the international community is the sole side fighting ISIS with tangible results in Afghanistan. The NUG has been able to eliminate ISIS from its birthplace in Afghanistan in Farah and Helmand and later in Zabul and Ghazni provinces. Hafez Sayeed, the ISIS leader in Afghanistan, and hundreds of fighters were killed and Afghan forces have squeezed fighters dramatically. ISIS fighters once had established a stronghold in the east of the country, which faced intense military assault by Afghan forces. Backed by the United States, Afghan forces killed 300 ISIS fighters in Nangarhar in July 2016.\nRussia’s support to the Taliban will have numerous implications for the future of Afghanistan. It will weaken the central government in Kabul, which will result in the situation that now has befallen Syria coming to Afghanistan. In Syria, Russia is supporting the government of President Bashar al-Assad, but in Afghanistan, by supporting the Taliban, Moscow will limit the success of the legitimate government in Kabul backed by the international community.\nHashim Wahdatyar is a political analyst based in Washington D.C. He is a former spokesperson of and programme officer for the United Nations (UNODC) in Afghanistan. He is also a fellow at Asia Society. He tweets @hashimwahdat. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own.", "Pakistani authorities said Monday they have arrested 22 people involved in the lynching of a university student who was accused of blasphemy and detained a teenage woman who had been recruited by the Islamic State group for a foiled attack on a church.\nWord of the arrests came as U.S. President Donald Trump's national security adviser arrived for talks on combatting militants in South Asia, highlighting Pakistan's struggle with Islamic extremism.\nThe 16 students and six university employees are believed to have incited or taken part in the mob that killed 23-year-old Mohammad Mashal Khan, provincial police chief Salahuddin Mehsud said. The student was beaten and shot to death at a university in the northwestern city of Mardan on Thursday.\nMehsud said no evidence has been found to indicate Khan committed blasphemy against Islam, which is punishable by death in Pakistan. The mere suspicion of blasphemy is enough to incite deadly riots in the deeply conservative country.\nPakistan had recently vowed to combat the sharing of blasphemous material on social media, and has tried to enlist Facebook and Twitter in the campaign.\nA military spokesman meanwhile said authorities detained a teenage woman earlier this month who had been recruited by the Islamic State group to carry out a suicide attack against a church on Easter.\nNoreen Leghari, 19, was detained after a previously reported shootout on April 14, the day before Easter, in which another militant was killed, said Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor.\nThe new details on the raid were released as H.R. McMaster, the U.S. national security adviser, arrived on his first visit since the United States dropped its largest non-nuclear bomb on an Islamic State tunnel complex in neighboring Afghanistan.\nMcMaster arrived in Islamabad after holding talks in Afghanistan on efforts to combat the Taliban and the IS group's Afghan affiliate. The U.S. dropped the Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, or MOAB, on an Islamic State tunnel complex carved into a mountain in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, reportedly killing 95 militants.\nMcMaster met with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and other senior officials. Pakistan's foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz said Islamabad remained committed to working for peace and reconciliation in neighboring Afghanistan, and that officials meeting with McMaster had discussed efforts to secure the border.\nThe U.S. Embassy said McMaster \"expressed appreciation for Pakistan's democratic and economic development, and stressed the need to confront terrorism in all its forms.\"\nPakistan has long sought to downplay the growing presence of Islamic State militants, who have claimed a number of attacks in recent months. Monday's announcement marked the first time Pakistani officials have acknowledged that the extremist group based in Syria and Iraq is recruiting within the South Asian country.\nPakistan has been struggling to combat the much larger and more well-established Pakistani Taliban, which emerged after the 2001 U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan and have carried out attacks that have killed tens of thousands of people.\nThe Islamic State group is believed to have recruited disgruntled Taliban fighters in both Pakistan and Afghanistan with its promise of building a worldwide Islamic caliphate.\nLeghari was recruited via Facebook, and went missing in February, later marrying an Islamic State fighter who was killed in the April 14 raid, a Pakistani security official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters. He said the woman had fought alongside her husband during the raid and shot at security forces.\nGhafoor suggested she had fallen prey to the group's online propaganda. He portrayed her detention as a rescue and said \"we will rehabilitate her.\"\n———\nAssociated Press writers Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan and Zaheer Babar in Lahore, Pakistan contributed to this report.", "Rahim Faiez, The Associated Press\nKABUL -- Islamic State militants, including two suicide bombers, dressed in military uniforms and riding in two armoured vehicles launched a surprise attack on the Interior Ministry in Kabul on Wednesday but Afghan forces managed to repel the assault, leaving all the attackers dead.\nIt was a rare victory for Afghan security forces, who have struggled to secure the capital in recent months amid relentless attacks by the Taliban and the IS affiliate in Afghanistan.\nAccording to the ministry spokesman, Najib Danish, one policeman was killed and five were wounded in the assault.\nThe attack began around noon when a group of 10 militants tried to storm the ministry compound in Kabul, Danish said.\nTwo of the attackers detonated their explosives, allowing eight others to pass through an outer gate at the ministry where they traded fire with security forces before they were eventually killed.\nDanish said the “attackers were dressed in military uniforms” - apparently seeking to confuse Afghan security forces guarding the ministry.\nHours after the attack, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the assault in a brief statement carried by its Aamaq news agency. The statement called it an “immersion attack” on the ministry in Kabul.\nAn eyewitness at the scene, Mohammad Safi, said an explosion first went off and then bullets started flying near where he was standing with a group of people on the road.\n“We ran to escape to the other side of the road,” said Safi.\nLike Danish, Safi also said the attackers wore military uniforms but could not provide more details. Video footage from the scene showed that the assailants wore what appeared to be imitations of U.S. military uniforms.\nIt wasn't immediately clear how the militants managed to penetrate so close to such a high-security location. Last year, the Interior Ministry moved into a new building, surrounded by numerous security barriers and close to the Kabul international airport and several military compounds.\nLater Wednesday, the American commander of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan cast doubt the attack was the work of IS, saying instead there are indications the Taliban-allied Haqqani network was behind it.\nGen. John Nicholson, speaking to reporters at the Pentagon from his Kabul office, said U.S. forces “believe it was a Taliban-Haqqani attack, but we're still developing that information.”\nThe tactics used in the attack “track with” the tactics that the Haqqani faction has used in the past, he said and added: “We at this time do not believe it was an ISIS attack.” ISIS is an alternative acronym for IS.\nThe Taliban and the Afghan IS affiliate have both carried out scores of attacks, mainly targeting security forces and the country's Shiite minority, that have killed hundreds of people in recent years.\nBoth militant groups seek to establish strict Islamic rule in the country. Their relentless assaults underscore the struggles that Afghan forces have faced since the United States and NATO concluded their combat mission in Afghanistan at the end of 2014.\nElsewhere in Afghanistan, the Taliban attacked a district headquarters in the northern Takhar province, killing five security forces, according to provincial police spokesman Khalil Asir. He said another three people were wounded in the battle Wednesday. He said 10 insurgents were killed.\nIn the eastern Logar province, Taliban suicide bombers attacked a police station, killing at least three policemen. Among the dead were the commander of the police station and the deputy director of traffic police for Puli Alim, the provincial capital, said Khalid Safi, a spokesman for the governor.\nAnother four policemen and eight civilians, including two children, were wounded in the Logar attack early Wednesday, said Shah Poor Ahmadzai, spokesman for the provincial police chief.\nHe said the attackers set off a suicide car bomb at the entrance to the station before three suicide bombers tried to enter. He said all three were shot and killed by security forces within minutes of the initial attack, adding that a number of nearby homes were damaged.\nThe Taliban claimed the attacks in both provinces.\nIn the southern city of Kandahar, a roadside bomb killed three people and wounded another 13, said Daud Ahmadi, spokesman for the Kandahar provincial governor. He said the victims included mechanics who had been contracted to repair Afghan army vehicles. No one immediately claimed the attack.\nAssociated Press writers Robert Burns in Washington, Amir Shah in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.", "KABUL, Afghanistan -- Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Monday that the U.S. is using Afghanistan as a weapons testing ground, calling the recent use of the largest-ever non-nuclear bomb \"an immense atrocity against the Afghan people.\"\nLast week, U.S. forces dropped the GBU-43 Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb in eastern Nangarhar province, reportedly killing 95 militants. Karzai, in an interview with The Associated Press, objected to the decision, saying that his country \"was used very disrespectfully by the U.S. to test its weapons of mass destruction.\"\nThe office of President Ashraf Ghani said after the bomb's use that there was \"close coordination\" between the U.S. military and the Afghan government over the operation, and they were careful to prevent any civilian casualties.\nBut Karzai harshly criticized the Afghan government for allowing the use of the bomb.\n\"How could a government of a country allow the use of a weapon of mass destruction on its own territory? Whatever the reason, whatever the cause, how could they allow that? It [is] just unimaginable,\" he said.\nThe strike was carried out Thursday morning against a tunnel complex used by the Islamic State extremist group. The complex was carved into a mountain that Afghan forces had tried to assault repeatedly in recent weeks, according to Afghan officials.\nU.S. and Afghan forces have been battling the Taliban for more than 15 years. But the U.S. military unveiled the largest conventional bomb in its arsenal against the Islamic State group, which has a far smaller but growing presence in Afghanistan. U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly vowed to aggressively confront the Islamic State.\nTrump called the operation a \"very, very successful mission\" but Karzai had harsh words for the new U.S. leader.\n\"My message to President Trump today is that he has committed an immense atrocity against the Afghan people, against fellow human beings,\" he said. \"If the American government sees us as human beings, then they have committed a crime against fellow human beings, but if they treat us as less than human beings, well, of course they can do whatever they want.\"\nKarzai added that one of the fundamental reasons that he refused to sign the security agreement with the United States when he was the president was specifically to prevent such actions.\n\"I told the people of Afghanistan in the [Grand Assembly] we must not sign the [agreement] with the U.S., that we must not give them bases till the day they bring peace to Afghanistan,\" he said. \"Why would the Afghan people want to give the U.S. bases? For what? To continue the war in Afghanistan, to become more insecure, to lose peace forever, to suffer, to receive more bombs, to receive a weapon of mass destruction? Or for security, for peace and for a better life?\"\nThe U.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster met with Ghani during a visit to Afghanistan on Sunday. According to statement from the office of the president, the pair discussed mutual counterterrorism efforts, security and economic development.\nThe U.S. estimates 600-800 Islamic State fighters are in Afghanistan, mostly in Nangarhar. American forces have concentrated on fighting them while also supporting Afghan forces against the Taliban. The U.S. has more than 8,000 troops on the ground in Afghanistan, training Afghan forces and conducting counterterrorism operations.\nA Section on 04/18/2017", "Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, April 17, 2017. Karzai said that the U.S. is using Afghanistan as a weapons testing ground, calling the recent use of the largest-ever non-nuclear bomb “an immense atrocity against the Afghan people.” Last week, U.S. forces dropped the GBU-43 Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb in Nangarhar province, reportedly killing 95 militants. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)\nKABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Monday that the U.S. is using Afghanistan as a weapons testing ground, calling the recent use of the largest-ever non-nuclear bomb \"an immense atrocity against the Afghan people.\"\nLast week, U.S. forces dropped the GBU-43 Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb in eastern Nangarhar province, reportedly killing 95 militants. Karzai, in an interview with The Associated Press, objected to the decision, saying that his country \"was used very disrespectfully by the U.S. to test its weapons of mass destruction.\"\nThe office of President Ashraf Ghani said following the bomb's usage that there was \"close coordination\" between the U.S. military and the Afghan government over the operation, and they were careful to prevent any civilian casualties.\nBut Karzai harshly criticized the Afghan government for allowing the use of the bomb.\n\"How could a government of a country allow the use of a weapon of mass destruction on its own territory? Whatever the reason, whatever the cause, how could they allow that? It just unimaginable,\" he said.\nThe strike was carried out Thursday morning against an Islamic State group tunnel complex, carved into a mountain that Afghan forces had tried to assault repeatedly in recent weeks, according to Afghan officials.\nU.S. and Afghan forces have been battling the Taliban for more than 15 years. But the U.S. military unveiled the largest conventional bomb in its arsenal against the Islamic State group, which has a far smaller but growing presence in Afghanistan. U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly vowed to aggressively confront IS.\nTrump called the operation a \"very, very successful mission\" but Karzai had harsh words for the new U.S. leader.\n\"My message to President Trump today is that he has committed an immense atrocity against the Afghan people, against fellow human beings,\" he said. \"If the American government sees us as human beings, then they have committed a crime against fellow human beings, but if they treat us as less than human beings, well, of course they can do whatever they want.\"\nKarzai added that one of the fundamental reasons that he refused to sign the bilateral security agreement with the United States when he was the president was specifically to prevent such actions.\n\"I told the people of Afghanistan in the Loya Jirga (Grand Assembly) we must not sign the BSA with the U.S., that we must not give them bases till the day they bring peace to Afghanistan,\" he said. \"Why would the Afghan people want to give the U.S. bases? For what? To continue the war in Afghanistan, to become more insecure, to lose peace forever, to suffer, to receive more bombs, to receive a weapon of mass destruction? Or for security, for peace and for a better life?\"\nThe U.S. National Security Adviser H. R. McMaster met with President Ghani during a visit to Afghanistan on Sunday. According to statement from the office of the president, the pair discussed mutual counterterrorism efforts, security and economic development.\nThe U.S. estimates 600-800 IS fighters are in Afghanistan, mostly in Nangarhar. American forces have concentrated on fighting them while also supporting Afghan forces against the Taliban. The U.S. has more than 8,000 troops on the ground in Afghanistan, training local forces and conducting counterterrorism operations.", "Share:\nWASHINGTON - Senior Taliban officials have been secretly negotiating with Afghan officials on a possible ceasefire, the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan disclosed Wednesday.\n“A lot of the diplomatic activity and dialogue is occurring off the stage, and it’s occurring at multiple levels,” General John Nicholson said in a teleconference with reporters at the Pentagon. He would not identify the figures involved in the negotiations, except to say that they included mid- and senior-level Taliban officials.\n“I should point out they met in secret. This is how they were able to advance the talks,” he said, adding that the success of the effort depends in part on the “confidentiality of the process.”\nAfghan President Ashraf Ghani in late February proposed peace talks with the Taliban, saying they could be recognised as a political party if they accepted a ceasefire and recognized the country’s 2004 constitution.\nThe Taliban have not officially responded, but deadly attacks have proliferated since then, particularly in Kabul, which has become the most dangerous place in the country for civilians.\nBut Nicholson, who has sought to drive the Taliban to the negotiating table by bringing to bear increased US military pressure, maintained that violence and progress can coexist. He likened the situation in Afghanistan to that of Colombia where the fighting continued up until the FARC guerrilla group and the government signed a peace accord in 2016.\nOn Wednesday, militants launched a gun and bomb attack on the Interior Ministry in Kabul, killing a policeman in another demonstration of their ability to strike at the heart of the Afghan capital.\nFive people were injured in the attack, which was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.\nSpecial forces rushed to the scene after the attackers detonated what police said was a car bomb at the first checkpoint leading to the ministry, then tried to battle their way inside.\n“The fighting is over, the attackers have all been killed by security forces between the first and second security perimeter,” said Kabul police chief Daud Amin.\nA security source told AFP a clearing operation was continuing. “The attackers used two vehicles to reach near interior ministry compound. There were eight attackers involved, one detonated his explosives, seven others were killed,” interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish told reporters.\nDanish said one police officer had been killed and five civilians wounded. Policeman Mujibullah Nabizada was injured in the first blast.\n“I dragged myself to the road and a car picked up and brought me to the hospital,” he told AFP from his hospital bed, where he was being treated for broken bones.\nSeweeta Saberi, 17, was also wounded in the blast and taken to hospital. “Everyone is sitting in their loved ones’ blood these days,” her brother Sameer told AFP. “We request you [government leaders], for God’s sake, if you can’t manage this country please resign.”\nA security source told AFP there had been multiple blasts but could not confirm how many.\n“I was in my office when I heard a blast followed by gunfire. We were told to stay inside our offices as the compound was attacked,” said one ministry employee.\nIS, which is trying to make inroads in Afghanistan, claimed responsibility for the attack via its Amaq propaganda service.\nPolice also said they had found a car stuffed with explosives and guns at Kabul’s international airport near the interior ministry on Wednesday.\nEarlier on Wednesday, Taliban attackers including a suicide bomber stormed a police station in southern Afghanistan and killed six police officers. The bomber detonated an explosive-laden vehicle at the entrance of the police station in Puli Alam, the capital of Logar province, said provincial police spokesman Shapoor Ahmadzai.\nThree other attackers then rushed into the police station compound, triggering a half-hour gunbattle with security forces, he said.\n“In half an hour security forces killed all the attackers. Unfortunately, three national police and three traffic police were also killed. Eight civilians have also been wounded,” he told AFP.", "Daniel Schearf\nVOA News\nFebruary 14, 2017\nMOSCOW — Russia is expected to host a second round of international talks on Afghanistan in Moscow on February 15, reports Russia’s TASS news agency, with Afghanistan representatives invited for the first time.\nRussia says it wants stability and cooperation in the fight against extremists in the region. But Afghan officials are not happy with Russia’s direct talks with the Taliban, which U.S. officials say are aimed at undermining their efforts.\nRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced the peace talks on February 7, during a visit by his Afghan counterpart, Salahuddin Rabbani.\nChina and Pakistan were at December talks in Moscow, while Iran, India and Afghanistan representatives are invited to participate at this week’s round for the first time.\nIt is not yet clear which representatives have accepted the invitation.\nThe Russian side will be represented by special presidential envoy for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov and Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov, reports TASS.\nUS not invited\n“The essence of these talks is to get together all the countries that have at least some influence in Afghanistan: on the government, or on any informal level, on the armed opposition level, and to work out a certain consensus, so that these countries could implement it in their policies,” says the Center of Contemporary Afghanistan Studies’ Dmitry Verlhoturov.\nThe United States has not been invited to participate in the talks.\nThe exclusion of Afghanistan from the first round raised concerns among officials in Kabul as well as in the United States.\n“We should not overestimate [the] real ability of [the] Afghan government to control its territory,” says Director of the Analytical Center at the Institute for International Studies at MGIMO University Andrey Kazantsev. “And this was probably one of the reasons why [the] Russian government sometimes acted in cooperation with other players but not with Afghan government.”\nRussia wants security cooperation to fight against Islamic State terrorists gaining ground in Central Asia.\n“Afghanistan is a place where there are many international terrorists. Many of them are with Russian passports or they are Central Asians, Russian-speaking Central Asians, who can also represent a threat for Russia,” says Kazantsev.\nTaliban and Islamic State\nWhile the United Nations says the Taliban is responsible for five times as many deaths and injuries, Islamic State group attacks are growing fast in Afghanistan with a ten-fold growth in 2016.\n“There is (Russian) expectation that the Taliban leaders could be talked into opposing the Islamic State and defeating them,” says the Center of Contemporary Afghanistan Studies’ Verlhoturov. “What is it for? So that Afghanistan wouldn’t become a shelter for the leaders and militants of the IS who would flee in case of defeat in Syria and Iraq.”\nU.S. officials say Russia’s contacts with the Taliban, along with Iran’s and Pakistan’s, lends them legitimacy and support, while undermining the Afghan government and NATO efforts to fight the extremists.\n“On one hand it’s absurd to say that Russia doesn’t strive to stabilize the situation in Afghanistan,” says Verlhoturov. “On the other hand, the Russian leadership is very concerned that the U.S. has acquired several big air bases there that could be used for the deployment of nuclear bombers.”\nRussia also looks at the conflict in Afghanistan somewhat cynically, says Kazantsev.\n“We know that in some parts of Afghanistan, especially in the east of Afghanistan, there is a real war between Taliban and Islamic State. So, If one terrorist wants to kill another terrorist, why should we prevent this?”\nThe top U.S. commander in Afghanistan says thousands more U.S. troops are needed there to train Afghanistan’s forces to better handle threats to security.\nRicardo Marquina Montanana contributed to this report.", "The Trump administration is putting its own aggressive stamp on the Afghanistan War by tapping a career Special Forces operative to lead American troops there.\nThe White House pick of Army Lt. Gen. Austin “Scott” Miller, who ran the secretive Joint Special Operations Command before he was pegged for the top job in Afghanistan, suggests that Pentagon and administration officials are girding for a violent and unpredictable period in the 17-year-old war.\nGen. Miller’s appointment in some ways harks back to President Obama’s 2009 installation of Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal to oversee the conflict, top analysts say.\nGen. McChrystal, who was relieved of his command after a public spat with Obama administration officials, also led the storied Joint Special Operations Command before taking the reins in Kabul.\nUnlike Gen. McChrystal, however, Gen. Miller will be operating with looser rules of engagement approved by President Trump that may make it easier to attack insurgent targets.\nGen. Miller’s extensive operational and command experience in Afghanistan, going back to when the Army Special Forces officer led the Obama-era Afghanistan-Pakistan Coordination Cell at the Pentagon in 2009, makes the special operations veteran a good fit to usher in the Trump era of the longest war in U.S. history, some defense analysts say.\nDuring his years with the teams, Gen. Miller has “learned the best of the Special Forces lessons, which is not just the application of violence” but the “intelligent application of force” to leverage the necessary political and diplomatic solutions to end the war at the negotiating table, said David Sedney, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia from 2009 to 2013.\nFighting for peace\nThe Trump administration has relaxed rules of engagement in Afghanistan in response to growing threats from the Taliban and other insurgent groups and has coupled that with a surge of 3,000 more U.S. troops and additional American firepower into the country — the linchpin in the White House’s regional strategy announced in August.\nGen. Miller’s appointment may foreshadow a major increase in U.S. Special Forces raids, said Michael Pregent, a former intelligence officer specializing in the Middle East and North Africa.\n“With Miller going into this environment, he’s the right guy for it because this is a ‘Kill bad guys’ time again in Afghanistan,” he said. “We’ve conducted more aggressive operations in Afghanistan, and we haven’t put a timeline on it. That’s important,” said Mr. Pregent, now a senior fellow at the Washington-based Hudson Institute.\nBut the Trump administration has not abandoned the broader diplomatic aim of trying to bring about real peace talks with Taliban leaders, said Javid Ahmad, a fellow at the Atlantic Council who studies Afghanistan extensively.\n“The strategy would likely remain intact, aimed at nudging the Taliban to come to the negotiating table. Also a change in U.S. tactics … more targeted strikes, special operation raids, etc., is likely to be driven by the conditions on the ground,” he said.\nGen. John Nicholson, the current commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said Wednesday that secret negotiations have begun with at least some Taliban leaders on a proposed cease-fire, although whether the Taliban contacts speak for the entire insurgent movement is an open question.\n“A lot of the diplomatic activity and dialogue is occurring off the stage, and it’s occurring at multiple levels,” Gen. Nicholson said in a teleconference with reporters at the Pentagon.\n“Violence and progress can coexist, and that’s what we’re seeing,” he said. “We’ve seen this in other conflicts … where the two sides were talking about peace at the same time that they were fighting each other on the battlefield.”\nUsing more aggressive U.S. military action as an impetus for real peace talks is a delicate balancing act that Gen. Miller has mastered in his years working and fighting in Afghanistan, Mr. Sedney said.\n“He is a very thoughtful guy [and] a very analytical person,” Mr. Sedney said of Gen. Miller, with whom he worked closely during the two-star general’s stint as head of all U.S. special operations forces in Afghanistan in 2013.\n“He understands things well beyond the caricature of the Special Forces’ gung-ho attitude,” Mr. Sedney said.\nThe nomination, which will elevate Gen. Miller to a four-star general, has been made amid a brutal spate of Taliban terrorist attacks and high-profile U.S. military operations that have bloodied both sides during this year’s fighting season.\nRash of violence\nGen. Nicholson announced Wednesday that American forces had killed over 50 senior and midlevel commanders within the Taliban faction in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand province.\nTop leaders with the Helmand faction were reportedly gathered in the province’s Musa Qala district on May 24 to discuss their participation in the brief takeover of the capital of western Afghanistan’s Farah province this month. U.S. and Afghan intelligence tracked the group’s movements from the Farah capital to the rendezvous point in Helmand when a barrage of U.S. rockets took out the group, Gen. Nicholson told reporters in the teleconference from Kabul.\nAmong the dead was Mullah Shah Wali, the Taliban shadow deputy governor for Helmand and commander the group’s special forces wing, said. Gen. Nicholson. It was one of the largest counterterrorism strikes by American troops since last year’s bombing of an Islamic State compound in eastern Nangarhar province, where U.S. warplanes dropped the “Mother of All Bombs” on the Islamic State tunnel complex.\nNews of the Musa Qala operation came as Taliban fighters launched one of their most brazen attacks on the Afghan capital since the beginning of this year’s fighting season.\nOn Wednesday, 10 Taliban fighters and suicide bombers, disguised as U.S. troops, launched an attack on the Afghan Interior Ministry compound in central Kabul. The attack was eventually put down and all the Taliban fighters were killed by national police and counterterrorism forces, but not before an Afghan soldier was killed as well, Gen. Nicholson said.\nCopyright © 2018 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.", "Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers keep watch at the gate of an army headquarters a day after an attack in Mazar-i-Sharif, northern Afghanistan April 22, 2017. REUTERS/Anil Usyan\nStill image taken from a video released by the U.S. Department of Defense on April 14, 2017 shows the moment the 'mother of all bombs' struck the Achin district of the eastern province of Nangarhar, Afghanistan, bordering Pakistan where U.S. officials said a network of tunnels and caves was being used by militants linked to Islamic State. DVIDS/Handout via Reuters TV\nBurn trees are seen the site of a MOAB, or ''mother of all bombs'', which struck the Achin district of the eastern province of Nangarhar, Afghanistan April 23, 2017. REUTERS/Parwiz\nCoffins containing the bodies of Afghan national Army (ANA) soldiers killed in April 21's attack on an army headquarters are lined up in Mazar-i-Sharif, northern Afghanistan April 22, 2017. Presidential Palace /Handout via REUTERS\nKABUL Eight days after the U.S. military dropped its largest ever conventional bomb on suspected Islamic State fighters in eastern Afghanistan, Taliban militants breached an army base in the north of the country and killed scores of local soldiers.\nTo Afghan and other critics of President Donald Trump's apparent indecision over how to win a seemingly intractable war, Friday's assault - the worse of its kind since the Taliban were ousted in 2001 - was evidence he was getting it wrong.\n\"The biggest threat to the security and stability of this country is the Taliban insurgents, not Daesh forces,\" said Mirwais Yasini, an influential Afghan member of parliament from Nangarhar province, using an Arabic term for Islamic State.\n\"You drop your biggest bomb on Daesh, but what about the Taliban who kill dozens of our people every day?\"\nThe American military command in Kabul did not respond to a request for comment, but in the wake of the base attack the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, promised to \"continue to stand\" with Afghan security forces.\nNearly 9,000 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan, some 7,000 of them to train and assist local forces that Washington has spent billions of dollars to build virtually from scratch in the hope of one day handing over control completely.\nWhile the advisers are seldom involved in direct combat with the Taliban or other militants, a smaller counter-terrorism unit of about 1,500 soldiers does engage insurgents, but its main targets are pockets of al Qaeda and Islamic State fighters.\nThey are estimated to number in their hundreds, while the Taliban number thousands or tens of thousands and have gained swathes of territory in the last few years.\nIslamic State has claimed several deadly bombings in Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan, but many experts believe the Taliban are the fundamental threat to the U.S.-backed government of President Ashraf Ghani.\nLeaders in Washington and Kabul often had \"almost diametrically\" opposed views of the threat, said Christopher Kolenda, a former U.S. Army officer who served in Afghanistan and worked on American strategies for the conflict.\nU.S. officials tended to focus on international groups like Islamic State and al Qaeda, while Afghan officials see Pakistan, and the Taliban as an extension of that, as the major threat, he added.\n\"With those differences, you can't possibly have a coherent strategy.\"\nIn the final years of former U.S. President Barack Obama's administration, American troops in Afghanistan were discouraged from directly targeting the Taliban, amid hopes the group could be brought to the negotiating table for peace talks.\n\"The Obama administration was very much existing in a parallel universe where if you don't call the Taliban terrorists then there's a chance you can reconcile with them,\" said Ioannis Koskinas, senior fellow with think-tank New America.\nUNCERTAIN STRATEGY\nDespite a surge of tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers that ended in 2012, some Afghan officials became impatient with what they saw as an American fixation on withdrawal, and since then, a lack of focus on ending the war.\nThey say the lack of attention has continued in the first months of the new Trump administration, which has yet to appoint an ambassador to Kabul and some of the supporting officials at the State Department.\n\"It's very hard to have a coordinated policy and strategy when you don't have positions filled,\" Kolenda said. \"From the Trump administration standpoint, Afghanistan is pretty far down the list of priorities.\"\nIn Kabul, some Afghan leaders are angry at what they see as a failure by the Americans to act as strongly as possible against the Taliban, as well as Pakistan, which they accuse of harbouring and supporting insurgents as a hedge against Indian influence in the region.\nPakistan denies this and instead says it is itself a victim of terrorism, including from groups operating from within Afghanistan.\n\"The Taliban are the single biggest challenge in the country, but unfortunately since the regime's collapse, the United States and the Afghan government have not had a clear strategy to eliminate them or push them to negotiation,\" said Mohammad Farhad Sediqi, a member of parliament from Kabul.\n\"As you dropped the 'Mother of All Bombs' on Daesh, there should be one dropped on the Taliban sanctuaries and training grounds on the other side of the border in Pakistan.\"\nSome statements by incoming U.S. officials have hinted they may take a harder line on Pakistan, but the Trump administration has yet to outline clearly new strategies for the region.\nLOST TERRITORY\nAnalysts say the recent U.S.-endorsed strategy of focusing on protecting major cities and other population centres in Afghanistan while consolidating forces will not be enough to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table.\nWith Afghan army units pulling back, and in some cases forced to abandon more scattered and rural bases, the government could only claim to control or influence 57 percent of the country, according to U.S. military estimates late last year.\nResurgent Taliban forces, meanwhile, control or contest 43 percent of the country, a 15 percent increase over the year before.\n\"In what universe does that not matter?\" Koskinas said. \"Territory means resources for them. You're giving away all the smuggling routes and opium and all the things that are enriching the Taliban and fuelling the insurgency.\"\nRetaking territory lost to the Taliban will be key to turning the tide, Koskinas said.\n\"At this point we almost don't need to talk about safe havens in Pakistan, because they have safe havens in Afghanistan.\"\n(Writing by Josh Smith; Editing by Mike Collett-White)", "Iraqi Shiite fighters from the Popular Mobilisation units take off an Islamic State (IS) group flag from an electricity pole on March 3, 2016, during an operation in the desert of Samarra aimed at retaking areas from IS jihadists. Counter-terrorism forces, soldiers, police and allied paramilitaries are taking part in an operation launched on March 1, which is backed by artillery and both Iraqi and US-led coalition aircraft, aimed at retaking areas north of Baghdad, according to the Joint Operations Command. / AFP / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)\nIraqi Shiite fighters from the Popular Mobilisation units take off an Islamic State (IS) group flag from an electricity pole on March 3, 2016, during an operation in the desert of Samarra aimed at retaking areas from IS jihadists. Counter-terrorism forces, soldiers, police and allied paramilitaries are taking part in an operation launched on March 1, which is backed by artillery and both Iraqi and US-led coalition aircraft, aimed at retaking areas north of Baghdad, according to the Joint Operations Command. / AFP / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) AHMAD AL-RUBAYE—AFP/Getty Images\n(KABUL, Afghanistan) — The Islamic State group said its fighters have captured Osama bin Laden's infamous Tora Bora mountain hideout in eastern Afghanistan but the Taliban on Thursday dismissed the claim, saying they were still in control of the cave complex that once housed the former al-Qaida leader.\nEarlier, IS released an audio recording, saying its signature black flag was flying over the hulking mountain range. The message was broadcast on the militants' Radio Khilafat station in the Pashto language late on Wednesday.\nIt also said IS has taken over several districts and urged villagers who fled the fighting to return to their homes and stay indoors.\nA Taliban spokesman denied IS was in control, claiming instead that the Taliban had pushed IS back from some territory the rival militants had taken in the area.\nThe Tora Bora mountains hide a warren of caves in which al-Qaeda militants led by bin Laden hid from U.S. coalition forces in 2001, after the Taliban fled Kabul and before he fled to neighboring Pakistan.\nAccording to testimony from al-Qaeda captives in the U.S. prison at Guantamo Bay, Cuba, bin Laden fled from Tora Bora first to Afghanistan's northeastern Kunar province, before crossing the border into Pakistan. He was killed in a 2011 raid by U.S. Navy SEALs on his hideout in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad.\nPakistan complained the raid violated its sovereignty while bin Laden's presence — barely a few miles from the Pakistani equivalent of Washington's West Point military academy — reinforced allegations by those who accused Pakistan of harboring the Taliban and al-Qaeda militants. Pakistan denies such charges, pointing to senior al-Qaida operatives it has turned over to the United States.\nMeanwhile, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that Taliban fighters pushed back the Islamic State group from areas of Tora Bora that IS had earlier captured.\nMujahid claimed that more than 30 IS fighters were killed in battle. He also added that a U.S. airstrike on Taliban positions on Wednesday that killed 11 of its fighters had benefited the Islamic State group.\nThe remoteness of the area makes it impossible to independently verify the contradictory claims.\nAfghan officials earlier said that fighting between IS and the Taliban, who had controlled Tora Bora, began on Tuesday but couldn't confirm its capture.\nWhile the United States estimates there are about 800 IS fighters in Afghanistan, mostly restricted to the eastern Nangarhar province, other estimates say their ranks also include thousands of battle-hardened Uzbek militants.\nLast week Russia announced it was reinforcing two of its bases in Central Asia, in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, with its newest weapons because of fears of a \"spill-over of terrorist activities from Afghanistan\" by the Afghan IS affiliate.\n\"The (IS) group's strategy to establish an Islamic caliphate poses a threat not only to Afghanistan but also to the neighboring countries,\" Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.", "The U.S. military in Afghanistan says it has killed more than 70 senior Taliban leaders this month in a series of \"precision\" strikes, dealing a major blow to the insurgency.\nAn official announcement Wednesday listed details of the strikes conducted over a 10-day period starting from May 17 and hitting targets mostly around the southern Afghan province of Helmand.\n\"The strikes represent one of the largest blows to Taliban leadership in the last year. The cumulative effects of which will be felt nationwide for quite some time,\" said U.S. Gen. John Nicholson, who commands American troops and NATO's non-combatant Resolute Support mission in the country.\nAccording to the U.S. statement, the deadliest of theses strikes came on May 24, destroying a known Taliban command and control center in the contested Musa Qala district where a high-level meeting of insurgent commanders was underway at the time.\nAmong the more than 50 people killed were a deputy shadow governor of Helmand, multiple Taliban district governors, intelligence commanders, and key provincial-level leadership from several other provinces, including Kandahar, Kunduz, Herat, Farah and Uruzgan, the statement said.\nThe U.S. military statement came shortly after Nicholson spoke to Pentagon reporters via video link from Afghanistan and said the high-profile insurgent meeting in Musa Qala had been convened to discuss recent Taliban attack on the western city of Farah.\n\"It looks like it was a group of commanders meeting in part to discuss the operation Farah that many of them had just participated in, and they obviously thought they were meeting in relative safety in Musa Qala but our intelligence was able to identify the group,\" Nicholson said.\nOther anti-Taliban strikes conducted in Helmand focused on districts such as Sangin and Nahr-e-Saraj. They killed the provincial head of the so-called Taliban Red Unit commando force along with his associate, a shadow district governor and a senior improvised explosive device (IED) facilitator, who has been coordinating attacks against Afghan and international forces.\nA Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, however, rejected as propaganda U.S. military claims the May 24 strike hit an insurgent meeting center in Musa Qala. The attack, he asserted, targeted two civilian houses near the main district market, killing five civilians.\nAhmadi went on to claim the buildings in question had nothing to do with the Taliban and none of the insurgent members were hurt in the attack. The Taliban has not offered any immediate comment on strikes the U.S. military conducted in other districts of Helmand during the 10-day period.\nThe Taliban controls or contests a majority of the districts in Helmand, the largest Afghan province and a major poppy producing region in the world.\nNicholson said the U.S. military is focusing on Helmand because it has been serving as \"the financial engine\" of the Taliban, with insurgents drawing 60 percent of their revenue from narcotics.\nThe Taliban for its part also has intensified battlefield attacks across many Afghan provinces since launching its annual spring offensive more than month ago.\nMultiple sources, including Afghan officials, have confirmed insurgent attacks killed more than 400 Afghan soldiers and police personnel since the beginning of May. The war is expected to intensify in the coming months as there are no signs the Taliban is ready to come to the negotiating table to discuss peace with the Afghan government.\n\"As we continue the season of fighting and talking, we will continue to increase pressure on the Taliban and remain vigilant to opportunities for negotiated peace,\" said Nicholson.\nNicholson said that some mid- and senior-level Taliban leaders are also engaging with Afghan officials to discuss reconciliation, but he said that a lot of the contacts were taking place \"off the stage.\"", "In the early hours of Saturday, as farmers watered their crops in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar, a unit of the Afghan security and intelligence forces carried out a deadly raid.\nAt least seven farmers were killed in the assault on two villages in the province's Chaparhar district.\n\"We heard helicopters coming our way where we had been watering our crops from midnight. We heard them at around 4am. The helicopter fired exactly two times,\" said Mohammed Razaq, a farmer who was present at the time of the raid in Mano, one of the two villages attacked.\n\"I lost two of my cousins in the attack,\" he told Al Jazeera.\nInayatullah was 16 and Riazullah was 15 years old.\nAccording to Razaq, the farmers informed the security forces' outpost in advance that they would be working on their crops.\n\"They still attacked, without taking into consideration that poor and innocent people would be working here,\" he said.\nA few kilometres away in Idyakhel village, five farmers were inside a mosque when security forces barged in and starting firing, witnesses told Al Jazeera.\n\"The security forces were probably tipped off that there were fighters hiding in the mosque,\" said Mohammed, a witness who requested to withhold his last name.\nHe told Al Jazeera that 27 people were arrested in the raid.\n\"All five of them [inside the mosque] were farmers who used to work in the farm near my home,\" he said.\nAjmal Omar, a member of the provincial council, confirmed to Al Jazeera that the raid was aimed at Taliban fighters hiding in fields and in the mosque.\nWhen asked about the civilians casualties, he said: \"In raids like this one, civilians do get killed which is deeply disturbing.\n\"We've informed the government and the military about civilian casualties several times in the past that during such raids they should have exact intelligence on locations to avoid killing innocent people.\"\nWitness and media reports indicated that the Afghan special forces may have been accompanied by US-led NATO coalition advisers during the raid, a claim vehemently denied by Afghan officials and NATO Resolute Support. They also denied the use of helicopters, calling the operation a \"ground assault convoy raid\".\n\"We are aware that Afghan Special Security Forces elements conducted a ground assault convoy raid in Chaparhar district, Nangarhar province in the early morning hours of March 17,\" Tom Gresback, public affairs director at NATO Resolute Support, told Al Jazeera.\n\"To our knowledge, no helicopters were used in the operation. We are aware that several Taliban were killed to include a high value individual and more than 20 suspected Taliban were detained to include three additional high value individuals.\n\"I can confirm there were no NATO or United States Forces - Afghanistan involved in the operation.\"\nLocal residents denied Gresback's claim that Taliban fighters were killed in the raid.\nTo protest the deaths, Afghans gathered on the streets of Chaparhar with the victims' dead bodies, demanding answers.\nWhile they were demonstrating, police opened fire on the group, killing one and wounding two others, protesters told Al Jazeera.\nNangarhar, where the US dropped its so-called \"Mother Of All Bombs\" to target ISIL fighters last year, has been a deadly battleground for the Taliban, groups affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group and Afghan security forces with US-led NATO military.\nBut as armed groups and security forces battle for control, civilians often face the cost of the war.\nOn January 31, Afghan special forces backed by US air strikes launched an offensive against Taliban fighters in the Maiwand district in Kandahar. In the operation, at least 20 civilians were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch report released in February.\nWitnesses quoted in the report said that security forces dragged men from their homes and \"shot them\" during the operation.\n\"Summarily executing people in custody, whether they are fighters or civilians, is a war crime. Only a full investigation can uncover all who may be responsible,\" Patricia Gossman, senior Afghanistan researcher at HRW, said in the report.\nRecent United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) figures suggest that 61 civilians were killed in search operations carried out by Afghan special forces, with or without US-led NATO forces, in 2017.\nBack in Nangarhar, as he grieved the loss of his two cousins, Razaq said through tears: \"Where do we go?\"", "WASHINGTON : Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States (US), Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry has said that Pakistan would like to have good relations with the United States based on mutual respect and equality.\nIn an interview conducted by Mr Jeremy Hobson and Ms Dina Kesbeh for National Public Radio (NPR) s programme “Here & Now”, Aizaz Chaudhry said that Pakistan does not want any violence or terrorism in Afghanistan.\nAizaz Chaudhry said that Pakistan has suffered from the instability in Afghanistan. We are the only country that will benefit the most — apart from the people of Afghanistan — if peace returns to Afghanistan.\nHe said that Pakistan condemns recent deadly attacks in Afghanistan in which innocent lives have been lost. But we also would like to express our disappointment that anything that happens in Afghanistan, no matter what, the only reaction that we hear from Kabul is to blame Pakistan\nHe said the solution to violence in Afghanistan lies in having a comprehensive political approach, and engaging in a genuine political dialogue between all Afghan factions. We don t want to be party to it. We think that it should be between Afghan government and all Afghan factions and the Taliban must be made to be part of that process.\nHe said that Pakistan doesn’t bear any blame for the recent attacks.\n“Absolutely not. Pakistan does not want any violence or terrorism in Afghanistan. In fact, we have suffered from the instability in Afghanistan. We are the only country that will benefit the most — apart from the people of Afghanistan — if peace returns to Afghanistan. Why would we support any element that would destabilize Afghanistan, and in turn bring that instability to Pakistan?”\nThe diplomat emphasized on the need to develop a comprehensive political approach and engage in a genuine political dialogue between all Afghan factions.\n“We don’t want to be party to it. We think that it should be between Afghan government and all Afghan factions, the Taliban must be made to be part of that process. We tried it twice. We did it once in 2015, the second time, the four nations — Pakistan, Afghanistan, the United States and China — came together, and we set out to meet all the Taliban, all of us four, to persuade them that they must give up violence. The Taliban leader was killed in a drone strike. So I think the Taliban are not ready to listen to Pakistan, that our influence on them has eroded because twice we brought them with whatever influence we had, and now they are leaving our country and we have that much less influence on them.”\nOrignally published by INP", "KABUL: The Islamic State group said its fighters have captured Osama bin Laden’s infamous Tora Bora mountain hideout in eastern Afghanistan but the Taliban on Thursday dismissed the claim, saying they were still in control of the cave complex that once housed the former al-Qaida leader.\nEarlier, IS released an audio recording, saying its signature black flag was flying over the hulking mountain range. The message was broadcast on the militants’ Radio Khilafat station in the Pashto language late on Wednesday.\nIt also said IS has taken over several districts and urged villagers who fled the fighting to return to their homes and stay indoors.\nA Taliban spokesman denied IS was in control, claiming instead that the Taliban had pushed IS back from some territory the rival militants had taken in the area.\nThe Tora Bora mountains hide a warren of caves in which al-Qaeda militants led by bin Laden hid from U.S. coalition forces in 2001, after the Taliban fled Kabul and before he fled to neighboring Pakistan.\nAccording to testimony from al-Qaeda captives in the U.S. prison at Guantamo Bay, Cuba, bin Laden fled from Tora Bora first to Afghanistan’s northeastern Kunar province, before crossing the border into Pakistan. He was killed in a 2011 raid by U.S. Navy SEALs on his hideout in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad.\nPakistan complained the raid violated its sovereignty while bin Laden’s presence — barely a few miles from the Pakistani equivalent of Washington’s West Point military academy — reinforced allegations by those who accused Pakistan of harboring the Taliban and al-Qaeda militants. Pakistan denies such charges, pointing to senior al-Qaida operatives it has turned over to the United States.\nMeanwhile, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that Taliban fighters pushed back the Islamic State group from areas of Tora Bora that IS had earlier captured.\nMujahid claimed that more than 30 IS fighters were killed in battle. He also added that a U.S. airstrike on Taliban positions on Wednesday that killed 11 of its fighters had benefited the Islamic State group.\nThe remoteness of the area makes it impossible to independently verify the contradictory claims.\nAfghan officials earlier said that fighting between IS and the Taliban, who had controlled Tora Bora, began on Tuesday but couldn’t confirm its capture.\nWhile the United States estimates there are about 800 IS fighters in Afghanistan, mostly restricted to the eastern Nangarhar province, other estimates say their ranks also include thousands of battle-hardened Uzbek militants.\nLast week Russia announced it was reinforcing two of its bases in Central Asia, in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, with its newest weapons because of fears of a “spill-over of terrorist activities from Afghanistan” by the Afghan IS affiliate.\n“The (IS) group’s strategy to establish an Islamic caliphate poses a threat not only to Afghanistan but also to the neighboring countries,” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.", "KABUL, Afghanistan—Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Monday the United States is using Afghanistan as a weapons-testing ground, calling the recent use of the largest-ever non-nuclear bomb “an immense atrocity against the Afghan people”.\nLast week US forces dropped the GBU-43 Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb in eastern Nangarhar province, reportedly killing 95 militants. Karzai, in an interview with The Associated Press, objected to the decision, saying his country “was used very disrespectfully by the US to test its weapons of mass destruction.”\nThe office of President Ashraf Ghani said following the bomb’s usage that there was “close coordination” between the US military and the Afghan government over the operation, and they were careful to prevent any civilian casualties. But Karzai harshly criticized the Afghan government for allowing the use of the bomb.\n“How could a government of a country allow the use of a weapon of mass destruction on its own territory? Whatever the reason, whatever the cause, how could they allow that? It was just unimaginable,” he said.\nAdvertisement\nThe strike was carried out on Thursday morning against an Islamic State (IS) group tunnel complex, carved into a mountain that Afghan forces had tried to assault repeatedly in recent weeks, according to Afghan officials.\nUS and Afghan forces have been battling the Taliban for more than 15 years. But the US military unveiled the largest conventional bomb in its arsenal against the IS group, which has a far smaller but growing presence in Afghanistan. US President Donald J. Trump has publicly vowed to aggressively confront IS.\nTrump called the operation a “very, very successful mission” but Karzai had harsh words for the new US leader.\n“My message to President Trump today is that he has committed an immense atrocity against the Afghan people, against fellow human beings,” he said. “If the American government sees us as human beings, then they have committed a crime against fellow human beings, but if they treat us as less than human beings, well, of course they can do whatever they want.”\nKarzai added that one of the fundamental reasons that he refused to sign the bilateral security agreement (BSA) with the US when he was the president was specifically to prevent such actions.\n“I told the people of Afghanistan in the Loya Jirga [Grand Assembly] we must not sign the BSA with the US, that we must not give them bases till the day they bring peace to Afghanistan,” he said. “Why would the Afghan people want to give the US bases? For what? To continue the war in Afghanistan, to become more insecure, to lose peace forever, to suffer, to receive more bombs, to receive a weapon of mass destruction? Or for security, for peace and for a better life?”\nThe US National Security Adviser H. R. McMaster met with President Ghani during a visit to Afghanistan on Sunday.\nAccording to statement from the office of the president, the pair discussed mutual counterterrorism efforts, security and economic development.\nThe US estimates 600 to 800 IS fighters are in Afghanistan, mostly in Nangarhar.\nAmerican forces have concentrated on fighting them while also supporting Afghan forces against the Taliban. The US has more than 8,000 troops on the ground in Afghanistan, training local forces and conducting counterterrorism operations.", "Washington: Pakistan has warned India against striking at its nuclear installations and said Islamabad won`t hold back if this happened, Pakistani media reported on Friday.\nForeign Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif`s remarks was in response to Indian Air Force chief B.S. Dhanoa`s statement on Wednesday that if India needed to carry out a surgical strike, his aircraft could target Pakistan`s nuclear installations and destroy them.\nThe minister told a discussion at the US Institute of Peace here that Indian leaders should not even contemplate such action as it could have \"dire consequences\", the Dawn reported on Friday.\n\"The Indian air chief said `we will hit`, through another surgical strike, Pakistan`s nuclear installations. If that happens, nobody should expect restraint from us. That`s the most diplomatic language I can use,\" Asif said.\nThe minister, who is in Washington on a three-day official visit, met US National Security Adviser Gen H.R. McMaster on Thursday, a day after holding wide-ranging talks with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.\nWhile both Islamabad and Washinton described the Asif-Tillerson talks as \"positive\" and \"useful\", Asif indicated his meeting with McMaster was not as friendly as the earlier one.\n\"I will not be extravagant. Yesterday`s meeting went very well, today`s meeting with Gen McMaster in the morning, I would be a bit cautious about it. But it was good. It was good. It wasn`t bad,\" he said.\nLater, speaking about the new US policy on Afghanistan, Asif told journalists at the Pakistan embassy here that Islamabad was \"genuinely concerned\" about New Delhi`s role in the plan.\nAsif said the Pakistan-US bilateral relationship had taken a new turn after the announcement of Washington`s South Asia strategy.\n\"If on one hand the US has its concerns about the future of Afghanistan, Pakistan seeks recognition of its legitimate security concerns in the region,\" the Dawn quoted him as saying.\n\"We are genuinely concerned with respect to the role accorded in the strategy to India in general and its efforts, geared towards destabilisation in Balochistan, in particular.\n\"Pakistan believes that unless there is stability in Afghanistan, the dividends of peace in the region would continue to elude us,\" he said. To achieve that goal both the US and Pakistan need to work closely, he added.\n\"On our part, we have completely wiped out all the hideouts used by terrorists and anti-state elements. However, this is an ongoing process with continuing intelligence-based operations by law enforcement agencies across the country.\"\nHe said Pakistan was extremely concerned about the \"safe havens\" of terrorists which he alleged were mostly operating from ungoverned spaces in Afghanistan, which he claimed covered more than 40 per cent of the area of the country.\nAsif said a number of terror attacks in Pakistan in recent months had been traced back to elements operating from bases in Afghanistan.\nRelations between India and Pakistan have slided sharply in recent times amid unending Army-versus-Army battles on the Jammu and Kashmir frontier. Islamabad also accuses Kabul of acting in concert with New Delhi to damage Pakistan`s interests.", "The US dropped the \"mother of all bombs\" on ISIS targets in Afghanistan last week, killing more than 90 militants, according to Afghan officials.\nBut the strike little changes the reality in the country, where the Taliban continues to gain ground after nearly 16 years of war.\n\"The Taliban have good reason to believe they're winning,\" Marvin Weinbaum, a former State Department analyst for Afghanistan and Pakistan and resident scholar at the Middle East Institute, told Newsweek.\nThe Taliban, which practices an ultraconservative brand of Islam, controlled about 90% of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. But the so-called Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, backed by Pakistan, was decimated in 2001 by local forces supported by the US.\nCurrently, ISIS has 700 to 1,000 fighters in Afghanistan but has not garnered the same level of support as the Taliban. The recent successes of the Taliban, which has about 25,000 people, has caused Russia and Iran to lend their support to the group they once opposed.\n\"Russia has become more assertive over the past year, overtly lending legitimacy to the Taliban to undermine NATO efforts and bolster belligerents,\" US Army Gen. John Nicholson Jr., a top US commander in Afghanistan, told the Senate in February.\nMoscow has tried to legitimize this course of action by arguing that the Taliban is helping in the fight against ISIS. This argument, however, does not quite add up, since the Taliban and ISIS forged a truce in August.\nMoscow also wants \"to be seen as a global operator,\" said Tom Bowman, NPR's Pentagon correspondent. \"So they recently had a meeting in Russia with China and Pakistan to try to come up with some sort of accord in Afghanistan.\"\nIt's unclear exactly how the Kremlin is supporting the Taliban, but it could be providing weapons.\n\"Now, of course, the Taliban already have plenty of weapons — small arms, rocket-propelled grenades,\" Bowman said, \"but the Russians could potentially provide even more sophisticated arms and equipment, maybe missiles or night-vision goggles, the types of things that could make the Taliban even more lethal.\"\nIran is also supporting the Taliban because it is \"worried that with American troops in Afghanistan, the two militaries will end up confronting each other,\" Mohammad Akram Arefi, a politics professor at Kateb University in Kabul, told The Washington Post.\nBut the US has largely neglected the country in recent years.\nThe US appears to be pursuing a strategy of \"buying time,\" Weinbaum told Newsweek — hoping the Afghan government will establish a strong military and political and economic system that could negotiate and absorb the Taliban.\nBut the Taliban's recent territorial gains and new relationships could lead to an offensive that could change the political situation in Afghanistan, Weinbaum said. If the Taliban were successful, it could draw in both ally Pakistan and rival India, which could have global consequences.", "US and Afghan special operations groups are preparing an offensive against Daesh strongholds in northwestern Afghanistan in an attempt to prevent the fractured militant group from continuing their expansion into Afghanistan’s northern provinces.\nAfghan Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Radmanish announced the initiative, which is planned to begin in December, possibly before the week is out.\n\"These operations are to chase the enemy — the terrorists who oppose the Afghan people and the Afghan National Defense Security Forces,\" he said.\nIt won't be their first go at it. US Forces Afghanistan (USFOR-A) attempted to stop the local Daesh branch, the so-called \"Islamic State-Khorasan Province,\" or ISIS-K, from setting up shop in east Afghanistan in 2015. But their efforts failed, and the group has gained a foothold in the embattled Central Asian nation.\nAs the name suggests, this particular Daesh group is based out of Khorasan — but since then, they've been increasingly appearing in Jowzjan and Faryab provinces along the country's northern border with Turkmenistan. Stripes reports that most of the fighters have come from Pakistan's Tehrik-i-Taliban group, crossing the border for the promise of higher pay.\nNot only that, intelligence reports have been trickling in that veteran fighters fleeing the collapse of the militant group's territory in Iraq and Syria may bolster ISIS-K's ranks in Afghanistan.\nUSFOR-A deny this to be the case, but press reports from AFP say that this transfer has already begun. They reported that militants were spotted entering Daesh-held territory in Jowzjan province in November — including several known to have been fighting in Iraq or Syria.\nLt. Col. Kone Faulkner, a US military spokesman, said that the Pentagon had \"nothing substantial to corroborate those reports.\"\nRegardless of whether Iraqi and Syrian fighters are joining ISIS-K, USFOR-A have made their intentions clear: the total annihilation of Daesh's presence in Afghanistan. \"We're committed to their destruction wherever they appear across the country,\" said Gen. John Nicholson, who commands USFOR-A, in late November.\nNicholson added that the US has killed over 1,600 ISIS-K fighters across 1,400 ground operations and air strikes since March. Most notable was the dropping of a Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb (MOAB), commonly known as \"the mother of all bombs,\" on a Daesh cave network in April that killed an estimated 100 ISIS-K fighters.\n© AP Photo/ David Guttenfelder Pentagon Says All 3,000 US 'Uplift' Troops Now on Ground in Afghanistan\nISIS-K has been linked to several destructive terrorist attacks, including an assault on local forces in the northern Sar-e-Pul province in August that left around 50 dead and a suicide bombing in Kabul that killed 14.\nThey are believed to have around 1,100 fighters spread throughout the country, down from a high of 3,000 at the beginning of 2017.", "A combination of still images taken from a video released by the U.S. Department of Defense on April 14, 2017 shows (clockwise) the explosion of a MOAB, or 'mother of all bombs', when it struck the Achin district of the eastern province of Nangarhar, Afghanistan, bordering Pakistan where U.S. officials said a network of tunnels and caves was being used by militants linked to Islamic State. U.S. Department of Defense/Handout via REUTERS\nStill image taken from a video released by the U.S. Department of Defense on April 14, 2017 shows the moment after a MOAB, or 'mother of all bombs', struck the Achin district of the eastern province of Nangarhar, Afghanistan, bordering Pakistan where U.S. officials said a network of tunnels and caves was being used by militants linked to Islamic State. U.S. Department of Defense/Handout via REUTERS\nACHIN, Afghanistan Qari Mehrajuddin first saw \"lightning like a thunder storm\" followed by the roar of an explosion, an all-to-familiar sound for residents in Afghanistan's war-torn Nangarhar province.\n\"I thought there was a bombing just outside my home,\" he said.\nIn reality, the blast was around three miles away, its massive impact bigger than any before seen in the region.\nOn Thursday night, American forces dropped one of the largest conventional bombs ever used in combat on what they described as a tunnel complex used by Islamic State militants in Nangarhar's Achin district.\nAchin is separated from Pakistan by a range of high mountains, one of the areas where Taliban and al Qaeda fighters fled when the United States first intervened in the country in late 2001.\nNow U.S. officials say militants affiliated to the Middle East-based Islamic State network have begun fortifying caves in the region in an effort to hold off joint operations by Afghan and U.S. forces.\nSome residents in areas of Achin recently liberated from Islamic State occupation welcomed Thursday's strike, which hit headlines around the world and has been widely interpreted as a deliberate show of strength by U.S. President Donald Trump.\n\"If you want to destroy and eliminate Daesh, then even if you destroy my home we won't complain, because they are not human beings, they are savages,\" said resident Mir Alam Shinwari, using an Arabic term for Islamic State.\nShinwari described a litany of abuses he said were committed by Islamic State fighters.\n\"They used to marry our daughters and wives to their fighters, blamed residents for spying, they beheaded, cut (off) hands and did not allow mobile phones that had cameras,\" he told Reuters.\nThat sentiment was echoed by Gul Sher, another resident who called on the United States and the Afghan government to \"hit Daesh and wipe them out completely.\"\n\"We were so fed up with the atrocities of Daesh and they were against everything we are,\" he said.\nAway from the area directly impacted by the blast, the reaction was more mixed.\n\"The fact is that America used their big bomb here to test its effectiveness,\" said Kabul resident Asadullah Khaksar. \"If America wants to eliminate Daesh, it is very easy because they created this group.\"\nRahim Khan, another Kabul resident, also took a skeptical view of America's role in the fighting.\n\"If this bombing was indeed for the elimination of Daesh this is a good move, but I don't believe it,\" he said. \"This is all imposed on Afghanistan for proxy war.\"\nSome Afghans remain deeply suspicious of Washington's motives in sending troops to the country more than 15 years ago, and view their ongoing presence as a form of occupation.\nOthers are glad of their intervention, fearing that the alternative would be a return to the strict Islamist rule of the Taliban, ousted from power in 2001 but fighting a stubborn insurgency that is costing thousands of lives every year.\nDefending his decision to deploy the bomb, General John Nicholson, top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, called Islamic State fighters \"animals\" for conducting attacks against targets like a hospital in Kabul.\n\"The Afghan army, and specifically their commandos, are leading the fight against these barbaric terrorists,\" he told journalists in Kabul on Friday.\n\"They're doing it on behalf of the people of Afghanistan and indeed, they are doing it on behalf of all of us.\"\n(Writing and additional reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Mike Collett-White)", "WASHINGTON (AP) — US Defense Secretary James Mattis is looking to the Middle East and North Africa for broader contributions and new ideas to fight Islamic extremism as the Trump administration fleshes out its counterterrorism strategy.\nHis trip to the region this week includes stops with longstanding allies Israel and Saudi Arabia, and new partners like Djibouti.\nAs the administration enhances its efforts, Mattis has made a point of consulting counterparts around the world. His goals include expanding the American-led coalition against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, but also combating al-Qaeda, whose Yemen branch is posing particular worry as it uses ungoverned spaces in the Arab world’s poorest country to plan attacks on the United States.\nIn announcing Mattis’s trip, the Pentagon said last week he would be discussing ways to “defeat extremist terror organizations.”\nMattis is starting his travels Tuesday in Riyadh, where he is expected to meet senior Saudi leaders. Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition that is fighting Iran-backed rebels in Yemen. The coalition’s airstrikes began two years ago but haven’t driven the Houthi rebels from the capital and large parts of Yemen they still control.\nThe Trump administration is considering providing intelligence, aerial refueling and other military assistance to the United Arab Emirates, which is helping the Saudis. The UN says some 50,000 civilians have been killed or wounded in the three-year stalemate.\nWorries about IS aren’t limited to Syria and Iraq. Its influence has spread to Libya and elsewhere in North Africa. Mattis told a Pentagon news conference last week that he hoped to bring as many other nations as possible into the administration’s new strategy, which involves diplomatic and other non-military features. He said that plan was still in “skeleton form,” though it was being “fleshed out.”\nThe Middle East’s landscape is getting more complicated.\nSyria’s alleged chemical weapons attack on April 4 prompted a US cruise missile strike, temporarily slowing the pace of Washington’s air campaign against IS in northern Syria.\nAnd a US airstrike April 11 killed 18 fighters associated with a US-supported Syrian rebel group. The US military’s Central Command said the strike was misdirected.\nAlso last week, US forces in Afghanistan struck an IS stronghold near the Pakistani border with the 11-ton “mother of all bombs,” the largest US non-nuclear bomb ever used in combat.\nThe Middle East is familiar turf for Mattis, a Marine veteran of the Iraq war who rose to four-star rank. He finished his military career as head of Central Command, which directs US military operations across the Middle East and Central Asia.\nOn his weeklong trip, Mattis also is scheduled to visit Egypt and Qatar, the small Arab country that hosts the US military’s main Mideast air operations center. It will be his first trip to these countries since taking office in January. He also will make a brief stop at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa, which the US uses to fly sensitive drone missions over Somalia and Yemen. Mattis visited Iraq in February on his first trip to the Middle East as Pentagon chief.", "WASHINGTON — Defence Secretary Jim Mattis is looking to the Middle East and North Africa for broader contributions and new ideas to fight Islamic extremism as the Trump administration fleshes out its counterterrorism strategy.\nHis trip to the region this week includes stops with longstanding allies Israel and Saudi Arabia, and new partners like Djibouti.\nAs the administration enhances its efforts, Mattis has made a point of consulting counterparts around the world. His goals include expanding the American-led coalition against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, but also combatting al-Qaida, whose Yemen branch is posing particular worry as it uses ungoverned spaces in the Arab world's poorest country to plan attacks on the United States.\nIn announcing Mattis's trip, the Pentagon said last week he would be discussing ways to \"defeat extremist terror organizations.\"\nMattis is starting his travels Tuesday in Riyadh, where he is expected to meet senior Saudi leaders. Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition that is fighting Iran-backed rebels in Yemen. The coalition's airstrikes began two years ago but haven't driven the Houthi rebels from the capital and large parts of Yemen they still control.\nThe Trump administration is considering providing intelligence, aerial refuelling and other military assistance to the United Arab Emirates, which is helping the Saudis. The U.N. says some 50,000 civilians have been killed or wounded in the three-year stalemate.\nWorries about IS aren't limited to Syria and Iraq. Its influence has spread to Libya and elsewhere in North Africa. Mattis told a Pentagon news conference last week that he hoped to bring as many other nations as possible into the administration's new strategy, which involves diplomatic and other non-military features. He said that plan was still in \"skeleton form,\" though it was being \"fleshed out.\"\nThe Middle East's landscape is getting more complicated.\nSyria's alleged chemical weapons attack on April 4 prompted a U.S. cruise missile strike, temporarily slowing the pace of Washington's air campaign against IS in northern Syria.\nAnd a U.S. airstrike April 11 killed 18 fighters associated with a U.S.-supported Syrian rebel group. Central Command said the U.S. strike was misdirected.\nAlso last week, U.S. forces in Afghanistan struck an IS stronghold near the Pakistani border with the 11-ton \"mother of all bombs,\" the largest U.S. non-nuclear bomb ever used in combat.\nThe Middle East is familiar turf for Mattis, a Marine veteran of the Iraq war who rose to four-star rank. He finished his military career as head of Central Command, which directs U.S. military operations across the Middle East and Central Asia." ]

[ "There is a person in sleepwear." ]

[ "The child is on the floor.", "A man crouches on a sink as he shaves his beard.", "A child crouched holding a flower.", "A man is standing next to a counter.", "man crouches next to girl", "a child is crouched on a tree limb", "Two men stand next to a counter", "A boy with batman pajamas plays with a bunch of toys", "A child with a toy car.", "Two woman stand next to a counter", "a child carries a toy.", "A child is riding on a toy.", "The child is filled with joy.", "The child plays on the toy.", "Trays of peanut brittle fill the counter of the candy shop.", "A child is watching a toy.", "child on car toy", "A child holds a toy.", "An animal lays next to a toy", "A man sits next to toys.", "The child has no toys", "the man is crouching.", "The child is licking on the toy.", "The men filled out paperwork for the other gentleman behind the counter.", "A child jumps on a toy.", "a woman is crouching", "A man stands next to a toy", "A boy is sitting next to a toy.", "The child is riding in a toy car.", "There is a child in a toy car.", "Two dogs stand next to the kitchen counter.", "The container is filled with fire next to a person" ]

[ "He looked over at Susan." ]

[ "Susan was nowhere to be found.", "He thought about Susan.", "Jon smiled and looked at Susan.", "He pulled Susan closer.", "Susan turned to look at Jon as he stood still.", "Jon looked at what susan was doing.", "Susan looked up to see him looking down at her.", "Susan looked at him with her blue eyes.", "Susan looked at everyone.", "He tipped his hat at Susan.", "It was the first time I looked at Susan.", "Inside his head he heard Susan's voice.", "Susan looked at Jon after turning around.", "His heart sank when Susan looked at him.", "He saw Susan smile and Jon with the militia.", "He walked up to the barn and found Susan standing there.", "It was shown to the by Susan.", "Jon saw Susan.", "He was not aware that Susan had her eyes on him.", "Jon looked at Susan one last time.", "He didn't bother to look over at Susan.", "Susan was near Jon.", "Of course he didn't know Susan was there.", "He wanted to kill Susan.", "His name is Susan.", "Susan stood over Ca'daan and peered down at him.", "He was looking at her.", "Jon pointed toward Susan.", "He refused to touch Susan.", "A boy smiled at Susan.", "He should have already been aware that Susan was there.", "Susan had no idea what he was thinking." ]

[ "One-time French league giants Paris Saint Germain crawled provisionally into the top half of the table Saturday after a goalless draw away to Lille which failed to suggest they are ready to make an assault on a European placing." ]

[ "XABI ALONSO aims to break his Deportivo duck tonight - and end his Spanish pals' Euro dream.", "An obsessive, fearsome rodent assassin in Mumbai, India, is a dying breed in a city whose dreams of being rat-free recede year by year.", "Want to see a middle-aged guy with a receding hairline and a paunch take off his clothes?", "Urban students see glimmers of their own evolving identities and dreams in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel.", "There is no check. There is no mate. It's a Microhoo stalemate.", "More than two years after Hurricane Katrina hit, going home to New Orleans has become a receding dream for thousands of evacuees.", "The Wounded Marine Careers Foundation is a film school where disabled marines see a path to dreams.", "A phone that lets you see through clothes is the stuff of teenage boys' dreams--and now a Japanese developer claims it's a reality.", "Celebrating his 21st birthday in June, R&B singer Mario is already dreaming about where he sees himself in the future.", "Alain Cayzac, presidente del PSG, prova \"vergogna\" per quanto è successo dopo la partita Pari...", "It is Dominique-Charles Janssens’ dream to see an authentic van Gogh hanging on the wall of the tiny attic room where the artist died on July 29, 1890.", "Vikash Dhorasoo, ex centrocampista del Milan, ora al Psg, è stato messo fuori rosa dalla squa...", "Scotland kept their Euro 2008 dreams on track with a 3-1 win at home to Lithuania at Hampden on Saturday to go top in Group B.", "One of the best teams in Cavalier women's soccer history sees their dream season brought to a screeching halt as Duke scores a 3-0 upset on Sunday.", "MUMBAI: The chances of seeing live cricket action between India and Australia starting October 6 have receded even further, with the five-judge bench of the Supreme Court not issuing an interim, working order for the telecast of the series.", "Can stalemate be avoided at this year's International Whaling Commission's annual meeting?", "Americans call for targets to be made voluntary, with stalemate looking increasingly likely", "England and Holland play out a tame stalemate at Villa Park.", "-- Kelly Jo Dowd, a cancer-stricken mother whose dream of seeing her teen daughter Dakoda play in an LPGA event was realized last spring, has died. She was 42.", "The stalemate between the House and Senate on immigration reform is riling US voters.", "DENVER -- Peyton Manning spent most of the game on the sideline, wearing a jacket and a headset. The Denver Broncos can only dream of seeing the same sight next week.", "Dopo i gravi episodi di razzismo avvenuti durante il match di Coppa Uefa tra PSG e Tel Aviv, parla i...", "In the celluloid dreams of her own keeping, Latika Harris is watching her favorite movie, \"Love and Basketball,\" and in this dream she has replaced actress Sanaa Lathan. She sees herself playing small forward, or maybe a shooting guard, alongside the handsome male lead of Omar Epps.", "If you've always wanted to own an authentic medieval castle, the country for you is Slovakia, in the heart of central Europe, where less than one euro may be enough to pay for the property of your dreams.", "A retired British couple watched in horror as their dream house on the southern coast of Spain was bulldozed because of a planning row with local authorities that could see hundreds of other holiday homes razed", "A substation is spared by inches and power is restored to 48,000 homes, as floods recede in parts of England.", "The euro traded above $1.40 for the first time since the common European currency was introduced as investors see a slowing American economy.", "At 10 years old, Eva Encinias-Sandoval watched renowned flamenco artist La Tati dance in Madrid, Spain, and dreamed of one day being able to see such performances at home.", "The new Czech government loses a confidence vote, prolonging the country's political stalemate.", "The DUP and Sinn Fein are holding further meetings on the proposals to break the political stalemate.", "Local authorities in Alabama waited for the tidal surge to recede in order to make basic damage assessments.", "ANTWERP, Belgium - World number three Amelie Mauresmo was relieved to have finally secured her million-euro dream on Sunday by winning her third consecutive Diamond Games title and scooping a diamond-studded racket." ]

[ "Red or pink urine can be caused by: Blood. Factors that can cause urinary blood (hematuria) include urinary tract infections, an enlarged prostate, cancerous and noncancerous tumors, kidney cysts, long-distance running, and kidney or bladder stones." ]

[ "The poppies, child, are flowers of love For the men who marched away. ... Why are the poppies so red? Red is the colour of blood, my child, The blood that our soldiers shed.", "Why Red-Tailed Boas Make Great Pets Red-tailed boas are my favorite choice for a first snake, especially for those who prefer a larger pet. They are easy to care for and are generally quite docile.", "Why are they selling poppies, mummy? Selling poppies in town today? The poppies, child, are flowers of love For the men who marched away. ... Red is the colour of blood, my child, The blood that our soldiers shed.", "['Pee can be a window to your overall health. ... ', \"It's 95% water. ... \", \"Pee that smells isn't always a bad thing. ... \", 'Your pee color can change. ... ', 'Pee is sterile. ... ', 'The average adult produces 6.3 cups of urine a day. ... ', \"Peeing on a jellyfish sting won't heal it. ... \", 'Pee is good for the skin.']", "['Wipe Warmer. There are so many reasons why I think this is not a good product. ... ', 'Diaper Stacker. Filling this thing up with diapers and then fumbling to get them out is actually more of a pain than a help. ... ', 'Pee-pee Teepee. Now this is obvious. ... ', 'A Changing Table. ... ', 'A Diaper Genie. ... ', 'Diaper Bag. ... ', 'Baby Timers. ... ', 'Bassinet.']", "Why is “pecan” any different? And, though survey results on the topic have varied vastly, the National Pecan Shellers Association found that “PEE-can” was the preferred pronunciation among 45 percent of Americans. The other 55 percent were split between “puh-KAHN” and “PEE-kahn”—an interesting hybrid of the two.", "['finding it difficult to start peeing.', 'straining to pee.', 'having a weak flow of urine.', '\"stop-start\" peeing.', 'needing to pee urgently and/or frequently.', 'needing to get up frequently in the night to pee.', 'accidentally leaking urine (urinary incontinence)']", "If you prefer a lighter style red wine, definitely consider pinot noir (PEE-no NWAR). Unlike thick-skinned cabernet, pinot noir grapes have very thin, delicate skins which produce a much lighter bodied wine, with a transparent ruby red color and classic flavors of red cherry, red currant, and wild strawberry.", "Take her out every hour to be safe. By the time your pup is 16 weeks, she'll be able to hold her pee for at least 4 hours. From 6 months she'll hold her pee for up to 4 hours. Get Access to My Daily Schedule and I'll show you how to potty train a German Shepherd puppy quickly and successfully.", "['Pee-on-a-stick tests. Most common are tests that require you to pee on a stick or strip. ... ', \"Pee-in-a-cup test. After peeing in a cup, you'll either put a testing device in the cup itself, or place small drops of urine onto the device. ... \", 'Digital tests.']", "Roses are red, violets are blue, my love keeps me tied to you! Roses are red, violets are blue, don't want to spend a day without you! Roses are red, violets are blue, my love will always be so true! Roses are red, violets are blue, my heart is broken without you.", "Symptoms of a UTI include: needing to pee suddenly or more often than usual. pain or a burning sensation when peeing. smelly or cloudy pee.", "['How long is my quote valid for?', 'How long will my policy last?', 'How much can I save by comparing?', 'How many providers do you compare?', 'Why do I need to give you my phone number?', 'Why do you need to know my address?', 'Why do you need to know if I smoke?']", "1 Answer. When dogs pee, they are marking their \"territory.\". So by the male peeing on the female he is marking the female as \"his.\".", "Symptoms of an enlarged prostate include: finding it difficult to start peeing. straining to pee. having a weak flow of urine.", "Within ~10 minutes, fluid levels in my blood will have risen sufficiently to trigger processes that tell me to pee — but, according to this data, it takes about 50 days for complete turnover of all the water in your body.", "['Why do you want to get married?', 'Why do you want to get married now?', 'Why marry my daughter? ... ', 'How do you think my daughter will benefit from marrying you? ... ', 'How do you think you will benefit from spending the rest of your life with my daughter?', 'How do you plan to be a leader for my daughter?']", "['Boards.', 'Red Dead Redemption 2.', 'If I put my saddle on a temporary horse, what happens to my original horse?']", "Why Red is Simply the Best Color | MAGIC: THE GATHERING.", "['What might be causing my symptoms? ... ', 'Can you tell me specifically what my diagnosis is? ... ', 'Do I need to be screened for prostate cancer? ... ', 'Why is my sexual drive lower than normal? ... ', 'Why do I feel the urge to urinate more frequently? ... ', 'Why does it take a long time to urinate?']", "Pee at the side of the road Some riders stop at the side of the road to go for a pee. The peloton may organise itself, selecting a 'nature break' slot during which the riders will collectively pee; at a Grand Tour tradition dictates that the GC leader determines when this will be.", "A urinary tract infection (UTI) Besides frequent urination, signs of a UTI include a burning feeling when you pee, discolored urine and constantly feeling like you have to pee (even after peeing).", "Why is my AED Displaying a red \"X\" in the status indicator window? The ZOLL AED Plus is displaying a fault or issue with the AED that needs to be corrected. Usually it is an easy fix. To determine the issue you should initiate a manual self test by pressing and holding the ON/OFF button for more than 5 seconds.", "Kazuhira Miller : Why are we still here? Just to suffer? Every night, I can feel my leg... And my arm... even my fingers...", "It's actually completely normal to need to pee between four and eight times a day, according to the Cleveland Clinic. If you're in that ballpark, kudos to you and your bladder. If you're hitting up the bathroom to pee more than that, read on for potential reasons you might be peeing all the time.", "Rohto cool/redness relief eye drops are super soothing to my itchy dry red eyes from allergies. The maximum rohto eye drops are better but this one is almost just as good. My eyes are happy to have this.", "['Thirst.', 'Dry or sticky mouth.', 'Not peeing very much.', 'Dark yellow pee.', 'Dry, cool skin.', 'Headache.', 'Muscle cramps.']", "Why are red squirrels endangered? The red squirrel is officially classed as Near Threatened in England, Wales and Northern Ireland but is locally common in Scotland. The main cause behind their decline is the introduction of grey squirrels from America. There are three main reasons why greys are a threat.", "['What Does My State Require of a Small Business? ... ', 'What is My 1 Year Sales Plan? ... ', 'Why Should This be a Business?']", "We all know that shapewear and solutionwear is BETTER with a pee hole, BUT the pee hole is not perfect. ... peeLUX is a small, lightweight easy to use adapter for the “pee hole” in shapewear that makes it easy and foolproof to use the ladies' room while wearing shapewear without getting wet or undressed.", "It makes you pee more. The chemicals in Adderall, ammonium chloride, sodium acid phosphate, that make it an amphetamine are the ones that also make you pee more often.", "What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Vaginal Yeast Infections? Vaginal yeast infections can cause pain, itching, redness, a thick white vaginal discharge, pain during urination (peeing), and sometimes whitish patches on the skin of the vaginal area." ]

[ "Telugu literature Telugu literature or Telugu Pandityam (Telugu: తెలుగు పాండిత్యము) is the body of works written in the Telugu language. It consists of poems, novels, short stories, dramas and puranas. Telugu literature can be traced back to the early 10th century period (Prabandha Ratnavali[1](1918) talk about the existence of Jain Telugu literature during 850-1000AD) followed by 11th century period when Mahabharata was first translated to Telugu from Sanskrit by Nannaya. It flourished under the rule of the Vijayanagara Empire, where Telugu was one of the empire's official languages." ]

[ "Telugu-Kannada alphabet The Dravidian family comprising about 73 languages including Telugu, Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam. Kannada abugida was developed between the 1st and 3rd centuries CE from Chalukya and Kadamba scripts, descendants of Brahmi. Old Kannada script is about 1800 years old, developed into Modern Telugu and Modern Kannada scripts. The Telugu script is closely related to Kannada, earliest known inscriptions dates back to the 6th century CE, poetry begins to appear in the 11th century. New written standard emerged in Telugu during the second half of the 20th century.[2]", "Telugu language The 16th-century Venetian explorer Niccolò de' Conti, who visited the Vijayanagara Empire, found that the words in the Telugu language end with vowels, just like those in Italian, and hence referred it as \"The Italian of the East\";[43] a saying that has been widely repeated.[44]", "Vedas The Vedas (/ˈveɪdəz ˈviː-/;[1] Sanskrit: वेद veda, \"knowledge\") are a large body of knowledge texts originating in the ancient Indian subcontinent. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism.[2][3] Hindus consider the Vedas to be apauruṣeya, which means \"not of a man, superhuman\"[4] and \"impersonal, authorless\".[5][6][7]", "Kapu (caste) Kāpu literally means cultivator or agriculturist in Telugu.[2] Various subgroups of kapus branched off into separate communities in the post-Kakatiya period (Velamas, Panta Kapus and Pakanati Kapus—both of whom got labelled Reddys, and Kapus of Kammanadu—eventually labelled Kammas).[3] The remaining kapus continue to use the original label. All the cultivator caste clusters have a common ancestry in the legends.[4] According to Cynthia Talbot, the transformation of occupational identities as caste labels occurred in the late Vijayanagara period (17th century) or later.[5]", "Namaste In the Hindi and Nepalese speaking populations of South Asia, Namaste (Hindi: [nəməsteː] ( listen), Devanagari: नमस्ते) and Namaskār are used synonymously. In Nepal, people generally use Namaskāra for greeting and respecting their elders. In Odia namaste is also known as ନମସ୍କାର (namaskār) General greeting[Hello-Namaskar]. In Kannada, Namaskāra (ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ) for singular and Namaskaragalu (ನಮಸ್ಕಾರಗಳು) is used and sharanu (ಶರಣು) is widely used in karnataka for namaste . In Telugu, Namaste is also known as Dandamu (దండము) or namaskaram (నమస్కారం) for singular and Dandaalu or namaskaralu for plural form. Pranamamu (ప్రణామము) is also used in formal Telugu. In Bengali, the Namaste gesture is expressed as Nōmōshkar (নমস্কার), and as Prōnäm (Bengali: প্রণাম) informally. In Assamese, Nômôskar (নমস্কাৰ) is used. In Marathi, Namaskār (नमस्कार) is used. In Tamil, Namaste is known as Vanakkam (வணக்கம்) which is derived from the root word vanangu (வணங்கு) meaning to bow or to greet. In Malayalam, Namaskāram (നമസ്കാരം) is used. The Sinhalese word namaskāra (නමස්කාර) which derived from Pali also has the same meaning as namaskār/namaskāra in Hindi, Nepali, Odia and Kannada languages, or a different greeting word is āyubōvan (ආයුබෝවන්) which has the meaning wishing long life.", "Indian epic poetry Indian epic poetry is the epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent, traditionally called Kavya (or Kāvya; Sanskrit: काव्य, IAST: kāvyá). The Ramayana and the Mahabharata, which were originally composed in Sanskrit and later translated into many other Indian languages, and The Five Great Epics of Tamil Literature and Sangam literature are some of the oldest surviving epic poems ever written.[1]", "Kannada literature The works of Jain writers Adikavi Pampa, Sri Ponna and Ranna, collectively called the \"three gems of Kannada literature\", heralded the age of classical Kannada in the 10th century.[39][57] Pampa, who wrote Adipurana in 941, is regarded as one of the greatest Kannada writers.[59] Written in champu style, Adipurana narrates the life history of the first Jain Thirtankar, Rishabhadeva. In this spiritual saga, Rishabhadeva's soul moves through a series of births before attaining emancipation in a quest for the liberation of his soul from the cycle of life and death.[60] Pampa's other classic, Vikramarjuna Vijaya (or Pampa Bharata, 941), is loosely based on the Hindu epic the Mahabharata.[57][61][62]", "Literature Philosophical, historical, journalistic, and scientific writings are traditionally ranked as literature. They offer some of the oldest prose writings in existence; novels and prose stories earned the names \"fiction\" to distinguish them from factual writing or nonfiction, which writers historically have crafted in prose.", "Indian literature Among other traditions, Urdu poetry is a fine example of linguistic and cultural synthesis. Arab and Persian vocabulary based on the Hindi language resulted in a vast and extremely beloved class of ghazal literature, usually written by Muslims in contexts ranging from romance and society to philosophy and Tassawuf(Sufism). Urdu soon became the court language of the Mughals and in its higher forms was once called the \"Kohinoor\" of Indian languages. Its surely most refined, enriched, sophisticated and ripended language and literature, producing poets like, Meer Ghalib, Iqbal and Faiz. The poetry of Mohammed Iqbal invoked a spirit of freedom among the Muslims of India, thus contributing a pivotal role in the making of Pakistan.", "Bigg Boss Telugu Bigg Boss Telugu is the Telugu-language version of the reality TV programme Big Brother and the fourth Indian version of reality TV programme Bigg Boss and airs on Star Maa in India. The first season of Bigg Boss Telugu premiered on 16 July 2017 and concluded on 24 September 2017. Jr. NTR hosted the first season.[1][2] The second season is being hosted by Nani.[3] It premiered on 10 June 2018 with a caption \"Edaina Jaragochu\".", "Languages of India The Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution lists 22 languages,[12] which have been referred to as scheduled languages and given recognition, status and official encouragement. In addition, the Government of India has awarded the distinction of classical language to Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Sanskrit, Tamil and Telugu. Classical language status is given to languages which have a rich heritage and independent nature.", "Indian epic poetry The ancient Sanskrit epics the Ramayana and Mahabharata comprise together the Itihāsa (\"History\") or Mahākāvya (\"Great Compositions\"), a canon of Hindu scripture. Indeed, the epic form prevailed and verse remained until very recently the preferred form of Hindu literary works. Hero-worship was and is a central aspect of Indian culture, and thus readily lent itself to a literary tradition that abounded in epic poetry and literature. The Puranas, a massive collection of verse-form histories of India's many Hindu gods and goddesses, followed in this tradition. Itihāsas and Purāṇas are mentioned in the Atharva Veda[2] and referred to as the fourth Veda.[3]", "Paradox (literature) Cleanth Brooks, an active member of the New Critical movement, outlines the use of reading poems through paradox as a method of critical interpretation. Paradox in poetry means that tension at the surface of a verse can lead to apparent contradictions and hypocrisies. Brooks' seminal essay, \"The Language of Paradox\", lays out his argument for the centrality of paradox by demonstrating that paradox is \"the language appropriate and inevitable to poetry\".[3] The argument is based on the contention that referential language is too vague for the specific message a poet expresses; he must \"make up his language as he goes\". This, Brooks argues, is because words are mutable and meaning shifts when words are placed in relation to one another.[4]", "Doki Doki Literature Club! Doki Doki Literature Club! is a visual novel, as such, the majority of the gameplay consists of the player reading the game's story with little impact on what direction the plot takes. At certain points in the game the player is prompted to make decisions which may affect how the story progresses. The game also features a poetry writing mechanic as part of the Literature Club.[2] The player is given a list of various words to select from that will make up their poem. Each girl in the Literature Club has different word preferences, and will react when the player picks a word that they like. Additional scenes can be unlocked for each girl if the player writes poems targeted at that girl's tastes, and chooses the correct dialogue options. Which scenes the player has viewed during their playthrough will determine what ending the story has. At one point in the game, the player is forced to access the game's files and delete a specific file to progress further.", "Bigg Boss Telugu 2 Bigg Boss Telugu 2 is the second season of the Telugu-language version of the reality TV show Bigg Boss broadcast in India. The season premiered on June 10, 2018 on Star Maa. Nani hosts the show[1] and it is the second longest season for 112 days in Indian versions of Bigg Boss.", "Old Testament The Old Testament is considered one of the most important and influential works of literature in world literature, and has provided inspiration for writers (both religious and secular) throughout subsequent history. In 1886, Friedrich Nietzsche wrote: \"In the Jewish Old Testament, there are men, things and speeches in so grand a style that Greek and Indian literature have nothing to compare to it. One stands with awe and reverence before these tremendous remnants of what man once was... The taste for the Old Testament is a touchstone of \"greatness\" and \"smallness\". To have glued this New Testament, a kind of rococo of taste in every respect, to the Old Testament to form one book... that is perhaps the greatest audacity and sin against the spirit that Europe has on its conscience.\"[41]", "Indian English literature Indian English Literature (IEL) refers to the body of work by writers in India who write in the English language and whose native or co-native language could be one of the numerous languages of India. Its early history began with the works of Michael Madhusudan Dutt followed by R. K. Narayan, Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao who contributed to Indian fiction in the 1930s.[1] It is also associated with the works of members of the Indian diaspora, such as V. S. Naipaul, Kiran Desai, Jhumpa Lahiri, Kovid Gupta, Agha Shahid Ali, Rohinton Mistry and Salman Rushdie, who are of Indian descent.", "Anatomical terms of location Anterior refers to what is in front (from Latin ante, meaning \"before\") and posterior, what is to the back of the subject (from Latin post, meaning \"after\").[10] For example, in a dog the nose is anterior to the eyes and the tail is considered the most posterior part; in many fish the gill openings are posterior to the eyes, but anterior to the tail.", "What Do You Mean? \"What Do You Mean?\" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Justin Bieber for his fourth studio album Purpose (2015). The song was released on August 28, 2015, as the album's lead single by Def Jam. Written by Bieber, Jason \"Poo Bear\" Boyd and Mason Levy, the song was produced by MdL and co-produced by Bieber. \"What Do You Mean?\" is a pop and tropical house song, with its instrumentation consisting in light flourishes of panpipes, looped vocal samples, piano chords, fervent synths, bass and \"slick beat\" elements with the sound of a clock ticking, while Bieber uses a smooth, soulful vocal. Lyrically, \"What Do You Mean?\" describes not being able to figure out the opposite sex with Bieber asking a girl why her body language is conflicting with her words.", "Magic realism The terms are broadly descriptive rather than critically rigorous. Matthew Strecher defines magic realism as \"what happens when a highly detailed, realistic setting is invaded by something too strange to believe\".[2] Many writers are categorized as \"magical realists\", which confuses the term and its wide definition. Irene Guenther tackles the German roots of the term, and how art is related to literature.[3] Magical realism is often associated with Latin American literature, particularly authors including genre founders Gabriel García Márquez, Miguel Angel Asturias, Jorge Luis Borges, Elena Garro, Juan Rulfo, Rómulo Gallegos, and Isabel Allende. In English literature, its chief exponents include Salman Rushdie, Alice Hoffman, and Nick Joaquin.", "Yakshagana Yakshagana ( Kannada : \"ಯಕ್ಷಗಾನ\", Tulu : \"ಆಟ\") is a traditional theatre form that combines dance, music, dialogue, costume, make-up, and stage techniques with a unique style and form. This theatre style is mainly found in Tulunadu and some parts of Malenadu regions of Karnataka and Kerala.Yakshagana is traditionally presented from dusk to dawn. Its stories are drawn from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata and other epics from both Hindu and Jain traditions.[1][2]", "Bigg Boss Telugu 1 Siva Balaji was the winner.", "Bigg Boss Telugu The house for season one was set up at Lonavala. For season two, the house was set up in Annapurna Studios, Hyderabad.", "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans? \"Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans\" is a song written by Eddie DeLange and Louis Alter, which was first heard in the movie New Orleans in 1947, where it was performed by Louis Armstrong and sung by Billie Holiday.", "Nagarjun Vaidyanath Mishra (30 June 1911 – 5 November 1998), better known by his pen name Nagarjun, was a Hindi and Maithili poet who has also penned a number of novels, short stories, literary biographies and travelogues, and was known as Janakavi- the People's Poet. He is regarded as the most prominent protagonist of modernity in Maithili. [3][4]", "Saraswati Samman The Saraswati Samman (Hindi: सरस्वती सम्मान) is an annual award for outstanding prose or poetry literary works in any 22 Indian language listed in Schedule VIII of the Constitution of India.[1][2] It is named after an Indian goddess of learning and is considered to be among the highest literary awards in India.[2]", "Vande Mataram An Ode to Durga as the Mother goddess, it was written both in Sanskrit and in Bengali script in the novel Anandmath.[5] The title 'Vande Mataram' literally means \"I praise thee, Mother\" or \"I praise to thee, Mother\".[1][6] The \"mother goddess\" in later verses of the song has been interpreted as the motherland of the people - Bangamata (Mother Bengal) and Bharat Mata (Mother India),[7][8] though the text does not mention this explicitly.", "The English Teacher This novel, dedicated to Narayan's wife Rajam is not only autobiographical but also poignant in its intensity of feeling. The story is a series of experiences in the life of Krishna, an English teacher, and his quest towards achieving inner peace and self-development.[1]", "Fairy Historical origins include various traditions of Celtics (Bretons, Welsh people), Gaelics (Irish, Scots), Germanic peoples, and of Middle French medieval romances. Fairie was used adjectivally, meaning \"enchanted\" (as in fairie knight, fairie queene), but also became a generic term for various \"enchanted\" creatures during the Late Middle English period. Literature of the Elizabethan era conflated elves with the fairies of Romance culture, rendering these terms somewhat interchangeable.", "Literary genre Genres are often divided into subgenres. Literature, is divided into the classic three forms of Ancient Greece, poetry, drama, and prose. Poetry may then be subdivided into the genres of lyric, epic, and dramatic. The lyric includes all the shorter forms of poetry, e.g., song, ode, ballad, elegy, sonnet.[2] Dramatic poetry might include comedy, tragedy, melodrama, and mixtures like tragicomedy.", "Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (/ˌbʌɡəvəd ˈɡiːtɑː, -tə/; Sanskrit: भगवद्गीता, bhagavad-gītā in IAST, Sanskrit pronunciation: [ˈbʱaɡəʋəd̪ ɡiːˈt̪aː], lit. \"The Song of God\"[1]), often referred to as the Gita, is a 700[2][3] verse Hindu scripture in Sanskrit that is part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata (chapters 23–40 of the 6th book of Mahabharata).", "Telugu cuisine The Telangana state lies on the Deccan plateau and its topography dictates more millet and roti (leavened bread) based dishes. Jowar and Bajra features more prominently in their cuisine. Due to its proximity with Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and northwest Karnataka, it shares some similarities of the Deccan plateau cuisine." ]

[ "What is the best 1:1 macro lens for Canon?" ]

[ "I have a Canon 600D and want to take close up macro photos of nature, what is the best lens to buy?", "I have a Canon EOS 600D and want to buy my first macro lens. Which one should I choose?", "What is the difference between Nikon and Canon DSLR?", "What is the best basic DSLR camera and lens to buy for the beginners?", "What is the best starter DSLR?", "What is the best DSLR for beginners?", "Which company is best for DSLR?", "Which is a better DSLR? Canon EOS70D or Nikon d5500?", "Which Dslr should I choose. Nikon D5500 or Canon 70D?", "Which canon EOS DSLR should I get?", "Which DSLR is the best under 60k?", "Which are the best and cheap tripods for DSLR?", "Which is best for portraits? Canon or Nikon?", "Which is the best camera maker, Canon or Nikon?", "What is the future of DSLR cameras?", "Should I buy a DSLR?", "Which are better, Canon or Nikon cameras?", "What is a great budget DSLR camera for a aspiring film maker?", "Which is better Nikon D5200 or Canon 1300D?", "How does a DSLR camera work?", "What is the use of grey gradient lens?", "Which camera is better to buy canon 1300d or 700d?", "What are the general differences between Nikon and Canon camera products?", "What's the Canon equivalent to a Nikon D3200?", "What are the top global macro hedge funds?", "Which is better, Canon 700D or Nikon D5200, for photography and short documentaries?", "Is Canon 700d better than Sony Alpha 58?", "Is a Canon powershot a720is camera still good for use in 2016?", "What is your review of Canon EOS 60D?", "Is it safe to buy DSLRs from Paytm?", "What is Canon Law?", "What is the best mirror less camera?" ]

[ ""Go not to the CG Elves for counsel for they will say both no and yes".\nYes and No. As noted in another post, these issues don't exist with ray tracing but I'll assume you are interested in standard rasterisation.\n\nIt's possible to dispose of near clipping by using homogeneous rendering but that can introduce additional cost. (e.g more expensive triangle set up, more difficulty in identifying which screen regions are covered in tile-based renderers)\n\nYou could eliminate XY clipping by using float representations for the X and Y coordinates in the rasteriser but that can lead to catastrophic cancellation when computing triangle determinants which, AFAICS, is a necessary step. In my experience, hardware rasterisers* usually work in fixed-point so that everything is 'exact'.\n\nAs a compromise to XY clipping, guard-band clipping was introduced so that clipping only needs to be done on triangles that extend a 'long'** way off screen. Culling, however, is still be done with the standard frustum planes to eliminate those that are trivially off-screen.\n\n\n*Dreamcast being a notable exception.\n**for certain definitions of 'long', e.g. a small integer multiple of the screen width/height." ]

[ "This web page mentions the device has an \"Adjustable Anti-Short Cycle Delay\" that controls a time delay that avoids rapid on-off cycles of whatever it is you are controlling. Could it be this?\n\nIf not, do a test: Dip the probe in boiling water and see what the screen displays. If there is a long delay before the display shows the correct temp (100C) then I think it's faulty. There should not such a big delay.\n\nPID controllers are designed to avoid this problem of over/undershoot. But a 12deg overshoot is a bit much in my opinion.", "Peak file creation as well as creating alternate forms of various assets is perfectly normal background behavior for Premiere. When you load new assets into a project, Premiere automatically starts a number of background processes to analyze the clip and make it easier for Premiere to do its job smoothly.\n\nThis should not cause any trouble and should not be a concern to you. It is just the program functioning as it should. It shouldn't cause any problems if you start working with it prior to completion of the work, but some functions may work more slowly or provide incomplete information while the processes are still going on.", "Disclaimer: You didn't specify what program you are working with, so I assume you are using the current version of Premiere Pro.\n\n\n\nAssembly Workflow\n\nYour workflow is a common one for beginners. Back when I gave Premiere Pro introductory courses, I noticed many students start out like this, basically doing the assembly, cutting and arrangement of the footage completely in the timeline. While there's nothing wrong with that approach, you can significantly speed up your workflow by seperating the initial material assembly/screening1 and the actual cutting. \n\nThe assembly is where you look through your material, sort and rate/tag it so you know what you are working with and can find specific parts of your material quickly. Mastering the project panel and all the sorting/marking options is a large subject on it's own, so I'm just gonna give you an overview of my workflow and the sorting options I find useful.\n\n\nWorkspace. Under Window → Workspaces, select Assembly. This workspace is optimized for assembly and material screening, it's just easier to work with. You can also rearrange the panels and save it as a custom workspace.\nBins. You can create bins to sort your footage into by pressing CTRL + B while the project panel is in focus. They work similarly to folders on your computer, you can drag your video clips and other assets into them for sorting. For example, you can create seperate folders for every scene in your movie, a seperate folder for B-roll material, a folder for music and other non-video assets et c. You will have a much easier time finding specific clips after you have sorted them in this way.\nColor labels, Star Ratings & Keywords. You can use several variants of marking systems if you use the Metadata Display options. For example, I like to use colors labels to mark the best clips and the rejects. Once you have set those up, you can also use filters or sort by color labels to find the good stuff quickly. Other options include Star Ratings (that you can assign shortcuts to), Keywording and several other editable metadata options. I've already written some other answers on this, so ... \n\n\nQuick setup for Star Ratings\nSetting up Keywords and other Metadata options\n\nList and Thumbnail Views. On the bottom left of the project panel, you can switch between the two views and adjust the size of the item display. While in List view, you can rename your assets from the generic filename (like MVI_0817.mov) to something more useful. I like to use a consistent naming scheme so I see what every clip contains at one glance. For example, if you name your clips [scene]_[shot]_[angle] (e.g. garden_establishing_panorama), you can find a specific clip without even looking at it.\nThe thumbnail view is useful to get a feeling of your material and quickly stitch clips together that fit. I usually open a second instance of the project panel, set it to thumbnail view and put it on my second monitor. It's great for quickly sifting through your clips and finding the right one for your scene. \nIn- & Out-Point, Markers. This is the most important part of this workflow, and the answer to your initial question (got a bit carried away with my answer). You can mark the In- and Out-Point of each clip by pressing the I (In) and O (Out) Keys respectively. This will add those points at the current playback position in the source panel (they are not temporary, so you can add In- and Out-Points to each clip in your project without dropping any of them in the timeline). If you have set up those points for a clip, only the portion of that clip between them will appear in your timeline when you add it to your sequence (you can of course adjust the start and end point in the sequence using the cutting tools as usual). More information on In- and Out-Points and quick ways of adding clips to the timeline can be found in my answer here.\nOne problem with this method is that you can only use one In- and Out-Point per clip. So if you have one clip that contains two parts you want to use in your movie, you have a problem. There are two ways to deal with this. \n\n\nMarkers. You can add markers to your master clips in the source panel by pressing M. The marker is added at the current playback position, you can change it's color and other attributes by right-clicking on it and selecting Edit Marker… from the context menu. However, this option is somewhat limited, since you will still have to manually adjust the clip length in the timeline, the marker only provides a visual aid. \nSubclips. If you have set an In- and Out-Point for a clip, you can create a Subclip from that. Right-click on the clip in the project panel and select Make Subclip from the context-menu. This will create another instance of that masterclip in the project panel limited to the boundaries marked by the In- and Out-Point. This way, you can split up a large clip into several subclips, each containing only the portions that you need. The downside of this is that it's somewhat tedious if you have many long clips. \n\n\n\nThis workflow works best if you film your material in a certain way, which will also avoid the problems with In- and Out-Points mentioned above. This leads me to the following point.\n\nGood filming habits\n\nIn general, try to film in a way that will make the assembly/screening of the material much easier and streamlined. This mainly means two things: \n\n\nPress the record button only after you have composed the shot. If you point the camera in some random direction, press record and then compose your shot (i.e. position your camera/subject), you will have a few seconds of unusable material to cut from every single clip. And, even worse, the thumbnail view of the project panel will be mostly useless, since the thumbnails won't show the actual shot. If you start the recording after you are done composing your shot, the thumbnails will show you at one glance what every clip contains, allowing you to cut much faster. \nStart a seperate recording for each shot. Many beginners make the mistake of just letting the camera run while they film, resulting in long files that are tedious to check and cut. Try to seperate the video files by stopping the recording and starting a new one for every shot/angle. This way, you only have one relevant part per clip/video file, allowing you to work faster with In- and Out-Points and the other Metadata Display options mentioned above. Also, try to make each recording only as long as you need it to be. For example, if you shoot a couple of B-roll shots from the same vantage points, do not just press record and proceed to point your camera at everything. Instead, compose the first shot, press record and record for 5~10 seconds (no longer for B-Roll). Then stop the recording, compose the second shot et c. This way, you end up with a couple of short, concise clips that you can assemble and add to your movie quickly.\n\n\n\n\nThis is all I can think of at the moment, though there's definitely more to say about this subject. I haven't even touched the actual rough and fine cutting yet ... but this answer is really getting too long, so I'll leave it at that. If I forgot anything important, feel free to inquire in the comments or ask a seperate question, I will be happy to edit my answer or add a new one if necessary.\n\n\n\n1 Not sure what the right term is. In German it's called (Material-)Sichtung, which translates to sighting or screening of the material.", "The traditional would be drill holes, insert plugs and use a cable clip with a nail or screw. This is a lot of work. Alternatives would be to glue it.\n\nAs to connecting it, the Good way to do it is with cable lugs. That requires tools to install. Solid core may also be terminated directly to the ground lugs of the rack.\n\nBut note that you are not bonding to dissipate static. You're bonding to ensure that all conductive surfaces are at the same potential. Concrete is conductive, so if the concrete is earthed, and the rack is not, you may get a potential difference between the rack and concrete. This can shock you. For dissipating static electricity, a high resistance is commonly used to avoid dangerous currents trough the dissipation wire.", "I just found it by accident. Hit shift2 to go to the source viewer window, and hit it again to cycle through the previously opened clips. There's no display to tell you which clips are in the queue, other than right-clicking on the viewer tab, and the order seems to be alphabetical rather than chronological, so you might have to hit the shortcut a number of times.", "A dual is an alternate solution, other than the intended one, after the first move of a problem or study. If it happens on the first move, the problem or study is called cooked instead.\n\n\n dual\n \n Ideally, White should have only one move at each juncture that solves a problem. If White has an alternative at any stage other than the first move, this is a dual. A dual is not as serious a flaw as a cook, and in minor lines, duals may be permissible (opinions differ on this point). Some problems make a virtue out of dual avoidance – of two apparently equivalent white moves, only one works.\n\n\n(source: Wikipedia)", "Unfortunately, it's impossible to disable the "zoom" function. Typically it's not something requested in user experience, and a disabling function would cause more harm than good.\nWhat you can see are alternative options to avoid and get out of a zoomed screen, laid out in this guide.\nWhile the back button is a way of reverting back to default, you can also pinch (by placing two fingers on the screen), moving inward or outward to either zoom in or back out of display.", "It sounds like your vector layers do not share a common extent. Decide on an extent (it can be no larger than your smallest vector layer and must either match or be within the of the extents of each layer you wish to use) then clip all your input vector layers to this common extent.\n\nYou can use Extract Layer Extent under Layer tools in the Processing toolbox and use the result to clip your input layers.\n\nOr alternatively can use the extent of the visible map canvas by typing the following in the Python console.\n\nprint(iface.mapCanvas().extent())\n\n\nOr toggling this button in the status bar at the bottom of the screen\n\n\n\n\n\nYou can then use Extract/Clip by Extent, under Vector Overlay in the Processing toolbox, to clip your input vector data to a uniform extent.", "RTL (right to left) or bi-directionality is a property of the textbox or edit control. The Turkish \"i\" issue is an common character mapping problem in ANSI encodings or thinking between Unicode and ANSI.\n\nThere are several important things to check for Unicode support such as\n- Test using Unicode only language families such as the Indic languages\n- Test for proper key sequencing and glyph manipulation with Indic, Arabic, Hebrew, etc.\n- Test for character clipping with chars in the Thai and Vietnamese languages\n- Test for support of surrogate pair characters\n- Test input, display, file I/O, and OLE (copy/paste)\n- Test appropriate utf encodings (e.g. UTF8, UTF16)\n- Although not Unicode, for compliance in China check for GB 18030 support\n\nIf general if a character displays as a square it usually means you don't have the proper font installed. If the Unicode characters show up as question marks you are not 100% Unicode enabled. If the Unicode chars turn to garbage then the code is likely converting to ANSI somewhere along the way.\n\nThis should get you started.", "There is a small clip behind the handle that retains it to the regulator shaft.You have several options to repair it. The first is to pry on the handle until you destroy the clip and replace it when you install the new handle. Using this method generally results in a damaged door panel also. Any auto parts store sells a door panel tool for under 10 bucks that removes the clip without damage to the door panel. The third option is to locate a window crank knob. Most auto parts stores have a display rack that has items from a company called \"HELP\" it is a division of Dorman. They specialize in small items that frequently break or get lost. You may be able to find a knob that can be installed without taking off the handle.", "Adobe Dynamic Link is a great tool, but unfortunately at the end of the day it can be problematic as it has its limitations. As After Effects is almost entirely focused on video, it doesn't surprise me that audio would be one of these limitations.\nBefore dynamic linking existed, we always had to do round-tripping (sending files to another program, working on it there, and then sending a new rendered copy back to replace in the original program's timeline). Visual effects work in the Adobe Suite that hits these limitations with linking, such as this sound-related one you've run into, just means that you have to resort to this old-fashioned method as you've found.\nIn fact because dynamic link can cause problems, if I'm doing anything other than basic text or whatnot I only use the "Replace with AE..." tool to send clips to AE. After it's sent over, I hit Ctrl+Z (undo) in Premiere to undo the timeline, breaking the link and getting back the original clip that I just sent in the proper place/time.\nTherefore, I'm always exporting a fresh clip straight out of After Effects to drop into the Premiere timeline. There's a few reasons for this:\n\nDynamic linked clips in the Premiere timeline use a TON of processing power because it's doing the calculations for the dynamic linked clip on the fly, like when you play it back in After Effects without any ram preview cached. You've probably noticed that it can stutter and struggle to make it through a linked clip when you're playing through the timeline, and sometimes slow you down even when you're not looking at it because it's anticipating. For anything remotely intensive, I unlink after sending to AE to avoid this problem, and round trip it back.\nSimilarly, round-tripping also saves you tons of render time on the video when you're rendering out the Premiere file. Let's say you watch your final render and notice you misspelled something in the credits or a cut is off-time. Re-rendering means it's going to have to recalculate all of the dynamically linked clips again, whereas if you had your individually rendered VFX clips in the timeline, it can breeze through them as it's just a normal video file.\nThe dynamically linked clip is Premiere's interpretation of the After Effects file, and Tthis can cause some issues and visual glitches with dynamic link rendering just as can happen when dynamic rendering AE files in Media Encoder. These are usually really specific issues with transparency, color science, plugins, and even sometimes referring to the wrong composition or a seemingly old version.\n\nI know it's quite annoying, but you've clearly gotten the basic concept of how to round-trip it without the link. Here's a few things that could help or improve your workflow:\n\nLike you said, you can increase the AE comp time to give you more working room. However to avoid having to do it multiple times, I suggest you just add more time than you know you'll need, and use the "trim comp" tool at the end of your process. Drag the work area range to where your final length should be, right click it, and select trim comp to work area.\nTo expand on your point on organizing, my suggestion is to create a folder (in your OS explorer) parallel to your footage folder where you can save your new clips. Use a consistent naming convention so that you can always match it with the original clip. For instance, original file: A002_C003.mp4 should be saved as A002_C003-VFX001.mp4 or some other format which distinguishes it as the modified clip, and also allows for revision files to be created without having to go "-VFX-ACTUALfinalfinal2," hahah.\n\nAdditionally, I'm sure you'll be able to find some other ways to shave time out of your workflow. If you haven't already, try to learn the After Effects hotkeys as it will save you a lot of time with even these steps you're describing.\nI hope I helped at least somewhat! Sorry there's not a more convenient way, but I also recommend reporting this as a bug to Adobe, as it really should be a true functionality.", "You need to create a sequence. If you're not familiar with video codecs, the easiest way to do so is to right-click on your clip in the project panel and select New sequence from clip ..., which will create a sequence using the resolution and framerate from your clip.\n\nOnce you've created the sequence, it should appear as a timeline in the lower right area of your screen. If you have not yet set an in- and outpoint, your video will be in the sequence as a whole. Make sure to delete that (right-click on the video in the timeline and select Clear), so that you get an empty timeline to start with.\n\nThen you can start putting your video together. Set the in- and outpoint for the first scene from your video that you want to use and then drag the clip from the project panel into the timeline (alternatively, you can push insert (shortcut ,) or overwrite (shortcut .)). Move on to the next scene in your video, again set in- and outpoint and insert the clip into the timeline, and so on. \n\nOnce you have everything arranged in your sequence, you can export the sequence as a whole via File -> Export -> Media ....", "It could possibly be caused by exploding gradients, try using gradient clipping to see if the loss is still displayed as nan. For example:\n\nfrom keras import optimizers\n\noptimizer = optimizers.Adam(clipvalue=0.5)\nregressor.compile(optimizer=optimizer, loss='mean_squared_error')", "The armature is there, it is huge.\nTo see it select the object on the outliner and on the 3D viewport press Numpad Period\n\n\n\nYou might need to adjust the clip start and end for the viewport...\n\nAlternatively use the scale option on the importer to make the size more reasonable:", "CDS is based on ORF prediction and unless the protein product is known it is classified as an mRNA for a hypothetical protein (Refseq id: XM_*). \n\nAs Devon Ryan said sometimes UTR ends are not accurately annotated. If you are interested in finding the 3' end of 5'UTR then the problem is basically to find the translation start site. You can have a look at ribosome profiling experiments or try doing eIF2 CLIP-RNAseq (I don't think it has been done); peptide sequences may not be of help because N-terminal region in many cases, gets clipped.\n\nIf you are interested in finding the 5' end of 5'UTR then the problem is relatively simple. You just need to do a 5'-RACE followed by Sanger sequencing (this would work in most cases or you can do a deep-RNAseq). \n\nThere are official GTF files that provide the most reliable annotations. For human I would recommend GENCODE. \n\nIn the annotations the term Gene denotes the entire DNA region that is responsible for all of its RNA products (splice variants, alternate start/termination etc). Other features include Transcript, Exon, CDS, UTR and in some cases translation start site is separately annotated. CDS comprises of just the protein coding region. \n\nYou should read more about the GTF/GFF annotation format.", "In the process of submitting a bug report, I tested the same input samples on the nightly build of FFMPEG of 11 February 2020, which fixed the problem. That nightly build had version:\n\n\nffmpeg version git-2020-02-11-f15007a\n\n\nTo install a nightly build, I suggest using the compiled binaries from Zeranoe. Beginners should choose \"Static\" libraries, which includes the required libraries in the build.\n\nI suspect that the problem is due to the input samples being slices of an hour-long footage, which is longer than the EU restriction on camcorders. Using the nightly build avoids this case of sound and video out of sync even with shortest clip trimming.\n\nFor the EU restriction, see Filesystem that records longer than 4 GiB, or one hour without interruption or Why is there a limit restriction to the 1080p film video?.", "Yes, you can store an opened pack of dried yeast without a problem. Seal the pack as well as you can (plastic clips for just that purpose are very common, or you can just use an office 'bulldog' clip), and put it in the fridge.", "The item isn't taking up storage space, as the storage quota comes off the organization that owns the Shared Drive. It is however displayed in Shared with Me, and that is your concern. So, it is more a problem of organization/clutter. Under usual circumstances, one would be able to remove the item from Shared with Me, but that option is disabled. I confirm that I'm able to reproduce the problem. \n\nThe best way forward is to leave feedback to the Google Drive developers about how you don't like this problem. You can do that by clicking on the ? icon on the top right of drive.google.com, then clicking \"Send feedback\". Alternatively, in the mobile app, tap the menu, then tap \"Help and feedback\", then \"Send feedback\".", "Your problem is not one of encoding but one of decoding.\nTry C-x RET r utf-8 RET, which should re-decode your file as utf-8 rather than that which was used by default. I recommend you add a -*- coding: utf-8; -*- on the first line of your file to avoid those problems (alternatively, you can change your Windows's Emacs config so as to default to using utf-8 like Debian).", "Assuming I understood your question correctly (which I'm not certain of, given your poetic writing style that appears to have transcended past the need for meager punctuation), you can still double click the image in the program monitor to get into the 'free transform' mode. I just tested it in the current version of Premiere Pro CC and it works as expected.\nAlternatively, you can select the clip that you want to move/scale in the timeline and open the Effects Control panel. Click on this icon next to the Motion tab:\n\nThis will also enter the free transform mode that allows you to move/scale the clip.", "While this MSDN page does claim that SV_RenderTargetArrayIndex can be written in a pixel shader, I believe this is incorrect. Viewport array index and RT array index values are both intended to be output by the geometry shader stage. They can then be read by the pixel shader (and have a constant value per-primitive, based on the GS output). However, it is not possible to set these values from the pixel shader.\n\nThe stereo instancing approach detailed in those slides is interesting precisely because it avoids using slow geometry shaders. However, if you're not using GS, you can't use multiple viewports or render target arrays. That's why the stereo instancing approach uses one large viewport and bakes each eye's viewport transform into its projection matrix, and requires clip planes.\n\nClip planes should work, so if you're having problems with them, you could post another question detailing the specific issues (preferably with screenshots) and we can try to figure that out.\n\n(For completeness, note that if you're using OpenGL, the GL_AMD_vertex_shader_viewport_index extension is available on recent GPUs from all three IHVs and allows setting the viewport index from the vertex shader.)", "I don't entirely understand what you were doing with the troubleshooting, but the problem may be the camera clipping.\n\nIn the Properties Panel (N while cursor is in 3D view) you can change the viewport clipping.\nBy selecting the camera and going to the camera properties you can change the camera clipping.\n\n\n\nIncreasing these values will allow more of the scene to be rendered.", "What I've done in the past is have a couple of cheap (£20) tie-clip mics in a rucksack. If you use a bag with a top flap rather than a zip-up bag, you can clip each mic to either side of the flap, or attach them to the shoulder straps and have all the cables out of sight inside the bag.\n\nI've done this for discreet recordings, and for walking around. With the top-flap, you can always clip the mics to the inside of the flap to protect from wind, if you don't find it affects sound quality too much.\n\nSince the mics are on your back, you're avoiding things like breathing sounds, and you'll be getting more ambience and less of what's going on in front of you (like dialogue).\n\nAnd also you won't be walking around with a microphone coming out of your head.", "Adobe Premiere Pro actually has a multicamera mode you can use where it will display all the videos playing together and you can switch between them. You just line up the time and then can swap. If they aren't time synced, then you can simply cut clips out and place them at will. That's why it is called non-linear editing (NLE), because you can take clips and put them together without having to work linearly (deck to deck) like you used to.\n\nWhile links are generally discouraged, I think this link to Adobe's help pages is probably the most ideal explanation of how to do multicamera editing.", "Unfortunately, kazanaki's answer is your only choice.\n\nThere are multiple ways to change the speed of a clip in premiere, namely:\n\n\nThe Speed/Duration panel that can be access via the context menu of a clip (right-click).\nThe Rate Stretch Tool (Shortcut R)\nTime remapping using keyframes. \n\n\nThe first two do the same thing, that is change the speed of an entire clip by a constant amount. They are also intertwined, so if you change the speed and duration of a clip using the Rate Stretch Tool, the new values will also appear in the Speed/Duration panel.\n\nTime remapping works differently from those tools, as it allows for speed changes over time. That is, you can set keyframes for 400%, 200% and 100% speed (as in your example) and Premiere will interpolate between those keyframes, creating a smooth speed transition. However, this has no effect on the audio stream of the clip. From the documentation:\n\n\n When you vary the speed of a clip with linked audio and video, the\n audio remains linked to the video, but remains at 100% speed. The\n audio does not remain synchronized with the video.\n\n\nSource\n\nI don't know if there is a reason why Adobe has designed it this way (I assume there are technical reasons for this), but at the moment there is no way to adjust audio speed alongside a video using time remapping.\n\nIf this behaviour bothers you, you can always write up a Feature Request for Adobe to consider for future releases of the software.\n\nAn alternative would be to cut your audio in Adobe Audition and use a Dynamic Link to import it back into your Premiere Pro projekt. If I recall correctly, adjusting the audio alongside the video as described above is also possible in After Effects, but don't quote me on that ...", "Have you ever heard of the requirement to maintain impedances on fast data lines? 940 Mbps can be regarded as a frequency of 470 MHz in that the equivalent symbol rate is 940 Mbps and at this frequency, one wavelength is about 0.64 metres (as an air borne radio wave). In cable this reduces because the velocity of propagation is something like 70% so the wavelength becomes smaller at about 0.45 metres.\n\nAs a golden rule, to avoid disrupting impedances too much and causing bad reflections, engineers use the rule that you should avoid uncontrolled runs of data that are more than one-tenth of the wavelength. One tenth of 0.45 metres is 45 mm.\n\nSo if you have splayed open the cable in order to attach crocodile clips and the overall length of that \"modification\" is greater than about 45 mm (including the croc clip length) then you are on the verge of asking for trouble.", "I am not aware of any particular term for showing the schedule. It's just a schedule of upcoming programs and may include playing teasers or previews, which are the video clips to promote upcoming shows. It could also be referred to as filler since it is content that is run while the credits are going (which they have to display) but want to fill it with some more interesting content.", "People are used to buttons that trigger actions in software applications. However, I see two problems:\n\n\nThe user needs confirmation that the file was uploaded, otherwise they will feel nothing happened\nIf the file they selected is the incorrect one, the user will panic and close the browser. It's very easy to select the wrong file. \nThe alternative is to maybe pop up an alert - \n\"Uploading file.jpg\" \nContinue / Cancel\n\n\nor display a message next to the attachment. i.e.\n\n[file.jpg] / Remove / Send /", "When it comes to graphics, the term \"culling\" by itself doesn't really have a single definition or location within the pipeline. The term is sometimes applied to primitives and it is sometimes applied to fragments. It is sometimes applied to faces based on orientation relative to the camera, and it is sometimes applied to primitives based on various parameters. So it's not useful to talk about \"culling\" as though it is a single thing; there are a lot of things called \"culling\".\n\nBy contrast, \"clipping\" with regard to the graphics pipeline is almost always used to refer to what happens to the vertices of primitives after any programmable shading, but before rasterization. Clipping happens differently for different kinds of primitives, but the basic idea is to take a primitive and split it into one or more primitives, such that all of the new primitives are entirely within the clip-space volume.\n\nIf a primitive is partially outside of the clip-space boundary, the process of clipping creates one or more new triangles that are entirely within that boundary. The clip-space boundary, through the viewport transform, defines everything which is visible with the current rendering state, so if something is outside of the clip-space boundary, it is not visible. Well, in theory; in practice, there are ways to draw stuff outside of the viewport (point size, line width, multisampling, etc), but nevermind those now.\n\nNow this describes the abstract model of how OpenGL and similar specifications talk about rendering. What actually happens in the hardware is often a different matter. Because clipping has the potential to generate many primitives from one (and thus make the pipeline choke a bit, since it has to run more rasterization cycles), hardware tends to avoid performing actual clipping unless absolutely necessary. So the notion that it is a performance optimization is not really true.\n\nNote that a primitive which is entirely outside of the clip-space boundary gets clipped into nothingness. This particular case is often called \"culling\" the primitive, which is why the terms sometimes get used in similar places. Point primitives are either rasterized or culled; they don't ever undergo real clipping (since there is only one vertex). But overall, this process of reducing primitives to those within the clip-space boundary is referred to as \"clipping\", not \"culling\".\n\nClipping also allows users to define some user-defined clipping parameters, which clip primitives based on values provided by the previous vertex processing stages. You can use these to implement clipping planes, such that primitives are clipped at the intersection of an invisible plane. All parts of a primitive on one side of the plane are visible, but not on the other side.\n\nThings which are referred to as \"culling\" formally within rendering APIs:\n\n\nFace culling. Discarding triangle primitives based on their winding order relative to the viewport.\nVertex-based culling (a relatively new feature), whereby entire primitives can be culled based on vertex processing parameters.\n\n\nThe article you're talking about seems to mostly equate \"culling\" with visibility culling techniques. These are computations implemented by user code which chooses to render or not render an object based on whether it is visible. These can range from the very simple frustum culling test (ie: asking if the object is even close to the visible region) to complex BSP systems or portal visibility culling (which attempt to detect if objects are entirely behind static geometry). But these are not part of the GPU's rendering pipeline, even if GPU processes are sometimes used to do such testing.\n\nOverall, that article gets more wrong than it does right, so it's best to just pretend you never read it.", "Belaying Multi-pitch\n\nIt's often recommended to belay off the harness (an \"indirect\" belay) when belaying the leader, and off the anchor (a \"direct\" belay) when belaying the follower. Use of an indirect belay for the leader reduces the force on the anchors, but does require consideration of how the belayer may be pulled in a fall. Use of a direct belay for the follower similarly minimizes the force on the anchor by avoiding the pulley effect.\n\nWhen the anchor pieces are extremely solid (e.g. bolts), a direct belay may be desirable in both cases. Still, do bear in mind that neither setup is mandatory; if a direct belay would place you in an awkward or less secure position then an indirect belay would offer, you should probably use the indirect belay and vice versa.\n\nBelaying the leader\n\nShould the leader fall before placing any protection, and continue falling past the belayer, the direction of pull then comes from below, and so the belayer must reverse their braking direction. As the belayer may not recognize the implications of this and thus not respond quickly enough, it's common to want to find some way to redirect the rope. However, an easier way to address this is for the belayer to bring their brake hand around behind their hip, rather than making a habit of braking purely downwards. Having your hand further from the device when it's locked-off may also reduce rope burns in a high fall factor situation as more rope can slip through the device before it has to also slip through your hand.\n\nIf a redirect is still wanted, the leader can do this by clipping the rope into the shelf, master point, or the topmost piece of the anchor, which the belayer may unclip once additional protection has been placed. Alternatively the belayer could lower themselves a few meters below the anchor. I've also seen it suggested that the previous leader could climb slightly above the belay station in order to place an initial piece, and descend to build the belay anchor. (This makes an exception to the \"never back-clip\" rule, as back-clipping this piece lets the rope run the correct direction when the other climber takes the lead.)\n\nRedirecting the belay by clipping the anchor may slightly reduce the fall factor due to the additional rope out. However, it also means the belayer will be pulled violently into that piece when such a fall happens. The pulley effect will also multiply the force on the anchor (or the particular piece that was clipped) in contrast to a direct belay. Thus, unless the clipped piece is solid (e.g. a bolt) and the belayer can also be anchored to prevent them smashing into it, it may be preferable for the leader to simply place good protection soon after leaving the ground rather than clipping the leader's rope into the anchor.[1] (Of course, if you have an extremely solid anchor, you might also consider a direct belay.)\n\nA strong argument for an indirect belay (off the harness) is that by incorporating the belayer into the system, some of the load on the anchor is shifted to the belayer's stance. This may be helpful if the quality of the anchor or gear is in question. If you do use an indirect belay, be mindful of the direction a fall will pull the belayer. It's also advisable to clip the belay device into both the rope tie-in loop and the belay loop when doing this, in order to prevent discomfort from the harness being twisted in two different directions.[2] (Clipping the belay loop vs. clipping the tie-in loop is also a way you can further adjust the amount of force going to the anchor.)\n\nOn the other hand, a direct belay (off the anchor) will be much easier to escape if something goes wrong, and essentially eliminates the weight of the belayer as a factor in catching falls. This may be beneficial if the leader significantly outweighs their belayer, but it also means that it's harder to give a \"soft catch\". It also places significantly higher forces on the anchor and gear.[3] (Along those same lines, use of a tube-style belay device such as an ATC or Reverso will allow additional rope slippage that further reduces the impact on the anchor.)\n\nReferences:\n\n\nWill Gadd \"Anchor Clipping #2 (Now 3)\nhttp://willgadd.com/anchor-clipping-2/\nBelaying – From the 'Rope Loop' or from the harness 'Belay Loop'?\nhttp://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=1129\nMax Berger \"Steinzeitmethode Fixpunktsicherung?\"\nhttp://www.bergundsteigen.at/file.php/archiv/2012/3/36-41%20%28steinzeitmethode%20fixpunktsicherung%29.pdf", "It's difficult to answer without seeing exactly how the clipping mask is applied in Layers Panel, but....\nThere are actually 2 forms of clipping masks:\n\nObject-based clipping masks (Most common)\nLayer-based clipping masks\n\nLayer-based clipping masks are created by selecting a path on a layer and then choosing Make Clipping Mask from the Layers Panel Menu\n\n(This is the only way to create layer-based clipping masks I'm aware of.)\nThis ties the clipping mask to the layer not any particular object or group of objects. This type of mask hides everything outside that path on that layer, regardless of object bounds. If it's on that layer the path hides it.\nThe problem with Layer-based clipping masks is...\n...you can only use ONE per layer.\nWhen you attempt to copy an existing layer-based clipping mask on the same layer, Illustrator gets really confused. Illustrator is unsure what to mask and what not to mask and it's hard to state what may or may not change in terms of masking. In my experience, results are largely unpredictable.\n\nOften the original clipping mask works hiding all the copied content... but sometimes everything will appear masked. You end up with multiple layer-based clipping masks which are conflicting with one another.\nThe solution is to use object-based clipping masks, adjust to a compound clipping mask, or plan layers in advance.\n\nObject-based masking Use object-based clipping masks. Select the Clipping Path and use Edit > Cut then use Edit > Paste in Front. Then select everything and choose Object > Clipping Path > Make. This will create an object-based clipping path and a Clip Group in the Layers Panel. This will also allow you to copy the mask and\nit's objects to any other layer or artboard while retaining the\nmask.\n\nCreate a compound clipping path for the layer-based mask Select both the mask paths and choose Object > Compound Path > Make. This will convert the\ntwo separate clipping paths to a single compound path and the mask\nwill work expected.\n\nPlan Ahead\nDuplicate the Layer, Move the artwork into place and then you can copy the artboard without copying the art to create an\nadditional artboard.\n\n\nThis is really a primary issue because artboards are not tied to layers in any way. So copying an artboard doesn't copy the layer. So the mask gets all "hinky" and befuddled.\nEach of the 3 solutions above work well. What may be appropriate for any particular file varies.\n(Animations from CS6 because it's better than CC2017. But I did just check CC2017, this is all absolutely still valid for CC versions as of CC2017 - the only difference is the layer panel reads <Rectangle> with an underline for the clipping paths rather than reading <Clipping Path> with an underline.).", "Currently, the EV3 education software can be downloaded for free\n\nhttps://education.lego.com/en-us/downloads/mindstorms-ev3/software\n\nIt includes the program for the spinner factory, perhaps you can study that program and compare it with your own implementation to find the problem\n\nAlternatively and probably much more instructive, you could learn how to debug programs. For EV3 this is easiest with inserting sound alert or displaying values on the EV3 screen (with a wait block) during the steps of your program, you can find hints on how to debug a program here:\n\nhttp://stemrobotics.cs.pdx.edu/sites/default/files/debug.pdf" ]

[ "Abstract : Security Assistance programs, key elements of both the National Security Strategy and National Military Strategy, are means by which the nation and regional combatant commanders exercise influence. Today these tools are losing their effectiveness as foreign policy instruments. This study examines the largest program country cases, those of Egypt and Israel. It reviews the need for and effectiveness of these programs, while noting their high cost. This analysis then addresses the program support supplied the twelve New Independent State (NIS) nations. Analysis confirms U.S. support is insufficient to achieve the goals outlined by the President of the United States, and written in U.S. national strategies. This study concludes by recommending ways to improve the productivity of the overall program to the Secretary of Defense." ]

[ "Abstract:This article situates the experiences of Baltic, Jewish, and Polish Displaced Persons within the overlapping stories of occupation policy, refugee circumstances, the gathering Cold War, and the process of rebuilding Germany. Using evidence from both the British and American Zones of Occupation, it explains the symbiotic processes of labeling the various groups of the uprooted and the shifting feelings of empathy that occupation authorities experienced for them. The connections between logistics and policy during mass population movements figure in this account, but the author focuses on shortages in housing and employment to trace reevaluations of who was most deserving of assistance.", "This guide was originally created by Rick Keogh The resources here will assist you in researching security measures in communications.", "Buffer overflow vulnerabilities may be today's singlemost important and most common security threat.In this paper,first analyzes the shortcomings of run-time defenses of buffer overflow attacks, and then presents an approach and a tool to statically detect buffer overflow vulnerabilities.By adding annotations to source code and using annotation-assisted static analysis,the approach can detect potential safety vulnerabilities in the programs before the software is deployed.", "Transformations of attributed derivation trees are considered. A tree transformation may invalidate attribute instances, not only in the restructured part of the tree, but also elsewhere in the tree. To make the attribution of the tree correct again requires a reevaluator. For some evaluation strategies, reevaluators are defined that work optimally in the number of visits to tree nodes and the number of recomputations.", "Following the downturn of the \"transitional\" economy in Kazakhstan, hundreds of thousands of Kazakh villagers left their homes for urban areas. In this essay I argue that Kazakh identity, generally understood to be based on the idea of common descent, has been continuously reevaluated under the stress of the postsocialist transitional period. What seems to be an outcome of this reevaluation is the formation within the nation of", "While software agents have been employed in payment protocols, they are largely passive entities, i.e., they participate in the payment protocol but do not make decision. In this paper, we propose an agent-assisted payment protocol called LITESET/A+ that empowers the payment agent (PA) to perform encryption operation for its owner. This is realized by introducing a Trusted Third Party (TTP) in the payment system based on the SET protocol (Secure Electronic Transaction) and a novel signcryption-threshold scheme. In LITESET/A+, the PA and TTP collaborate together to ensure the same level of security as the SET specification. At the same time, with the signcryption-threshold scheme, the PA is more flexible and autonomous during trading.", "The paper, according the investigation and research of the requirement of rural grid security risk management, designs a decision support system to assist decision-making of security risk management. System database and knowledge base were built, progress the model of security risk assessment. The application of methods of statistical analysis and reasoning, avoids, prevents and controls the security risk of rural power network effectively. Through system applying in Changchun rural power company, improved the quality and level of decision on security risk management.", "The Network Time Security specification provides measures which are designed to add security to time synchronization protocols, while considering their specific timing-related requirements. The development of the specification is accompanied by formal analysis of its security model. Special attention is paid to the Network Time Protocol, for which an implementation of those measures is in progress.", "Art Ehuan is a director with Forward Discovery, an information security company that provides extensive cyber training and services to law enforcement agencies in the United States and internationally. Ehuan currently provides training to international law enforcement organizations through the United States Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Office of Antiterrorism Assistance. Ehuan has previously served as a Special Agent with both the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) and was responsible for managing large-scale cyber investigations. Ehuan has also spent considerable time in corporate information security departments and has worked with law enforcement to address cybercrime impacting organizations and companies.", "The Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001 placed airport security under direct federal responsibility in response to the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington DC. With the creation of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) the federal government mandated new security goals including the implementation of 100% hold baggage screening. Realizing the purchase and installation of new explosive detection systems and the training of over 20,000 qualified security screeners in the nation's airports has proven to be a difficult task. A proposal by JFK IAT LLC (a consortium that owns and operates Terminal 4 at JFK International Airport) that may reduce costs and personnel calls for a three tiered system involving Smart X ray technology, operator assisted explosive detection systems (EDS) machines and manned trace detection devices.", "Abstract Autonomous vehicles (AVs) attract a lot of attention recently. They are expected to assist/replace the human drivers in maneuvering the vehicle, thereby reducing the likelihood of road accidents caused by human error, as a means to improve the road traffic safety. However, AVs have their inherent safety and security challenges, which have to be addressed before they are ready for wide adoption. This paper presents an overview of recent research on AV safety failures and security attacks, as well as the available safety and security countermeasures.", "CONTEXT The PACSS team develops semantically well-founded tools for code analysis, both for safety or security purposes. Research topics that are covered by the team are (not exhaustively): proof assistant, abstract interpretation, certification, binary code analysis, security properties, reasoning in presence of active attackers. Several PhD and/or research engineers positions are open in the team. These positions are supported by several collaborating projects: ERC, FUI, Idex Grenoble (...)", "The aim of the publication is to brief on a safe and cost-effective security solution cost and time estimation tool for small to medium size enterprises since most of these either do not have a budget for cyber security or are miniscule in general. Evaluation tool will be used to determine approximate time and costs a small company might face implementing a comprehensive security solution. Analyzing ISO/IEC 27002:2013 standards, additional security guidelines and several recommendations was necessary to creates the IT security implementation evaluation tool. The resulting product is a tool that allows any member of an enterprise to carry out a small test to determine the necessary resources and time for security implementation.", "staff in the department consists of a curator, an assistant curator and three assistants. One of the assistants is employed exclusively on the Donald Thomson Collection. Two part-time workers assist in a voluntary capacity.", "Battlefield nuclear weapons (BNW) have become a major Alliance concern. In the wake of the INF Treaty, the superpower summit at Reykjavik, and the proposals of Mikhail Gorbachev, NATO is reevaluating nearly every aspect of its defense posture. This book is designed to contribute to that reevaluation by analyzing what deterrent value BNW have, and whether they offer the military capability necessary to offset the potential damage to Alliance cohesion. To help sort out answers to these questions, CSIA held a conference on BNW, organized by fellows Stephen Biddle and Peter Feaver. This paper, in presenting the results of that conference, has three purposes: to introduce the issues raised by BNW in the post-INF era, to present a survey of the specialist debate, and to analyze the disagreements underlying the debate.", "Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) are the two most common causes of dementia, and much effort has been devoted to their differential diagnosis. However, current epidemiological, clinical and neuropathological evidence points to a substantial overlap between AD and VaD and suggests that vascular pathology, the traditional cornerstone of the differential diagnosis between the two entities, may not represent as clear a line of demarcation as originally believed. It may be time to reevaluate the dichotomy between AD and VaD.", "The erosion of the traditional market is forcing hospitals and physicians to reevaluate their historical relationships. One method for addressing the potential conflicts created by current pressures is the formation of physician-hospital networks. These entities are formed and function on the basis of mutual interests and responsiveness to change.", "Subtitle: Few corporations fully understand all of the risk management assistance that's now available. To make this a little easier, our customs expert offers a brief update of emerging technology, organizations, and best practices that every security-minded supply chain professional should know.", "【Objective】To compare the clinical effect of video-assisted thoracoscopy with axillary small incision surgery and conventional thoracotomy surgery in the treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax【.Methods】A total of 53 patients were enrolled in this study.Among them 27 patients were treated with video-assisted thoracoscopy with small incision surgery(A group),26 with conventional thoracotomy surgery(B group).Operation times,incision size and hospitalization times were recorded and compared.【Results】Operation times,size of surgical incision and hospitalization times of video-assisted thoracoscopy with axillary small incision surgery group were significant lower than conventional thoracotomy surgery group(P 0.05).【Conclusion】Using video-assisted thoracoscopy with axillary small incision surgery to treat spontaneous pneumothorax is safe,with little damage and fast restoration.", "Today, Radio Frequency ID (RFID) technology is adopted in many applications such as asset tracking, supply chain management, manufacturing, retailing, payment systems, security and access control [1]. In this poster, we consider a novel application that we call city tagging, where the tags are attached or embedded in buildings and immovable structures to assist localization and landmark annotation [2].", "This paper briefly describes the main ideas and implementation of technology strategy of Embedded real-time system security level assessment which is important part of mechanism to system flexibility based on embedded real-time system, designs the embedded real-time system security level assessment system based on pattern matching for the characteristics of embedded real-time systems. By building security level assessment system and simulation testing environment based on RT-Linux real-time operating system, the impact of Embedded real-time system security level assessment strategy on performance of RT-Linux was tested.", "Recent changes in computational sciences force reevaluation of the role of dense matrix multiplication. Among others, this resulted in a proposal to consider generalized matrix multiplication, based on the theory of algebraic semirings. The aim of this note is to outline an initial object oriented model of the generalized matrix-multiply-add operation.", "[Cather (1999)][1] reevaluated piercing lines created by depositional pinch-outs and truncations of Jurassic-Cretaceous strata across the Rio Grande rift to conclude that a minimal dextral offset of 85 km of these rocks postdates their deposition. His graphical depiction of the data and analysis of", "This contribution reevaluates the circuit prototype of tunable diplexers based on the ‘dual-manifold’ concept. The targeted application are diplexers whose channel center frequencies can be arbitrarily positioned, resulting in contiguous and non-contiguous channel spacing.", "Healthy life years(HeaLY) is a new indicator for measuring the burden of diseases. The data of Beijing MONICA were analyzed and reevaluated by using this indicator, and were compared with another indicator, disability adjusted life years (DALY), for the burden of diseases provided by WHO and World Bank several years ago.", "Increased use of encryption will impact operations for security and ::: network management causing a shift in how these functions are ::: performed. In some cases, new methods to both monitor and protect data ::: will evolve. In more drastic circumstances, the ability to monitor and ::: troubleshoot may be eliminated. This draft includes a collection of ::: current security and network management functions that may be impacted ::: by the shift to increased use of encryption. This draft does not ::: attempt to solve these problems, but rather document the current state ::: to assist in the development of alternate options to achieve the ::: intended purpose of the documented practices.", "Abstract The security of smart substation encrypted messages rests with the security of cryptosystems. The security of cryptosystems depends on the protection of keys. It can ensure the security of cryptographic systems and messages by ensuring that no keys are compromised. The key security problem is the key to modern information security in cryptography, and it is also a problem that smart substation information security solutions must solve. Therefore, a secure and reliable key management module is used to ensure that keys are securely and efficiently shared among authorized parties, the security of cryptographic systems and messages, and it is particularly important to meet the requirements for real-time, availability, and confidentiality of smart substations.", "Computer forensics investigations are based on the evidence search process to determine the intruder techniques and activities. Current tools are mainly focused in gathering evidence from the target system however its analysis is a highly complicated task. In this paper, we present an Automated Forensic Diagnosis System composed by a Knowledge Attack Base and a series of log analysis processes working all together to reconstruct the attack actions after a security incident occurred. The log analysis is carried out by an Event Correlation Module which helps detecting multi-step attacks as well as reducing the false positive rate. The goal is to assist the forensic investigator reducing the time and complexity of the process.", "Information security in Naval shipboard platforms is becoming increasingly important with the move towards distributed computing, increased automation, and Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) systems. Additionally, there are hard real-time requirements that must be met in a combat system, which is a critical component of the total shipboard platform. Information security services and real-time services are sometimes required simultaneously. However the real-time requirements and the security requirements conflict with one another. NSWC-DD has initiated testing of a security enhancement for the Internet Protocol, IP Security (IPSEC) in a distributed real-time environment. This paper provides a brief overview how IPSEC may be used in the platform of interest and the impact of implementing IPSEC within the kernel of the workstation operating system.", "Provided are a mobile device and a security lock control method and program for this device, by which, while time and effort of a user at the time of user authentication can be reduced, unauthorized use and incorrect operation can be effectively prevented. A combination of touch operations such as touch, drag, release, tap, flick, and the like entered onto a touch panel by a user is specified while a security lock processing means is in a state where the security lock function is on, the specified combination of touch operations is collated with a combination indicated by preset authentication information, and when they match, the security lock function is released.", "Access control that has been previously performed mainly on safety, and thus not much effort has been done to consider access control in terms of efficiency. This paper proposes a method for an efficient and secure query processing of XML data streams, such as a personal digital assistant and a portable terminal, at the client side with limited resources. Specifically, this paper proposes an access control processing that possesses a small overhead for attaining a secure result with limited memory and a method to enhance the performance, finding the parts capable of optimizing each processing step for offsetting the overhead caused by the addition of access control processing. The superiority of the new method is analyzed through an experiments.", "Part one: Social security evolution in a global perspective: What is at stake?: A brief history of social security Essential issues of social protection in our society The new approaches to securing human existence in society Part two: Understanding social security in its societal environment: What methodology?: A brief history of the sociology of social security A macro-sociological approach to the study of social security The use of macro-sociological factor analysis in comparative studies Part three: Reinventing social security in times of economic crisis: Foundations of a new political consensus: Adapting social security to a new societal environment Final reflections." ]

[ "Rajah Brooke Birdwing is a rare species of butterfly." ]

[ "The Butterfly farm is not local.", "The butterflies are active.", "The requestor is a butterfly.", "Brooke become Rajah after a bloody coup.", "The park is covered with butterflies.", "It's probably best not to take kids to see Silence Of The Lambs.", "Kids might enjoy the bird park and the gardens.", "This was probably the best solution.", "You are guaranteed to see the mentioned wildlife.", "Your husband is probably conditioned for it, like other people.", "It is very rare for farm workers to leave the country.", "The best chance for Tuppence is marriage.", "Visitors may see several different wildlife.", "A hundred species of bird has been discovered here.", "You can sometimes see hang gliders if you're lucky.", "With patience you may see many interesting animals.", "The locals rarely eat fish in their meals.", "Staying at a central base on the island is your best bet to see all there is to see.", "A person is with a butterfly.", "There are a large number of birds here.", "There are many birds in the area.", "You will be able to see a nursery that houses some native flora.", "Bornean White Rajahs", "It's very typical to find rare, exotic animals here.", "The lawn on the grounds is looked after, and there are many birds there.", "Two men enjoy the landscapes at the grand farm.", "There is a lot of unique flora and fauna here.", "At best, they're amazing on the grand scale.", "The local farming community is not available for conversation.", "The bird has wings.", "You should see Kanha because there is a lot of wildlife.", "They are not happy to take the chance because they will probably lose." ]

[ "Muslims are in the holy month of Ramadan. Around the world, they’re observing it by praying, performing acts of charity, and especially by fasting between dawn and sundown. But observing Ramadan can be a challenge in the summer, especially in hot climates, because fasting applies to beverages as well as food. Sarah Ventre from Here & Now contributor KJZZ in Phoenix reports on Muslims observing Ramadan in the Arizona desert. Read the full story via KJZZ Reporter Sarah Ventre , KJZZ reporter. She tweets @Sarazonah" ]

[ "During this month of Ramadan, many Muslims are finding it tough to go an entire day without food or water. But what happens when you add two grueling football practices in summer heat? That's the challenge facing Fordson High School's football team in Michigan. The team's coach speaks with guest host Tony Cox about what it's like to fast while preparing for the upcoming football season.", "David Greene talks to writer Wajahat Ali about how American Muslims are observing the holy month of Ramadan, soon after two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, were attacked.", "Kate Seelye visits a California family and reports on its observation of Ramadan , the Islamic holy month of fasting, which ends today. During Ramadan, Muslims do without food, drink, smoking and sex from sunrise to sunset. The family admits to cutting a few corners and says it was easier to follow tradition when they lived in the Middle East.", "Detroit Public Radio's Celeste Headlee talks to Muslims in Michigan about how they're observing Ramadan, the holy month of fasting and prayer. The report is the first in a series of <EM>Day to Day</EM> profiles of celebrations across the nation.", "In the West Bank, Palestinians observe the end of the Muslim holy month Ramadan in a somber mood. In Nablus, where residents have been locked under military curfew, many festivities are subdued. NPR's Peter Kenyon reports.", "During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, observers fast daily from dawn to dusk. And over the past few weeks, some observers in Southern California have been breaking that fast with tacos. It&#8217;s part of a campaign in partnership with Resilience OC called Taco Trucks At Every Mosque, which aims to bring Muslims and Latinos together. Here & Now&#8216;s Robin Young speaks with organizers Rida Hamida (@RidaHamida) and Ben Vazquez (@DonBenjaminV) about what they hope to accomplish. \nMore on the campaign&#8217;s event at the Islamic Society of Orange County\n\nMore Photos", "This week, Iraqis began observing the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. But this time, the traditionally peaceful Islamic holiday is being marred by violence. At least 40 people were killed in a coordinated series of attacks at the start of Ramadan on Monday. NPR's Tavis Smiley discusses the impact the violence is having on this most significant Islamic holiday with Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman with the Washington, D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).", "Muslims around the world are observing the holy month of Ramadan, a time set aside by observant Muslims for fasting and prayer. Another important obligation tied to Ramadan is Zakat, the practice of offering of money to the needy. Imam Hassan Qazwini and attorney Arsalan Iftikhar discuss government scrutiny of charitable giving in a post-Sept. 11 world and the affect on donations.", "Muslims across the United States began observing Ramadan on Tuesday. The Islamic holy month, marked by prayer, fasting and gathering at mosques, will look different this year with vaccines available. In Minnesota, Muslim leaders led an aggressive vaccination campaign in the lead-up to Ramadan, with nearly 7,000 vaccines distributed across 16 mosques. Here & Now's Tonya Mosley speaks with Imam Asad Zaman, executive director of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, about the campaign. This article was originally published on WBUR.org.", "Relief workers in Pakistan are facing an unusual problem: It's difficult for them to work on an empty stomach, and they're working on empty stomachs because they are fasting for Ramadan. Akbar Ahmed, a professor of Islamic studies and international relations at American University in Washington, D.C., discusses the challenges they face.", "NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks to Makkah Ali and Ikhlas Saleem, co-hosts of the <em>Identity Politics</em> podcast, about what its like to observe Ramadan in the American workplace.", "American Muslims observed Ramadan over these last 30 days in an atmosphere of some anxiety. There's been vocal opposition to the Muslim cultural center planned near New York's Ground Zero; the stabbing of a New York City cab driver who is Muslim; and of course, the threat of a Florida pastor to burn copies of the Quran. Host Scott Simon talks with Eboo Patel, founder and Executive Director of Interfaith Youth Core, about what it's like to be a Muslim in America.", "Islam that has been around for the past 1,400 years. Yet figuring out the exact start of the holy month of Ramadan is still a challenge. If you Google \"start of Ramadan\" this is what shows up: Take note of the \"dates may vary\" part. For much of the Muslim world, Ramadan started off a little fuzzy. Without a set date, people got a little confused. The Islamic Calendar is based off the cycle of the lunar calendar. Ramadan is the first day of the ninth month of this calendar, which is determined by the sighting of the crescent moon. This part — the sighting of the crescent moon — is what really trips people up. There's a whole moon-watching team in the Middle East but that didn't seem to answer the question this year. Many turned to Twitter and Facebook for a straightforward answer. Technically, your local mosque is who you look to for clarity. But even that gets dicey because many communities have more than one mosque in the area. Nahid Sultana, a resident of Maryland, told me on Facebook: I go to MCC [Muslim Community Center] and some of my friends go to ICM [Islamic Center of Maryland], so some started fasting today, while others will start tomorrow. It frustrates me that we are not unified even though we live within 15 miles of one another. We're within the same time zone and share the same moon. I just hope we can all agree which day Eid falls on. After extensive research, I found that the start of Ramadan actually varies depending on which hemisphere you live in. Most observers of the holiday — after sorting through the confusion — start their fasts Wednesday, July 10. For anyone interested in learning more about why this is so not straightforward, Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Shah, head of the Fiqh Council of North America, outlines some of the nuances in this video: If you feel a little silly for not knowing the exact date, you're not alone. Even President Obama's staff extended his greetings early via Twitter. Ultimately, though, Ramadan isn't about synchronizing your watches, but about reflecting and connecting with your community. So whenever you start fasting, Ramadan Kareem.", "Pakistani authorities are struggling to shutter mosques for communal prayers, a challenge that will only get harder as Ramadan begins. Diaa Hadid (@diaahadid), who covers Pakistan and Afghanistan for NPR, reports. This article was originally published on WBUR.org.", "Updated at 2 p.m. ET An intense heatwave in Pakistan has now killed more than 600 people, the government said on Tuesday. Earlier, officials had put the death toll at more than 450. NPR's Philip Reeves filed this report for our Newscast unit: \"So many people have died over the last three days that morgues in the city are struggling to cope. Karachi's always hot in the summer, but this year has seen temperatures of more than 111 Fahrenheit. \"The extreme heat's coincided with prolonged power outages. That, coupled with the city's inadequate health system, is leading to fierce criticism of the authorities. \"This is happening in Islam's holy month of Ramadan when most Muslims fast. Paramilitary forces are running makeshift medical camps on the streets to help people suffering from the heat. Officials say the victims include many elderly, suffering from fever and dehydration.\" The BBC reports that in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, hasn't seen this kind of heat in more than a decade. The BBC adds: \"Sporadic angry protests have taken place in parts of the city, with some people blaming the government and the city's main power utility, K-Electric, for failing to avoid deaths.\" CNN reports that temperatures should cool off a bit later this week.", "The Muslim holy month of Ramadan has fallen on the longest and hottest days of the year, which means up to 15 hours of fasting in soaring temperatures. This seems to have increased the number of Muslims who aren't fully observing the fast, and may be sneaking a bite or a drink — though no one wants to say so on the record. \"I'm thirsty from 7 o'clock in the morning to the evening. I'm in anguish,\" says Nuha Musleh, a Palestinian and a Muslim who works with NPR in the West Bank. Like most of the 1.3 billion Muslims in the world, she's fasting during the day now. That means no food, no liquid, no smoking, no sex — complete abstinence from sunrise to sunset. And this makes people cranky, she says. Continue Reading Complaining is a Ramadan habit, but she reserves her harshest criticism for those who don't observe the fast. \"There is such a thing as 'Ramadan rage,' and it seems to be justified,\" she says. \"People are hungry. People are thirsty. But be angry, be thirsty, have that Ramadan rage. I do not appreciate Muslims not fasting.\" It's that peer pressure and fear of censure that drives many nonfasting Muslims into the shadows. Ramadan is the most important period of the Muslim religious calendar. People are asked to fast to feel closer to the poor, to purify their spirit and purge their sins. In some Middle Eastern countries, you can be arrested if you are caught not observing the fast. Here in the West Bank, people are more tolerant than in the Gaza Strip when it comes to non-observance. Even so, no one wants their friends or family to know that they aren't abstaining. At lunchtime at Cafe Zaman in Ramallah, the place is crowded. But you wouldn't know it if you were standing outside, because the blinds are drawn to protect the identity of those inside from the eyes of the curious. There's a speak-easy atmosphere here. Customers' heads are down as if they are doing something truly illicit. The wife of a Palestinian government minister is ordering a salad for her lunch. But when we ask to interview her, she is horrified and begs us not to mention her because she will be engulfed in scandal. Others are more forthcoming, but just a bit. \"It's so hot and the day is so long, this is why I'm not fasting,\" says a man named Diab. He insists that we not use his last name or take a picture of him. He suspects there are many others like him, but he doesn't really know. \"Secretly, I think many people are not fasting,\" he says. Sitting next to him is Tarek, who's smoking and drinking coffee. He agrees with Diab. \"The majority of the people who don't fast try and pretend they are fasting,\" says Tarek. He says people sneak a meal in cafes like this one or at home away from the eyes of others. Tarek says he doesn't volunteer the information that he's not fasting, but he tries to be honest. Others, though, aren't so upfront. One man who refused to have his voice recorded for fear of exposure tells me his wife thinks he's not eating or drinking when he's at work. He tells me this as he's chewing happily on a sandwich. At the main mosque in Ramallah, religious scholar Dr. Hussien Darwish says Islam allows exemptions from the fast for the elderly, the very young, the sick and others. He says lately, some of the faithful have come to him and complained, saying they can't observe the fast in the terrible summer heat, and they ask for a reprieve. Smiling, Darwish says he reminds them that the Prophet Muhammad fasted in one of the hottest places on Earth: Saudi Arabia. Lourdes Garcia-Navarro is an NPR foreign correspondent based in Israel.", "Commentator Askia Muhammad reflects on the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and the memories of his Christian childhood that it conjures.", "We're coming up on the final week of the month of Ramadan. It's the time of year when observant Muslims avoid all food and drink during the holy month's daylight hours — if they're able. When Ramadan falls during the height of summer — as it does this year — that's a lot of hours. So what's the best thing to eat to prepare you for a long fast? The pre-dawn breakfast meal — suhoor — varies quite a bit. What you serve for suhoor depends upon whether you're from the Middle East or Malaysia or the U.S., and whether you're ravenous in the morning or still a little ill from overindulging at last night's iftar, the Ramadan evening meal. Suhoor tables are spread with everything from leftovers to a dish of stewed fava beans called ful medames to hard-boiled eggs to chia seed smoothies. But no matter what you're feeling in the mood for (and can stomach early in the morning), there are a few guidelines for the most sustaining meal. Nour Zibdeh is a dietician and nutritionist in Herdon, Va., who advises many fasting patients (and observes Ramadan herself). She recommends suhoor dishes with protein, healthy fats, and fiber — as well as smoothies, fruits and water. You want to be satiated and hydrated. But, as Zibdeh notes, even the best suhoor has its limitations. \"There's no meal that will hold anyone for 16 hours. That's just basic physiology,\" Zibdeh explains. \"After 6-8 hours, the body uses up all the glucose it obtained from a meal, and then it starts to go into its glycogen.\" And after your body burns through these stores of sugar in the liver and muscles, it keeps on going. \"After 10 hours, the body even runs out from this energy reservoir, and it has to tap into the fat stores.\" For those looking to lose weight, burning through stored fat might not sound so bad. Zibdeh points out there are benefits — some of the same reasons studies have come out in support of intermittent fasting. In addition to burning fat, the time without food gives your intestines a chance to empty, and your stomach a chance to shrink. And just as importantly, Zibdeh says, fasting cuts out the habit of mindless eating. \"I eliminate mindless eating when I'm fasting,\" Zibdeh says. \"You can't lick your finger, you can't take your kids' food, you can't do any of those things.\" Zibdeh says that many of these eating habits can persist beyond the end of Ramadan. And it's more than just food behaviors that change. Manar Alattar observes the Ramadan fast from her home in Portland, Ore. Like many observant Muslims, she tries to eliminate more than just food. \"We're really taught to clean out our behavioral closet, or whatever you want to think about it as — the bad habits.\" That, she says, laughing, \"is a a little bit even more difficult if you're hungry, and grumpy.\" Over a suhoor meal of date smoothies, leftover frittat, and warmed granola, Alattar's husband, Mohamed Abdelkader, notes that doing the hard work of fasting can ready you for the hard work that you need to do internally. \"You have to push yourself to change. And that's what fasting does. So it's a practical Islam teaching.\" And though it's difficult — even with a good breakfast — this work is what Ramadan is about. \"The prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, said if you don't leave bad speech and bad actions, then God has no need for you to leave food and drink,\" Alattar says. It's up to each individual Muslim to figure out how long bad speech and bad actions will be abandoned, and the behavioral closet can stay clean.", "Safiyah Zaidi, 21, has always enjoyed celebrating Ramadan. Growing up in a Muslim household, she considers the month, when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, to be the best time of the year. \"You see all the friends that you normally don't see throughout the rest of the year, and there's food, there are lectures ... and just a real sense of community,\" Zaidi says. Zaidi says it feels surreal to be spending another Ramadan at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but she wants to make the most of it. \"One thing that's important that we did this year, not last year, is we did a lot of decoration,\" Zaidi says. \"I think that that's very important to have a physical reminder that you're now in the month.\" On Tuesday, April 13, Muslim communities across the U.S. started fasting in their second Ramadan during the pandemic. Last year, Ramadan was early on in the pandemic starting on April 24. So many events, including mosque prayers and iftars, the evening meals that break the fasting of each day, got canceled or switched to virtual. Although mosques and community organizations are continuing to create virtual events this year, some Islamic centers are holding in-person prayers. Muslim Americans are also reflecting on how the pandemic altered their fasting experiences. While the communal aspects of Ramadan are essential to the experience, the month is also centered on charity, worship, and developing empathy and connection to others, according to Tom Cloyd, 66, a council member on the governing board of the Islamic Center of Brushy Creek in Cedar Park, Texas. \"We've really pushed hard this year to get a lot done,\" Cloyd says. The center is hosting a variety of virtual events and lectures to appeal to different parts of the community. During the weekend, they have talks that are led by and centered on Muslim women. On Sundays, they hold youth-focused events. \"We started doing a community iftar via Zoom,\" Cloyd says. \"We had just started last night and we had 45 people log on.\" The mosque is holding in-person prayers at a low capacity and abiding by other guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Everyone has to bring their own prayer rug, and they are implementing social distancing and a reservation system. They also sometimes use outdoor space as well to accommodate the numbers. \"They [people] want to be together. This is a time of community and people being together,\" Cloyd says. But there's still a sense of uncertainty due to the pandemic. Ridhwan Sediqe, 23, who is usually based in the Bay Area, but is spending Ramadan this year with his family, says that he will hold off on attending in-person prayers at his mosque this Ramadan. \"The good thing is that our masjid [mosque] is live streaming so you can try to follow along,\" Sediqe says. \"I am trying to have the mindset of engaging with how folks are doing it in other spaces, like setting up WhatsApp groups where we keep each other on task about our progress with trying to do ... virtual reading circles.\" Meanwhile, Zaidi is excited about the prospect of her mosque possibly holding in-person prayers. Last year, it was challenging for her to attend countless virtual events on Zoom. \"There was a feeling of the connection not being as strong, as intense,\" she says. \"You couldn't make eye contact with the person giving the lectures.\" Connecting spiritually during Ramadan Luma Khabbaz, 24, who is based in Chicago, found that fasting during the pandemic has made her appreciate having a quieter Ramadan and the opportunity to spend more time with her family. \"I would rather celebrate and observe it. ...with my close family. I think there is such a fun camaraderie that is going to dinner parties, but you kind of lose track of the days like that,\" Khabbaz says. She also feels that she is able to connect more spiritually. Usually, she would attend the mosque for Tarawih, which are night prayers that Muslims observe during Ramadan, and listen to the Imam read the Quran during the prayers. But she instead read passages by herself last year. \"Something that I was finally kind of able to do is read Quran by myself in that setting where I felt like I was leading my own prayer,\" she says. Stripping Ramadan out of its more social and \"fun\" elements has helped her reaffirm her spiritual commitment. \"This is the ultimate test for me, the fact that when there is no one here to keep me accountable, I am fasting, I am studying,\" she says. She is also excited about spending more time cooking. Khabbaz grew up eating Syrian food, but she plans to experiment with recipes from other cuisines. \"I'm going to try to step it up,\" she says. \"Usually I'll just make something to eat, but maybe I'll make an appetizer or a dessert.\" Hope of a more \"normal\" Ramadan To many Muslims who are now vaccinated, there is more to look forward to this year than last Ramadan. Sediqe says that he is excited to go to iftar picnics with his friends, who are also vaccinated. \"I think it's definite", "Muslims around the world began their month-long observance of Ramadan this weekend. It marks the month when the Koran was revealed to Mohammed. We get an overview of Ramadan from Arsalan Iftikhar, author of the blog The Muslim Guy dot com.", "Across the world, Muslims are partaking in Ramadan, when the faithful fast from sunup to sundown, abstaining from food and water. The time is spent in spiritual reflection. But the month-long religious tradition is also spent enjoying unique foods that are only served during this reverent time of year. Abdulah Fawass, executive chef of the Mediterranean bakery and Cafe in Alexandria, Virginia, and Abbas Ammar, manager of the Al-Ameer Restaurant in Dearborn, Michigan, talk about the delicacies of Ramadan.", "The London Olympics are underway, and so is the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. And that's left many Muslim athletes facing a dilemma — to fast or not to fast? For more on how athletes are dealing with this bind, host Michel Martin talks with Al Jazeera English's Lee Wellings.", "On a sweltering day in July, Cairo temperatures top 100 degrees and the humidity is an oppressive 83 percent. There hasn't been a single day this month with a high of less than 90 — in a country where access to air conditioning is much more limited than in the United States. Add to that the fact that much of the country is fasting for Ramadan and it gives a new dimension to what the Egyptian Meteorological Association calls a \"humid heat wave.\" At Paradise Juices in a suburb called 6th of October City, Mohamed Godb, 25, helps residents cool down with fresh juices like mango, strawberry and coconut. During the hottest weather, Godb usually recommends aseer asab, or sugarcane juice. Godb's colleague scrapes the cane stalks smooth then chops them to about the length of a yardstick. Godb then feeds them into a refrigerator-sized machine that spits out a thin stream of greenish-yellow juice. Godb has few customers during the day in Ramadan, when Egyptian Muslims are fasting, but after dusk, business is better than brisk. \"The most preferred juices in Ramadan are the date juice, coconut juice and licorice,\" Godb says. \"We even sell more, twice as much, in Ramadan. That's our best season.\" In another Cairo suburb, 58-year-old baker Mahmoud Ali is dripping with sweat. With a huge oven dominating his bakery, he says the temperature inside his shop is many degrees higher than outside. \"See what happens with every step you take inside,\" Ali says. \"It is hell in there.\" He says God gives him the power to fast through the heat, and he has some advice for Americans wilting in their own heat wave. \"Have patience. I think they should come and see what we have here and then they would know,\" Ali says. He chuckles as he turns back to his roaring oven. SCOTT SIMON, HOST: People in parts of the Middle East that have been suffering through a hotter than usual summer, now imagine that in a region where temperatures usually hover around 100 degrees this time around, plus it is the month of Ramadan. Muslims are fasting in the scorching weather and going without food and water between dawn and dusk. Kimberly Adams found out how people are managing the heat in Cairo. (SOUNDBITE OF TRAFFIC) KIMBERLY ADAMS, BYLINE: On a sweltering day in July, temperatures are topping a hundred degrees and the humidity is an oppressive 83 percent. There hasn't been a single day in Cairo this month with a high cooler than 90 degrees. And in most neighborhoods in this tightly packed and polluted city, the real temperature is over a hundred with the humidity making it feel like it's up to a 115 or more. Add to that the fact much of the country is fasting for Ramadan, and it gives a new dimension to what the Egyptian Meteorological Association calls a humid heat wave. MOHAMED GODB: (Foreign language spoken) ADAMS: Mango, strawberry, coconut; 25 year-old Mohamed Godb lists the types of fresh juices he sells at Paradise Juices to help residents cool down in a suburb called 6th of October City. During the hottest weather, Godb usually recommends Asir Asab, or sugarcane juice. (SOUNDBITE OF SCRAPING) ADAMS: Godb's colleague scrapes the cane stalks smooth, then chops them to about the length of a yardstick. Godb then feeds them into a refrigerator-size machine that spits out a thin stream of greenish-yellow juice. (SOUNDBITE OF MACHINERY) ADAMS: Godb has few customers during the day in Ramadan, when Egyptian Muslims are fasting, but after dusk, business is better than brisk. GODB: (Through Translator) The most preferred juices in Ramadan are the date juice, coconut juice and licorice. We even sell more, twice as much, in Ramadan. That's our best season. ADAMS: This year, Ramadan is occurring during a particularly hot and humid season. The high temperatures make the humidity even worse, and access to air conditioning is much more limited here than in the United States. (SOUNDBITE OF MACHINERY) ADAMS: In another Cairo suburb, 58-year-old baker Mahmoud Ali is dripping with sweat. With a huge oven dominating his bakery, he says the temperature inside his shop is many degrees higher than outside. MAHMOUD ALI: (Through Translator) See what happens with every step you take inside. It is hell in there. ADAMS: He says God gives him the power to fast through the heat. And he has some advice for Americans, wilting in their own heat wave. ALI: (Through Translator) Have patience. I think they should come and see what we have here and then they would know. ADAMS: He chuckles as he turns back to his roaring oven. For NPR News, I'm Kimberly Adams in Cairo. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)", "NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with journalist Jeanne Carstensen from Athens about how Muslim refugees are spending this year's Ramadan inside of migrant camps.", "Vali Nasr is professor of international politics at Tufts University's Fletcher School and author of The Rise of Islamic Capitalism: Why the New Muslim Middle Class Is the Key to Defeating Extremism. Mid-August marks the start of the holy month of Ramadan, when hundreds of millions of Muslims will fast from dawn to dusk; for the faithful, that also means no daytime arguing, cursing, or sex. But it's not all about pious asceticism. Ramadan is a world-moving force in its own right -- an unpredictable time of rampant consumerism, surprising conflict, and political skulduggery. 1. RAMADAN IS BIG BUSINESS. Although not quite the global consumer behemoth that is Christmas, Ramadan comes in a respectable second. Yes, productivity in the Muslim world plummets during the fast, and government business grinds to a halt. But malls in Istanbul are thronged, and it's one of the busiest times of year for luxury-car dealers in Riyadh. Fast-food chains offer nighttime Ramadan \"meal deals,\" and Egyptians purchase nearly twice as much food as normal. With captive audiences at home for iftar, the nightly breaking of the fast, TV programmers roll out the year's biggest shows: 25 to 30 percent of Arab TV ad revenue comes during Ramadan. Even Australia feels the economic bounce: In the lead-up to Ramadan, exports of sheep (a holiday indulgence) spike up to 77 percent. 2. AFTER OIL, RAMADAN IS SAUDI ARABIA'S BIGGEST EXPORT. Until the 1970s, the strict observance of Ramadan remained a voluntary affair across much of the Muslim world, an expression of cultural solidarity as much as personal piety. Then came the oil shock of 1973. Petrodollars flowed into Persian Gulf coffers, gilding the desert kingdoms, which supported conservative Islamic clerics and built mosques and seminaries around the world. Guest workers brought home strict attitudes about women, education, and religious practices to the remote mountains of northern Pakistan and the flood plains of Bangladesh. Today, in Aceh, Indonesia, failure to observe Ramadan is punishable by flogging; in 2009, Egypt's Interior Ministry began enforcing edicts that made daytime eating during the holy month a misdemeanor offense. 3. RAMADAN IS A TIME OF PEACE, BUT IT'S ALSO MARKED BY WAR. Religious contemplation has not always been synonymous with pacifism. The Prophet Mohammed waged the Battle of Badr, the very first Muslim war against Meccan \"infidels,\" during Ramadan in 624. The 1973 conflict that Israelis call the Yom Kippur War is known to Egyptians, Jordanians, and Syrians -- who launched their surprise attack while fasting -- as the Ramadan War. More recently, in Iraq, the month of Ramadan has seen dramatic upticks in sectarian violence and attacks on U.S. troops, reaching a high of more than 1,400 incidents in 2007. But Ramadan has also complicated military maneuvers: During the battle of Tora Bora, some of the Afghan fighters closing in on Osama bin Laden insisted on going home at dusk to break the fast. 4. GLOBALIZATION HAS CHANGED RAMADAN. For the roughly 45 million Muslims now living in the West, strict religious observance can be a lonely affair. Work does not slow for Ramadan, and those fasting must go through the day with co-workers eating and drinking all around. Online guides have sprung up to offer advice on how to manage the resulting feelings of isolation, and influential clerics have made special allowances for Muslims living outside the Middle East. Rulings dating back to the 1970s, for instance, allow Muslims living above 64 degrees latitude (where the sun never sets in the summer months) to start and end the day's fast when it occurs in Mecca or the next major city to the south with a regular sunrise and sunset. 5. RAMADAN IS A TYRANT'S BEST FRIEND. Secular dictators have long used the holiday to shore up their sagging religious legitimacy. Turkmenbashi, the late neo-Stalinist ruler of Turkmenistan, pardoned 8,145 prisoners during Ramadan in 2005; autocrats from Damascus to Algiers have followed the same playbook. Saddam Hussein, who cynically tried to style himself an Islamist during his regime's latter years, twice made Ramadan cease-fire offers to Tehran during the Iran-Iraq War. And in 2008, when U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited Libya during Ramadan, Muammar al-Qaddafi refused to shake her hand, citing Muslim strictures against touching women while fasting -- all the while surrounded by his cohort of amazonian female bodyguards. It highlighted, once again, how the Islamic holy month has always been a mix of the sacred and the profane.", "There are clashes going on in the eastern rebel city of Benghazi, yet on the streets of the city, people are preparing for the holy month of Ramadan. NPR's Lourdes Garcia-Navarro reports from Libya on the eve of the fast.", "holy month of Ramadan. Religious events on the Christian and Jewish calendars are observed routinely on Capitol Hill, but this was a first for Islamic Americans. They hope to educate political leaders and the public about the teachings of Islam and try and get rid of stereotypes.", "Every three decades, for a period of a few years, Judaism's holiest day -- Yom Kippur -- falls during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Commentator Anisa Mehdi says that some of the faithful among Muslims and Jews are trying to make this alignment into more than just a coincidence.", "During the four weeks of Ramadan, millions of Muslims across the globe reflect abstain from food and water during the daytime and reflect on their faith and the nature of God. A series of first-person narratives explores the importance of fasting in people's lives.", "For the past month, Muslims around the world have been fasting in observance of Ramadan, abstaining from food and water during daylight hours. International rights attorney Arsalan Iftikhar and his friend, Rabiah Ahmed, board member of an online platform for American Muslims called My Faith My Voice, recall childhood memories of how their families observed the fast. IFTIKHAR: I remember my mom was like a short-order cook. She would take orders from all the kids. I would order an omelet, my sister would order pancakes, and my brother would always order spaghetti or something really weird. We'd have like a full four-course meal at 4 a.m. growing up in Chicago. I remember my grandfather — when he used to have his pre-dawn meal in Pakistan, he was building a hospital for women and a school for girls in the rural parts of the desert there. In 126-degree weather, he would just have one date and a glass of water to last him the entire day. He was 84 years old at the time. It really, really makes me appreciate everything we have here in the United States and how much harder it is for a lot of people to fast during the month of Ramadan all around the world. What was it like for you growing up in Detroit during the month of Ramadan? AHMED: It was a lot like what you're describing in your home, where your mom would wake up, and my mom would wake up and make us a huge feast. But an hour before that, what I remember is ... we were lucky to have our grandparents around during the month of Ramadan because they generally live in Pakistan. One of my favorite memories is when my grandfather would wake up before my mom and he would recite the Quran. He had memorized the Quran by heart. He would wake up around 3:00 a.m. and recite softly. I could hear him reciting softly as he would pace back and forth down the hall. It was a really beautiful and peaceful time. It was one of my most memorable moments with my grandparents. IFTIKHAR: What's interesting is we had the predawn meal, and then of course we had the time when we break your fast at sunset. And everybody always asked, \"Aren't you starving? Aren't you thirsty?\" Realistically, for those who fasted all day, you know that your stomach literally shrinks to the size of a baseball, and you could basically have a chicken drumstick and fill yourself. But psychologically, you're not [full]. You want to order like three pizzas, you want to have two calzones, and you want to eat all this food. At the end of it, you're like, \"Oh my god, what did I do?!\" But it's always interesting because of the fact that Ramadan teaches us to appreciate the psychological impact of that. So to appreciate a glass of water or a chicken wing — that we would normally scarf down without even thinking about — is something that I think is one of the major lessons of Ramadan. AHMED: For me, it's also a time to isolate yourself in your room at nighttime in the dark and have a conversation with your creator. IFTIKHAR: And to be honest, one of the things that my wife and I both liked about Ramadan the most was actually coming to your house for iftar dinner (a celebratory meal to break the fast each day), and having some of that good basil chicken that you made. She makes great Thai food — she can't really make much else. It was really good. AHMED: Thank you, I think. MICHEL MARTIN, host: Finally today, normally at this time I have my Can I Just Tell You commentary. But today, as Ramadan comes to a close, we thought we'd hear from of our regular contributors. For the past month, millions of Muslims around the world have been fasting as part of the holy month of Ramadan. That's the month during the year that observant Muslims stop eating food and drinking water during daylight hours. We asked our regular contributor Arsalan Iftikhar to share some of his memories of observing the fast. Arsalan, of course, is an international human rights lawyer. He's global managing editor of the Crescent Post.com and a regular contributor to our Barbershop roundtable. He's joined by his friend, Rabiah Ahmed. She's a board member for \"My Faith My Voice,\" which is an online platform for American Muslims. ARSALAN IFTIKHAR: So Rabiah, let me tell you a little bit about what it was like growing up for me during the month of Ramadan in Chicago. I remember that my mom was sort of like a short-order cook. You know, she would take orders from all the kids - what they wanted. You know, I would order an omelet, my sister would order pancakes, and my brother for some reason would always order spaghetti or something really weird. And, you know, we'd have like a full four-course meal at 4 o'clock in the morning growing up in Chicago. But I remember, you know, from my grandparents, for example, I remember my grandfather, when he used to have his pre-dawn meal in Pakistan, he was building a hospital for women and a school for girls in the rural parts of the desert there. And, you know, in 126-degree weather, he would just have one date and, y", "A study in Morocco finds that the average family spends 28 percent <EM>more</EM> on food during Ramadan, when observant Muslims give up eating during the day. Past studies by health experts have found that many Muslims actually gain weight during the month.", "In a media landscape that can still be pretty awful for Muslims, Tell Them, I Am, a new podcast from KPCC, aims to give Muslims a space to define their own identities outside of stereotypes and broad generalizations. Over the course of the series, host and producer Misha Euceph interviewed 22 people, all Muslims, about the defining moments of their lives. While the show dropped episodes every weekday of Ramadan, \"Tell Them, I Am\" doesn't really have anything to do with the holiday. \"If somebody released something during Christmas time or during Hanukkah,\" Euceph says, \"they wouldn't necessarily be asked about like, what are important aspects of Christmas or Hanukkah.\" It's in each guest's hands how much they want to talk about culture or religion; for some it's a central part of their story, for others it's mostly incidental. Tan France of Queer Eye talks about his first big \"I told you so,\" which involved his older brother and a metal fan. Ramy Youssef, creator of the Hulu show Ramy, talks about the medical condition that catalyzed his acting career. Alia Shawkat talks about the extremes of her stoner-y teenage rebellion, including borrowing urine to cheat a drug test (Spoiler: It didn't work). And every episode of the podcast offers glimpses into Euceph's story: the fashion she endured to be more popular in middle school; the glamour she didn't quite inherit from her mother; the drive to prove people wrong that sent her up actual mountains. The idea for Tell Them, I Am has been brewing in Euceph's head for at least a decade, maybe longer. She says that when she moved to the U.S. from Pakistan in 2003, being Muslim went from the default to a label that eclipsed her entire identity. The name of the show is about transcending that — it comes from a story in the Bible, where God responds to the question, \"Who are you?\" by saying, \"You can tell them that I am 'I am.'\" Not a name, not a category, simply, \"I am.\" We called up Euceph to ask about the highlights of her interviews — our interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. There's been a lot in the media recently about Muslims observing Ramadan, whether it's Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib breaking the fast at the Capitol with other lawmakers, or Portland Trail Blazers center Enes Kanter fasting through the height of the NBA playoffs. These stories often focus on the challenges and spirituality of fasting. But is there anything deeper about Ramadan that people miss? If somebody released something during Christmas time or during Hanukkah, they wouldn't necessarily be asked about like, what are important aspects of Christmas or Hanukkah. The way people often ask about Ramadan, it kinda goes to like, Islam 101. We release this podcast during Ramadan because it's a time of community, and a lot of coverage is being focused on Muslims in that way, where there's this Ramadan 101 going on. But there's also like, \"What is a Muslim?\" I think education about what it means to be Muslim and the rituals of being Muslim is one thing, but there's so much to Muslims beyond that. And so many Muslims are not even necessarily fasting during Ramadan, but they are experiencing some form of community that's different. And so I think just allowing them to exist outside of just those rituals and those Orthodox practices that we commonly associate with Muslims, and allowing them to be culturally Muslim and allowing them to tell their stories outside of those boxes. In the first episode of your podcast, you talk about how there's only a few very specific ways that Muslims are depicted, but there aren't ever really times where they're shown as just normal. They're very much \"othered.\" Yeah. For example, it's interesting to me that like Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar are these congresswomen who are in positions of power, and they're doing things that are actually very much traditional. Like they're showing Muslims breaking their fast or they're like introducing people to like \"Oh, like this is what it means to be a Muslim.\" But there are also other aspects of Muslim culture that are a little bit deeper toned. There's a lot of Muslim music and Muslim art and I think there is so much more of that that could actually have more impact than educating people on what Ramadan means. No one else is going to fast to try to understand what it means to be Muslim, right? But people can see Muslim art or listen to Muslim music, even if they're not Muslim, and be impacted by it in the same way. And so if there's something I want from people who are Muslim who are in positions of power, it's to get a little bit more nuanced. Because they are not thinking about the 101 aspect of being Muslim 24/7, so why are we dumbing it down for the general public? I think we actually will have a greater impact if we go a couple layers deeper. Is there a moment you had while you were recording this show that you find especially powerful or memorable? The [interview with Deana Haggag, CEO of the arts fundin" ]

[ "Paris Hilton has not eaten or slept since arriving at the medical ward of a Los Angeles jail and is being given psychoactive drugs, celebrity Web site TMZ.com reported on Saturday, citing law enforcement sources." ]

[ "Jailed celebrity heiress Paris Hilton is dropped by her showbusiness agency, according to a report.", "Paris Hilton was returned to a cramped Los Angeles jail cell after a six-day stay at a prison hospital facility, celebrity news website TMZ.com reported Thursday.", "Socialite Nicky Hilton, heiress to the Hilton hotel fortune with elder sister Paris, is seeking to annul her 2-month-old marriage to money manager Todd Meister, Us Weekly magazine reported on Wednesday.", "Paris Hilton gets the headlines. Nicky Hilton got the husband.", "LYNWOOD, Calif. &#151; Paris Hilton has reported to a Los Angeles County jail to begin a three-week stay for violating probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case.", "Socialite Nicky Hilton, 20, the younger sister of reality TV star Paris Hilton and heiress to the Hilton hotel fortune, married money manager Todd Meister in a last-minute ceremony Sunday in Las Vegas, according to media reports.", "Paris Hilton has been released after serving three days of a 23-day jail sentence in Los Angeles, a celebrity news Web site reported on Thursday.", "If the deal goes through, Paris Hilton will be doing it their way.", "Being locked in a cell was a \"traumatic experience\" and something she never expected after driving with a suspended license, a subdued Paris Hilton told CNN's Larry King on Wednesday.", "Paris Hilton and her missing pet Chihuahua, Tinkerbell, have been reunited, Hilton's spokeswoman said Wednesday.", "On Thursday, socialite Paris Hilton had apparently partied all night long, and at about half past midnight police pulled her over for driving erratically on the streets of Hollywood. She subsequently failed a field sobriety test, but according t...", "Paris Hilton was charged Tuesday with driving under the influence.", "Hotel heiress and socialite Paris Hilton has been released from prison after serving only three days of her 23-day sentence, US media reported Thursday.", "Celebrity heiress Paris Hilton was caught driving on a suspended license overnight and is to appear in court again -- while her blue Bentley remains impounded, police said on Wednesday.", "Gossip columnist Lloyd Grove is so over Paris Hilton. Grove devoted his full column in Thursday's New York Daily News to Hilton &#151; and why she won't appear there ever again.", "HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnam is having a Paris Hilton moment.", "Paris Hilton is being investigated for suspicion of petty theft, authorities said.", "Paris Hilton says she is sick of boyfriends and is celibate.", "Heiress and celebrity socialite Paris Hilton was charged on Tuesday with drunk driving, stemming from an arrest earlier this month she blamed on her rush to get a late-night burger.", "Paris Hilton is moving closer to her apparent goal of world domination.", "Paris Hilton was busted by the book, but Mel Gibson's booking was a bust.", "Paris Hilton awoke Saturday behind bars again in a maximum security detention center where the distraught hotel heiress was believed to be undergoing medical and psychiatric evaluations.", "Paris Hilton got out of jail Tuesday and immediately got back to being Paris Hilton, summoning a hair-salon van and, by her mere presence, creating a huge traffic jam that angered the neighbors.", "Celebrity Paris Hilton was arrested and charged with driving under the influence early Thursday after driving erratically and failing a field sobriety test, police said.", "NBC News is denying reports that it has offered as much as $1 million for the first interview with Paris Hilton after her release from jail next week.", "Amica di Paris Hilton, e' figlia del cantante Lionel", "It's been a rough month for hotel heiress Paris Hilton. First, her Hollywood Hills home was burglarized and now her pet Chihuahua, Tinkerbell, has disappeared.", "For once, Paris Hilton wasn't happy to be the center of attention. Hours after paparazzi swarmed the Hollywood police station where the celebutante was booked for investigation of drunk driving, she told radio host Ryan Seacrest people were making too big a deal out of her arrest.", "Paris Hilton's release from jail may be short lived.", "Paris Hilton, who has lately been spotted cuddling up to the former Blink-182 drummer, and Barker's estranged wife, Dancing with the Stars' Shanna Moakler, both filed police reports early Wednesday morning, alleging they were assaulted at a Hollywood hot spot.", "Another Hilton has landed in the gray-bar hotel. Paris Hilton's younger brother Barron Hilton was arrested Tuesday morning for allegedly driving under the influence, authorities said.", "Paris Hilton won't joke about her peeps. The hotel heiress canceled an appearance at next week's Billboard Music Awards because she didn't like the jokes written for her, according to a spokesman." ]

[ "They hood their eyes except when someone not allowed enters." ]

[ "They allow everyone to enter without batting an eye.", "The Eye did not want to capture anyone.", "It was silent as the train entered the tunnel.", "These aliens can legally leave and re-enter the U.S. when they choose.", "Passengers are entering and exiting the train.", "Someone is keeping guard.", "They need to be watched, or else they may cause trouble.", "All of them are trying to be re-elected except for Collins.", "The eyes of at least one of the men are trained on his opponent.", "They were trying to hide.", "The train was entering a dinosaur zone.", "They are being careful.", "Training will not increase anyone's capabilities.", "She was wearing a hood but her eyes were visual.", "The people are being guarded.", "They don't want to turn anyone away.", "These pets are good at keeping guard.", "Since we're flanked they're probably looking for you.", "Bob Packwood never considered re-entering politics.", "They are afraid.", "They are dealing with danger.", "Anyone of any age is allowed to enter.", "Stark's eyes shut when their eyes met.", "People know what to be afraid of.", "If you see them coming don't do anything.", "There was a great sense of suspicion about anyone who chose to embrace or simply engage with foreigners.", "A cat is trying to enter the sports bar.", "they are not looking away", "DOD training has been replaced with common sense training.", "They have a very sharp instinct.", "The items they wear are for their protection.", "They could easily be hoodwinked." ]

[ "http://www.limewire.com" ]

[ "Download TMPGEnc (it's freeware) and run the video file on it. You can split the file into two - one having the video and one having the audio.", "Well, you cant actually “view” audio files but downloading and installing quicktime is a sure fire way to take care of this issue. It will play audio and video in almost any format.", "Try downloading this free program, Media Screen Saver which has the ability to display videos of just about all formats and audio files as your screensaver, check it out here, http://www.download.com/Media-Screen-Saver/3000-2407_4-4536729.html?tag=lst-0-1", "All access to the Internet is counted as downloads: opening a web page, downloading files, streaming video/audio, etc. Basically, any bytes you take from the Internet is counted.", "Don't bother finding out. If you can't play a certain video file or you can only play the audio part of the video, you certainly lack the necessary codecs to play the video properly. Just download the K-Lite Codec Pack. It is free. With it you can play any video almost, even Quicktime, realplayer videos and Windows video files. Go here:\\nhttp://www.free-codecs.com/download/K_Lite_Codec_Pack.htm", "download OpenOffice. It is free and compatible with xls files.", "if u mean streaming video u will need a video recorder + audio recorder or both in 1\\n\\nif downloaded 1...just download nero and it will help u add ur movie file and burn it in dvd format", "What mcgradypimp101 said was correct. Sound recorder will allow you to record audio files in the .wav format. It comes with XP home so you have nothing else to buy or download to record audio files. With sound recorder, you can record .wav files directly to an audio cd without needing to convert the file type. Most newer cd players these days can play .wav files without any problem. \\n\\nIf you really want to cram a lot of audio files to one cd, you may want to consider converting the .wav files to either mp3 or .wma format. (using a free program like this: http://www.mp3-converter.com/cdda_xtractor.htm ) When you compare how much space the file types take up on a 750 mb cd, you will be able to store many more mp3s & and wma files than .wav files. It's all personal preference though and would also depend on how you plan to listen to them later. Keep in mind that if you want to maximize the numbers of audio files on each cd, using the mp3 or wma format, that you will pretty much be forced to listen to your cd again on a computer. That is unless you have a really new stereo system that recognizes these file formats. Hope that answers your question.", "You can use Audacity ( http://audacity.sourceforge.net ) to record a audio without a mic. \\nAbout the quality, if you record from flash video i think its normal. Because usually audio and video on flash use small bitrate to reduce file size and increase the download speed.", "Once you got to the .torrent file link, you need to open it with a \"Bit torrent client\" program (go ahead, google that! \"bit torrent client\"...). That \"client\" will connect to the \"server\" announced on the .torrent file and download the movie/audio/game/program/file/porn/etc that you were trying to get to play.\\nOnce the download reaches 100% you can play back the file.\\nMost usually, 700MB on a torrent download take up 6-9 hrs of download. Deppends on how many people is trying to get the file, and how many already have it complete and are sharing.", "AllTheWeb\\nhttp://www.alltheweb.com/\\n\\nFind images from across the web, as gathered by the AllTheWeb crawler. To image search, select the \"Pictures\" tab above the search box. To find video files, use the \"Video\" tab. Choose the \"Audio\" tab to find MP3 and other sound files.\\n\\nAltaVista\\nhttp://www.altavista.com/\\n\\nFind images, audio and video from across the web, as discovered by AltaVista's crawler technology. To image search, select the \"Image\" tab above the search box. For audio and MP3 files, use the \"MP3/Audio\" tab. For video, select the \"Video\" tab.\\n\\nKazaa Media Desktop (MP3 only)\\nhttp://www.kazaa.com/\\n\\nKazaa is widely acknowledged as the leading MP3 search and download service. Rather than crawling the web to gather music listings, Kazaa lets you search against a collection of music files that other Kazaa users contribute. That's a great system for all those MP3 searchers who are after free music downloads and who aren't concerned about copyright restrictions. (For legal issues involved, see the Nov. 2002 article from Wired, The Race to Kill Kazaa)\\n\\nLycos Pictures and Sounds\\nhttp://multimedia.lycos.com/\\n\\nThe Lycos multimedia search service. Lets you find pictures from licensed collections and from across the web. Also provides options to search for audio & MP3 files, as well as video clips.\\n\\nMIDI Explorer (MIDI sound files only)\\nhttp://www.musicrobot.com/\\n\\nAllows you to search for MIDI files.\\n\\nThe Music Finder (artists & songs, not files)\\nhttp://www.music-finder.net/\\n\\nEnter some bands or music artists, and the Music Finder will suggest others you may wish to consider. The search engine has a database of over 13,000 bands and artists.\\n\\nSingingfish (audio/video only)\\nhttp://www.singingfish.com/\\n\\nSingingfish lets you locate audio or video files from across the web, through its own crawling activity and partnership with sites that provide feeds through free and paid deals. Singingfish lets you locate MP3 music files, as well as QuickTime, RealMedia and Windows Media files, as well", "you need to extract the video and audio information from the disk and recode it. can be done with free downloadable software utilities found at www.filehippo.com - look for dvd decrypter functionality", "mp4 is not alwayz a video file, mp4 can be an audio or video mpeg4 file. m4a = mp4, but not necessarily vice versa. I'm assuming this is an audio file because it's from iTunes and you're wanting to use it on a blog. (and you'd obviously know if it's video) I alwayz use dBpowerAMP music converter, it supports mp4 files, and it's free. you could also use the second link, even tells you how to do it. good luck!", "Do this go to MajorGeeks.com and download for free \"KILLBOX\" this will remove any file safely.", "Looks like a clean blog. Can't complain much. The audio is perfectly clear. Might offer a link to download flash.\\n\\n\\nMight be slow on 56k, its better to offer an exernal popup or something to load the flash files separatly.", "You cannot change the bitrate of the audio file once it has been already encoded. However, you can set the appropriate bitrate while ripping audio files from an audio CD to mp3 files using software like MusicMatch Jukebox. Generally, higher the bitrate, higher the file size, but better the audio quality!", "From wikipedia...\\n\\n\"Podcasting is the distribution of audio or video files, such as radio programs or music videos, over the Internet using either RSS or Atom syndication for listening on mobile devices and personal computers.\"\\n\\nIn other words, you download an audio or video file, usually of some sort of broadcast, to your ipod or other listening device. \\n\\nThe term itself comes from \"podcasting\", which is a portmanteau that combines iPod and broadcasting.", "A reallotation of the incoming audio data to simplify and shrink the digital audio file.", "podcasting are like little \"radio casts\" that people regularly record and distribute using xml or an rss feed.\\nits called \"podcasting\" because you can download them as an audio file and put them on your ipod or whatever you have", "Download it from Emule. It's free and textbooks and pdf's are among the millions of other files you can find there.", "Ogg is a patent-free, fully open multimedia bitstream container format designed for efficient streaming and file compression (storage).\\n\\nThe name \"Ogg\" hence refers to the file format which includes a number of separate independent open source codecs for audio, video and text (e.g. subtitles). Files ending in the .ogg extension may be of any Ogg media filetype, and because the format is free, Ogg's various codecs have been incorporated into a number of different free and commercial media players.", "It's best to use Azureus, which you can download from www.sourceforge.org. It's free and it has absolutely no spyware or adware.\\nThe torrent file itself can never be a virus. The downloaded file itself may have a virus, but I have never come accross one in a file that I donwloaded from Bittorrent.", "Why not set up a home server? Just download the free software from http://www.analogx.com/contents/download/network/sswww.htm\\nthen open the files to the web!", "There is a great small program online called Audio Conversion Wizard. You download it, purchase a registration code, and you are good to go. \\n\\nIt can convert WAV (CD) files to MP3 - or back. MP3 is best for putting on a website or an MP3 portable device....\\n\\nHelpful?", "depends on music files you dwnload your audio codec is not compatable with certain files upgrade codec audio latest versions at windows for your player", "You can download the videos, books, and audio cds off of limewire. Just go to www.limewire.com and download their program.", "Download ccleaner it will get rid of temp cookies and temp files and history for you. Its free and real good to have.", "Here is a link that contains a listing of 50 free online storage providers with details like File Size Limit, Download Limit and\\nFile Life.\\n\\nhttp://www.jdempsey.com/2005/12/08/free-online-file-storagesending/", "you can view this this movie (.asf file) with its subtitles (.srt file) by simultaneously opening it in BSPLAYER. You can download it from http://bsplayer.org/index.php?p=download&PHPSESSID=a6a02bc672440d73adad9d30d9d03a4e\\n you can download the free version if u don't wanna spend your money . and you can also download the professional edition by paying them.", "Audio files come in a variety of formats, and not all audio players handle all the formats. Windows Media Player, Quick Time, Real Player, and I-Tunes are among the better known players. \\n\\nTo tell you which player to use, we would have to know which format the music file came in. The extension of the file name will be useful. For example, a file with a name ending in .ra is a Real Audio file which would require Real Player.", "Best thing to do would be to download a free utility called GSpot. Drag and drop your multimedia file into the program. It will identify any missing codecs and give u its name. You can then download the missing codec off the internet for free. Just google the name of the missing codec.", "Just avoid downloading suspicious files. Also, you should have a firewall and antivirus program installed on your computer. If you don't have this protection, you should download the free Zone Alarm firewall from (http://www.zonealarm.com/) and AVG, a free antivirus program, from http://free.grisoft.com/." ]

[ "By . Travelmail Reporter . The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge enjoyed an adrenaline-fuelled jet boat ride through the famous Shotover River Canyons near Queenstown today. William and Kate were passengers on the white-knuckle Shotover Jet as it raced at 75 mph along the Shotover River on New Zealand's South Island. The experience has been a major . tourist attraction in the area, which is a mecca for thrillseekers, since the 1970s. White-knuckle ride: William and Kate in the bright red boat as it races 75 mph along New Zealand's Shotover River . In safe hands: Shotover Jet operations manager Wayne Paton has worked for the company for 13 years . The two drivers chosen to take the Royal party out on the adventurous trip said they were ‘thrilled and proud’ and called . the outing a ‘career highlight’. Shotover Jet operations manager Wayne Paton, 43, and head boat driver Nick Simpson, 39, were handpicked for the role thanks to their extensive industry knowledge and the number of hours spent on the water with passengers. Mr Paton, originally from Christchurch, and Nick from mid-Canterbury, have worked for Shotover Jet for 13 and ten years respectively. While both admitted to being 'a few butterflies' on the day, Wayne took the wheel of the boat containing the Duke and Duchess, while Nick followed close behind with other members of the Royal party. Safety first: The Royal couple had to don lifejackets before embarking on the thrilling half-hour ride . Making a splash: William urged the captain of the jet boat to go even faster on the adrenaline-fuelled ride . The Royal couple had to don lifejackets and undertake a safety briefing before embarking on the thrilling half-hour ride. They then sped along the famous . Shotover River and through the stunning Shotover River Canyons over water as shallow as 10cm. Mr Paton took them perilously close to boulders, shallows and upturned trees during the nerve-jangling journey. The 15-seater bright red boat passed just inches from the sides of the ravine at breathtaking speed and span through 360 degree turns. Mr Paton said: 'William kept on shouting at me 'go closer, Wayne, go closer'. Kate was amazed that the boats could go over such shallow water but the prince was very knowledgeable about how they worked. 'They screamed and shouted at some of the more hair-raising bits and seemed to have a great time. 'They had a blast, so that’s my job well done.' Career highlight: Shotover Jet boat drivers Wayne Paton (left) and Nick Simpson said they were 'thrilled' to take out their Royal passengers on the water today . Nerve-jangling journey: Mr Paton took his passengers perilously close to boulders, shallows and upturned trees . The jet boats, which are powered by a revolutionary water jet system, were invented by New Zealander Sir William Hamilton and tour operators have been using them in the region for over 40 years. Wayne said he talked to the Duke and . Duchess and others on the boat about how jet boating was invented, the river’s gold history and pointed out landmarks such . as Coronet Peak along the way. 'Yes there were some nerves but I feel safer driving the boat than I do driving my car home, because it’s what we do as a job.' Stunning location: Shotover Jet is the only company permitted to operate within the famous Shotover River Canyons . Having a blast: The Shotover Jet is a popular tourist activity in Queenstown, which is known as the adventure capital of New Zealand . The Shotover Jet, the aquatic . equivalent of rallying, takes passengers through a four-mile stretch of . the Shotover river near Queenstown on South Island. The . company is the only one permitted to operate within the famous Shotover . River Canyons, which consist primarily of steep rock walls that have . been carved over thousands of years by billions of tonnes of fast . flowing river water from the heart of the Southern Alps. The tourist firm takes 130,000 tourists a year on trips along the fast flowing river. 'When we step in that boat we’re responsible for everyone on board, but we know what we’re doing out there,' said Wayne. 'I’ve . done over 10,000 trips and I’m in charge of all driver training and . assessments, so while these are obviously the most high-profile people . we’ve ever had on board, at the end of the day they’re customers looking . for an amazing adrenalin experience and we treated them just like . that.' Queenstown, which is on New Zealand's South Island, is also a major destination for snowboarders, skiers and was the place where the bungee jump was invented. Taking a joy ride: Kate and Wills seemed to love the high energy ride in their bright red vests . Nick, who has driven nearly 13,000 . trips on the Shotover River, said the day had started as every other one . did, with the drivers and mechanics going over each boat in painstaking . detail. 'Maintenance is . second-to-none in our world, and that’s why Shotover Jet is so proactive . in our maintenance programmes and driver training. 'Yes, we operate in an amazing and fun environment, but its safety first and fun second, that can’t be emphasised enough. 'We’ve got 100 per cent trust in our boats and as far as being on the river, as drivers it’s our ‘happy place’. 'Out . of all the VIPs we’ve taken down the river over the years, it would be . hard to top taking these young members of the Royal family.'" ]

[ "Can God be found on the Appalachian Trail? Long before the Puritans of the Plymouth Colony laid a lasting religious claim to the Appalachian peaks, Eastern Woodland Indians claimed those heights as the first residences of the supernatural beings of their religious traditions. Then the Puritans arrived. Colonists seeking religious independence from established churches and the religious mainstream moved into mountain valleys at the margins of the frontier. Certain sites along the trail route became associated with the story of Exodus from the Bible. And in this version, America was the new \"Promised Land.\" 12 things you may not have known about the Appalachian Trail . The American Romantics, including the Transcendentalist writers and the Hudson River Valley painters, visited the Appalachian peaks seeking both a deeper spiritual experience and subjects for their work. Benton MacKaye, a Harvard-trained planner, proposed the trail as a respite from the physical and mental impacts of industrialization and urbanization in 1921. Walking the entire length of the trail, between Springer Mountain, Georgia and Mount Katahdin, Maine, has become a distinctly American pilgrimage, weaving through the religious roots of the nation, and providing stunning views of Eastern terrains ranging from isolated valleys to lines of blue-tinted mountains. Mount Katahdin, Maine . The 5,268-foot-high Mount Katahdin (which means greatest mountain in Penobscot) is the home of Thunders, giants with eyebrows and cheeks of stone, who sometimes invite hunters into their home within the mountain to instruct them about nature, according to some Native American beliefs. In the Passamamaquoddy and Penobscot versions, the Thunders, while powerful, are not malicious and mean no harm. But European immigrants turned the spirit of the mountain solely into Pamola (or Pomola), a demonic being, with a moose head, eagles' wings and feet and a human body. Henry David Thoreau, on a failed attempt to bushwhack all the way to the summit, declared that Pomola is \"always angry with those who climb to the summit of Ktaadn.\" Hudson River painter Frederic Edwin Church, having a more positive attitude, bathed Katahdin in the divine light of the Calvinist creator God in his colorful depictions of the Maine wilderness. Hit the trail: 7 gorgeous hikes . Today, Katahdin is the northern terminus of the trail. It's celebrated in hundreds of photographs of end-to-end hikers finishing their backcountry pilgrimage by the sign at the top. Mount Washington, New Hampshire . Originally named Agiocochook, which means \"home of the Great Spirit\" or \"home of the spirit of the forest\" in the Abenaki language, Mount Washington in New Hampshire is the highest peak in New England at 6,288 feet. Native Americans identified Agiocochook as the place where a Native American family fled to the top of the mountain to avoid a great flood, analogous to Noah's landing on Mount Ararat. Plymouth Colony leader John Winthrop reported that the Abenaki were afraid to climb the peak because it was where Manitou lived. Manitou is a universal spirit which, according to Native American belief, permeates all living creatures and natural objects. A federalist survey expedition circa 1784 renamed the peak after George Washington, the new republic's Moses, who led the people to freedom from royal oppression. That reference associated the peak with the Biblical Pisgah where Moses had his vision of Canaan. The Hudson River painters produced multiple canvasses of the ethereal mountain, where an inscrutable God ruled the heights, and divine providence flowed down the slopes and watered the pastures and farmsteads of the Promised Land below. The trail traverses Mount Washington along the crest, through alpine meadows above the timberline. (It's a short side hike to the summit.) It offers panoramic views and some of the most unpredictable and dangerous weather in the Eastern United States, including dense fog and hypothermia-inducing summer sleet. Mount Greylock, Massachusetts . The Berkshires have long been the terrain of philosophical innovators and religious nonconformists. Transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau climbed to the top of Mount Greylock in 1844 to meet the sunrise, and view \"an undulating country of clouds...as we might see in dreams, with all the delights of paradise.\" Herman Melville's home Arrowhead (open for visitors), looks out on Mount Greylock. The humpback outline of the mountain reputedly inspired his description of the inscrutable and God-like Moby Dick. Today's trail hiker can walk up to the summit of Mount Greylock and also appreciate Mount Greylock from the Cobbles, a quartzite outcrop on the trail. Then the trail goes through the classic New England town of Cheshire. Also at the base of Greylock is the Adams Friends Meeting House (circa 1782). That's about a three-mile hike from the trail or five miles by car from Cheshire. In nearby Williamstown, Transcendentalist appreciation of natural form influenced the design of the Williams College campus. Williams College students cleared the first hiking trail to the spruce-covered summit of Mount Greylock in 1830. Shaker Farm: Tyringham, Massachusetts . The trail crosses the remains of one of the Shakers' former utopian colonies at Tyringham, Massachusetts. Shaker founder Mother Ann Lee brought her followers from England to America in 1774, 10 years before she died. More formally known as the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing, the Shakers established one of their first colonies in Tyringham in 1792. In Tyringham, the celibate members lived in dormitories. They were known as Shakers because of their vigorous religious dances. The Tyringham Shakers selected a bald-topped mountain as their Mount Horeb, and marched to its summit following their celebratory religious feasts. The trail skirts well-crafted stone walls, provides views out over the patchwork of fields in the Tyringham valley, and crosses Jerusalem Street, where the remaining Shaker buildings and Shaker Pond, now in private hands, may be observed from the road (not open to the public). Potomac River crossing at Harpers Ferry, Virginia/West Virginia . Approaching Harpers Ferry from Virginia, hikers cross over the Shenandoah River using a vehicle bridge. As they leave town and head for Maryland, they cross the Potomac River beside an active track on a railroad bridge. In the days of the Underground Railroad, escaped slaves had to cross the Potomac (this dangerous \"Jordan\") during their Exodus to freedom. They waded and swam from island to island or slipped across hidden in a boat by a sympathetic ferryman. On the northern bank, the trail passes the location of John Brown's 1859 abolitionist raid on the federal armory, and the fire house which served as his \"fort.\" North of Harpers Ferry, the trail looks down on the peaceful agricultural valley surrounding Antietam, where the National Park Service has reconstructed the meeting house of the German Baptists, known as Dunkers, on the Civil War battlefield. Dunkers, who were baptized three times in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, resisted slavery. The house served as a hospital during the battle of Antietam, one of the bloodiest battles in American history, when 23,000 were killed, wounded or went missing. Clingmans Dome, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina . The highest point on the entire trail at 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome (Kuwo-i or Mulberry Place in Cherokee) is the home of the White Bear, chief of the bears, according to Cherokee tradition. The Cherokee treated animals as members of neighboring tribes, who celebrated seasonal dances in their townhouses, just as the Cherokee did. Hikers can enjoy the southern-most Appalachian spruce fir forest, and have the chance to view, not just numerous black bears, but endemic species such as the red-cheeked salamander and Fraser fir. Heading south from Clingmans Dome, it's nearly 30 miles by trails or road to visit Native American museums. There is a replica of a Cherokee council house (the central religious building) at the Oconaluftee Indian Village (open May to October), and visitors can learn more about Cherokee religious traditions at the Museum of the Cherokee (year round) in the town of Cherokee, North Carolina. Blood Mountain, Georgia . Nearly 30 miles north of the southern terminus of the trail at Springer Mountain, Georgia, Blood Mountain is known in Cherokee tradition as a townhouse of the Nunne'hi, a race of immortals. They are friendly to humans, assist lost hunters and support the Cherokee in battle. These gentle inhabitants of the heights love music, and local residents still report hearing the sounds of their drums and dances. Several bald mountains or peaks with distinctive rock formations along the southern stretch of the trail are also associated with the Cherokee monster slayer tale of the giant horned lizard, the Utenka. A Shawnee medicine man pursued the ferocious beast, from nearby Brasstown Bald, Georgia, through Indian Gap and the Chimneys in the Smokies, in Tennessee to its home on Big Bald on the Tennessee/North Carolina border. The open summits offer spectacular seasonal flora displays, including blooms of Catawba rhododendrons, azaleas and mountain laurels. Since a hiker can still stretch out on the grass or ascend above the trees on outcrops, the summits are among the best places to enjoy the ridges turning blue at sunset or to experience the August Perseid meteor shower, without the background lighting of civilization.", "(CNN)Battered Boston is bracing for another big one. Blizzard warnings will be in effect from 7 p.m. Saturday to 11 a.m. Sunday for much of eastern Massachusetts, including metropolitan Boston. Snow accumulations of 10 to 14 inches are forecast, with winds from 30 to 40 mph likely. Gusts of up to 75 mph -- hurricane strength -- are expected. Travel will become nearly impossible with whiteout conditions expected, along with dangerous wind chills well below zero. Power outages can be expected in many areas, the National Weather Service said. Speaking of hurricanes, the storm will have a widespread wind field, and blustery, frigid conditions may reach as far south as the North Carolina mountains. Some areas of the country will have temperatures 40 degrees below normal. Many will see single digits for their lows. And many will be below zero. In Boston, it seems like they have been digging out from under the snow for weeks, only to have more fall. Three storms have Bostonians ready to break up with the white stuff. The snow that has already fallen in Boston is almost the stuff of mythology. The city has set a record 42 inches for the whole month of February. It's only about half over. And it's caused small business to hurt. So much so that Gov. Charlie Baker on Friday declared next week as Valentine's week. Can't get to your romantic restaurant on Saturday, or you forgot to make reservations? The governor is giving you an extension. Mayor Marty Walsh said Thursday the city is bringing in additional resources to help deal with the expected snowfall. \"The Saturday storm creates a sense of urgency. We're taking extra steps to make sure Boston and people can dig out on Sunday,\" he said. He urged people who were going out to celebrate the lovers' holiday do so early and do so close to home. With the special day on Saturday and bad weather in the picture, one restaurant owner said too many people are going to try to go out Friday instead. \"Everyone is going to try to cram it in on Friday. Everyone is already booked on those three days. We can only do so much business. We can't make it up on one day,\" Damien DiPaola, who owns Carmelina's, told CNN affiliate WBZ. DiPaola said he's been losing more than $10,000 a week in business due to the succession of storms. He thinks people who have reservations for Saturday and Sunday will cancel. Florists and other businesses who count on Valentine's Day for extra sales are having their own kind of troubles. Some flights bringing in flowers didn't make it yet, and drivers were navigating roads only to end up searching for a place to park while a runner races to make the delivery. Eight of Massachusetts' neighbors are pitching in, sending dump trucks and front-end loaders. New York City was giving up two snow melters, one of which was in action Thursday night, WBZ reported.", "(CNN)It really isn't fair that just a million people call New Zealand's South Island home. Why should so few people get to hog such spectacular landscape? (Compared to, say, similarly sized England's population of 52 million.) The larger of the country's two main islands is more visually stunning than the North Island. With its smaller population, it's also more lonely and wild. To get a handle of the island's most sublime landscapes, we asked Auckland-based award-winning photographer Mike Hollman to share his favorite spots to photograph. Named New Zealand Travel Photographer of the Year in 2013 by the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography, Hollman grew up on the South Island and says the landscape has had a tremendous impact on his work. \"The light is always changing and offering different views,\" says Hollman. \"My favorite time to shoot is in autumn, especially April (New Zealand's fall is from March to May) when the trees turn golden and the light on the landscape is magical.\" 1. Milford Sound . With an annual rainfall of 6.8 meters, Milford Sound is one of the wettest places in New Zealand. All that rain makes for spectacular waterfalls, with hundreds cascading into the fjord on a wet day. Located within Fiordland National Park, Milford Sound is a 295-kilometer road trip from Queenstown, through vast landscapes of mountains and rainforest. Numerous scenic flight options are available from Queenstown. 2. Glenorchy-Queenstown Road . The 45-kilometer road between Glenorchy and Queenstown may be the most scenic in New Zealand. Magnificent views greet every turn as the road winds its way along the edge of Lake Wakatipu. \"The light is constantly changing and there are always opportunities for great photographs,\" says Hollman. He recommends the view from Bennets Bluff Lookout, 25 kilometers from Queenstown. 3. Matai Falls, The Catlins . Located on the southeast corner of the South Island, The Catlins is home to beautiful waterfalls such as Matai Falls. There's a lot to explore in the area. Landscapes range from rolling farmland to sweeping coasts to temperate rainforests. It's a 30-minute forest walk to reach Matai Falls, with parking available at the Matai Falls car park on the Southern Scenic Route, 18 kilometers south of Owaka. 4. St. Clair Beach, Dunedin . St. Clair Beach is one of the beautiful sandy beaches that sweep along the eastern suburbs of Dunedin. Located 15 minutes from central Dunedin, it's a popular surfing spot and home to cafes, bars and an outdoor heated saltwater swimming pool. \"The old wooden poles at the end of the beach have always been one of my favorite places to photograph,\" says Hollman. 5. Moeraki Boulders . These large, strange-looking spherical concretions eroded from the shoreline are some of nature's oddest sights. Some of the largest boulders measure more than two meters in diameter. Maori legend claims the boulders are remains of food washed ashore from the wreck of a large sailing canoe. \"Best viewed at low tide, these beautiful boulders always make for interesting photographs,\" says Hollman. The boulders are located on Koekohe Beach on State Highway One, 75 kilometers north of Dunedin or 40 kilometers south of Oamaru. 6. Church of the Good Shepherd, Tekapo . Located in Mackenzie Country in central South Island, Tekapo is renowned for its stunning clear skies and was declared an International Dark Sky Reserve in 2012. \"This is a great location for astro-photography, which attracts tourists from the world over,\" says Hollman. \"The Church makes for a nice subject, with the Milky Way and a shooting star in the background.\" Tekapo is located on State Highway 8, midway between Christchurch and Queenstown. 7. Lupins on Lake Tekapo . Each summer the lupins around Lake Tekapoturn turn startling colors, attracting visitors and photographers in droves. Found along the shores of Lake Tekapo and surrounding countryside, the flowers are usually at their best during the first two weeks of December. Lake Tekapo is on State Highway 8 between Christchurch and Queenstown. 8. Aoraki/Mount Cook . New Zealand's highest mountain (3,754 meters) is known as Aoraki by Maori; it received its European name, Mount Cook, in 1851. Located in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, it features a number of walks and activities for all levels of fitness. \"The mountain is spectacular to photograph and is always different each visit,\" says Hollman. Accommodations at Aoraki/Mount Cook village range from backpacker-friendly to luxury. The village is 334 kilometers from Christchurch, and 258 kilometers from Queenstown. 9. Icebergs on Tasman Lake . Located in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, Tasman Glacier on Tasman Lake is New Zealand's longest glacier at 27 kilometers. The towering sights can be viewed from the shoreline or you can book a boat trip with Glacier Explorers from September to May for closer views. 10. Lake Matheson . At the heart of Glacier Country and Westland National Park, Lake Matheson is an achingly pretty sight. Formed by glaciation 14,000 years ago, it's surrounded by an ancient native forest. The lake mirrors two of New Zealand's highest peaks -- Mount Cook and Mount Tasman. 11. Franz Josef Glacier . A main attraction on the South Island's west coast, this 12-kilometer-long glacier descends from high peaks through temperate rainforest to just about 300 meters above sea level. Activities can be booked from the township of Franz Josef, located five kilometers away. 12. Southern Alps . Running 450 kilometers from north to south, the Southern Alps form a natural range along the entire length of New Zealand's South Island. At 3,724 meters, Aoraki/Mount Cook is the highest point. \"A scenic flight is a fantastic way to see these mountains closeup,\" says Hollman. \"There are many options and they operate out of all of the local tourist areas. For the best light, try for an early morning or evening flight.\" 13. Waimakariri River . The Waimakariri River flows from the Southern Alps across the Canterbury Plains to the Pacific Ocean. One of the loveliest areas of the river is near Arthur's Pass. \"The braided river banks and mountain light make for some great landscape photography,\" says Hollman. He recommends views of the river from State Highway 73, between Arthur's Pass and Christchurch. Mike Hollman is an award winning photographer based in Auckland, New Zealand. A Fellow and Master of Photography with The New Zealand Institute of Professional Photography, he was named New Zealand Travel Photographer of the Year in 2013. His work has been featured in National Geographic's travel photo competitions, published in books and magazines and can be viewed at http://www.mikehollman.com and www.facebook.com/mikehollman.photograph.", "A grandmother who couldn’t remember her children’s names has had her memory fully restored thanks to a new treatment for the brain. Maureen Lansdale was the first person in Europe to receive the pioneering surgery and has now made a complete recovery. The 75-year-old widow was heartbroken when two years ago she started to lose her memory and couldn’t remember her own address or even the names of family members. Maureen Lansdale, 75, is the first person in Europe to have a new memory restoration surgery . At first she thought she could be suffering from dementia but as the pains in her head grew worse and her memory deteriorated, she decided to visit her GP. Mrs Lansdale was quickly transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham where she was told she had a vascular malformation – when a vein and artery have incorrectly joined together – affecting her brain, with potentially fatal consequences. But thanks to the pioneering treatment, where the vascular malformation is removed through the nose, Mrs Lansdale’s health and memory have been restored. The grandmother of nine from Telford, Shropshire, who has three daughters and a son, said: ‘I’d suffered for years with terrible headaches that were often so bad I couldn’t lift my head from the pillow. ‘At times I thought my head would explode. The pain became so bad it affected my memory. I forgot who my son was, then my daughter. I thought I was losing my marbles or had a terrible disease. ‘Things came to a head at a birthday party. The music seemed so loud so my son went to ask them to turn it down. When he returned I realised I’d forgotten who he was. I remember saying, ‘‘I know I’m at a party with you and I know you’ve got a sister but I can’t remember her name either’’.’ After an hour the symptoms usually passed, but then kept recurring. Mrs Lansdale recalls visiting her local shop and being unable to remember her way home. She was diagnosed in November 2013, after which NHS surgeons tried to remove the vascular malformation using keyhole surgery, before discovering there was a danger she could have been left blind. ‘The doctors suggested I try a new treatment which meant going through my nose and into my brain to cut out the bits causing me problems,’ Mrs Lansdale said. ‘It sounded scary being the first – but I couldn’t live the way I was living, so I agreed.’ She was referred to consultant neurosurgeon Alessandro Paluzzi who created the procedure where parts of the brain can be removed through the nostrils. He is the first surgeon in Europe to try it. A day after the six-hour operation last July Mrs Lansdale was walking. She was home after a few days. Dr Paluzzi said: ‘Maureen’s abnormality began within the nasal cavity and extended through the base of the skull into the brain. It made sense to approach it from the nose, a much safer route than coming from the top of the head and passing through normal brain. ‘It is the first time that a vascular malformation has been removed through the nose in UK and in Europe. The operation was possible here for the first time due to special endoscopic instruments which were donated by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity.’ Maureen Lansdale’s vascular malformation, called a dural artero-venous fistula, disrupted the flow of blood to and from the brain. This caused her extreme pain resulting in memory loss, and put her at imminent risk of a fatal brain bleed or stroke. The keyhole surgery doctors tried in order to make the vein and artery work properly involves tiny incisions through the skin and into the brain. But the malformation was so close to the optic nerve there was a danger of blindness. Instead consultant neurosurgeon Alessandro Paluzzi at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital used his procedure to insert tiny endoscopic surgical instruments through the nostrils and sinus cavity to the malformation, and remove it through the nose. Proper blood flow was restored, and the pain and memory loss rectified. A second patient with the same condition has now had the operation at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Mrs Lansdale said: ‘I’ve had the most wonderful thing done for me and I’m so grateful as I wasn’t ready to die. I’ve had a second chance to see my grandchildren grow up, which is the greatest gift anyone could have.’ She is raising money for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity’s Brain Surgery Appeal, and added: ‘I am lucky that I was fixed. I hope many others can benefit too.’ Mrs Lansdale had a vascular malformation, when a vein and artery have incorrectly joined together, that affected her brain. An MRI image above shows a functioning brain . Surgeons removed parts of Mrs Lansdale's brain by going through her nose. The procedure was created by neurosurgeon Alessandro Paluzzi .", "Almost twenty thousands people in Bermuda had their power cut off, and thousands were assailed by falling roof tiles and uprooting trees as Hurricane Gonzalo battered the tiny island. More than 18,000 homes still have no electricity after the storm, which passed directly over the island Friday, hitting it with 110mph winds, which continued to strike hours after the storm left. In the harbor, boats were dragged away from them moorings and crashed into one another. Premier Michael Dunkley said cleanup efforts were going smoothly. He said the U.S., Britain and other nations have offered assistance. Bermuda is a British territory with 65,000 inhabitants. Scroll down for video . Damage: The 110mph storm roared over the Atlantic island, uprooting trees and damaging power lines . Battered: Hurricane Gonzalo left most of the residents in Bermuda without power as it hit the tiny island territory Friday night and early Saturday (above) Dunkley tweeted: 'All hands were on deck and worked very well. Much to be done but we are roaring back!' Nobody in Bermuda has been killed or seriously injured by the extreme weather. Earlier today residents were still urged to stay inside and keep off the roads. Gonzalo approached Bermuda as a Category 3 storm then weakened to Category 2 strength just before coming ashore with sustained winds of 110 mph. Even after beginning to move away, its fierce winds battered the island for hours. Aftermath: Hurricane battered Bermuda for hours - and around 18,000 are still without power . Bad luck: The storm was the second to hit Bermuda in just a week, having been struck by Tropical Storm Fay last weekend . Fallen: Tiles were knocked off this church roof by Gonzalo, which has now tacked north into the Atlantic . Maria Frith, who owns Grape Bay Cottages on Bermuda's south coast, said that the hurricane woke her up before dawn when it tore the patio roof off her house. 'To be perfectly honest with you, I was terrified, partly because of the noise. 'It was really scary.' Taking it in: A man is seen on the coast of Bermuda looking out at the surf as the hurricane makes its approach . Officials have not yet announced whether government offices and schools would reopen Monday. The island's international airport remained closed Saturday night but officials said it might reopen Sunday afternoon. The island was still recovering from last weekend's blast from Tropical Storm Fay, which also damaged homes and toppled power lines. Boats rocked: A look at some damaged boats that came loose from their mooring . Not sailing away: Though tress are down all over the island the damage is not catastrophic . ‘To be struck twice by two different cyclones is unusual, to say the least,’ said Max Mayfield, a former director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami . The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Gonzalo weakened as it moved away from Bermuda on a track that would take it past Newfoundland and then across the Atlantic to Britain and Ireland. Late Saturday, the storm was centered 360 miles southwest of Cape Race, Newfoundland, with maximum sustained winds of 90 mphas it moved northeast at 39 mph. From above: A satellite image of Gonzalo as it hit the island . Past problems: A beachfront property that was destroyed when Hurricane Fabian hit the island in 2003 . Much worse: Fabian, which caused waves to pound the island's shore as seen above, came ashore with higher wind speeds than Gonzalo .", "A powerful storm expected to pack hurricane force winds and heavy rain triggered emergency preparations across Northern California on Wednesday, with residents gathering sand bags, crews clearing storm drains and San Francisco school officials canceling classes for the first time since 9/11. As much as 8 inches of rain could fall on coastal mountains over a 24-hour period starting late Wednesday, the National Weather Service said. Ski resorts in the northern Sierra Nevada could get more than 2 feet of snow before the storm moves through Southern California and to the east with less strength through states including Nevada, Idaho, Arizona and New Mexico. Those states could get rain and snow, but nothing like what California is expected to experience, forecasters say. 'It's a short amount of time for that amount of water,' weather service forecaster Diana Henderson said. 'We are anticipating some localized flooding, maybe some downed trees and downed power lines. It could have an effect on a wide range of people.' The storm is expected to be one of the windiest and rainiest in five years and could also cause debris slides, especially in areas affected by this year's intense and widespread wildfires. Big waves are expected along the coast. Getting ready: Jerry Croissant places sandbags to protect his home from mudslides outside his home in Gelndra, California, below mountains burned over in wildfires . Prepared: Kathryn Olson rests on a sandbag before carrying it to her vehicle to be used at her North Highlands home.  Sandbags and sand were provided in flood- prone areas of Sacramento County for residents to use . Supplies: Cat Kaufman brings over a sand bag to protect her Santa Rosa Business. Northern California residents are bracing for a powerful storm that could be the biggest in five years . 'Pineapple express': An atmospheric river of moisture was expected on Wednesday to bring a massive storm capable of dumping the most rain seen since 2005 on some areas of Northern California . Lashing: The storm was expected to start lashing western Washington on down to the San Francisco Bay on Wednesday . Good and bad: Flash flood warnings were issued by the state of California, but heavy snowfall was expected to benefit the state as forecasters said it would fall in areas hit hard by three years of drought . Dramatic: Aidan Stephenson and Conor Stephenson, visiting from Phoenix, watch the waves break on Ocean View Blvd in Pacific Grove, California, on Wednesday . Public schools in San Francisco and Oakland and some private schools in the Bay Area planned to stay closed Thursday. San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Richard A. Carranza said he didn't want to put students at risk, and staff absences and power outages could affect the district's ability to supervise and feed students. Storm drains in the Bay Area were vacuumed by crews in anticipation of the storm, KTVU reported. California Department of Transportation spokesman Bob Haus told the affiliate station 'This is not the most glamorous work that there is, even with equipment like this. This is still really hard work. Hard and dirty work but something that has to be done to make sure the system functions properly when we do have a big storm.' Wind gusts of up to 70 mph were expected on mountain tops, creating possible blizzard conditions in the Sierra. Rain, pounding surf and gusty winds were forecast for Southern California starting Thursday evening. The National Weather Service issued a high-surf advisory from the Central Coast to Ventura County, saying 'waves will over-top jetties and sea walls at times' and 'will potentially wash into low-lying beach areas or parking lots.' According to Accuweather.com, Sacramento could see as much as six inches of rainfall in just a couple of days--the most in that period of time since 2005. In California's agricultural heartland, farmers were looking forward to the dousing after three consecutive dry years. Parts of the state have experienced above-average rainfall this year, but not enough to make much of a dent in the drought. James McFarlane, a third-generation farmer in Fresno County, said workers would have to stop picking citrus crops during the storm, but rain this time of year makes fruit bigger, allowing it to fetch higher prices. Wind gusts of up to 70 mph were expected on mountain tops, creating possible blizzard conditions in the Sierra . Rain, pounding surf and gusty winds were forecast for Southern California starting Thursday evening . Some areas of Northern California may experience as many as twelve inches of rain . Protection: Sandbags are brought in to help protect Santa Rosa businesses. The storm is expected to arrive Wednesday and pelt the region through Thursday . Stocking up: Federal Express driver Ramiro Saldana helps Gabrielle Dorsett with sandbags as she prepares to place them in front of her business . The so-called 'Pineapple Epxress' is an atmospheric river of moisture that often brings major weather events to North America's Pacific Coast. The system is named for its origins in Hawaii, around where it gets its massive moisture content. Via NOAA.gov: . Atmospheric Rivers (AR) are relatively narrow regions in the atmosphere that are responsible for most of the horizontal transport of water vapor outside of the tropics. While ARs come in many shapes and sizes, those that contain the largest amounts of water vapor, the strongest winds, and stall over watersheds vulnerable to flooding, can create extreme rainfall and floods. These events can disrupt travel, induce mud slides, and cause catastrophic damage to life and property. However, not all ARs cause damage – most are weak, and simply provide beneficial rain or snow that is crucial to water supply. An average of between 30 to 50 percent of the total precipitation for the year on the West Coast comes from ARs. The biggest events among them can transport in the form of water vapor between 7.5 and 15 times the average flow of liquid water at the mouth of the mighty Mississippi. How a typical Pineapple Express 'atmospheric river' event works . 'If we're not getting some Mother-Nature-dictated time off out in the field, that probably means we're going to have a hard time finding surface water in the warmer months,' he said. The rain and the snow in the Sierra Nevada fills reservoirs that supply irrigation water during hot, dry months. In San Francisco, where as much as 4 inches of rain was forecast, crews cleared storm drains and removed loose rocks from a hillside to prevent them from crashing down. Residents were advised to sweep up leaves and debris in front of their properties to prevent them from clogging drains. 'We have crews working starting tonight in 12-hour shifts,' said Rachel Gordon, a spokeswoman for San Francisco's public works agency. 'It will be all hands on deck.' Mark Ghilarducci, the director of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, issued a warning that the storm will present a risk of flash flooding and debris slides. 'This year was also a significant fire season for Northern and Southern California and burned areas are especially at risk for debris slides. Even regions that don't experience regular seasonal flooding could see flash flooding during this intense storm system, which could be the largest to date of this year's rainy season,' he said in a statement. Authorities are warning motorists to avoid driving through standing water; stay clear of outside roadway lanes, especially at night; keep headlights on at all times; and drive slowly to prevent hydroplaning. People should also have emergency contacts available and a stock a small emergency kit that can sustain each person for three days. Farther north, a series of strong weather fronts with high winds and heavy rains could lead to flooding and landslides this week in western Washington state. The weather service expects as much as 14 inches of rain between Monday and Thursday in the Olympic Mountains west of Seattle. Saturated soils will bring the risk of mudslides, while winds could topple trees. High winds were also forecast in Oregon. Waves are seen in Oregon's Depoe Bay on Wednesday. High winds are forecast for the state . Flooding is expected in Northern California as a result of the powerful storm, the National Weather Service has said . This infographic from the National Weather System shows how atmospheric rivers operate . Meanwhile, Southern California was hit by a different storm system just a week before. That system hung around for days and caused mudslides in areas of  Ventura County where wildfires had stripped vegetations (December 2 photo) Darren Travels gets sprayed near Highway 4 in Antioch, California on December 2 when heavy rain from a powerful Pacific storm swept through Southern California, prompting both relief in the drought-stricken state but also concern about flooding and mudslides on denuded slopes .", "The Middleton women ensured they were well coordinated for the Jubilee pageant, each sporting a different shade from the Union Flag as they took to the river Thames. Mother Carole opted for a sophisticated cream dress and jacket while her youngest daughter Pippa, 28, wore a chic navy skirt and matching jacket by Irish . designer Orla Kiely. Meanwhile 30-year-old Kate, who was aboard the royal barge with husband Prince William, cut a swathe . through the gloomy weather wearing a vibrant scarlet Alexander McQueen dress and matching headpiece by Sylvia Fletcher for royal milliner James Lock & Co. Stepping out in style: The Middleton women were well coordinated at the Jubilee Pageant each sporting a colour from the Union Flag . On her lapel, she wore a maritime-themed brooch featuring two silver dolphins - a gift from the Royal Navy Submarine Service of which William is Commodore in Chief -  and carried a scarf made of Strathearn tartan, a nod to her Scottish title the Countess of Strathearn. Carole and Pippa, flanked by Mr Middleton on their left, and brother James on their right, waved as their vessel - a recreation of a 19th-century stern-wheeled paddle steamer - wended its way down the river. The fact that they have been included . in the Royal Squadron – a handful of boats sailing behind the Queen – . is a strong sign of the monarch's cordial relations with Kate’s family. Shortly . before last year’s royal wedding she invited Mr and Mrs Middleton, who . run a company selling children’s party goods, to dine with her privately . at Windsor Castle and subsequently included them in her carriage . procession at Royal Ascot. Sources . say the Queen appreciates how close her new granddaughter-in-law is to . her family and feels their relationship continues to give her enormous . stability. Orderly fashion: The Middletons queue up before boarding the boat . Chic: Pippa Middleton wore a classic navy and . cream skirt suit for her appearance on the Elizabethan paddle steamer . for today's flotilla. Pippa waved to crowds gathered on Battersea bridge . as her boat passed underneath . Royal trio: Prince Harry, the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Williamwave as they pass the Houses of Parliament aboard the Royal barge . Other VIP . guests on the vessel include Lord Coe, chairman of the London 2012 . Olympic organising committee, and his wife, Lady Carole. 'Michael . and Carole’s inclusion on Elizabethan took a lot of people by . surrprise, but the Queen is incredibly supportive of the duchess and her . family,’ said a palace source last month. 'Boats travelling in the Royal . Squadron are solely reserved for special guests of the Queen, which . demonstrates just how far the Middletons have come.' One of the largest charter boats in London, the Elizabethan has the interior of a modern restaurant and nightclub. The . 235-seater vessel also has an upper-deck walkway which offers the . largest outside area of any Thames riverboat and will provide its . occupants with an unrivalled view of events on the day. The normal cost of a charter for the privately owned boat is £650 an hour. The . £10.5million pageant has seen a flotilla of 1,000 boats and more than . 20,000 participants take to the water in the largest celebration to be . staged on the Thames for more than 300 years. Stretching . more than seven miles, the cavalcade – which includes a remarkable . floating belfry and several orchestras and choirs, is en route down the . Thames from Battersea to Tower Bridge, with an estimated worldwide . audience of a billion. Private joke: The Duchess of Cambridge, Catherine shares a laugh with Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall . Time to talk: The Duchess of Cambridge meets well wishers before boarding the Spirit of Chartwell . Majestic: . The 1,000-strong flotilla started its journey at Battersea bridge and drew to a close at Tower Bridge, where the Royals disembarked to watch the grand finale . Have . you taken any pictures of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations? From The Thames to your town, we want to see them. Send them for . publication to the Mail Online on the email address: . mailonlinepictures@dailymail.co.uk ." ]

[ "Chelsea" ]

[ "score", "Brenda Didier", "scoring knife", "to achieve their goal", "checkerboard score", "film scores", "Bishop score", "grimace score", "identity score", "F score", "The Perfect Score", "that which burns", "similarity scores", "that which purifies", "box scores", "Q Score", "field goal", "One Last Score", "Goal setting", "Best Original Score", "That's My Goal", "Personal goal setting", "The Alvarado score", "most creative", "horror film score", "The Goal Line Stand", "that which is heard", "Apgar score", "insurance credit score", "a test score", "clubbing", "genetic risk score" ]

[ "Which is India's most popular t.v channel?" ]

[ "What are the best ways to watch Indian TV channels in US?", "Which TV channel in India will broadcast Ballon D'Or 2016 and what are its timings?", "What is the most popular dessert of India?", "Which channel is currently the most subscribed channel from YouTube?", "How can one watch Indian TV channels in the USA?", "How can I watch Indian TV channels in Germany?", "How can I start internet TV channel?", "Which DTH has maximum HD channels in India?", "What is the best TV series in India? Why?", "How popular is atheism in India?", "What color is most popular?", "Which is the best news channel on Indian television and why?", "Which is the best Indian TV series yet?", "What are some good Indian TV series that you can watch?", "How do I start a new cable TV channel in karnataka?", "What's the most popular song?", "Which DTH offers the most HD channels?", "What are the most popular Webcomics?", "What sports are most popular in Spain?", "What are some of the best Indian web series?", "Which is the best reality show, currently, on Indian television?", "Who are the most popular quorans?", "What is the most popular quote?", "What are the most popular Q&A on Quora?", "Which is the most read newspaper in India?", "What are the most popular landforms in Peru?", "Which Chinese TV series are popular in western country?", "What kind of wire is most popular?", "What is the most popular song ever?", "What are the most popular publications in the 'investment'?", "Is there any single Indian news channel that is unbiased?", "What are some Indian web series to look out for?" ]

[ "An infinitive is the basic, \"unconjugated\" (unchanged) form of the verb. It's hard to give an example in English since so many infinitives are also the same as the conjugated form, at least in the present tense. We tend to just take the word \"to\" to indicate an infinitive. An example would be \"to go\". The first person singular conjugation (\"I\") of the verb \"to go\" in present tense is \"I go\". The third person singular conjugation of the verb \"to go\" in present tense is \"he goes\". To understand what a prepositional phrase is, you should know what a preposition is. A preposition is a word that helps explain where or how or when something happened. Prepositions include words such as \"to\", \"in\", \"around\", \"from\", \"of\", \"near\", \"under\", \"above\", etc. In the sentence \"There is a submarine *under the water*\", \"under\" is the preposition and \"the water\" is the \"object of the preposition\" (the thing modified or affected by the preposition), and \"under the water\" is the prepositional phrase." ]

[ "If you study any language in high school (preferably foreign- grammar rules of English in the US has gone by the wayside), then you'll learn about the way we use verbs. If you notice, we often conjugate verbs, which means we tailor them to the context in which we are using them. I am, you are, he is, and others. These are all conjugations of the infinitive verb \"to be\". So you can think of an infinitive as like the \"pure\" form of a given verb conjugation. A split infinitive is when you place phrase inbetween the *marker* \"is\" and the *infinitive* \"be\". A famous example of a split infinitive is from Star Trek: \"To boldly go.\" Here, the infinitive verb is \"to go\", but it is interrupted by the adverb \"boldly\". Are split infinitives bad? A language purist will tell you that it is poor form, just like having a preposition is the wrong type of word to end a sentence *with*. In reality, nobody cares.", "Try this usually, it's not a solid rule, just a general guide: Subject -- Time -- Place -- Prepositional Phrase -- Verb -- Ob **example**: wo zuotian zai fanguan chi fan = I yesterday at restaurant eat food or something. You can omit stuff, add stuff etc... Source: does graduate level Chinese and linguistics count?", "An infinitive is just the phrase \"to *verb*\". A split infinitive is when you put an adverb in between the parts of an infinitive. So in your example, the word \"never\" is in the middle of the infinitive \"to grow up\", so it's a split infinitive. Having a split infinitive doesn't mean the sentence doesn't change meaning if you take out the adverb, it's just a description of the order of words in the sentence.", "\"On\" or \"in\" are prepositions; they tell us direction, place, orientation, etc. It should be \"Now you just shit on my carpet,\" but we're allowed to get away with what the character said because it's verbal colloquialism.", "It's the same as objective case, when a noun is the object of a verb or prepositional phrase. In English, all objects are part of the objective case. - Direct Object of a verb: I break **the lamp**. He hits **him**. - Indirect Object of a verb: Tell **her** now! Object of prepositional phrase: - I talk about **them**. In other languages, there are divisions between the objective case. For example, Latin has accusative, dative, and ablative. German has only accusative and dative.", "A phrase is a group of words without a subject doing a verb, e.g. \"typing this phrase\". A clause is a group of words that includes a subject and a verb, e.g. \"while I was typing this clause\".", "An infinitive in English is when you use the bare form of a verb without conjugating it. An example is \"I can sit here all day.\" Sit isn't conjugated - the bare form is \"to sit\" so there's no conjugation (compare that to \"I'm sitting here right now\"). A split infinitive is inserting an adverb in the middle, between the \"to\" and the verb. Famous example is Starship Enterprise's mission \"to boldly go where no man has gone before.\" \"To go\" is the infinitive, the infinitive is split by the word \"boldly.\" It's considered by some to be poor grammar, but the majority viewpoint seems to be that it's acceptable for use. Usually, trying to avoid split infinitives makes your sentences a lot messier... \"I decided to gradually phase out buying coffee\" is a pretty clear sentence. But \"to gradually phase\" is a split infinitive. \"I decided gradually to phase out buying coffee\" is unclear - did I decide gradually, or will I be phasing out my coffee buying gradually?", "Basically you use them to replace transitional phrases like: \"such as,\" \"and so,\" \"hence,\" or \"that is to say.\"", "In Old English, a suffix of 'es' was the most common way of forming the genitive case of masculine and neuter nouns. As Old English transformed into Middle English and then Modern English, the language simplified, and most of the case endings were dropped and replaced with phrases using prepositions (eg to, by, on etc), However this one remained and was extended to cover all nouns both singular and plural. The pronunciation of this ending also gradually changed so the e was silent, and the habit arose of writing the word with an apostrophe instead of an 'e'.", "The Bronx is named after the Bronx river, and it was part of a prepositional phrase (originally \"Annexed District of the Bronx\", later \"Borough of the Bronx\"), so it kept the definite article because rivers are generally referred to with a definite article (you say \"I went boating on the Hudson River\" rather than \"I went boating on Hudson River\").", "Because you're adding and changing prepositions in each case which changes the context of the word.", "My first response to this post is what on earth does \"But he was wounded FROM our transgressions...\" even mean? The preposition \"from\" in English (and in Hebrew, מן) does not mean anything in this context. The preposition מן in Hebrew does not mean \"because.\" There are other very pertinent prepositions that could be used (e.g., על, \"on account of\") that would work to indicate causation. Secondly, this blog assumes a normative and essentialist Judaism. There is no such thing as \"what Jews believe.\" WHICH Jews is the author talking about? As you point out at the end of your post--\"2 jews in a room, there are 3 opinions.\" So--even the very basis of the blog is misinformed (and even arrogant). The fact of the matter is that the Hebrew preposition מן can be used to mark the SOURCE of something--and, in this case, may easily be translated as \"as a result of.\" (See Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon.)", "Deductive: big picture to little picture Example: * All fire trucks are red. (Big picture) * Daddy drives a fire truck. * Therefore daddy's vehicle is red. (Little picture) If the first 2 are true, the 3rd will ALWAYS be true. Example: * The grass starter pokemon are cute. (Big picture -- ALL grass pokemon) * Snivy is a grass starter Pokemon. * Therefore Snivy is cute (Little picture -- just one Pokemon) Inductive: little picture to big picture Example: * Most anime fans like manga (Big picture) * You are an anime fan. * Therefore you like manga. (Little picture) If the first 2 are true, the 3rd will PROBABLY be true. Not always. There are exceptions. Example: * Most children like ice cream. * You are a child. * Therefore you like ice cream. Probably true, but maybe not. Maybe you are lactose intolerant. Maybe you hate creamy food. Maybe you had a horrifying, ice-cream related tragedy.", "Linguist here. (Well, master's degree in Linguistics here.) It seems like they often form from prepositions (or postpositions, if that's what you're into), or other modifiers that are used so often they become affixes. For example, let's say you don't have a dative case. You use \"to X\" in each and every place you would otherwise use the dative. After centuries and millenia of people does this in large numbers, eventually the \"to-\" sticks to each and every \"X\" it sees in the dative case. Remember that language is the original social medium. Sometimes grammatical (and other) features fail to \"go viral\" where we would expect them to. Also, features tend to die out after long periods of disuse. English did, in fact, have a robust case marking system back when it was Old English. It eventually died because people stopped using it. (edit: one solitary comma)", "These constructions are idioms, so they don't follow all the standard rules of grammar. Off-hand, they would seem to be acting as adverbs that intensify the verb: \"what the fuck is that?\" is roughly equivalent to \"what *is* that?\", and \"get the hell out\" is equivalent to \"GET OUT!\". On the other hand, their attachment is clearly to the noun: \"the hell\" is \"[what] the hell?\" and \"get the hell\" makes no sense (but \"the hell out\" does). In either case, a phrase that can be dropped while leaving the sentence sensible is called a \"non-restrictive modifier\". Typical examples in English are often set off by commas or marked with the relative pronouns \"who\" or \"which\". For example, > Bob, **who owns the restaurant**, is a generous man. is a non-restrictive modifier (because we've still described Bob clearly without it), while > A life that is unexamined is not worth living. is restrictive (because you need to know what *kind* of life is worth living).", "Here's a real-world analogy: suppose you have a box with 10 toys in it, and you want to take all of them out of the box. One way to specify that is to say, \"while the box has toys in it, remove a toy from the box\". Once the box has no toys, the loop is done. That looks like this: while (box has toys) { remove a toy from the box } The braces {} signify the contents of the loop: what is done each time. For loops are just while loops with some changed syntax, and are used mostly for counting. For example, you want to take 10 toys out of the box. You start the count of toys removed from the box at 0, and you keep taking toys out of the box until you have 10 of them. That looks like this: for (toys removed = 0; toys removed < 10; toys removed ++) { remove toy from box } The ++ after toys removed signifies that it increases by 1 after each time through the loop.", "Functionally, the purpose of hyphenation is usually to denote that the words are part of a compound adjective (ex: Italian-American). **As an adjective:** \"One shouldn't inform their concept of Italian-American values from shows like *The Sopranos*\" This convention is sometimes carried on when the phrase is used a noun. **As a noun:** \"I spoke to the Italian-American.\" You'll often see this feature when encountering a **string-of-words**, especially when squeezing a preposition or coordinating conjunction in to it: Ex: \"I spoke to the Italian-American-but-mostly-American people of the Jersey Shore\"", "When you want to add a related point to your original statement without starting a new sentence. E.g.: \"Pauline was a record-breaking corn husker; he husked 500 corns in 3 minutes last year.\" Or: \"You can't drink bleach; your student loans don't cover bleach-drinking.\" It includes the same grammatical weight of a period without the phonetic gap between sentences that a period creates.", "In Latin, infinitives are one word so it is impossible to split them. For example \"to read\" would be \"legere.\" So the argument of the old time grammar Nazis was that since you don't split infinitives in Latin, you shouldn't split them in English. However, the Wikipedia article on the subject debunks this. _URL_0_", "So, the phrase isn't \"used to\" - it's \"used\" + the infinitive \"to do.\" Why is that important? Because the noun \"use\" once meant \"habit,\" and the verb \"to use\" meant \"to habitually do.\" The majority of that definition has fallen out of favor in modern English and the simplification of tenses and moods, but it lingers on in the format you mentioned.", "No, by whatever metric you're using to measure the \"size of the internet.\" Arbitrarily large (in theory), but not infinite. Pretty much nothing in the universe is infinite except for the universe itself. In case you haven't seen the phrase before, \"arbitrarily large\" just means that there's no limit on how big it could get. That's not infinite, though, it's just saying that there's no upper bound. I can keep adding numbers together for as long as I want, there's no limit on how big my result will be. My result will always be a number, though, so it's not infinite.", "Compound tense - a verb phrase that expresses more complex time than a simple present/perfect tense. *I go* is a simple present verb tense. *I have gone* is a compound tense. Auxiliary verb - in compound tense verb phrases described above, they change the duration or manner in which an action occurs. In English they include the various forms of *be, did, have* when combined with an action verb. Compare the sentences *John goes to the store* and *John has gone to the store.* \"Has\" is the aux verb. Adverb - changes the manner of the action. In English they often end in -ly. *Lisa put on her shoes clumsily.* \"Clumsily\" is the adverb. Clauses - the basic unit smaller than a sentence, essentially a phrase containing a noun and a verb. In the sentence *Lisa went to the store because she wanted bagels* there are two clauses: a main clause *Lisa went to the store* and a subordinate clause *because she wanted bagels*, each containing a noun (*Lisa/she*) and a verb (*went/wanted*).", "Saying the opposite of what you mean or what is true to be funny or sometimes to be mean. Or sometimes pointing out that someone else said something obvious where it didn't need to be said (could say \"easily understood or easily noticed instead of the word obvious). For actual 5 year olds examples help, for funny- if it is rainy and gloomy out saying \"wow what great weather!” For mean \"what great service we're getting!\" When the service is really bad. For the pointing out the obvious. Someone says \"wow it's cold out\" the sarcastic answer- \"oh is it\" or \"you don't say!\" I guess the last might be a combo of the first two...", "\"for each one\". _URL_0_ This isn't exactly looking for an explanation of a complicated topic. It's just a dictionary definition you're asking for. In which case I recommend checking the dictionary next time.", "For the same reason we say \"in a car\" but \"on a train\"... Or \"in a chair\" but \"on a couch\"... Preposition use is English is exceedingly arbitrary.", "It's because, when you say \"I go home\", \"home\" is not a noun (erm... a \"thing\" or a \"place\") but rather and adverb. You're not saying a place where you're going, but rather something like the direction in which you're going, since \"home\" is not a place, but a concept - hell, \"home is where the heart is\". And you don't put prepositions before adverbs. [Here is a more lucid ELI5.](_URL_0_) Edit: oh, and it's not just home, but also with downtown, uptown, inside, outside, downstairs, upstairs, we use no preposition.", "It's called a \"definite article\", as opposed to a/an which are \"indefinite articles\". What this means is that the noun you are referring to is a specific object, as opposed to a general one. For example: \"I opened the door\" - I opened a specific door, probably one that I referred to earlier. \"I opened a door\" - I opened any door without referring to a specific one.", "It doesn't. Space. More correctly Spacetime. We perceive it as existing in 3 dimensions (in our memory, 2) because that is what we humans perceive. However, it would be more correct to say that Space has 1, 2, 3, and more dimensions, all separate. What about the 4th? Easy, it's an infinite number of volumes. A volume being and infinite number of planes, which is an infinite number of lines, which is an infinite number of points. There's no reason the stop at 4, and in fact most mathematics do not.", "French is fun, because adjectives have both an order as well as a location (before *and* after the noun). If a word is short or has one of the qualities beauty-age-goodness-size, it goes in front of the noun, otherwise it goes after the noun. As for multi-adjective ordering, the more \"relevant\" an adjective is to the noun (which is obviously context dependant on the point being made by the speaker), the closer to the noun it is. The French equivalent of \"big beautiful dog loyal brown\" places the emphasis on beautiful and loyal. There are obviously more rules because French is a proud language of how it flows, introducing complicated structure rules. Origin, material, and purpose usually are last because they are often expressed with preposition phrases. Quantity is always first.", "If whatever you're quoting has a period, like an entire sentence, then the period goes inside. \"I'm going to procrastinate during finals week.\" If it's just a phrase, NOT a whole sentence, then it's outside. This thesis is supported by his claim that \"the Earth revolves around the sun\". For above, assume that the sentence you're quoting does not end with 'sun', but goes on. Edit: Line breaks", "honestly wouldn't think of it as anything but a \"word\" until I had context in a sentence or situation. But if this was rapid fire round this is my association... 1. Well, well, well like anticipation (interjection) 2. Last - as needed most recent occurance (adjective) 3. Second - unit of time (noun) 4. Clear - color (adjective) 5. Fine - I'm doing well (adjective)", "Usually, it means that the person quoting has added or changed words to make the quote more clear. You commonly see it in newspapers, where the person being quoted may make a generic reference in the quote (like he or she) but the reported adds the name of the person being referenced for clarity. For example: The direct quote is, \"He will be at the office on Monday\" but the reporter changes it to, \"[Mr. Davis] will be at the office on Monday\". The added clarity is necessary to understand the context of the quote, but the reporter wants to make it clear that this is **not** exactly what was originally said. You can also use it to substitute a word or phrase in place of another word or phrase to increase clarity, such a replacing a non-English word in favor of its English translation. It is also worth nothing that while some people use parenthesis (), you are supposed to use brackets []." ]

[ "The key third-down conversion was typical of Paul Peterson's play in Boston College's 21-7 victory over Penn State Saturday night in an ABC-televised home opener before a sellout Alumni Stadium crowd." ]

[ "MIAMI -- What's beyond a Classic? The Doug Flutie pass, you know all about. It was career-defining and image-cementing, as the ever-savvy BC QB sensed even then.", "REDWOOD CITY, Calif. More defense witnesses are scheduled to take the stand today in Scott Peterson&#39;s double-murder trial. Peterson&#39;s attorney Mark Geragos is expected to present the forensic expert who examined the remains of Laci Peterson and her baby.", "REDWOOD CITY - In the Scott Peterson murder trial the defense has been trying to explain Peterson&#39;s actions on the day he was arrested.", "Janet Shamlian, MSNBC-TV’s correspondent covering the Scott Peterson trial, discusses the jury’s recommendation Monday that Peterson be executed: MSNBC.", "Persons attending the Scott Peterson murder trial, including Peterson&#39;s mother Jackie, second from left, and Peterson&#39;s father Lee, second from right, arrive at the courthouse in Redwood City, Calif.", "REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- Scott Peterson&#39;s former mistress is back on the stand for cross-examination at Peterson&#39;s murder trial.", "The lead detective who investigated Laci Peterson&#39;s disappearance testified Monday morning that much of what Scott Peterson told investigators turned out to be true.", "A lawyer for accused double murderer Scott Peterson on Monday tried to portray Peterson&#39;s ex-mistress as a desperate single mom who turned police informant to punish Peterson for lying to her.", "Scott Peterson&#39;s defense attorney, Mark Geragos, was in a joking mood Monday as he began the long-awaited cross-examination of Peterson&#39;s former mistress Amber Frey.", "Scott Peterson was found guilty of murder today by a California jury for killing his wife, Laci Peterson, and the couple’s unborn child.", "The jury in Scott Peterson&#39;s double-murder trial began deliberating this morning over whether Peterson killed his pregnant wife, Laci, and the couple&#39;s unborn son.", "A student wielding a 9mm pistol shot and killed four classmates and wounded five more in Argentina&#39;s worst high school rampage.", "For Richelle Nice and the other jurors in the Scott Peterson trial, the evidence in the case and Peterson&#39;s lack of emotion throughout the course of the six-month trial &quot;spoke for itself.", "REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- A long-time friend of Scott Peterson&#39;s took the stand Thursday morning as defense attorneys continued their efforts to save Peterson from the death penalty.", "Prosecutors have suggested that Scott Peterson was preparing to flee after he was arrested with nearly $15,000 in cash, but Peterson&#39;s mother tried to explain the wad of money while testifying in her son&#39;s defense.", "Scott Peterson&#39;s lawyer pleaded with the jury Tuesday not to convict Peterson of murder just because prosecutors made him look like a ``jerk and a liar.", "Avevano kalashnikov, fucili, pistole e munizioni", "REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- Scott Peterson&#39;s murder trial resumed Monday with his attorneys defending the assertions of an expert who testified about when Laci Peterson&#39;s fetus died.", "Scott Peterson&#39;s mother took the witness stand in the penalty phase of her son&#39;s murder trial. A frail-looking Jackie Peterson told jurors about her deteriorating health as defense", "Ms. Podber was a wild child of the New York Art scene who is probably best known for shooting a stack of Andy Warhol’s paintings with a pistol.", "Scott Peterson&#39;s attorney has started cross-examining the star witness in the case -- beginning his questions with a joke. As Peterson&#39;s ex-girlfriend Amber Frey sat on the stand, defense attorney Mark Geragos", "BC&#39;s top lawman yesterday rejected a demand for an inquiry into Todd Bertuzzi&#39;s plea bargain. &quot;The prosecutors on the file acted in a way that was appropriate and consistent with the requirements of law and justice,&quot; said BC Attorney-General Geoff Plant.", "Scott Peterson&#39;s defense attorney Pat Harris, center, leaves a Redwood City, Calif., courthouse Friday, Nov. 5, 2004 after an in chambers meeting with the judge about Peterson&#39;s murder trial.", "REDWOOD CITY In a surprise move Wednesday, the judge in Scott Peterson&#39;s double-murder trial postponed the much anticipated cross-examination of Peterson&#39;s former mistress and sent the jury home early because of a &quot;potential ...", "REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - Sharon Rocha, Laci Peterson&#39;s mother, cried quietly after a jury recommended Monday that Scott Peterson be sentenced to death for killing his pregnant life.", "Germany&#39;s Ralf Schumann Saturday claimed his third Olympic gold when he won the men&#39;s 25 metres rapid pistol event scoring 694.", "REDWOOD CITY -- Scott Peterson&#39;s defense attorney will have to wait until next week to cross-examine Peterson&#39;s ex-mistress Amber Frey after the judge halted the trial Wednesday, apparently to allow the defense time to ...", "Calif. High Court Refuses to Order New Jury for Penalty Phase of Scott Peterson&#39;s Murder Trial. Scott Peterson and attorney Mark Geragos listen during the prosecution rebuttal to the defense&#39;s closing arguments in Redwood City, Calif.", "Hatred for Scott Peterson is not enough to convict the man for the murders of his pregnant wife and the fetus she carried, Peterson&#39;s defense attorney told jurors during his closing arguments Tuesday.", "Prosecutors delivered a critical blow to Scott Peterson&#39;s defense Thursday, attacking the findings of an expert who testified Laci Peterson&#39;s fetus likely died on Dec. 29, 2002 at the earliest, five days after the pregnant schoolteacher vanished.", "The penalty phase of Scott Peterson&#39;s murder trial resumed Thursday with testimony from a high school friend who described Peterson as &quot;truly sincere, very, very gracious and very, very thoughtful.", "Scott Peterson&#39;s attorneys on Monday suggested witness accounts of what police deemed as odd behavior by the former fertilizer salesman only surfaced after they learned Peterson was having an affair." ]

[ "Is Yaya right to be angry over birthday snub? Yaya Toure has backed his agent Dimitri Seluk's bizarre attack on Manchester City for forgetting the midfielder's birthday and says he will clarify his future after the World Cup. Seluk cast doubt on the Ivorian staying at the Etihad by saying the influential star was unhappy with the club. And Toure tweeted: 'My agent was trying to make a point here on my behalf, joke aside.It seems important for me to make a statement.. I am going to do so. 'Everything dimitry said is true. He speaks for me. I will give an interview after world cup to explain.' VIDEO Scroll down for Yaya Toure: My career's great; going to City was the right move . Glory: Yaya Toure holds the title trophy with Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini . Comments: Toure's agent Dimitri Seluk has been in the public eye over the last week . Seluk earlier revealed Brazil legend Roberto Carlos was given a super car by Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala to mark his birthday. The agent appeared on Sky Sports News on Tuesday afternoon, saying: 'This happened on May 13. Today is May 20. 'Until now nobody from staff called Yaya and said sorry. It was really was not right. It is not a little bit correct. 'If they don't want Yaya, no problem. We can leave any moment, without any problem.' Toure had attempted to diffuse the row as he tweeted: 'Thanks for all the birthday messages today. Card from City just arrived... Must have got lost in the post. Haha. 'Jokes aside. Please do not take words that do not come out of MY mouth seriously. Judge my commitment to @MCFC by my performances.' But his later support of Seluk will have City fans concerned about their star man's future. Despite a video emerging showing the City players on a plane presenting a cake to Toure - whom the club regard as 'unsellable' - and singing 'Happy Birthday', Seluk told the BBC: 'None of them shook his hand on his birthday. It's really sick, you know. 'He got a cake but when it was Roberto Carlos's birthday, the president of Anzhi gave him a Bugatti. 'I . don't expect City to present Yaya with a Bugatti, we only asked that . they shook his hand and said, \"We congratulate you\". It is the minimum . they must do when it is his birthday and the squad is all together. Fast car: Seluk noted that Roberto Carlos was bought a Bugatti by Russian club Anzhi on his birthday . Nice wheels: Seluk claims Carlos was given the car for his birthday by . Anzhi Makhachkala . Having their cake and eating it: Sheikh Mansour celebrates City's title win . 'It . is an important human relationship to shake hands and say, \"Happy Birthday\" but nobody did it to Yaya. It shows they don't care about him. 'I . hear one newspaper has written that City congratulated him from Twitter . but this is a joke. It is better they don't put anything on Twitter if . they are not saying anything to him. 'The . club's owners ate a 100kg cake after winning the Premier League this . season but when they and the players were all together, none of them . shook his hand on his birthday. 'If they don't respect him, then easy - Yaya will leave. No problem.' VIDEO: City players and officials sing happy birthday to Toure on the plane to Abu Dhabi . Happy Birthday: A stewardess brings a cake with the Manchester City crest on it . Playing it cool: Samir Nasri points out that it is Yaya Toure's birthday . Celebration time: Nasri and other members of the squad and staff sing Happy Birthday to Yaya Toure . Upset: Yaya Toure says that no one wished him happy returns at a title celebration party . Speaking in The Sun, Seluk said: 'There is a big possibility Yaya will leave this summer. He is very upset. What happened at his birthday means the club don't care about him. It was proof. 'They can say whatever they want, \"Oh we like him but we forgot\". Forgot? About Yaya? The player who helped you to be two-time Premier League champions? The guy who helped you win the FA Cup and League Cup? 'In a normal team, his team-mates and club would at least give him good wishes. But when you win the title and two days later you have a big party to celebrate the title and nobody comes to Yaya to say happy birthday, what more do you want? 'If a player like Yaya went to Liverpool and they won the league for the first time in 24 years, Yaya would be a god in Liverpool. 'But at City, Yaya is no hero. He's nobody. That's how the club make him feel. He's very upset and he started thinking about leaving the club. And he will leave if things carry on like this. 'We're not doing this for more money. We probably can go for less money to another club. If they think they can buy everything, they are wrong. I think these people don't care. Only stupid people would want Yaya to leave.' High earner: Yaya Toure is one year into a four-year deal worth £220,000 a week . Happy birthday to you! City posted this on their Twitter on May 13 . How sweet: Yeovil Town sent Toure this happy birthday message on Twitter . Sound investment: Manchester City signed Yaya Toure from Barcelona for £24m in 2010 ." ]

[ "Yaya Toure has apologised to the Manchester City faithful for his red card during his side's defeat to CSKA Moscow. Toure was the second City player to be sent off on a dismal night at the Etihad, following Fernandinho's earlier dismissal. Toure shoved CSKA midfielder Roman Eremenko in the face nine minutes from time. The Ivorian had hauled Manuel Pellegrini's side level with a stunning free kick but Seydou Doumbia's second goal earned the Russian visitors all three points. Yaya Toure is shown a red card for pushing Alekseevich Eremenko in the second half . Toure trudges off to leave Manchester City with nine men as they head for defeat at the Etihad . Toure tweeted: 'City fans - I am sorry for my red card. I feel it is important to apologise for this.' The 31-year-old midfielder had earlier tweeted: 'GameDay... #Focused'. City are now bottom of their group and face an uphill task to qualify for the knockout stages. Pellegrini must lift his side for the visit of Bayern Munich before what could be a decisive trip to Rome for the final fixture. The manager told Sky Sports 5: 'It's very difficult to understand why we played so badly. 'From the beginning we were so nervous and we gave them the two goals. Really, we didn't play. Vincent Kompany crouches down on the Etihad turf as the City captain struggle . Seydou Doumbia was the hero for CSKA, heading the visitors in front (above) and then finishing calmly . 'The first half especially, we didn't see the team we normally see. We didn't shoot once at their goal, we just had Yaya's free-kick, and we gave away two easy goals. 'It's a strange moment to understand why it happened. I don't think it's just this competition, the last two weeks we are not playing the way we normally do. 'It's a crisis of confidence, of course, I don't understand why but we must find a reason, talk with the players every day and try to win again.' Pellegrini would not be drawn on the two dismissals, saying simply: 'It's the referee that has to decide about that.' VIDEO Pellegrini defends City's discipline .", "He is the man who captured the nation's heart after winning a record-breaking 18 gold medals at the London games and becoming the greatest Olympian of all time. But it seems that Michael Phelps' heart was already taken. The 27-year-old has quietly been dating a Los Angeles-based aspiring model and actress for the past six months, which might come as a shock to his legion of female fans. Following their first appearance together as they left a London nightclub in the early hours of Sunday morning, the couple made it truly official on Monday night when they walked the red carpet together at a Speed-sponsored event. Scroll down for video . Posing publicly: Michael Phelps had his arm around girlfriend Megan Rossee as they attended an event Monday evening at London's Kensington Roof Gardens . Eying the camera: Insiders are saying that Rossee, seen arriving at the Monday event with Phelps behind her, is using the Olympian for his fame in an effort to boost her modeling career . Phelps allegedly decided to . keep his relationship with Megan Rossee under . wraps so he could concentrate on succeeding at the Olympics. But it seems the pretty blonde has not been as guarded about her blossoming romance with the swimming star. Rossee has frequently broadcast her relationship with Phelps on Twitter, posting a number of intimate photographs of him. The 25-year-old has also called him pet names in a number of public Tweets. 'Good luck tonight bear,' she posted on August 2, the day of the men's 200m individual medley final. Happy: US Swimmer Michael Phelps is pictured with his model girlfriend Megan Rossee in the early hours of yesterday morning . On display: Michael Phelps beams proudly as he shows off three of his gold medals after leaving a London nightclub around 4am on Sunday morning . Supportive gal: This was the first time that Phelps was seen in public with his girlfriend of five months, Megan Rossee (left), though she has been Tweeting pictures with him for a while . Five days earlier, Rossee Tweeted a . personal message to the most-decorated Olympian of all time, saying: . '@MichaelPhelps this probably will get lost in your tweets but since i . cant text i miss you and cant wait to spend time with you for real xo.' Her supportive messages began in . June, when she Tweeted: 'idk how to direct msg u and don't wanna wake u . up but just watched your swim :) good job today and can't wait to be . there @MichaelPhelps.' But her willingness to publicise their relationship has led some to speculate that she is only in it for the fame. 'Michael is like a puppy dog around Megan – he’s completely in love with her,' a source told Radar. In the entourage: Rossee's identity was not immediately known but later sightings prompted confirmation that the pair were dating . Showing her colors: Rossee wears a patriotic ring along with matching nails . 'However, like any young girl hoping . to make it in Hollywood, she’s ambitious and knows that by associating . herself with Michael she will get a lot of press herself. 'She’s desperate for her own fame – her career has been a slow-burner but this will certainly accelerate it.' Rossee reportedly works as a cocktail waitress at Blok nightclub in Hollywood to supplement her earnings from modelling. 'Now . that people know who she is, Megan is hoping that she will get more . offers for photoshoots and her modeling and acting career will finally . take off,' the source added to Radar. Twitter: Rossee posted this picture alongside the caption: 'Cuuuuties @MichaelPhelps: Happy to get sometime with the pups today before i leave!!' 'Michael adores everything about . Megan, she’s athletic, makes him laugh and she’s obviously drop dead . gorgeous. But what happens when the buzz of the Olympics dies down and . life goes back to normal? Will she want to date a retired swimmer? Rossee's father, Wayne Rossee, today confirmed the pair's relationship to Celebuzz, saying: 'Yes, it’s true. I haven’t met him yet. I will soon. He’s been kind of busy.' Snap: The aspiring model and actress poses with a friend on Twitter . The man from Lakewood, California, said the pair want to go travelling after the Olympics to spend some quality time together. On her Model Mayhem profile, Rossee . writes: 'I am super easy going and pretty much down for any type of . project (that doesn't involve nudity). 'I love what I do and hope to further my . career as a model as well as a performer, so if you are interested in . working with me, send me a message!' Rossee, . who is a keen soccer player, reportedly accompanied Phelps to the . Olympic trials in Omaha and to the Games in London. The model has been . so busy travelling with her beau that she has had to refuse work. 'This summer has turned out to be very . busy for me, so I am no longer accepting TFP unless hair/makeup or . wardrobe are provided, or if the project is something my portfolio is . lacking,' she added to her modelling profile. Phelps is reportedly keen for her to . quit her bartending job and take up modelling full time. 'He hates that . she still works at Blok,' a source told Radar. 'Michael . is completely besotted with Megan and now that he’s retired is even . thinking of popping the question,' the source added. Public: 'Some of my favorite boys... Watch out ladies ;)' Rossee Tweeted at 12.14am on August 5 . Followers: Rossee, second right, Tweeted this picture alongside the caption: 'Just part of MPs huge following to #london in our #underarmour shirts' Goodbye and goodluck: Michael Phelps leaves the Olympic pool for the last time . Phelps and Rossee's relationship was made public after the pair were spotted leaving House of . St. Barnabas-in-Soho in London at 4am on Sunday after celebrating his . medal successes at the 2012 Games. He left the exclusive club with the . leggy blonde in a chauffeur driven vehicle, while brandishing three of . his gold medals at the cameras. Phelps and Rossee looked at ease in the car while holding on to two bottles of Stella Artois. Rossee who, was wearing a see-through . white blouse and jeans, tried to hold on to her boyfriend’s arm as he . waved at photographers. VIDEO: Swimmers let their hair down! Michael Phelps & friends hit the town...", "(CNN) -- There won't just be a new winner next season on \"American Idol.\" Most everything about the show may be new. Weeks after Randy Jackson announced his departure from Fox's long-running music talent show, two of his fellow judges -- Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj -- followed him out the door Thursday. That leaves only one \"Idol\" judge left in crooner Keith Urban -- for now. News of Carey's departure came out first Thursday, in the form of a tweet posted on her official account that stated she was saying \"goodbye 2 idol\" (and, simultaneously, announced a new world tour). Players behind \"American Idol\" -- namely Fox, FremantleMedia and 19 Entertainment -- confirmed her departure in a statement. \"Mariah Carey is a true global icon -- one of the most accomplished artists on the planet -- and we feel extremely fortunate that she was able to bring her wisdom and experience to the 'American Idol' contestants this season,\" they said. \"We know she will remain an inspiration to 'Idol' hopefuls for many seasons to come.\" Minaj followed up a short time later with a tweet of her own, making her exit official, also after a lone season. \"Thank you American Idol for a life changing experience! Wouldn't trade it for the world!\" the rapper wrote. \"Time to focus on the Music!!! Mmmuuuaahhh!!!\" After this tweet, Fox, FreemantleMedia and 19 Entertainment issued another statement saying they \"understand and respect her decision\" in light of \"her extremely busy career.\" \"Nicki Minaj is a superstar who brought a level of honesty and passion to 'American Idol' and who had a tremendous positive impact on so many contestants this season,\" they said. The two performers had been brought on following the exits of judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler, hoping to bolster the show's ratings. \"Idol\" had topped the Nielsen charts as America's most watched program for eight years running. But that streak ended in 2012, and since then the show's producers have made several changes. This season's finale was earlier this month. Carey and Minaj, though, ended up generating headlines more for their reported tiff than they did for bringing in more viewers. Both of them join Jackson, who had been the only judge remaining from the program's 2002 debut. Earlier this month, he announced he had voted himself off the show. \"It's been a life-changing opportunity, but I am looking forward to focusing on my company, Dream Merchant 21, and other business ventures,\" the musician and producer said.", "Manuel Pellegrini insists he is not feeling the pressure at Manchester City despite his team’s faltering form and the prospect of finishing this season empty handed. City are understood to be monitoring the progress of Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid should they decide to make a change and part company with Pellegrini in the summer. The Premier League champions have slipped seven points behind Chelsea in the title race ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Stoke, and have failed to win any of their last five game in all competitions. It represents City’s worst run since late 2009 when current Stoke boss Mark Hughes was sacked at the Etihad. Under-fire Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini insists he isn't feeling the pressure at the club . James Milner rescued Manuel Pellegrini's side with a late free-kick at the Etihad Stadium . Pellegrini’s future could hinge on how his team perform against Barcelona in the Champions League, but the Chilean remained a picture of calm at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday. He said: ‘I don’t feel any pressure from inside the club or from outside. ‘I never feel pressure. It has been the same the last two years, the only pressure is my own pressure – the pressure I make on myself when I don’t think the team is playing well. ‘We are in a normal position, we’re involved in the Champions League, if we win on Wednesday I think we are just one point less than last season. We have a lot more important things to think about than pressure.’ Pellegrini confirmed that Yaya Toure and new £28million signing Wilfried Bony will arrive back in England later in the week after helping Ivory Coast lift the Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea, although City are not involved in the FA Cup this weekend. The champions have failed to win any of the six league games Toure has missed this season – they did beat Bayern Munich and Roma in Europe – but Pellegrini was reluctant to dwell on players who will not be available to him for a difficult test at the Britannia Stadium. Manuel Pellegrini looks on during his side's disappointing 1-1 draw with Hull City on Saturday . Pellegrini says Ivory Coast duo Yaya Toure (left) and Wilfried Bony (right) will return later this week . Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has been lined up as a potential successor for Pellegrini . ‘It is very important to have Yaya back and playing with the team but we don’t just depend on one player,’ he added. ‘It is a very important player but we must win without him. ‘Bony will be a very important player for the squad also but we are not just depending on what Bony can do. We have also Edin Dzeko, we have Jovetic, we have Kun Aguero, we have Silva. We have a lot of players that always score. ‘The players have different moments during the season. If you remember, at the beginning of the season, everyone asked why Yaya continued playing. After that it was a team that was only (relying) on Sergio Aguero and without Sergio Aguero it was impossible to play. When Sergio wasn’t fit, we continue winning all the games. Now he is coming back and all of us are expecting that he will recover his normal performance. ‘Stoke are always a very difficult team, especially playing at the Britannia. It is a difficult team for us because last season we just won here 1-0 and we drew there 0-0 so in every moment it is difficult.’ Sergio Aguero should recover his 'normal performance' soon after injury, according to Pellegrini .", "Manuel Pellegrini will have to wait. His midfield talisman and his expensive new signing are staying in Equatorial Guinea a little longer. They are both yet to impress at this Africa Cup of Nations, but Yaya Toure and Wilfried Bony are into the quarter-finals to face Algeria, rather than flying back to England to play Chelsea. But it was not down to a significant contribution from either man that the Ivory Coast progressed. Indeed, Toure was withdrawn 10 minutes from time, with a possibly worrying injury. Ivory Coast winger Max Gradel (left) watches as his shot hits the back of Cameroon's net after 35 minutes . Saint Etienne winger Gradel celebrates passionately after giving his country the lead on Wednesday night . Gradel (No 15) celebrates with his team-mates including Yaya Toure and Wilfried Bony in the first half . Cameroon (4-4-2): Ondoa; Guihoata, Nkoulou, Chedjou, Bedimo; Salli (Aboubakar 46 mins); Mandjeck, Mbia, Moukandjo (Njie 67); Choupo-Moting, Etoundi (Kweuke 56) Subs not used: Ndy Assembe, Loe, Oyongo, Bagnack, Enoh, Djeugoue, Kom, Ekeng Ekeng, Abogo . Ivory Coast (3-4-1-2): Gbohouo; K Toure, Bailly (Viera 27), Kanon; Aurier, Die, Y Toure (Doukoure 82) Tiene; Gradel; Doumbia (Tallo 60), Bony . Subs not used: Barry, Roger, Kalou, Akpa Akpro, Diomande, Traore, Sayouba . Booked: Bailly, Yaya Toure, Gbohouo . Goal: Gradel . But progress was ensure by Max Gradel, who won the game with a goal that could easily be the best we see all tournament. Having robbed Jerome Guihoata of possession on the left wing, the former Leeds winger cut inside and lashed a vicious shot at goal from 25 yards. The pace, swerve and accuracy of the shot saw it beat the otherwise excellent Joseph Ondoa, finding the corner of the net beyond the despairing goalkeeper's dive. Ivory Coast, ahead for the first time in the competition, sat back on their lead, inviting pressure from a Cameroon side who knew that defeat would see them crash out. But aside from a flurry of chances late in the first half, the previously leaky Ivorian defence held firm. And they should really have wrapped the game up on the break, Serge Aurier firing meekly at Ondoa before City's new striker fluffed a chance to seal the win. In Bony's defence he did brilliantly to hold off the scarcely legal challenge of Nicolas Nkoulou, to get his shot away, but having escaped the defender's clutches his finish was not of the standard you would expect from a £28million forward. Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure (right) tussles with Cameroon's Eric Choupo Moting in Malabo . Manchester City new boy Wilfried Bony (right) rises highest to win a header against Nicolas N'Koulou . Liverpool defender Kolo Toure (right) attempts to block a shot from Cameroon's Edgar Salli . There were 61 fouls during Ivory Coast's win against Cameroon - the most ever recorded by Opta in an Africa Cup of Nations game. Substitute Junior Tallo almost manufactured himself a late goal as well, but it would not matter as the Elephants held on. Both sides had come into the game desperate to avoid the complicated possibility of drawing lots, with Liverpool defender Kolo Toure promising that after two disappointing performances we would see 'the real Ivory Coast' in this deciding game. And his team-mates seemed determined to prove him right, producing comfortably their most incisive football of the tournament so far, against what, on paper at least, ought to have been their toughest opponents. At the heart of everything was Gradel, the livewire winger who was only given his chance in this competition because of Gervinho's mindless red card in the first game against Guinea. Gradel came off the bench in the second match against Mali, and earned himself a place in the starting line-up with a late equaliser. Eric Bailly of the Ivory Coast (left) cuts back under pressure from Cameroon midfielder Edgar Salli . Serge Wilfried Kanon (left) goes down as he attempts to challenge Cameroon's Benjamin Moukandjo . Bony is held back by Nicolas Nkoulou as he attempts to burst through on goal in Malabo . Against Cameroon he fully justified that selection, creating early chances for Bony and Yaya Toure before scoring his wonderful opener. Bony in particular should have done better with his chance in just the fifth minute, but he could only meet an awkward cross with his thigh, and Barcelona keeper Ondoa was able to react quickly and push the effort away. Toure was also denied by the 19-year-old keeper after powering a header low and on target midway through the first half, as the Ivorians created more clear-cut chances in the first 20 minutes than their first two matches. But it was after falling behind to Gradel's thunderstrike that Cameroon began to create chances of their own, the best two of which fell to Edgar Salli. Ivory Coast's players including Bony (left) and Lacina Traore celebrate after the final whistle . Stephen Mbia (left) keeps his eyes focused on the ball as Yaya Toure closes him down . The Cameroon winger beat the Ivorian offside trap just moments after his side had fallen behind only to fire straight at Guelassiognon Gbohouo, and had another great opportunity on the stroke of half-time. A brilliant run from Benjamin Moukandjo opened up the Elephants's defence, his pass released Salli, whose first touch took him beyond the defence and into the box. But, once again, having done the hard work, his shot was poor, blasting over the bar when he should really have scored. It was no surprise when Salli was hooked at the interval, but his replacement Vincent Aboubakar did little to spark a recovery. The introduction of Lyon winger Clinton Njie did at least lift the crowd, but not the standard of attacking play, and the Ivorians held out for their place in the quarter-final.", "Manchester City threw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 away to CSKA Moscow in their Champions League Group E match on Tuesday. Sergio Aguero and James Milner gave the Premier League champions a commanding first half start before Seydou Doumbia and a Bebras Natcho penalty completed CSKA's comeback late on. Here, Sportsmail's Dan Ripley gives you his verdict on how the players performed. MANCHESTER CITY (4-4-2) Joe Hart - 6 . A pedestrian throughout the match who had little to do. Couldn't get near either goal scored past him. Pablo Zabaleta - 6 . Combined well with James Milner in the first half but faded after the interval. Vincent Kompany - 6.5 . Caught napping for the first goal but was otherwise City's best defender. Vincent Kompany (right) was caught napping in defence for CSKA's first goal on Tuesday . Eliaquim Mangala - 6 . Made some crucial interceptions but still hasn't reached the level to justify his £32million price tag. Aleksandar Kolorov - 6.5 . Lively first half in attack as the Serbian whipped in numerous good crosses. Similar to Zabaleta though in that he faded in the first half. Gave away the soft penalty for CSKA's equaliser - but it shouldn't have been awarded in truth. James Milner - 7 . Reacted superbly to score City's second goal and looked dangerous in attack. James Milner (bottom) doubled City's lead in the first half after sliding home in 38th minute . Fernando - 6.5 . Booked for reckless tackle in the second half which left City exposed as the hosts chased the game. Rash challenge left him treading on egg shells as City failed to see the game out. Yaya Toure - 7 - Star man . Controlled the first half from midfield but never reached the same standards after the break. Yaya Toure (right) was City's star performer as he controlled everything in the first half . David Silva - 6.5 . Beautiful chipped through-ball helped create the first goal but sacrificed as City tried to hold on in the latter stages of the match. Edin Dzeko - 7 . Unselfishly squared to Sergio Aguero for City's opener and was unlucky not win a first half penalty. Sergio Aguero - 7 . Continues to score for fun but not even he could get City ticking after half-time. Sergio Aguero (right) celebrates giving City a 1-0 lead against CSKA Moscow . Substitutes . Jesus Navas - 6 . Brought on when City tried to contain CSKA, and hit them on the counter-attack, but failed to influence the game with his pace. Fernandino and Stevan Jovetic - N/A . Both had little time to make an impact in the game. Jesus Navas (left) failed to make much of an impact when he came on as a second half substitute . VIDEO Lack of concentration cost us - Pellegrini .", "Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany provided a decent reply when Arsenal supporter Piers Morgan offered him a sports cars and money to swap the north-west for north London this week. 'These days I play for glory,' said the Belgian. As quick witted as it was acerbic, Kompany’s Tweet made his point. The landscape has shifted in English football over the last five years. You no longer sign for Arsenal if you want to win the Barclays Premier League any time soon. Even the ever optimistic Kompany will find little glory in his own team’s predicament at the moment, however, as the City captain does his best to steady a defence currently looking as vulnerable as at any time since Arab money eased his club on to an upwards trajectory six years ago. Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany failed to deal with the threat of two-goal hero Seydou Doumbia . Belgium international Kompany, pictured with CSKA Moscow's Alan Dzagoev, struggled against the Russians . Manuel Pellegrini's side have not been at their best during this season's Champions League campaign . Kompany reflected on his side's performance shortly after the final whistle . Football is cyclical, of course. Few things at the really top clubs last forever and City have too many good players in their squad for their current struggles to last. Having said that, they are currently showing few signs of digging themselves out of a defensive slump that threatens to undermine their whole season. Manchester City have tried to pair Vincent Kompany with a number of centre backs during his time at the club but have had little success. The likes of Kolo Toure, Joleon Lescott and Stefan Savic have all been given a chance to hold down a starting berth alongside Kompany - but have all since moved on to pastures new. Eliaquim Mangala, who sealed a £32million move to the Etihad during the summer transfer window, had expected to bolster City's defensive options but is yet to impress. There are other issues currently afflicting this City team. Too many of their marquee players are lacking form. They miss a reliable third striker after the departure of Alvaro Negredo on the back of his wife’s homesickness in the summer. Nevertheless, the sickness that currently drags them down is undoubtedly their work without the ball, their defending. Even the best attacking teams need a platform on which to work and at the moment City just don’t have one. City were as poor as they have been for many years on Wednesday night in that area of the field and there would appear to be a self-belief issue. Confidence – that intangible sporting elixir – can hide a multitude of sins. Equally, when it leaves you it can turn very good players in to shadows of themselves. Look, for example, at the two first half goals conceded by Pellgrini’s team here. Kompany looked dejected after his side loss 2-1 against Champions League opponents CSKA Moscow . The Manchester City defender was not happy with the performance of referee Tasos Sidiropoulos . Martin Demichelis, pictured, and Eliaquim Mangala have taken it in turns to partner Kompany . The first – a free header from a free-kick – was the type of goal Sunday League defenders would go to the pub and fret about. The second, meanwhile, began with a botched clearance from Gael Clichy and ended with a run from CSKA forward Seydou Doumbia that was just too well-timed for the City left-back’s malfunctioning colleagues to do anything about. There were other horror moments, too. Between his two goals, Doumbia raced clear on Joe Hart with far too much ease. On that occasion he was let down by a poor first touch and a shot pulled across goal and wide. Then, shortly after CSKA’s second goal the talented CSKA midfielder Bebras Natcho turned away from Yaya Toure so effortlessly that it was embarrassing. Luckily for City, he couldn’t supplement that act with a pass of similar quality. Let’s not be too hard on Toure. The City midfielder has had a tough week and scored a sublime free-kick equaliser early in the piece. His subsequent sending off – as deserved as it was – was simply born of frustration. Former Porto defender Mangala has failed to live up to his £32million price tag . Piers Morgan took to Twitter on Tuesday to ask Kompany if he would join his beloved Arsenal . Morgan then joked he had withdrawn his offer after the Manchester City star's performance against CSKA . City lost their discipline here. Despite their numerical disadvantage, they could have chased this game down. They had enough quality left on the field. There is a distinct lack of joy about this team at the moment, though, and, it must be said, their manager is showing few signs of finding answers. We have all watched this group of players often enough over the recent months and years to know what they are really capable of. They can be a pretty fearsome, destructive force. At the moment, though, they look vulnerable and fretful and it is surprising. Certainly across the back it would help if Pellegrini could field a settled back four and in particular a regular central partnership. Injuries to summer signing Eliaquim Mangala – back on the bench against CSKA Moscow – and Aleksandar Kolarov have deprived him of that option, though, and for now he must muddle on. The Champions League looks beyond City already. If things don’t improve soon, the Premier League will follow suit by the time the Christmas trees go up. VIDEO Pellegrini defends City's discipline ." ]

[ "Michael Buffer Michael Buffer (born November 2, 1944) is an American ring announcer for boxing and professional wrestling matches. He is known for his trademarked catchphrase, \"Let's get ready to rumble!\" and for pioneering a distinct announcing style in which he rolls certain letters and adds other inflections to a fighter's name. His half-brother is UFC announcer Bruce Buffer." ]

[ "Let's Get It Started \"Let's Get It Started\" is a song by American group The Black Eyed Peas, released as a single on June 22, 2004. The track was the fourth single released from the band's 2003 album Elephunk and is a re-worked version of the album's third track \"Let's Get Retarded\".[1] This version was included as a bonus track on the 2004 re-issue of the album.", "Get Ready (The Temptations song) \"Get Ready\" is a Motown song written by Smokey Robinson, which resulted in two hit records for the label: a U.S. No. 29 version by The Temptations in 1966, and a U.S. No. 4 version by Rare Earth in 1970. It is significant for being the last song Robinson wrote and produced for the Temptations, due to a deal Berry Gordy made with Norman Whitfield, that if \"Get Ready\" did not meet with the expected degree of success, then Whitfield's song, \"Ain't Too Proud To Beg\", would get the next release, which resulted in Whitfield more or less replacing Robinson as the group's producer.", "One Love/People Get Ready \"One Love/People Get Ready\" is a reggae/rhythm and blues song by Bob Marley & The Wailers from their 1977 album Exodus. It was first recorded in a ska style by Marley's original group, The Wailers in 1965 and was released as a single. This version was later included on their first singles compilation The Wailing Wailers in 1966. It was rerecorded as part of the 1970 medley All In One, which contained reggae reworkings of their early ska songs. This was released as a single and is also included on the compilation African Herbsman under the name \"All in One\". The version on Exodus was not released as a single until 9 April 1984, promoting the forthcoming greatest hits album Legend. However, the single became one of his biggest hits and has been included on many of Marley and the Wailers subsequent compilation albums.", "Let's Get It On (song) \"Let's Get It On\" is a song and hit single by soul musician Marvin Gaye, released June 15, 1973, on Motown-subsidiary label Tamla Records. The song was recorded on March 22, 1973, at Hitsville West in Los Angeles, California. The song features romantic and sexual lyricism and funk instrumentation by The Funk Brothers. The title track of Gaye's landmark album Let's Get It On (1973), it was written by Marvin Gaye and producer Ed Townsend. \"Let's Get It On\" became Gaye's most successful single for Motown and one of his most well-known songs. With the help of the song's sexually explicit content, \"Let's Get It On\" helped give Gaye a reputation as a sex icon during its initial popularity.", "WWE Greatest Royal Rumble Greatest Royal Rumble[3] was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event[4] and WWE Network event[5][6] promoted by WWE for their Raw and SmackDown brands. The event was held on April 27, 2018 at the King Abdullah Sports City's King Abdullah International Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.[3][7] The event was scheduled for 7:00 p.m. local time. It aired live in the United States at noon EDT, with a pre-show starting at 11 a.m. EDT.[8] At the event, all men's main roster championships were defended, in addition to a 50-man Royal Rumble match.[9]", "Rope-a-dope The rope-a-dope is a boxing fighting style commonly associated with Muhammad Ali in his 1974 Rumble in the Jungle match against George Foreman.", "Get Together (The Youngbloods song) The song was originally recorded as \"Let's Get Together\" by the Kingston Trio in a live performance in March 1964 that was released on June 1, 1964, on their album Back in Town.[2] While it was not released as a single, this version was the first to bring the song to the attention of the general public. The Kingston Trio often performed it live.", "The Rumble in the Jungle The Rumble in the Jungle was a historic boxing event in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) on October 30, 1974 (at 4:00 am). Held at the 20th of May Stadium (now the Stade Tata Raphaël), it pitted the undefeated world heavyweight champion George Foreman against challenger Muhammad Ali, a former heavyweight champion; the attendance was 60,000. Ali won by knockout, putting Foreman down just before the end of the eighth round. It has been called \"arguably the greatest sporting event of the 20th century\".[3] The event was one of Don King's first ventures as a professional boxing promoter.", "WWE Greatest Royal Rumble Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler began the 50-man Royal Rumble match as the first two entrants. Bryan survived until the final 3, beating out Rey Mysterio for the longest time spent in a single Royal Rumble match of all time at an hour and sixteen minutes. At the end of the match, Big Cass eliminated Bryan only for Cass to then attempt a Big Boot on Braun Strowman, who ducked and knocked Cass over the top rope to win the match. Strowman also achieved the most eliminations of a single Royal Rumble match at 13, beating out a record previously held by Roman Reigns with 12.[39] Post-match, Strowman received a trophy and the Greatest Royal Rumble Championship.[38]", "Adrianna Tate-Duncan The series ends with Adrianna and Navid back together. Ready to get a house, a dog and a fireplace.", "Can We Talk \"Can We Talk\" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Tevin Campbell and composed and produced by Babyface. It was the first single to be released from his double platinum second release I'm Ready. The song hit top ten on the pop charts peaking at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100[1] and spent a total of three weeks at number one on the US R&B chart.[2] It sold 500,000 copies and earned a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America.[3][4] The song was also Nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance - Male. It was also nominated and later won the Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Single - Male (\"Can We Talk\"). Cover versions of the hit song have been done by The Whispers, Sanchez, and Kirk Whalum[5] (on his 2005 album Kirk Whalum Performs the Babyface Songbook). The song was later covered by British boyband Code Red in 1996,[6] for their debut album Scarlet and was released as the album's lead single becoming a modest hit and reaching #1 in Asia. The song has also been covered by a Japanese/Korean singer during June 2008.[7] The song became the opening theme to the 2012 sitcom 1600 Penn. The song was sampled in hip hop duo Luniz's song \"Playa Hata\" from their debut album Operation Stackola. The song was sung by 19-year-old Victor Sulfa during the semi-finals on season 3 of New Zealand Idol as well as Nikko Smith during the Top 10 round on season 4 of American Idol. The song has been featured on at least two different compilation albums including Disc 14 of Classic Soul Ballads entitled \"Tender Love\" and Volume 6 of MTV's Party to Go compilation albums series entitled MTV Party to Go 6.", "The Day Alex Left for College Alex (Ariel Winter) is ready to start her first day as a student as she leaves home to be in Caltech and Haley (Sarah Hyland) goes with her. Here, Alex meets her new roommate Maisie who replaces her original roommate and does not get along with her as she finds her clumsy. Haley explains to her that they were roommate during eight years and had hard time to adjust with her new life, which makes Alex reconsider her decision.", "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On \"Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On\" (sometimes rendered \"Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On\") is a song written by Dave \"Curlee\" Williams and usually credited to him and James Faye \"Roy\" Hall. The song was first recorded by Big Maybelle, though the best-known version is the 1957 rock and roll/rockabilly version by Jerry Lee Lewis.", "Royal Rumble (2008) The main event was the Royal Rumble match. The first two superstars who began the match were Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker (who were the final two superstars in the previous year's Royal Rumble) where they remained in the match for a little over 30 minutes. During the match Michaels eliminated Shelton Benjamin for the third consecutive royal rumble match. The ninth entrant, Hornswoggle was the smallest wrestler to ever compete in the rumble match, and eliminate another superstar. He remained hidden under the ring throughout the match. He would however assist in eliminating The Miz, but later on, after attempting to interfere again, Mark Henry and Big Daddy V grabbed Hornswoggle. As they prepared to throw him over the top rope, Finlay illegally entered the match, as he was not due to enter the match yet, and hit Henry and Big Daddy V with a shillelagh. He then left alongside Hornswoggle and it was later announced that Finlay was disqualified for using the shillelagh, and Hornswoggle was eliminated (leaving the match with Finlay). The twenty sixth entry, Chavo Guerrero, was the first world champion wrestler to compete in the Royal Rumble match since 1990, when Hulk Hogan won the match. Triple H, the twenty ninth entrant, dominated as he entered the match, eliminating Big Daddy V, Batista, Mick Foley, and Kane. This was Kane's tenth consecutive Royal Rumble match, which is a record. The turn of the Royal Rumble match came when John Cena, who was originally scheduled to be sidelined with a torn pectoral muscle until later in the year, entered the match as the thirtieth entrant making his \"triumphant return\". He set a record for the shortest time that the eventual winner spent in the rumble match. He spent 8:28 in the ring, passing Brock Lesnar's record of 8:59. He ended up squaring off with Triple H, as the final two men left in the match. Triple H would attempt to Pedigree Cena, but Cena would counter it into the FU that saw him throw Triple H over the top rope, thus winning the Royal Rumble match and a World Championship match at WrestleMania XXIV.[8][35]", "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire It was written in 1938,[1] but was first recorded three years later by Harlan Leonard and His Rockets.[2] It was covered by several musicians and groups, most successfully by Horace Heidt on Columbia Records, whose version reached number one on the US pop chart; and by The Ink Spots on Decca, whose version reached number 4 on the same listing. Other early versions included those by Tommy Tucker, Mitchell Ayres, and (in Britain) Vera Lynn. The song, with its lyrics starting with \"I don't want to set the world on fire/ I just want to start a flame in your heart...\" became especially popular after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941.[3]", "Boom Boom (Let's Go Back to My Room) \"Boom Boom (Let's Go Back to My Room)\" is the debut single by American singer and model Paul Lekakis.", "Drop It Like It's Hot The song was a sleeper hit, and topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks from December 10, 2004, making it Snoop Dogg's first number one on the chart. It was also his second Top 10 as a solo artist since 1994's \"Gin and Juice\" (\"Beautiful\" was the other). The song also gave him his first number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. With that, the song ended up appearing on the 2005 compilation album Now That's What I Call Music! 18. It also peaked at number one for four consecutive weeks in New Zealand, and number ten in the UK Singles Chart. It gained some critical attention for its minimal, extremely sparse production, consisting of tongue clicks, keyboards, a drum machine beat and white noise. It was nominated at the Grammy Awards of 2005 for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, though it lost both awards to the songs \"Jesus Walks\" and \"Let's Get It Started\", respectively. The single was Pharrell's biggest hit worldwide, until 2013's \"Get Lucky\" and \"Blurred Lines\" (his highest peaking single as lead artist is \"Happy\").", "Let's Groove \"Let's Groove\" is a song by the American band Earth, Wind & Fire from their eleventh studio album Raise! (1981). Written by Maurice White and Wayne Vaughn, the song was chosen as the lead single from the album. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, disco music was undergoing a severe backlash. In spite of this, the band decided to revive the disco sound that was later included on their previous works and records. Musically, \"Let's Groove\" is a post-disco, pop and funk song which includes instrumentation of synthesizers and keyboards along with live electric guitars.", "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love) \"Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)\" is a single from American R&B vocal group The Delfonics. The song was produced by Thom Bell and released on October 22, 1968 by Philly Groove Records. The song peaked at number 35 on the U.S. pop chart, number 14 U.S. R&B, and number 41 in the UK.", "The Night Begins to Shine \"The Night Begins to Shine\" is a song by the band B.E.R.[1] from the Teen Titans Go! TV series[2] The song was originally written and produced in 2005 as an \"'80s-style song\" for a music library.[3] The song was first featured in the Teen Titans Go! episode, \"Slumber Party\" as a throwaway joke. The song became popular with fans of the show.[2][3] The song was subsequently featured in the episode, \"40%, 40%, 20%\",[4] and was prominently featured in the four-part special, \"The Day the Night Stopped Beginning to Shine and Became Dark Even Though It Was the Day\".[5] The special also featured two other songs by B.E.R., \"Forever Mine\" and \"Rise Up\", as well as three covers of the song from Fall Out Boy, CeeLo Green, and Puffy AmiYumi.[6]", "Rumble strip Rumble strips, also known as sleeper lines, alert strips, audible lines, sleepy bumps, wake up calls,[1] growlers, drift lines, and drunk bumps, are a road safety feature to alert inattentive drivers of potential danger, by causing a tactile vibration and audible rumbling transmitted through the wheels into the vehicle interior. A rumble strip is applied along the direction of travel following an edgeline or centerline, to alert drivers when they drift from their lane. Rumble strips may also be installed in a series across the direction of travel, to warn drivers of a stop or slowdown ahead, or of an approaching danger spot.", "The Sacrifice (The Vampire Diaries) Bonnie starts the spell so Stefan can get into the tomb and get Jeremy out. At the same time, Luka gets back home from school and he starts to feel Bonnie channeling his powers. He tells his father that he let Bonnie channel with him earlier because he asked him to bond with her and now she is channeling him for some spell. Both Luka and Bonnie begin to nosebleed and Stefan tries to stop Bonnie while Luka collapses. Bonnie falls unconscious and when she gets back she realizes that she can't do the spell, even with help. Katherine gets the opportunity to torture Jeremy and Stefan rushes into the tomb to save him. He manages to get Jeremy out of the tomb but now he is trapped inside it with Katherine.", "Monty Hall Monte Halparin, OC OM (born August 25, 1921), better known by the stage name Monty Hall, is a Canadian-American emcee, producer, singer and sportscaster, best known as host of the television game show Let's Make a Deal.[1]", "Chloé See is a younger line of the Chloé luxury brand. This line manufactures ready-to-wear, handbags, and accessories since 2001. This line of apparel is intended to target the younger generation and is more affordable for those who are starting to become more sophisticated in their styles.[5]", "WWE Greatest Royal Rumble The card featured ten matches. In the main event, Braun Strowman won the titular Greatest Royal Rumble match to become the inaugural Greatest Royal Rumble Champion. In the penultimate match, Brock Lesnar retained the Universal Championship in a steel cage match against Roman Reigns. On the undercard, the WWE Championship match between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura resulted in a double countout, The Undertaker defeated Rusev in a casket match, and John Cena defeated Triple H in the opening match.", "Binghamton Rumble Ponies In 2016, the franchise announced a plan to stay in Binghamton for the foreseeable future, and to change the team's name.[2] The team held a name-the-team contest on its website from May 17 to June 1; the finalists were the Bullheads (for the bullhead catfish abundant in the nearby Susquehanna River), Gobblers (for the rich hunting culture of the area, as well as the turkeys in Binghamton), Rocking Horses (for the Triple Cities' nickname as the \"Carousel Capital of The World\"), Rumble Ponies (also a carousel tribute), Stud Muffins (for the collections of carousel horses in Binghamton), and Timber Jockeys (for everyone who rides the carousels).[3][4] On November 3, 2016, the team announced that it would be rebranding as the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, and released a new logo.", "Let 'Em In The song starts with the sound of a vibraphone, chiming the first eight notes from the Westminster Quarters, before the rhythm begins. The lyric name-checks several famous people, between friends and relatives of McCartney who, without a justified reason, knock on the door or ring the bell of his house and he exclaims \"Let 'Em In\".", "Because of Winn-Dixie (film) Opal gets a job at Gertrude's Pets and befriends a worker there, Otis, a shy ex-convict with a passion for music. She also meets a girl named Sweetie Pie Thomas, who is eager to get a dog like Winn-Dixie. Later, a thunderstorm comes and Winn-Dixie, being pathologically afraid of thunderstorms, runs away. While Opal looks for him, her father wants to give up and she blames him for the loss of her mother and Winn-Dixie running away. But her father explains that he tried very hard to look for her mother. He then admits that he believes that she is never coming back. Later they go back to a party and Otis starts to sing a song on his guitar. Winn-Dixie is heard outside howling along to the song. Everyone, while singing, lets him in and welcomes him back.", "Seven trumpets The sound of the seventh trumpet signals the \"Third woe\". This is the final trumpet sound and the final woe. Loud voices in heaven which said; \"The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.\" Thanks is given to God, the Almighty and praise for the wrath that came, the dead who were judged, and the bond-servants rewarded. \"Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.\" [16]", "Lorelai Gilmore When the series starts, Rory gets accepted into Chilton Preparatory School, a private and expensive high school. In order to pay the attendance fees, Lorelai goes as a last choice to Emily and Richard who agree to loan the money. In exchange for paying for Rory's tutition at Chilton, Emily and Richard instate mandatory \"Friday night dinners\" to which Lorelai reluctantly agreed, which allowed them to get to know their granddaughter.[2] Lorelai meets Rory's teacher Max Medina (Scott Cohen) at Rory's first parent-teacher meeting in Chilton. They both become interested in one another and soon start seeing each other. When Lorelai wants to split as it becomes too serious, she kisses Max in Chilton, which provokes a scandal in the school and puts an end to their relationship. While they are separate, Lorelai has a one-night stand with Christopher (David Sutcliffe) after a heated argument with her parents. Christopher proposes to her, but she rejects him telling him he is not ready to take care of Rory and her. Lorelai later rekindles her relationship with Max and they become engaged. As their wedding is approaching, Lorelai has second thoughts and calls Christopher during her bachelorette party. Suddenly, Lorelai decides to go on a road-trip with Rory during which they will visit Harvard University and calls off the wedding.", "Boom Boom (John Lee Hooker song) A variety of artists have recorded the song, including: Rufus Thomas, Mae West, Shadows of Knight, CCS, Dr. Feelgood, Tony Joe White, Disco Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes,[21] Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Big Head Todd and the Monsters (whose version was chosen in 2014 as the theme song for NCIS: New Orleans, and is played at Carolina Panthers home games when a touchdown is scored) and the Oak Ridge Boys. \"Boom Boom\" was the first studio recording by Eric Clapton, who recorded it as a demo with the Yardbirds in 1963, and which was released as a single in the Netherlands and Germany in 1966. ZZ Top later used similar lines (\"how-how-how-how\") to those found in \"Boom Boom\", on \"La Grange\".[7]", "Buckwheat Boyz The Buckwheat Boyz was an American musical group founded by Marcus Bowens and Jermaine Fuller, with the later addition of J.J. O'Neal and Dougy Williams. The Buckwheat Boyz were signed by Koch Records, and recorded their first and only full-length record. From this self-titled album, the song \"Peanut Butter Jelly Time\" became popular on the Internet after a flash music video featuring an animated dancing banana was created.[1] The popularity of the song increased as it was featured on TV shows such as The Proud Family, Family Guy, and Regular Show." ]

[ "By . Jaya Narain . Fearing its latest round of bonuses would create negative headlines and trigger a backlash, Barclays decided to act. But rather than rein in fat-cat remuneration, it came up with a novel way to head off public anger – turn off televisions in branches so customers couldn’t watch the news. Earlier his week Barclays announced that 500 super-rich bankers pocketed at least £1million each last year. Barclays Bank, Bletchley. One of the many branches that will have been told to turn TVs off so that customers don't see the news about the head of their bank getting a £950,000 share remuneration (which some are calling disguised bonuses) Concerned about ‘negative coverage’ it urged staff in its high-street branches to turn over from news channels and, in a last resort, to unplug the screens. Last night bank bosses denied they had made a direct instruction to change the channels but spoke of their regret over the memo in which the ploy was outlined. The memo read: ‘It’s likely there will be some media interest. 'We’d like to give you the heads up so you can change the channel in your branch to support colleagues in the event there is negative coverage. Barclays customers have been complaining about the revelations, with some saying they were 'stunned and outraged' It recommended a couple of channels, adding ‘as a last resort find the power source and turn off the TV’. Yesterday customers at Barclays said they were ‘stunned and outraged’ by the directive and accused the bank of trying to mask a fat cat culture. Customer Gemma Jones, 24, of Manchester said: ‘It’s shocking that they would issue a memo which set out to deceive their own customers.’ Another customer said: ‘It’s astonishing. Many people who bank with Barclays will be outraged. It is absolutely stunning really. 'They have obviously learnt that customers find these bonuses unacceptable so their solution it – keep it from the customers. What a joke.’ Barclays’ annual report, released this week, also revealed that chief executive Antony Jenkins will be paid £950,000 in share allowances on top of his normal salary and bonuses – taking his potential remuneration to £6.3million. Mr Jenkins said the controversial decision to increase bonuses by £200m in 2013 despite profits falling had to be made or the investment division would suffer. Last night a spokesman for Barclays said: ‘The TV screens in our branches are tuned to one channel, typically news. Some branch staff asked whether they could change the channel if they felt the programme unsuitable. ‘We encourage our staff to use their discretion and confirmed that they could do so. We did not direct colleagues to change the TV channel.’" ]

[ "Shamed HSBC bosses are under pressure to hand back their multi-million pound payouts as Britain’s high street banks prepare to award bonuses worth a total of more than £5bn. Stuart Gulliver, the HSBC chief executive, is in line for pay and perks of £7.4m, including a bonus of £1.3m. The disgraced bank, which has been under fire for a string of scandals including tax avoidance at its Swiss private banking arm, is preparing to reward its top staff with a total bonus pool of £2.2bn. Documents alleged that the Swiss arm helped wealthy clients to cheat the taxman by hiding their assets. Stuart Gulliver (pictured), the HSBC chief executive, is in line for pay and perks of £7.4m, including a bonus of £1.3m . The payout to Mr Gulliver is below last year’s £8m but will spark outrage coming in the wake of the Swiss tax scandal. Dame Colette Bowe, chairman of the Banking Standards Review Council which has been set up to improve the behaviour of leading lenders, said: ‘Those leading our banking businesses need to think very carefully about the patterns of behaviours they are seeking to reward.’ The revelations come as the banking giant will next week report profits of nearly £15bn – or a staggering £40m a day. Mr Gulliver has worked at HSBC since 1980, working his way up the ranks. He has sat on the HSBC group management board since 2004, including the period when the Swiss private banking scandal was at its peak, between 2005-2007, and became chief executive in 2011. He will be questioned by Parliament's Treasury Select Committee on Wednesday along with chairman Douglas Flint, who is paid around £2.4m a year. Mr Flint will be quizzed over his role as finance director at the time when the bank was found to be helping customers avoid taxes through its Swiss unit. HSBC, which has been under fire for a string of scandals including tax avoidance at its Swiss private banking arm, is preparing to reward its top staff with a total bonus pool of £2.2bn . Levels of excess at the UK’s scandal ridden lenders has reached such a pitch that even bosses organisation the Institute of Directors, which represents executives at companies across Britain, is urging banks to show ‘restraint as we approach the general election and with so much anti-business mood music in the country at the moment’. Simon Walker, director general of the IoD, said: ‘As the banks announce pay and bonus deals for 2014, I would urge them to show restraint. Now is the time to restore the link between long-term performance and financial reward for senior bankers. This has been broken for a number of years, but never has the political imperative of doing something about it been greater.’ The lavish payouts at HSBC, which owns the former Midland bank in the UK, are expected to be announced alongside the bank’s annual results on Monday. Rival high street lenders will reveal their profit figures in the following days. Taxpayer-owned Royal Bank of Scotland is preparing a bonus pot of around £500m while Lloyds Banking Group will announce total payouts of around £375m. RBS’s chief executive Ross McEwan (pictured) will receive £1m salary and a £1m allowance but does not receive a bonus from the tax-payer controlled bank . Its chief executive Antonio Horta Osorio is in line for a package of £7m, including the release of long-term share incentives from 2012 that come to fruit this year. Barclays will unveil its results the following week and is lining up bonuses of just under £2bn for its bankers, only slightly below the £2.4bn it paid last year. Liberal Democrat MP John Thurso, who sits on the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards and will be questioning HSBC’s chiefs, said: ‘I don’t think chief executives should be paid a bonus at all. The bonus system is fundamentally flawed and must be re-thought. ‘Why do people deserve this much money when brain surgeons and army chiefs earn less and do far more?’ Labour MP John Mann, a member of the Treasury Select Committee, added: ‘Chief executives should give up their bonuses. 'There is no other industry that has so much ongoing criminality as bankers, from Libor and forex to the Swiss tax scandal. The idea that there should be any bonuses paid is extraordinary.’ In order to receive his performance-linked bonuses, Mr Gulliver has to meet standards of ethical behaviour set by the pay committee. He received an annual incentive last year of £1.83m after the committee ruled he had shown ‘leadership in promoting HSBC Values,’ including acting with ‘courageous integrity.’ The bank says on its website: ‘At HSBC we put great emphasis on our values. We want to ensure that our employees feel empowered to do the right thing and to act with courageous integrity. By doing so we will meet the expectations of society, customers, regulators and investors.’ The comments are at odds with the revelations emerging about its behaviour at its Swiss arm and with previous scandals including a £1.2bn fine for money laundering in Mexico and sanctions-busting in the Middle East. American lawmakers have warned that HSBC is in danger of further sanctions that could include losing its banking licence in the US over the Swiss allegations. Across Britain’s other major banks, Barclays chief executive Anthony Jenkins could be in line for £1m bonus for 2014 while tax-payer backed Lloyds is expected to release long-term share awards that will total £7m. RBS’s chief executive Ross McEwan will receive £1m salary and a £1m allowance but does not receive a bonus from the tax-payer controlled bank. Taxpayer-owned Royal Bank of Scotland is preparing a bonus pot of around £500m . News of the size of the bonuses come at a particularly sensitive time ahead of polling day in May and follows another year of scandal for the banking industry which has been embroiled in a series of embarrassments from the mis-selling of payment protection insurance to the rigging of foreign exchange markets. TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: ‘While the real value of wages has fallen every year since the crash, top bankers continue to rake it in. It is one rule for those at the top, and another for everyone else. ‘And when HSBC has come under such widespread criticism for its role in tax evasion and avoidance, bank customers will not understand huge bonuses especially when branches are being closed.’ David Hillman, Robin Hood Tax Campaign spokesman, said: ‘It's shocking that the chief executives of HSBC, Barclays and Lloyds are taking home more than a million pounds each in bonuses while their industry remains mired in scandal. ‘You might have thought the recent revelations of misdemeanours would prompt restraint, but the opposite is true - total remuneration packages for the three of them look set to exceed a staggering £5 million each. ‘It's high time the Government ensured banks contribute to society instead of lining their own pockets.’ Deborah Hargreaves, founding director of think tank High Pay Centre, said: ‘It is insensitive to be paying out such huge bonuses when we read about endless scandal when people are not enjoying pay rises themselves. There is a general feeling that banks haven’t been putting their houses in order.’", "Hefty bonus: Antony Jenkins, who receives £5.5m a year, was immediately accused of being ‘out of touch’ over the 'pie in the sky' comments . The boss of Barclays has called for an end to free banking, claiming the controversial move would be a ‘step forward’ for customers. Antony Jenkins, who said he would not make the first move in case it scared off customers, was immediately accused of being ‘out of touch’. His comments came as the High Street giant unveiled another big pay-day for staff. Mr Jenkins’ total package more than tripled from £1.6million in 2013 to £5.5million last year. Asked whether he would approve of free in-credit bank accounts being outlawed and charges introduced across the board, he said: ‘I do think that would be a step forward, yes. ‘It’s difficult to achieve of course because the banks can’t do that. It would probably have to be regulated or legislated.’ He told ITV News it was unlikely that any bank would make the first move in case it lost business. John Mann, a member of the Treasury committee, said last night: ‘He lives in a different world from the rest of us. People on lower incomes would suffer. This shows how out of touch Mr Jenkins is, as so many customers value free bank accounts.’ Mr Jenkins came under fire last year when he argued that closing bank branches would lead to a ‘better customer experience’ as current account holders are increasingly banking online. James Daley of consumer group Fairer Finance said his latest comments were ‘pie in the sky’, adding: ‘To try and scrap the free in-credit banking system we have now would be incredibly unpopular. 'No government would legislate for it – it would be a vote loser because more people benefit from it [free banking] than lose out’. But Mr Jenkins has the support of senior regulators including Bank of England deputy governor Andrew Bailey, who has called free banking a ‘dangerous myth’ – partly due to the confusing array of hefty charges for the millions who go overdrawn. Supporters of packaged accounts – which can cost around £15 a month and typically include ‘perks’ such as travel insurance – also claim banks will be less likely to mis-sell other products. But latest figures from the Financial Ombudsman show complaints from customers who believe they were mis-sold packaged accounts have soared. Royal Bank of Scotland last week revealed it had set aside £150million to compensate customers mis-sold packaged accounts. The comments came as the High Street giant unveiled another big pay-day for staff (file picture) The row came as Mr Jenkins was forced to defend his decision to accept a £1.1million bonus for last year, despite cutting 14,000 jobs. The 53-year-old insisted the decision was ‘appropriate’, saying: ‘You have to look at the very significant progress we’ve made in the two-and-a-half years that I have been chief executive.’ Barclays has set aside almost £1.3billion to pay likely fines for rigging the £3.5trillion-a-day foreign exchange market. This helped drag down profits by 21 per cent to £2.3billion. A spokesman for the Robin Hood tax campaign said: ‘Bonus season has again been dominated by pay controversies, scandals and fines – underlining that too little reform has taken place.’", "By . Matt Barlow for MailOnline . Fulham have sacked boss Felix Magath following their poor start to the season and appointed Kit Symons as caretaker manager. The German had come under increasing scrutiny after a dismal start to the season that has left the Cottagers bottom of the Championship table with only one point from their opening seven games. Following a conference call held at the club on Thursday, which included US based owner Shahid Khan, a statement from the club said: . Fulham Chairman Shahid Khan has named Kit Symons as Caretaker Manager of Fulham Football Club and will personally and immediately lead a thorough search for the new First Team Manager of the Club. Felix Magath has been sacked as Fulham manager after a dismal start to the season . Fulham Under 21 manager Kit Symons will take over in a caretaker role while the club search for a new boss . Fulham have drawn one and lost six of their first seven games in the Championship so far this season . Symons, the Under 21 Manager at Fulham, replaces Felix Magath. Mr. Khan thanked Magath for his efforts through the final three months of last season in the Barclays Premier League and the first seven matches this season in the Sky Bet Championship. 'This is an unfortunate but necessary change,' Khan said. 'I am doing what I feel is right and needed for Fulham Football Club, for today as well as tomorrow. I thank our supporters for standing by us during these most difficult of times on the pitch, and promise better days ahead.' Khan was very reluctant to fire another manager, aware of his growing reputation for impatience spreading across the game after Fulham’s problems last season but felt it was important that a swift change was made. The American has now sacked three managers - Martin Jol, Rene Meulensteen and Magath - since taking over the club in July 2013. For him, the bottom line was dismal results, a worrying trend of being unable to hang onto leads and a growing number of heavy defeats. Owner Shahid Khan has now sacked three managers in little over a year since taking over in July 2013 . Magath was backed in the transfer market, including the surprise £11m signing of Ross McCormack (L) All this after he backed Magath in the transfer market and bought the players he demanded. The rapid turnover of managers has however become part of the problem at the club, with the different players identified by different managers and subsequently unwanted. Fulham will be determined to make the right appointment for their highly-rated academy and a manager they think can plot a return to the Barclays Premier League while developing some of the exciting talent produced through the youth ranks. At the same time, apart from being the hottest seat in London at the moment, the job will appeal to many managers. Former Celtic boss Neil Lennon is among the early favourites. It is well located in the capital with a top-grade training base, successful youth department and it is financially stable, with a billionaire owner, even if previous managers will not recommend the post in terms of job security. VIDEO Scroll down to see Magath's \"team sheet of the future\" clip from the start of season . Former Celtic manager Neil Lennon is among the early favourites to replace Magath .", "Attack: Mervyn King called for a cultural change in British banking when he spoke today (pictured) The Bank of England yesterday piled pressure on the Treasury to split the traditional high street operations of banks from their risky casino arms. Governor Sir Mervyn King said the latest abuses by UK lenders reinforced the need to press on with the sweeping reforms recommended by the Independent Commission on Banking. He said the proposals by the ICB, which was chaired by Sir John Vickers and included ring-fencing retail banking from investment banking, should be implemented in full. It set up a potential clash with Chancellor George Osborne who has been accused of watering down some of the main proposals following months of lobbying by the banking industry. Sir Mervyn said: ‘I would hope that Parliament would legislate on that as soon as they feel able to do so – all of the Vickers proposals. That is what we need to do to change the structure of the industry.’ He added: ‘We can see what has gone wrong. The idea that the culture of investment banking is the same as the culture of basic banking, I think it is very clear now that those two cultures are completely different, and they need to be separated.’ Officials played down any differences between the Governor and the Chancellor but the comments were seen as a warning to the Treasury not to back down. It is hoped that the ring-fence will allow an investment bank rocked by heavy trading losses to fail without hurting savers, borrowers and small businesses. Sir Mervyn said: ‘The main thing is to ensure that if the trading mentality leads to practices that we regard as rather unacceptable that it does not impinge on the part of the banking system about which we really care. ‘It is very important to recognise that as a society we really do want to underpin retail deposits, lending to households and SMEs (small and medium enterprises). ‘But we do not want to underpin people’s decisions to take risky portfolio investments, therefore the two should not be on the same balance sheet.’ Sir Mervyn said there was no need for . a Leveson-style inquiry, although he admitted 'something went very . wrong with the UK banking industry and we need to put it right'. Yesterday, . leading politicians including Labour's Ed Miliband called for an . official inquiry into the conduct of banks, after it emerged Barclays . and RBS were embroiled in attempts to fix the inter-bank lending rate. Prime Minister David Cameron, pictured arriving for an EU leaders summit in Brussels this week, insisted the Government was committed to shaking up the banking system . Taxpayer-backed . Royal Bank of Scotland also confirmed it was being investigated for . manipulating the rates at which banks lend to each other, known as . Libor. Sir Mervyn said: . 'From excessive levels of compensation, to shoddy treatment of . customers, to a deceitful manipulation of one of the most important . interest rates and now news of yet another mis-selling scandal we can . see we need a real change in the culture of the industry.' He added that hard-working bank staff have been 'let down' and that banks now needed 'leadership of an unusually high order'. David Cameron insisted the Government was committed to shaking up the banking system. ‘British people are crying out for a return to good old-fashioned banking and not put that at risk by big investment banking,’ said the Prime Minister. ‘That’s why the Governor is so in favour of changing culture at the banks and so am I.’ When the White Paper was published this month Sir John welcomed the proposed legislation but said that it ‘should go further’ on some points. ‘We welcome that the ICB proposals have been accepted in large part but urge the Government to resist pressure to weaken their effectiveness,’ he added. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) revealed earlier that Barclays, HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group had agreed to pay compensation to customers who were mis-sold interest-rate hedging products. Some 28,000 of the products have been sold since 2001 and may have been offered as protection - or to act as a hedge - against a rise in interest rates without the customer fully grasping the downside risks. The City regulator has slammed banks ever since for authorising the deals, which are so complicated that many entrepreneurs simply didn't understand them. Many of those clients are now facing bankruptcy. Speaking during a visit in Lincoln . with war veterans ahead of Armed Forces Day tomorrow, Ed Miliband called . for an inquiry into the whole industry and said it was clear that change was . needed at Barclays. His calls were backed by shadow . chancellor Ed Balls, who said there was a case for an inquiry into the . culture of banking, while business secretary Vince Cable voiced no . objections. Inquiry: Labour Party Leader Ed Miliband, pictured yesterday, said it was clear that change was . needed at Barclays while shadow chancellor Ed Balls, right, said there was a case for an inquiry into the banking culture . The . Leveson Inquiry, presided over by Lord Justice Leveson, was set up by . Prime Minister David Cameron in July last year to look into the ethics . and practices in the press following the phone hacking scandal that has . engulfed News International. The Labour leader said: 'We definitely need an inquiry into the culture and practices of the industry. 'What's been revealed with Barclays is . a set of practices which have appalled people across the country and . we've got to make sure we shine a light in all the corners of the . industry to find out why these practices have been going on and what it . is about the culture that has enabled this to happen.' He added: 'I think its pretty clear the change that is required at Barclays. 'I think it's very hard to see that being led by Bob Diamond. 'If I was a shareholder in Barclays I . would be asking myself 'Well, obviously we need big change here. Who is . going to be able to bring that change and restore confidence in Barclays . and the system?' Scandal: Barclays boss Bob Diamond will forgo his bonus after the bank was hit with a record fine over market rigging . 'I am calling for change at Barclays. It's obviously a matter for the shareholders in the end but I think that . it is very hard to see how the current leadership, who were there when . some of these things were going on, can bring about the changes . required.' Mr Balls told . BBC News: 'I don't think it's right for the Government ministers or the . Governor to say we have had enough inquiries. 'Why is there a culture where people . in quite senior positions seem to think they can get away with rigging . markets and acting in a duplicitous way? 'I do think that these calls we are . seeing today for a proper, independent, arm's-length inquiry which looks . at the future and how we can get back on to a more open and honest . footing, but also looks at the self-regulation of the 1980s and 1990s . and the way in which the FSA regulated in the last decade - I think . there is now a case. 'We can't just brush this under the . carpet. People are shocked by the swaggering arrogance of what we have . discovered in the last 24 hours. We need to open this wide open.' On Wednesday it emerged that Barclays was fined £290 million by UK and US regulators for manipulating the rate at which banks lend to each other, and echoes the costly payment protection insurance (PPI) mis-selling scandal that emerged last year. Banks are facing the threat of a criminal investigation over fixing the interbank lending figures that affect millions of homeowners and small firms. The Treasury has started to look at strengthening criminal sanctions for those responsible for market abuse after the FSA exposed the dealings at Barclays on Wednesday. Under the spotlight: HSBC and taxpayer-backed Royal Bank of Scotland are . among several other lenders being investigated by the City watchdog . Serious Fraud Office investigators are in talks with the regulator over the scandal, while pressure is mounting on Barclays chief executive Bob Diamond to stand down. Prime Minister David Cameron said it was very important that accountability for what went on 'goes all the way to the top of that organisation' and that Mr Diamond had 'some serious questions to answer'. 'Heavy price': TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said Britain's banking system was 'out of control' HSBC and taxpayer-backed Royal Bank of Scotland are among several other lenders being investigated by the City watchdog for trying to influence Libor - London interbank offered rate - and Euribor interbank lending rates to boost their profits. Sir Mervyn said there needed to be a change in the way Libor was calculated based on 'observations of actual market transactions' rather than getting banks to supply rates. 'The idea that my word is my Libor is dead,' he added. He also backed proposals to ringfence retail banking divisions from investment arms as a way of addressing some of the issues that have emerged from the most recent developments. TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said Britain's banking system was 'out of control'. He said: 'We are now paying a heavy price for the decades when banks and finance persuaded politicians that they were the new engines of growth.' Shadow chancellor Ed Balls disagreed with the Bank Governor and said there was a case for an inquiry into the culture of banking. He said: 'We can't just brush this under the carpet. People are shocked by the swaggering arrogance of what we have discovered in the last 24 hours. We need to open this wide open.'", "When Southampton waved goodbye to arguably their three best defenders in the summer, no-one would have predicted them becoming the clean sheet kings of the Barclays Premier League by December. Yet the Saints go into Monday night’s match against Manchester United boasting the best defensive record in the English top flight. Lose Luke Shaw, Dejan Lovren and Calum Chambers? No problem, at least not so far, for Ronald Koeman’s team. Nathaniel Clyne has been in fine form for Southampton this season under new boss Ronald Koeman . Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster has proven himself to be one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League . Jose Fonte (centre) and Victor Wanyama (right) have helped the Saints to seven Premier League clean sheets . Fewest goals conceded in the top-flight this season (top five): . Southampton - 10 goals . Chelsea - 13 goals . Manchester City - 14 goals . Manchester United - 16 goals . Swansea City - 17 goals . Southampton have conceded a measly 10 League goals, thanks to a back four who have barely changed all season. Add the giant goalkeeping presence of Fraser Forster, plus pass-breaker Victor Wanyama in front of the defence, and that is one formidable hurdle. Nathaniel Clyne, Jose Fonte and Ryan Bertrand have been ever-presents while Toby Alderweireld has played 10 matches. Alderweireld is struggling to make the United game, which means a possible call for Maya Yoshida, who has not let anyone down either. Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and/or Radamel Falcao may think that Southampton’s three-match run without a win means there might be easy pickings at St Mary’ s. Not if Saints can help it. First Fonte. He has been part of the fixtures and fittings for a few years now and at the age of 30 provides a steady head for the younger players. The Portuguese reads the game and marshals his team-mates. Chelsea loanee Ryan Bertrand shows his pace down the flank against Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla . Toby Alderweireld is a doubt for Southampton's clash with United after picking up an injury against Arsenal . Clyne might have been forgiven for wondering what he had done wrong in the summer as Chambers and Shaw headed off to Arsenal and Manchester United. Nothing at all, from Roy Hodgson’s point of view. Clyne, 23, is in the England coach’s plans thanks to his club performances. He has also chipped in with three goals, which is an unexpected and pleasant bonus. Bertrand must love living out of a suitcase. The left back, on loan from Chelsea, is on his seventh temporary move and appears to find the south coast to his liking. The 25-year-old had the misfortune of being at Stamford Bridge while a certain Ashley Cole was monopolising his position. No-one doubted Bertrand’s potential but he is finally getting the opportunity to prove himself a headline act. So to Alderweireld, who is living up to his classy CV. The 25-year-old Belgian, brought up the Ajax way, has played in the Champions League final (for Atletico Madrid) and the World Cup in 2014, which makes the Premier League a less-daunting proposition. He is on loan from Atleticoand doubtful for the United game with a thigh injury, which opens the door to Yoshida. The Japanese defender made 13 appearances last season and this year has started four games in the Premier League. Yoshida, 26, may be an understudy but he knows what makes Southampton tick after joining from Venlo two years ago. Southampton boss Koeman has hinted that he may promote a couple of his youngsters to the bench, too. Defender Jason McCarthy will be hoping that he gets a close-up view of the seniors. The others in contention are midfielder Harry Reed and striker Ryan Seager as Saints continue to show their production line is still working at full pelt. The Saints said goodbye to Luke Shaw in the summer following his £27million move to Manchester United . Calum Chambers (left) and Dejan Lovren (right) also left St Mary's for Arsenal and Liverpool respectively .", "Leighton Baines is not letting himself think too much about Everton's chances of winning the Europa League yet but admits he is excited about the way their continental campaign is shaping up. Ahead of Thursday's home clash with Lille, the Merseysiders - playing in Europe this term for the first time in five seasons - are top of Group H and unbeaten after three rounds of matches. A 4-1 victory over Wolfsburg at Goodison Park was followed by two away draws, 1-1 at FK Krasnodar and 0-0 at Lille, and three more points on matchday four would see Roberto Martinez's men take a significant step towards the knockout stages. Everton defender Leighton Baines (right) is hopeful of making the Europa League knockout stages . Baines (right) chats with midfielder Darron Gibson (left) during training at Finch Farm on Wednesday . Toffees full-back Baines was part of the club's run to the last 32 of the Europa League in 2009-10. And asked if he believed Everton could go all the way this time in a tournament that now has a route into the Champions League as a reward for the winners, the 29-year-old said: 'It's a really long competition so you don't want to look too far ahead. 'But we are excited about where we are at at the moment. 'We will look to consolidate our position with a good result against Lille, and there are going to be some really exciting ties if we can get out of this group. So that is the focus at the moment. 'I think we may be better-equipped this time with the strength in depth we have got. Everton's players train ahead of their Group H clash at home to French side Lille on Thursday . Ross Barkley (left) and Tim Howard (right) should start for the Toffees under the floodlights at Goodison Park . 'We're also probably in a tougher group than before in terms of the standard of the teams. 'So, with that in mind, we have gotten ourselves into a good position, and we have two of the last three games at Goodison, where we will expect to win.' Although they have impressed in Europe, Everton made a shaky start to the season domestically, but their results have picked up of late. With the Toffees having lost only one of their last seven games in all competitions, Baines feels the club are getting back to the levels they were at last term, when they came close to claiming Champions League entry via the Barclays Premier League, finishing fifth. And on a personal level, the England defender is in no doubt that playing well in Europe for his club is important for his international career. Everton boss Roberto Martinez has admitted he could make up to six changes against Lille . Toffees striker Romelu Lukaku, who is expected to start on Thursday, laughs during training . Asked if he thought he is playing the best football of his career at the moment, Baines said: 'It is always difficult to judge, but I am certainly enjoying my football. 'We've picked up our form as a team and are getting back to the standards we had set previously. I've enjoyed being part of that for sure. 'Playing in Europe has definitely been a good bonus for us this season and I think being a part of that stands you in good stead on the international stage. 'It gives the manager (Roy Hodgson) the assurances you can play at that level.'", "Alan Pardew has told Arsenal fans to lay off Arsene Wenger and believes they should be grateful for all he has done at the club. The Newcastle boss insists that only Sir Alex Ferguson has achieved more in the Premier League era because Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho ‘hasn’t done enough yet’. Pardew goes so far as to say that the Emirates Stadium should be renamed in honour of Wenger. Arsene Wenger has been in charge of Arsenal since 1996, leading the club to multiple trophies and titles . Wenger endured dog's abuse at Stoke station following the Premier League defeat last weekend . The Arsenal boss is under increasing pressure after he was abused by his own supporters at a railway station following last weekend’s 3-2 defeat at Stoke, a result that left Arsenal sixth in the table and 13 points behind leaders Chelsea. But Pardew, who faces Wenger in Saturdays tea-time kick-off, said: ‘The incident at the train station was totally disrespectful. I think 99 per cent of Arsenal fans would have been ashamed of that and we could get the backlash of it. They will want to show how much they love him. ‘That stadium should be named after him. The job he did in that move across (from Highbury), when they had all that debt and he had to be very careful with the transfer budget — it was a miracle that he kept them in the Champions League. ‘I think everyone at Arsenal knows he’s done a magnificent job. For me, he’s the second best manager in Premier League history (behind Sir Alex Ferguson). Jose (Mourinho) hasn’t done enough yet.’ Pardew suggested that the club should rename the Emirates Stadium in honour of their longest-serving boss . Pardew said Wenger is the second best manager in Premier League history - better than the Special One . The incomparable Sir Alex Ferguson takes the title as the best boss, according to the Newcastle manager . Wenger has found an unlikely ally in Pardew, the man he once shoved in a heated touchline fracas. They clashed at Upton Park in 2006 when Pardew’s West Ham scored a late winner against the Gunners, but the pair are now the longest-serving bosses in the top flight. And Pardew added: ‘I’ve had one run-in with Arsene, but otherwise he’s been fantastic. I have nothing but respect for him and I’ve always enjoyed watching his teams.’ Arsenal and Newcastle are only separated by goal difference and an away victory would intensify the scrutiny on Wenger and his position, despite them making it through to the Champions League knockout stages for the 15th consecutive season after Tuesday’s 4-1 win at Galatasaray. But Pardew, who survived calls for his own sacking earlier in the season, admitted: ‘Arsene knows that instant results are massive, even for someone who has been in the position as long as he has. All of us managers are on a six-game, seven-game period with the media and social media. We have to accept that.’ Wenger and Pardew clashed on the touchlines while the former was boss at the Boleyn Ground in 2006 . The pair shake hands a year later during a frosty moment with Pardew now managing Charlton . Over time, it looks like the duo have grown rather fond of one another as this picture, taken in April, shows . Pardew, though, hopes Wenger was cheered by Newcastle’s 2-1 victory over Mourinho’s Chelsea, meaning Arsenal’s unbeaten ‘Invincibles’ tag from the 2003-2004 campaign remains intact at least for another season. ‘I imagine Arsene might have had a glass of wine after that game,’ said Pardew. ‘When you have that tag you don’t want to lose it to anyone. ‘But we can only worry about us, it was a tremendous performance against Chelsea and the players can be proud. ‘We’re on a good run but this is a difficult one because Arsenal away has not been a happy hunting ground for us. They have given us a thumping and on one occasion it was an embarrassing scoreline (7-3, in 2012). ‘The games at our place have been a lot closer and we hope this one is a lot tighter as well.’", "Bonus: Royal Bank of Scotland CEO Stephen Hester was given £1m by RBS chiefs, despite a catalogue of failures and his decision to axe 3,500 jobs . The boss of state-owned Royal Bank of Scotland was handed an annual bonus of nearly £1million yesterday. To widespread fury, the board of directors awarded Stephen Hester more than many ordinary workers earn in a lifetime. The bank insists it has shown restraint because its chief executive was ‘entitled’ to £1.5million. But David Ruffley, a senior Tory on the Treasury select committee, said: ‘Mr Hester is already paid a £1.2million basic salary, which seems to me generous given that the share price has fallen and RBS has failed to meet its lending targets set by the Chancellor. ‘It is therefore totally unacceptable that there should be a bonus of just under £1million for what in the rest of the private sector would be seen as sub-standard performance.’ John Mann, a Labour MP on the same committee, said: ‘It is a reward for failure. Giving him a bonus that just creeps under £1million is like sticking two fingers up at the taxpayer. The Government should have put their foot down and insisted that he gets nothing.’ The move comes just days after ministers announced a crackdown on executive pay and David Cameron said a seven-figure sum for Mr Hester would be unacceptable. The Prime Minister said rewards for failure made ‘people’s blood boil’ when – in the words of the Bank of England governor – hard-up Britons were suffering ‘a ferocious squeeze’. Mr Hester’s bonus is the first of many for staff at a bank in the process of laying off 3,500 employees. RBS’s share price, meanwhile, has slumped by 40 per cent, giving the taxpayer a paper loss of billions of pounds. Senior Government sources said they were satisfied Mr Hester’s bonus had been cut and insisted he had to be paid well or be lost to a better-paid job in the private sector. Angry: David Cameron said that the rewards for failure make people's 'blood boil' while Labour's John Mann said that the payment was like 'sticking two fingers up at the taxpayer' One source said: ‘We said it should be smaller than last year and we said it should be under £1million. It is. Last year, his bonus was £2.04million. A senior Treasury source said: ‘We said we wanted the bonus to be significantly less and they have bowed to that.’ Sir Philip Hampton, chairman of RBS, said the bonus was fair, adding: ‘A safer and more valuable RBS is in the interests of our customers, shareholders and the UK economy. ‘We are progressing well toward this goal under the leadership of Stephen Hester.’ Protest: A man wearing a 'fat cat' suit stands outside Royal Bank of Scotland in London, with a cigar yesterday as the bank met to decide on the bonus . However, the boss of Lloyds Banking Group, which is also partly nationalised, has turned down a bonus which could have been up to £2.4million. Antonio Horta-Osorio said his decision was triggered by ‘the tough financial circumstances that many people are facing’, as well as his two-month absence following a severe attack of insomnia. Mr Hester’s bonus will be paid entirely in shares, allocated over the next three years. He has been given 3.6million, worth a total of £996,000 last night. Mr Hester will be taxed on his bonus, although the exact size of the tax bill is unclear because there are many different structures a company can use to make a share-based bonus award. Last night, experts said the most likely option is that he will have to pay income tax, currently 50 per cent, when the shares are awarded to him over the next three years. Labour condemned the Government’s failure to get a better deal. Angela Eagle, shadow Commons leader, said: ‘The board of RBS is thinking of paying their chief executive in one day more than someone on average earnings would make in a lifetime. We have heard expressions of outrage from the Government benches but the question is: “What is it going to do about it?” Lord Oakeshott, a LibDem peer, said: ‘It is time to block the bonus which is a clear reward for his failure to lend. He should certainly not got a penny in bonus. Britain cannot grow when one of its biggest banks does not lend.’ David Fleming, national officer at the union Unite, said: ‘What planet do Stephen Hester and his banking chums live on?’ He said the bonus was ‘utterly disgusting and offensive to every working person across the country’. Sir Mervyn King, the Bank of England governor, has also voiced his disapproval of big bonuses at a time of financial hardship. In a speech this week, he said: ‘The tragedy of the financial crisis is that those who have suffered most have been those who bear no responsibility for it.’ Criticism: Sir Mervyn King said it would be wrong if rewards go to a small elite earlier this week, while Angela Eagle asked what the Government were doing about it in a speech in the Commons . He added it would be wrong ‘if rewards go disproportionately to a small elite, especially one which benefited from the support of taxpayers.’ Royal Bank of Scotland’s share price has fallen almost 40 per cent in the past 12 months to close at 27.67p last night. The bank fell slightly short of its target for lending to small firms under the government’s Project Merlin initiative to get credit flowing through the economy, . Critics argue the Merlin  goals are faulty as they measure banks’ ‘capacity’ to lend – the money they make available in theory. Small firms claim the banks have hiked up loan charges and fees, deterring businesses from taking up the funds. Under the terms of Merlin, RBS and the country’s other four biggest banks pledged to lend small and medium-sized firms £76billion in 2011. Between January and September, this should have seen them hand out £57billion – and they fell £1billion short. Lord Oakeshott said RBS, which is 83 per cent state owned following its bail-out in 2008, was ‘the worst culprit by far’ among the banks. RBS earlier this month announced a further 3,500 job losses in its investment banking operation, on top of 2,000 announced previously.The bank has shed around 30,000 staff in the past two years, 22,000 of them in the UK. Chris Leslie, Labour Treasury spokesman, said: ‘Nobody doubts that Stephen Hester has done some important things at RBS, but what this award shows is David Cameron’s promises about reining in excessive bonuses at state-owned banks or using shareholder power have proved to be utterly worthless. ‘Indeed, anyone who thinks it is acceptable to award a bonus of almost £1million on top of a basic salary of £1.2million in these tough times is desperately out of touch with millions of people who are struggling to make ends meet.’ But George Young, the Leader of the Commons, said: ‘The contract which entitles Mr Hester to a bonus was put in place by the last Labour government. ‘We have done something which they failed to do. We have limited cash bonuses to £2,000 at RBS and Lloyds. ‘We’ve already said the bonus pool at RBS and Lloyds will be lower and more transparent this year than last year.’" ]

[ "Police Scotland said the recovery was made after an intelligence-led operation in the Guild Street area on Tuesday.\nJian Lin, 39, of no fixed abode, appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on Wednesday on a drugs charge.\nHe made no plea and was remanded in custody." ]

[ "Cameron Mearns, of no fixed address, and Ashleigh Philpott, from Trinity Square in Magheralin, County Down, were arrested after police raided her home.\nA defence solicitor said there was an \"extremely weak\" case against Ms Philpott and added Mr Mearns had raised a \"duress defence\" after his arrest.\nThe case was adjourned until 7 August.\nLisburn Magistrates' Court heard that officers from the PSNI's Organised Crime Branch found a 9mm pistol; cocaine estimated to be worth £7,200 and cannabis with an estimated street value of about £10,000 during the raid on 10 July.\nThe court was told that as police arrived at Ms Philpott's house, Mr Mearns was allegedly taking the seized items out of a car parked in the driveway while his 25-year-old co-accused was in the front garden.\nThe pair were jointly charged with having the gun under suspicious circumstances as well as drug possession and possession with intent to supply.\nThey confirmed to the court that they understood the charges against them.\nMr Mearns, 29, did not apply for bail and was remanded into custody.\nPolice objected to Ms Philpott's bail application but her defence solicitor said there was no forensic evidence linking her to the gun and drugs.\nHe added that she had a responsible job as a manager of a chain of chemists and has no criminal convictions\nDuring police interviews, Ms Philpott gave two prepared statements where she denied knowing anything about the gun or drugs and claimed she did not take either cocaine or cannabis.\nThe judge released her on her own bail of £500 until her next court appearance.", "Officers recovered 40kg of cannabis resin, 1kg of cocaine and 25kg of a mixing agent used to cut it down in a County Tyrone lay-by on Saturday.\nThey seized the drugs after observing a lorry and a car pull into the lay-by between Dungannon and Ballygawley.\nMore drugs and cash were seized in follow-up searches.\nIn Desertmartin, 11kg of cannabis resin and 3kg of herbal cannabis were found at a house.\nSearches at a number of properties in Cookstown led to £82,000 in cash being recovered.\nOn Monday, three men appeared in court in Enniskillen - including a father and son - to face a number of drugs charges.\nPaul Joseph Currie, 53, from Limekiln Lane in Cookstown, faces three charges; Stephen Currie, 29, from Old Park Mews, Cookstown, and Darren William Fredrick Loughlin, 39, from Gortacar Road in Kesh, each face six charges.\nA detective told the court that police observed a lorry driven by Mr Loughlin that had arrived in Northern Ireland from Scotland by ferry on Saturday morning.\nThey watched as the lorry pulled over in the Killymaddy tourist amenity near Ballygawley and a silver Peugeot car, driven by Stephen Currie, drove alongside.\nThe detective told the court that drugs were removed from the cab of the lorry and placed in the boot of the car.\nAt the same time police stopped Paul Currie after he left a property in Park Avenue in Cookstown.\nThe detective told the court that £2,000 was found in his car and £80,000 in cash inside the property.\nIt was also revealed that searches of a property at Luney Lane in Desertmartin, rented by Stephen Currie, had uncovered 11kg of cannabis resin, 3kg of herbal cannabis, a vacuum-pack machine, weighing scales and a grinder.\nHe said police believed the three men were involved in bringing large quantities of drugs into Northern Ireland for distribution.\nThe officer said that the 1kg of cocaine had a street value of about £60,000, but when cut with the 25kg of the mixing agent it would have a potential value of £1.5m.\nThe 50kg of cannabis resin had a value of £500,000 and the 3kg of herbal cannabis £40,000, the detective added.\nWhen questioned at a Belfast police station, Paul and Stephen Currie gave \"no comment\" interviews.\nMr Loughlin admitted that he had driven the lorry to Ballygawley, but denied any knowledge of the drugs, or his co-accused.\nHis solicitor applied for bail and said that his family, who were in the court, were \"shocked\" that he had been arrested for this.\nHe said he was married with three children and, as the main bread-winner, they were very concerned that they could lose their house.\nThe judge said he was satisfied that there was sufficient evidence for him to be charged and he refused bail on the grounds of the risk of further offences.\nThe judge said \"anyone who involves themselves in the illegal possession and importation of drugs can expect to be dealt with vigorously by the courts, particularly given the value and quantities involved in this case\".\nMr Loughlin was remanded into custody until 7 December.\nPaul and Stephen Currie did not apply for bail, but their solicitor asked that they appear by videolink at Dungannon Court on Wednesday 16 November.", "Several thousand cannabis plants with an estimated street value of £1m were seized in a raid on RGHQ Chilmark.\nFive men and a teenager were arrested on suspicion of cannabis production after the midnight raid on Wednesday.\nThere are 20 rooms in the building with almost every one converted for the wholesale production of cannabis plants, police said.\nThe former Ministry of Defence bunker was built in the 1980s to protect local dignitaries and government officials in the event of a nuclear attack.\nDescribed as \"almost completely impenetrable\", Wiltshire Police had to wait for the suspects to leave the bunker before they could gain access.\nDet Insp Paul Franklin, said it was only after getting through the nuclear blast doors, that the \"enormous set up\" was discovered.\n\"There are approximately 20 rooms in the building, split over two floors, each 200ft long and 70ft wide,\" he said.\n\"Almost every single room had been converted for the wholesale production of cannabis plants, and there was a large amount of evidence of previous crops.\"\nHe added that he was convinced it was \"one of the largest crops ever discovered\" in the county.\nA teenager and two men, aged 15, 19, and 37, all of no fixed abode, were arrested on suspicion of cannabis production.\nA further three men, aged 27, 30 and 45, all from Somerset, were arrested on suspicion of cannabis production and human trafficking offences.", "More than 400 cannabis plants with an estimated street value of £650,000 were seized from Drakelow Tunnels, near Kidderminster in Worcestershire.\nA 45-year-old man has been arrested in a separate dawn raid in Kidderminster.\nDuring the Cold War, the tunnels were designated as the potential site of a regional seat of government in the event of a nuclear attack.\n\"[Officers] found a network of hydroponic equipment including heating, lighting and ventilation fans,\" said Supt Kevin Purcell.\nThe 285,000 sq ft network of tunnels stretches for about three miles and was used in World War Two to house a machine-part factory.\nThe tunnels were also used by the Ministry of Supply throughout the 1950s for storage, and much of the original equipment is still in place.\nMore recently plans were revealed by the site's owners to transform the tunnels into a museum.", "Drakelow Tunnels, in Worcestershire, were originally built to house an aircraft engine factory in World War Two, but in 2013 police uncovered plants with an estimated street value of £650,000.\nAs the man who grew the illicit crop awaits sentence, BBC News looks at some of the other unusual places which have been converted to cannabis farms.\nActing on a tip-off, police visited a luxury nine-bedroom country mansion in January and were no doubt taken aback by what they stumbled across.\nOfficers discovered at least 1,000 cannabis plants, at various stages of growth, in the £1m property on Wimblington Road in March, Cambridgeshire.\nTwo men, a 33-year-old from Whitstable, in Kent, and a 30-year-old man from Twickenham, south-west London, were arrested on suspicion of producing cannabis and detained in custody.\nLocal media described the sprawling house as a once much-loved family home, with police comparing it to \"something you would see in Downton Abbey or the place people take on for Grand Designs, not where you expect to see a highly professional cannabis factory\".\nPerhaps one of the UK's most intrepid cannabis growers was Adrian James, from Nottingham.\nHe set up a factory in a freight shipping container buried in his back garden in St Ann's.\nThe 43-year-old used a mechanical digger to bury the container and then dug a tunnel from his house to his garden, concealing the entrance with a board covered in tools.\nInside the container, he set up hydroponics equipment with timer switches and an automatic watering system.\nBut he was arrested in October 2011 after officers recovered cannabis worth up to £86,000 from the container.\nHe pleaded guilty to production of cannabis and was sentenced to three years in prison.\nMore than 4,000 plants were found growing in offices at a business centre, near Scunthorpe.\nSuch was the scale of the cannabis factory, health and safety experts were called in to assess the possible danger to the public along with Ministry of Defence police with specialised equipment to assist with the plants' disposal.\nIt took Humberside Police several days to clear out the £4m find on the Bellwin House Business Park.\nOfficers said a major drugs operation seemed to have been operating at night in two office suites next to legitimate businesses working during the day.\n\"This is an unusual find in that it was a first-floor office complex which was occupied and being used by members of the public and staff at the business centre,\" a spokesman said.\nThe offenders installed roller shutter doors to secure the entry and a very complex ventilation system to try to hide the smell of the plants.\n\"And this has all been done under the watchful eyes of the people in the business centre,\" PC Lee Smith, who took part in the raid, said at the time.\nThe two men were later charged in connection with the find.\nAbout 250 plants were found in an underground chamber in an Essex pub.\nPolice discovered a metal door concealed by a bookcase in the Joker public house in Ilford, in October 2013.\nA small hole enabled them to spot the plants, light and irrigation system.\nA 58-year-old man was later arrested and released on police bail following the raid.\nIn November 2014, South Wales Police rumbled a rather cheeky choice of location for a huge cannabis factory - next to its main custody suite in Bridgend.\nDetectives seized about 700 plants, which police said said was worth up to £800,000, at Queens Court, Bridgend Industrial Estate.\nDale Hart, 54, and Michael Smart, 37, both of Pencoed, and Christopher Bennett, 61, of Port Talbot, appeared at Newport Crown Court in June 2015 and pleaded guilty to the production of cannabis.\nHart was sentenced to five years in prison, Smart was sentenced to three-and-a-half-years and Bennett was given four-and-a-half years.\nCar maintenance worker Hayley Pells, who worked nearby, said no-one \"had a clue\" about what had been happening at the unit but that \"it could have been going on for a number of years\".\nOfficers told neighbouring business units they had become suspicious, but thermal imaging cameras on board their helicopter did not pick anything up.\nIt is thought the plants were growing in insulated boxes, which prevented detection.\nMs Pells' father said: \"It's amazing if you think about it and really brave of them to grow it next door to the police.\n\"Literally, you could throw a brick from the back of this unit and it would land in the police station - it's that close.\"\nAlthough finding a cannabis factory in a suburban street may not be too out of the ordinary, the way police were tipped off about one in Berkshire was.\nOfficers were alerted to the £50,000 cannabis factory in home in Reading when a neighbour reported strong smells and noticed that her pet dog seemed to be \"stoned\".\nValerie Bailey said she became suspicious about a month before police raided the property in Reading when her West Highland terrier Holly started to \"sleep until mid-morning\".\nShe and her husband developed bad coughs and were forced to sleep in another room due to the smell and fumes from the plants, coming through a vent in their bedroom.\nMrs Bailey said she started to be suspicious when Holly started to need a lot of sleep.\n\"I had a job getting her up in the morning, it was almost as though she was drugged, probably stoned.\"\nWhen police searched the home in Royal Avenue, Calcot, officers found 200 cannabis plants.\nThose responsible were being traced and the drugs were destroyed, Thames Valley Police, said at the time.\nThe growth of cannabis farms:\nThe Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) estimated in 2012 that about 21 farms or factories were being discovered every day\nOver the past few years, growers have moved away from commercial and industrial properties and use homes to cultivate the plants\nIn March 2013, marijuana-scented scratchcards were posted to thousands of households by police in a bid to help them detect illegal cannabis farms by alerting the uninitiated to the distinctive whiff of the plant.\nAcpo believes most of the cannabis consumed in Britain is now home-grown.\nThermal imaging cameras are increasingly used on police helicopters to detect excessive heat coming from properties - a tell-tale sign of the cannabis factory.", "Five men were jailed in March for the £400,000 spree of raids and burglaries across the east of England.\nAbout 140 officers from Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and two other units swooped on properties linked to the men on Wednesday.\nIt is thought the gang bought the goods with money from the robberies.\nPolice seized an Audi A5, a pick-up truck, a caravan, quad bikes and heavy machinery including diggers from properties in Wisbech in Cambridgeshire, Potton in Bedfordshire and Upwell in Norfolk.\nCannabis factories, with a combined street value between £18,000 and £54,000, were also discovered at the Potton and Upwell properties.\nPolice said the properties were connected to Joseph Upton, John Smith and Albert Smith.\nAlong with John Christopher Smith and Alfred Stanley, they were sentenced to 22 years for carrying out ram-raids at 12 banks in 2012 across Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.\nThey stole more than £300,000 from cash machines and cars and jewellery more than £100,000 during burglaries.\nDamage caused in the ram-raids was estimated at costing about £250,000 to repair.\nThe courts will eventually decide what goods the gang accumulated from their wrong-doing and if they should be confiscated.\nDet Ch Insp Chris Balmer, from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit, which helped to serve the warrants, said the ram-raids affected \"rural communities who lost their access to cash machines\" and those who had \"cars and machinery stolen by the gang in order to carry out the crimes\".\n\"We will continue to pursue criminals after they have been convicted at court in order to strip them of any assets they may have gained,\" he said.", "Officers confiscated marijuana in the UK with a street value of £100 million, according to an Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) report.\nThe number of farms discovered increased to 7,865, more than doubling in four years.\nThe UK is at \"significant risk\" from criminal gangs who cultivate cannabis on a commercial scale, says the report.\nIt estimates that the number of recorded cannabis production offences in the period from April 2011 to March 2012 will rise to 16,464, up from 14,982 in 2010-11.\nIn the last two years, police forces have seized 1.1 million cannabis plants.\nSource: projected Acpo figures for 2011/12\nBased on a street value of £134 per ounce, the drugs are valued at £207 million.\nCommander Allan Gibson of the Metropolitan Police, Acpo's lead on cannabis cultivation, said: \"Increasing numbers of organised crime groups are diverting into this area of criminality, but we are determined to continue to disrupt such networks and reduce the harm caused by drugs.\"\nThe report also recorded an increase in robberies, burglaries and violence - including the use of firearms - linked to cannabis farms.\nThere is evidence of \"taxing\", or stealing of crops, while debt bondage is being used to control some cultivators.\nCriminals are spreading risk, to reduce detection and financial losses, by paying a large number of \"gardeners\" to manage smaller crops in residential areas.\nThe study notes a shift from cannabis farms in commercial and industrial properties to \"multiple site\" small scale factories.\nIt also says that with the economic downturn and a reduction in amounts supplied by drug dealers, the number of personal use cultivation offences is rising. Police intelligence suggests the purchase of seeds and hydroponic equipment (for growing the plants without soil) is on the increase.\nMore farms were found in the West Yorkshire force area - 936, or 42 factories per 100,000 people - than any other in the country.\nBut South Yorkshire had 64 farms for every 100,000 people, the highest per capita in the UK, with 851 farms.\nSome 663 farms were found in the West Midlands or 25 per 100,000 people, while the Metropolitan Police had 608 farms, or eight per 100,000 people.\nThe highest rise in the number of farms since 2009/10 was recorded in Devon and Cornwall, where the number rose 1,664% per cent from 11 to a projected total of 183.\nFife saw a 488% increase from eight farms to a projected 39 for 2011/12.", "Merseyside Police were called to Crete Towers on Jason Street, Everton, on Tuesday morning after someone noticed a strong smell coming from the building.\nIt comes two weeks after one of the biggest ever cannabis farms in Liverpool was found on the same street.\nPolice estimate the total crop had a street value of more than £1.3m and described the farms \"a sophisticated and industrial-scale criminal set-up\".\nDet Insp Lee Wilkinson said: \"This was an elaborate series of cannabis farms spread across four separate flats.\n\"We discovered a total of 339 plants but believe much more could have been grown.\"", "The drugs haul has an estimated street value of more than £100m, according to the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA).\nIt was seized when the Irish navy intercepted a yacht off the Cork coast. Three men arrested on board have been charged with drug trafficking in Cork.\nA fourth man in the UK has been charged with conspiracy to import cocaine.\nStephen Powell, 47, of Netherfield Road, Guiseley, Leeds, was arrested on Thursday during a NCA follow-up operation in West Yorkshire.\nHe appeared at Leeds Magistrates' Court on Saturday, where he was remanded in custody.\nThe seizure is believed to be one of the largest drug finds at sea in Europe this year.\nMr Powell's elderly father was among the three men who were arrested on board the yacht.\nThe trio were brought before a special sitting of Cork City Court on Friday evening.\nThe accused are 70-year-old John Powell, with an address at Airedale Mews, Silsden, West Yorkshire, 28-year-old Thomas Britteon, of Convamore Road, Grimsby, and Benjamin Mellor, 35, from Mornington Villas, Bradford.\nAll three face a single charge of trafficking of cocaine on a ship at sea with intent to import the drug.\nThe yacht they were travelling on, called Makayabella, was intercepted about 200 - 300 miles west/south-west of Mizen Head during the early hours of Tuesday.\nTheir vessel had been under \"covert surveillance\" by the Irish navy, who carried out a joint arrest operation with the Irish Revenue Customs Service and police (An Garda Síochána).\nThe Irish authorities were acting on intelligence provided by the British NCA and the French customs service DNRED.\nIn its follow-up operation in West Yorkshire, NCA investigators also arrested a fifth man, aged 43.\nThe fifth suspect was detained on Wednesday, but has since been released on bail, pending further inquiries.\nThe NCA also seized a motorboat, believed to be linked to the alleged drug trafficking operation, at a marina in Gwynedd, north Wales.\nAt Cork City Court on Friday evening, all three defendants were remanded in custody until Thursday 2 October, when they are due to appear again via video link.\nThe judge at Leeds Magistrates' Court remanded Stephen Powell in custody, to appear at the city's crown court on 13 October.", "Keith Boots, 55, was responsible for seizing and disposing of drugs for West Yorkshire Police, but instead stole them to supply back to criminal gangs.\nWhen colleagues raided his Bradford home they found cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, ecstasy and cannabis with an estimated street value of £700,000.\nHe was sentenced on Friday at Leeds Crown Court after a three-month trial.\nHis son Ashley Boots, 30, of Weatherhouse Terrace, Halifax, was sentenced to 24 years and Ian Mitchell, of no fixed address, to five years.\nJudge Geoffrey Marson QC described Boots, of Norman Lane in Eccleshill, Bradford, as \"a disgrace to to the uniform he once wore\".\n\"Your arrogance was your downfall because no-one would doubt the word of a trusted police officer.\"\nBoot was sacked from the force in March 2016, he said.\nDuring the trial, prosecutors described Boots' home as resembling \"a warehouse of controlled drugs\".\nProsecutor Paul Greaney told the court in January: \"What was found on the ground floor would have kept a 1970s rock star, as well as his band, entertained for weeks.\"\nBoots was found guilty of a range of offences including conspiracy to steal drugs, conspiracy to supply drugs, conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, theft and possessing drugs with intent to supply.\nRead more about this and other stories from across West Yorkshire\nDet Supt Simon Bottomley, speaking after Boots' sentencing, said: \"He is a criminal who pretended to uphold the values expected of a police officer but in reality fell a very long way short of the high standards expected with the uniform.\n\"He is an embarrassment to force employees who day in day out work tirelessly to keep the people of West Yorkshire safe.\n\"Boots' colleagues were taking drugs off of the streets whilst he was looking to put them back out there.\"\nAshley Boots, was found guilty of three counts of conspiracy to supply controlled drugs, one count of conspiracy to steal and one count of perverting the course of justice.\nHe admitted seven counts of possession with intent to supply drugs and one count of possession of a quantity of ammunition.\nMitchell was found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.", "The group was arrested after heroin, cocaine and cannabis worth about £192,000 was seized following a major police operation in 2014.\nIt involved the supply of drugs from the Torry area of Aberdeen.\nThe men were jailed at the High Court in Glasgow after pleading guilty to drugs offences. Three other men received non-custodial sentences.\nMichael Clark, 28, was locked up for five years and two months.\nJaimie Campbell, 21, was sentenced to three years and seven months.\nKevin Tolmie, 30, was jailed for two-and-a-half years, while Lee Nicol, 23, was sentenced to two years and five months.\nScott White, 29, was jailed for 18 months and Lee Hulse, 21, sentenced to 13 months.\nStewart Sutherland, 24, Alexander MacPherson, 28, and Gary Clark, 33, were handed community payback orders.\nDet Supt Martin Dunn said: \"This was a significant operation as it involved the dismantling of a well-established group in the Torry area of Aberdeen, which was distributing drugs throughout the north east.\"", "The 12 men from County Durham, Tyne and Wear, Liverpool and Manchester were found guilty at Teesside Crown Court of supplying and dealing drugs.\nPolice seized cocaine and cannabis with a street value of about £1m in 2013.\nDet Ch Insp Victoria Fuller from Durham Constabulary said the men were \"quite simply horrible people\".\n\"At no stage did they give a single thought to the misery their offending inflicted on communities or the innocent people caught up in their activities,\" she said.\n\"This is not just about the damage drugs themselves may cause but the associated crime which can badly affect communities.\"\nDurham Police said the fact that some of the cocaine was 91% pure proved the gang were at the top of the supply chain.\nOperation Skyhawk involved more than 200 police officers and staff and was carried out as part of Durham Constabulary's Sledgehammer campaign to target organised criminal groups in the force area.\n.", "Cannabis, heroin, amphetamines, scales and gloves were recovered from the secluded campsite in Priddy in a police operation last July.\nRichard and Ann Miles, of Brislington, Bristol were jailed for 11 and 12 years respectively. Three other men were jailed over the operation.\nPolice said they had \"struck at the heart\" of an organised crime group.\nMore than 40kg of amphetamines were found in the caravans, as well as heroin and cannabis. Arrests followed across London, Hertfordshire and Essex.\nMendip neighbourhood officer Inspector Mark Nicholson said those involved were \"career criminals who chose to ply their trade in a quiet unassuming and idyllic part of Somerset, where they thought they were safe from prying eyes\".\nPolice said they had seized drugs \"worth £1.5m originally destined for the streets of the South West\".\nRichard and Ann Miles were both convicted of possession with intent to supply Class A and Class B drugs at Bristol Crown Court. Ann Miles was also convicted of conspiracy to supply class B drugs.\nTheir accomplice James Sanderson, from Lawrence Hill, Bristol, was jailed for three and a half years for possession and conspiracy to supply Class B drugs.\nBekir Arif, from Lewisham, south London, was jailed for 10 years for conspiracy to supply class B drugs - amphetamines with a street value of £1.5m. He had previously admitted breaching a serious crime prevention order.\nManny Carpel, from Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, was jailed for three years and four months for conspiracy to supply Class B drugs.", "Kevin McIndoe, 34, was arrested after police targeting an organised crime gang raided a flat and garage in East Kilbride in May last year.\nMcIndoe admitted being concerned in the supply of both drugs.\nHis co-accused, 31-year-old Ross McMillan, was jailed for three years after he admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine.\nThe High Court in Edinburgh heard how both men were caught as part of an investigation by the former Strathclyde Police into the large-scale importation and distribution of cocaine and cannabis.\nMcIndoe came under surveillance as part of the operation and on 13 April last year was seen driving from East Kilbride to the car park of the Malletsheugh Inn at Newton Mearns for a drugs handover.\nA private hire taxi pulled up beside him and he was seen leaning into the vehicle as he delivered a carrier bag.\nThe taxi was followed and stopped at Housewoodhill Road, in Glasgow, and almost a kilo of cocaine, with an estimated street value of £40,000, was found.\nMcIndoe was then seen on 19 May at a block of flats in Gullion Park, East Kilbride.\nAnother man who drove off from the flats was later stopped by the former Grampian Police force on the A90, near Stonehaven, and found to have cocaine worth about £29,000.\nOfficers later raided the flat in East Kilbride which had been let to McIndoe, where they found him with a bin bag containing more than three kilos of cocaine, worth about £130,000.\nInside the flat, they discovered two pneumatic presses for compressing cocaine into blocks, along with equipment for cutting the drug.\nAlmost £7,000 in cash was also found hidden in a cooker hood.\nOfficers later found 40 kilos of cannabis resin, with a street value of about £327,000, at a lock-up garage McIndoe used nearby.\nThe 34-year-old, who is currently serving a prison sentence for another drugs offence, admitted being concerned in the supply of the drugs, with the offence aggravated by a connection with serious organised crime.\nJailing him, judge Lord Turnbull told McIndoe: \"You have pled guilty to being concerned in the supply of very large quantities of two different forms of controlled drugs.\"\nThe judge said he had played \"a prominent role\", including making arrangements for the pressing and packaging of drugs and having responsibility for delivering valuable amounts to lower-level dealers.\nLord Turnbull told him it was clear a \"substantial\" prison sentence was required and said he would have been jailed for eight years, but for his guilty pleas.", "Alcohol problems still amount to more than half of all substance misuse cases in Wales, according to Public Health Wales.\nHeroin accounts for nearly a fifth of cases.\nBut is cannabis - just under 10% of cases - something we should still be worried about in Wales?\nHOW MANY ARE USING CANNABIS?\nCannabis use peaks in the late teens and early 20s, and then declines with age, according to the Home Office's Crime Survey.\nThe most recent crime survey suggests cannabis use has dropped in Wales, with 6.1% claiming to have taken the drug in the last year.\nAt a high point in 2003/04, this was 10%.\nAcross England and Wales, 2.2 million are estimated to have taken cannabis in the last year.\nThis compares with an estimated 21,000 of 16 to 59 year olds taking heroin and 768,000 who took cocaine.\nMen are twice as likely as women to smoke cannabis.\nYOUNG PEOPLE AND CANNABIS\nThe latest Welsh government survey of health behaviour of pupils aged 11 to 16 in Wales found:\nAcross England and Wales, the number of 16 to 24 year olds using cannabis in the last year is estimated to being around 950,000. The Home Office's Crime Survey also suggests a long term \"significant fall\" - from 25.8% in 1996 to 16.3% in the most recent survey.\nCANNABIS AND TREATMENT\nFigures for referrals to drug treatment centres for cannabis show an increase over the last five years - to 1,556 people in Wales in the last year.\nThe average age is 20 and around half were under 19.\nThe numbers of the under 15s has started to fall but health officials have noticed a slight increase in those aged up to 24.\nIncluded is the use of cannabinoids - synthetic variations of the drug - and stronger skunk cannabis.\nPublic Health Wales said young people may not be aware of this distinction and the issues around synthetics.\nJosie Smith, head of its substance misuse programme, said: \"If you've purchased it from head shop, you don't categorically know what you're taking. 130 different varieties have been identified and it can have a much more potent effect on the brain while neither its health and chronic effects are known.\"\nSarah Walsh, of Drugaid Cymru in south east Wales, said the number one reason for drug referrals of young people was still cannabis - both for physical and mental health issues.\n\"Physically, some of the young people we work with will complain of a negative impact on their chest and breathing,\" said Ms Walsh.\n\"Their concentration and motivation can also be affected which could be due to their cannabis use.\n\"Mental health problems can also be presented by some of the young people we work with, such as feeling paranoid or anxious.\n\"In some more extreme cases, we have dealt with drug-induced psychosis where cannabis has been one the drugs used by the young person. However, this has been when used with a number of other substances.\"\nCANNABIS AND CRIME\nThe National Police Chiefs' Council is expected to publish a report in the next few days looking at the scale of criminal activity relating to cannabis.\nAltogether in England and Wales, nearly half a million cannabis plants were seized in the last year, a drop of 11%.\nIn 90% of seizures, fewer than 50 plants were involved.\nFigures have suggested a fall in the number of raids.\nSouth Wales Police could not provide figures but said they are committed to enforcement regarding all illegal drugs.\nDet Supt Simon Davies, head of force intelligence and organised crime at South Wales Police, said: \"The cultivation of cannabis and the direct links to organised criminality are very evident and officers are regularly uncovering premises across our communities which contain many hundreds of cannabis plants.\n\"Arrests are frequently made and those accountable are placed before the court.\nHe said they wanted to encourage communities to provide intelligence \"to allow us to take disruptive action\".\nNorth Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Winston Roddick has pledged not to \"go soft\" on enforcing even smaller cannabis offences.\n\"My approach to drugs in general and cannabis in particular remains as it was: If the use of them is illegal according to law the police should enforce the law,\" he said.\n\"If a police force were to decide which laws to enforce and which not to enforce, it would be usurping the function of Parliament.\n\"The people we serve have every right to expect us to provide a professional and comprehensive service and in relation to cannabis so long as it remains an illegal drug North Wales Police will continue to enforce against its use.\"\nTHE LEGALISATION DEBATE\nThe question of whether cannabis should be legalised has been intensely debated in recent months.\nAlthough the Home Office said it has no plans to change the law on cannabis, MPs debated the issue after a petition calling for legalisation drew more than 220,000 signatures.\nAn all-party group wants the UK to try out a controlled system where licensed premises sell labelled and tested cannabis.\nLong-time campaigner for legalisation Newport West MP Paul Flynn said politicians have been cowardly over the issue.\nMeanwhile, drugs smuggler turned author Howard Marks in a recent BBC interview maintains cannabis is better legalised than left to the criminal world.\nPUBLIC SUPPORT FOR LEGALISATION?\nThe most recent YouGov poll of 1,600 people in March found 49% were against legalising cannabis; 32% were in favour and 18% did not know.\nA 2013 poll for the Transform drugs policy group - which wants a controlled legalisation - found 53% backed a regulated legalisation or decriminalisation for possession and only 14% wanted tougher enforcement.", "The drugs weighed a total of 585kg (1,290 pounds) and had an estimated street value of A$430m ($440m: £291m).\nThree men - a Singaporean, an Australian and a Hong Kong man - have been arrested and are due to appear in court in Sydney on Thursday.\nPolice said further arrests in Australia and abroad were possible.\nThe suspects face a maximum life sentence if found guilty.\nAt a news conference, Australian police said the drug, known as \"ice\", was seized following a four-month investigation triggered by a tip-off by a member of the public about suspicious activity at a storage facility in West Ryde, Sydney.\nIt had been brought over from Shenzhen, China, inside a shipment of cleaning chemicals.\n\"This is a hideous, insidious drug. This is the sort of drug that sends people mad,\" said New South Wales Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione.\n\"That one phone call was the one thread that allowed us to pull and unravel a syndicate that will be stopped forever.\"\nThe investigation involved the Australian Federal Police (AFP), Customs officials, New South Wales Police and the Australian Crime Commission.\nAFP Commissioner Tony Negus said the drugs syndicate had gone to \"considerable lengths to escape detection\", but that the police operation was not yet over.\n\"We've not ruled out further arrests either here in Australia or overseas,\" he said.\n\"We've already been in contact with authorities in China and a range of further inquiries are under way.\"\nThe haul is nearly double the size of the last record haul of 300kg, made last year.", "Garvey Barnes, 36, of Mansfield Road, Nottingham, was waiting for Kimberley Brown when she arrived in Dover in November 2015, but was arrested before they could meet up.\nBrown, 27, of Walters Row, Dudley, West Midlands, was jailed for four years.\nThe pair were convicted after a trial at Canterbury Crown Court.\nOfficers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Border Force found the cocaine hidden in a secret compartment. The drugs had an estimated street value of £240,000\nUsing mobile phone evidence, the prosecution showed the pair were in contact before, during and after the ferry trip.\nThey were both found guilty of being concerned in the importation of class A drugs.\nBarnes had previous convictions for armed robbery and cannabis cultivation.\nRichard Bowen, from the NCA, said: \"No doubt Garvey Barnes stood to make significant financial gain from this drugs run, but it seems he was happy to let his partner take all the risks.\"", "The attack took place in a communal stairway within the flats in George Street on Friday.\nA 29-year-old man was taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary with serious injuries but has since been released.\nPolice have appealed to anyone who saw three men in the area around the time of the attack to come forward with information.\nDet Insp Norman Stevenson said: \"Our inquiries into this incident are continuing and I would urge anyone who was in the George Street area, near Charles Street, or the West North Street area and saw three men around the time of the incident to come forward.\"\nThe man who has been arrested is expected to appear at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on Monday.", "The monk was first stopped in Rakhine state with 400,000 tablets in his car.\nNo value has been placed on the hauls, although in 2015 the UN estimated the retail price of a methamphetamine tablet was about $2 - making the latest consignment worth about $9.2m (£7.3m).\nMyanmar has emerged as a top producer of illegal drugs in recent years.\nThe senior monk, named only as Arsara, was arrested after police discovered the first consignment of tablets in his car as he was driving to the town of Maungdaw bordering Bangladesh.\nThe second batch in the monastery was found after he was arrested.\nArsara is well known among the Buddhist community in Maungdaw, The Irrawaddy reported, and had been a leading monk at the town's Baho monastery.\nMyanmar is notorious for producing vast quantities of methamphetamines, opium and cannabis, with drug trafficking a particular problem in Rakhine state.\nMyanmar's illicit drug trade has flourished because of its mountainous land and porous borders.\nLocal reports cited by The Irrawaddy say that in late September 2016 police in Maungdaw carried out two huge drug hauls, raking in more than 15 million amphetamine tablets from the compound of a construction company.\nPolice in Yangon seized methamphetamine tablets with an estimated value of more than $100m (£64m) in an abandoned truck in 2015.\nA UN Office on Drugs and Crime report in 2015 says that methamphetamine continues to dominate the synthetic drugs market in East and South-East Asia and is mainly available in two forms: methamphetamine tablets and crystalline methamphetamine.", "David Ellam, 52, suffered multiple injuries near his home on Riddings Road, Sheepridge, Huddersfield, on 15 August and later died in hospital.\nAaron Joseph, 29, has been charged with owning a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death.\nHe was also charged with possession of cannabis and bailed to appear at Kirklees Magistrates' Court on 2 March.\nThe dog involved had been returned to its owner several days previous to the attack after it was seized as a suspected banned pit bull breed.\nIt was destroyed in late 2016 after vets found it was suffering from a terminal illness, West Yorkshire Police said.\nIt is thought Mr Ellam was protecting his terrier when the larger dog turned on him. Mr Ellam's dog, called Rolo, needed emergency veterinary treatment.\nThe case was referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, with an investigation ongoing.\nMr Ellam's family previously said he volunteered at Huddersfield Town FC and also worked as a lollipop man.", "Police and UK Border Force officials made 167,000 seizures in 2014-15 - a fall of 14% over the previous year and the largest drop since 2006-07.\nThere was, however, a substantial rise in the amount of heroin confiscated by authorities.\nPolicing minister Mike Penning said there were \"promising signs\" that drug laws and policies were working.\nOfficials carried out 29,705 seizures of class A drugs in 2014-15. Cocaine was the most common type found, with authorities confiscating 3,387kg in more than 15,000 seizure operations.\nIn April cocaine with an estimated street value of £500m was recovered from a North Sea tug, in the biggest single class A drug seizure in the UK.\nIn the same period, 1,113kg of heroin was confiscated by police - up from 647kg in 2013-14: a rise of 72%.\nThe latest figures show class B drugs accounted for most of the seizures - 132,253 in total - the majority being herbal cannabis.\nMore than 360,000 cannabis plants were confiscated in 11,612 operations, along with 15,000kg of the prepared drug.\nTotal seizures of anabolic steroids were also up significantly. This was due to a number of very large seizures made by the Border Force.\nThe City of London Police had the highest number of confiscations per million people, while outside the capital the highest number was by Dyfed-Powys Police in Wales. Lincolnshire Police recorded the lowest number.\nMr Penning said: \"Seizures are just one part of a complex picture in our fight against drugs. Our strategy is clear - we must prevent drug use in our communities, help those who are dependent to recover and ensure law enforcement agencies stop the supply of drugs and the organised crime associated with it.\n\"There are promising signs our approach is working - with a downward trend in drug use over the last decade and more people recovering from dependency now than in 2009-10.\"\nBut Harry Shapiro, a drug information analyst, said the statistics were not a reliable indicator of the general impact of drug policies.\nHe said: \"One year's large seizures can distort the picture and overall, seizure figures often tell us more about enforcement activity than the actual amount of drugs available on the streets.\"\nMr Shapiro, who worked with former drugs charity DrugScope, added: \"A good example of how it is difficult to do a simple read across from seizures to the drug situation is the fact that heroin use is falling and the number of seizures went down, yet the amount of heroin seized showed a significant rise.\"", "A police dog indicated there were drugs in the vehicle when Stephen Allen, 37 and of Prescot, Merseyside was stopped on the M55 near Blackpool in February.\nWhen Lancashire Police officers were unable to find the hidden stash during a two-hour search they seized the van.\nA spokesman said 2kg of cocaine was later found in a \"purpose-built void\" behind the passenger seat.\nEnquiries were carried out to locate Allen but they could only arrest him in July at Manchester Airport.\nAllen, of Warrington Road, was jailed at Preston Crown Court for six years and nine months after admitting possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.\nOfficers believe the street value of the \"high-purity\" drugs would be \"significantly higher\" than their £70,000 estimate.\nDet Supt Chris Sanderson said the \"significant amount of cocaine... would undoubtedly have brought misery to the streets of Blackpool\".", "Liverpool Crown Court was told the drugs, found at a user's home, were in bags embossed with the Greater Manchester Police (GMP) logo.\nPhilip Eckersley, 28, admitted conspiracy to supply cannabis and was jailed for four years, three months.\nThe jury was told a \"degree of sloppiness\" developed at GMP's Longsight property store.\nEckersley, of Henry Street, Tyldesley, worked for eight years as a property assistant, the court heard.\nHe stole cannabis bags weighing more than half a kilo and tablets similar to Ecstasy with a street value of £3,900.\nThey were found at the home of Stacy Round who bought them from Eckersley's friend, Alex O'Malley, 24, of Douglas Park, Atherton.\nThe 1,303 tablets were part of a larger exhibit of 7,000 tablets which the force computer system showed \"destroyed\" on 11 September 2012.\nThe cannabis bags should have been destroyed eight days earlier.\nO'Malley, along with Round, 26, of Railway Street, Atherton, and Scott Owen, 24, of New Barn Lane, Leigh, admitted conspiracy to supply cannabis between February and September 2012.\nEckersley, O'Malley and Round also admitting supplying the Class C drug MeOPP between January 2010 and September 2012.\nRound, who also admitted supplying cocaine, was jailed for three years nine months, O'Malley received two years four months and Owen received eight months.", "The victim, who was also 28, was assaulted by two men on Union Street at about 05:30 on Saturday. Police said they were still trying to trace a second man.\nThe attack happened between St Nicholas Street and Broad Street.\nPolice have asked anyone who witnessed the attack to come forward.\nThe arrested man is expected to appear at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on Tuesday.\nAfter the incident part of Union Street was closed to pedestrians while police carried out inquiries.\nDet Insp Norman Stevenson, who is leading the inquiry, said: \"It was necessary as part of our investigation to close a small section of Union Street and I fully recognise the disruption this caused to some businesses and the general public frequenting the area.\n\"I would like to take this opportunity to thank those affected for their patience whilst we carried out this necessary work.\"", "Twenty properties were searched in Northern Ireland and five men arrested during the past two days.\nThe Garda (Irish police) also carried out two searches in County Donegal.\nThe PSNI has said the operation was aimed at disrupting the supply of cocaine and cannabis, as well as money laundering.\nTen of the searches took place in Londonderry.\nThe others were in Belfast, Strabane, Armagh, Dungannon, Aughnalocy and Glenavy.\nPolice seized quantities of drugs and luxury items valued at more than £200,000.\nThe items included high value watches, a large diamond and other jewellery, luxury cars and £9,000 in cash.\nThose arrested include a member of staff at a jewellery store.\nA 36-year-old man has been charged with conspiracy to supply drugs, money laundering and possession of criminal property.\nDetective Superintendent Tim Mairs, head of the PSNI's reactive and organised crime branch, said the operation was a significant investment of PSNI resources.\n\"The searches across these two days have involved, including the interviews, somewhere in the region of about 400 officers,\" he said.\n\"Drugs are a huge concern for people in Northern Ireland and this demonstrates our commitment to dealing with the issue.\"", "Class-A drugs such as heroin and crack cocaine were among the illegal substances seized, according to the data from police in England and Wales.\nThere were more than 2,000 incidents dating back to 2011, suggest figures from 34 police forces.\nTeachers described the statistics as a \"worry\" and the \"tip of the iceberg\".\nThe figures were obtained by the Press Association news agency (PA) under the Freedom of Information Act.\nPA sent Freedom of Information requests to every police force in England and Wales asking how many times illegal drugs had been seized or confiscated from school premises in the period from March 2011 to the end of 2014.\nThe query asked for details of the type and amount of drug involved, its value, the type of school (primary or secondary) and details of who it was seized or confiscated from.\nJust over three-quarters of forces replied.\nOf these, 28 forces gave details of the types of drugs involved, 18 forces identified the type of school and 13 the ages of the individuals involved.\nThe data reveals cannabis was involved in 625 of the cases and cocaine in 27.\nOther drugs confiscated included LSD, amphetamines and ecstasy.\nOverall there were two cases each of heroin possession at schools in the West Midlands, Surrey and Greater Manchester, plus another in Hertfordshire.\nOnly four incidents involved children under 11.\nAn eight-year-old and a nine-year-old in Staffordshire were caught with cannabis, as was a 10-year-old girl at a Leicester primary school, while another 10-year-old in Greater Manchester was carrying £5 worth of the drug.\nThere were 241 incidents involving 15- to 16-year-olds and 231 incidents involving 11- to 14-year-olds.\nIn Greater Manchester, a 14-year-old was caught with heroin with a street value of £500, and a 16-year-old with a quantity worth £330.\nOther incidents involved parents or school employees, including a school gardener in Humberside and a cleaner at a Manchester primary.\nThe highest number of incidents and offences in the three complete years to March 2014 was for Hampshire with 229 cases.\nThere were 144 incidents in Avon and Somerset and 138 in the West Midlands.\nSouth Wales police reported 92 cases.\nThere was a slight year-on-year decrease in the numbers which peaked at 657 in 2011-12 and fell to 611 and 560 in the next two years, while in the period March to December 2014, there were 407 incidents.\nChris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT teachers' union, said any incident of drugs on school premises was \"worrying as it will often only be the tip of the iceberg of what young people are encountering on the streets.\n\"Teachers and school leaders are always alert to the potential for young people being involved in drug or alcohol abuse.\"\nMs Keates said many specialist programmes to help schools support and educate young people about substance abuse had been cut in recent years.", "Lesley Collins told the two girls and two boys \"I'm your nana\" before dishing out the \"hash cakes\" from a knitted bag, The Grimsby Telegraph reported.\nThe 61-year-old, from Cleethorpes, admitted at Grimsby Crown Court on 24 March to supplying cannabis.\nShe was handed a six-month suspended jail term and 10 days' rehabilitation when she was sentenced on Monday.\nMore on this and other local stories from East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire\nThe youngsters, three aged 13 and a 12-year-old, had gone inside the Corporation Arms pub on Freeman Street, Grimsby, to use the toilet last October when Collins offered them the \"treats\".\nOne of the girls felt dizzy and sick and was later taken to hospital after eating half a biscuit, the court heard.\nThe other girl said the biscuit \"tasted sweet and disgusting at the same time\" as she wolfed it down.\nProsecutor Jeremy Evans said Collins, of Bentley Street, was behaving strangely when the children bumped into her.\nHe said: \"She kept telling the group that she was a dinner lady and a grandmother.\"\nCollins, an artist who had taught people in prison, told police: \"It's despicable. I didn't know I had done it. I was drunk.\"\nThe court heard that she was known as \"the Cookie Lady\" because she kept a regular stash of homemade cannabis biscuits.\nPolice seized a small amount of cannabis from her home and bags of biscuits were found in a wheelie bin.\nMitigating, Nick Worsley, said Collins had acted \"utterly out of character\" and had no previous convictions.\nPassing sentence, Judge David Tremberg told the artist: \"You were drunkenly oblivious to the risk you posed to them.\n\"This was seriously irresponsible and abnormal behaviour.\n\"If you had not been so intoxicated, you would not have dreamed of doing this.\"\nHe added that none of the teenagers were \"seriously harmed\".", "Police were called to reports of a disturbance at the property on King Street at about 22:10 on Sunday.\nA 42-year-old man, Aleksejus Zarskus, was found with serious injuries and taken to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.\nPolice have confirmed that Mr Zarskus died of his injuries on Thursday evening. Officers have renewed their appeal for information about the disturbance.\nTwo men, aged 30 and 32, were detained at the scene of the incident and appeared in court on Tuesday.\nDet Insp Gary Winter said: \"This was an isolated and contained incident and at no point was there any threat to any other member of the public.\n\"Our thoughts are with Mr Zarskus's family and friends at this difficult time.\n\"We would like to hear from anyone who knew Aleksejus Zarskus or anyone who was aware of a disturbance at 684 King Street, Aberdeen, just after 10pm on Sunday night.\"", "The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, knifed Peter Stewart, 44, through the heart and also stabbed his brother James Stewart, 46.\nThe pair had tried to buy cannabis and a car but were ambushed by the youth on 8 April 2015 in Wardieburn Street West.\nRyan Ellis, 31, was earlier cleared of the attempted murder of Peter Stewart.\nMr Ellis had also denied stabbing James Stewart during the incident.\nThe Crown withdrew the charges against Mr Ellis on Wednesday during a trial at the High Court in Livingston.\nThe 17-year-old was was unanimously found guilty by the jury of robbing Peter Stewart of his mobile phone and attempting to murder him by stabbing him to the danger of his life.\nHe was also found guilty of assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement of James Stewart by striking him on the body with a knife.\nLord Glennie told the teenager, who has no previous convictions: \"You've been convicted by this jury of both charges including a charge of attempted murder.\n\"I can't sentence you now because I require to obtain a social work report about you before I can consider what the appropriate sentence is.\n\"I think you should be in no doubt that a custodial sentence is almost inevitable.\"\nHe adjourned the case until Thursday 17 March at the High Court in Edinburgh and revoked bail, remanding the accused in custody until then.\nThe jury heard that Peter Stewart and his brother had driven down to the Wardieburn housing estate in Edinburgh with £6,500 in cash to buy 5.5 kilos of \"rocky\" - a type of cannabis resin - and a used car to take the drugs back to Aberdeen.\nThey were unaware that the man arranging the drug deal was an inmate in Shotts prison on a smuggled mobile phone for which his nephew had bought credit at a local shop that day.\nThe brothers became suspicious when their rendezvous with the dealer's nephew - the accused - was changed at the last minute.\nInstead of meeting him in a public cafe as they wanted, they were asked to meet him in the street so he could direct them to a house where the drugs were said to be.\nWhen they followed him into a close in a block of flats in Wardieburn, the youth stabbed James in the side then, as Peter tried to defend his brother, knifed him through the heart.\nIt was claimed in court the incident was a pre-planned ambush by relatives of the drug dealer to rob the brothers of their cash.\nHowever, Peter had left the money in the boot of his car for safety, claiming he wanted to inspect the cannabis before handing over the cash. The money was later recovered by police.\nThe jury heard that Peter \"died\" three times as ambulance paramedics and doctors at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary attempted to save his life.\nHe spent a night in the intensive care unit before being moved to a high-dependency unit from which he was discharged seven days later.\nHe has been left unable to walk without the help of crutches after the arteries in his legs collapsed and is waiting for an operation to have new arteries grafted onto his heart to restore the blood supply.\nHis brother James had a stab wound measuring 4cm by 1.5cm which was closed with steri-strips and was released after being kept in overnight for observation.", "Local media said the men were Chinese nationals. If convicted, they could face life in prison.\nThe Australian Defence Force seized the 50m (165ft) vessel off the coast of Tasmania nine days ago.\nTasmania Police on Wednesday estimated the drugs had a street value of A$60m (£36m; $44m).\nAssistant Commissioner Glenn Frame said the accused men were all foreign nationals aged between 23 and 50.\nHe said the drugs had been compressed into bricks and wrapped in plastic.\n\"Due to the size of the vessel, the examination took a number of days,\" he said in a statement.\nPolice were still investigating the origin of the drugs and where they were headed.\n\"It is unlikely that a criminal venture of this nature would target the small Tasmanian market,\" Assistant Commissioner Frame said.\nThe men were refused bail and are to reappear in Hobart Magistrates Court on 13 January.", "The claim: The Liberal Democrat manifesto says that legalising cannabis would raise £1bn for the Exchequer.\nReality Check verdict: £1bn seems like a reasonable estimate, although most of the figures used to make it are based on uncertain figures about currently illegal activities.\nIt was never published, but was obtained by the BBC's Newsnight programme in 2015.\nIt estimated that 2.2 million people aged 16 to 59 had used cannabis the previous year - smoking a total of 216 tonnes.\nIt looked at a report from the Institute for Social and Economic Research, which estimated that legalising cannabis could raise tax revenues of between £400m and £900m in England and Wales.\nAdding the benefits from things such as reduced police and court costs would take that up to between £500m and £1.25bn a year.\nIt is clear from the range of the estimate that there is considerable uncertainty surrounding it.\nAlso, it would need to be considered across the UK as drugs policy is not devolved.\nThe Treasury report argued that the ISER's £1.25bn figure was probably an over-estimate but agreed that regulating cannabis would raise significant amounts in tax, as well as saving the state up to £200m in court and police costs a year.\nThe manifesto does not say how much tax would be charged on cannabis, but it is reasonable to compare the tax it could raise with the tax raised from tobacco.\nThere are just over 11 million tobacco users in the UK, who paid about £9.5bn of tax on that in 2015, an average of about £850 a head.\nIf the 2.2 million cannabis users spent the same amount per head, that would raise about £1.9bn.\nThe Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated, when it was incorporating illegal drugs into the national accounts, that the market for cannabis was worth £1.2bn in 2009 prices.\nOn the flip side of this calculation, there may be additional costs if there were to be a large increase in demand for cannabis, and the ISER research suggests this would need to be monitored carefully with an eye to modifying the policy, especially if there were an increase in demand from vulnerable groups.\nThe Liberal Democrats also say they would allow cannabis to be sold through licensed outlets - selling those licences would presumably also raise revenue, although another detail is that potency would be limited by legislation, which would probably mean that an illegal market in more potent cannabis would remain.\nThe problem with all of these figures is that they are uncertain estimates of illegal activities.\nBetter statistics are available from the US state of Colorado, which legalised cannabis at the start of 2014.\nThe most recent figures available cover July 2016 to March 2017, when cannabis taxes raised $185m (£143m).\nIf you extrapolate that to a full year and from the population of Colorado (5.4 million) to the UK, you get to about £2.3bn.\nNow, it's likely that some of the cannabis being sold in Colorado is being taken illegally to other states, but there would have to be a lot of that going on to take the tax figure below the Liberal Democrats' £1bn.\nRead more from Reality Check\nFollow us on Twitter", "\"I am seriously considering emigrating to Australia, Jamaica or the US,\" says Faye Jones.\nThe 32-year-old PA from Wokingham jumps every time there's a knock at the door and tiptoes around neighbours who might call the police.\nHer crime? Five years ago, Faye was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and after suffering from the side effects of prescribed drugs, she now uses cannabis to ease her pain, nausea and inflammation.\nIn the UK, where cannabis is a Class B drug, police can issue warnings or on-the-spot fines for possession of a small amount, while courts can impose sentences of up to five years for possession of larger amounts and up to 14 years for those who supply or produce it.\nFaye - a campaigner for United Patients Alliance (UPA), which is calling for cannabis to be legally accessed by patients - has a raft of places she could start a new life.\nMedicinal cannabis is legal - or being legalised - in 25 US states, and in countries from Canada to Italy.\n\"But I'd rather not leave the country I was born in,\" she says. \"Mum would be devastated.\"\nPerhaps now she won't have to. A group of MPs has called on the government to legalise medical cannabis after publishing the results of a seven-month inquiry into medicinal use of the drug.\nThe All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Drug Policy Reform took evidence from 623 patients, professionals and experts and more than 20,000 scientific and medical reports were reviewed.\n\"The results are clear. Cannabis has a medical benefit for a wide range of conditions,\" says Mike Barnes, a professor of neurological rehabilitation.\nHowever, the NHS warns that cannabis use carries a number of risks, such as impairing the ability to drive, as well as causing harm to lungs if smoked and harm to mental health, fertility or unborn babies.\nIt can also have other serious consequences, with users potentially vulnerable to developing psychotic illnesses, the Royal College of Psychiatrists says.\nA Home Office spokesman said the government had no plan to legalise cannabis, adding: \"There is a substantial body of scientific and medical evidence to show that cannabis is a harmful drug which can damage people's mental and physical health.\"\nYet the End Our Pain campaign, which supports the legalisation of medical cannabis, estimates that one million people across the UK rely on the drug for medical reasons.\nBy Michelle Roberts, health editor, BBC News online\nAfter weighing the evidence, experts say there is a clear therapeutic role for medical cannabis.\nThere is good evidence that it helps alleviate the symptoms of chronic pain, MS and nausea associated with chemotherapy, as well as anxiety.\nBut for treating other conditions, such as depression, headaches and epilepsy, there is limited or no convincing evidence that it works.\nLike any drug, cannabis can cause side effects.\nSmoking cannabis in a joint rolled with tobacco can make asthma worse and probably increases the risk of lung cancer.\nRegular cannabis use puts some people at increased risk of psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia, and can also reduce fertility.\nCannabis is addictive and you may experience withdrawal symptoms such as cravings, difficulty sleeping, sweating and shaking.\nCannabis affects how the brain works. It can make users feel very anxious and even paranoid, it can make it difficult to concentrate and learn.\n37\naverage age of patient\n67%\ntry conventional medicines first\n37% don't tell their doctor\n72% buy street cannabis\n20% grow their own\nThe United Patients Alliance says 30% of cannabis patients surveyed by the APPG cited depression as a reason for self-medication - though patients reported multiple conditions and depression often accompanies other primary conditions.\nAbout a quarter of patients said they used the drug to combat anxiety and a quarter mentioned pain.\nAlmost 70% of the patients surveyed said they had tried conventional medicines first, before turning to cannabis.\nDoctors told Faye she would have to take low dosages of cancer drugs for the rest of her life to deal with her rheumatoid arthritis.\nBut after suffering hair loss, frequent sickness and \"brain fog\", her job became untenable and her boss took her aside.\n\"I'd just bought a house and had a mortgage - I couldn't afford to lose my job,\" she says.\nInspired by MS patients, she tried cannabis and now spends about £250 a month making her own capsules and creams, mixing cannabis oil and coconut oil.\nFaye says she takes the pills \"like I would ibuprofen, when I need them\", claiming that the low dosage is not enough to make her high.\nAlong with 38% of users surveyed by the APPG, she also uses a vaporiser to consume the drug.\nFewer than a third smoke it with tobacco; one in five smokes it without tobacco. Others eat it, take capsules or use creams.\nMS patient Penny Fitzlyon, from London, said she was prescribed a variety of opiates which \"switched off all interest in the outside world\".\nShe said they left her \"feeling grotty and miserable\", took away her sense of humour and made her constipated.\n\"Then after a second MRI scan, I overheard a nurse saying it wouldn't be long before I'd be in a wheelchair,\" she says. \"So I started doing my own research. Cannabis was the only thing I could find that hadn't killed anyone.\"\nPenny, 52, says she tracked down a herbalist who, unlike street sellers, knew how to mix different strains of cannabis for different patients.\n\"We want to get rid of street dealers,\" she says. \"Backstreet cannabis is not good - they mix it with sand or glass to make it look all sparkly and heavy.\"\nSome 72% of cannabis bought for medicinal use is purchased on the street or from friends, but 20% of users grow their own, in groups or by themselves. The remainder is sourced on the internet or abroad, according to those surveyed by the APPG.\nPenny, who has been cautioned by the police twice, estimates that she spends £5,000 a year on cannabis - a fraction of the £30,000 annual cost of MS prescription drugs, she says.\nThough she avoids \"getting stoned\", without small doses of the drug Penny finds simple tasks such as walking to the shops \"incredibly painful\".\nFor Jon Liebling, from Reading, brushes with the law have only made him more determined to fight for the right to use cannabis as a medicine.\nA traumatic childhood, with a mother who attempted suicide and an absent father, left Jon anxious, depressed and struggling to concentrate at school. But after trying cannabis at university, he didn't look back.\n\"I knew it was illegal\", he says, \"But it just worked. All the pain and stress I'd carried in my back, shoulders and neck for years just went.\"\nBut the 48-year-old's use of cannabis would see him arrested by the police three times - forcing him to leave university, drop out of a nurses' training course and finally land him in court for growing his own.\nThough the arrests led to no more than a slap on the wrist and a fine, he said they left him feeling \"angry and disenfranchised\".\n\"My life has been ruined by the law,\" he says. Now, as political director of the UPA, Jon says the conclusions of the parliamentary group are \"incredibly exciting\".\n\"I don't think judges really want to put people away for it,\" he says. \"I was really honest with the judge about my medical history and he was really sympathetic.\"\nThough Faye fears the police \"taking away her medicine\" or indeed sending her to prison, she says most people are \"very understanding\" - even potential employers.\nShe says she has mentioned her End Our Pain campaigning in numerous job interviews \"and it never stopped me getting a second interview\".\n\"I'm cannabis proud,\" she says." ]

[ "Honey, it's none of her business, really. If it was as violent as you say, and only close friends/family know what happened...I say you might want to keep it that way. This is a personal and tender issue that she needs to not be a part of. My best friend was murdered when I was a teen. Only her family and a few of us who hung out w/ her at school, knew the real details. We had to keep it quiet due to a gag order so we didn't compromise the case. You know, you could use this excuse as well. That way, you won't feel obligated to tell anyone anything because legally you can't. If after that she still won't respect your boundaries, talk to your supervisor about what you expect in the work place to feel safe and comfortable. You have the right to not be harassed in any way." ]

[ "http://www.beautyability.com, a site by a close friend of mine.", "i know a lot of guy who want to do that. i think it all depends on how well the grabber, and the grabbed know each other. if it was a friend of mine then i don't think that i would worry that much, but it someone just walked up to me and did it I'll have murder on my mind.", "Question: Why are you asking complete strangers to answer this question for you?\\n\\nBuy whatever you like better & what you can afford. Ask close friends for more advice if you need it.", "If you are close, there is an awesome one in Pennsylvania called the Pennsylvania School of Culinary Arts. A friend of mine went there, and he was able to get grants to help him. They will also help you out with financial aid if you need it.", "My friends. I got their back, they got mine. Thats all I have to know and need.", "I don't care what Charlie Sheen says. I'm typically against the death penalty, but Moussaoui is the worst kind of scum. He's a coward who couldn't follow through with a cowardly act. He's inhuman and deserves to die. He could have stopped the whole thing, but he chose to keep quiet and helped murder 3000 people. Not only should we kill him, we need to make it brutal to set an example.", "In addition to the above advice... If you don't want it to collect then you need to select a lower number of days for your history to be saved. I have mine set at 0.", "hi friend i really have no idea ....but i have a personal request if u will get no answers except mine please choose my answer for the best i really need some points to go to next level. \\ni will b really thankful to you", "Mine is not very active right now,I just woke up,and need some coffee.", "i look exaclty like mine lol..well real close i think", "Friends dont turn on friends just because of a baby this is what you have to do since you two work so close its time for a talk its worth saving your friendship any this cannot carry on this way so when you go to work at break time talk it may be something in his life he may need your advice. My best freinds have always been females so talk.*", "Truthfully. I had used the timer on my digital camera to take some naked self-portraits and a friend of mine borrowed my camera.....\\n\\nOoops!", "Not sure you actually have to train to be a publican.\\n\\nDo you have experience of pub work?\\n\\nI think it depends if you wanna be your own licensee or work as part of a frnachise.\\n\\nAn old friend of mine went into the business but contacted a reputable brewer. I think they gave the necessary training or whatever and then for a while he was a floating bar manager for them until the brewery gave him his own pub.\\n\\nMy advice, contact some decent breweries and ask their advice - their the ones that are gonna have all the answers and if they can't sort something out for you themselves - they will probably be able to point you in the right direction.\\n\\nGood luck - you'll need it, its a lot of hard work!", "Not at all. I used to feel wierd about it, but then I met one of my pastors who is a woman. She's also a close personal friend of mine and she inspires me alot. As it is I do teach, but I would love to one day preach God's word. It would be awesome!", "invite all your friends over and spend some \"lol\" moments with all the friends in family that are close to you, spending time with family and close friends... that is where all the happy times come from.", "In grade school we toilet papered some houses. When I was 15 a friend of mine on Halloween hit a girl (roughly 5) in the face with an egg. It was embarassing to say the least.", "your dentist can decide. i only had mine on for 11 months, but my friend had hers for 3 and 1/2 yrs. it depends on how much work needs to be done.", "Mine is pretty close.", "hey thans for the advice on my boyfriend i just really am scared! oh and mine is trapped in the closet all parts its just drama i love to hear it but not be in it", "Me. Omg. Ha ha ha. Answering questions is sooo addicting to me. I don't know why. I think I have a problem. But I also think I give good advice and some friends get mad because I habitually do it, but here I can give advice, because well people are asking for it =)", "Chances are they took a chance at guessing your password. I would think that it was something close to your username. A friend of mine had someone steal his Yahoo ID, but he ended up talking to the folks at Yahoo and explained to them what happened. He eventually got his ID back.", "Actually I did something like this once for a friend of mine. She was dating this guy and she wasn't really sure how sincere he was. So, I put up a personal ad incognito of course and snagged him. It was fun to play an alter ego of mine! She got what she wanted and I got to have some fun.", "I have a friend like that and we've been together for about 12 years, on and off. We have been through 4 babies hers and one of mine my marriage and divorce and we still talk to each other. WE have an understanding, we love each other enough to know when we have had enough of each others advice. Be smart and be a friend but be smarter and know when to walk away. If the friendship is true you'll be together a long time.", "um... a friend of mine gave some advice on getting noticed as a writer once that was 'ass to the chair.' it's a very similar philosophy. play your asses off. get gigs, any gigs. if you're any good or you get better it will lead to better gigs. then someday, after a lot of hard work and dedication you'll get noticed. unless of course you're totally freakin awesome right off the bat... which is an oddity.", "dear friend, its all about sharing our feelings and expressions and developing intimacy with somebody you feel close. you can start taking up some hobby classes where you can find people of your interest and start developing relations with them.\\n\\njust give it a try. theres whole world waiting for you.\\n\\nwhole world is your friend. i am your friend. you just need to talk and you will get the responses. everybody needs friends.......!!!\\n\\nbest luck!!!", "In some hardcore, heroic way...like a brutal battle among Sakura trees and Samurai....", "I don't have one but a friend of mine does and she HATES IT!!", "I have no experience in chemistry or in mining, but I do have experience in business and market analysis. I can give you some general suggestions, but you'll probalby need to do the investigation yourself.\\nFirst, you probably want to limit your investigation to mines in the US.\\nYou would then want to identify the total number of underground mines in the US (as opposed to open or strip mining).\\nThen you would somehow want to assess the size of each mine, perhaps in terms of the total volume of air in each mine. \\nFrom there, you would need to perform some analysis in terms of normal composition of this air (ie. How much CO, how much CO2, O2, Nitrogen, etc.)\\nWith this information, you should be able to determine the total volume of CO in each mine at a given time. With that, you would then want to calculate the toal amount of CO in all mines.\\nThe next step, I would think, is to perform some analsysis with regard to the absorption/conversion rate of that CO oxidation catalyst you mention. ie. conversion rate per hour, as an example.\\nFrom there, you should be able to calculate how much catalyst would be needed to make this conversion for all CO gas in all mines in the US for a given amount of time and then expand that calculation out to a yearly number. This would give you a rough estimate of a Total Addressable Market for this product.", "Well, if she won't leave her crazy girlfriend then its because she needs some help herself. OR okay, she can be scared that her g/f will try and kill herself (again). Bottom line, that girl is controling your friends life and its a very bad situation. Tell your friend to seek professional advice on how to get out of that relationship. She is being emotionally abused and needs to get out ASAP. Tell your girlfriend to call a hotline, get advice on how to leave and then just be there for her during the transition and so forth. IF your friend refuses to try harder and at least another month goes by then yes, move on. It may be very hard but at this rate its not fair to you. Good luck!", "A friend of a friend of mine (unreliable, I know) had reading comprehension problems. After a number of tests, they discovered that the problem stemmed from a sort of sensory overload. The solution was for her to read text through a red filter. It sounds a little wacky to me, but if it worked, that's kind of cool. I hope that helps some.", "When I was 18 years old I worked in a deli with a man in his 70s. He told me the friends I have now from high school will be the only true, real, close friends you'll have for the rest of your life. Bring some of your old friends over, so you'll be more comfortable in making new friends.", "Friends and close friends are two different things. Ther's nothing wrong with beings friends with your girlfriends goyfriend, but you two have no reason for being really close. Men are not close friends with Women for no reason. We have ulterior motives for that. You'll find yourself on Jerry Springer on the \"I Slept With My Girlfriends Man\" episode. Be his friend, but keep it casual. Really close friends is asking for trouble...." ]

[ "5th" ]

[ "Where Does My Heart Beat Now", "How Does a Moment Last Forever", "No Name", "it does not follow", "A Doe subpoena", "Susan Doe", "Roland Doe", "Doe B", "Samuel Doe", "Where's the beef?", "Where Is the Love?", "Michael Rank", "Where's Waldo?", "My Name Is My Name", "The Name of the Jam", "That's Not My Name", "The Boy with No Name", "In the name of God", "A Horse with No Name", "named suspect", "name of the shape", "Grace's name", "The Boy Does Nothing", "The Street with No Name", "A Place with No Name", "Moe Doe Entertainment", "Daisy Does America", "does not build a web", "Doe v. Bolton", "In the Name of the Father", "Nobody Does It Better", "does not cause a problem" ]

[ "This week, the podcast and show Invisibilia examines the nature of reality, with a Silicon Valley techie who created apps to randomize his life, a psychologist who trains herself to experience the world like dogs do and a wildlife biologist who thinks bears aren't dangerous. In San Francisco, the life Max Hawkins lived was arguably perfect. He was employed by Google, surrounded by friends and had his routine nailed down. He woke to artisanal coffee, biked to work along the beautiful Embarcadero waterfront roadway, lunched on Google's famed free food (\"like four different kinds of kale\" level) and — possibly the true mark of a successful millennial — got invited to many happy hours. But something was missing. Sometimes Max would lay awake at night pondering what felt so ... wrong. \"I just started thinking about these loops that we get into,\" he says. \"And about how the structure of your life ... completely determines what happens in it.\" Max's once beautiful routine suddenly seemed unfulfilling. He felt like he was growing closer to people in his own bubble and becoming isolated from those outside of it. \"There was something ... that just made me feel trapped,\" he says. \"Like I was reading a story that I'd read before or I was playing out someone else's script.\" As any computer developer would do, Max turned to technology to craft his way out — a series of randomization applications. Max started small, with an app that integrated Uber. It starts like a regular ride-hailing app: He would press a button in the app and a car would arrive. But then, a twist: He couldn't select a drop-off location; the app would choose a spot within a range without disclosing it. The only thing the rider had to do was enjoy the journey — and hope for a good destination. From there, Max's applications became more complex. He built an app that used a Facebook search function for public events to find ones near him. Then the app would randomly choose which event Max would attend. At first, he was nervous: What if people wouldn't let him in? But, as a kind of unassuming white guy, he actually didn't have this problem. (And Max acknowledges this privilege.) Once Max explained how and why he had arrived at these events, hosts usually welcomed him, often with only a few questions asked. Most of the time, people were taken by the idea of Max expanding his bubble. One night, he got to drink white Russians with some Russians. Another, he attended acroyoga (as in, acrobatics + yoga). A community center pancake breakfast. A networking event for young professionals. The algorithm chose; Max attended. Most of these events were something that the nonrandomized Max would never have thought to try. The computer was breaking him out of a life driven by his own preferences. He was suddenly seeing the world in a whole new way, and he really liked it. \"If I went out myself and said, like, 'I want to see the world!' I have an idea of what I need to see to do that,\" Max says. \"But when I'm turning that over to a random algorithm, it has its own different idea. You're taking on the computer's view of the world, and because that's not human, it's likely to be completely different from your own.\" One year, Max decided to use the Facebook-event generator app to choose where he would celebrate Christmas. It came up with a party at someone's home in Fresno, Calif. With a pie and a friend, Max drove for three hours and showed up on the doorstep of a retired psychologist, Karena Beasley. Karena was celebrating with a handful of friends and family — and now, also two 20-something strangers. \"She was completely not fazed,\" Max says, describing the moment they met Karena. \"She didn't miss a beat. She said, 'Oh, wonderful! We love Facebook, I'm so glad you're at the party. Welcome.' And it was like instantly we were friends.\" Max says he and his friend stayed at the party for five or six hours. In a video from the night, the group sings carols to guitar and Max looks as if he is right where he belongs. Max lived a randomized life for the better part of two years. In fact, he went global. He created an app that chose the places he would live, travel and eat. When he traveled, he continued using the Facebook events app to find random activities. Would the old Max have chosen to attend a socialists' rally in Berlin? Or a meetup for bloggers of central Iowa? Max's randomized travels sent him to Vietnam, Germany, India, United Arab Emirates, Slovenia. He met people whom he would have never encountered inside his own perfect prerandomization bubble. Max's app accounts for the costs of the globe-trotting style. \"It knows about my budget,\" Max says — he can set price parameters. He freelances as a developer on the side. And, if he needs a break, he just turns the app off. The computer isn't entirely in charge, yet. In fact, these days, Max has silenced the app. He is taking time off and living in Los Angeles (by choice, not randomization) and finalizing his suite of rando" ]

[ "Google Glass isn't even for sale yet, but it's already facing backlash. There have been articles in the Atlantic and Wired mocking techies who have a pair, and even Saturday Night Live got in on the jabbing at the technology. The New York Times ran a front-page story about Google Glass and privacy, and the gadget has been banned from a bar in Seattle and casinos in Las Vegas. But for the earnest Googlers who helped create Glass, and the enthusiastic techies who already have their hands on a pair, all this hate can be a little bewildering. Most of the people I've talked to who have the fancy eyewear just love them. \"Just taking a hike on a Sunday, I've been blown away by taking pictures and taking video,\" said Javier Echeverria. Mary Lambert got cooking instructions using Glass. \"The friend who I was doing it with could see what I was doing and was like 'No no no, that's all wrong,' which was really helpful and I didn't expect it,\" she says. Right now, Google Glass might be the world's worst spy camera; if you go out in public with a pair on, you are guaranteed to attract attention. Still, the idea of techies mounting a tiny screen and a little camera to their faces makes millions of people uncomfortable. According to Sarah Rotman Epps, a tech analyst at Forrester Research, that is why Google is rolling out Glass to the world slowly in stages. \"Google has been incredibly transparent ... with their Glass rollout,\" Epps says. \"They realize that Google Glass will require shifting social norms to be accepted.\" In that regard, the past few weeks have been rough for Google. If the company is going to turn around the public's impression of this product, it will need some help — from people like Sarah Hill. Hill is a storyteller for the Veterans United Network and a volunteer for Veterans Virtual Tours. She wants to use Google Glass to take World War II vets on virtual tours of places they might be too old or frail to visit in person. \"Places like the World War II memorial, Arlington National Cemetery [or] Pearl Harbor even,\" she says. Hill is convinced that leading a virtual tour for veterans while wearing Google Glass would be completely different for them than showing the group just a DVD. She says it gives them the ability to ask questions and request certain sights and sounds, like the waves on the beaches of Normandy or the waterfalls at the World War II memorial. \"And when people ask those ... veterans, 'Have you ever seen your memorial?' before they pass away, they can say, 'Yes I did,' \" she says. Google is hoping that people like Hill could begin to help the public imagine the positive things they could do with the gadget. Last week, Google released a video of Andrew Vanden Heuvel, a high school physics teacher from Grand Rapids, Mich., using Glass to go on a virtual field trip to CERN and the Large Hadron Collider. Sam Aybar wants to build an app to identify packaged foods that are free of the allergens that make his son sick. The app would use bar codes to create a list of safe products. \"I think Glass could be really helpful for 5 [million] to 10 million families in the United States that are dealing with food allergies,\" Aybar said. For many tech enthusiasts, the upsides of Glass seem obvious. \"I've spent my life essentially helping to build the Internet, and this thing is the Internet in your field of vision,\" says Web pioneer and venture capitalist Marc Andreessen. \"For me that's the big thing ... that's the killer app.\" Andreessen, who founded Netscape, among other Internet properties, is now funding startups hoping to build apps on Glass. But even in the Andreessen household, Glass has created controversy. He says his wife has likely wanted to rip them off and throw them out the window. \"I think she's been tempted to do that with almost every piece of gadgetry we own,\" he says. And battles like that could determine whether Google Glass becomes the next iPhone or has a fate more similar to Apple's Newton.", "Emmanuel Njoku thought he was living the American dream. The immigrant from Nigeria invested in real estate and rode the housing boom to great heights. At the peak, Njoku owned 16 properties in Prince George's County, Md., just outside Washington, D.C. But with the housing bubble now burst, Njoku is living a nightmare. Basically every other home in the upscale Promise neighborhood near Bowie, Md., is in foreclosure, says Njoku. He says one potential buyer took a look at the neighborhood, where Njoku once owned property, and decided it must be cursed. In fact, more than 800 homes in this ZIP code are in some stage of the foreclosure process, according to the research firm RealtyTrac. One of them is the home Emmanuel Njoku and his family used to live in — a sprawling 7,000-square-foot house finished in stone. He purchased this million-dollar dream house at the age of 34, as a first-generation immigrant. But Njoku couldn't afford the payments and moved out three months ago, and the bank is threatening foreclosure. Njoku, a pharmacist by profession, got into real estate when his wife's health deteriorated after the birth of their second child. He hoped to supplement his salary. He succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. As the value of the homes he owned shot higher, he pulled equity out to buy other homes. Njoku says it was all made possible by skyrocketing home prices and easy credit from lenders who helped him purchase homes while he was showing very little income. \"I have two guys that I literally called the miracle workers because they did a miracle. We're talking about situations where a salary of $20,000 purchased a $560,000 house.\" Sound impossible? Here's how he did it: The down payment came from a credit card, and as the value of the house rose, Njoku was able to cash out $60,000 and then an additional $100,000. He says it was a \"money generator.\" An eager alliance of builders and lenders and investors, like Njoku, helped fuel the housing bubble. At the peak, in the summer of 2006, his 16 properties were worth more than $8 million. His net worth was over $2 million, he says. \"The appreciation factor — the refinance ability — made a sweet ride,\" he says. Njoku acknowledges he was naive. He, like a lot of others, thought U.S. home prices would continue rising indefinitely. But now about half of his properties are in foreclosure, and the other half are worth less than he owes on them. He works nights as a pharmacist, but the income doesn't come close to covering his obligations. Bankruptcy is a real threat. And as the bubble — that Njoku admits he helped to create — bursts, many of his neighbors in this majority African-American county are struggling, too. \"I don't honestly know how these communities are going to be able to bounce back. Quite frankly, it's scary because you have these beautiful homes, these beautiful communities that were striving, and now all of a sudden there's a silent suction of hope and progress out of the lives of people. It's just hard to put to words,\" Njoku says. RENEE MONTAGNE, host: Emmanuel Njoku thought he was living the American dream. The immigrant from Nigeria invested in real estate and rode the housing boom to great heights. At the peak, Njoku owned 16 properties in Prince Georges County, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. But as NPR's John Ydstie reports, with the housing bubble now burst, Njoku is living a nightmare. Mr. EMMANUEL NJOKU (Real Estate Investor; Pharmacist): That gentleman right there has been trying to sell that home. JOHN YDSTIE: Emmanuel Njoku steers his big SUV through winding streets lined by brand new homes in the Fairview housing development near Bowie, Maryland. The gentle hills and mature trees on what was once a Maryland plantation have been transformed into an upscale neighborhood. And like so many places in the United States, this one is hurting. Mr. NJOKU: So this is the promised neighborhood. This one here is a foreclosure. It's a bank owned. This one right here, over here in the corner, is a foreclosure. This home right here never was occupied for three years. YDSTIE: Basically, every other home in this neighborhood is in foreclosure, says Njoku. He says one potential buyer took a look at the promised neighborhood and decided it must be cursed. In fact, more than 800 homes in this zip code are in some stage of the foreclosure process according to the research from RealtyTrac. One of them is the home Emmanuel Njoku and his family used to live in, a sprawling 7,000 square foot house finished in stone. Mr. NJOKU: This beautiful castle here, this was my home. And as of three months ago, we all decided to move out. YDSTIE: Njoku couldn't afford the payments, and the bank is threatening foreclosure. He says some investors are interested in buying it for $650,000. That's half what he paid for it in 2003. (Soundbite of Njuko fumbling with a lock) YDSTIE: Got the right key? Mr. NJOKU: It's been too long. YDSTIE: The entry", "President Bush's White House usually takes pride in its thick skin. The news media can do their worst and get no rise out of the man in the Oval Office. But in recent weeks we have seen an exception, a single media image that stuck in the craw of the president or others in his innermost circle. That image was captured most memorably on Newsweek's cover for the week of December 19. \"Bush in a Bubble\" read the main headline, as a cartoon version of the president floated by, totally encased and adrift. The idea that the president was out of touch had been abroad in the media, and in the general political conversation, since late summer. The story began with the long vacation in Crawford and the sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina. It gained currency with the ill-fated nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court, and fed on each sunny assessment of bloody events in Iraq. It didn't help that the president seemed to have little visible reaction to his poll ratings hitting record lows. Then Newsweek nailed the visual, and suddenly the bubble image was everywhere. Even in the conservative National Review, a cartoon showed Bush fretting over the Newsweek while the ghost of Ronald Reagan empathized. For some of us, all this revived another ghost of politics past. In the fall of 1987, in the same week a presidential straw poll was being held in Iowa, Newsweek's cover pictured the senior George Bush, then vice president, on a yacht. The headline: \"Fighting the Wimp Factor.\" Bush, the heir apparent for the 1988 GOP nomination, finished third in the straw poll and later finished third in the Iowa caucuses as well. At the time, the senior Bush kept his rage at Newsweek to himself. But his son, George W. Bush, called the magazine to announce that its reporters would get no more cooperation from the Bushes. And in months that followed, the nation saw the senior Bush tackling as many macho tasks as possible -- including backing an 18-wheeler across a parking lot in snowy New Hampshire. The senior Bush managed to right his campaign in 1988, winning the nomination and the presidency. But no one in his family -- biological or political -- has forgotten. And this time around, the Newsweek jab seemed to have found that old, deep bruise. \"No, I don't feel I'm in a bubble,\" the current President Bush told Brian Williams of NBC News in December. \"I feel like I'm getting really good advice from very capable people and that people from all walks of life have informed me and informed those who advise me. And I feel very comfortable that I'm very aware of what's going on.\" From the day of that denial, the president and his team have worked to burst the bubble image. The president has not only stepped up his public schedule but softened the atmosphere at his events. Instead of phalanxes of uniformed personnel as backdrops, the new Bush event strives for homier settings. The president himself gets folksy, both in his remarks and in the Q & A. This week, at Kansas State University, he spoke and took questions for the better part of two hours. Nor has the new mode been merely a matter of style. In these same weeks, Team Bush has gone on the offensive on many fronts at once. It's hard to imagine anyone thought of them as passive as recently as last fall. While continuing to define the mission in Iraq as \"the central front in the war on terror,\" the administration has defended its no-warrant domestic surveillance program by suggesting its critics don't care about American's safety. It has insisted that those who call wiretaps on Americans in America \"domestic spying\" are \"simply wrong.\" The proper name is \"terrorist surveillance program,\" because the person on the other end of the call is always a suspect from overseas. We are told that we should accept this as a given, without evidence, because the National Security Agency is made up of \"good people.\" The administration has also refused to release documents regarding information the White House received about damage in the first hours after Hurricane Katrina struck. Similarly, the White House refuses to reveal contacts between people on its payroll and the disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. While aggressive in its own defense, the White House is equally eager to be seen as responsive to the country. This year's State of the Union is expected to be far more attuned to public attitudes than last year's model. Last year, the president stressed his ideas about changing Social Security. Those ideas did not match the public's priorities, however, and this year the president is expected to dwell on health care costs -- an issue polls consistently find near the top among public concerns. This year's State of the Union also finds the country more restive than it was a year ago. Polls show a large majority thinking the U.S. is on the wrong track. Overseas, the war rages on in Iraq while Iran threatens to go nuclear and the Palestinians turn to Hamas, a political ", "I´m in Rio, working on a book with the Brazilian theologian and friar Frei Betto, a leader of liberation theology. We are to talk for four days about science and faith and the result will be transcribed into a book. Unfortunately, at least for now, the book will only be in Portuguese. But I wanted to share with you three short poetic-narratives on \"origins,\" which are part of my book A Tear at the Edge of Creation. In the final book, they were edited into narrative poems. Here, I show them in their original form. Their goal is to bring forth some of the ideas and images behind the science of origins, in particular the origin of the universe and of life, but in mytho-poetic fashion. The pieces are teasers for the discussion that follows. Anyway, here they are. 1. BURST There were no witnesses to what was about to happen. “Happen” didn’t exist; Reality was timeless, permanence. Space didn’t exist. The distance between two points was immeasurable. The points themselves could be here or anywhere, hovering and bouncing.  Infinity tangled into itself. Suddenly, a trembling a vibration an ordering began. Like roiling waves, space shuddered and swelled. What was near became far. What was now became past. Space was born with time. Mention space and we think contents. Mention time and we think change. And so it was. Space bubbled; time unfurled. Matter coalesced from the joint heaving of space and time, seeping out of its pores. But hold on. This was no ordinary matter, no mundane substance Like us. This matter stretched space, made it inflate like a swelling balloon. This balloon became our Universe. Read More 2. LIFE! There were no witnesses to what was about to happen. There was water and there was earth; Inert matter rained from the skies. Heat scorched the land, dried the seas. The world was aglow. Smoke choked the air. Sometimes. What air was this? What land? What seas? Tremblors rumbled the roiling soil, mixing. Waves lapped the land, mixing. Some things sank; others bubbled up. Then, a time of cooling; ephemeral peace. A surge of combinations and reactions; slime in motion. Accidental shapes; random splitting. A chaining of stuffs; an attraction of likes. A growth that outgrew others, encompassed others. Circling and twisting it became two. And so it was. Two became four, and grew. Life began; or something like it. Not like us But us nonetheless.   3. Fear of Darkness II An old man sits in the dark thinking of his dead lovers. Night had fallen fast, faster every day… A star blinks in the distance. An invitation to eternity? Invisible worlds so far to see. Do they still love me up there? Are they stardust now? He dreamed of certainties where none exists. Hoping to fill the emptiness, He looked beyond and saw nothing. An owl screeches in the distance. The old man smiles. He is still here. He picks up the phone. Who should he call?", "Sean Lennon's latest collaboration is with Primus bassist and lead singer Les Claypool. They're calling themselves the Claypool Lennon Delirium, and their new album is a collection of trippy, psychedelic space jams called <em>The Monolith Of Phobos</em> (a reference to a large rock discovered on Phobos, a moon orbiting Mars).Most of the songs are celestial meditations with surreal lyrics about space exploration or drugs. But one track, \"Bubbles Burst,\" offers a more personal reflection from Lennon about his memories of Michael Jackson's pet chimpanzee, Bubbles. Lennon and Jackson were friends and, as a child in the mid-1980s, Lennon would hang out with Bubbles at Jackson's Neverland ranch.The song itself is a plainspoken description of how Jackson acquired Bubbles and what it was like living at Neverland. But a new video for \"Bubbles Burst\" adds an unsettling twist, portraying Jackson as grotesque and demented.For this week's +1 podcast, we spoke with Lennon about how he came to write \"Bubbles Burst\" and how he wants people to feel when they see the video.", "Of the hundreds of people we've met while covering the economic crisis, not one has changed so thoroughly as Glen Pizzolorusso. Back in May 2008, he appeared in a special collaboration between NPR and This American Life, \"The Giant Pool of Money.\" The show looked at the chain of subprime mortgage securitization and explained how the crisis began. A year and a half later, we decided to check in with him and a few of the others who helped us understand that cycle of boom and bust. For Pizzolorusso, the story started when he was just 14 and working in his father's mortgage firm. Making a habit of 60-hour weeks, he found his way up from his father's company to a position as head of a subprime mortgage sales team. He was bringing home more than $100,000 a month, choosing each day which of his five cars to drive, shuttling between two luxury homes, partying in expensive New York City nightclubs. Pizzolorusso, still in his 20s, was living the glamorous life. \"We rolled up to Marquee at midnight with a line 500 people deep out front,\" he said last year in the special This American Life episode called \"The Giant Pool of Money.\" \"Walk right up to the door: 'Give me my table.' Sitting next to Tara Reid and a couple of her friends. Christina Aguilera was doing some 'I'm Christina Aguilera and I'm gonna get up and sing' kind of thing. Who else was there? Cuba Gooding and that kid from Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive. What was that kid's name? Fabian Barabia? We ordered three, four bottles of Cristal at $1,000 per bottle. They bring it out — you know they're walking through the crowd, they're holding the bottles over their heads. There's firecrackers, sparklers. You know, the little cocktail waitresses. You know, so you order three or four bottles of those and they're walking through the crowd and everyone's like, 'Whoa, who's the cool guys?' We were the cool guys. They gave me the black card with my name on it. There's probably 10 in existence. You know? And that meant that I spent way too much money there.\" The good times lasted until the subprime mortgage bubble burst. Pizzolorusso entered his own personal financial crisis. He lost everything. His company is out of business. He lost the Porsche and the other cars. He lost his home to foreclosure. He can't afford to rent a place, so he's staying at a house his dad owns, the one where he grew up. \"I have been humbled,\" he says today. \"I mean, I've been forced to be humbled. I have a different outlook of what is important. I used to think that it mattered; it doesn't. None of the monetary stuff that we are preconditioned to think is important matters.\" Instead of partying, Pizzolorusso spends most of his time now with his wife and three kids. He's in school and loves it. He never liked school before. He's reading a lot of books about politics and history. He never liked reading before. He says it's like a new Glen has arrived. 'People On Wall Street Were Bad' If you have the impression that everyone on Wall Street walked away from this crisis without losing any money, bailed out by the government, then Jim Finkel would like to set you straight. We met Finkel in early 2008, at a kind of black tie dinner and awards ceremony for the year's best securitized financial instrument. This was before everyone starting calling those \"toxic assets.\" This has been a rough year and a half for Finkel. His business was built entirely on the most complex subprime mortgage securities. Like Pizzolorusso, he rode the bubble up to great riches, and then it burst. \"I never thought that, as a startup manager, we could possibly be managing $5 billion, let alone that we could lose 60 percent of it,\" Finkel says. Finkel was an asset manager, which is like a subcontractor for big investment banks on Wall Street. Someone at, say, Merrill Lynch would hire his small company to put together mortgage-backed investment deals. Finkel made his money by investing in the assets he created. When they went up, during the bubble, he made money. When they lost value, he lost everything. The investment banks made money a different way. \"Those guys took a bunch of upfront fees out of those deals,\" he says. \"And even though their banks went belly up, a lot of people made an enormous amount of money and moved on.\" Finkel didn't lose houses or cars, like Pizzolorusso. He did lose millions of dollars, but he's doing fine. Finkel says this year has been awful in a different way. He remembers that when he first started working with firms on Wall Street, years ago, he had a few mentors who warned him about something. \"They all tried to convince me that people on Wall Street were bad,\" he says. \"Nobody seemed to be bad. This set of events did convince me that people on Wall Street were bad.\" He says the crisis and the way Wall Street people behaved in it proved his mentors right. Finkel's company, Dynamic Credit, is still in business. It doesn't create subprime mortgage securitizations anymore. Now, investors who ", "Peter Wallison, a conservative voice in the world of fiscal policy, sees signs of another housing bubble. He points to the growing gap between owning versus renting, and to a return to no-money-down mortgages. He recently wrote a much-commented-upon opinion piece in the New York Times entitled &#8220;The Bubble is Back.&#8221; But unlike his most of colleagues on the 2011 Fiscal Crisis Inquiry Commission, Wallison blames government housing policy for the last bubble. The government-sponsored and government-bailed out entities Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac still dominate the housing market, buying up loans and selling them to investors &#8212; just like they did before the bubble burst in 2007. Wallison joins Here & Now&#8217;s Meghna Chakrabarti to discuss the potential housing bubble. Guest\n\nPeter Wallison, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.\n MEGHNA CHAKRABARTI, HOST: This is HERE AND NOW. Are we on the way to another housing bubble? Peter Wallison, a conservative voice on fiscal policy, thinks so. He sees signs of a bubble and wrote about it in a much-commented upon opinion piece in The New York Times entitled \"The Bubble is Back.\" Now, Wallison was a dissenting member of the 2011 fiscal crisis inquiry commission, and he says that key lenders haven't changed much since then, specifically government-sponsored and taxpayer bailed out entities Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that are buying and selling mortgages right now in much the same way they were doing when the last housing bubble burst. Peter Wallison joins us from Washington. Peter, welcome. PETER WALLISON: Well, thanks. CHAKRABARTI: So first of all, you say that there's a housing bubble out there right now. Make your case as to why. WALLISON: How do you measure a housing bubble? And one of the ways to measure a housing bubble is to look at what rental costs are and then whether the cost of owning a home is higher or lower than the rental cost. And theoretically, if the cost is higher, then people will start to rent. And if the cost is lower, then people will start buying homes. And for many years, between 1983 when rental costs were look at carefully by the Bureau of Labor Standards at the Labor Department, the housing costs and rental costs tracked one another almost perfectly. CHAKRABARTI: Tracked one another in terms of their rate of increase was roughly the same. WALLISON: If you made a chart, you would find that the two lines were completely congruent, that is one and the other were together on any chart until 1997. And in 1997, housing started to depart from that steady line. Well, why was that? Many of us believe - I believe certainly - that one of the reasons was a very sharp decline, beginning in the mid-'90s in underwriting standards and, in particular, in down payment standards for homes. And if you think about it, when someone has a 10 percent down payment, which was the traditional standard until about middle 1990s, you could buy a home of a certain cost. Let's assume it's $100,000 home. You'd have to put down $10,000. But underwriting standards began to decline in that period and especially down payments. And so people who wanted to buy homes, say $100,000 home, if they were only required to put down $5,000, well, the answer is they could buy a more expensive home. CHAKRABARTI: Well, there was a - if I may, there was a lot of pressure from not just the world of real estate and not just from, say, government underwriters in terms of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, who were buying these mortgages, but, you know, the financial world as a whole. I mean, we saw no-money-down loans. We saw interest-only loans. The whole subprime crisis emerged from all of these. That is what you're describing is the stew that led to the financial crisis. WALLISON: Exactly. Exactly. And it hasn't really changed. That was the point of the article that you saw in The New York Times. CHAKRABARTI: But what's driving it this time around because I would say, a lot of buyers would say, credit for the average would-be homeowner credit is still pretty tight. WALLISON: Well, there is talk about credit being tight. But, in fact, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the FHA, that is the Federal Housing Administration, and other government agencies are making loans with down payments of 5 percent or less. And as I said in the article, about 53 percent of all of the loans that are being made in the United States today are loans for purchase of homes of 5 percent or less. We want to warn people that if that continues, if housing underwriting standards are kept low and if down payments are kept low, we are going to have another bubble. It might take several years. It might take as long as 10 years. And we'll find a lot of people will suffer when that bubble collapses. CHAKRABARTI: Mm-hmm. Now, interestingly, in your article, you pointed out a fact which, I have to say, was a surprise to me. That before 1992, when down payments on average were 10, 20 percent, that the rate of homeo", "Investing during a bubble can leave you bust. But how to tell the difference between a bubble before it bursts and an investing rocket ship taking off? We'll run through a historical example and look inside our own thinking to find the mental biases that can contribute or exacerbate bad bubble thinking. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter <a href=\"https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money?utm_source=rss_feed_copy&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_term=planet_money\">here</a>.", "It might not be a roar, but Ireland is making noise again when it comes to its economy. Once called the Celtic Tiger when its economy was booming in 1990s, things went bust when the housing bubble burst. That forced Ireland to the brink of bankruptcy, saved only by a $117 million bailout from the E.U. and the IMF in 2010. On St. Patrick&#8217;s Day 2016, Here & Now&#8217;s Meghna Chakrabarti talks with BBC business correspondent Russell Padmore in Donegal. He says there are still some challenges, but Ireland’s economy is on the move again. Note: This BBC interview can be heard in the Here & Now podcast or with the WBUR app. Guest\n\nRussell Padmore, business correspondent for the BBC.", "Sean Lennon's latest collaboration is with Primus bassist and lead singer Les Claypool. They're calling themselves the Claypool Lennon Delirium, and their new album is a collection of trippy, psychedelic space jams called The Monolith Of Phobos (a reference to a large rock discovered on Phobos, a moon orbiting Mars). Most of the songs are celestial meditations with surreal lyrics about space exploration or drugs. But one track, \"Bubbles Burst,\" offers a more personal reflection from Lennon about his memories of Michael Jackson's pet chimpanzee, Bubbles. Lennon and Jackson were friends and, as a child in the mid-1980s, Lennon would hang out with Bubbles at Jackson's Neverland ranch. The song itself is a plainspoken description of how Jackson acquired Bubbles and what it was like living at Neverland. But a new video for \"Bubbles Burst\" adds an unsettling twist, portraying Jackson as grotesque and demented. For this week's +1 podcast, I spoke with Lennon about how he came to write \"Bubbles Burst\" and how he wants people to feel when they see the video. You can see the video and hear the entire conversation using the orange play button above. You can also read edited highlights of the conversation below. On The Video's Intention \"I think it's important that even if people don't believe me or are angry about the way Michael [Jackson] is portrayed in the video, that the truth is my intention is very sincere and harmless, and I'm just making a song. I'm not trying to take him out or anything, or put him down. I was just trying to have fun and talk about an odd situation in a way that makes it art. It's like a parallel dimension, and it's a dark, comedic manifestation that comes more out of the song and not out of real life. It's like a reflection of a reflection. As a visual poem, I think it represents something real: [Michael] was very lonely and he was weird and had weird interests. And he was in this kind of Peter Pan universe — this bubble he'd created for himself. And there's something dark about that. There's something sad about that.\" On Meeting Bubbles \"I met Bubbles at Michael's house. It felt like I was in Charlie And The Chocolate Factory or something going up to that house. There were Model-T Fords driving around and re-creations of old streets. It just felt very surreal and fun. And I think I met [Bubbles] in an arcade. At least I say that in the song. There was a big arcade with video games, and that's where a lot of the people my age liked to hang out. I remember running into Bubbles there. And I'd say we became friends because I wanted to hang out with him a lot. It was just surreal.\" On Why He Wrote This Song \"I was telling Les [Claypool] about it, and we were talking about song topics, and it just seemed like it fit in with the theme of trippy narratives that our record has. And I thought it'd be interesting to write about something that actually happened. It just felt right. I think I'd resisted much of my life talking about those kinds of stories, because they just seemed so hard to figure out how to translate them or relate them. And I just thought it was an interesting metaphor for what happened to a lot of Michael's friends who were my age. It felt like there was something odd going on, and I still don't know what it was. Nothing ever happened with me in an illegal way, but the whole place just felt like I was in some Peter Pan fantasy land. And there was a sense that when Bubbles got too old, he'd have to be gotten rid of, because chimpanzees turn into angry adults or dangerous adults. And it just felt like that was something I could relate to in terms of the whole situation out there. Because there was something Michael liked about hanging out with kids, because they're so innocent and fun. Then, when you become an adult, it felt like you were a chimpanzee: too old to play with anymore.\"", "Real estate has become one of the nation's favorite investment opportunities. Investors have made large profits but some are now wondering when the housing bubble will burst in places like San Diego, which is one of the hottest housing markets in the country.", "President Xi Jinping is sometimes described in foreign media as China's most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong. Mao may have had a cult of personality, but he didn't have his own app. Xi does. The app may not have in-app purchases such as provincial governorships. There are no banners or alerts about the latest officials to fall to anti-graft probes. And it certainly doesn't have any sections on factional intrigues titled \"Clash of Clans.\" It is, however, downloadable in versions for iOS and Android phones and tablets. The app's developer is listed as the China Cadre's Study Network, affiliated with the Communist Party's Central Party School. Unlike his predecessors, Xi and his PR crew have played a savvy social media and meme-crafting game, engineering (or at least tolerating) events such as a 2013 visit to a dumpling store — of which cellphone pictures went viral — and a cartoon rendition of himself and first lady Peng Liyuan. One measurement of how the app is being received comes from leading portal Sina.com, where it so far reportedly received 2,145 five-star ratings (out of how many is not clear). It seemed to be faring less well in Apple's App Store, where it received 1.5 stars with 13 ratings. Here's a random sampling of content from inside the app's dozen or so colored icons: Event Maps: Clicking on Xi's attendance at the annual session of parliament accurately plops a red Chinese flag onto the Great Hall of the People on the west side of Tiananmen Square in Beijing. Maps provided by search engine Baidu. E-books: Includes electronic version of Xi's weighty tome The Governance of China. Saves you the nearly $20 Barnes & Noble charges for the hardcover version. Uncle Xi's Story Collection: Includes his love of soccer, his crackdown on corruption in soccer, and his hope that China can someday host and win a World Cup. Uncle Xi's Dictionary Entries: A compendium of buzzwords and shibboleths, such as the \"Four Comprehensives,\" Xi's recipe for making progress in reform, economic development, rule of law and party governance. Literary Allusions: \"Loyal remonstrance can be hard to listen to.\" This quote from Confucius is one of many Xi uses to evoke a diligent and moral ruler, one who can take a little constructive criticism without \"shooting the messenger.\"", "It's been a week since Michael Jackson's death at 50 stunned the world. But seven days after the King of Pop stepped off stage and left us behind, it's clear we just can't seem to get enough of him. Between retrospective specials and live news coverage, television has devoted hours and hours daily to Jackson's death. Mainstream newspapers hawk special editions and posters as the Twitterverse bursts with reflections, speculation and rumors. There are plenty of reasons for his story's staying power. Each day brings new revelations — and questions — about Jackson's death and life: How many heartbeats did his cardiologist wait before calling 911 last Thursday afternoon? Why is it that a cardiologist was at Jackson's home in the first place when the singer's heart stopped beating? What exactly was in those plastic bags that the Los Angeles Police Department took out of Jackson's residence?It's not labeled as a criminal investigation, but why haven't police closed this case?If nothing was amiss, why were two autopsies (one by the coroner, another on behalf of Jackson's family) required?What does it mean that the Drug Enforcement Administration is now involved in investigating Jackson's demise?Who will get permanent custody of Jackson's three young children?Jackson was feverishly rehearsing for a series of 50 comeback/farewell concerts that were to start within weeks of his death. Well into middle age, was he up to the task? Was he worried he couldn't pull it off? Will Jackson's Neverland ranch be turned into another Graceland? Would families be willing to visit the place where Jackson was twice accused of molesting children? His shocked and grieving fans feel genuine affection for Jackson. They are eager to continue celebrating his life, music, talent and legacy. They don't want to let him go. The same can be said for some of the lawyers, accountants and hangers-on who seem eager to bolster his reputation and gain from Jackson's growing wealth. Jackson's music is once again topping what goes for the charts these days: iTunes downloads and Amazon.com sales for Thriller, Off The Wall and the Jackson 5 are through the roof. Hints of unreleased music and concert-rehearsal videos have come early and often, even before the superstar is buried. And let's not forget the lucrative Beatles catalog Jackson owned. Even with the speculated multimillions in debt, there is a sense that there is more gold in them there hills. And, in the end, the most important question seems to be: Who gets the money?", "If you listened to our series with the filmmakers behind the documentaries nominated for Academy Awards, you may have been in suspense over who would take home the gold. Last night, Charles Ferguson's Inside Job took won the Oscar for best feature documentary during the 83rd Annual Academy Awards. The film investigates the culture of greed and corruption in Wall Street that inflated the financial bubble that finally burst in 2008. During his acceptance speech with producer Audrey Marrs, Ferguson was still very passionate about the message of his film. He gave a non-traditional opening to his acceptance speech: Forgive me, I must start by pointing out that three years after a horrific financial crisis caused by massive fraud, not a single financial executive has gone to jail and that's wrong. When Ferguson spoke about his nomination on our program, he said that the topic seemed \"irresistible.\" When gigantic financial institutions began collapsing on approximately a weekly basis - and then, of course, in September of 2008 on practically a daily basis - it seemed that there was something very important here. And I had a prior academic life that had trained me in some of the relevant disciplines and, you know, it just seemed like a very important thing that I thought I could do well. It seems the Academy agreed. I'm just still a little bit disappointed that Exit Through the Gift Shop's Banksy did not make an appearance (though Justin Timberlake made a \"confession\" that he is actually the elusive British street artist).", "Joseph Arthur is a modern-day renaissance man. He's earned respect as a versatile and prolific rocker, his visual art has earned him critical and popular success, and his humanitarian efforts with the organization A River Blue have helped bring art, music and other opportunities to children in refugee camps in Northern Uganda. For all his sterling credentials, Arthur remains easygoing and casual. He was particularly playful during our most recent chat, and we were all too happy to oblige, especially when he burst into spontaneous song about a random remark he had made. It was a silly moment, but one which illustrates his process and his spirit. Arthur also remains in the vanguard of the music industry, having long since started offering high-quality live recordings of his performances to fans immediately after each concert. In this session, he performs acoustic versions of songs from his forthcoming rock record, Temporary People. Originally recorded July 1, 2008. Listen to the previous Favorite Session, or see our full archive.", "With guest host Sacha Pfeiffer.  The skyrocketing price of Bitcoin, and the appeal of alternative currencies. If you bought a thousand dollars’ worth of Bitcoin in 2010, you’d be a multimillionaire today. Alternative digital currencies like Bitcoin were once on the fringe of finance. But they’re gradually gaining acceptance. There’s also Litecoin, Etherium, Zcash, and others. So-called cryptocurrency has been associated with online crime, but it’s being embraced by some major retailers and investment firms. This hour On Point: the appeal of alternative currencies. &#8212; Sacha Pfeiffer Guests Paul Vigna, author of &#8220;The Age of Cryptocurrency: How Bitcoin and the Blockchain Are Challenging the Global Economic Order.&#8221; Reporter for the Wall Street Journal, editor of the Journal’s MoneyBeat blog. (@paulvigna) Felix Salmon, senior editor at Fusion. (@felixsalmon) Ben Lee, digital cryptocurrency enthusiast. CEO and co-founder of the mobile app development company Neon Roots. (@BenLeeNR) From The Reading List Wall Street Journal: Why Bitcoin Is Surging, Again, Up 130% This Year &#8212; &#8220;Bitcoin traded above $2,200 on Monday, according to the news and research website CoinDesk. That was up about 9% on the day and more than 15% from Friday’s closing price of $1,913, which itself was a fresh high. Bitcoin is up more than 130% this year alone, and about 397% from one year ago.&#8221; Felix Salmon: The Bitcoin Bubble and the Future of Currency &#8212; &#8220;There are a couple of reasons why the bubble is sure to burst. The first is just that it’s a bubble, and any chart which looks like the one at the top of this post is bound to end in tears at some point. But there’s a deeper reason, too — which is that bitcoins are an uncomfortable combination of commodity and currency. The commodity value of bitcoins is rooted in their currency value, but the more of a commodity they become, the less useful they are as a currency.&#8221; Forbes: The Rise And Fall Of Bitcoin (And The New Kid On The Blockchain) &#8212; &#8220;Nobody is denying that bitcoin was disruptive. It was the first cryptocurrency of its time and has made a humongous splash – and that’s putting it lightly. Every super-government tried to shut it down and none of them could. J.P. Morgan tried to file patents for the exact technology of bitcoin and failed. Bitcoin is (or was) the cool kid at school that everyone wanted to be friends with but no one was sure how to ask for their number.&#8221;", "Brilliant rays of piercing sunlight broke through the wisps of mystifying clouds in the morning. A train churned to a halt as travelers and passengers began to flow out. Somewhere, a bird answered the train's whistle with a song of its own. It was his first time here. The young man could feel the sprouting city calling; it was alive, a living and breathing behemoth of opportunity. The day itself coated the town in a veil of amiability and mist. The thin mist only made the daylight all the more radiant. A new start for this man, a new home, a new life. His office was on the 12th floor of the burgundy building in the heart of the meager, yet eager city. It was a heart of ambition and achievement, a heart young and lively. The old man groaned as his piercing alarm sounded. The morning wasn't as vivacious as he had remembered. Time doesn't stop for anyone, he supposed. The lifetime he had spent in the once small town was beginning to overstay its welcome. Even the noble spruce tree was beginning to wither. He looked with his failing eyes at the spruce, his childhood friend. The first time he talked to his wife was when he was 7, under that spruce tree. He thought of her as the ancient Chevy coughed and moaned to life. Perhaps it was the only thing with any life left. Where did it all go? Where were the times spent together? The times growing and not knowing where next week's paycheck would come from? The times when all he had left was himself and his dear wife, his best friend? All of those moments were scarcely memories anymore; it was all that was left. The young man settled into his new office. The chair was a fine, black leather, but felt like soft, cushioned silk. It felt right. The window panes painted a picture of the city. The man looked down and sighed. It was a sigh of relief, a sigh of security and a sigh of assurance. Things would finally work out. He finally had the better hand, the aces he had been working and waiting for. It was time to start living. His phone rang to the song of some '90s alternative rock band. The woman's voice was cheerful, warm and bubbly, as usual. The woman he loved, the woman he would marry. He shared the sites and experiences of his new home, the home she would be arriving to in the following week. Things would finally be OK. It was time to start living. A rusted Chevy dashed through the town, as if in one last effort to win a phantasmagorical race. An old Creedence song sang out as the old man's worn hands gripped the wheel. Time doesn't wait for anyone, he was afraid. This was not the town he grew up in, not the town he remembered, not his home. It had died. The truck barely kept up with life's final hurrah as the old man drove away, away from the world and the nightmare of today. Vainly, he drove, as if expecting to find his old home and friends, just around the corner. Just a little more, and he would reach it, he could feel it, the life of long ago, all of the happy memories resurrected, just as he recalled. The car slowed, but the old man ran and ran, as far as his legs would carry him, he ran. Through blurred eyes he could see it. He stopped. He fell. He made it.", "Updated at 8:20 a.m. ET At least 150 people who had gathered to collect fuel from an overturned tanker truck in Pakistan were killed when it caught fire Sunday, according to The Associated Press. More than 100 people were injured, many with severe burns. \"Authorities say most of the bodies are burnt beyond recognition and the death toll is likely to rise,\" reporter Abdul Sattar in Islamabad reports for NPR. \"Children and women are among the injured.\" The oil tanker was traveling to the city of Lahore in Pakistan's Punjab province when one of the tires burst, causing it to overturn outside of the city of Bahawalpur. Hundreds of people gathered around it, trying to collect the oil after it began leaking. \"People living in roadside villages, carrying domestic pots rushed to the scene to collect oil and they also made phone calls to their relatives living in other villages to immediate[ly] come to collect oil,\" police told Pakistan's state-run APP news. They told the APP that police tried to prevent people from collecting oil, warning of the fire hazard, but the crowds ignored the warnings. \"According to the initial reports, somebody tried to light a cigarette, and when the spilt fuel caught fire, leading to the tanker's explosion,\" rescue worker spokesman Jam Sajjad Hussain told Reuters. \"Suddenly, huge fire erupted in the oil tanker which engulfed all people standing around the vehicle,\" police told the APP. They said the tanker was carrying about 6,600 gallons of oil. \"At least three cars and more than 70 motorcycles were also destroyed in the flames,\" Sattar reports. Dozens of people are being treated in hospitals; several people were airlifted by helicopter. DNA testing may be required to identify some of the victims, according to the BBC. It took firefighters more than two hours to put out the fire, Reuters reports. Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who has been in London, is \"immediately\" returning to Pakistan to respond to the incident, the APP reports. He \"has expressed deep grief over the heavy loss of life in the unfortunate accident of oil tanker fire at Ahmad Pur Sharqia, Bahawalpur,\" he said in a statement from his office to Reuters.", "NPR's numbers guru Robert Benincasa sends this post: A new briefing paper gives lawmakers yet more tools for solving the financial crisis -- or maybe for endless arguing and limited action. The 10-page report, from the Congressional Research Service, offers a handy list of 26 causes. Each cause comes in a neat one-paragraph thumbnail and includes a punchy counter-argument. On the housing bubble: \"The crisis was triggered by the bubble bursting, as it was bound to do.\" Counter-argument: \"It is difficult to identify a bubble until it bursts, and Fed actions to suppress the bubble may do more damage to the economy than waiting and responding to the effects of the bubble bursting.\" After the jump, argument and counter-argument on \"Black Swan Theory.\" Read More >> The argument for the Black Swan Theory: This crisis is a once-in-a-century event, caused by a confluence of factors so rare that it is impractical to think of erecting regulatory barriers against recurrences. According to Alan Greenspan, such regulation would be \"so onerous as to basically suppress the growth rate of the economy and ... [U.S.] standards of living.\" Testimony before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Oct. 23, 2008. The counter-argument: \"Some might be tempted to see recent events in the financial markets as just such black swans. But this would be quite wrong, in our view. Many of the flaws that have led to current turbulent conditions have not ridden on the back of a black swan. Instead, they are the result of weaknesses and failings in the interpretation of risk analysis and the process of oversight.\" (Booth and Mazzawi)", "This week, we're exploring the San Francisco Bay Area and the way income inequality is affecting the region. Check out the other pieces of the week, aggregated on this page. The forces of gentrification and the widening income gap are showing up viscerally in San Francisco, but what makes the situation there different from what happened there in the late 1990s, during an arguably bigger tech bubble? That's a question from one of you — commenter Jeremy Kirsch, who writes, \"I don't know why this is news all of a sudden. This article from 1999 comes to mind...\" I put the question to Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, a journalist who has been covering the economic change going on in San Francisco for the Bay Guardian, a longtime alt-weekly there. He was at the protest against private buses that shuttle tech workers to Google last week, a flashpoint that drew national headlines. Rodriguez writes: \"Well, to just see the difference, visually, between 1999 and now, watch this for a minute or two. So there's a couple facets that change things/make it worse. Firstly, rental stock in San Francisco has not been replenished at levels to keep up with the rising population. There is essentially finite rental stock in San Francisco. In the first dot-com boom, the 'low hanging fruit' of housing was used by the incoming tech force. \"Neighborhoods gentrified, and people were evicted on similar levels, but since rental stock that was converted into condos and housing at the time was not truly 'replaced' in a meaningful way, that means SF has less rental stock than the time. Each wave of evictions reduces the total amount of rental available in the city. With a median housing price of $1,000,000 in SF, it's fair to say that most middle to lower income folks here are renters. \"When rental stock is lost as owners move in, or convert the units to condos for sales of upwards of $500,000 a pop, that's less middle to lower income folks that can live here. It's not replaced. ... \"Also, the burden of housing is huge here. Even if you can stay in the city, which some (like myself) do, the amount of income spent on housing is great. \"So even if you can afford to live here, it's usually at great expense, curtailing the ability to raise a family. \"Lastly, the scariest part of all this is that the newest tech boom is like a 'tech boom 2.0.' People I've interviewed characterize the first boom as filled with true tech geeks with little business savvy, and investors who did not know how to navigate the internet. Fast forward to now, and almost every startup is coming to the fore with at least a stab at a concrete business plan, and the likes of Google, Facebook and Twitter do not look like fledgling companies that will 'burst' in a few years. These techies are here to stay, mostly, and government has to step up and address that. So far, it seems Mayor [Ed] Lee spends more time with techies (meets every Tuesday) than with his middle and lower income constituents. Many in San Francisco feel he is in bed with tech to the detriment of everyone else. He believes he is creating jobs, and maybe he is, but those jobs don't buy housing in San Francisco, and don't offset the rental changes occurring here.\" We've reached out to Mayor Lee's office for a response to the claim that he's \"in bed\" with tech at the expense of other constituents and will update this post when we hear from him.", "There's a whole new way to read your kids to sleep these days — or to distract them while you are trying to get something done. If you have a smartphone or an iPad, you can download a kids' book app in no time. From classics to stories created specifically as an app, these enhanced e-books include narration, animation and interactive features. Some children are even getting their first exposure to books on a digital device. Michel Kripalani is deeply invested in Dr. Seuss these days — for two reasons. His company, Oceanhouse Media, has the rights to develop the works of Dr. Seuss as digital books — everything from Green Eggs and Ham to The Cat in the Hat. Kripalani also has a 2-year-old daughter, Kentia, who loves reading Dr. Seuss — on her father's iPad. \"Boy, she can navigate on that thing — it's incredible,\" Kripalani says. \"There's something about a child's ability to navigate by touching what they want, and I believe that's the magic here. It's just that the child is able to touch the tree or touch the bird or touch the word that they don't know, and that's really one of the things that just changes everything.\" Kripalani began his career as a video game developer, and he doesn't consider himself an expert on reading. But he says his team was very aware that Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, cared deeply about literacy. So in developing digital versions of books like The Cat in the Hat, they wanted to use the interactive features to help children learn to read. \"As the app is reading the book, the individual words are highlighting,\" he explains, \"so the child is getting an association between what they are hearing and the actual word that's being spoken at the time. They can also touch on any of the pictures and they get a picture word association, so if the child taps on the cat for example, the letters C-A-T float up and the narrator speaks in a clear voice: cat.\" With the e-book market so hot right now, a lot of people are eager to get in on the ground floor. Rick Richter left the traditional publishing world to found Ruckus Media, which develops digital versions of well-known kids' books, as well as brand new book apps. Richter says the company's award-winning app A Present for Milo is aimed at very young children. \"What a 2- to 4-year-old wants in an app is to poke and be satisfied,\" says Richter. \"So Milo has 80 different touch points and 125 different animations — and they are randomized, so every time the child enters, it's a different experience.\" Other book apps developed by Ruckus are less interactive, but they might offer other options: substituting a well-known actor's narration with a parent's voice, for example. Richter says the possibilities are endless. He believes these apps are an entirely new art form. \"People ask, 'Are you creating books, are you creating games or are you creating animations?' \" he says. \"The answer is yes. That's what we set out to do — books you can play with and games you can read.\" However, there are some detractors who say this new breed of children's \"books\" are not really books at all. \"It's not a book for a number of reasons,\" says Philip Nel, a professor of English and director of the children's literature program at Kansas State University. \"One is that in a traditional reading experience, the reader is in charge,\" Nel says. \"The reader acts on the book. With an interactive e-book, the reader does still act on the book, but the book also acts on, and depending on the adaptation, against the reader. So I would say it's not a book, it's maybe a relative of the book. But it's not quite a book.\" Nel agrees with Richter that these apps are something entirely different. But he says the flashy features available in some kids' book apps actually interfere with the process of reading. \"Reading may be involved, but there's more to it than that, and it's different than that,\" he says. \"We don't read a film, we watch a film. We don't read a video game, we play a video game. And I was trying to think, what's the verb to describe what the enhanced e-book experience is like; is it 'work,' is it 'use'? Do we 'play' an enhanced e-book?\" Elizabeth Bird, a children's librarian at the New York Public Library, agrees that some of the bells and whistles in kids' book apps are distracting. She says it's important that all of the artwork and interactive features in an app are well integrated with the story. Obviously, not all apps are equal, she says, but the ones that get it right can take a book to a whole new level. \"They allow you to do things that you couldn't do before,\" Bird says. \"For example, there's a wonderful Peter Rabbit app that's out right now that sort of turns Peter Rabbit into a virtual pop-up book. And you can go beyond that. I mean, there are apps where you can touch a word and it will pronounce it for you, and it can also pronounce it for you in any language. You can learn a language a second way by using one of these picture book apps.\" Bird doesn't bel", "Thrillist reporter Kevin Alexander (@KAlexander03) has spent a year researching the restaurant industry in the U.S., and says he believes there is a glut of middle-range, upscale pub-food restaurants that can&#8217;t sustain themselves. Alexander joins Here & Now&#8216;s Robin Young to discuss his reporting and its conclusions. \nAlexander: There&#8217;s A Massive Restaurant Industry Bubble, And It&#8217;s About To Burst", "For five days no one in South Carolina seemed to know where the governor was, or how to get a hold of him. That included both the governor's wife, and also his staff. As it turns out Governor Mark Sanford was in Argentina having a very steamy extramarital affair. When he got back on Wednesday, Sanford issued a very public apology. In an era when we are used to \"heartfelt\" apologies from cheating politicians—Clinton, Spitzer, Edwards—Sanford's train-wreck of an apology stood out because it was almost as messy as the mess he was apologizing for. Early in his rambling apology Sanford said he went AWOL in Argentina because he \"desperately\" needed \"a break from the bubble wherein every word, every moment is recorded--just to completely break.\" Now that Governor Sanford is back in the bubble, it is this element of Sanford's apology that South Carolinians should be focusing on—his premeditated AWOL adventure—and not the Argentine lover—however steamy she may be. Governor Sanford says he is \"a bottom-line kind of guy.\" The bottom line is that before he went AWOL he carefully set the stage for his private escape from public responsibilities with a series of indirect speech acts that misled his staff. He left the country without letting his staff know where he was going or how to get a hold of him. He deliberately shirked his public responsibilities, wronging his entire state. The governor's rambling style, raw emotional delivery, and his tears, made his apology seem more personal, more heartfelt, and less official than what might have been called for in a public setting. But don't be fooled. All that raw emotion served a political purpose: it helped deflect attention from wrongs he committed in his public role onto private harms. And that allowed the governor to reassert his commitment to conservative values. This was political self-service cloaked personal and moral shame. Sanford's diffuse, dramatic apology is keeping South Carolinians from looking at how well the governor and his staff communicate; and whether the governor follows state laws regarding notification of his whereabouts. South Carolinians should be wondering when Sanford might go AWOL again, and how to get a governor who does not need to escape the bubble. Like many who apologize badly, Governor Sanford also emphasized the harm he did to himself, saying, \"I think that that is the bottom line of God's law, that it's not a moral, rigid list of do's and don'ts just for the heck of do's and don'ts. It is indeed to protect us from ourselves. And the biggest self of self is, indeed, self; that sin is, in fact, grounded in this notion of what is it that I want as opposed to somebody else?\" This sounds like a bad parroting of Kierkegaard, but with \"the biggest self of self is, indeed, self\" Gov. Sanford is not making a metaphysical point, but instead is making a moral one, poorly. Later, he explicitly said, \"This was selfishness on my part.\" But even Sanford's admission of selfishness is a selfish act that serves a political purpose: to reassert his status as moral, in the hope of regaining his conservative supporters. Obviously, Governor Sanford wants to reassure that conservative base. He said: \"And in this regard, let me throw one more apology out there, and that is to people of faith across South Carolina, or for that matter, across the nation, because I think that one of the big disappointments when — believe it or not, I've been a person of faith all my life.\" Couched in the grammar of an afterthought, this comment addresses the constituency he does not want to lose. It is also an identity he does not want to lose. The sentence starts out being about people of faith in his political base, but ends up being all about him--asserting his Christian conservative identity despite his moral wrongs. Bad grammar, but a crucial move. Despite the tears and Sanford's visible distress, his apology is as self-serving as more conventional political apologies. If the South Carolina faithful want to forgive the sinner, they nevertheless need to recognize that this is a public servant who started his apology by admitting to indirect speech acts designed to confuse and mislead. The governor went AWOL. It's time to burst the governor's bubble and send him back to his private life.", "Though they dipped 1 percent in December from the month before, 2012 was the best year since 2007 for sales of existing homes, the National Association of Realtors reports. It estimates that 4.65 million previously owned homes were sold last year, up 9.2 percent from 2011 and the most since 2007's 5.03 million. The data are the latest in a series of signs that the housing sector, which crashed when its \"bubble\" burst in 2008, has steadied. The market has been boosted by low interest rates, prices that are still below their pre-bubble burst levels and a gradual decline in the inventory of foreclosed homes. The association adds that: \"The national median existing-home price for all housing types was $180,800 in December, which is 11.5 percent above December 2011. This is the 10th consecutive month of year-over-year price gains, which last occurred from August 2005 to May 2006, and is the strongest increase since November 2005 when it jumped 12.9 percent. \"For all of 2012, the preliminary median existing-home price was $176,600, up 6.3 percent from $166,100 in 2011, and was the strongest annual price gain since 2005 when the median price rose 12.4 percent.\"", "Thomas Jefferson's vision of democracy has endured in one of the defining documents of U.S. history. But the 607 slaves who toiled in his Monticello estate have left few traces to remember them by. \"To understand Thomas Jefferson, you have to understand the history of slavery at Monticello as well,\" said Stephen Light, the manager of house tours at the site of Jefferson's former Virginia home. But \"the buildings that were meant to house enslaved individuals were made quickly and cheaply and they were not meant to survive,\" Light added. In order to bring to life a once-bustling enclave of skilled slaves called Mulberry Row, the museum has launched a mobile app — called Slavery at Monticello — that helps visitors visualize the space, stretching along a 1,000-foot path to the south side of the presidential villa in Charlottesville, Va. The geolocated app, which is free, allows visitors to explore the history of the patch of ground they are standing on. \"If you let yourself imagine,\" said Chad Wollerton, director of digital media and strategy at Monticello, \"it will bring you very close to people who used to work there.\" In more than 100 pieces of content, categorized by site, theme or person, the digital exhibition reveals the painful moral contradictions of the era, played out in Jefferson's own home. At the stable house, one of the few Mulberry Row structures that have withstood the test of time, users can hear about Jefferson's fit of anger when a slave called Jupiter Evans refused to send a thoroughbred horse on an errand. Evans had grown up alongside Jefferson and served him all his life. When Evans died, the Founding Father deplored that his loss \"caused a real gap in his household management.\" Those interested in the personal stories of the Monticello slaves will learn about the Hemings dynasty, whose matriarch Sally was Jefferson's concubine and is believed to have had six of his children. All 10 slaves Jefferson freed were Hemings family members. By exploring broader themes of the slaves' lives, users might find runaway James Hubbard's story, a heart-wrenching tale of perseverance and punishment. After a carefully planned escape, Hubbard was arrested at Fairfax County, just across the river from Washington, where he could have passed as a free man. Yet despite decades of archaeological digs and an oral history project that has gathered interviews with more than 100 descendants, many of these powerful stories have yet to find a physical home. Monticello offers slavery-themed tours and has placed its historical findings online. There's also an outdoor exhibition featuring historical structures, documents and artifacts along Mulberry Row. Publicly accessible information has allowed descendants, like Bill Webb, to retrace their lineage. Webb, 73, is the third great-grandson of a Monticello nailmaker called Brown Colbert who died soon after immigrating to Liberia, leaving three of his children behind in a quest for freedom. Webb, who lives in New York City with his wife, narrated the introduction of the app and many of its historical anecdotes. A self-described history buff, he has visited Monticello on several occasions since discovering his affiliation with the site. \"Many people isolate their information. I believe it's to be shared, even if it's painful information,\" said Webb. \"It's a fact and reality of American life.\" With a $10 million grant from philanthropist David M. Rubenstein, the Thomas Jefferson Foundation now hopes to resuscitate parts of Mulberry Row for a broader project to restore Monticello to its original aspect. In a May ceremony, the foundation unveiled a historical interpretation of the Hemings family's cabin and a reconstructed iron storehouse, along with the app. By serving as a digital exhibition, the new platform also allows past and future visitors to learn about Mulberry Row in their own time — which can make their experience on site richer. \"The more you know about a place, the more you know about a subject, the more interesting it's going to become to you,\" said Wollerton, the digital media director. For wanderers, the app's iBeacon feature offers an added layer of historical precision without the rigidity of an exhibition space. The technology presented a particular challenge to Bluecadet Interactive, the design firm that made the app, which has now been downloaded more than 7,500 times. The Philadelphia-based firm has worked on more complex interactive platforms than the app's WordPress design. Last year, it created a digital copy of an 18th-century Korean document that visitors could leaf through for a temporary Philadelphia Museum of Art exhibition. Bluecadet has also designed an app and website for the Museum of Modern Art and been commissioned to help redesign the main hall of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. But the Slavery at Monticello app was the firm's first iBeacon project, and the physical setting presented its own set of challenges. Signals were", "In a post yesterday, I listed four reasons home prices are likely to keep falling. I didn't mention unemployment. But several commenters pointed to high unemployment as another factor that may push home prices down further. Today, Calculated Risk published a chart (reproduced above; here's a giant version) that shows the unemployment rate and inflation-adjusted home prices over the past several decades. Here's his takeaway: Although there are periods when there is no relationship between the unemployment rate and house prices — like during the bursting of the stock market bubble — this graph suggests that house prices do not bottom in real terms until the unemployment rate has peaked — and probably not until a few years later (the recent housing bubble dwarfed the previous housing bubbles, and the bust will probably take some time). ... I'd expect real prices (inflation adjusted) to fall for another 2 or 3 years, even if nominal prices bottom in 2011.", "The news of Yahoo's purchase of Summly, the news-summarizing app created by 17-year-old British wunderkind Nick D'Aloisio, rippled through the news world on Tuesday. The acquisition, while notable for going to an entrepreneur so young, is hardly the largest or most surprising. The app had millions of downloads after its November release, but it had no real monetization strategy. And unlike, say, Facebook buying Instagram and leaving it intact, Yahoo said it is killing the app (in fact it is already gone from the iOS App Store); so Yahoo isn't buying an audience or a user base, either. What the Internet company appears to be taking a big gamble on is a good story, some young talent and an algorithm. It bought math. While Yahoo did not disclose the amount of the deal, Kara Swisher of All Things D told NPR's Jeff Brady that it was \"about $30 million ... 90 percent in cash and 10 percent in stock.\" She says the purchase is part of the restructuring under new CEO Marissa Mayer and her plan to bolster Yahoo's mobile efforts. Increasingly, technologies, like finance, and, in Summly's case, news aggregation, are becoming algorithm based; an algorithm simply being a set of step-by-step instructions to produce an output. So could these algorithms, math essentially, be the next tech bubble? In his TEDx talk, Christopher Steiner, author of Automate This: How Algorithms Came to Rule Our World, said, \"The story of the next 20 years is the story of big data and algorithms.\" Including finance and the tech world, algorithms and algorithmic science is already finding heavy use in medicine, sports and the music industry, Steiner says, and that is only going to increase. \"Just how much will we allow algorithms to take over?\" Steiner wonders. Part of that might depend on whether other companies follow Yahoo's lead and begin doling out large payouts for algorithms that solve their problems. One can posit a future in which computer science and math students simply create and sell algorithms, and not products, to the highest bidder. Why go through the trouble of bringing an app to market when you can just sell the science? During the dot-com bubble, you saw companies pouring huge amounts of money into unproven websites of all stripes, based on the hype of the Internet boom. Many of those sites failed, and companies lost billions. As we saw in the \"Flash Crash\" of 2010, algorithms can also fail to huge consequences. As we increasingly integrate these algorithms into things that drive our daily lives, failures are inevitable. Writing on Slashdot, however, Nick Kolakowski isn't sure we're quite headed for a new bubble quite yet: \"It's tempting to view all that acquisition and IPO activity and think, 'bubble.' But a true tech bubble occurs only when irrationality takes over, and otherwise-sane investors start pouring fortunes into, say, Websites that specialize in pet accessories. While much of the current activity appears bubbly, many of the companies shelling out the billions also boast solid fundamentals: nobody is going to confuse Google, Apple, or Amazon with Pets.com. Even Facebook, which saw its stock price tumble from its IPO heights, still makes money thanks to a viable corporate strategy.\" OK, so perhaps we're not quite there yet, and computer science students shouldn't start planning how they will spend their millions when they sell that sweet new algorithm written in grease pencil on their window. But as technology moves forward, and companies spend millions on increasingly intangible \"products\" in the hope that it will pay off down the line, you have to wonder if that bubble is lurking just below the surface.", "The gig economy seems a phenomenon bespoke to the modern age – download an app, sign up, start making your own hours and become your own boss. The gigs themselves are new takes on old classics, taking the pizza guy or fast-talking taxi driver and infusing them with a burst of mobile convenience and self-employment. But to some, the lifestyle of moving from gig to gig began decades ago, before apps and accessibility shaped the public perception of this burgeoning economy.  William Lloyd is one of those workers. He doesn’t deliver groceries. He doesn’t drive college kids to and from the bar. His talents are more suited to the age of knights and kings, rather than IPAs and IPOs. His gigs are found in steel, ivory and gemstones, and in taking those materials and creating art. Lloyd crafts blades and jewelry – intricate hilts carved with scenes of Ovid’s “Metamorphoses” in bas-relief, blades of folded Damascus steel like ripples on a lake, inlaid gems providing points of flashing color among the off-whites of moose antler and bull horn. Some of his materials run more exotic. “I use some fossil ivories out of the tundra, some mammoth and some fossil walrus, that’s thousands of years old, and I take those things, and I create treasure,” Lloyd says. Lloyd now travels the country with his wife and a cadre of apprentices, following the meandering path of Renaissance fairs like Deadheads tracked Jerry Garcia in the ‘70s, selling his wares to passersby and patrons alike. These fairs are celebrations of Europe’s emergence from the Middle Ages, a period piece at all angles – costumes, food, performers, the talk and circumstance of the Elizabethan era (although the Maryland Renaissance Festival where Lloyd currently resides prefers the reign of Henry VIII). They spring up for a handful of weekends in a forest clearing or open field, usually a rite of fall as the breeze cools and colors change. The life Lloyd has built, in the age that the fairs seek to replicate, used to be a matter of sequenced steps from a young age – apprentice to the village blacksmith, later taking over the forge or forging out solo, attaining a position perhaps as an armorer for a lord’s army or, for a lucky few, as swordsmith to the king. Lloyd’s origin, as he tells it, is a far cry from the climbing of the feudal ladder required in days of yore. It begins in 1992, but at the least, it begins much like Henry VIII’s own story – with a divorce. “One day, after I’m freshly divorced and rapidly self-destructing, I get dragged to a mountain man rendezvous, and I saw a guy there with and eagle-handed knife carved in antler,” Lloyd says. “I went home that night and was packing the things in my shop and as I got to my bench there, on my bench was an old knife and over my bench was a deer antler from a deer I’d shot.” “I rebuilt that knife into an antler-handled knife, and spent a week and a half carving a bear head coming out the end of it with its mouth open, every tooth showing,” he adds. “I took it to the rendezvous, and I was showing it off, and halfway through the day somebody offered me more money than I owed in back rent. I sold that knife, took orders for three more, I bought a tee-pee and a Bronco, and me and my buddy Ishi took off on the road going from rendezvous to pow-wow and selling our artwork there.” From there, Lloyd says he met his wife, Elizabeth, at an “REI – type store.” She was the office manager and Lloyd was still living out of his van, struggling but living on his artwork. Elizabeth began managing their small corporation, and Lloyd says in the following six months, they made more money than either of them had made in the past year combined. They began applying to more shows, hired apprentices and fell in with the “rennie” crowd – those who follow the fairs looking for work – until Lloyd’s first knife had grown into a full-fledged artistic business. Lloyd says the community of rennies that he travels with is “like living in a small town everywhere you go.” “Some people you won’t see in the small town you live in for two or three months, but then you see them every day for a month,” he says. “As you go from one show to another, you might not be at the same show with everyone, but some people from the show you were at are there, and then there’ll be some more of them at the next one, and then every year, you’re back in that same place with all those people.” “It’s a very tight-knit community,” Lloyd says. “It’s a whole different way of life.” Now established as an artist and craftsman in his own right, Lloyd says he has some advice for those nauseated by bosses and hours, and looking for a gig of their own. “No matter what you love to do, whatever it is, if you want to do something for a living, if you decide to spend eight hours a day, five days a week doing it … I’ve told people, I don’t care if what you’re interested in is dog poop, if you spend eight hours a day, five days a week doing something with dog poop, you’ll make a living", "In his New York Times Magazine column, Adam Davidson cited David Boaz of the Cato Institute as an economist who believes that easy money from China exacerbated the housing bubble in the U.S. In fact, Boaz places the blame much closer to home. His clarification is below. Adam Davidson's citation of me as someone who believes \"that all that easy money from China helped make the housing bubble much bigger and last longer, which created a far bigger crisis when the bubble finally burst\" took me by surprise. It would be fine without that little prepositional phrase \"from China.\" Easy money, yes. Housing bubble, yes. Pain when bubbles burst, absolutely. But is China to blame? I'd be inclined to point the finger closer to home. This was a crisis caused by regulation, subsidization, and cheap money. Christopher Hitchens had a point when he wrote, \"There are many causes of the subprime and derivative horror show that has destroyed our trust in the idea of credit, but one way of defining it would be to say that everybody was promised everything, and almost everybody fell for the populist bait.\" Read More: The federal government loosened down-payment standards, pressured lenders, and implicitly guaranteed loans. There was substantial agreement in Washington for years that home ownership was a good thing and that more home ownership would be even better. Thus Congress and regulators encouraged Fannie, Freddie, and mortgage lenders to extend credit to under-qualified borrowers. To generate more mortgage lending to low and moderate income people, the federal government loosened down-payment standards, pressured lenders to increase their percentages of \"affordable\" loans, and implicitly guaranteed Fannie and Freddie's dramatic expansion. All that hard work paid off: The share of mortgages classified as non-prime soared, and the quality of those loans declined. Fannie and Freddie's debt was implicitly backed by the U.S. Treasury – despite many warnings — and they were able to expand their debt and engage in risky transactions. As Lawrence Summers wrote, \"Little wonder with gains privatized and losses socialized that the enterprises have gambled their way into financial catastrophe.\" Federal Reserve credit expansion, especially in 2001 – 2005, helped to make all this lending possible. \"Everybody was promised everything\" - cheap money, easy lending, and rising home prices. All that money and all those buyers pushed housing prices up sharply. But all good things - at least all good things based on unsustainable policies - must come to an end. When housing prices started to fall, many borrowers ran into trouble. Financial companies threatened to fall like dominos, and an ever-expanding series of bailouts began issuing from the Treasury department. But what about China? China was eager to buy our debt, both Treasury bonds and Fannie and Freddie's debt. But it was Congress that ran the deficits, and the Fed that kept interest rates artificially low. We don't need to go to Beijing to find the villains in this piece. So should we get tough on China? Adam Davidson has a point when he says that, \"candidates always talk tough. Presidents opt for a gentle, nudging approach. They know that China, alone, gets to decide.\" I'd put it a little differently. Presidents usually realize that a trade war between the world's two largest economies is a very bad idea. China's currency is probably artificially low. But economists disagree on just how low. And if we don't know what it \"ought\" to be, how can we know what to do in response? The real point of economic activity is not to create jobs but to add value, to create wealth and prosperity and a higher standard of living. Judged by that standard, we should probably be thanking China. If China is keeping its currency artificially low, it is hurting people who hold Chinese currency and subsidizing those of us who buy Chinese products. As the economist Mark J. Perry writes, \"In the best of all possible worlds for the United States, China would use its labor and capital to manufacture consumer products like clothing, footwear, furniture, electronics, and appliances and send $300 billion worth of these products to U.S. consumers for free every year as a gift or a form of foreign aid to the American people. In addition, the Chinese would produce and send to America another $100 billion worth of raw materials, parts, industrial supplies, inputs, and natural resources at no charge, as a gift to American manufacturers every year.\" They don't do that, of course. But if they're selling us products at a discount, American consumers are benefiting. Our economy could use plenty of reforms – lower, flatter, simpler taxes; a more stable monetary policy or even a move toward free markets in money; reduced regulatory burdens; the de-monopolization of services from education to mail delivery; and less government spending. In all those cases, the problem and the solution are right here in the USA.", "The stock market's long climb from its recession bottom has some people concerned it may be a bubble about to burst — a bubble artificially pumped up by the Federal Reserve's easy-money policy. That's led to calls — even from within the Fed — for an end to the central bank's extraordinary efforts to keep interest rates low. Even as the Dow Jones industrial average was reaching its nominal record Tuesday, Jeffrey Lacker, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, continued his criticism of the central bank's massive intervention, calling it unhealthy. Another regional Fed president, Charles Plosser of Philadelphia, told a gathering of Pennsylvania businessmen that the Fed's easy-money policy could cause financial instability and inflation. Plosser said it's time for Fed policymakers to begin winding down their efforts to lower interest rates. Causing A Stock Bubble? Randall Kroszner, a former Fed policymaker and now a professor at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business, says as the economy heals, the debate over Fed policy is healthy. \"The fundamentals are starting to come back, and I think there's a legitimate debate on whether more needs to be done,\" Kroszner said. But is the Fed's low-interest-rate policy causing a bubble in the stock market? After all, there are still lots of things wrong with the economy. It's still growing very sluggishly — not fast enough to bring down the unemployment rate, which remains high. Alan Blinder, whose book After the Music Stopped deals with the financial crisis and the Fed's extraordinary intervention, doesn't think there's a stock bubble. But Blinder, a former vice chairman of the Fed, says the central bank's low-rate policy has pushed the market higher. \"Stock prices are supposed to depend on earnings and interest rates, and the Fed has made interest rates very low,\" Blinder said. \"But the other part of it is earnings are very high. You may have noticed that the share of national income accounted for by corporate profits has recently hit all-time highs.\" Nudging Investors To Take Risks Blinder says with company profits soaring, it's hard to make a case that their share prices are too high and there's a bubble developing in stocks. And, he says, higher stock prices fit in with the Fed's growth strategy: \"To gently nudge — or maybe not so gently nudge — people into taking a little risk instead of putting all their money in Treasury bills and under the mattress.\" There are also worries that there's a bubble developing in corporate bonds, and it's true investors have driven corporate bond prices very high. But Blinder says it's hard to consider that a bubble because it's obvious why it's occurred. The Fed's policies have driven rates so low on government bonds that investors are chasing the higher yields on corporate bonds. But, Blinder says, they know the Fed's extreme policy won't last forever. \"So at some point these bond prices have to come down as interest rates go up,\" he says. \"And again, everybody knows that, but of course nobody knows the timing. Even [Fed Chairman] Ben Bernanke doesn't know the timing.\" But when is the right time for the Fed to start to discourage the risk-taking party fueled by its low interest rates, or take away the spiked punch bowl, as the old analogy goes. That was on former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker's mind when he spoke to the National Association for Business Economics in Washington on Monday. \"Because it's never popular to take the so-called punch bowl away or weaken the liquor,\" Volcker said. \"And there's a lot of liquor out there now. Mechanically, yeah, sure it can be done. They put it in, they can pull it out. But will it be done at the crucial time in a delicate kind of way? It's gonna be a big challenge.\" The Fed raised interest rates too soon in the 1930s and smothered the economy. It moved too late in the 1970s and damaging inflation resulted. At least this Fed can learn from those mistakes. AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: Well, even if it's not a true record, the stock market's long climb from its recession bottom has some people concerned. They're worried a bubble may be about to burst, a bubble artificially pumped up by Federal Reserve policy. As NPR's John Ydstie reports, that's led to calls even from within the Fed for an end to the Central Bank's extraordinary efforts to keep interest rates low. JOHN YDSTIE, BYLINE: Even as the Dow is reaching its nominal record yesterday, Jeffrey Lacker, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, continued his criticism of the Central Bank's massive intervention, calling it unhealthy. Another regional Fed president, Charles Plosser of Philadelphia, told a gathering of Pennsylvania businessmen that the Fed's easy money policy could cause financial instability and inflation. Plosser said it's time for Fed policymakers to begin winding down their efforts to lower interest rates. Randall Kroszner, a former Fed policymaker, now a professor at the University of Chicago's Booth", "This week the podcast and show Invisibilia examines the nature of reality, with a Silicon Valley techie who created apps to randomize his life; a wildlife biologist who thinks bears aren't dangerous; and a psychologist who trains herself to experience the world like dogs do. Noses are the unsung feature of the face, sunscreened or surgically fixed, but rarely exalted. And the sense they enable, smelling, is likewise uncelebrated. Regularly voted the \"sense I'd be most willing to lose\", olfaction is largely ignored — unless it brings word of something savory or foul nearby. But we are born smellers. After being enveloped while in the womb in the smell of our mother and the foods she ingested, babies emerge macrosmatic, keen-smelling. They find the mother's nipple and recognize their parents by scent. Children can identify their siblings and friends by smell. In those earliest sniffings, smelling is all about discovery and navigation. Gradually, though, we forsake our noses. What have you smelled today? Perhaps a half-dozen odors, mostly likely food or manufactured fragrance, or maybe one. Or none. Over the same period, your dog has sniffed his way out of sleep, come to examine your smell in the morning, busily investigated the smell leavings from the night before on your walk outside, and may have found his way to his fellow canines by scent. We admire the dog's olfactory acuity, and we should: dogs have hundreds of millions more olfactory receptors, the cells at the back of the nose that grab odors out of the air, than we do. They have two dedicated, separate routes in their snouts for sniffing and breathing; they have elaborate bones in their nose that hold yet more olfactory tissue; they even exhale out the side slits of their nostrils in order not to disturb the odors coming in. And as the performance of dogs that do tracking, search-and-rescue, and other detection tasks, they can use their highly sensitive olfactory instruments to locate substances that we never even thought had an odor: cancerous cells; minute quantities of TNT; the day-old footprint left by a missing person. All is not lost for us humans, though. We have the equipment, and, while not as varied or extensive as the dogs', it works perfectly well. Last month John McGann, an Associate Professor at Rutgers, published a review in Science last month reminding us that humans do, after all, have an olfactory bulb, and Swedish professor Matthias Laska has extensively demonstrated that in detecting some odors, such as amyl acetate (which smells like banana), we are plenty sensitive. Our experience of the flavor of food is mostly due to smell, experienced through the back of the mouth — retronasal olfaction — instead of through the nostrils. Knowing all this, I recently embarked on a project culminating in my book Being a Dog: Following the Dog into a World of Smell, in which I tried to improve my sense of smell by following the dog's lead, as well as that of some olfactory experts, among them a perfumer, a sommelier, and a pair of animal trackers. Dogs excepted, few of these experts were born noses. I learned that a few simple steps can change your nose from neglected to noticed, as it had for them: Stick your nose in it. Consider a dog's daily behavior, and contrast it with the frequency with which you see a person with nose smashed against a surface, inhaling calmly and confidently. Simply getting closer to a source and bravely sniffing will bring more odor molecules into our noses. Get over it. In the U.S., at least, our culture is a discourager of smells. The baby who notices an interesting smell? Her parents ignore her. Eventually, she will think of smells in a mostly binary way, as lovely or horrible. By contrast, experts in smelling view odors merely as information, not intrinsically good or bad, just as the images that we see tell us about our world. Treat scents like sights and it becomes easier to smell. Name the source. Once you start bringing your attention to what you smell, you may be at a loss for words: English doesn't have much of a vocabulary for smells. So olfactory experts create their own jargon. You can adopt theirs, but consider, too, our smell memories: The scent of cedar mixed with tobacco that floods me with memories of my father's desk; a whiff of pencil shavings, zipping me back to learning cursive in my third grade classroom. Find your own language, images or memories to represent the smell, and in so doing it will be easier to invoke the next time you sniff it. Even after spending months learning how to smell like a dog, observing detection dog training, following truffle dogs, and accompanying my own dog train in the sport of \"nose work\", I feel certain: I don't experience the world my dog does. But my own world is changed: It smells. And by smelling intentionally instead of just letting smells happen to me, odors have lost their simplicity. I'm glad to smell my family and friends. I know the smell of the afternoon", "Supermarkets are full of genetically modified foods ... Internet databases hold all our private information ... and someday, we'll all have to fight our own clones! Luckily, there are plenty of great new reads tackling these present and future dramas, along with the mysteries of the male brain, the myth of innate talent, and the prospect of multicentury life spans. You don't need a background in science to enjoy these books, but you may require guidance in picking the right ones to read. To that end, I've assembled five engrossing summer releases that will satisfy anyone from a curious nonscientist to a biochemist eager to refresh her mind with new ideas in neuroscience. Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, And The Science Of Success By Matthew Syed, hardcover, 320 pages, Harper, list price: $25.99 Venus and Serena Williams have a natural talent for the backhand swing, right? Mozart was a musical prodigy -- surely. But consider that the Williamses' father whipped tennis balls out of a shopping cart to his 3- and 4-year-old daughters every day. And Mozart's father enrolled him in a rigorous composition regime at age 3. Thousands of hours of practice were clocked before mastery emerged. In his new book, Bounce, sports journalist Matthew Syed blasts through the stubborn idea that \"talent\" is an innate genetic gift possessed only by the lucky few. Coming on the heels of a recent flurry of books on the talent myth, Bounce enters well-trodden territory. But even if you've read the similar titles by Malcolm Gladwell, Geoffrey Colvin, Daniel Coyle or David Shenk, Syed brings a fresh perspective, conversationally moving the focus to sports psychology and the sometimes-troubled history of athletics. Rather than reiterating the \"practice makes perfect\" line, Syed recounts his own rise to table tennis stardom and extensive scientific research to show how purposeful practice and self-belief actually rewire the brain for mastery. Though Syed's focus is sports, his message extends further. He skillfully orchestrates different strands of psychology research to emphasize the indisputable damage the talent paradigm wreaks on children's academic performance. There's also the brain biology behind why we artists and athletes sometimes \"choke\" -- that fatigued, paralyzing sensation descending down our spines just as all eyes are on us. Turns out there's a way to squelch it. And yes, it takes practice. (When a firefighter intuits peril and a nurse plays a hunch about an infection, what is at play: innate talent or deep experience? Read Syed’s opening argument in the debate.) Bursts: The Hidden Pattern Behind Everything We Do By Albert-Laszlo Barabasi, hardcover, 310 pages, Dutton, list price: $26.95 When we think of the hustle and chaos of everyday life, visions of crowded sidewalks, pinging e-mail inboxes, and ringing cell phones come to mind. But what if someone told you that beneath all the mess was a hidden pattern explained by math? So does physicist Albert-Laszlo Barabasi. An authority on the emerging field of network science, he extends the reach of his first book to explain how our e-mailing and Web browsing habits, and even the paths of dollar bills, occur in periodic \"bursts.\" Our age of Internet-enabled mass communication has revolutionized his understanding of these bursts. Now, unprecedented amounts of our personal information exist in disparate databases -- our cell phone records, credit card spending, Web searches. All this information, he argues, could supply network science with the data needed to create vast and broad predictions about human behaviors and habits. And how exactly will this capability affect our idea of privacy? The thing that will separate Bursts from all the other books you'll read this summer is Barabasi's inventive use of narrative and history. Slipped between the science chapters are the slowly unfolding tales of a post-Sept. 11 airport security bungle and a bloody regime of 16th century Transylvania. Exactly how these stories fit together is a sort of secret that you must read to the end to understand why he kept it. (In this excerpt, the author sets out to prove his theory about human predictability by telling the story of the one person he's met who defies the norm.) The Male Brain By Louann Brizendine, M.D., hardcover, 304 pages, Broadway Books, list price: $24.99 What makes a male a male? Why, his brain, of course. And since he has 2.5 times the brain space devoted to sexual pursuit that a female does, a book about it makes the reading, well, sexy. Follow Dr. Louann Brizendine's writing and you will be traveling the current of testosterone as his eyes latch on to beauty, the sedating surge of oxytocin after lovemaking, and the escalation of prolactin during his partner's pregnancy. These hormonal love potions can soften the toughest male, but women often notice that men's usual social behavior can depart quite a bit from the female way. Hence Brizendine's premise that under" ]

[ "The Army has charged Bergdahl with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. Bergdahl disappeared from his unit in Afghanistan in 2009 and end up being held captive by the Taliban for five years." ]

[ "Almost immediately after the jubilant response to Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s release on Saturday, after being held for five years by the Taliban, the story has taken a number of twists and turns. First, there was criticism of the Obama administration exchanging five Taliban detainees for Bergdahl. Then, some soldiers from his former unit started speaking out against the freed POW, saying men lost their lives searching for him. &#8220;He&#8217;s at best he&#8217;s a deserter, and at worst he&#8217;s a traitor,&#8221; former Army Sgt. Josh Korder told CNN. Bergdahl&#8217;s hometown was unprepared for the public backlash. From the Here & Now Contributors Network, Jessica Robinson reports from Hailey, Idaho. \nRead more on this story via Northwest News Network\n\nReporter\n\nJessica Robinson, inland Northwest correspondent for Northwest News Network, reporting from the network’s bureau in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. She tweets @jessixarobinson.", "The second season of Serial, a podcast produced by This American Life and WBEZ in Chicago, is here. This season focuses on the controversial story of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. We've covered that case quite a bit on this blog, but Serial is giving it the long-form investigative treatment and also has obtained 25 hours of recorded conversations between Bergdahl and Hollywood screenwriter Mark Boal. If you don't remember, Bergdahl's story is complicated: The Army has charged him with desertion, but questions still abound about why he walked away from his military outpost in southeastern Afghanistan in 2009 and what happened after he was captured by the Taliban. Bergdahl's story came back into the spotlight in the summer of 2014, after President Obama's administration decided to exchange five Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo Bay for Bergdahl's freedom. Today, we're hearing Bergdahl for the first time, and no matter how you feel about his case, it's stunning. As Serial host Sarah Koenig explains, Bergdahl doesn't sound like he's avoiding answering tough questions; instead, he sounds like he's really trying to explain what happened. At one point during the first episode, Bergdahl tries to describe what it was like to be held for long periods of time in a dark room. \"I don't know how you explain to somebody that just standing in an empty dark room hurts,\" he says. He adds that some days, he would wake up \"not even remembering what I even was.\" Bergdahl also explains that he left his post to try to stir controversy in order to get the attention of top military officials so he could explain problems he saw in the Army. He said he realized quickly that he was \"in over my head.\" \"Suddenly, it really starts to sink in that I really did something bad. Or, not bad, but I really did something serious,\" Bergdahl says. We'll let you click over for more.", "Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel testified before the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, defending the prisoner swap that freed Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.", "Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's writings reveal the mind of a soldier who struggled with his presence in Afghanistan. The writings were obtained by The Washington Post, which also reported, citing Bergdahl's friends, that he had previously been discharged by the Coast Guard for psychological reasons. Bergdahl was freed by the Taliban this month in exchange for five of the group's members at Guantanamo Bay. \"Trying to keep my self togeather,\" he wrote in his journal. \"I'm so tired of the blackness, but what will happen to me without it. Bloody hell why do I keep thinking of this over and over.\" And two weeks before he ended up with the Taliban, he wrote to a friend in a coded email: \"l1nes n0 t g00 d h3rE. tell u when 1 ha ve a si coure 1ine about pl/-s.\" As we've previously told you, \"There have been questions about just how Bergdahl was captured in 2009. He's said that he lagged behind while on patrol. U.S. officials have said he walked off the base with three Afghans; there have been reports that he was captured during an attack on his post; and the Taliban have said they captured a 'drunken American soldier.' Many service members say they believe Bergdahl is a deserter.\" The Post obtained Bergdahl's journal and his computer files from Kim Harrison, a close friend of his whom he designated as the person who should receive his remains. She told the newspaper that she decided to share Bergdahl's thoughts because, in the words of The Post, \"he has become concerned about the portrayal of Bergdahl as a calculating deserter, which she contends is at odds with her understanding of him as a sensitive, vulnerable young man.\" The entire story is fascinating, and we encourage you to head over to The Post to read the rest of it.", "POW Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was freed Saturday after five years in captivity. NPR's Rachel Martin talks to correspondent Sean Carberry in Kabul, Afghanistan, for the latest information.", "Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl remains in an Army medical facility in San Antonio, Texas, continuing his rehabilitation and waiting for the investigation to begin into the circumstances surrounding his falling into the hands of the Afghan Taliban in 2009. Meanwhile, the congressional delegation in Bergdahl&#8217;s home state of Idaho are all responding differently to the return of their native son. For years, they pushed the Obama administration to secure his release. But, as the story turned into a partisan debate, the state&#8217;s four Republicans have largely avoided the national fray. From the Here & Now Contributors Network, Jessica Robinson of the Northwest News Network reports. \nRead more on this story via the Northwest News Network\n\nReporter\n\nJessica Robinson, inland northwest correspondent for the Northwest News Network. She tweets @jessixarobinson", "Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl appeared before a military judge for a hearing on Monday at Fort Bragg, N.C. He is charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy for leaving his base in Afghanistan in 2009. The defense is arguing that Bergdahl cannot get a fair trial because Donald Trump has personally commented on the case, including referring to Bergdahl as a traitor and insinuating that he should be thrown out of a plane without a parachute. Bergdahl's defense team submitted a motion to dismiss the charges last month, and included a list of more than 40 instances of Trump speaking publicly about Bergdahl, dating back to April 2015. According to the motion, Trump referred to Bergdahl as a traitor at least 45 times during the presidential campaign, specifically calling the sergeant a \"no-good traitor,\" a \"no-good, rotten traitor,\" a \"dirty, rotten traitor,\" a \"dirty, no-good traitor,\" a \"no-good, dirty, rotten traitor,\" a \"bum,\" a \"horrible traitor,\" a \"horrible, terrible, dirty, rotten traitor,\" a \"dirty, rotten deserter,\" a \"very bad person,\" a \"whack job,\" a \"son of a bitch\" and \"the worst.\" Trump, who was sworn in as president Jan. 20, also said in 2015 that Sgt. Bergdahl \"should be shot,\" and that \"in the good old days he would have been executed.\" The Associated Press reported that Bergdahl \"appeared to grit his teeth while defense attorneys played a video exhibit of President Donald Trump's scathing condemnation of the soldier,\" during Monday's hearing. \"Bergdahl's attorneys placed their hands on his shoulder at times while they played the video at a pretrial hearing Monday. They played several minutes of footage of Trump calling Bergdahl a 'traitor' at different campaign and media appearances,\" the wire service reported. \"The judge, Army Col. Jeffery Nance, didn't immediately rule on the defense request, but called the footage ... 'disturbing material.' \" In multiple public appearances, then-candidate Trump also said variously that five or six soldiers died during the search for Bergdahl. In 2014, then-Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel told Congress that \"in all of our reports, I have seen no evidence that directly links any American combat death to the rescue or finding or search of Sgt. Bergdahl,\" The New York Times reported. Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban and held captive for more than five years until he was released in 2014 in exchange for five Taliban detainees who were being held at the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Army prosecutors allege he put the lives of other soldiers at risk by disappearing. Bergdahl could face life in prison if he is convicted. The trial is scheduled to begin April 18.", "Updated at 4 p.m. ET Army Sgt. Robert \"Bowe\" Bergdahl appears Thursday before a military hearing at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, to determine whether he will face a full court-martial for allegedly deserting his post in Afghanistan. The soldier was captured by Taliban militiamen and held for five years before being released last year in a prisoner swap arranged by the White House. Bergdahl was charged in March with one count of desertion and one count of misbehavior before the enemy. The Article 32 hearing — roughly the equivalent of a grand jury hearing in the civilian justice system — had been set to take place in July, but it was subsequently postponed. As NPR's Wade Goodwyn reports: \"Whether the military proceeds with a court-martial will hinge, in part, on the events of the night of June 30, 2009. That's when Bergdahl went missing from his unit's outpost in a remote part of eastern Afghanistan. ... \"Some soldiers who served with the sergeant claim he walked off the base as a deserter, although other soldiers in his unit said Bergdahl sometimes talked of wanting to get off the base just so he could walk around the mountainous countryside. Nobody took that seriously because the very idea was practically suicidal; the enemy was thick in the area.\" The Associated Press reports that Bergdahl's lead attorney, Eugene Fidell, plans to call witnesses during the Article 32 hearing. Although the lawyer \"declined to say if Bergdahl would be among them ... he has said details would emerge about the circumstances surrounding Bergdahl's disappearance from his post.\" A decision isn't expected for at least several weeks. As Army Times explains, once the Article 32 is completed, the report will be forwarded the general court-martial convening authority. Several courses of action are possible — from no further action against Bergdahl to a special or general court-martial. The Times says: \"The desertion charge, which falls under Article 85 of the Uniformed Code of Military Justice, carries a maximum punishment of five years confinement, a dishonorable discharge, reduction to the rank of E-1, forfeiture of all pay and allowances. \"The misbehavior before the enemy charge, which falls under Article 99 of the [Uniform Code of Military Justice], carries a maximum punishment of confinement for life as well as a dishonorable discharge, reduction in rank to E-1, and forfeiture of pay and allowances.\"", "The medical team helping Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl reintegrate into the Army says he is learning to make all the daily decisions he was denied during his imprisonment by the Taliban.", "Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, an American soldier held captive by the Taliban for nearly five years, was released Saturday into U.S. custody. NPR's Arun Rath speaks with correspondent Tom Bowman about the deal that secured Bergdahl's release.", "Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is back in the U.S. The former Taliban prisoner is now undergoing treatment at an Army hospital in San Antonio, Texas.", "Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was held by the Taliban for five years after he left his base in Afghanistan in 2009, could receive life in prison. Overriding the recommended punishment by an Army officer, head of Army Forces Command Gen. Robert B. Abrams ordered that Bergdahl, now the subject of the Serial podcast, face a court-martial for desertion. In a statement, The Forces Command described the charges, which they brought against Bergdahl in March: \"The two specific charges referred under the U.S. Armed Forces' Uniform Code of Military Justice are: (1) Article 85: 'Desertion with Intent to Shirk Important or Hazardous Duty;' and (2) Article 99: 'Misbehavior before the Enemy by Endangering the Safety of a Command, Unit or Place.'\" The Army held a hearing in September to decide if Bergdahl should face a court-martial. The Army lawyer who presided over that hearing, Lt. Col. Mark Visger, sent his recommendation to Abrams, who had the final say. The New York Times reports that Visger recommended \"the sergeant face neither jail time nor a punitive discharge and that he go before an intermediate tribunal known as a 'special court-martial' where the most severe penalty possible would be a year of confinement.\" The statement from Forces Command says that the date of the arraignment hearing will be announced later. Bergdahl's defense attorney, Eugene Fidell, responded to the order for a court-martial in a cursory emailed statement. It reads, in part: \"The charges against Sgt. Bergdahl have today been referred for trial by a general court-martial. The convening authority did not follow the advice of the preliminary hearing officer who heard the witnesses. \"Lt. Colonel Rosenblatt, Captain Foster and I had hoped the case would not go in this direction. We will continue to defend Sgt. Bergdahl as the case proceeds.\" Bergdahl disappeared on June 30, 2009 from an outpost in Mest-Malek in Paktika Province, Afghanistan. He left the compound voluntarily and was then captured by Taliban soldiers who held him for five years. In 2014, President Obama arranged a prisoner swap for his freedom in exchange for five Taliban detainees who were being held at Guantanamo Bay. As we previously reported, the deal for Bergdahl's release has been controversial because of the circumstances surrounding his disappearance. \"Some accounts had him captured during an attack on his post; others put him walking off his outpost during a counterinsurgency mission. An account in Rolling Stone implied that Bergdahl was 'ashamed to even be American' and was defecting when he was captured. \"Because of that, lawmakers criticized the Obama administration for cutting a deal with the Taliban. The Government Accountability Office later found that the Pentagon broke the law during the course of the trade. \"First, the GAO found that the 'Pentagon violated the Department of Defense Appropriations Act when it didn't give 30 days' notice to Congress about its plan to move the five Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo Bay.' And second, the $1 million used for the transfer 'was paid for out of an account of already-appropriated funds — a violation of the Antideficiency Act.'\"", "The military judge handling the case of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl suggested that recent comments by President Trump could raise questions about the fairness of the legal proceedings. At a sentencing hearing Monday, Army Col. Jeffrey Nance spent the better part of an hour on the subject, reports NPR's Greg Myre. This was in response to a renewed motion by the defense to dismiss the case. The defense argued that remarks by Trump last week constitute \"undue command influence\" on the court-martial. Under the military justice system, it's unlawful for commanders to influence legal cases, or even give the appearance of influence. That principle covers the president as commander-in-chief. Bergdahl, who spent five years in Taliban captivity, was a frequent target for Trump when he was a candidate. Trump suggested in 2015 that Bergdahl \"should be shot,\" as NPR's Rebecca Hersher reported. In previous filings, lawyers for Bergdahl cited at least 45 instances where candidate Trump called their client a traitor. As president, Trump had stopped talking about Bergdahl until last Monday, when Bergdahl pleaded guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. \"I can't comment on Bowe Bergdahl,\" Trump told reporters last Monday. \"But I think people have heard my comments in the past.\" Greg reports that the hearing recessed after an hour owing to a family emergency of one of the prosecutors and will resume Wednesday. He adds that Nance did not indicate how he would rule on the defense's motion. \"The judge has very wide discretion in this case. He could sentence Bergdahl to life in prison or he could let him walk out of court a free man, saying in a sense that the five years he spent in Taliban captivity is punishment enough,\" Greg reports. \"And that seemed to be what Bergdahl's lawyer was getting at, that Trump's comments should have some impact on the sentencing and should not lead to any further confinement.\" When asked by the judge if he wanted to withdraw his guilty plea, Bergdahl declined. NPR's Bill Chappell has this timeline of key events in the case: \"June 2009: Bergdahl is captured by the Taliban after leaving his base in southeastern Afghanistan. Almost immediately, questions arise about the circumstances of his capture. \"May 2014: Bergdahl is freed in exchange for five Taliban detainees who were being held at the military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. \"March 2015: The U.S. Army charges Bergdahl under two sections of the Uniform Code of Military Justice: Article 85 (Desertion) and Article 99 (Misbehavior before the enemy).\" Trump and other politicians have claimed that other soldiers died while trying to find him. As Bill reported, in 2014, then-Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel responded to that claim in testimony to Congress: \"I have personally gone back and asked that question inside the Pentagon, in the Army, in all of our reports. I have seen no evidence that directly links any American combat death to the rescue or finding or search of Sergeant Bergdahl. And I have asked the question. We have all asked the question. I have seen no evidence, no facts presented to me when I asked that question.\" U.S. personnel were injured in the search. Greg reports that those soldiers are expected to testify during an upcoming hearing.", "Army Sgt. Robert \"Bowe\" Bergdahl will be in a military courtroom in Texas Thursday, for the start of a hearing that will determine if he will face a court-martial on desertion and other charges. He could face a sentence of life in prison. Whether the military proceeds with a court-martial will hinge, in part, on the events of the night of June 30, 2009. That's when Bergdahl went missing from his unit's outpost in a remote part of eastern Afghanistan. Initially, Sgt. Bergdahl claimed in a Taliban video that he was captured when he lagged behind on patrol. U.S. military radio intercepts of conversations between insurgents that were later released by WikiLeaks reported that the Taliban said they captured Bergdahl while he was squatting, going to the latrine. Some soldiers who served with the sergeant claim he walked off the base as a deserter, although other soldiers in his unit said Bergdahl sometime talked of wanting to get off the base just so he could walk around the mountainous countryside. Nobody took that seriously because the very idea was practically suicidal, the enemy was thick in the area. Finally, a former CIA operative claimed the sergeant was high on hashish when he was captured. None of the above scenarios paints the sergeant from rural Idaho in an auspicious light. But once he was captured by the Taliban, there is little question that Bergdahl acted every bit the brave soldier, repeatedly trying to escape, and when he succeeded, being recaptured and severely beaten and chained spread-eagled to a bed. The military agrees Bergdahl did try to escape the enemy and that he suffered at the hands of the Taliban for five years before President Obama traded five Guantanamo Bay prisoners for him. But Bergdahl's capture led to quite a bit of misery for the other soldiers and sailors assigned to find him during the years he was a prisoner. A National Guard unit got ambushed and then a Special Forces team too, the military took causalities trying to rescue Bergdahl. That created resentment among some vets who spoke out in protest when Bergdahl was finally released and then feted by the White House. That's when Bergdahl turned into a political football with Republicans particularly attacking the non-commissioned officer. GOP front runner Donald Trump has called Bergdahl a \"dirty rotten traitor\" although he's been charged with no such crime. Instead, Sgt. Bergdahl is charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. It's unknown exactly what prosecutors will accuse Bergdahl of doing to merit the second charge.", "Updated at 11:45 a.m. ET Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was held by the Taliban after leaving his base in Afghanistan in 2009, has pleaded guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. Bergdahl was freed in 2014 in exchange for five Taliban detainees. Bergdahl, a native of Idaho, pleaded guilty before the military judge in the case, Army Col. Jeffery R. Nance, at a hearing at Fort Bragg, N.C., on Monday, according to The Associated Press. The AP adds, \"It's not clear if Bergdahl, 31, has a deal with prosecutors to limit his punishment, or if he's simply pleading guilty in hopes of leniency from Nance. The misbehavior charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, while the desertion charge is punishable by up to five years.\" Questioned by Nance, Bergdahl said, \"I left my observation post on my own,\" CNN reports, adding that the soldier also said, \"I understand leaving was against the law.\" The guilty plea comes more than two years after the charges were filed. Earlier this year, Bergdahl's lawyers said their client wouldn't be able to get a fair trial, citing dozens of comments about him that were made by President Trump dating to 2015. Here's a brief recap of the Bergdahl case: June 2009: Bergdahl is captured by the Taliban after leaving his base in southeastern Afghanistan. Almost immediately, questions arise about the circumstances of his capture. May 2014: Bergdahl is freed in exchange for five Taliban detainees who were being held at the military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. March 2015: The U.S. Army charges Bergdahl under two sections of the Uniform Code of Military Justice: Article 85 (Desertion) and Article 99 (Misbehavior before the enemy). During his captivity, Bergdahl was shown in several Taliban propaganda videos; the insurgent group also filmed the exchange that granted his freedom, showing a helicopter landing and soldiers collecting Bergdahl before taking off again. The prisoner trade for Bergdahl inflamed debate — particularly as Trump and others have variously said that five or six soldiers died in the effort to locate and rescue the soldier. Asked to clarify that issue in 2014, then-Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said in testimony before Congress: \"I have personally gone back and asked that question inside the Pentagon, in the Army, in all of our reports. I have seen no evidence that directly links any American combat death to the rescue or finding or search of Sergeant Bergdahl. And I have asked the question. We have all asked the question. I have seen no evidence, no facts presented to me when I asked that question.\" But while it seems no U.S. personnel died in the effort to find Bergdahl, at least two were wounded — and Nance decided over the summer that evidence regarding those injuries should be considered. As Stars and Stripes reports, \"The judge ruled that a Navy SEAL and an Army National Guard sergeant wouldn't have wound up in separate firefights that left them wounded if they hadn't been searching for Bergdahl.\" Legal questions about the case have extended beyond Bergdahl. In August 2014, the Government Accountability Office said the Pentagon \"didn't give enough notice to Congress and misused nearly $1 million\" in handling the prisoner swap. In addition to using money that was already appropriated for other uses, the Defense Department didn't tell members of Congress about the swap until the day after it was made. In response to those findings, the Pentagon said it had to act quickly to secure Bergdahl's safe return; Hagel said the circumstances were both extraordinary and unique. Some of Bergdahl's most complete comments about his experience came in the second season of the Serial podcast, which was published in late 2015. As NPR's Eyder Peralta reported, Bergdahl said \"he left his post to try to stir controversy in order to get the attention of top military officials so he could explain problems he saw in the Army.\" But he soon realized it was a mistake — as Bergdahl said on the podcast, \"Suddenly, it really starts to sink in that I really did something bad. Or, not bad, but I really did something serious.\"", "This week the veterans health care scandal gave way to a new political storm over the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, as Washington editor Ron Elving tells NPR's Scott Simon.", "In eight days of hearings, Army prosecutors in Washington State laid out the case against Staff Sgt. Robert Bales. He's the U.S. soldier charged with killing and wounding 23 Afghan civilians in a rampage this past March. Bales' pretrial hearing concluded Tuesday. Now the Army will decide whether the evidence supports a full court martial.", "Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl has been charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban in 2009, after he walked off his military outpost in southeastern Afghanistan. In a controversial move and five years after his capture, the Obama administration cut a deal with the Taliban, securing Bergdahl's release in exchange for the release of five Taliban detainees who were being held at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba. In December, the Pentagon referred Bergdahl's case to an Army general, who would determine whether he should be charged. There will be an Article 32 hearing on April 22 at Fort Sam Houston to \"decide if there's probable cause\" to begin court-martial proceedings. The closest analog to that hearing in the civilian system is a grand jury investigation. The desertion charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in confinement, and misbehavior before the enemy carries a maximum charge of life in confinement. Bergdahl's lawyer, Eugene Fidell, told NPR that he did not know whether the military would take Berghdahl's time in captivity into account before handing down any decision about his client. \"I assume that anyone in a position of responsibility would understand that is an important mitigating factor,\" Fidell said. The deal for Bergdahl's return was controversial politically, because the circumstances surrounding his disappearance have always been murky. As we've reported: Some accounts had him captured during an attack on his post; others put him walking off his outpost during a counterinsurgency mission. An account in Rolling Stone implied that Bergdahl was \"ashamed to even be American\" and was defecting when he was captured. Because of that, lawmakers criticized the Obama administration for cutting a deal with the Taliban. The Government Accountability Office later found that the Pentagon broke the law during the course of the trade. As we reported, first, the GAO found that the \"Pentagon violated the Department of Defense Appropriations Act when it didn't give 30 days' notice to Congress about its plan to move the five Taliban prisoners from Guantanamo Bay.\" And second, the $1 million used for the transfer \"was paid for out of an account of already-appropriated funds — a violation of the Antideficiency Act.\" Update at 3:38 p.m. ET. Next Steps: In a press conference Wednesday, Col. Daniel King announced the two charges being brought against Bergdahl, under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The first is Article 85 Desertion and the second is Article 99 Misbehavior before the enemy. The description for the Article 99 charge is broad and can include running away in the presence of the enemy and being \"guilty of cowardly conduct.\" King said the next step is an Article 32 hearing, a kind of investigation that determines whether there is enough evidence to warrant a court-martial.", "When Bowe Bergdahl walked off of his base in 2009, soldiers and resources across Afghanistan were rerouted to search for him. Jon Thurman was with Bergdahl's company, and was a part of the weeks-long search after he disappeared. He speaks with NPR about that time, and how he feels about Bergdahl's guilty plea.", "Stefanie O'Neill has been leading the \"Bring Bowe Back\" campaign in Hailey, Idaho. NPR's Rachel Martin talks to O'Neill about the hometown reaction to POW Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's release.", "\"We are attempting to do everything we can to locate him and free him,\" Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said this morning when asked about U.S. Army Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl, who is beign held by the Taliban in Afghanistan. \"It's just outrageous,\" Clinton said on ABC-TV's Good Morning America. \"It's a real sign of desperation and criminal behavior on the part of terrorist groups.\" Bergdahl, 23, of Haily, Idaho, was captured two weeks ago. Saturday, a Taliban-affiliated Website posted a video of him.", "The release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl prompted a firestorm of debate. We step away from that debate to look at what's been learned about the psychological effects of being captured in wartime", "The Marine Corps indefinitely postpones a desertion hearing for Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun, who went missing from his post in Iraq in June and is again missing from his base in North Carolina. NPR's Howard Berkes reports.", "The U.S. Army has begun interviewing Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl about his disappearance in Afghanistan that led to five years in captivity by the Taliban, his attorney and an Army spokeswoman said Wednesday. Bergdahl was questioned at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, where he has been staying since returning to the U.S., said his attorney, Eugene R. Fidell. \"Sgt. Bergdahl answered all questions put to him. The interview is proceeding. It has been a productive expenditure of time,\" Fidell said in a telephone interview during a break in the questioning. Fidell declined to comment on what specific questions Bergdahl was asked. Lt. Col. Alayne Conway, an Army spokeswoman, said Bergdahl was advised of his rights under Article 31 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Article 31 pertains to individuals being informed of the nature of the accusation against them and says that they do not have to make any statement to investigators. \"This in an ongoing investigation; the investigating officer has 60 days from his appointment to conclude his investigation; however, he can request additional time if he feels it is necessary,\" Conway said in an emailed statement. She did not respond to an inquiry about what type of questions investigators asked. Maj. Gen. Kenneth R. Dahl, who is heading the probe into the 28-year-old's disappearance, questioned Bergdahl on Wednesday, Fidell said. A well-known lawyer and military justice expert who is currently a visiting lecturer at Yale Law School, Fidell described the setting of Bergdahl's interview as \"a comfortable environment,\" a room with a sofa and a couple of chairs. He said there were four people in the room, the interview was being recorded and that they were taking breaks throughout the day. Fidell said he expected this would be the only interview Bergdahl would be giving as part of the investigation. \"There is no reason to think there will be more than one,\" he said. The Idaho native was freed by the Taliban May 31 in a deal struck by the Obama administration in which five senior Taliban officials were released from detention at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Bergdahl had disappeared from his post in Paktika province in eastern Afghanistan on June 30, 2009. Some ex-members of Bergdahl's former unit have labeled him a deserter, asserting that he chose to walk away and saying some were wounded or killed looking for him. The investigation's findings will help determine whether Bergdahl is prosecuted for desertion or faces any other disciplinary action. Bergdahl had been receiving care at Fort Sam Houston since returning to the United States on June 13. He was treated at Brooke Army Medical Center at the fort but was later shifted to outpatient care at the military base. Earlier this month, the Army announced Bergdahl had been given a desk job, ending the formal phase of his transition from Taliban prisoner to not-quite-ordinary soldier. Bergdahl has not commented publicly on the circumstances of his disappearance, and the Army has made no charges against him. It is unknown if Bergdahl's family has seen him since his return to the United States. Army officials have said because of a request by Bergdahl's family for privacy, they cannot comment on that matter.", "How does military law handle a deserter or a defector? And how will the U.S. military deal with the controversial case of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl? Military law expert Eugene Fidell discusses these questions with Here & Now&#8217;s Robin Young. Guest\n\nEugene Fidell, teaches military justice at Yale University. He&#8217;s also co-founder and former president of National Institute of Military Justice.\n ROBIN YOUNG, HOST: Today, the Pentagon said that Army Seargeant Bowe Bergdahl's health is improving, although there's no date set for his first phone call to his family in Idaho or his transfer from the U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany to an Army hospital in Texas. But what happens after that? Some of Bergdahl's former fellow unit members are calling for his court-martial. What exactly does that mean? When is a court-martial called for? A 2010 report reportedly concluded that Bergdahl walked off his base before disappearing. Today, The New York Times is reporting that that still unclassified, or classified rather, military report says Bergdahl may have walked away from his unit at least two other times. But what is that called? Is that desertion? Going AWOL? Eugene Fidell teaches military justice at the Yale Law School. We've asked him for a primer through the prism of the Bergdahl case, with the caution that we don't know anything yet really about what happened. So, Eugene, start with have prisoners of war faced court-martial? EUGENE FIDELL: Yes, there have been POWs who have been taken to trial. It's very unusual. But if you have a POW who helps the captor mistreat other POWs, that person is going to get prosecuted if we get our hands on him or her. YOUNG: In the meantime, a lot of words are being thrown around - deserter, defector. FIDELL: There's no indication that Sergeant Bergdahl left with a view to joining the Taliban. That's defection. >>YOUNG: Defector. Yeah. FIDELL: Correct. YOUNG: Well, we are hearing soldiers say that there are all sorts of rumors flying around, that he was actually connected to the Taliban - it's just wild, wild rumor now. But if anything like that were to be proven, then that would make him a defector? FIDELL: Well, I suppose. The offense is becoming part of the enemy camp - crossing lines and basically aiding the enemy. YOUNG: So what's a deserter as opposed to a defector? FIDELL: A deserter is simply a member of the armed forces who leaves his or her duty station, classically, with a view to remaining away permanently. That's the difference between a deserter and somebody who simply goes AWOL. A person who is AWOL is simply a person who's not at his or her duty station at the appointed time. So that a person, for example, who shows up 15 minutes late for morning inspection formation is technically AWOL for this 15 minutes. That's a far cry from the person who go over the fence having left a note on his or her rack saying, Searg, I'm leaving and you're never going to see me again. That a deserter. YOUNG: And how does someone go from speculation about why they left a base to a court-martial? What's that process? FIDELL: Well, there has to be an investigation that's conducted. And the Army has already years ago conducted what's called an Army regulation or AR 15-6 investigation. That's simply administrative inquiry, typically conducted by one officer, to just develop a factual record - the basic facts. YOUNG: Is this the 2010 report we hear about? FIDELL: Yes, I believe that's the case. And that can be supplemented. Maybe it's a little stale by now, maybe more people are willing to speak. It's possible, by the way, that back in 2010, there were some members of the unit who were, let's say economical with information because they thought that something that they may have done might have put their own conduct under the microscope. So who knows? We don't really know. In any event, at a certain point, some military person will initiate a report of offences. That would then go to a commander with an investigative file. The commander then has to decide, does the information available indicate that there may be a basis for disciplinary action under the uniform code of Military Justice of a fairly serious nature? If so, the commander then can refer the matter to what's called an article 32 investigation. An article 32 investigation is simply to determine whether there's probable cause to believe that an offense has been committed and to make recommendations, really, as to how that offense should be dealt with, either disregarded because it's minor or the circumstances don't lend themselves to trial for one reason, or handle it at a very low level of disciplinary action called non-judicial punishment, which is not a court-martial. Or refer it to one of the three levels of court-martial. The highest level of court-martial is a general court-martial and the person under current law who is the power to decide whether any set of charges should be referred to a court-martial, is a com", "Army Pvt. Lynndie England waives her right to an Article 32 hearing scheduled for Tuesday at Fort Hood in Texas. Article 32 hearings are similar to grand jury proceedings in civilian courts where a decision is made on whether to take charges to trial. England is accused of abusing prisoners at Abu Ghraib Prison in Baghdad. A previous guilty plea from England was thrown out due to evidence at her sentencing.", "Even as the Taliban released a video of Army Sgt. Bergdahl's release, questions continue to surround his initial disappearance. Bergdahl has said he was captured by the Taliban while lagging behind on a patrol. In a classified report produced in 2010, the Army paints him as a soldier troubled by U.S. policy, but it does not go so far as to call him a deserter. Still, many wonder whether Bergdahl planned to return before his capture. AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Audie Cornish. ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: And I'm Robert Siegel. A video released by the Taliban in Afghanistan is adding to the debate this week about a prisoner swap. The U.S. traded five Guantanamo Bay prisoners for the release of American Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. And that video shows the moment that Bergdahl was handed over to U.S. Special Forces. The Taliban brought Bergdahl in a pickup truck. And then the American commandos arrived by helicopter. (SOUNDBITE OF HELICOPTER) SIEGEL: After a brief exchange, the militants turned Bergdahl over to the Americans. NPR's Tom Bowman has been through the video and talking to experts about what it tells us. Hi, Tom. TOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: Hello, Robert. SIEGEL: What else struck you about that Taliban video? BOWMAN: Well, Robert, what really struck me was this is something you rarely see - American Special Operations forces on the one side, armed Taliban on the other side - and not shooting at each other. This exchange also took place in Khost Province. I've been there with U.S. troops, and it's one of the more dangerous areas in Afghanistan. Now, in the video you see a Taliban fighter standing there and holding a white flag tied to what looks like a long stick. Other Taliban, you can see standing off to the side holding AK-47s. And then two Americans walked toward them wearing civilian clothes. They quickly pat Bergdahl down to check for explosives and then put him in a helicopter and quickly get out of there, flying over the hills. SIEGEL: And the video shows Bowe Bergdahl also waiting in the truck. What can you make of that? BOWMAN: Well, he seemed healthy from what I saw. He walked to the helicopter, although a bit haltingly. He looked somewhat bewildered, and he kept blinking, too. But he did not appear gaunt. And near the end of the video words flash on the screen, don't come back to Afghanistan. SIEGEL: This video, Tom, offers a little more information about Bergdahl's release. But there are still a lot of questions about how he got captured in the first place - whether he deserted, as some have charged. What are you hearing about that? BOWMAN: Well, the U.S. military is saying very little about Bergdahl, other than that he's in stable condition at Landstuhl Military Hospital in Germany. He's expected to arrive at an Army Medical Center in Texas as early as this weekend. And there he'll be reunited with his parents and undergo additional care. Now, Army leaders have said the first order of business is to make sure he's healthy, that he gets medical and psychological care. And then they'll mount an investigation to determine what, if any, military laws he broke and whether he should be prosecuted. SIEGEL: And the investigation will look into the question of how he went missing in the first place? BOWMAN: Right, well, that's right. But actually, Robert, this will be the second investigation because the Army already mounted an investigation right after he disappeared. Soldiers in Bergdahl's unit said that they were questioned by CIA officials, military investigators who kind of descended on their outpost. And that report was completed back in 2010. This is a classified report now. And I'm told by those who've read it that it's exhaustive, that it looks that conditions at his combat outposts, how he met with Afghan security forces on a routine basis. It looks at his state of mind and how he'd gone sour on the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. And that was something we heard from fellow soldiers, that he was, again, against the mission, how they were handling it. He wanted to help Afghans. He just did not see that happening. SIEGEL: And did that report reach any conclusions? BOWMAN: Well, it found that he clearly left his post of his own accord. He had not lagged behind on a patrol, which is what he said in a video the Taliban released a month after he left. But here's what's interesting, Robert. We're told the report says he left his post at least twice before - once in Afghanistan, once in the United States at an Army training center in California. Both times he returned several hours later. So there's a sense that maybe he would have returned had he not been taken by the Taliban. SIEGEL: Again, that conclusion to a report that has not been publicly released, so we haven't yet seen that. But it addresses this question of the day in Washington - what exactly were the terms of Bowe Bergdahl's capture? Tom Bowman, thanks. BOWMAN: You're welcome, Robert.", "The release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in exchange for five senior members of the Taliban has been both welcomed as well as criticized. Here's a look at why the release of a prisoner of war, usually a cause for unalloyed celebration, is proving so divisive. Who is Bowe Bergdahl? Bergdahl is an American soldier from Hailey, Idaho, who was captured by the Taliban in June 2009. At the time of his capture, Bergdahl held the rank of private first class, but he was promoted in absentia to sergeant in June 2011. Here's more from Jessica Robison of the Northwest News Network, who has been following the case closely: \"He defied stereotypes. Around town, he was known as an excellent marksman, and a ballet dancer. He loved to be alone in the mountains but was also happy just talking to people in town. Friends say Bergdahl also craved a way to do something important in the world — and in 2008 Bergdahl saw enlisting in the Army as his opportunity.\" How was he captured? Details are murky. In a video released by the Taliban a month after his capture, Bergdahl said he lagged behind while on patrol. The Associated Press has varying accounts of how he disappeared. In one, U.S. officials said the soldier walked off his base with three Afghans. Another account suggested Bergdahl was captured during an attack on his post. The Taliban, meanwhile, said they'd captured a \"drunken American soldier.\" What is the reaction to his release? At a news conference in Boise, Idaho, Bob Bergdahl, Bowe's father, said he was proud of his son's commitment to the Afghan people. His mother, Jani Bergdahl, said: \"Five years is a seemingly endless long time, but you've made it. ... You are free. Freedom is yours. I will see you soon, my beloved son.\" And as Jessica Robison reported on Monday's Morning Edition, residents of Hailey welcomed the release. \"To have Bowe home safely is the most important thing,\" said Carmen Northen, who attends the same Presbyterian church as the Bergdahls. Those sentiments were echoed by the Boise Valley POW/MIA Corp. But those views are far from universal. Some congressional lawmakers criticized the manner in which he was released, and some service members have criticized Bergdahl's reported actions. Why the controversy? There are two aspects to this question: The first is Bergdahl's reported views and possible actions, and the second is the Obama administration's handling of the negotiations that led to the soldier's release. The first: In 2012, Rolling Stone published what it said were emails sent by Bergdahl to his parents soon after his deployment to Afghanistan. In them, the soldier said he was considering deserting from the Army because he was disillusioned. The emails quote Bergdahl saying he was \"ashamed to even be American.\" Also, as The Washington Post reports, many of his fellow soldiers consider Bergdahl a deserter who \"needs to be held accountable for his choices.\" The second: Many lawmakers are concerned that the senior Taliban officials released in exchange for Bergdahl may return to action. The five were considered likely to pose a \"threat to the U.S., its interest and allies.\" But as NPR's Eyder Peralta noted on Saturday: \"U.S. officials said working with the government of Qatar, they had ameliorated some of those risks, because the detainees will face restrictions on their movements and activities.\" Lawmakers are also concerned that the administration negotiated with the Taliban. But administration officials point out that the talks were indirect and were mediated by the government of Qatar. Also, the Afghan Taliban does not appear on the U.S. State Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations (the Pakistani Taliban is on the list). One more point of concern: The administration is required by law to give Congress 30 days' notice before prisoners are released from Guantanamo Bay. But as NPR's Tamara Keith reported on Monday's Morning Edition: \"The Department of Defense consulted with the Department of Justice and concluded that there were unique and exigent circumstances.\" Despite the administration's assurances, Tamara says: \"You can better believe that there will be a whole slew of congressional hearings on all aspects of this.\" Further reading Behind Bowe Bergdahl's Release, A Secret Deal That Took Three Years Mixed Reaction To Bergdahl's Recovery By Service Members Who Consider Him A Deserter America's Last Prisoner Of War Prisoner Trade Yields Rare View Into The Taliban", "Everything the Obama administration touches seems to set off a political firestorm. The latest involves Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl and the prisoner exchange that led to his release by the Taliban.", "Melissa Block speaks with Jessica Robinson, reporter with the Northwest News Network, about the latest involving U.S. prisoner of war Bowe Bergdahl, who was captured in Afghanistan and has been held for nearly four years now.", "A Navy SEAL testified Wednesday in Fort Bragg, N.C., that he was shot and badly injured during a heavy firefight while searching for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl after Bergdahl walked off his combat outpost in Afghanistan. The military judge, Army Col. Jeffery Nance, is allowing the testimony of three service members whose injuries are considered a direct result of the searches for Bergdahl, who was captured by the Taliban and held for five years. He has pleaded guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. The Navy SEAL, Senior Chief Petty Officer James Hatch, was forced to retire from the military after nearly 26 years of service because of the injuries sustained while searching for Bergdahl. He testified that he underwent 18 operations in the years that followed. On Wednesday, he walked to the witness stand with a heavy limp, accompanied by a black service dog. Hatch said that before Bergdahl went missing, the unit's mission was capturing and killing high-value targets. Members of the unit got word that they were going to focus on rescuing Bergdahl. \"Someone is going to get killed or hurt trying to get this kid,\" Hatch recalled saying. Nine days after Bergdahl's 2009 disappearance, Hatch led a team with two helicopters on a mission into Afghanistan's Paktika province. He said the team was taking heavy fire even before they landed. As they began advancing to the position where they believed Bergdahl was held, he said, a trained dog with them lunged after three figures, who turned out to be children. Shortly afterward, the dog was shot in the head and killed, he said. Hatch spoke in formal, controlled language, with his voice only wavering when he spoke about the dog. Hatch was then shot in his right leg, just above the knee. He described screaming in pain and worrying that he was endangering fellow troops. \"I really thought I was going to die,\" he said. The Navy SEAL was then airlifted out. \"Everyone on that mission was aware [Bergdahl] walked off,\" Hatch said. When asked why they went after him, Hatch responded: \"Because he's an American.\" Another witness, Capt. John Billings, was Bergdahl's platoon leader and described the searches immediately after Bergdahl went missing. \"The next 10 days were just kind of a blur,\" he said. \"Everybody in Afghanistan was looking for Bergdahl.\" On Monday, the military judge probed whether recent comments by President Trump could challenge the fairness of the legal proceedings. As we reported: \"Under the military justice system, it's unlawful for commanders to influence legal cases, or even give the appearance of influence. That principle covers the president as commander-in-chief. \"Bergdahl, who spent five years in Taliban captivity, was a frequent target for Trump when he was a candidate. Trump suggested in 2015 that Bergdahl 'should be shot,' as NPR's Rebecca Hersher reported. \"In previous filings, lawyers for Bergdahl cited at least 45 instances where candidate Trump called their client a traitor.\" On Monday, Trump said: \"I can't comment on Bowe Bergdahl. ... But I think people have heard my comments in the past.\" Nance said at the beginning of Wednesday's hearing that he hasn't decided whether these comments constitute undue influence and would rule at a later point. The defense wants a motion to dismiss the whole case. The judge's decision on this could factor into Bergdahl's sentence. Nance has broad discretion in determining that sentence — he could sentence Bergdahl to life in prison or he could let him walk out of court a free man, saying in a sense that the five years he spent in Taliban captivity is punishment enough. ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: Those hoping to influence the fate of Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl began to take the stand in court today. Bergdahl has pleaded guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy for abandoning his post in Afghanistan in 2009. He says he left with hopes of reporting leadership problems to his senior officer on another base, but on his way, he was kidnapped and held captive for five years by the Taliban affiliated Haqqani network. Bergdahl was released in a controversial prisoner exchange. He was traded for five Taliban prisoners. AILSA CHANG, HOST: Testimonies from both the defense and prosecution will be heard this week as the judge considers Bergdahl's sentence. He faces up to life in prison. NPR's Greg Myre is at Fort Bragg in North Carolina covering the sentencing hearing, and he joins me now. Hi, Greg. GREG MYRE, BYLINE: Hi, Ailsa. CHANG: So the first testimony today came from someone brought in by the prosecution, Navy SEAL James Hatch. What story did he tell on the stand today? MYRE: He had a very dramatic story to tell. He led a rescue mission for Bergdahl just nine days after he vanished from his outpost in southeastern Afghanistan. And when Hatch was told what his job would be, to go rescue Bergdahl, he said out loud someone is going to get killed or hurt trying to get this kid. Now, Hatch and his team, they", "Robert talks with NPR's Martha Raddatz who has been attending a hearing for the Sergeant Major of the Army, who is accused of sexual misconduct. The military officer presiding at the hearing will recommend whether Gene McKinney should face court martial. Among the developments today: the prosecutors revealed they have wiretap evidence that hasn't been turned over to the defense yet... and they have a new witness who may provide the basis for additional charges against McKinney." ]

[ "What I came up with to help this is a custom Google Analytics Task that listens for events and makes sure the payload contains a page location and title.\n\n//Modify the payload if needed before sending data to Google Analytics\nga(function(tracker){\n var originalSendHitTask = tracker.get('sendHitTask'); //Grab a reference to the default sendHitTask function.\n\n tracker.set('sendHitTask', function(model){\n //Always make sure events have the page location and title associated with them (in case of session timout)\n if ( model.get('hitType') === 'event' ){\n if ( !model.get('location') ){\n tracker.send('pageview'); //Send a new pageview if the event does not have contextual data.\n }\n }\n\n originalSendHitTask(model); //Send the payload to Google Analytics\n });\n});\n\n\nThis won't update all field values (which would be nice) like a pageview would, so I've thought about checking if the location is empty and if so sending a new pageview first and then the event..." ]

[ "Yes it does\nExcept if you don't use xDB or Analytics. In this case, VisitorIdentification is redundant.\nWhat it does\nIt serves a number of purposes; but the most relevant to you is, it aids robot detection on your site. Sitecore (speaking broadly) functions like this:\n\nAssume a new visitor is a robot\nSend some code to the client via VisitorIdentification\nIf the code responds as expected; assumes it's a real browser client\n\nIf you leave it out, Sitecore will assume all your visits are robots (crawlers etc) - and your sessions will time out after 60 seconds.\n\nThe robot detection component is enabled by default but to implement it fully you must ensure that you have added the visitor identification control to the layout of each page on your website.\n\nSource: Configure robot detection functionality\nAdditional links:\n\nhttps://stackoverflow.com/questions/28626563/sitecore-7-5-mvc-and-httpcontext-session-timeout-set-to-1-min\nContent delivery session times out in 1/2 minute with MongoDB session provider\nFast session timeouts and Sitecore robot detection\n\nAnd to ease your worry\nThe VisitorIdentification control actually only outputs the blocking Javascript once - at the initial stage where the system has &quot;auto detected a robot&quot;. Once it is satisfied that the session is not a robot, it outputs blank content and is out of your way from that point on.\nWitnessed from this, not entirely pretty, piece of code driving this control.\n&lt;% if (Sitecore.Context.Diagnostics.Tracing || Sitecore.Context.Diagnostics.Profiling)\n {%&gt;\n&lt;!-- Visitor identification is disabled because debugging is active. --&gt;\n&lt;% \n }\n else if (Sitecore.Analytics.Tracker.IsActive &amp;&amp; Sitecore.Analytics.Core.ContactClassification.IsAutoDetectedRobot(Sitecore.Analytics.Tracker.Current.Session.Contact.System.Classification))\n {\n%&gt;\n&lt;meta name=&quot;VIcurrentDateTime&quot; content=&quot;&lt;%: DateTime.UtcNow.Ticks %&gt;&quot; /&gt;\n&lt;script type=&quot;text/javascript&quot; src=&quot;/layouts/system/VisitorIdentification.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;\n&lt;%\n }\n%&gt;", "This is an easy implementation if you have the option to create a Custom Variable (i.e. you are not already using all available custom variable slots) - example:\n\n var _gaq = _gaq || [];\n\n _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-XXXXXXXX-X']);\n\n /**\n * track sessions for visitors who leave the /free-tools/ path\n */\n if ( window.location.pathname.indexOf('free-tools') &gt;= 0 )\n {\n _gaq.push(['_setCustomVar',\n 1, // (required) Stored to slot #1\n 'MSV', // (required) \"Main Site Visit\" or other variable name\n 'Yes', // (required) This is the value of the custom variable\n 2 // (optional - but recommended) Sets the scope to \"session-level\"\n ]);\n }\n /**\n * eof track sessions for visitors who leave the /free-tools/ path\n */\n\n _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);\n\n (function() {\n var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true;\n ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js';\n var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s);\n })();\n\n\nVisitors who never leave /free-tools/ will not have this custom variable set, so you can simply set up an Advanced Segment which only displays analytics for visitors with Custom Variable #1 (or whichever slot you used) set to \"Yes\" so, when a visitor visits any page outside of the /free-tools/ path, his or her entire visit session (as stored with Google - no need to add session overhead to your site's performance concerns) can be tracked.\n\nThis method also leaves you with the ability to see which visitors \"converted\" from free tools visitors into main site visitors, and which free tools pages were the most common gateway to the main site (using Visitors Flow).", "You can install multiple instances of the Google Analytics tracking code on your web pages to send data to multiple properties in your account.\n\nNot all configurations are supported. You can, for example, install multiple instances of the Universal Analytics tracking code (analytics.js) on your web pages but only one instance of the Classic Analytics code (ga.js). Multiple instances of ga.js might result in inaccurate data collection, processing, or reporting. You can, however, install one or more instances of analytics.js on web pages that also have a single instance of ga.js.\n\nTo use two new Universal Analytics trackers on one site, you need to initialize them and send pageView like this:\n\nga('create', 'UA-11112222-3', 'auto'); // first tracker\nga('create', 'UA-33334444-5', 'auto', {'name': 'newTracker'}); // second tracker\n\n\nTo send a pageview using both trackers, you prepend the name of the tracker to the beginning of the command, followed by a dot:\n\nga('send', 'pageview'); // send page view for first tracker\nga('newTracker.send', 'pageview'); // Send page view for second tracker.\n\n\nIf you, however, want to have tracking with new (Universal Analytics) and old (Classic Analytics) code, then these two trackers should both work.\n\nIf you, however, have one UA and one GA tracker on the page, they both should work without further configuration. Is it possible that there is some kind of error which prevents tracker from working?\n\nIf you are using chrome there is very useful extension to debug analytics tracking: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-analytics-debugger/jnkmfdileelhofjcijamephohjechhna?hl=en\n\nSources: \n\n\nhttps://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1032400?hl=en\nhttps://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/analyticsjs/advanced#multipletrackers\nhttps://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-analytics-debugger/jnkmfdileelhofjcijamephohjechhna?hl=en", "This sounds like it would have been done during the dot-com era, when there was a boom in multinational e-commerce websites. It's really hard to be specific about it though.\n\nWhat I'm thinking of is an e-commerce site which guesses the user's location by their IP address or a Web browser setting, and when they land on the generic front page, automatically redirects them to a page customised for their country. Such customisations would include translations into the local language and conversions of prices into local currency, and sometimes differences in the variety of products offered.\n\nGoogle does that sort of thing to set the language of their front page today. Did they do that before 2009? Yes - I moved to Finland in 2006 without learning Finnish first, and one of the first things I was confronted with was Google in Finnish - going to http://google.com/ would redirect me automatically to http://google.fi/, which not only provided all Google content in Finnish, but preferred Finnish-language sites for search results. To get Google in English, I had to visit http://google.co.uk/ - they have since added a cookie-based language preference option for that.", "Now the question is how then I can access twitter.com for example from google search\n\nTwitter is conveniently ignoring the referer header because you are landing on a unauthenticated page twitter.com. Cross-origin request can lead to CSRF when the session is created and request is leading to a state change. https://twitter.com/i/flow/add_phone from here, the state of the parameter will change with post request submitting your password first, followed by entering your phone number. When the google is redirecting to twitter, the referer header is sent but twitter does not check it for protection, since no csrf risk is considered in that case.\nKindly note, referer header shall not be used as only method of preventing cross site request forgery because it can be bypassed based on how it is validated.", "The data can be shared across machine using following:\n\nIn the cd_storage_conf.xml, in session wrappers give the same machine name across all the servers that are sharing the access token. \n\nGiven below is the sample sessionwrapper. Here, you can replace xyz with some meaningful machine name and then data from all the servers will be stored in session broker database with that machine name.\n\n&lt;Wrappers&gt;\n &lt;Wrapper Name=\"SessionWrapper\"&gt;\n &lt;Timeout&gt;120000&lt;/Timeout&gt;\n &lt;MachineName&gt;xyz&lt;/MachineName&gt;\n &lt;Storage Type=\"persistence\" Id=\"db-session-webservice\" \n\ndialect=\"MSSQL\"Class=\"com.tridion.storage.persistence.JPADAOFactory\"&gt; \n... \n&lt;/Storage&gt;\n\n&lt;/Wrapper&gt; \n&lt;/Wrappers&gt;\n\n\nReference: Tridion documentation for load balancing", "This is now complete: \n\n\nI renamed the tag google-analytics-v4 to google-analytics-firebase. \nI added google-analytics-android as a synonym for google-analytics-v4. That is google-analytics-firebase (× 440) &leftarrow; google-analytics-android (× 45). \n\n\nThere is another google-analytics-sdk which seems to be related to these two tags, but that is for another day.", "If your site is relatively low traffic, you could possibly use the statistics module, or as @clive pointed out, the radioactivity module. \n\nFor higher traffic sites, I'd be wary of writing to the db for every visit, however. Moreover, if you're using varnish or some other reverse proxy caching system (which you probably should), Apache and PHP normally aren't invoked for anon visitors, so you'd need to do something different.\n\nI've landed on using google analytics for this. To do it, the site obviously needs a google analytics account, and you need to install the google analytics and google analytics reports modules. Once you've configured them, you can fetch an array of the most visited nodes from the google analytics api. You can then simply serialise it, and save it to the variable table. This uses hook_cron, and needs to be done in a custom module:\n\nfunction YOUR_MODULE_cron() {\n $last_time = variable_get('YOUR_MODULE_last_time', 0);\n // DO EVERY 24H\n if ((REQUEST_TIME - $last_time) &gt; (60 * 60 * 24)) {\n $data = array();\n $dates = array();\n $params = array(\n 'metrics' =&gt; array('ga:uniquePageviews'),\n 'dimensions' =&gt; array('ga:pagePath'),\n 'segment' =&gt; 'gaid::-11',\n 'filters' =&gt; 'ga:pagePath=@/PATH/TO/NODES',\n 'sort_metric' =&gt; array('-ga:uniquePageviews'),\n 'start_date' =&gt; strtotime('-7 days'),\n 'end_date' =&gt; strtotime('-1 day'),\n );\n $feed = google_analytics_api_report_data($params);\n if (!$feed-&gt;error) {\n $k = 0;\n $nids = array();\n foreach ($feed-&gt;results as $f) {\n // SAVE 6 MOST VIEWED\n if ($k &lt; 6) {\n $nids[] = (int) array_pop(explode('/', drupal_lookup_path('source', ltrim($f['pagePath'], '/'))));\n $k++;\n }\n }\n $nids = serialize($nids);\n variable_set('YOUR_MODULE_ga_items', $nids);\n variable_set('YOUR_MODULE_last_time', REQUEST_TIME);\n }\n }\n}\n\n\nEvery 24 hours, this would save a serialised array of the most popular nodes that appear under the path http://yoursite.com/PATH/TO/NODES/REST_OF_PATH. To use the nids, you'd simply unserialise the variable after retrieving it:\n\n$nids = unserialize(variable_get('YOUR_MODUE_ga_items', '');\nforeach($nids as $nid) {\n $node = node_load($nid);\n ...\n}", "Inside Drupal, this would take some real custom magic. But, let's say for example, you wanted to show\n\npets/birds,\n\npets/cats\n\nboth birds and cats would be arguments off the main Views page of pets. BUT - if you had a Google Analytics account, which does not understand Drupal arguments, you could easily decipher which page received what number of visitors.\n\nBecause Google will never discriminate vs what is a page and what is an argument, you can easily see what would be most popular as a result.", "The only real effects webhosting has on SEO are:\n\n\ndowntime\npage speed\n\n\nBoth of these really only come into play if you are on a shared webhost who places too many website on to one server. The side effect of this is the server is slow and occasionally experiences downtime. Google has publicly acknowledged using pageloading time as part of their ranking algorithm although they have indicated that only very slow loading pages are affected by this. Additionally, only pages with an extended downtime will be affected as well.\n\nWhat you may be referring to is Google's pagespeed Apache module. It is designed to \"optimize web pages by applying web performance best practices\".", "To add to Steven Lee's answer, the entire transaction level dataset from England's Land Registry can be downloaded from the Land Registry site.\n\nThis dataset contains every house price from house sales since 1995 and contains both the full postcode, the street name and the street number. If you can handle the entire dataset (~20 million rows) it is not immensely hard to aggregate to LSOA (at least approximately even though postcodes don't map neatly onto LSOAs). An exact mapping might be possible with a little GIS wizardry but the approximate mapping is available using the postcode to LSOA lookups from The census service here. The tables provide lookups to most higher-level geographies from full postcodes. \n\nThe datasets are a little large to handle in Excel or Access (there are >2 million postcodes never mind the 20m house prices) so it is worth looking for better tools to process them. My personal choice is Google's BigQuery which is designed for large analytical workloads but is cheap (and for small workloads, free) and available to anyone with a web browser and a Google account.", "They can do SEO without these tools but for doing it perfectly they need the access to Google Search Console and Google Analytics. \nFor example,\n\nUsing Google Search Console\n\n\nThey can get notified about your site’s issues/penalties\nThe ‘Search Analytics’ (search queries) report details a list of\nkeywords a website ranks for and the number of impressions and\nclicks they received along with click through rate (CTR) and average\nranking position.\nThey can identify &amp; monitor broken pages on your site (Crawl Errors)\nThey can monitor your site’s Link Profile \nThey can check Mobile Usability which is more important.\nDisavow Tool \nStructured Data, Google Index, Crawl Stats, Sitemaps, Security Issues\netc\n\n\nThese are all very important. With out access to Google Search Console they can't check all these points.\n\nSo better give those access to your SEO company. If you don't trust them change to another one.", "YES and NO, It can be little tricky! Even though the dml is happening on component load but which is still a click by a human intervention(because its a quick action) this would be a hard one to determine.\n\nCSRF : In order to prevent CSRF attacks, do not invoke any server-side controller method that performs a DML operation automatically as the result of a page load. Specifically, do not invoke server-side DML controller method as onInit handlers, or afterRender handlers (if rendering is performed automatically on page load).\n\n({\n doInit: function(cmp) {\n var action = cmp.get(\"c.updateField\"); //vulnerable to CSRF\n [...]\n $A.enqueueAction(action);\n },\n handleClick: function(cmp, event) {\n var action = cmp.get(\"c.updateField\"); //not vulnerable to CSRF\n [...]\n $A.enqueueAction(action);\n } \n})\n\n\nThe key is that the DML operation not be performed without an event stemming from human interaction, such as a click. CSRF only applies to server-side DML operations, not operations that update client-side component attributes.\n\nDevelopers should be cautious about writing pages that take action based upon a user-supplied parameter like the id variable in the preceding example. A possible work-around is to insert an intermediate confirmation page before taking the action, to make sure the user intended to call the page. Other suggestions include shortening the idle session timeout for the organization and educating users to log out of their active session and not use their browser to visit other sites while authenticated", "JSS Tracking\nJSS ships with an analytics tracking API that allows pushing Sitecore analytics events to the xDB based on client-side behavior in JSS apps. In a client-side app, we do not have access to the server-side APIs normally used to report analytics events to XConnect. Instead, the JSS Tracker API allows us to push analytics events, such as page/route views, events, goals, and outcomes, directly from the client.\nThe JSS tracker comes installed but disabled by default when the JSS server components are installed. To enable the JSS tracker, patch the Sitecore.JSS.TrackerServiceEnabled setting to true in a configuration patch file such as:\n&lt;configuration&gt;\n &lt;sitecore&gt;\n &lt;settings&gt;\n &lt;setting name=&quot;Sitecore.JSS.TrackerServiceEnabled&quot; value=&quot;true&quot; /&gt;\n &lt;/settings&gt;\n &lt;/sitecore&gt;\n&lt;/configuration&gt;\n\nLayout Service\nLayout Service requests are tracked on the server-side as a 'page view' just like a traditional Sitecore site would. This includes any goals, events, etc configured to be triggered by the route item. Requests to Layout Service will track a page view by default. This can be disabled by adding tracking=false to the Layout Service request query string (configurable via the dataApi object in JSS apps). Disabling LS tracking may make sense if all page tracking is to be handled using the tracking API.\nAs mentioned above Layout Service by default can collect analytic data. But JSS Tracking we have to do enable setting, JSS Tracking we have more control for collecting analytic data like use event etc.\nimport { trackingApi } from '@sitecore-jss/sitecore-jss-tracking';\n\nconst trackingApiOptions = {\n host: config.sitecoreApiHost,\n querystringParams: {\n sc_apikey: config.sitecoreApiKey,\n },\n};\n\ntrackingApi\n // note the events are an array - batching is supported\n .trackEvent([{ eventId: 'Download' }], trackingApiOptions)\n .then(() =&gt; console.log('Page event pushed'))\n .catch((error) =&gt; console.error(error));\n\nNote: Because Sitecore's session tracking is cookie-based, it is important to pass browser cookies to both API.", "Schema does not directly improve or punish local rankings, in fact it plays little to absolutely no role in ranking a site locally, nationally or internationally.\n\nGoogle My Business AKA Google Local, ranks sites by Proximity of Address to the Point of Search, not by STATE. So if your want to rank better in your home down or reach more towns within a district then you need to improve your local rankings by providing Google good reasons why they should increase your (reach) rankings, this DOES NOT consist of adding schema to your website.\n\nTo improve your rankings locally then you need to understanding Google's complex algorithm, only then can you start to do things that will actually help your business moving forward. Google's algorithm includes but not limited to: \n\n\n SOURCE\n \n \n Proximity of Address to the Point of Search (Searcher-Business Distance)\n Physical Address in City of Search\n Proper GMB Category Associations\n Quality/Authority of Inbound Links to Domain\n Consistency of Citations on the Primary Data Sources\n Domain Authority of Website\n Product/Service Keyword in GMB Business Title\n Quality/Authority of Structured Citations\n Consistency of Citations on Tier 1 Citation Sources\n Click-Through Rate from Search Results\n Quality/Authority of Inbound Links to GMB Landing Page URL\n Location Keyword in GMB Business Title\n Verified GMB Listing\n HTML NAP Matching GMB Listing NAP\n GMB Primary Category Matches a Broader Category of the Search Category (e.g. primary category=restaurant &amp; search=pizza)\n Diversity of Inbound Links to Domain\n Quantity of Inbound Links to Domain\n Quantity of Native Google Reviews (with text)\n City, State in GMB Landing Page Title\n Quantity of Inbound Links to Domain from Locally Relevant Domains\n Quality/Authority of Unstructured Citations (Newspaper Articles, Blog Posts, Gov Sites, Industry Associations)\n Page Authority of GMB Landing Page URL\n Topical (Product/Service) Keyword Relevance of Domain Content\n High Numerical Ratings of Business by Google Users (e.g. 4–5)\n Age of GMB Listing\n Product/Service Keywords in Reviews\n Mobile-Friendly/Responsive Website\n Quantity of Inbound Links to Domain from Industry-Relevant Domains\n Quantity of Citations from Locally Relevant Domains\n Proximity of Address to Centroid of Other Businesses in Industry\n NAP in Schema/JSON-LD on GMB Landing Page URL\n Local Area Code on GMB Listing\n Product/Service Keywords in Anchor Text of Inbound Links to Domain\n Quantity of Inbound Links to GMB Landing Page URL\n Clicks to Call Business\n Association of Photos with GMB Listing\n Prominence on Key Industry-Relevant Domains\n Location Keywords in Anchor Text of Inbound Links to Domain\n Diversity of Inbound Links to GMB Landing Page URL\n Quantity of Citations from Industry-Relevant Domains\n Geographic (City/Neighborhood) Keyword Relevance of Domain Content\n Product/Service Keyword in GMB Landing Page Title\n Driving Directions to Business Clicks\n Enhancement/Completeness of Citations\n Proper Category Associations on Aggregators and Tier 1 Citation Sources\n Positive Sentiment in Reviews\n Quantity of Structured Citations (IYPs, Data Aggregators)\n Quantity of Inbound Links to GMB Landing Page URL from Locally Relevant Domains\n Overall Velocity of Reviews (Native + Third-Party)\n Proximity of Address to Centroid", "Your URL and format for adding an external gadget to your iGoogle page will be something like this:\n\nhttp://fusion.google.com/add?moduleurl=http%3A//www.domain.com/path/gadget.xml\n\nI think as long as your user is logged into the correct google account/site all should go well.\n\nEdit: The user following the link to add such a gadget must be logged in to google with the desired google apps user as their primary/first login in that browser session. Adding pages to the apps version of iGoogle does not seem to work if the apps login is a secondary login using the multiple-logins feature of google accounts.\n\nEdit 2: To summarize findings of the comments so far, this appears to have to do with differences in the way google account logins are handled for different editions or versions of the apps platform.", "You can look at your web server logs to see all page requests and the associated IP address. And most log analyzers will also tell you how many unique visitors (by IP) you have. But I don't know what you hope to achieve. Google already tracks click fraud by IP address and other factors. So I don't think you'll be able to detect click fraud that Google hasn't already caught, especially if you don't have any expertise in web analytics.", "It's ok to park one domain on another as long as the domain doesn't have a bad history (part of a link farm, serving malware, etc) and you can't pull up content from the main domain with the parked domains URL (duplicate content issues). \n\nIf the parked domain has a bad history it may affect the main domain if Google can associate the two as being part of the same network (they can do this by checking domain registration or seeing the both serve up the same content). So if the parked domain has a bad reputation I wouldn't park in on top of the main domain.\n\nIf you do choose to park it on the main domain make sure you do a 301 redirect from the parked domain to the main domain. That way you prevent content from being available with multiple URLs. \n\nIf you do park it on the main domain make sure you change it to be a basic landing page about 90 days before you launch as Google may have issues picking up the new site (source)", "You're probably aware already that Pennsylvania's land records are defined and \nissued by the Commonwealth and not by the Federal Government. This is kind of obvious, since the Federal Government didn't exist in the time period your warrant comes from, but I want to mention it for the benefit of others who might be familiar with the later warrants issued by the Bureau of Land Management in the Federal Land States. Set all your knowledge of those warrants aside for the moment. \n\nIn this case, it helps to have a research guide that is specific to your state, and for Pennsylvania, try looking in WorldCat for Pennsylvania land records : a history and guide for research by Donna B Munger, to find a copy in a library near you. You can also preview it or buy an eBook on [Google Books][20].\n\nOn page 13 and following, she discusses the different categories of purchasers. A section entitled Servants starts on page 16. Page 17 says:\n\n\n When they were ready to claim their land, they submitted a formal\n request and received a warrant to survey. Servants can be identified\n by the phrasing of the warrants, which state that they were formerly\n servants.\n\n\nThe records themselves are held by the Pennsylvania State Archives. Their website has a Land Records Overview which explains the different classes of documents created in the process of getting land. Clicking through the link about Warrants brings you to a page that describes the archives' holdings and their arrangement. Another page describing the Records of the Land Office is here: RG 17 Records of the Land Office.\n\nYou may also want to look at the main list of Research Guides for related records such as the guide about Indentured Servants\n\nThe FamilySearch Research Wiki's article Pennsylvania Land and Property also gives an overview and lists of resources such as indexes and maps.", "few of very popular tools:\n\n\nAWStats - Free log file analyzer for advanced statistics (GNU GPL).\nHome of The Webalizer\n\n\nas far as I know the best/newest tool is Google Analytics Official Website - Web Analytics &amp; Reporting – Google Analytics, but it doesnt really do anything with logs it works through JavaScript (so this may not work for you)", "I am going to assume that there is one page per ad at some point and that there are pages that categorize and list ads.\n\nWith that, do what I do, blank the page- sorta. When the ad is deleted, make the public facing page something obvious; \"sold\", \"ad removed\", etc. but you can make it a useful landing page too. For example, more bicycles for sale and list a few. From there, you can update the page with a mechanism that alerts Google not to index the page such as &lt;META NAME=\"ROBOTS\" CONTENT=\"NOINDEX, NOFOLLOW\"&gt; Otherwise, remove the page and tell Google that the page is gone with a 404 or 410 (preferred) error. Of course you can do both, take the first option for a while to capture and salvage valuable traffic then remove the page after a short period.\n\nNoarchive is not the same as noindex. It just means do not create an archive copy. With noarchive, Google would still index the page, however, with noindex, Google will not only not index the page, but also remove the page if it exists, and not archive the page as well.\n\nUsing the indicates that the page was modified. There would be an assumption that the page still exists if you modify this date. But if you are trying to indicate the page is removed, unfortunately sitemaps do not have a mechanism for that. The best you can do is just remove the page from the sitemap. However, that should be a very easy mechanism to create.\n\nOther than that, there is nothing to do but to wait. Google uses a TTL (time to live) style of mechanism to know how often to visit a page or site. If your site is modified often, then the TTL is small meaning that it is likely that Google will find the changes fast and update the index rather fast. You cannot make Google come to Muhammad.", "It is not mandatory to have the specs before start, but it helps a lot clarify the details and sort out misunderstandings. Actually, the point of BDD - this is what you are doing - is to start the conversation between the \"customer\" and the development team(s).\n\nIn case the PM has no time to do it, you can do it on your own and ask for a weekly review session preferably before the sprint planning. During these sessions you can clarify all the points you have to have a successful and accepted delivery. Remember, the point is to have the conversation not writing the actual tests, because anybody can write acceptance criteria, but only the \"customer\" has an idea what she wants.\n\nMaybe after a couple of sessions she will start to feel how good these conversations are and how much extra work you save for the organisation with a quick session. Of course, you'll need to prepare for these sessions.", "Don't do this. This will create a bad ranking page, with duplicates (the next/prev pages) and will cost your more than you will gain.\nRule of thumb: Don't make pages just for bots.\nTo prefent indexing you could just add the robots metatag with the value NOINDEX.\n\nWhat you need is a sitemap xml :) Those are perfect fort situations like this; To indicate pages which cant easily be found by crawling.\nAlso, if you have Google Analytics, they'll find the pages because you trigger the code on those pages.\nAlso, if you have visitors using Chrome, they'll find the pages.\n\nLong story short / TL;DR:\nDo the sitemap, and don't worry, you'll be found.", "JavaScript has full access to the document object model, so at least in theory, it could capture what's on its own web page (but not anything outside the browser window) and there's a library to do that: http://html2canvas.hertzen.com/ (I haven't tried it.) \n\nThe same-origin policy prevents JavaScript from accessing the DOM of another site. Since JavaScript cannot access the DOM of another site, it cannot leak material from the other site. So, if your question boils down to whether a script running in one tab, or even an iframe, can capture the banking password from elsewhere in the browser, then no, provided same-origin is properly implemented in the browser itself.\n\nSame origin applies to domain from which the page was served, not from which the script was served. So, my page at hxxp://bbrown.spsu.edu/ (it wasn't interesting, and now it's dead because I've retired) can load a script from google-analytics.com, as it does, and that script has access to the DOM of the page from which it was loaded; it can also send stuff back to Google through a bit of sleight-of-hand. The point is, it can do that only because I trusted Google Analytics enough to load their script in my page; the code that loads the page is in markup I wrote. If you load my page into your browser, that script from google-analytics.com can see only the DOM of my page in your browser, and not anything else you may have open in your browser.", "Per your last comment, here is a guide for &quot;How To Get Data For A Specific List Of URLs In Google Analytics&quot;, hope this helps: https://www.searchenginepeople.com/blog/15102-google-analytics-excel-urls.html", "Sounds like your approach is too broad\n\nIn my opinion it's best to focus on the small wins, whether that's in a new development or an existing product. If you can show tangible evidence that changing X can affect Y then the battle is half won.\n\nThere's some fantastic books out there on how to detail to the ambivalent manager that concentrating on UCD and the user journey can indeed produce very real results, however it's not my place to promote one book over another, so Google or Amazon become your friends here.\n\nHowever, with regards to projects that cover broad applications, whether web based or otherwise, the devil is in the detail. Break it down, take a portion of functionality and show why changing it, makes it easier for the user and should increase in usability and traffic.\n\nIf I take a real world example, we're currently looking at one of our products that provides planning maps. At the moment equal weight is given to the homeowner who is looking to draw/plan a minor/minor house improvement and the industry professional who makes planning maps for entire housing estates.\n\nAnalytics tells us that 10% of our traffic is coming from home users, yet 40-45% is coming from advanced/industry professional users. From this I can make a case that the landing page should be weighted towards the latter. I produce wireframes to show that we don't forget about homeowners, but the text and links lead people to find our advanced tools.\n\nOften times UX requires a degree of patience so you may need to swallow a disagreement within a meeting that turns into an agreement to deploy two different versions of a product that allows you to analyse and produce A/B testing of different ideas.\n\nThe TL:DR of this is, you often times need to state your case for UX as the results are not often an instant thing.", "You can send tracking data to multiple Analytics accounts using the asynchronous tracking API to send multiple commands. For example:\n\n&lt;script type=\"text/javascript\"&gt;\n\n var _gaq = _gaq || [];\n\n //Send data to the client's Google Analytics account\n _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-12345-1']);\n _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);\n\n //Send data to your Google Analytics account\n _gaq.push(['b._setAccount', 'UA-12345-2']);\n _gaq.push(['b._setDomainName', 'none']);\n _gaq.push(['b._setAllowHash', 'false']);\n _gaq.push(['b._setAllowLinker', true]);\n _gaq.push(['b._trackPageview']);\n\n (function() {\n var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true;\n ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js';\n var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s);\n })();\n\n&lt;/script&gt;\n\n\nThis will send data to their Analytics account (UA-12345-1) for visits to that domain only, and it will send data to your Analytics account (UA-12345-2) for all sites using your app, so long as you include the code on every installation.\n\nThe best way to implement this would be to build Google Analytics into your app, and prompt users for their 'UA-12345-1' Analytics account code. That way, they won't have to add Analytics code themselves, which might risk messing up your setup.\n\nYou should also mention to them that you're tracking their usage of the app in order to improve your product, either directly or in your terms and conditions.", "I found it!\n\nThe Land Beyond by Maria Gripe.\n\nI was thinking about this book again, and went into a sort of meditative state, seeing the book's cover in my mind's eye and trying to recall the title. It wasn't quite \"The Lost World\" ... but maybe something similar? Eventually the phrase \"The Land Beyond\" floated into my mind, and I thought why not give it a try. The name \"Maria Gripe\" also floated into my mind around the same time, but I thought Gripe sounded like an odd name, and just Googled \"The Land Beyond\" Maria. Voila!\n\nFrom Goodreads:\n\n\n The Land Beyond is the same story, told twice. The first is a simplistic version, written in (or translated into) the nonsensical style of a 19th century fairy tale, complete with symbolism and allegory. An explorer walks into a kingdom and tells the king he’s found a land that does not appear on any map. Other characters try to find it. The second story retells the first, and expands it, which allows all of the unnamed characters to have long, dull conversations about life. There is even more symbolism, allegory and political satire.\n\n\nThere's a slightly longer review here. This is the cover I remembered:", "For mobile clients the potential problem with session based authentication is that you probably have to have very long session timeouts, as users typically don't like entering their credentials every time they use an application.\n\nAt that point, whether that's acceptable might depend on how you're restricting the use of the Session ID. If all it can do is take relatively non-sensitive actions then it might be a reasonable solution (not really that different to an OAuth access token), but one concern might be if an attacker gets access to that token he can take security sensitive actions like changing the users credentials. \n\nAt that point you might want to consider OAuth or something similar to restrict the actions that a specific token stored on a mobile device can take.\n\nOne other point to mention about HTTP basic or digest is that using them gives you the headache of storing the users credentials on the client.", "In general, I find the Google Scholar profile pages to be elegant and useful. \n\nSome people choose not to add co-authors to their profile pages. You might not see any benefit. You might not want to play favourites (i.e., who is enough of a co-author to be listed; what if I forget to add someone, would they be mildly offended).\n\nIn general, random people will google you and land on your google scholar profile page. Seeing who your main co-authors are might be useful to such people to give them an understanding of where your work is situated and who you are working with. They can then also more easily explore the academic work of your co-authors.", "That's easier using Google Analytics Beacon.\n\nYou can put a 1x1 transparent image anssociated to a specific url and your Google Analytics ID to track any click or event over tour webapp.", "There are not legality issues. Here is how it it breaks down:\n\nFrom SEO Perspective\nAll content on Site.example affects the score. So Site.example/User/Frank affects the score of site.example. frank.site.example is treated by Google as a separate site. Gets its own Google page rank. \n\nSo here is the rule.\nIf you are running something you want indexed separately then use a subdomain. \nA good example if you have a web application that builds sites for users. Frank.myfreesitecreator.example or bob.myfreesitecreator.example. Then Frank could point a FQDN (domain name) to frank.myfreesitecreator.example and worry about his own SEO score. \n\nIf you have a site where you want everything indexed in one big ball, then use URL folders. 302 redirects help Google understand what is going on. That is it. Google will index the final result." ]

[ " \nIf you enjoy baking bread at home, here is an easy method for ensuring a smooth and tender crust when baking in an oven. " ]

[ "Freshly baked bread is one of life's greatest simple pleasures, and one that's much easier than you might think. You can make your own crusty French bread, soft sandwich loaves, and deliciously sweet quick breads as a great way of saving money and filling your home with the wonderful smell of fresh baked goods.", "Here's an easy white bread you can bake at home. This recipe for Milk and Honey Bread makes a loaf with a tender crumb, which is excellent for sandwiches—and something almost any kid would enjoy eating.", "Bread makers have simplified the process of making bread at home, because they take over the kneading and baking for you. In fact, all you need to do to have fresh bread every day is pour in the ingredients and press a few buttons!", "Few things are as satisfying as pulling a freshly baked loaf of bread from the oven. But if it's too hot to turn on the oven or you'll be away from home for the day, it might be a struggle to bake.", "Many places sell partially baked bread so that you can enjoy the benefits of freshly baked bread from home without all the hassle of making it from scratch.", "Vegetable oil added to a bread recipe results in a loaf with a smooth texture and a tendency to retain its softness. Create a nice loaf of bread with the ideal use of oil.", "Here's a recipe adapted from a Betty Crocker. This is a basic bread which can be eaten as a snack, served as a dinner bread or used as a pizza crust.", "You can save money that you would spend at the bakery by learning how to make artisan bread yourself. Artisan bread typically has a crispy crust and a deep flavor because the yeast is given a substantial amount of time to grow.", "If you're not too fond of fiddly baking but love good homemade food, this pie crust will fast become a firm favorite. You can fill this quick and easy no-bake pie crust with pretty much any filling––ice cream, fruit, cheesecake mixtures, etc.,", "Waste not those crusts at the end of white bread - they have another use yet! White bread makes excellent modelling clay. Try this easy method and be inspired to make many different projects.", "The most important aspect of bread baking, and often the most difficult, is getting the bread to rise. Risen bread comes out soft and light, while bread that doesn't rise properly can be dense and tough to eat.", "If you've ever had pull apart garlic bread in a restaurant, you've probably wondered if you could make it at home. Fortunately, pull apart garlic bread is a fun and easy baking project.", "Don’t have the ideal loaf pan to bake a fresh loaf of bread? Instead of running out to the store to purchase an expensive pan, use a clean, empty coffee can to not only bake but allow the bread to rise and proof.", "If you're looking to use up stale bread or need breadcrumbs for a recipe, it's easy to make breadcrumbs at home. Make soft, fresh breadcrumbs by processing fresh bread in a food processor.", "Bread can be varnished for long-life displays suitable for home and business. The end result is a glossy, real item of bread beneath a layer of varnish.", "Baking bread takes a little time, but it’s a simple process that yields satisfying results. With a few common ingredients you probably have on hand, you can bake a delicious loaf of bread and fill your house with its wonderful aroma.", "Blind baking a pie crust is the act of cooking a pie crust before adding the filling. Pies with fillings that should not to be cooked or fillings that need to be cooked for such a short time or at such a low temperature that the crust would not be finished by the time the filling was done require a blind-baked pie crust.", "If you've had fry jacks, you understand how delicious this Belizean fry bread is. Fortunately, you can quickly mix up a batch of them at home. Just make a simple dough that gets its lift from baking powder.", "The house gets such a warm aroma when this bread is baking in the oven. Baking a cheese bread with pepperoni has such a great mingling of scents, that it causes everyone to get hungry.", "If you have tried the bread machine recipe that came with your machine but didn't like the crust or the shape, this recipe will help change that. This recipe is healthy and substitutes honey for the sugar and olive oil for the shortening.", "It is so simple, in fact, that there is not much to say about it! This recipe makes one loaf with a soft, moist open crumb and a slightly crisp, thin crust.", "Pullman bread is baked in a special loaf pan called a Pullman pan. The pan comes with a lid used to cover the bread during baking. Once baked the bread makes a fine crumbed loaf of bread that is excellent for sandwiches.", "If you have a bread machine , it's easy to get fresh baked bread. It takes a few hours, but it's not your time. All you have to do is add the ingredients and start the machine.", "Ah, a crusty baguette with fresh butter - is there any greater culinary delight? French bread tastes wonderful fresh from the oven; once you start making it at home, you won't want to stop.", " Baking bread is not difficult, but doing so without sight can take skill. This article will teach you how to bake bread if you are blind. ", "Unleavened bread is bread made without leavening agents (ingredients that cause fermentation to occur) such as yeast, baking soda, baking powder and beaten egg whites.", "Baking your own bread doesn't have to be a whole day's endeavor. This is a fairly easy and fast recipe for a bread where a lot of the taste comes from the rye flour.", "Don't fear the crust. Long rumored to be difficult, impossible, or written on some lost scroll in the realm of grandmotherly secrets, homemade pie crust is easier than the rumors have you believe.", "You can bake wonderful cakes that hold their shape, have a tender golden crust, and taste great. Tips you can use for oven temperature, pan treatment, timing, rack placement, mixing batter and cooling.", "You can prepare this recipe up to a month in advance. You can bake a fresh loaf of homemade bread fresh from your freezer. Directions are also given for how to freeze a loaf of baked bread.", "Making pie crusts from scratch is a rewarding, yet messy and time consuming process. A food processor can help you make crusts more quickly and efficiently without leaving much of a mess.", "With the right ingredients, you can create a variety of easy and delicious crackers at home. The key in each recipe is rolling the cracker dough out as flat as possible and pricking the surface before baking." ]

[ "It didn't work, that's the problem." ]

[ "It worked.", "But the biggest problem was that he couldn't get working batteries.", "There was a problem.", "Tommy didn`t really see anything at all.", "Otherwise, the invention did not work as intended.", "A man is working pou t.", "It does not work.", "We have problems at work.", "That does not work well.", "No thing worked.", "The interventions did not seem to work.", "The boy is working out a math problem.", "Working together solves problems", "Alas, it would never work.", "A class of students working on one math problem.", "T&A employees have flexible work schedules.", "It won't work.", "They weren't able to fix the problem.", "Uh, I bet it doesn't work.", "T&A employees have inflexible work schedules.", "Chambers works on problems that everyday people would have.", "CDC works to investigate health problems.", "They have no problem with workfarers working with them.", "I never managed to make it work.", "We work to identify problems and mitigate them.", "That's the problem", "It doesn't help when Ginsburg is working on the same problem.", "Men dressed in t-shirts and jeans go to work.", "It failed to achieve this reduction, by and large, because of the lack of indication.", "It was a failure and could not be adopted.", "It's clear that everything up here is working problem-free.", "We didn't see the stories so we didn' tknow what to think." ]

[ "David Greene talks to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who met with President Trump this week. Top on the agenda was defense spending, Iran and the war on terrorism." ]

[ "Updated at 1:03 p.m. ET President Trump on Wednesday demanded that NATO allies increase defense spending immediately and double their current goal for burden-sharing in the defense alliance. As Trump gathered with leaders of NATO countries for a summit in Brussels, he also repeatedly said Germany's energy dependence on Russia undermines its independence. He blasted the German government for not spending more on defense and suggested that a 3-year-old energy supply agreement has left Germany \"captive\" to Russia. Hours later, though, Trump took a softer line during a face-to-face photo op with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. \"We have a very, very good relationship,\" Trump told reporters, hours after saying that \"Germany is totally controlled by Russia\" because of its reliance on Russian natural gas. \"I think it's very unfair to our country,\" Trump said. \"It's very unfair to our taxpayer.\" Trump later tweeted that Germany's energy arrangement undermines NATO and demanded allies increase defense spending immediately — not by a goal set for 2024, which the president seemed to misconstrue as 2025 in his tweet. It was a bruising start to a NATO summit that was meant to emphasize the strength and unity of the alliance. And it's a sharp contrast to the conciliatory tone Trump has taken with Russia ahead of a meeting with President Vladimir Putin next week. Trump was referring to a 2015 agreement between Russian gas giant Gazprom and Germany to build a pipeline under the Baltic Sea. Despite Merkel's tough talk over Russia's annexation of Crimea and sponsorship of separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine, she has defended the $11 billion pipeline deal to supply her country's energy shortfall. Merkel bristled at the idea that the gas deal has left her country \"captive\" to Moscow. The chancellor, who grew up in the former East Germany, told reporters, \"I have experienced myself how a part of Germany was controlled by the Soviet Union.\" She insisted that Germany today makes its decisions independently of Moscow, adding: \"That is very good, especially for people in eastern Germany.\" Merkel also pushed back against Trump's frequent complaint that her country doesn't spend enough on defense, saying: \"Germany does a lot for NATO.\" Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron also met with reporters on the sidelines of the summit, after the breakfast. When a reporter asked if Macron agrees that Germany is captive to Russia, Trump quipped that he was glad Macron was getting that question. \"No,\" was Macron's answer as reporters were being ushered out. Upward pressure on defense spending NATO members have committed to spending 2 percent of their respective GDPs on defense by 2024. Germany currently spends about 1.2 percent, while the U.S. spends about 3.6 percent. \"Many countries are not paying what they should,\" Trump said. \"And frankly, many countries owe us a tremendous amount of money for many years back, and they're delinquent, as far as I'm concerned, because the United States has had to pay for them.\" The White House confirmed that Trump privately said that countries should aim to spend 4 percent of their GDPs on defense, a request he made last year to NATO countries, as well. Trump routinely characterizes NATO countries' defense commitments as if they were a bill owed to the United States, when in fact they're simply a pledge by each country to invest in its own defense. \"We all agree that we have to do more,\" said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg during a breakfast meeting with Trump. \"The good news is that allies have started to invest more in defense.\" \"Last year was the biggest increase in defense spending across Europe and Canada in that generation,\" he added. A communique from NATO members at the end of Wednesday's meetings laid out plans for higher defense spending, citing concerns about Russia — specifically blaming it for military intervention in Ukraine and nerve agent poisoning in the U.K. Pressed earlier by Trump, Stoltenberg said the president's frequent criticism was having an impact, encouraging countries to spend more. But he also took issue with Trump's argument that U.S. spending on NATO is an unfair burden for American taxpayers. \"A strong NATO is good for Europe and it's also good for the United States,\" he said. \"The U.S. presence in Europe helps to protect Europe but it also helps the United States project power to the Middle East, to Africa.\" Troops from NATO countries have fought alongside the U.S. in Afghanistan and Iraq. \"The strength of NATO is that despite these differences, we have always been able to unite around our core task: to protect and defend each other, because we understand that we are stronger together than apart,\" Stoltenberg said. The U.S. Senate voted 97-2 on Tuesday to reaffirm American support for NATO. The House is expected to cast a similar, nonbinding vote on Wednesday. \"I subscribe to the view that we shouldn't be criticizing our president when he's overseas,\" said Ho", "Updated at 5:35 p.m. ET President Trump on Wednesday sharply reversed his 2016 campaign stance on NATO. \"I said it was obsolete; it's no longer obsolete,\" Trump declared, after a meeting at the White House with the alliance's secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg. Trump had criticized NATO members for failing to spend enough on their defense, and for what he wrongly said was the North Atlantic alliance's failure to join the fight against terrorism. \"I complained about that a long time ago,\" Trump said, \"and they made a change, and now they do fight terrorism.\" In a joint news conference, Stoltenberg said that NATO members increased their individual defense spending by 3.8 percent, or $10 billion, last year. He also reminded Trump that after the attacks on Sept. 11, NATO for the first time invoked Article 5, the collective defense clause, that says an attack on one member is a attack on all, and came to the aid of the U.S. Stoltenberg said NATO troops have been fighting \"shoulder to shoulder\" with U.S. troops in Afghanistan for many years, and that \"more than 1,000 have paid the ultimate price.\" He said that in NATO, \"America has the best friends and the best allies in the world.\" Trump said he had a phone conversation on Tuesday night with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who he said \"wants to do the right thing\" and help the U.S. deal with North Korea. Trump said the two discussed trade, and that Trump told him, \"The way you're going to make a good trade deal is to help us with North Korea.\" If China does not help, Trump said, the U.S. will \"go it alone,\" which he said \"means going it with lots of other nations.\" He also said he has \"absolutely no doubt we did the right thing\" in attacking Syria with cruise missiles after the Syrian chemical attack last week. Trump called Syrian President Bashar Assad \"a butcher.\" In response to a question, he said, \"It's certainly possible\" that Syria carried out the attack without its ally Russia's knowledge, but added, \"I think it's probably unlikely.\" Trump repeated his belief that the world \"is a mess,\" but said by the time he finishes in office, \"It's going to be a lot better place to live.\" But for now, he said, \"It's nasty.\" Secretary of State Rex Tillerson raised the issue of defense spending late last month at a NATO meeting in Brussels. \"As President Trump has made clear,\" Tillerson said, \"it is no longer sustainable for the U.S. to maintain a disproportionate share of NATO's defense expenditures.\" Each NATO country has pledged to spend 2 percent of its gross domestic product on its own defense by 2024. Only a handful of alliance members meet that target now. U.S. defense spending accounts for somewhat over 3 percent of its GDP. Germany spends only about 1.2 percent of its GDP on its defense. After a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in March, Trump complained that \"Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO & the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany!\" NATO's secretary general says defense spending is only part of the picture, though. \"We need many different tools to stabilize our neighborhood,\" Stoltenberg said last month. \"It's not either development or security. It's development and security.\" Trump's proposed budget for the coming fiscal year would boost U.S. military spending by 10 percent, while making deep cuts in development and foreign aid. Likewise, Trump wants to cut by half the number of refugees the U.S. takes in. He's criticized Merkel for Germany's welcoming attitude toward refugees. For all his questions about NATO, Trump looks forward to adding a new member to the alliance. The tiny Balkan nation of Montenegro has been approved to join NATO and is expected to take part in an alliance meeting next month. White House officials note that Montenegro already spends relatively more on its own defense than most other NATO countries — 1.7 percent of its GDP. Russia is strongly opposed to any Western tilt by Montenegro and its Balkan neighbors. White House officials say they're concerned by possible Russian meddling in Montenegro's election last October. Trump had previously pushed for improved ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but Trump has been cooler towards Moscow since last week's chemical weapons attack carried out by Russia's longtime ally, Syria. \"Putin is backing a person that's truly an evil person,\" the president said this week in an interview with the Fox Business Network. \"I think it's very bad for Russia. I think it's very bad for mankind.\" Aides say Russia's conduct has only \"reinforced\" Trump's commitment to working with NATO.", "President Trump has been making plenty of claims about how much the U.S. contributes to NATO while portraying other members of the alliance as deadbeats. Here is some of what he has said and how those statements stand up to the facts. The Claim Sitting down to breakfast in Brussels just before the NATO plenary session Wednesday, Trump accused NATO allies of being freeloaders: \"Many countries owe us a tremendous amount of money from many years back, where they're delinquent as far as I'm concerned, because the United States has had to pay for them. So if you go back 10 or 20 years, you'll just add it all up, it's massive amounts of money is owed.\" False The U.S. has not been stiffed for unpaid bills by NATO allies. \"There is no ledger that maintains accounts of what countries pay and owe,\" says former Obama administration National Security Council staffer Aaron O'Connell. \"NATO is not like a club with annual membership fees.\" NATO members did make a commitment four years ago to spend at least 2 percent of their GDP on defense by 2024. Just nine of the military alliance's 29 members are expected to reach or surpass that target this year. The Claim At the same pre-plenary breakfast, Trump excoriated Germany, the biggest economic power in NATO after the U.S.: \"Germany is just paying a little bit over 1 percent, whereas the United States in actual numbers is paying 4.2 percent.\" True And False Germany indeed devotes only about 1.25 percent of its GDP to defense. While it has boosted defense spending the past two years, Germany, like about half the other NATO members, does not plan to reach 2 percent by 2024. But Trump's claim that the U.S. is spending 4.2 percent of GDP is at odds with the Pentagon, which puts it at 3.3 percent. NATO scholar Garret Martin says in any case, U.S. defense needs vastly surpass those of its European allies. \"We're not comparing apples to apples,\" notes Martin, a lecturer at American University's School of International Service. \"The United States is a global military power with global military commitments. \"NATO and the trans-Atlantic geographical area is only a part of what the United States military does. That's not necessarily true for most of the European members of the alliance.\" The Claim At a July 5 rally in Montana, Trump said this about NATO funding: \"We're paying for anywhere from 70 to 90 percent to protect Europe, and that's fine.\" Confusing Trump did not say 70 to 90 percent of what. It's true that if the overall defense budgets of all 29 NATO allies are tallied, the U.S. defense budget accounts for about two-thirds of that total. But as noted above, American defense expenditures are for much more than just protecting Europe. \"There is a common budget that all NATO allies pay into,\" says O'Connell of NATO's direct expenses for shared headquarters and exercises. \"It's about $2.8 billion and the U.S. pays 22 percent of that, not 90 percent.\" The Claim Trump sought to take credit in Brussels for NATO allies spending more: \"This year, since our last meeting, commitments have been made for over $40 billion more money spent by other countries.\" Exaggeration NATO reported on July 10 that spending by European members increased from last fiscal year to the current fiscal year by about $35 billion. The increased spending predates Trump. \"I think once the trend started changing in 2014, that created momentum even before he became president,\" says Martin. \"Now maybe there's a bit more urgency now because he's blunter than his predecessors in criticizing his European partners.\" Despite Trump's complaints about American outlays for NATO, the U.S. is actually spending more in Europe than when he took office. \"Actions speak louder than words,\" NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters as the NATO summit got underway. \"Since Trump became president, U.S. funding for military presence in Europe — the European Deterrence Initiative — has been increased by 40 percent.\" That spending was approved by Congress, where both the House and the Senate overwhelmingly approved resolutions this week backing NATO.", "European leaders are expressing alarm after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said the EU is \"basically a vehicle for Germany\" and reiterated his view that NATO is \"obsolete.\" Speaking about the EU, Trump said \"people want their own identity,\" and therefore \"I believe others will leave.\" He has previously applauded the U.K.'s decision last year to depart from the 28-nation bloc and repeated that sentiment, saying that \"I think Brexit is going to end up being a great thing.\" Trump made the comments in an interview published Sunday with the Times of London and Germany's Bild newspaper. \"I've spoken today not only with EU foreign ministers but NATO foreign ministers as well and can report that the signals are that there's been no easing of tensions,\" German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters, according to Reuters. Danish Foreign Minister Anders Samuelsen said reality was \"perhaps more difficult than what is going on on Twitter,\" according to The Associate Press, in an apparent reference to the President-elect's penchant for posting on social media. Trump's opinions on NATO appear counter to those of his pick for Secretary of Defense, retired Marine General James Mattis. Mattis stated during his confirmation hearing last week that NATO \"is the most important alliance there is,\" NPR's Tom Bowman reported. Trump also repeated his earlier criticism that many NATO members \"aren't paying what they're supposed to be paying.\" NPR's Frank Frank Langfitt explains that \"Trump's criticism that other NATO allies don't pay their fair share is nothing new and he has a point.\" Here's more from Frank: \"NATO has set a goal that nations should spend the equivalent of 2 percent of their GDP on defense, but most don't. However, the idea that the U.S. – the dominant military force in NATO — might not defend an ally frightened many in Brussels and beyond.\" When asked directly about whether the U.S. will guarantee European security in the future, Trump simply replied, \"I feel very strongly toward Europe – very strongly toward Europe, yes.\" Trump also stated that he was eager to make a trade deal with the U.K., saying his administration would \"work very hard to get it done quickly and done properly.\" U.K. Foreign Minister Boris Johnson appeared to be the only EU leader who responded positively to Trump's interview, according to The Washington Post. \"It's very good news that the United States of America wants to do a good free-trade deal with us and wants to do it very fast, and it's great to hear that from President-elect Donald Trump,\" Johnson told reporters, the Post reported.", "Speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels Monday, Vice President Mike Pence reassured allies that America would uphold its commitments to the organization, but added that President Trump expected \"real progress\" among NATO allies in stepping up their defense spending. \"The world needs NATO's strength and leadership now more than ever before,\" Pence said, calling for \"immediate and steady progress\" in defense spending among member countries. NATO has set a goal that nations should spend the equivalent of 2 percent of their GDP on defense, but many don't — a fact that Trump brought up repeatedly on the campaign trail. The vice president insisted that his statements were not in conflict with the president's, adding, \"The United States is expressing strong support for NATO even as we challenge NATO and challenge our allies to evolve to the new and widening challenges and further meet their responsibilities.\" Pence seemed to be trying to quell fears by saying that \"the United States' commitment to NATO is clear.\" But Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO, calling the organization \"obsolete,\" and indicating the the U.S. might not uphold its commitment to defend fellow NATO countries if they did not pay their fair share. As NPR's Frank Langfitt reported in November, many U.S. allies were rattled by Trump's campaign rhetoric, but hopeful that it might be just that — rhetoric. Pence also addressed the resignation of Michael Flynn as national security adviser, saying he was \"disappointed\" to learn that he had been misled about Flynn's contact with Russia, and fully supported the decision by Trump to dismiss him. Pence also attempted to assuage fears from the European Union — another institution that Trump has also been highly critical of — stating that he was acting on behalf of Trump to \"express the desire of the United States to continue cooperation and partnership with the European Union.\" Pence met with many leaders from the EU earlier Monday morning. These statements seem at odds with others from Trump, who last month called the EU \"basically a vehicle for Germany\" and praised Britain's vote to leave it. \"I think Brexit is going to end up being a great thing,\" he told the Times of London.", "NATO leaders are hoping their summit in Brussels this week will not suffer the same fate as last month's Group of 7 meeting, which unraveled over trade disputes with President Trump. \"They are still licking their wounds from what happened at the G-7,\" said Julie Smith, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. \"They're looking for an opportunity to kind of put forward a counter-narrative that the trans-Atlantic partners are united.\" But with tensions still running high between the U.S. and its allies, unity may be hard to come by. Trump will travel to Brussels for the NATO meeting on Tuesday. The G-7 summit ended with Trump lashing out at the other members and threatening to stop all trade with them if they didn't change their practices. Trump ultimately refused to sign on to a joint agreement with the group because he was unhappy with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's comments at a closing press conference. The row at the G-7 was followed by Trump's historic meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Trump's praise of Kim after those talks stood in stark contrast to the harsh rhetoric he directed to Trudeau and the other G-7 leaders. Trump argues Europe and Canada are taking advantage of the United States and NATO is a part of that problem. He says the United States is shouldering too much of the defense burden for the alliance. \"I'm going to tell NATO: You've got to start paying your bills. The United States is not going to take care of everything,\" Trump said at a recent campaign rally in Montana. NATO countries have set a goal of spending 2 percent of their GDP on the military, but only a handful of countries have actually met that target. While defense spending has increased across the alliance, Trump says not enough has been done. Prior U.S. administrations have pressed Europe to invest more in its defense, but the matter has typically been handled by other officials in the government, said Ted Bromund, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation. \"What's new is that this time, it's the president saying it and saying it very bluntly,\" Bromund said. \"And in diplomacy that does end up changing the message and makes it sound much more serious and much more pressing.\" Some analysts say Trump's expectations for how fast NATO can ramp up military funding are unrealistic. Smith, who served as a national security adviser for then-Vice President Joe Biden, said Trump does not seem to understand the amount of planning it takes for some of these governments to expand their budgets. Increasing defense spending \"does not happen overnight,\" Smith said. \"It's not a light switch. You don't turn it on and off.\" Worry over meeting with Putin Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland, a few days after the NATO summit. The Trump-Putin meeting is also a source of anxiety for members of the alliance, who hope to deter aggressive actions from Russia. There is concern that Trump could be complimentary of Putin, in much the same way he was with North Korea's Kim. Another serious worry is that Trump will offer Putin concessions without consulting with NATO partners. When Trump met with Kim, he agreed to stop military exercises with South Korea, without giving South Korea any advance notice. The White House has tried to tamp down any expectations of a grand bargain being worked out during the Helsinki meeting. Still, even if no deal is reached, the summit could be a boost to Putin. \"Everything the president says that's positive about Russia and negative about the European alliance ... Putin will play that over and over again in his domestic TV audience to show how he's made Russia so great,\" said Evelyn Farkas of the Atlantic Council. \"It will be a victory for President Putin.\"", "History's most enduring multination military alliance turned 70 Thursday, but it was a milestone more notable for festering disputes than celebrations of harmony. Formed to protect a World War II-ravaged Europe in the throes of a Cold War with the Soviet Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is now grappling with ongoing uncertainty about the United States' commitment to its leading membership in NATO, questions about burden-sharing fairness, and criticism of the growing ties of some members with longtime adversaries. The organization's original mission was clear. In the words of Lord Hastings Lionel Ismay, NATO's first secretary-general, the alliance was created \"to keep the Soviet Union out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.\" Today, with the Soviet Union long gone and Germany reluctant to boost modest military outlays, NATO continues to fret about keeping America in and keeping Russia out. Here's a look at five dark clouds hanging over NATO as it enters its eighth decade. 1. Mixed signals from NATO's most powerful member Washington is where the treaty that established NATO was signed by its 12 original members. There are now 28 nations in the alliance in addition to the United States, but they sent only their foreign ministers — and not, notably, their heads of state or government — to the American capital for the 70th anniversary. It was a move that ensured President Trump, an unapologetic critic of NATO, would not appear. When Vice President Pence told the assembled NATO foreign ministers on the eve of the anniversary that \"NATO is stronger today because of the commitment of our allies but also because of the resolute American leadership of President Trump,\" he failed to muster a single clap of applause. The visiting top diplomats were certainly aware of reports that in meetings with his advisers over the past year, Trump had repeatedly broached pulling out of NATO. It's the U.S. Congress that has taken the lead in reassuring NATO that the United States remains committed to the alliance. In January, the Democratic-led House overwhelmingly approved legislation that prohibits the expenditure of any funds on a U.S. withdrawal from NATO. At the invitation of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday became the first NATO secretary-general to address a joint meeting of Congress, an honor that also served as a rebuke to Trump's jabs at NATO. 2. Bad blood over defense spending Tensions between the U.S. and its NATO allies over their defense spending levels are at their highest level in decades. After Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, those allies made a commitment to boost their defense expenditures to at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product by 2024. Only seven of Washington's 28 NATO partners have reached or surpassed that target. While speaking to the foreign ministers gathered for the anniversary, Pence specifically name-checked Germany for planning to spend 1.3 percent of its GDP on defense this year. \"It is simply unacceptable,\" Pence scolded, \"for Europe's largest economy to continue to ignore the threat of Russian aggression and neglect its own self-defense and our common defense at such a level.\" 3. Turkey arms purchase standoff Turkey has been a member of NATO since 1952; it has the second-largest military in the alliance after the U.S. and is valued as a key strategic linchpin as a nation bordering the Black Sea, the Mediterranean and the Middle East. But the U.S. is in a quickly escalating standoff with Turkey over Ankara's decision to buy Russia's S-400 air defense missile system — an acquisition that the U.S. insists would endanger the fleet of 100 F-35 stealth jet fighters that Turkey plans to buy from the warplane's manufacturer, Lockheed Martin Corp. \"Turkey's purchase of a $2.5 billion S-400 anti-aircraft-missile system from Russia poses great danger to NATO and to the strength of this alliance,\" Pence told the assembled foreign ministers, among them Turkey's Mevlut Cavusoglu. \"If Turkey completes its purchase of the Russian S-400 missile system, Turkey risks expulsion from the joint F-35 program.\" That threat from Pence came hours after Cavusoglu declared in an interview at the Washington-based Atlantic Council, \"S-400 is a done deal and we will not step back on this.\" 4. Russia Trump's decision in February to withdraw from the Reagan-era Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty prompted Moscow, the pact's only other signatory, to do likewise. That removes restrictions that have kept the two nations from deploying ground-based nuclear-tipped missiles whose short flying times leave little margin for defending against them. The U.S. is well beyond the range of such Russian missiles, but Europe most certainly is not. Still, NATO's Stoltenberg insists there will be no tit-for-tat with a Russia he, too, accuses of having cheated on the INF treaty. \"NATO has no intention of deploying land-based nuclear missi", "Vice President Mike Pence told European allies Saturday that the U.S. remains committed to NATO, despite President Trump's praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin and stated interest in pursuing better relations with Russia. In a speech during his first overseas trip since taking office, Pence told leaders at the Munich Security Conference in Germany that the U.S. \"strongly supports\" NATO and that \"the United States is now and will always be your greatest ally.\" But Pence echoed President Trump's demand for NATO members to spend more on beefing up their military capacity, saying that the promise to \"share the burden\" has gone \"unfulfilled\" by almost all of the alliance's 28 member countries. Members of NATO have committed to spending at least 2 percent of GDP on defense, but Pence said the U.S. and only four other NATO members actually do. Pence also sought to put distance between the Trump administration and Russia as recent reports have said that Trump campaign staff had contact with Russian intelligence and that former national security adviser Mike Flynn spoke with Russia's ambassador about sanctions. \"The United States will continue to hold Russia accountable\" for actions in Ukraine, Pence said, adding that Russia must follow the 2015 Minsk peace agreement. Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea region in 2014 and has supported pro-Russian separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine. The annexation of Crimea has especially made Eastern European Baltic states nervous that the U.S. would not follow through on NATO's Article 5 — that \"an attack against one Ally is considered as an attack against all Allies.\" As NPR's Lucian Kim noted last year, \"the United States has been leading a military buildup in Eastern Europe to ensure the same won't happen to NATO's newest allies.\" But Trump has made those countries jittery by calling NATO \"obsolete,\" praising Putin as a strong leader and saying he \"would love to be able to get along with Russia.\" Trump has also praised the U.K.'s \"Brexit\" vote to leave the European Union. President Trump's Secretary of Defense James Mattis made some of the same points as Pence when he addressed the conference Friday, saying Trump \"has thrown now his full support to NATO,\" and pressing members to spend more on defense. Pence is scheduled to meet with the leaders of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine on Saturday, according to The Associated Press, and has planned a visit to Brussels on Sunday and Monday, where the European Union is headquartered.", "European leaders hailed what they called the wisdom of mutual defense on Thursday after Donald Trump raised doubts about his commitment to America's NATO obligations if he's elected president. The Republican nominee told the New York Times that before he'd intervene to help Baltic members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in a potential crisis with Russia, he'd review whether those nations \"have fulfilled their obligations to us ... If they fulfill their obligations to us, the answer is yes.\" Mutual defense is the bedrock principle of the 28-member Atlantic alliance, created to enable European militaries to fight together during the Cold War in case of an attack by the Soviet Union. NATO's Article V dictates that an attack on one member is considered an attack on them all. Trump, however, has faulted many NATO members as what he calls freeloaders, falling short of their obligations to contribute at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product in defense spending. His criticism on that issue is a familiar note of complaint for American secretaries of defense, but his declaration that he'd have to review \"obligations\" before aiding a NATO member appeared to be a new position. According to a transcript released by the newspaper, Times Washington correspondent David Sanger asked Trump about the danger Russia poses to the Baltic States following its military seizure of parts of Ukraine. As president, would he come to their aid? \"TRUMP: I don't want to tell you what I'd do because I don't want Putin to know what I'd do. I have a serious chance of becoming president and I'm not like Obama, that every time they send some troops into Iraq or anyplace else, he has a news conference to announce it. \"SANGER: They are NATO members, and we are treaty-obligated —— \"TRUMP: We have many NATO members that aren't paying their bills. \"SANGER: That's true, but we are treaty-obligated under NATO, forget the bills part. \"TRUMP: You can't forget the bills. They have an obligation to make payments. Many NATO nations are not making payments, are not making what they're supposed to make. That's a big thing. You can't say forget that. \"SANGER: My point here is, Can the members of NATO, including the new members in the Baltics, count on the United States to come to their military aid if they were attacked by Russia? And count on us fulfilling our obligations —— \"TRUMP: Have they fulfilled their obligations to us? If they fulfill their obligations to us, the answer is yes.\" NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg responded carefully on Thursday, not faulting Trump, telling BuzzFeed News that NATO was as good for the U.S. as it is for Europe. \"Solidarity among allies is a key value for NATO,\" Stoltenberg said. \"This is good for European security and good for US security. We defend one another.\" Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves also didn't allude to Trump by name, but declared on Twitter that his nation met his defense spending obligations and supports all member nations. \"We are equally committed to all our NATO allies, regardless of who they may be,\" he wrote. \"That's what makes them allies.\" Ilves pointed out that Estonia responded to the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S. — the only time NATO's Article V has ever been invoked — by joining the international deployments of troops to Afghanistan. International commentators are sounding alarm bells about what they call Trump's concessions to Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin. The two men have praised each other generally in public comments, but Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic contends there's much more going on in the positions Trump and the GOP are taking. \"I am arguing that Trump's understanding of America's role in the world aligns with Russia's geostrategic interests; that his critique of American democracy is in accord with the Kremlin's critique of American democracy; and that he shares numerous ideological and dispositional proclivities with Putin — for one thing, an obsession with the sort of \"strength\" often associated with dictators,\" he wrote. Russian chess master Garry Kasparov, an outspoken critic of Putin and Trump, observed that Trump and allies inside the Republican Party changed language in the platform ahead of this week's convention in Cleveland that weakened the official support for arming Ukraine: \"The Trump staff got the language changed to 'appropriate assistance,' a meaningfully meaningless phrase that no doubt pleased Putin very much.\" Before his comments on Thursday about NATO's Article V, however, Trump's criticism of NATO was a mainstream position within national security circles in Washington. Pentagon officials have griped for years that only a handful of the 28 members in the alliance meet their spending commitments and that Europe's wealthiest powers, including France and Germany, do not. Secretaries of Defense Robert Gates and Leon Panetta also complained about NATO's bureaucracy and what they call its inability to put its theoretical", "President Trump arrives in Brussels Tuesday for a summit at NATO, the latest pillar of the international order left wobbling by his adversarial approach to allies. With his escalating complaints that the United States contributes more than its fair share to defense, and vague threats to countries that do not spend more, Trump is diluting the alliance's appearance of unity, say diplomats and analysts. And, the prospect of a less-than-committed U.S. has thrown some of Europe's military weaknesses into plain view. The main idea behind the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, formed in 1949 in the first frost of the Cold War, is that an attack against one member state is considered an attack on the entire bloc, which should respond with actions. The alliance invoked that concept after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S. and deploys international forces alongside U.S. troops in Afghanistan and other parts of the world. But Trump has called into question whether the U.S. should continue to uphold its guarantees to NATO. In a couple of tweets on Monday, he said \"NATO benefits ... Europe far more than it does the U.S.\" And he told supporters at a rally in Montana last week that he had told German leader Angela Merkel, \"We're protecting you, and it means a lot more to you ... because I don't know how much protection we get by protecting you.\" The United States outspends every country on the planet on the military, and its defense spending makes up more than two-thirds of NATO's indirect costs. For years, U.S. leaders have pressed allies to up their spending, rather than \"holding our coats while we did all the fighting,\" as President Barack Obama put it in 2016. The United States is projected to spend 3.5 percent of its gross domestic product on defense this year, according to new NATO estimates. Germany, Europe's largest economy, will put little more than 1.2 percent of GDP this year, and only a handful of member states are expected to spend at least 2 percent. The alliance agreed members should aim for the 2 percent goal within a decade after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine, which cooperates with NATO, in 2014. However, allies seem more concerned by Trump's approach than his predecessors'. That's because he has shown he has no qualms about upending established policies or pacts with global partners, and because he has explicitly tied security issues to trade and economic ones. \"They kill us on NATO,\" Trump told the rally in Montana. \"Of course, they kill us on trade. They kill us on other things. They make it impossible to do business in Europe, yet they come in and they sell their Mercedes and BMWs to us.\" Previously, trade and security were always considered separately, said Roland Freudenstein, head of research at the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies in Brussels. \"Through the entire post-World War II history, economic relations and security relations were largely compartmentalized in the Atlantic context,\" said Freudenstein. \"They were independent of each other.\" He continued, \"suddenly you have a situation where the U.S. president wants to connect the two things. And that is a change that Europe has a problem to deal with.\" When the president put tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, which affected key trade partners including European countries, he cited national security concerns as his reason. He may have had political reasons for tying trade to security: It allowed him to bypass Congress as he imposed the tariffs. But Freudenstein says Europeans did not necessarily understand that. \"There is a communication problem there,\" he said, adding that the controversial moves could have the adverse effect of making it difficult for European leaders to legislate to increase their defense budgets. \"No one wants to look like Trump's poodle.\" Although diplomats say Trump's tone concerns them, they say they continue to see impressive U.S. investment in Europe and would be surprised if the U.S. dramatically decreased its commitment to NATO. Yet, even leaving America aside, there is pressing business at the summit about NATO countries' fitness to fight. Analyst Karlijn Jans of the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies said there have been numerous governmental and independent reports \"talking about the dire state of especially European militaries — in terms of how they're able to deploy, if they can work together in the battlefield, communicate with each other.\" Jans said it is vital to discuss not just how much countries are spending but if they are doing so in a way that makes them able to work together. Since Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, the country has built up its forces close to Baltic states. A recent report by a British parliamentary committee noted Russia has conducted three times as many military exercises as NATO countries in the last three years, and ramped up submarine activity, too. Since then, NATO has also increased exercises and spending and deployed troops from about 20 of the allie", "President Trump reaffirmed America's commitment to a core NATO defense policy and discussed Russia's meddling in the U.S. election Thursday, in remarks to reporters and in an address delivered during a brief visit to Poland. Appearing next to Polish President Andrzej Duda, Trump accused Russia of \"destabilizing behavior,\" delivering a rare criticism of the country. Trump has repeatedly said he wanted to improve relations between Russia and the U.S. The president is in Europe for the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, on Friday. At Thursday's news conference, Trump focused largely on assailing both the U.S. media and his predecessor, along with criticizing Russia's actions abroad. When asked if he could definitively say Russia interfered in the U.S. election, Trump responded that \"I think it was Russia and I think it could have been other people in other countries.\" He added, \"I think it could very well have been Russia but I think it well could have been other countries and I won't be specific.\" He later said that \"nobody really knows for sure,\" and separately, \"it was Russia, and I think it was probably others also.\" He refrained from sharply criticizing Russia for any election interference and instead directed his ire toward former President Barack Obama. Trump said the CIA briefed Obama about election meddling in August of last year, but Obama \"did nothing about it.\" \"Why did he do nothing from August all the way to Nov. 8?\" Trump said, saying the reason was because Obama expected Hillary Clinton to win the presidency. Earlier in the session, Trump spent time insulting the media, singling out CNN and saying \"they have been fake news for a long time,\" and adding that \"NBC is equally as bad.\" As NPR's Scott Horsley reports for Morning Edition, Trump also \"questioned whether the findings of the U.S. intelligence community can be trusted.\" The president spoke one day before he's scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the European summit in Germany. Responding to a question about the ongoing threat of North Korea and its missile and nuclear programs, Trump said they \"are behaving in a very, very dangerous manner.\" \"I have some pretty severe things that we're thinking about,\" he said, in response to the country's latest provocation, which this time was the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile on Tuesday. Trump would not specify any U.S. action, stating, \"I don't know, we'll see what happens\" and \"I don't draw red lines.\" In a 35-minute speech delivered to a warmly receptive crowd in Warsaw that often chanted his name, the American leader reiterated the U.S. promise to fulfill its NATO obligation of defending allied countries — something he was criticized for not doing during a visit to NATO headquarters last month, when he accused other countries of not paying enough to fund the alliance. \"To those who would criticize our tough stance,\" Trump said, \"I would point out that the United States has demonstrated not merely with words but with its actions that we stand firmly behind Article 5, the mutual defense commitment.\" In his speech and at the news conference, Trump praised Poland for its military spending. Trump has criticized other European NATO members for not meeting the organization's goal of devoting 2 percent of their GDP to military spending. \"As a result of this insistence, billions of dollars more have begun to pour into NATO,\" Trump said. \"In fact, people are shocked. But billions and billions of dollars more are coming in from countries that, in my opinion, would not have been paying so quickly.\" Trump will meet other European leaders at Friday's G-20 summit, including his first personal meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin since taking office in January.", "At a NATO summit in Brussels, President Trump marked the unveiling of memorials of the Berlin Wall and the Sept. 11 attacks with a speech that, among other things, told gathered NATO leaders their levels of defense funding are \"not fair\" to U.S. taxpayers. Trump also omitted any clear statement of support for Article 5, the NATO mutual-defense pledge — something other leaders had been hoping to hear. The Associated Press described Thursday's speech as an \"unprecedented one-two punch\" that \"further rattled\" an already anxious Europe. And at home, one Democratic leader called the remarks \"condescending\" and an \"embarrassment,\" while Republican Sen. Rand Paul said he applauded Trump's stance. The speech opened with a moment of silence for the Manchester attack and with an extended reflection on the danger posed by terrorists, who Trump called \"losers,\" before pivoting to the question of defense funding. It had been widely expected that Trump would use the speech as an opportunity to call for other NATO leaders to increase their own military spending, as NPR's Tamara Keith explained on Morning Edition before the event. \"Do your part, pay your fair share. That's his basic message,\" Tamara reports. \"He wants them to keep their commitments that they've made — they've set this goal of spending 2 percent of their nations' GDP on national defense, to contribute to the strength of the alliance.\" The U.S., which has by far the largest military budget in the world, spends well more than that — 3.6 percent of GDP last year, for instance, according to The Economist. Most NATO members, meanwhile, spend less than the 2 percent benchmark. Trump said in his speech that he has been \"very, very direct\" with NATO leadership about the need for member nations to increase their military budgets. The current situation, he said, \"is not fair to the people and taxpayers of the United States. And many of these nations owe massive amounts of money from past years and not paying in those past years. Over the last eight years, the United States spent more on defense than all other NATO countries combined.\" Just as notable as what Trump said, however, is what he didn't say. Other NATO leaders wanted him to \"express a commitment to Article 5 of the NATO charter, which says that an attack on one nation is an attack on all nations,\" Tamara reports. \"President Trump, during the campaign, had not shown a full commitment to that.\" And he didn't really clarify the situation on Thursday. Trump did mention Article 5 in his speech — it was unavoidable, given the memorial he was unveiling. \"We remember and mourn those nearly 3,000 innocent people who were brutally murdered by terrorists on September 11th, 2001,\" he said. \"Our NATO allies responded swiftly and decisively, invoking for the first time in its history the Article 5 collective defense commitments.\" But that was a historical observation, not a pledge for the future. And while Trump made rhetorical nods toward common defense, speaking of \"the commitments that bind us together as one\" and saying the U.S. \"will never forsake the friends who stood by our side,\" he didn't explicitly recommit the U.S. to Article 5. Trump also took a dig at the cost of the brand-new building where he was speaking. \"I never asked once what the new NATO headquarters cost. I refuse to do that,\" he said, invoking the issue by pretending not to talk about it. \"But it is beautiful.\" Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the second-ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives, said in a statement that Trump \"should not be lecturing our closest and most steadfast allies.\" \"I was appalled by his condescending remarks to NATO leaders today, which were an embarrassment for our country,\" Hoyer said, suggesting Trump should instead reaffirm the U.S. commitment to common defense. Another Democrat, Rep. Jared Huffman of California, more subtly critiqued Trump's decorum at the summit, retweeting a video showing Trump pushing aside another leader. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., meanwhile, said he applauds Trump \"for holding NATO leaders accountable.\" \"We shouldn't be subsidizing other nations,\" he said on Twitter.", "The bond between the United States and the United Kingdom runs deep. The phrase \"special relationship\" was made famous by Prime Minister Winston Churchill in a speech in Missouri in 1946, after the two countries fought shoulder to shoulder in World War II. Security is still a cornerstone of the relationship, as are trade and less tangible things like shared language and the fact that many Americans are proud of their British roots. But as President Trump arrives in Britain on Thursday, he will find plenty of people who think it is more important to oppose him than it is to nurture U.S.-U.K. ties. \"It is in the interests of the U.K. to stand up and take a firm moral stance,\" said Zoe Gardner, a researcher and spokesperson of the Stop Trump Coalition, which is organizing protests this week in cities across the country. \"We are at a very key point in history right now, and we need to take a stand.\" Gardner, who works with refugees as part of her doctoral research at the London School of Economics, said Trump's speeches about refugees and immigrants are \"a very dangerous line of rhetoric to be normalized.\" The demonstrations are expected to attract large crowds. A giant inflatable depiction of Trump as a nearly naked baby will hover above Parliament Square. Permission for the float was issued by London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who has exchanged back-and-forth criticism with Trump. The U.S. Embassy in London alerted American citizens there to \"exercise caution\" and \"keep a low profile.\" Trump heads to the U.K. after this week's NATO summit in Brussels, at which he slammed allies for not spending more on defense. He arrives about a year and a half after Prime Minister Theresa May invited him for a visit, an invitation that was met intense opposition in the U.K. — almost 2 million people signed a petition to rescind the invite. Some British citizens are even more distressed about Trump than they are about the U.K.'s own feverish political turmoil. That includes this week's resignations of members of the Cabinet and Parliament over May's proposals to keep some agreements intact after leaving the European Union next year. In the busy south London neighborhood of Brixton, Victor Greetham, who runs a jazz bar, said he hasn't been to a demonstration since he protested against the Iraq War in 2003, but he planned to attend one of the protests against Trump's visit. \"It's a disastrous and divisive time, and Trump is very much part of that,\" he said. \"You need to be a part of saying no to some of these people. I'm 54 years old, we lived through pretty good times. We seem to be going into a cycle of rather regressive thinking.\" May has had to defend Trump's visit in the face of fiery criticism from opposition lawmakers. She pointed out there are many issues that legislators have urged her to raise with her American counterpart. Last month, Labour member of Parliament Gavin Shuker ran down a list of objections to Trump: the separation of migrant families and detention of children; the U.S. departure from the United Nations' Human Rights Council; the U.S. president's praise for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The prime minister will host a gala dinner and a meeting with Trump, giving them time to talk. She said they will discuss security and defense, an aspect of the relationship that is causing anxiety for some British politicians. In June, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis wrote to his British counterpart Gavin Williamson warning that if the U.K. wants \"to remain the U.S. partner of choice,\" it should spend more on defense and noted that France is increasing military spending. It would be a blow for Britain to lose that special status, said Shashank Joshi, a British security analyst. \"They trust us with stuff on intelligence,\" he said. \"They trust us on issues to do with nuclear missiles in a way that they don't trust any other country.\" But that could change. Joshi added that the defense community's worry \"is that Trump will wake up one day and say, 'Hey, why are we giving all this stuff to the Brits?' \" The economic and trade relationship with the U.S. is also vital: The U.S. is the U.K.'s single largest trading partner. The future of its ties is uncertain, muddied by confusion over Brexit. \"There is definitely a sense that Britain needs America more because of Brexit,\" said Bronwen Maddox, head of the Institute for Government, a think tank. \"Britain is going to have to look right around the world for allies with which to do trade deals.\" Yet according to David Wemer of the Atlantic Council, a new U.S.-U.K. trade deal isn't a high priority for the Trump administration. Trump is not expected to spend time in central London. The prime minister will host him for dinner at Blenheim Palace, the ancestral home of Churchill near Oxford, and then for the meeting at the prime ministerial country retreat Chequers, north of London. The president is then set to take tea with Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle, before heading to Scotland and ", "Sitting next to each other with cameras rolling on Tuesday, President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron made their differences known on trade, Turkey, Russia, ISIS and the appropriate role for NATO. Early on in the extended exchange between the leaders of two of the most significant powers in the NATO alliance, Trump expressed confidence that their personal connection could overcome policy disagreements. \"That's usually the case with the two of us,\" Trump said. \"We get it worked out.\" But earlier in the day, when Macron was not sitting by his side, Trump had sharp words for the French president. Trump took umbrage with Macron's recent assessment that the NATO alliance is experiencing \"brain death.\" \"That is a very, very, very nasty statement,\" Trump said of Macron, who in an Economist interview last month questioned NATO's strength \"in light of the commitment of the United States.\" Trump repeatedly called NATO \"obsolete\" during his presidential campaign. The alliance was formed after World War II to create a bulwark against Soviet aggression. As president, Trump has badgered other countries in the 70-year-old alliance to boost their defense spending while complaining that the United States is carrying everyone else's weight. \"Nobody needs NATO more than France,\" Trump said during a lengthy question-and-answer session with reporters at the start of a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. \"And, frankly, the one that benefits, really the least, is the United States. We benefit the least. We're helping Europe. ... And that's why I think that when France makes a statement like they made about NATO, it's a very dangerous statement for them to make.\" It was a shift in perspective for Trump, who has gone from constantly criticizing NATO and failing to explicitly endorse Article 5 — the mutual defense agreement — to now saying \"NATO serves a great purpose\" and taking credit for what he called improvements. \"NATO, which was really heading in the wrong direction three years ago, was heading down, if you look at a graph. It was to a point where I don't think they could have gotten on much longer,\" Trump said. \"Now it's actually very strong and getting stronger.\" Trump attributes this to countries stepping up and bulking up their defense budgets, \"I think really at my behest.\" While meeting with Trump, Macron did not pull his punches. \"But when you speak about NATO, it's not just about money. We have to be respectful,\" Macron said in one of several moments of pointed contrast. Trump and Macron have had a generally good relationship, even as they disagree strongly on climate policy and the Iran nuclear agreement, among other things. Another item putting that relationship to the test is trade. On the eve of the NATO gathering, the Trump administration proposed 100% tariffs on nearly $2.5 billion in French goods, cheese and wine. The tariffs would serve as retaliation for the French Digital Services Tax, which the U.S. trade representative says discriminates against U.S. tech giants Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google. \"Emmanuel had an idea: Let's tax those companies. Well, they're American companies,\" Trump said. \"I'm not going to let people take advantage of American companies. Because if anyone's going to take advantage of the American companies, it's going to be us. It's not going to be France.\"", "Reversing the harsh criticisms he has leveled at NATO, President Trump says the alliance is very strong — in part because of promises from America's allies to boost their military budgets to 2 percent of their gross domestic product. Trump called those commitments a major victory; they were first made in 2014. After raising the threat of the U.S. leaving NATO, Trump said Thursday that there are no problems, adding that America's allies had pledged to increase defense spending commitments \"very substantially.\" \"We are doing numbers like they've never done before or ever seen before,\" Trump said, at the close of the NATO summit in Brussels. The number that the president mentioned — 2 percent of countries' GDP — was in fact a main product of NATO meetings four years ago, when member nations pledged to move toward that threshold by 2024, a deadline that seemingly still stands after this week's NATO sessions. \"It will be over a relatively short period of years,\" Trump said. After Trump spoke, French President Emmanuel Macron said nothing had changed from NATO's earlier commitment, despite Trump's claims. \"There is a communiqué that was published yesterday. It's very detailed,\" Macron said, according to France 24. \"It confirms the goal of 2 percent by 2024. That's all.\" In February, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said only about half of the alliance's 29 members are on track to meet the 2024 deadline — which he said would boost spending by $46 billion. Only eight countries expect to meet the target in 2018, he said. Still, Trump celebrated both the 2 percent figure and his approach to these meetings, saying, \"I think that NATO is much stronger now than it was two days ago.\" He also said the other leaders had thanked him for raising the issue of how to support NATO's operations. \"Yesterday, I let them know that I was extremely unhappy with what was happening,\" Trump said, arguing that the U.S. has been paying more than its fair share to NATO. Describing the dynamics of the talks, he said, \"I was using the term a lot today: burden-sharing.\" When Trump was asked about his threat to pull the U.S. out of NATO, he said that idea was no longer necessary and mentioned the member nations' financial commitments. Of the alliance, he said it was \"very unified, very strong, no problem.\" Addressing a question about his consistency — and whether he might have less glowing comments about NATO on his Twitter account, Trump said, \"No, that's other people that do that, I don't. I'm very consistent. I'm a very stable genius.\" Trump also reiterated his criticisms of Germany, which he said earlier this week was \"totally controlled by Russia\" because of a deal for a natural gas pipeline. \"Germany has agreed to do a lot better than they were doing, and we're very happy with that,\" Trump said, without going into specifics. In the end, Trump said, the NATO talks concluded on good terms. \"Everybody in the room thanked me,\" he said. \"There's a great collegial spirit in that room that I don't think they've had in many years. They're very strong.\" Trump's comments came in a wide-ranging news conference after a special meeting on defense spending. He also discussed his upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, his efforts to broker a lasting deal with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. and the immigration crisis that has been playing out in Europe. Trump said his summit with Putin, which is to take place Monday in Helsinki, would be a loose meeting with \"no big schedule\" but one that could still be productive. As for what he and Putin will discuss, Trump said Syria will be a main topic, as will Russia's attempts to interfere in the 2016 election that put Trump in the White House. When asked how that conversation might go, Trump said, \"He may deny it. I mean, it's one of those things. All I can do is say 'Did you?' and 'Don't do it again' — but he may deny it.\" Before meeting with Putin, Trump is visiting London and the U.K. — where many large protests are planned against his policies. \"I think it's fine,\" Trump said when asked about the protests. \"I mean, I think they like me a lot in the U.K., I think they agree with me on immigration.\" Trump also reiterated an earlier comment he made about this trip, saying of his meetings with America's European and NATO allies and then Russia's leader, \"Putin may be the easiest of them all. You never know.\" Trump said that Putin is not an enemy but \"a competitor\" — and that while he doesn't see the Russian leader as a friend, \"I think we get along well.\" In response to those ideas, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., took exception. \"Putin is not our friend nor merely a competitor,\" McCain said via Twitter. \"Putin is our enemy .... He chose to invade Ukraine & annex Crimea. He chose to help [Bashar] Assad slaughter Syrians. He chose to attack our election & undermine democracies around the world.\" During Trump's meeting with Putin, McCain said, the president \"must reverse his disturbing tendenc", "The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which has ensured peace in Europe since the end of World War II, woke up Wednesday to what seemed like a nightmare: an incoming U.S. president who openly questions the value of the alliance. During his campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly criticized NATO, calling the organization \"obsolete.\" He also suggested that America might not defend fellow NATO countries that didn't help reimburse the U.S. for the cost of its troops and bases in Europe. That threat strikes at the foundation of the organization: the principle of mutual defense, that an attack on one is an attack on all. Bruno Lete, a security analyst at the German Marshall Fund, recalls scrolling through colleagues' social media posts the morning after the American election. \"It was as if people would believe that it is the end of the world,\" said Lete in an interview at the think tank's offices in Brussels. \"That it is the end of the trans-Atlantic bonds, that the Americans will no longer have the back of Europe, that we basically lost our only friend on the planet.\" This coming week, European Union foreign and defense ministers will meet in Brussels to discuss greater cooperation on defense and security, according to analysts. The agenda has been in the works for some time, but Trump's election has given it greater urgency. \"In the hours we are living, there is, there will be, an increasing 'demand of Europe' from our neighbors and from our partners worldwide,\" said Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, in a speech earlier this week. Then, in what seemed a direct reference to the United States under a Trump administration, Mogherini added: \"There is and there will be a growing request for a principled global security provider.\" The Baltics are nervous Trump's criticism that other NATO allies don't pay their fair share is nothing new and he has a point. NATO has set a goal that nations should spend the equivalent of 2 percent of their GDP on defense, but most don't. However, the idea that the U.S. – the dominant military force in NATO — might not defend an ally frightened many in Brussels and beyond. Among the most fearful NATO countries are Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, tiny nations that lie along the Baltic Sea and share borders with Russia. The Soviet Union annexed the Baltics in World War II, but they regained independence after the collapse of the USSR. The countries joined NATO in 2004, which infuriated Russian President Vladimir Putin. In 2014, Russia invaded and annexed Crimea, an autonomous region of Ukraine. People in the Baltics worry that Russia could target them next. That's why Britain announced last month it was sending about 800 soldiers along with tanks and drones to Estonia as part of a NATO effort to counter Russian aggression. The U.S. is heading up another battle group in Poland; Canada will lead one in Latvia and Germany, in Lithuania. If Trump's doubts about NATO weren't enough to rattle the Baltics, his complimentary remarks about Putin — a fierce critic of NATO who has threatened repeatedly to \"protect\" Russian-speaking minorities in the Baltics — has only added to their anxiety and a sense that the liberal, democratic order on the continent is under threat. \"I think the shock and the amazement in Europe is about how much of a rupture president-elect Trump is compared to any other American politicians since 1947,\" said Jonathan Eyal, international director at the Royal United Services Institute, a military think tank in London. Eyal said Trump is creating a dangerous \"perception that Washington no longer cares about its formal strategic alliances.\" A different approach Eyal says past American presidents were motivated by the shared values of democracy and freedom that bind NATO nations together. Trump, he says, is completely different. He sees the relationship with NATO as transactional and is focused on what's in it for him and the United States. Eyal says that has the Russians hoping that Trump is the kind of leader willing to cut a geopolitical deal. \"I think there are a lot of people in Moscow who see the real estate and property tycoon as being absolutely right and ready for a division into the spheres of influence between Russia and the United States,\" Eyal said in a phone interview. Eyal emphasized he doesn't think Europe will be carved up, but he worries about Trump creating misperceptions in the Kremlin. Since Trump made many grand claims and criticisms during the presidential race, analysts in Brussels hope his harsh words about NATO were mostly campaign rhetoric. And they hope he will change his mind about the military alliance when he attends a NATO summit in Brussels scheduled for next year. Lete, of the German Marshall Fund, suggested the organization adopt a pragmatic approach and appeal to Trump's way of thinking. \"NATO in fact could be described as an insurance policy for American prosperity,\" says Lete. \"Having these expensive U.S. soldiers in Europe basicall", "Why would Russian President Vladimir Putin want to help Donald Trump win the White House? That's the accusation from Democrats this week, after embarrassing internal Democratic National Committee emails appeared on Wikileaks on the eve of the party's convention in Philadelphia. The emails were lifted earlier this year in a hacking breach that security experts have linked to Russian espionage groups. As part of their pushback against the emails' damning details, many Democrats accuse Putin of trying to help Trump's campaign. They point to mutually admiring comments between the two men, as well as Trump policy proposals that many experts say would weaken NATO and cause the United States to retreat from the world stage. \"Experts are now saying that the Russians are releasing these emails for the purpose of actually helping Donald Trump,\" Hillary Clinton's campaign manager, Robby Mook, told CNN on Sunday. \"That foreign actors may be trying to influence our election — let alone a powerful adversary like Russia — should concern all Americans of any party,\" said ranking House Intelligence Committee Democrat Adam Schiff on Monday. Trump made light of the accusations on Twitter. When asked about Russia's role in releasing the DNC emails and about any Trump ties to the Kremlin, Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort told ABC's This Week that the accusations were \"obfuscation on the part of the Clinton campaign\" and that there are no ties between Trump and the Putin regime. Still, Russia is the prime suspect behind the DNC hack. The security firm the party brought in last month to deal with the data breach immediately pointed fingers toward what it called \"Russian espionage groups.\" \"If [it's a coincidence] it's a really great coincidence,\" said Russia expert Fiona Hill, who directs the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution. \"The Russians have a word — ne sluchaino. It means, not accidental. Not by chance.\" Hill said the Russian hackers may not be taking orders directly from Putin, but that they are clearly working with Russian foreign policy interests in mind. \"They don't have to be run directly by the Kremlin. They can just be encouraged,\" Hill said. \"They [Russian security services] are very good at knowing how to play our media. We are making this email leak into a huge story, as they knew we would.\" On a personal level, Trump said last fall that he and Putin \"would probably get along ... very well.\" He has repeatedly praised Putin's strength, particularly when it comes to military intervention in Syria. \"He's running his country, and at least he's a leader, you know unlike what we have in this country,\" Trump told MSNBC in December. During his annual end-of-year marathon news conference in December, Putin returned the compliment, calling Trump \"a bright personality, a talented person, no doubt.\" \"He says that he wants to move to a different level of relations, to a closer, deeper one, with Russia,\" Putin said. \"How can we not welcome that?\" And several advisers in Trump's orbit have close ties to Russia and Russian interests. Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who advises Trump on foreign policy, raised eyebrows in Washington by sitting at a table with Putin during a gala for the state-run English language news channel Russia Today last year. And Trump's top adviser, Manafort, has done political consulting work for Ukrainian politicians viewed as allies to Russia. More consequential for Moscow: Trump's repeated skepticism about the value and strength of the NATO alliance, which formed the pillar of Western Europe and North America's opposition to the Soviet Union over the past half century. A central tenet of the North Atlantic treaty is that member states view an attack against one of them as an attack against the entire alliance. But in an interview with the New York Times last week, Trump said he didn't necessarily view NATO that way. Asked about Russia's threatening activities, which have unnerved the small Baltic States that are among the more recent entrants into NATO, Trump said that if Russia attacked them, he would decide whether to come to their aid only after reviewing if those nations have \"fulfilled their obligations to us.\" \"If they fulfill their obligations to us,\" he added, \"the answer is yes.\" Trump has repeatedly criticized other NATO countries for not \"paying their fair share.\" \"We pay so much disproportionately more for NATO,\" Trump told a Wisconsin talk radio show in March. \"We are getting ripped off by every country in NATO, where they pay virtually nothing, most of them. And we're paying the majority of the costs.\" A Washington Post fact-check dove into NATO's complicated funding formula. The United States does pay more than any other country in the alliance. NATO rules require every country to spend 2 percent of its GDP on defense, but most alliance members regularly fall short of that guideline. American politicians have long groused about that spending gap; Pr", "President Trump met with British Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday, his first face-to-face meeting with a foreign leader since he took office a week ago. With the United Kingdom preparing to leave the European Union, May is looking for a trade deal with the U.S. \"I am convinced a trade deal between U.S. and U.K. is in national interest of both countries,\" the prime minister said at a White House news conference with Trump after their meeting. \"I think Brexit is going to be a wonderful thing for your country,\" Trump said. \"I think when it irons out you're going to have your own identity and you're going to have the people that you want in your country, and you're going to be able to make free trade deals without having somebody watching you and what you're doing.\" The two leaders also touched on the future of NATO, the post-World War II military alliance between the U.S. and Europe. During his campaign, Trump repeatedly criticized NATO, calling the organization \"obsolete.\" He also suggested that America might not defend fellow NATO countries that didn't help reimburse the U.S. for the cost of its troops and bases in Europe, as NPR's Frank Langfitt has reported. But during a speech Thursday to Republicans gathered in Philadelphia, May argued that U.S. support was crucial, saying, \"America's leadership role in NATO — supported by Britain — must be the central element around which the alliance is built.\" At the news conference, May said, \"On defense and security, we are united in our recognition of NATO as the bulwark of our collective defense,\" adding as she turned to Trump, \"Mr. President, I think you confirmed that you're 100 percent behind NATO.\" Trump did not address NATO. Asked whether his seeming change in position should be seen as genuine, he said, \"I really don't change my position very much.\" Ahead of the meeting with Trump, May faced political pressure at home over their relationship. \"Critics in Parliament said she should be more skeptical before cozying up to the new American president,\" Frank reported. One member of Parliament from Scotland, Pete Wishart, expressed particular concern about Trump's stated support for torture. \"When a United States president backs torture as an instrument of policy, when particular religions are picked out for exclusion, when women's rights are set back for decades, should this country not be just a little more cautious before accepting this Trumpian embrace?\" Wishart said. Asked about the issue on Friday, May did not directly address the issue of torture, confirming that, \"there will be times we disagree,\" and arguing that the \"special\" relationship between the two countries, referred to at least a dozen times during the news conference, allowed for \"open frank discussion\" on a range of topics. A 2005 law bans the cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of military detainees. On Friday, Trump appeared to say he would defer to his defense secretary on the issue of torture: \"We have a great General who has just been appointed Secretary of Defense, General James Mattis, and he has stated publicly that he does not necessarily believe in torture, or waterboarding, or however you want to define it — enhanced interrogation I guess is a word, a lot of words, a lot of people would like to use. I don't necessarily agree, but I will tell you he would override because I'm giving him that power.\" The president continued, \"I happen to feel it does work. I've been open about that for a long time. But I am going with our leaders and we're going to win with or without, but I do disagree.\"", "With David Folkenflik Defense Secretary James Mattis to retire at the end of February. President Trump decides to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria, and an announcement on Afghanistan may come, too. The president puts down a marker — on the wall. Guests Pierre Thomas, chief justice correspondent for ABC News. (@PierreTABC) Molly Ball, national political correspondent for Time. (@mollyesque) Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst. (@JackBeattyNPR) From The Reading List NPR: &#8220;Defense Secretary Mattis To Retire In February, Trump Says, Amid Syria Tension&#8221; &#8212; &#8220;Defense Secretary James Mattis, a living Marine Corps legend who made history by securing special permission from Congress to lead the Pentagon, is stepping down after a slow freeze-out by President Trump. &#8220;The president made the announcement via Twitter Thursday evening. &#8220;&#8216;General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years,&#8217; Trump wrote. &#8220;&#8216;General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!,&#8217; the president also wrote in a second tweet about the departure.&#8221; CNN: &#8220;Administration officials brace for Trump announcement on Afghanistan&#8221; &#8212; &#8220;Officials throughout the Trump administration are bracing themselves for the President to make an announcement about the US presence in Afghanistan, similar to his declaration Wednesday that the US will withdraw the military from Syria, informed administration sources tell CNN. &#8220;The sources cautioned that the President has not yet made a final decision, but officials are concerned and convinced that he might do so, and soon. &#8220;The US has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan, most of which are present as part of a larger NATO-led mission to train, advise and assist Afghan forces. Any withdrawal would be complicated by the fact that the United States is part of NATO&#8217;s Resolute Support mission.&#8221; New York Times: &#8220;Putin Welcomes U.S. Withdrawal From Syria as ‘Correct’&#8221; &#8212; &#8220;President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Thursday hailed the decision by President Trump to withdraw United States forces from Syria, calling it &#8216;correct&#8217; because the American troops were not needed. &#8220;Mr. Putin’s praise came a day after Mr. Trump said he was ordering the withdrawal because the United States military had achieved its goal of defeating the Islamic State militant group in Syria. Given the unfinished business on the ground in Syria, however, the move was a surprise to many, including some senior presidential military and diplomatic advisers in Washington. &#8220;The decision has been criticized, even among Republicans, as abandoning Kurdish allies in the face of a hostile Turkey and a still dangerous Islamic State, as well as leaving Syria open territory for the geopolitical ambitions of Russia and Iran.&#8221; CNBC: &#8220;Shutdown talks collapse: Trump won&#8217;t sign spending bill without wall money&#8221; &#8212; &#8220;President Donald Trump will not sign a Senate-passed spending bill, increasing the chances of a partial government shutdown. &#8220;The Senate unanimously approved the legislation Wednesday night to keep the government funded through Feb. 8. With Trump&#8217;s support, it appeared set to breeze through the House before the midnight Friday deadline to fund seven agencies that make up about a quarter of the government. &#8220;But Trump, who seeks $5 billion to build his proposed border wall, will refuse to sign the measure without his desired border security measures, House Speaker Paul Ryan said after a meeting with the president on Thursday. Trump&#8217;s decision throws more chaos into the late scramble to keep the government running through Christmas and into the new year.&#8221; Allison Pohle produced this show for broadcast.", "Updated at 3:10 p.m. ET While President Trump is in Brussels attacking NATO members for not spending enough on defense and calling Germany \"a captive\" of Russia for its support of a new pipeline to deliver Russian gas, lawmakers in Washington are standing up for the 69-year-old trans-Atlantic alliance. The House approved by voice vote a nonbinding resolution reaffirming U.S. support for NATO. House Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters on Capitol Hill that \"NATO is indispensable. It is as important today as it ever has been. We're reflecting that in a resolution that we're bringing to the floor today.\" The Senate voted 97-2 Tuesday night to approve a similar nonbinding resolution to reaffirm the U.S. relationship with and support for NATO. Democratic congressional leaders issued a rare joint statement harshly condemning Trump's remarks. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and her Senate counterpart, Chuck Schumer said: \"President Trump's brazen insults and denigration of one of America's most steadfast allies, Germany, is an embarrassment. His behavior this morning is another profoundly disturbing signal that the President is more loyal to President Putin than to our NATO allies.\" Trump's comments were \"ill-informed,\" said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. \"I'm very worried. This is a president who, since his first day in office, he cozies up to our adversaries and trashes our allies. That makes America less safe.\" Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he thinks the president is \"right about Germany buying gas from the Russians, that's counterproductive. I think he's right about the spending levels. What I hope he'll say is 'having said all that, my goal is to make NATO stronger.' And the only way it gets stronger is for us to up our game and for people to match the commitments they've made. The message to me is: NATO stronger is better for America.\" Ryan said he shared Trump's concerns over a Russian natural gas pipeline and Germany's spending on defense. \"Every time I've met with our allies in Europe I've raised those same concerns about Nord Stream II,\" the name of the pipeline, Ryan said. \"The president is right to point out that our NATO allies need to adhere to their commitments which is 2 percent of GDP for defense. Germany is the largest economy in the EU. Germany should be committing 2 percent to defense like they agreed to at the Wales conference.\" Still, that appears not to be enough for Trump, who told NATO leaders on Wednesday that they should be spending 4 percent of their GDP on defense. American officials say the U.S. is itself short of that mark, spending 3.3 percent of its GDP on defense. Trump made the same demand of NATO allies at last year's summit.", "NATO planes are still in the air and bombing targets over Libya, and Moammar Gadhafi is still on the loose. Nonetheless, NATO is taking something of a victory lap in the wake of an operation that broke new ground for the military alliance. But the Libyan operation also raised questions about its mission, its future role in such conflicts, and how it determines when to intervene. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told NPR he sees the Libya operation as a template for future NATO missions and proof that the United Nations can outsource its muscle to the alliance. \"I don't see that as a negative\" he said. \"On the contrary, it's very, very positive that NATO is able to support the United Nations Security Council and help implement its decisions. That adds to the credibility of the U.N., and I'm very pleased to see NATO in that role.\" Throughout the conflict, NATO has insisted that its actions are limited to supporting the U.N. resolution that calls for protecting civilians and enforcing an arms embargo. But NATO certainly pushed the boundaries, and critics say NATO ended up providing close air support for anti-Gadhafi rebels. To most observers, NATO was clearly taking the rebel side in a civil war and backing efforts to oust Gadhafi. Those critics worry that NATO risks becoming an armed service provider for the U.N. and other allies. That job description is a long way from what NATO still insists is its core, founding mission: to protect its members' territory and population. In addition, there are questions about possible interventions in the future. Critics point out that NATO moved quickly to intervene in oil-rich Libya, while there's been no serious discussion of such action in Syria, where President Bashar Assad has been waging a deadly crackdown on opponents of his government. European Countries In The Lead But Rasmussen said it was important to note the leading role played by European countries in Libya. European powers carried out the vast majority of the air strikes and only one of the 18 ships enforcing the arms embargo was American. \"This time European allies and Canada took the lead. And that's an answer to an American public that requests more European engagement,\" Rasmussen said. \"You saw it in Libya, and I hope to see that model used also in the future.\" But it's hard to take the lead — and maintain that position — when you run critically low on precision-guided bombs after barely two months into a conflict, as NATO's European allies did in Libya. The U.S. stepped in and sold the alliance ordnance, saving NATO from embarrassment. American Assets Crucial The U.S. launched 97 percent of the Tomahawk cruise missiles that crippled Gadhafi's air defenses at the start of the operation. And throughout, the U.S. also provided about 75 percent of all the aerial refueling and reconnaissance flights, and supplied key targeting and intelligence assets such as unmanned drones. \"Without critical American assets this would not have been possible, and I suppose one could argue that if the operation had to go on too much longer, it also would not have been possible,\" says Ian Lesser, executive director of the German Marshall Fund's trans-Atlantic center in Brussels. \"Clearly Europe was very hard-pressed,\" Lesser adds. \"They were running out of stocks. The lesson really is that the U.S. and Europe together need to refine their defense planning and procurement so they can get more for the amount they can spend.\" Rasmussen concedes the mission underscored weaknesses in NATO. \"The operation has made visible that the Europeans lack a number of essential military capabilities,\" he said. He says getting European NATO members to spend more wisely on defense, especially in a time of austerity, will be a key mission of his until the next big alliance gathering in Chicago next spring. But only 5 of the 28 NATO members are meeting the NATO requirement, which calls for members to spend at least 2 percent of their GDP on defense, according to the alliance's own figures. And Britain and others in the 2 percent club have announced plans for sharp defense cuts. Former British Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd believes the Libya mission represents a worrying trend for NATO because Europe's two largest military powers — Britain and France — shouldered most of the burden. \"We are the only two countries, apart from the United States, in NATO who actually have the will, the guts if you like, to intervene where intervention is clearly needed to prevent a slaughter.\" Only eight NATO allies took part in combat in Libya. European powerhouse Germany even pulled its crews out of NATO support aircraft. Germany's move revived concerns that the economic giant is not living up to its international political and military obligations. \"That's a serious weakness for the whole of Europe,\" says Giles Merritt, a military analyst and director of the Brussels think tank Security and Defence Agenda. \"German foreign policy still has not yet con", "One of the calculations in President Obama's decision Wednesday on U.S. troops in Afghanistan is the growing concern about the cost of military operations — not only in that country, but in other areas as well. Funding for NATO is coming under the microscope amid growing complaints about the U.S. paying a disproportionate share to the alliance. When NATO was formed at the end of the 1940s, its mission was clear-cut: a collective defense by European and American allies against the threat of the Soviet Union. As NATO's first secretary general, Gen. Lord Ismay, pithily summed it up the alliance was to keep the Russians out, the Americans in and the Germans down. NATO's mission may have shifted after the end of the Cold War, but one thing has remained constant: The U.S. is shouldering the military and financial burden of the alliance. Earlier this month, Robert Gates, in his final speech to NATO as defense secretary, said the U.S. could at one time justify contributing up to 50 percent of NATO's budget. \"But some two decades after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the U.S. share of NATO defense spending has now risen to more than 75 percent — at a time when politically painful budget and benefit cuts are being considered at home,\" he said. Gates said the U.S. is embroiled in two wars — Iraq and Afghanistan — and an economic crisis. He lashed out at NATO members for having grown reliant on American military capabilities instead of increasing their own defense budgets. Gates warned that the U.S. Congress and the American people were growing tired of picking up most of the tab. Heather Conley, director of the Europe program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, says there was a clear warning behind Gates' blunt talk. \"If our European partners are unwilling to take a step forward [and] increase their defense spending, they cannot assume that the U.S. will remain,\" she said. \"Its spending, its capabilities in Europe may have to be reduced in light of other budgetary restrictions.\" But Conley says Gates' message fell on deaf ears. She says there's not much political will in Europe to increase defense spending for NATO. Sean Kay, a professor of politics and government at Ohio Wesleyan University, has worked on NATO issues — inside and outside of government — for 30 years. He says there's little motivation for European nations to take on a greater role. Kay says it's a \"pretty good deal\" for the Europeans. \"If they can get away with spending very little on defense and getting the benefits of the American commitment, and we're willing to sustain that, then, you know, it's just as much a challenge for us to look at ourselves and ask, well, what are we going to do to change that calculus?\" Kay said. Kay says the U.S. does get something out of the alliance: validation of U.S. foreign policy objectives, and legitimacy for military operations like the one in Afghanistan. Gates has criticized NATO for not living up to its commitments in Afghanistan and for placing too many restrictions on the troops it sends there. But Robert Hunter, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, says many in the alliance see Afghanistan as an American mission, rather than a NATO one. He says the allies are much more reluctant to get involved in Afghanistan because they don't see themselves as directly affected by events there the way the U.S. does with regards to terrorism. \"As a result, I wouldn't say they were doing us a favor, but they did it in order to please the United States rather than if they didn't do it, they would suffer some direct consequences of security,\" he said. The military operation in Libya is being led by NATO, but relying heavily on the U.S. for intelligence, munitions and surveillance aircraft. Kay says European partners should be able to manage security concerns in their own backyard. Kay says the U.S. needs to have a fundamental rethink about its relationship with NATO allies. \"The real value of the American-European relationship today is in the trans-Atlantic economic relationship and the real threats and challenges to that are economic, not military,\" he says. So, he says, the NATO basis for that is not as crucial or even as important. Still, Kay says nothing should happen precipitously, or in a burst of isolationism. RENEE MONTAGNE, Host: It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne. STEVE INSKEEP, Host: President Obama will announce tonight both the size and pace of the withdrawal of American troops in Afghanistan. MONTAGNE: Also under the microscope is funding for NATO. Complaints that the U.S. is paying a disproportionate share for the alliance are escalating, as NPR's Jackie Northam reports. JACKIE NORTHAM: Earlier this month in his final speech to NATO as defense secretary, Robert Gates said at one time the U.S. could justify contributing up to 50 percent of NATO's budget. ROBERT GATES: But some two decades after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the U.S. share of NATO defense spending has ", "Iran tested a ballistic missile barely a week into Donald Trump's presidency. North Korea then shot off a missile of its own. A Russian warship has been hanging out about 30 miles off the U.S. East Coast, and Moscow's fighter jets recently buzzed a U.S. warship in the Black Sea. President Trump has been in office less than a month, and U.S. adversaries have already tested him on several fronts. So far, Trump's responses have been out of the traditional foreign policy playbook, and he's largely refrained from the bluster of his campaign, when he threatened radical action against a host of rivals — and even some allies. Trump has plenty of critics who say the transition period has been extremely rocky, and they point to the tumult surrounding the departure of national security adviser Michael Flynn this week. \"I think the national security agencies across the board — State Department, CIA, Defense Department — the career staff there are appalled,\" Richard Clarke, a counterterrorism adviser to three presidents, told Morning Edition. \"They've never seen this level of disorganization. They're not sure who to trust in the White House.\" Yet in his first few weeks, Trump has opted for limited, moderate responses to events that had the potential to escalate. Trump was hosting Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at an open-air dinner at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Feb. 10 when word broke that North Korea had fired a test missile into the Sea of Japan. As fellow diners noted, this created a flurry of activity, but Trump's public remarks were brief and restrained. \"I just want everybody to understand and fully know, that the United States of America stands behind Japan, its great ally, 100 percent,\" Trump said. After the ballistic missile test by Iran, the Trump administration added additional sanctions to 25 individuals and companies, which was seen as a modest response. Trump tweeted that \"Iran was playing with fire.\" But since taking office, the president has not yet given any indication that he will tear up the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, as he promised to do during the campaign. On the military front, U.S. commandos carried out a Jan. 29 raid in Yemen — which was initially planned during Barack Obama's final days — with mixed and disputed results. The U.S. military campaigns in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan have remained on the same trajectory that Trump inherited from Obama, though the new president has ordered a revamped plan for the battle against the Islamic State. After Trump's provocative campaign statements, many countries, including U.S. allies, are still wary of his plans on the international stage. That was evident Friday at the Munich Security Conference, where leaders referred to Trump's calls for tough action against Islamic radicals. \"We must beware of turning this fight into one against Islam and Muslims,\" said Germany's Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen. \"Otherwise we run the risk of deepening the trenches from which terrorism grows.\" A spotlight on Russia Russia has been the most active and most visible U.S. adversary in Trump's first month, and the president will have to address several issues: Russia's role in the Syrian war, Moscow's support for separatists in Ukraine and U.S. allies in Europe who are jittery about the future of NATO. Any action Trump takes will be placed under a microscope, given his complimentary remarks about Russian President Vladimir Putin during the campaign and the U.S. intelligence findings that Russia tried to influence the U.S. election. The Russians are already probing Trump's intentions, according to Clarke. \"I think [the Russians] are being aggressive because they think the U.S. won't do anything about it,\" he said. \"They think the president of the United States is a friend who wants good relations with them, and won't call them when they get more aggressive in Ukraine, which they've done, since the president came into office.\" Trump and Putin spoke by phone on Jan. 28, and both said they hoped for improved relations that have been deeply strained. However, they offered no specifics, and several points of friction have emerged since then. If Trump takes any actions seen as soft on Russia — like easing sanctions — he will face strong opposition in the U.S. foreign policy and military establishments, as well as many in his own Republican Party. A traditional response Trump's initial steps have been notable mostly because they are so similar to what his predecessors did. His ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, criticized Russia for its role in the Ukrainian conflict. After Trump described NATO as \"obsolete\" during the campaign, he dispatched Defense Secretary James Mattis to NATO headquarters in Brussels this week. Mattis called on members to spend more on defense and said the alliance needed to \"transform,\" but overall, the speech was seen as reassuring. NATO has been increasing its presence in eastern Europe, and that has continued with the recen", "Public support for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has generally improved in the U.S., Europe and Canada, according to a newly released poll from the Pew Research Center. The uptick in support comes in the wake of the turbulent U.S. presidential race where then-candidate Donald Trump called NATO \"obsolete,\" prompting European leaders to express alarm. Then, after an April meeting with NATO's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Trump declared: \"I said it was obsolete. It's no longer obsolete.\" But as NPR's Tamara Keith reported, \"he still wants its members to pay their fair share, as he puts it, meaning that they should spend a larger share of gross domestic product on their own national defense, as the NATO charter calls for.\" The U.S. has seen a jump in support for NATO of 9 percentage points in the past year, up to 62 percent. But that's fueled by a growing partisan divide on the issue — a 6-percentage point gap last year now stands at 31. Support among Democrats has rapidly climbed, from 58 percent to 78 percent. At the same time, support among U.S. Republicans has slightly dipped, from 52 percent to 47 percent. The researchers polled NATO member countries Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the U.K., along with nonmember Sweden. Support for NATO is up in Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland. \"And after a steep decline a year ago, most French again express a favorable view of the security alliance,\" the report reads. Do the United States' NATO partners trust the alliance to come to their aid if attacked by Russia? A median of 66 percent in the seven nations that participated said yes. In the U.S., 62 percent of respondents \"are willing to use military force to come to their ally's defense.\" That's more a result of shifts in U.S. Democrats than Republicans, the report states: \"Today, there are no partisan differences on living up to America's Article 5 commitment [that commits members to defending an ally if the ally is attacked]. But in 2015, the last time Pew Research Center asked this question, Republicans (69%) were far more likely than Democrats (47%) to back aiding allies in a confrontation with Russia. Since then, such Republican sentiment, now at 65%, has not changed much. Democrats' willingness to offer military support (63%) has increased 26 points.\" But willingness in Europe to come to a NATO ally's defense against Russia varied widely: Germany (40 percent); U.K. (45 percent); Spain (46 percent); France (53 percent); Canada (58 percent); Poland (62 percent); and the Netherlands (72 percent). Pew interviewed 1,505 people in February and March of this year for the survey.", "Good morning, here are our early stories: -- Trump's Travel Ban Is Set To Take Effect On Thursday. -- Patients With Pre-Existing Conditions Fear Bias Under GOP Health Proposals. -- Trump Picks Republican Lawyer For FCC Commissioner Seat. And here are more early headlines: South Korean Leader To Meet Trump At White House. (CNN) Wildfires Scorch Western Lands, Force Evacuations. (AP) Chinese President In Hong Kong For Handover Anniversary. (VOA) NATO Countries Will Increase Their Defense Spending. (Politico) Trump Opens, Then Suddenly Closes Fundraiser To The Press. (CBS) Beheaded Civilians Seen In Philippines City Hit By Islamist Militants. (Guardian) Venezuelan Supreme Court Bars Senior Prosecutor From Leaving. (CNN)", "President Trump visited Brussels, Belgium for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) meetings and he had some sharp words for allies of America. \nBilateral Breakfast with NATO Secretary General in Brussels, Belgium&#8230; pic.twitter.com/l0EP3lzhCM — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 11, 2018 \nBREAKING: White House: Trump suggests NATO allies commit to spending 4 percent of GDP on defense; current goal is 2 percent. — The Associated Press (@AP) July 11, 2018 Critics of the president have often charged his &#8220;America First&#8221; policy as a statement that really means &#8220;America alone.&#8221; The Washington Post reports: The president’s approach also has been corrosive to relations with allies who increasingly believe that Trump — on trade, NATO and diplomacy — is undercutting the post-World War II order in pursuit of short-term, and likely illusory, wins. And these meetings ended&#8230;awkwardly. \nTrump arrived 30 minutes late to today’s NATO summit, missed his scheduled meetings with at least two world leaders, prompted the secretary general to call an emergency session, held an impromptu 35-minute news conference, and is now leaving for the airport go fly to London. — Rebecca Ballhaus (@rebeccaballhaus) July 12, 2018 With American foreign policy that seems to change every moment, can the alliances that have sustained the West survive? This take from The Atlantic suggests that they can. As a general rule, things that are rotten tend to collapse under pressure; things that have value tend to endure. The West has endured, as a strategic concept and a geopolitical reality, because it has value. Rather than writing its obituary or predicting its imminent collapse, those who believe in the transatlantic alliance should therefore look to the future with a measure of confidence in our ability to defend the order we have built and to persevere beyond the strains of the moment. We have done so before, and we can do so again. But Axios quotes Karen Harris, managing director at Bain Macro Trends, who isn&#8217;t so sure. She says the new order will be the U.S., Russia and China, &#8220;multiple parallel great powers pushing against each other in the two new borderlands of cyberspace and (actual) space.&#8221; &#8220;That, she said, &#8220;will lead to a more fragmented geopolitical order and by extension, a more fragmented international trade and finance order.&#8221; How does NATO materially affect American lives? If most Americans feel like it doesn&#8217;t, does a changing relationship between allies matter? But broadly, what are the implications of a new world order? Show produced by Danielle Knight. Text by Gabrielle Healy. GUESTS Jonathan Tepperman, Editor-in-chief, Foreign Policy; author, &#8220;The Fix: How Countries Use Crises To Solve The World&#8217;s Worst Problems&#8221;; @j_tepperman Frances Burwell, Distinguished fellow, the Atlantic Council; @FranBurwell @FranBurwell Rudy deLeon, Senior fellow, Center for American Progress; former deputy secretary, Department of Defense; former undersecretary, U.S. Air Force; former staff director for the U.S. House Armed Services Committee For more, visit https://the1a.org. &copy; 2018 WAMU 88.5 &#8211; American University Radio.", "Throughout Donald Trump's presidential campaign, and now during his first weeks in office, one country keeps re-emerging in the controversies that swirl around him: Russia. For all the turbulence, Trump and his team have not addressed the larger and more important questions of how they plan to deal with Vladimir Putin's Russia on a host of critical issues: the war in Syria, the turmoil in Ukraine, the future of NATO. The latest episode was Monday night's resignation of national security adviser Michael Flynn. Even as Trump contemplates Flynn's replacement, Defense Secretary James Mattis flew out of Washington before dawn on Tuesday to reassure European allies anxious over Trump's campaign criticism that NATO is \"obsolete.\" Many NATO members find such remarks particularly troubling in the aftermath of Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region and its ongoing support of separatists in eastern Ukraine. Yet Trump has often appeared more critical of NATO than of Russian actions seen as destabilizing Europe — something other foreign policy voices have seized upon. \"American policy toward Russia must be made clear and unequivocal: we will honor our commitments to our NATO allies, we will maintain and enhance our deterrent posture in Europe, we will hold Russian violators of human rights accountable for their actions,\" Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain said in a statement Tuesday. A softer line on Russia Under his tag line of \"America first,\" Trump talks tough about many countries, from building a wall on the Mexican border to imposing trade tariffs on China and freezing immigration from mostly Muslim countries. Yet Trump has consistently opted for a much softer line on Russia, out of step with both Republicans and Democrats who see Putin as challenging American interests on multiple fronts. The Russians are again staging extensive airstrikes in support of Syria's President Bashar Assad, part of a campaign that has been widely criticized for the many civilian casualties and frequent hits on hospitals. Critics also say the Russians have often struck at moderate rebels who threaten Assad's army, while largely ignoring the Islamic State, which is concentrated in the thinly populated eastern part of the country. Trump has refrained from criticizing Russia's role in Syria as well. He has ordered the U.S. military to come up with a new, comprehensive plan for the U.S. to defeat ISIS and suggested that the Americans and the Russians could join forces. And in Capitol Hill testimony last Thursday, the top American commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John Nicholson, said that Russia was providing assistance to the Taliban insurgents battling the U.S. forces and the Afghan government. Asked about the Russian motives in Afghanistan, Nicholson said, \"I think it's to undermine the United States and NATO.\" While the general did not go into details, it was clearly a frustration in a war he called a \"stalemate.\" Self-inflicted controversies Trump has gone out of his way on multiple occasions to avoid criticizing Putin. When Bill O'Reilly of Fox News recently said, \"Putin is a killer,\" Trump replied: \"There are a lot of killers. We have a lot of killers. Well, you think our country is so innocent?\" Trump went on to say of Putin: \"I do respect him. Well, I respect a lot of people, but that doesn't mean I'll get along with them.\" While Russia looms large in all these foreign policy matters, Moscow has also been central to Trump's political intrigues at home. Here's the briefest of recaps: -- Russia was accused of hacking into Democratic Party emails and trying to undermine Hillary Clinton in the election, a charge Trump has been reluctant to accept and which has become the source of quarrels with U.S. intelligence agencies. -- Paul Manafort, Trump's campaign chairman, denied reports that he was paid by pro-Russian interests for work he did previously in Ukraine. But he resigned from Trump's team in August. -- Trump's secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, has faced criticism from many Democrats for the close ties with Putin he cultivated as the chief executive of Exxon Mobil. -- U.S. intelligence officials informed then-President-elect Trump about a dossier, compiled by a former British intelligence officer, that alleges the Russians have compromising material on Trump. At the time, U.S. officials said the claims are unconfirmed, and Trump angrily dismissed them. So far, Trump and Putin have just had one phone call, on Jan. 28, where both leaders said they would like better relations after years of friction. But Flynn's flameout has contributed to a sense of turmoil in the White House, a Congress suspicious of the president's intentions, and a fog of uncertainty around how Trump plans to engage with Russia. Greg Myre is a national security correspondent. Follow him @gregmyre1", "Over the past week-and-a-half, President Trump has had quite a lot to say on defense matters. He tweeted that Iran would suffer historic consequences if it threatened the US. He scolded NATO allies. And he privately discussed security issues with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Left unclear is what role, if any, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has had in any of this. And that raises a larger unknown: just what is the status of Mattis in this administration, a year-and-a-half into his turn as Trump's Pentagon chief. Under Trump, Mattis has developed a penchant for avoiding the limelight. At the NATO summit in Brussels, he kept a strikingly low profile as President Trump browbeat NATO allies over their defense spending. But as Mattis flew over Europe after the summit, he sardonically dismissed reports that he was at odds with the president and that he and the top brass back home were trying to patch things up with their friends in NATO. \"I just heard about this story that the Pentagon's in damage control,\" he told reporters aboard his armored military version of a Boeing 747. \"That was fascinating, I love reading fiction.\" In fact, Mattis' and Trump's differences over NATO go way back. \"He brought up his questions about NATO,\" Mattis said of his job interview with President-elect Trump, a man he'd never met before, in the first and only lengthy TV interview he's done as Pentagon chief. \"And my response was that I thought that if we didn't have NATO, that he would want to create it because it's a defense of our values, it's a defense of democracy.\" And Mattis does have a history of tangling with higher-ups. The Obama White House in 2013 removed the four-star Marine general as head of U.S. Central Command after he pressed unsuccessfully for a third aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf at a time when Obama was intent on negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran. A job he didn't seek For Trump, Mattis' renown as a battle-hardened Marine had a clear appeal - as did a nickname Mattis himself hates. \"We are going to appoint 'Mad Dog' Mattis as our secretary of defense,\" president-elect Trump informed a cheering crowd in Cincinnatti three weeks after winning the presidency. It was a job, Mattis said at his confirmation hearing, he was not angling to get. \"When this unanticipated request came, I was enjoying a full life west of the Rockies,\" Mattis told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. \"I was not involved in the presidential campaign and I was certainly not seeking or envisioning a position in any new administration.\" \"He's not a conservative,\" says the Heritage Foundation's James Carafano, a national security expert who was on Trump's transition team. \"He's actually probably more comfortable sitting in a cocktail lounge with people from the last administration. And he's certainly not comfortable at all in the political realm.\" Unlike Trump's other cabinet secretaries, Mattis conspicuously did not praise the president at the first full Cabinet meeting last year. Last week, he was a no-show at the first Cabinet meeting after Trump's Helsinki summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin. \"I think Secretary Mattis is in a more difficult situation than any secretary of defense we've ever had,\" says Chuck Hagel, the former Nebraska Republican senator who served as President Obama's third defense secretary. \"You've got a president of the United States saying things that we've really never heard before from a commander-in-chief, and then the secretary of defense has to go back around and reassure our allies and our partners,\" Hagel tells NPR. \" 'Well, the president really didn't mean that', or 'this is what he really did mean,'or 'don't worry about it. We're going to be OK.' \" Wins and losses: a scorecard Mattis did chalk up some early wins as defense secretary. Trump says Mattis convinced him not to support torture; Mattis was also authorized to set troop levels in Afghanistan and he managed to keep Trump on board with the Iran nuclear deal. But since then, Trump has pulled the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal, withdrawn from the Paris climate accord that Mattis had backed and established a U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, a move Mattis was known to have opposed. \"He's still being called the secretary of reassurance,\" says Mara Karlin, executive director of the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies at the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies. \"That said, this is all just getting a whole lot tougher.\" Karlin, who's served as a senior Pentagon adviser to five other defense secretaries, says Mattis has been trying to shift the Pentagon's focus from fighting terrorists in the Middle East and southwest Asia to confronting great powers - namely, China and Russia. \"So now Secretary Mattis and his team have some very hard questions to reconcile,\" says Karlin of the fallout from the Helsinki summit. \"Is it that China and Russia are still a top priority, or is Russia no longer top of the list?\" Others mar", "Five days after Turkey defied NATO and the U.S. by accepting the first components of an advanced Russian missile defense system, the White House says the deal means Turkey won't be able to buy 100 new F-35 fighter jets, as it had planned. \"Unfortunately, Turkey's decision to purchase Russian S-400 air defense systems renders its continued involvement with the F-35 impossible,\" White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said, in a statement released Wednesday. \"The F-35 cannot coexist with a Russian intelligence collection platform that will be used to learn about its advanced capabilities,\" Grisham said. Grisham said the U.S. has tried to work out a solution to help Turkey \"meet its legitimate air defense needs,\" adding that on multiple occasions, the Trump administration has offered \"to move Turkey to the front of the line to receive the U.S. PATRIOT air defense system\" rather than the Russian military's missile system. The U.S. move follows months of threats to kick Turkey out of the F-35 joint strike fighter program if Turkey acquires the Russian system — an impasse among allies that was made even more awkward because Turkish aviation companies manufacture some of the jet's components. U.S. military officials have said the arrangement could allow Russia to learn secrets about the F-35 — because the new NATO stealth fighter is exactly the kind of quarry the S-400 is designed to hunt. Last Friday, a NATO official told NPR that the alliance is \"concerned\" about Russian missiles being deployed by a longtime NATO ally. \"It's not a fair situation,\" President Trump said on Tuesday, depicting the standoff as the product of the Obama administration's refusal to sell Turkey Patriot missiles. \"Turkey tried very hard to buy them, and they wouldn't sell them, and this went on for a long period of time,\" Trump said during a Cabinet meeting, according to a White House transcript. As for why Turkey says it decided to buy Russia's missiles, Ibrahim Kalin, a senior adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, told NPR in April: \"The only Patriot missile batteries we have right now are the ones owned and lent to us by Spain and Italy. So that all has created a sense of consternation in Ankara as to why our allies are withdrawing their Patriot missile systems when we need them the most. And that all has led to Turkey looking for alternatives.\" The U.S. deployed Patriot missiles in southeastern Turkey in 2013, after Turkey's leaders asked NATO to help prevent a potential missile attack from neighboring Syria during that country's civil war. The U.S. and other allies began withdrawing those systems in the fall of 2015, saying the missile threat had diminished.", "In 2011, former President Barack Obama described the trans-Atlantic alliance as \"The heart of our efforts to promote peace and prosperity around the world. And Germany — at the heart of Europe — is one of our strongest allies.\" In 2019 the world looks different. Two years after President Trump took office, the U.S.-German relationship is at a new low. President Trump has criticized Germany, Europe's largest economy, more than he has any other European ally. In his words, Germany is \"captive to Russia,\" \"Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO\" and \"the Germans are bad, very bad.\" Those remarks had consequences. \"The German public has reservations concerning Trump and there is a public mood to distance ourselves from the USA,\" says Peter Beyer, Merkel's trans-Atlantic coordinator. \"This might be due to Trump's political style and the way he communicates, but also because of the German-bashing we hear out of Washington: on trade, on defense, on natural gas, on our immigration policy.\" The rift was on display again this month at an annual gathering of world leaders and defense chiefs in the German city of Munich. Several German newspapers covering Chancellor Angela Merkel's speech at the Munich Security Conference ran headlines like \"Merkel settles a score with Trump.\" Merkel criticized the U.S. for going solo on trade and foreign affairs, earning her standing ovations. Vice President Pence, on the other hand, criticized European partners for sticking to the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, which the U.S. has exited, and when he mentioned bringing greetings from President Trump, he drew near silence from the audience. \"Best chemistries\" Early in his presidency, in April 2017, Trump said he had thought \"one of the best chemistries I had was with Merkel.\" By the next month, Merkel expressed a different view after tough meetings of NATO and the Group of Seven leading advanced nations. \"The times in which we could fully count on others are somewhat over, as I have experienced in the past few days,\" she said. \"We Europeans truly have to take our fate into our own hands.\" Critics said Merkel, who has stood up to many difficult men during her career, had miscalculated with her approach to the new American leader. \"Merkel was wrong to believe that Trump would seek her ideas and support after settling in,\" says Josef Janning of the European Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin. \"She did not anticipate that he would seek confrontation with Germany rather than the cooperation. Trump responds to strength and steadiness. In his view, Germany lacks both.\" \"Enemy rather than partner\" Senior officials in Merkel's government describe to NPR the difficulty in managing important relationship with the U.S. For Beyer, the trans-Atlantic coordinator, \"Washington has become much rougher, and we have to get used to that.\" Niels Annen, a minister of state in Germany's foreign ministry, tells NPR, \"Today, one cannot avoid the impression that President Trump considers the EU rather as an enemy than as a partner.\" This impression was reinforced by Trump referring to the European Union as \"a foe\" of the U.S. in terms of trade. The German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has said he worries that damage to the U.S. relationship could end up being \"irreparable.\" \"Trump has destroyed a lot of trust in the trans-Atlantic relationship with his questioning of America's security guarantee for Europe and his hostile talk vis-à-vis the European Union,\" according to Jan Techau of the think tank the German Marshall Fund. However, he says, \"The Europeans have to accept their share of the blame. Their military decline encouraged Washington to grow skeptical of Europe's seriousness in geostrategic matters.\" According to some analysts, the problem for Germany is that its leaders are trying to do two things at the same time. Caught between opting for deeper integration with its partners in the European Union, and using its national strength to seize a leadership role, Janning says, \"Germany does a bit of both, which is insufficient on both counts.\" Washington's man in Berlin Germany's defense spending has been a key point of contention. U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell recently accused Berlin of failing to meet its promised commitments under the NATO. Germany plans to increase defense expenditures to more than 1.5 percent of its gross domestic product by 2024, which is below a 2 percent goal agreed on by alliance members over four years ago. Techau says Berlin slept through Trump's wake-up call. \"Germany plays a particularly disappointing role. It refuses to live up to its defense spending commitments, it does not fully realize how dramatic the strategic shift in Europe is, and its lack of realism starts to worry its allies and neighbors,\" he says. He blames Germany's reluctance to take a leadership role on recent history. \"Postwar Germany learned that military and diplomatic restraint were a way to regain respectability and accept", "When the president speaks to a world leader, the contents of the call are typically released in a short statement known as a readout. But when President Biden spoke Tuesday with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, the White House instead released a video. Emily Horne, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council, said the video — the first one of its kind for the team — reflects the importance of the White House's support for NATO and for revitalizing trans-Atlantic relationships, which were frayed during the Trump years. The edited video conversation is part of a new effort to bring the public closer and share more of Biden's work with foreign leaders. Indeed, Jake Sullivan, Biden's national security adviser, has tied U.S. foreign policy to the American middle class. \"What Joe Biden is proposing, and what I am reinforcing as the national security adviser, is that every element of what we do in our foreign policy and national security ultimately has to be measured by the impact it has on working families, middle-class people, ordinary Americans here in the United States,\" he told NPR. In Tuesday's call, Biden pledged U.S. commitment to collective defense — a key facet of NATO membership. \"We've got a mountain of work ahead of us from COVID to climate to tackling the security challenges,\" Biden told Stoltenberg in the call. \"And I intend to rebuild and reestablish our alliances, starting with NATO.\" Stoltenberg responded in similar fashion: \"It's great to talk to you again,\" and added that he looked forward to working with Biden. While the conversation may seem — and is — pretty standard positive fare for two world leaders, it's also a clear shift from Biden's predecessor, President Trump, who repeatedly lambasted NATO members for, in his view, taking advantage of the United States by not meeting their financial obligations to the bloc. Trump also appeared to condition collective defense to NATO members' own defense spending and threatened to pull out of the alliance, the cornerstone of Western security after World War II. Robert Flaherty, who leads digital strategy at the White House, said seeing and hearing the president affirm NATO's Article 5 mutual-defense commitment in his own voice was powerful. The White House digital team worked with the NATO communications team on all the details for the video — from camera angles for the recording, editing and posting. That included making sure Biden was shot from the left and Stoltenberg from the right so the exchanged looked more natural. The White House did the edit, but both sides agreed to the final content, Flaherty said. He said the team may return to the format again for meetings with small-business owners, front-line workers and other foreign leaders.", "Global military spending is continuing to increase, growing for the second year in a row and reaching the highest levels since reliable global figures became available in 1988. That's the finding of a new report out by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Total spending is up 76% from the post-Cold War low in 1998. The United States, China, Saudi Arabia, India and France led the world in military spending, accounting for 60% of the total expenditure in 2018. And U.S. military spending is up for the first time in seven years, by 4.6%, reaching $649 billion. The U.S. is \"by far the largest spender in the world,\" accounting for 36% of the total, spending almost as much as the next eight countries combined, researchers wrote. The U.S. spent $649 billion in 2018; China, which came in second on the list, spent $250 billion. Together, the U.S. and China make up half the world's military spending, expending as much as the rest of the world combined. In fact, the \"significant increases in spending\" by the two countries drove total global military spending up 2.6% from 2017, researchers said. \"The spending boom is driven, above all, by the contest between America and China for primacy in Asia,\" writes The Economist in summarizing the report. America's increase \"reflected the Trump administration's embrace of what it calls 'great power competition' with Russia and China — requiring fancier, pricier weapons — in place of the inconclusive guerrilla wars it had fought since 2001.\" Russia fell out of the list of top five spenders for the first time since 2006. Its military spending decreased by 3.5% from 2017. But military spending in Central Europe was up 12%, \"largely due to growing perceptions of a threat from Russia,\" researchers said. President Trump campaigned on a promise to boost defense spending and proposed a more than $50 billion increase shortly upon taking office. In 2018, Congress gave the military an additional $61 billion in appropriations — giving the U.S. what then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis called \"the largest military budget in history.\" Trump this year has proposed increasing military spending by $33 billion — a 5% increase. At the same time, Trump is proposing cutting spending on diplomacy and development by $13 billion, or 23%. Trump has also criticized American allies in NATO for not spending enough on defense. Some retired U.S. military officers have urged caution in proposed diplomatic spending cuts. \"The diplomatic and the military go hand in hand,\" Gene Renuart, former commander of the U.S. Northern Command, told NPR's All Things Considered last month. \"We can almost guarantee there will be another crisis somewhere in the near horizon. And we hope in most of those cases, that can be dealt with through diplomacy and foreign aid,\" he said. \"But if we don't have the diplomatic tool to use, then the only option left is the military.\"" ]

[ "Roaming charges within the European Union have officially been abolished from today, meaning that British mobile phone users can make phone calls, send text messages and use data in other EU countries without charge.\nThe end of heavy holiday bills comes after EU regulators agreed in 2015 to force operators to offer the same service to phone users throughout the EU.\nHowever, many users may still be hit by unexpected bills, with operators providing different levels of geographic coverage and “fair use” policies meaning those using high amounts of data may be charged extra.\nWhat charges have been dropped?\nMobile phone calls and text messages can now be sent as they would back home, with no extra charges. If texts and calls are included in your pay monthly or pay as you go plan, it’s the same charge for doing so abroad as doing it back home.\nConsumers can also call and text to someone back in the UK just they would when at home, without any extra charges.\nCross-border texts and calls also carry costs, so a call to France or Italy from the UK isn’t free, even if using your mobile over there is.\nWhat about data?\nData is where it gets a little bit complicated. Data is ostensibly the same as back home – mobile phone owners can browse the web, use WhatsApp and stream YouTube within their allowances or at the same pay as you go price, although their signal quality will depend on the local network and some operators have been accused of throttling networks abroad.\nHowever, mobile phone companies are allowed to impose “fair use” policies which means that monthly data allowances are not quite the same as when using mobile internet in the UK. Each of the four UK operators have different allowances.\nEE: EU data is capped at 15GB per month. So if your allowance is less than that, you’ll pay for extra data as usual. If it is more, users will have to purchase an add-on.\nVodafone: Vodafone’s terms and conditions do not define a data cap.\nO2: There is no data cap for pay monthly or business customers, and most pay as you go customers. Those pay as you go customers who have bought the £30 Big Bundle – which includes 20GB of data – will have their roaming data capped at 10GB. After that you’ll have to buy a bolt-on.\nThree: Pay monthly users have a 12GB limit and pay as you go users is now 9GB, so even if your domestic allowance is above that, your data might be suspended.\nEach operator also has restrictions on certain uses of data, such as tethering a laptop to your phone." ]

[ "Get money updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email\nVodafone has been rated Britain's worst mobile phone provider for the seventh consecutive year in a customer satisfaction report.\nEE and Virgin Mobile are next on the unhappy list, while smaller providers, such as Utility Warehouse and Giffgaff, came up top for service and value for money.\nThe annual Which? report asked 3,683 members of the public how they would rank their provider for value and service.\n(Image: AFP)\nIt found that the UK's biggest firms - Vodafone, EE, O2 and Three - ranged from average to disappointing according to their customers, despite supplying an overwhelming majority of the market.\nThat's on top of them all increasing prices this month , in an inflation-linked hike that saw bills leap by as much as 4.1%.\nVodafone had the worst overall customer satisfaction score (49%), with one in six customers telling Which? they would not recommend it to a friend or family member.\nOne in seven Vodafone customers also said they had received an unexpectedly expensive or incorrect bill.\nIt comes eight months after the firm added an extra £1 to one million bills - in a 'free security trial' that would renew automatically if not cancelled.\nThe figures also come two years after the firm was fined £4.6 million for two investigations that found it was mishandling customer complaints and failed to credit more than 10,452 pay-as-you-go customers who topped up their accounts.\nMobile networks rated Source: Which?\nElsewhere, EE finished second from last, having shared the lowest ranking with Vodafone last year.\nOne in seven EE customers surveyed pay more than £50 a month for their contract, making the network's low score for value for money unsurprising.\nNearly one in five EE customers said they find their monthly bill too expensive.\n(Image: Getty)\nO2 outperformed Vodafone and EE, but was still a long way behind the most highly rated providers.\nCustomers' top complaint was receiving unwanted and annoying marketing communications.\nNot all customers were put off though, as over half appreciated the incentives and rewards offered by O2, such as its free priority service.\n(Image: This content is subject to copyright.)\nThe highest-ranking of the big four providers, Three, scored well for value for money but three in 10 customers said they had experienced very poor signal, and a third of those who had left Three in the last two years had done so to seek better network coverage from another provider.\nHowever, 86% of customers would still recommend Three to a friend or family member.\nUtility Warehouse topped the table this year, beating its rival Giffgaff for the first time.\nNine in 10 customers surveyed said they would recommend Utility Warehouse to a friend.\nCustomers rated its value for money as good or excellent - on the £10-a-month tariff, its customers get more minutes and three times more data than people on Vodafone’s 30-day sim plan costing £13.\nAlex Neill, at Which? said: \"The biggest providers are lagging behind smaller rivals who are doing a better job of giving customers what they want in terms of service and value for money. Customers who are fed up should look to switch provider as soon as they can.\n\"New reforms will soon mean that mobile customers will be able to switch provider by text message, which we hope will make it quicker and easier for customers to seek a better deal.\"\nHelp! I'm getting a poor service\nWhen you sign up for a deal, you expect it to be a pretty straightforward process, ie you receive a service, and subsequently pay for it.\nHowever, as the statistics above suggest, this is often not the case, with many customers receiving a poor deal that's not entirely benefiting them.\nIf you're in that position, there are a few steps you can take to address it.", "Mobile phone provider EE has been fined £2.7m by Ofcom for overcharging tens of thousands of customers, but would you have realised if you’d been billed too much?\nMaybe it’s my generation or I’m just incredibly lax, but I rarely check my direct debit payments, let alone my bills/statements.\nBut the news this week that Ofcom has handed EE a £2.7m fine for overcharging tens of thousands of customers in 2014 and 2015 has got me thinking about my own laissez-faire attitude/negligence when it comes to checking my bills.\nOfcom’s investigation\nThe fine came as a result of an investigation by the regulator that found that EE had broken a ‘fundamental billing rule’ on two separate occasions.\nThe first instance affected customers who called EE’s 150 customer service number while roaming within the EU. Instead of being charged 19p per minute, they were incorrectly charged £1.20 per minute, as if they were making a call to the US.\nThe mistake saw something like 32,145 customers overcharged a sum of around £245,000.\nOfcom also found that EE had continue to bill 7,674 customers for calling and using the 150 service within Europe, despite it having been made free from 18 November 2015.\nOn the latter occasion, the company acted promptly and issued full refunds to those affected.\nBut on the former, Ofcom found that EE had failed to reimburse the majority of affected customers.\nEE had also wrongly decided it couldn’t identify the people it overcharged and had proposed giving their money to charity.\nAction taken\nAlthough Ofcom found that EE hadn’t intentionally set out to overcharge customers, it is now requiring that it makes further attempts to trace and refund every customer who was overcharged.\nSince the mistake, EE has also put in place measures to prevent this from happening again.\nBilling errors\nEE isn’t the first mobile phone company to be fined for a billing mistake. Back in October last year, Ofcom handed Vodafone a £4.6m fine for its handling of billing issues.\nBut it seems that if it wasn’t for the regulator’s intervention, thousands of customers would have been out of pocket.\nAnd, if they’re like me and don’t check their bills, many of these would have been completely oblivious.\nDo you frequently check your direct debit payments and bills to ensure that they are completely correct or do you trust your providers to get it right?\nDo you always check bills to make sure they're correct? Without fail (65%, 375 Votes) When I remember (20%, 114 Votes) Rarely (16%, 92 Votes) Total Voters: 581", "Thousands of UK households are facing gas and electricity bill rises of up to 28% as fixed price contracts signed before recent energy price increases come to an end.\nSo far this winter, EDF, npower and Scottish Power have all announced hikes, meaning the customers of those companies need to look carefully at what they paying, particularly if they coming off a fixed tariff.\nMoneysupermarket has said 77 fixed energy deals are set to expire before the end of April, leaving average households typically facing a £200-a-year increase to around £1,100 a year for gas and electricity.\nGas and electricity price increases of up to 15% – and much more for those coming off old fixed tariffs – have left consumers scrambling to get on a another fixed deal. But even those who switch supplier are likely to end up paying more over the coming year.\nEDF, npower, Scottish Power and SSE are among those with tariffs finishing, alongside deals from smaller suppliers such as Spark and Extra Energy. When fixed energy deals end providers roll customers on to their standard variable tariffs, which are typically their most expensive.\nSome customers who were on especially cheap tariffs have been told their bills will rise 28%.\nOne supplier, npower, shocked the industry and even the regulator Ofgem when it announced it was raising electricity prices by 15% while gas bills will rise 4.8% adding a typical £109 a year to average bills.\nThe other firms to raise electricity prices have announced rises of around 8%. However, British Gas said last week it was freezing bills.\nMoneysupermarket said consumers could switch penalty-free up to 45 days before their existing deal is due to end, under the regulator’s switching rules.\nCurrently the cheapest providers are names that many consumers will be unfamiliar with, such as Iresa, Economy Energy and Tonik. Of the big six providers, Scottish Power’s online fixed saver is one of the cheaper deals.\nStephen Murray, energy expert at Moneysupermarket, said: “The energy market is really unpredictable at the moment and a huge part of that is rising prices. In June last year the cheapest deals were below £750, whereas currently the average cost of the top 10 cheapest tariffs is £880. It is worth noting that these deals still represent a significant saving on standard variable tariffs.”\nHe said customers on expiring tariffs should act now to lock in new fixed deals and avoid being rolled on to standard variable tariffs.\n“The British Gas price freeze may sound like a fair alternative, but customers are still overpaying by around £170 and so the message is the same – don’t rest on your laurels, standard tariffs still remain among the most expensive. It only takes a few minutes to swap providers to save almost £200 each year.”\nMobile phone users are also facing more expensive bills in the coming months, following the rise in inflation. Vodafone, EE and O2 have said millions of mobile phone customers will face inflationary mid-contract price rises in the next couple of months.\nEE is raising some customers’ monthly bills by 2.5% from 30 March, in line with January’s retail price index inflation figure. O2 will increase monthly its charges by 2.6% in April, and Vodafone bills will rise by March’s inflation figure – also from April.", "Apple's iPhone 8 and 8 Plus handsets are now available in the UK\nAPPLE HAS UNVEILED the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, the respective successors to last year's iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.\nThe duo of smartphones, which were rumoured to arrive as the iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus, offer some major upgrades over last year's models, including a new all-glass design, a new A11 Bionic chip under the hood and support for wireless charging for the first time.\nSee also: iPhone X release date, price and specs\nWe've rounded up everything you need to know about picking up the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, and will update this article when we hear more.\nRelease date\nPre-orders for the iPhone 8 will began on Friday 15 September, with shipping kicking off on 22 September.\nHowever, you'll be hard pushed to bag yourself an iPhone 8 or 8 Plus on launch day, as all models are now showing as shipping within \"one to two weeks\" over on the Apple Store and at some UK networks.\nPrice\nThe iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are now available to buy at the Apple Store with a choice of 64GB or 256GB storage, with models fetching £689, £849, £749 and £949, respectively.\nCarphone Warehouse is offering the iPhone 8 on tariffs with EE, iD, O2, Virgin Mobile and Vodafone. Prices start from £59.99 on a 24-month £49 contract with O2, which comes with unlimited texts, unlimited minutes and 5GB data. It's also offering the iPhone 8 Plus, with prices starting at £129.99 on a £49 per month O2 contract.\nBT has started taking orders for the iPhone 8, with prices starting at £250 on a £47 tariff that comes with 400 minutes, unlimited texts and 500MB data. It's also offering the iPhone 8 Plus on the same contract, but it'll cost you £300 upfront.\nEE is selling the iPhone 8, with prices starting at £99.99 on a £47.99 tariff which comes with 1GB monthly data. EE is recommending you sign up to the firm's £67.99 (!) per month tariff, which comes with a £9.99 upfront cost and a hefty 100GB monthly data. Orders have also kicked off for the iPhone 8 Plus, with prices starting at £149.99 on a £52.99 tariff with 2GB data included.\nO2 has opened up iPhone 8 orders over on its website, and is promising delivery in \"up to three weeks.\" The operator is recommending its £63 per month tariff, which comes with a £29.99 upfront cost and 20GB data. The iPhone 8 Plus is available on the same 20GB tariff but will cost you £67 per month.\nSky Mobile is offering the iPhone 8 on its 'Swap12' and 'Swap24' plans, with pricing starting at £32 per month for 500MB data and unlimited calls and texts for Sky TV customers. If you're after more data, Sky has 1GB, 5GB and 10GB plans priced at £37, £42 and £47 per month, respectively. The iPhone 8 Plus is available on identical 500MB, 1GB, 5GB and 10GB plans, but will cost you can extra £5 per month.\nThree is taking orders and is offering the iPhone 8, which is available from £79 on s £55 tariff which comes with 12GB data and unlimited texts and minutes. The iPhone 8 Plus is available on the same plan but will cost you £60 per month.\nVodafone has promptly kicked off pre-orders and is offering the iPhone 8 for £30 from £54 per month, which will get you 4GB data, unlimited texts and unlimited minutes. It's also selling the iPhone 8 Plus, which is available for £58 from £60 per month with 4GB data.\nVirgin Mobile has, as promised, is also taking orders for the iPhone 8. Pricing starts at £29 per month with no upfront cost, a tariff that comes with 300 minutes, unlimited texts and 1.2GB data. You can upgrade to 4GB data for £32 per month. It's also offering the iPhone 8 Plus from £37 per month.\nIn the US, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus can be picked up from AT&T, Best Buy, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon.\nLatest news and specs\n6/10/17: There have now been at least six separate reports of iPhone 8 Plus batteries swelling to the point of splitting open their enclosures since the phones first went on sale last month. As well as earlier incidents in Japan and Taiwan, there have since been reports of ‘exploding' phones in Hong Kong, Greece, Canada and China, according to The Guardian. Apple said the company was aware of the reports and is investigating the issue.\n3/10/17: Apple has released an update to iOS 11 that fixes the 'crackling' earpiece issue affecting iPhone 8 and 8 Plus users, confirming that the problem was software-based. The update, iOS 11.0.2, also addresses an issue that could cause some photos to be hidden, and another that prevented S/MIME encrypted emails from opening.\n29/9/17: The iPhone 8 has faced off against the Galaxy S8 in a, er blender. It didn't fare too well, either, as after just a spins the iPhone 8 was reduced to pieces. The Galaxy S8's metal frame, however, somehow managed to survive the ordeal, and even came out with a few bits of glass clinging onto the robust frame.\n27/9/17: Apple has confirmed an issue with the iPhone 8's earpiece after some users complained that it makes a \"crackling\" sound that disrupts the audio. The firm said in a statement that a \"small number\" of users are affected, and said that it is \"working on a fix, which will be included in an upcoming software release.\"\nA27/9/17: If you're the proud owner of an iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus, try not to drop it. SquareTrade has tested the 'breakability' of the smartphone duo using a variety of tests including face-down drops and a water resistance and bendability tests, and found that, although not a prone to shattering as the Galaxy Note 8, Apple's new iPhones are pretty fragile, with the iPhone 8 cracking on the first drop. The iPhone 8 earned a breakability score of 67, while the iPhone 8 Plus scored 74.\n25/9/17: Despite news of lacklustre queues across the UK as punters hold out for the iPhone X, Tim Cook has boasted that the iPhone 8, along with the Apple Watch 3, has sold out in \"so many places.\" Speaking to CNBC, Cook said: \"We've sold out of iPhone 8 and 8 Plus in some stores, but we've got good supply there. You can see what's going on here this morning — I couldn't be happier.\"\n22/9/17: Apple's new iPhone arrived in the UK today, but was met by underwhelming queues. The Metro reports that lines outside Apple Stores are \"shorter than usual\", with many likely holding out for the iPhone X.\n12/9/17: Apple unveiled the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus at its much-hyped 'Apple Event', which also saw the launch of the Apple TV 4K, Apple Watch 3 and, of course, the 10th-anniversary iPhone X.\nThe duo of smartphones feature a new aluminium-reinforced all-glass design, reminiscent of that seen on the iPhone 4. This glass, Apple claims, is the most durable glass to ever feature on a smartphone, while both phones also offer IP67 certification.\nThe iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are the first phones to pack Apple's new A11 processor, a six-core CPU that's divided into two low-performance cores and four high-performance cores, with the regular cores being 25 per cent faster than the previous A10 chip, and the high-performance cores being up to 75 per cent faster than the A10 SoC.\nThis new A11 chip comes paired with the first Apple designed GPU, which explains why Apple dumped Brit graphics outfit Imagination Technologies. This GPU offers a 30 per cent performance boost compared to the A10, according to Apple.\nThere's a Retina HD (1334x750) screen with True Tone display at the forefront of the smartphones, measuring in at 4.7in and 5.1in, respectively, and you'll find a Home button sitting underneath and new stereo speakers at the top and button of the handset.\nOn the camera front, the iPhone 8 features an \"all new\" 12MP sensor, while the iPhone 8 Plus features new-and-improved f/1.8 and f/2.8 sensors.\nWireless charging support is also included, and while Apple tends to opt for its own proprietary tech, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus will support the Qi standard, which means customers will be able to use third-party accessories. µ", "HONG KONG, April 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today marks the launch of Reolink Go, a game-changing 4G mobile rechargeable battery-powered security camera on Indiegogo. Incorporating 4G connectivity, 1080p HD, starlight night vision, solar charging, and cloud storage, Reolink Go provides an easy security solution for locations with no Wi-Fi and power access.\nReolink Go Wire-Free 4G Rechargeable Battery-Powered & Solar-Powered Security Camera\nReolink Go connects to the 4G LTE mobile network provided by various network service providers including the nationwide AT&T (US), T-Mobile (US & Germany), EE Limited (UK), Vodafone (UK, Germany & Italy), O2 (UK & Germany), Three UK, Wind Tre (Italy), and more, allowing it to roam freely in places with no WiFi or bandwidth network.\nIt's powered by the long-running rechargeable battery (up to months' battery life per charge) and can be hooked up to the Reolink Solar Panel for constant solar charging. Weatherproof and wire-free Reolink Go can be set up in seconds and easily deployed and re-deployed with a simple tap on the intuitive mobile app. It streams true 1080p HD quality videos and captures starlight night vision videos in low-light environments. With the built-in smart motion sensor, Reolink Go is capable of sensing movement, sending real-time motion alerts via push notification and email, and recording motions to Reolink Cloud or a micro SD card. Two-way audio allows users to listen in and talk back through the microphone and speaker in real time, or even use pre-recorded voice message to even warm or scare off potential intruders or invaders.\n\"At Reolink, we've focused on helping people stay connected and secure anywhere at any time, even in places with no Wi-Fi and power,\" said Colin Liu, the CEO of Reolink. \"We are proud to launch our first 4G-LTE security camera Reolink Go on Indiegogo today.\"\nFeatures of Reolink Go:\n100% Wire-Free : Reolink Go is 100% wire-free portable security camera that allows users to place it anywhere. No wires, no hassle.\n: Reolink Go is 100% wire-free portable security camera that allows users to place it anywhere. No wires, no hassle. 4G Connectivity : It connects to 4G LTE wireless network, enabling it to roam free in locations with limited or no Wi-Fi. No Wi-Fi, no worries.\n: It connects to 4G LTE wireless network, enabling it to roam free in locations with limited or no Wi-Fi. No Wi-Fi, no worries. Rechargeable Battery : Long-running rechargeable battery extends battery life and cuts costs. Save troubles and save money.\n: Long-running rechargeable battery extends battery life and cuts costs. Save troubles and save money. Solar Charging : It can connect to Reolink Solar Panel for constant solar charging and non-stop power supply. Flexible and eco-friendly.\n: It can connect to Reolink Solar Panel for constant solar charging and non-stop power supply. Flexible and eco-friendly. Starlight Night Vision : It captures better and sharper videos (up to 33 ft) at night. More visual details and better clarity even in the dark.\n: It captures better and sharper videos (up to 33 ft) at night. More visual details and better clarity even in the dark. 1080p Full HD : It provides true 1080p (1920*1080) Full HD with 130° wide viewing angle.\n: It provides true 1080p (1920*1080) Full HD with 130° wide viewing angle. Smart Motion Sensing & Alerts : It detects motion smartly and sends alerts via notification & email in real-time; customizable voice alert is available.\n: It detects motion smartly and sends alerts via notification & email in real-time; customizable voice alert is available. 2-Way Audio : The built-in speakers and microphone let users listen in and talk back interactively.\n: The built-in speakers and microphone let users listen in and talk back interactively. Cloud Storage : Save motion-triggered recordings securely in the Reolink Cloud and never miss important details.\n: Save motion-triggered recordings securely in the Reolink Cloud and never miss important details. Live View & Streaming on Apps : View live video feeds, record, snapshot, or just checking in with intuitive Smartphone apps (iOS & Android).\n: View live video feeds, record, snapshot, or just checking in with intuitive Smartphone apps (iOS & Android). Weatherproof Design: IP65 weatherproof Reolink Go braves elements, rain or shine, inside and out.\nPricing & Availability\nPre-order of Reolink Go (MSRP $250) is now available on Indiegogo starting from $119 USD (52 percent off) for the early birds on a first-come-first-serve basis. Early bird perks including $159 USD ($91 off) for one Reolink Go, $299 USD ($201 off) for Reolink Go 2-Pack and more special offers are available on Indiegogo. All items are estimated to be shipped in July 2018 to the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy.\nSee more at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/reolink-go-wire-free-4g-rechargeable-security-cam#\nA cellular data plan is required for use and can be selected individually by consumers. More supported mobile network service providers in European countries will be updated later.\nAbout Reolink\nReolink, a leading provider of home security products and camera solutions, has been dedicating to delivering advanced and high-quality consumers security cameras/system and reliable solutions for home and business. The products range from PoE security cameras/system, wireless security cameras/systems, to wire-free battery-powered security cameras, which are widely used in home surveillance, business surveillance, baby monitoring, etc. Reolink products are available and sold worldwide, providing video surveillance and protection for millions of homes and families.\nFor more information about Reolink and its products, please visit https://reolink.com.\nMedia Contact\nOlivia/PR manager\nEmail: pr@reolink.com\nReolink Digital Technology Co., Ltd.\nTel: +1 2134012832\nRoom G, 8th Floor, King Palace Plaza, 55 King Yip Street, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong\nRelated Links\nReolink Go\nView original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/reolink-launches-innovative-reolink-go-wire-free-4g-lte-security-camera-on-indiegogo-300635553.html\nSOURCE Reolink Digital Technology Co,. Ltd.\nRelated Links\nhttps://www.reolink.com", "Loyal mobile phone customers are being charged up to £38 a month for handsets they have already paid for if they remain on expired fixed deals, a consumer group has warned.\nCitizens Advice found three of the four largest mobile phone providers - Vodafone, EE and Three - continued to charge customers extra for a handset after it had been paid off as part of their fixed deal.\nThe advisory service said the networks were overcharging these loyal customers an average £22 a month and up to £38 for contracts with high-range handsets such as the iPhone 7, the Galaxy S8 or Xperia XZ Premium, and warned that consumers could find themselves paying £46 a month extra for the iPhone8 256GB model.\nMany mobile phone users take out a contract with the cost of the new handset included in the overall price of the fixed term deal, with the majority paid off on a monthly basis over two years.\nAt the end of the fixed term contract consumers can stay with their network on the same contract, take out a new contract or switch to another provider.\nBut Citizens Advice found that customers of Vodafone, EE and Three who stayed on the same contract when their fixed term deal ended were still charged the same amount as when they were paying for the handset.\nThe study found that those aged over 65 were the most likely to be caught out, with 23% of this age group on a handset-inclusive deal remaining on it for more than 12 months past the end of the fixed contract, compared with 13% of under-65s.\nOverall, 36% of people with a handset-inclusive mobile phone contract stayed on it beyond the fixed period, with 19% staying in the same contract for more than six months afterwards.\nCitizens Advice has called on all providers to reduce their customers’ bills when they stay in the same contract past the end of a fixed deal to reflect the expired cost of the handset.\nIt wants providers to separate out the cost of a handset from the cost of the service to give customers clarity, adding that this would also allow consumers to compare the price of contracts more easily.\nCitizens Advice chief executive Gillian Guy said: “Some of the largest mobile phone providers are routinely overcharging their loyal customers.\n“It is clearly unfair that some phone providers are charging loyal customers for handsets that they have already paid for.\n“It’s especially concerning that older customers are more likely to be stung by this sharp practice.\n“Phone providers must now make sure that any customers staying in a contract past the end of a fixed deal have their monthly bill reduced to reflect the cost of the handset.\n“Providers could make it much easier for consumers to compare prices by separating out the cost of handsets from the cost of services like data and minutes for all contracts, that way it would be much clearer what they’re paying for.\n“It’s important that Ofcom and the government are prepared to protect consumers by making providers take these steps, if they do not do so themselves.”\nLike The Scotsman on Facebook", "By Seán McCárthaigh\nConsumers faced mobile phone charge increases of up to 20% as a direct result of the acquisition of O2 Ireland by Three four years ago, a report by the representative body of EU telecom regulators has found.\nComReg, the Irish telecom regulator, said the study shows that the acquisition by Three’s parent company, Hutchison, of the Spanish telecom giant Telefonica — which owned O2 — had resulted in price increases which would not have occurred without the merger of the two companies.\nThe report showed all types of users experienced price increases for the six months after the merger, with the effect lasting 18 months for high-level users.\nThe report examined the price implications of the merger for three different types of mobile phone users based on their use of voice calls, text messages and data in three countries — Ireland, Austria, and Germany.\n“In particular, prices for medium and high mobile users are estimated to be over 20% higher in the first half of 2015 than they would have been had the merger not occurred,” ComReg said.\nThe study found the concentration of mobile phone operators has led to price increases in the short to medium term in all three countries.\nThe European Commission approved the merger of Hutchison and Telefonica in 2014, despite concerns from rival operators that it would distort competition. The €850m deal by the Hong Kong-based telecom group reduced the number of mobile network operators in Ireland from four to three.\nAs a result, Three moved from being the smallest operator in the Irish market to the second largest in terms of revenue and subscribers.\nThe merger was approved subject to commitments made by Hutchison in response to concerns raised by the European Commission including the offering to Eircom (now Eir) of the continuation of an existing network sharing agreement on improved terms as well as providing access to Three’s network to two mobile virtual network operators in return for fixed payments.\nHutchison also agreed to divest some of its spectrum rights to one of the mobile virtual network operators if they produced a credible business plan to become a full network operator themselves.\nComReg said the objective of the EC’s insisting on the commitments was to eliminate competition concerns even though the Irish regulator claimed they were largely inadequate and ineffective to address fears of harm for consumers.\nAt the time ComReg said it remained “of the strong view that the behavioural commitments are insufficient to address the structural competition deficit identified as likely to arise from the proposed acquisition.”\nThe report said the impact of the commitments was small as ID Mobile, the first mobile virtual network operator to enter the market in August 2015 as a result of the Hutchison’s offer, had ceased operating this April.\nComReg said it believed the concerns expressed by the European Commission at the time of the merger “remain valid”.\nThe Irish regulator said it would continue to monitor competition in the mobile phone market and would look at the release of spectrum in order to promote competition and innovation.\nComReg said it would also raise public awareness of its price comparison tool as a means of lowering barriers to switching provider.", "NBN Co chief Bill Morrow has warned Vodafone not to bother becoming an NBN reseller if it can’t make the current wholesale pricing work.\nMorrow finally bit back after a months-long campaign by Vodafone targeting reductions in NBN Co’s prices, despite the mobile telco not having any NBN retail services in market.\nVodafone - which Morrow led before joining NBN Co three years ago - first outlined its objections to the wholesale price construct in a detailed submission to an NBN Co-led consultation in June.\nThe release of the document - which called for “urgent action” on pricing - is likely to have irked NBN Co, which does not generally publish submissions to its consultations.\n“The pricing regime is the central reason why NBN could fail to achieve its full potential,” Vodafone said.\n“It is undermining the NBN’s long term viability. Significant change must occur now.”\nVodafone chief Inaki Berroeta then told an American Chamber of Commerce event late last week that he believed NBN Co had “room to maneuver” on its prices and could cut its connectivity virtual circuit (CVC) backhaul charge by as much as half without damaging the project’s economics.\nThat appears to have hit a raw nerve with Morrow, who warned Vodafone in no uncertain terms to accept the price structure or exit the NBN.\nHe said “big household names” like Foxtel and Vodafone were signing on as NBN retail service providers “all the time”.\n“What’s really important is that these companies have known for some time what our prices are and what the cost is going to be to sell you or I a particular service,” Morrow said.\n“So when they start talking before they even get here about reducing our prices, I don’t have any sympathy with them.\n“We have plenty of retailers already selling the product and you can have too much competition that it becomes unhealthy.\n“So if any one of these new entry brands are coming in, be aware of the prices, and if you don’t think that you can make money on that, they should not come because it would be more destructive than beneficial to the industry.”\nA Vodafone spokesperson told iTnews it wanted to see a \"rebalancing of the CVC/AVC model\" and that it \"did not advocate a price discount\".\n\"Our submission [to the NBN Co consultation] proposes a rebalance by halving the CVC price but also a corresponding increase in the AVC price,\" the spokesperson said.\n\"We advocate a pricing restructure that would maintain NBN Co’s ARPU [average revenue per user.\"\nThe spokesperson added that Vodafone's proposal would mean \"no net reduction\" in NBN Co's takings.\nNBN Co and the government have been under pressure over the past month to alter wholesale prices to encourage ISPs to buy more backhaul and therefore improve the speed and performance of end user services at peak times.\nThe network builder has previously lowered its backhaul prices, resulting this week in a modest improvement in the amount being purchased.\nHowever, it is somewhat limited in how much further it can go with discounts as backhaul is one of the main ways it had hoped to generate revenue and a commercial return on the government’s investment in the project.\nNBN Co also believes its model isn’t entirely to blame; the company last month said a price war and margin squeeze meant ISPs were not buying enough backhaul capacity, and that wholesale prices were not an impediment.", "India's second largest telecom player Vodafone has unveiled its ritual Ashadh initiative, with two 'Vodafone Mobile Vans' set to join lakhs of pilgrims on their annual padayatra to Pandharpur.\nThe 'Vodafone Mobile Vans' are equipped with free calling facility, mobile phone charging points, recharge vouchers and M-Pesa money transfer service to help the Warkaris stay in touch with their loved ones throughout the duration of their journey.\nThe Warkaris will be able to make use of the facilities at all halting points of the Palkhi on the way to Pandharpur. Each van is equipped with 8 phones and over 50 charging points for the convenience of Warkaris, the telco said.\nAshish Chandra said, \"This year Vodafone Play will provide wholesome entertainment to the warkaris during their halts. All through the 21 days long arduous trek, the Warkaris have strength in knowing that Vodafone's seamless, uninterrupted and reliable network is on hand to ensure they are always in touch. Going forward, we look forward to continuing our endeavor to enhance the spiritual experience of the Warkaris.\nAdditionally, this year the Vodafone Mobile Vans will also be equipped an LED screen that will stream live content such as news, bhakti bhajans and religious movies through Vodafone Play - Vodafone's single destination for entertainment. Warkaris can now not only stay updated with news and but also get wholesome entertainment on the go.\nMeanwhile, the telco has joined hands with Grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand to promote Vodafone RED.\nBeginning July, Grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand will be seen making some smart moves, endorsing Vodafone RED.\nA series of three television commercials will show him propagating the benefits of choosing a smartest postpaid plan to popular cricket presenter Gaurav Kapoor.\nThe campaign will focus on the key differentiators of Vodafone RED like Entertainment, International Roaming, Complimentary Mobile Insurance and Lowest Bill Guarantee across TV, Print, and Digital media.\nSiddharth Banerjee - EVP, Marketing, Vodafone India said: \" This campaign aims to position Vodafone RED as India's smartest postpaid, enabling our existing and new customers to make the smartest choice. We are glad to have chess champion and youth icon Vishwanathan Anand on board, who best fits the proposition of India's smartest postpaid.\"", "Ireland’s telecoms watchdog says the recent takeover of O2 Ireland by Three Ireland has resulted in higher mobile prices here.\nIreland’s telecoms watchdog says the recent takeover of O2 Ireland by Three Ireland has resulted in higher mobile prices here.\nThe telecoms watchdog said that the ‘virtual’ operators created have also had virtually no effect on improving competition in the Irish market.\nThe verdict is based on a review of the effects on the Irish market by the European telecoms authority, Berec.\n“For Ireland, the results indicate that the merger led to price increases for low, medium and high mobile users in the first half year after the merger with this effect persisting for the duration of the study, one and a half years, for the high basket,” said Comreg. “In particular, prices for medium and high mobile users are estimated to be over 20pc higher in the first half of 2015 than they would have been had the merger not occurred.”\nIn 2014, Comreg had opposed the €800m takeover, protesting that it would weaken competition in the Irish market as the number of primary mobile operators would go down from four to three.\nHowever, European competition authorities allowed the takeover after Three promised that it would offer two new ‘virtual’ licences on favourable terms to new entrants and guarantee to give Meteor (now rebranded as Eir) continued access to some of its network.\nComreg now says that one of the two virtual operators, iD Mobile, has left the market after failing to gain traction. It also says that the other virtual operator, Virgin Mobile, has only captured 0.9pc of the mobile market.\n“ComReg was concerned that the [Three] commitments appeared inadequate and ineffective as a means to address the serious competition concerns and consumer harm identified by the EC,” said the Irish telecoms authority.\n“In ComReg’s view, the concerns expressed to the EC regarding the Commitments remain valid.”\nBerec’s study looked at the price implications of mergers and acquisitions in three European countries -- Ireland, Germany and Austria. The study focused on three different types of mobile users based on their usage of domestic voice minutes, domestic SMS and domestic data.\n“Across the three countries, the study found evidence that these concentrations led to price increases in the short to medium term,” said Comreg.\nA spokeswoman for 3 Ireland rejected the conclusion of the study from Berec.\n“Three Ireland does not accept the findings of this report, which is simplistic and highly caveated,” she said. “The study only looks at an 18 month period after Q1 2014. During this period Three Ireland made one plan price change which had no effect on 99pc of its customer base.\n“Since acquiring O2, Three Ireland has invested close to half a billion euro in modernising and updating the network. The scale of this investment would not have been possible had the acquisition not been approved.\n“The acquisition of O2 by Three turned what was a dysfunctional four player market into a functional, highly competitive three player market.\n“Three’s acquisition of O2 has been good for competition in Ireland as it has allowed us to continue to offer competitive plans and maintain All You Can Eat Data for our customers, one of the few operators in Europe to do so.”\nOnline Editors", "Airtel has revamped its Rs 799 and Rs 1199 postpaid plans to take on Vodafone Red postpaid plans. Airtel has revamped its Rs 799 and Rs 1199 postpaid plans to take on Vodafone Red postpaid plans.\nIn a recent round of upgrades, Airtel has updated its Rs 799 and Rs 1,199 postpaid plans. The Rs 799 plan now offers 100GB of 3G/4G data, while the Rs 1,199 plan offers 120GB of 3G/4G data to its customers. Earlier these plans used to offer 60GB and 100GB of 3G/4G data respectively. Additionally, the Airtel data rollover facility is also applicable on both these plans. All this seems to be an answer to Reliance Jio’s entry into the postpaid market, with their Rs 199 plan.\nThe Rs 799 postpaid plan from Airtel includes 100GB, unlimited local/STD/Roaming calls along with a one-year subscription to Amazon Prime, Wynk Music, Airtel TV, handset protection, and two add-on connections. The Rs 1,199 plan offers its users 120GB of 3G/4G data along with all the same benefits under the Rs 799 plan.\nAirtel recently updated its Rs 649 plan for postpaid connections to offer 90GB of 3G/4G data along with the unlimited calling, SMS and app benefits. Additionally, similar to most of Airtel’s postpaid plans the Rs 649 plan also comes with data rollover benefits.\nAlso Read: Facebook reveals 52 companies with whom it shared data, includes Airtel and Saavn\nIn other news, last month Vodafone updated its Rs 499 and Rs 1,299 postpaid plans. Under the Rs 499 plan users get 75GB of 3G/4G data with data rollover benefits of up to 200GB, unlimited voice calls, one-year of Vodafone Play subscription, one-year Amazon Prime subscription, device protection, and a few additional coupons. Whereas under the Rs 1,299 plan users get 100GB of data with up to 500GB of data rollover benefits, two-months of Netflix subscription, 100 ISD minutes for limited countries, amongst other benefits you get in the Rs 499 plan.\nFor all the latest Technology News, download Indian Express App\n© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd", "The Eclipse Foundation is laying out its roadmap for Jakarta EE, a community-led platform spun out from Java EE, which was the go-to platform for enterprise systems for many years. When Java EE was transferred from Oracle to the Eclipse Foundation, it was decided that it should be renamed, and the community chose Jakarta EE, a reference to the now-retired Apache Jakarta project.\nThe Eclipse Foundation just finished up a survey of more than 1,800 Java developers about the new technical capabilities developers want from Jakarta EE. The three areas in which respondents wanted improvements were in support for microservices; native integration with Kubernetes, Docker, and other container platforms; and a faster pace of innovation.\nRELATED CONTENT: Java EE renamed to Jakarta EE\n“Jakarta EE’s mission is more frequent releases, lowered barriers to participation, and putting the community back into the platform,” said Mike Milinkovich, executive director at the Eclipse Foundation. “In this first polling of the community, the feedback was very specific that developers seek more cloud-native support for enterprise Java systems. This means not only continuing the evolution of popular projects like Eclipse MicroProfile, but exploring integration with other projects in the cloud native stack, recruiting major cloud providers to contribute code, and deeper focus on the cloud modernization use cases that so many enterprise Java shops face today.”\nTwo of the desired improvements were focused on cloud native development, so one of the initial focuses of Jakarta EE will be to enable cloud-native Java. It will also create a new governance model and focus on attracting new members to the Jakarta EE community.\nAccording to the Eclipse Foundation, it will be incorporating Java innovations from the community into new versions of Jakarta EE in order to enable developers to build portable cloud-native applications.\nThe second objective is to create an open-source governance model and do faster release and innovation cycles. The Eclipse Foundation will work to ensure that the new specification and development processes for Jakarta EE are open, vendor-neutral and provide a level playing field for all participants. According to the company, there are two planned releases for Jakarta EE for 2018.\nIn order to accomplish this, the Jakarta EE Working Group will work on encouraging more developers to get involved. Community members will play a key role in defining strategies and priorities, will influence the evolution of the specification process, and gain insights on the technology roadmap and protect their investments in Java EE.\n“Jakarta EE is about establishing the next-generation platform for this technology,” said Milinkovich. “And what we’re planning on doing is focusing on cloud data and microservices and really provide a path forward for developers and the skills that they have. We want to make sure that they have a technology platform that will leverage what they know, but also bring them forward to the needs of today’s applications.”", "Here is all the information that you need to know about the latest data and talk time offer under BSNL Freedom offer. (PTI)\nState run telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has rolled out a new Freedom Offer as part of Independence Day 2017 celebrations. Under the new offer, BSNL is offering its prepaid mobile subscribers, double data benefits on special tariff vouchers (STV) and combo vouchers. As a response to aggressive pricing strategies by Reliance Jio and other telecom service providers like Airtel, Vodafone and Idea, BSNL has been continuously announcing new plans for its prepaid users, where it has been offering extra data and talktime. Here is all the information that you need to know about the latest data and talk time offer by BSNL:\nOn the 71st Independence Day, BSNL’s existing vouchers starting at Rs 78, Rs 198, Rs 291, Rs 561, etc will also come with double data. Additionally low priced recharges like the ones at Rs 20, Rs 40, Rs 60, Rs 80 are all going to come with full talk time and more. The service provider will give Rs 130 talk time on the recharge of Rs 120, while the Rs 160 top-up will come with Rs 180 talk time value. Finally, the Rs 220 top-up will give Rs 250 talk time. BSNL’s offers will be active from today (August 15) to August 20, 2017.\nThe Rs 78 plan offers 1GB of data for a validity of five days, and in the offer period, this will double to 2GB. The Rs 198 has 1GB data for 28 days, the Rs 291 recharge comes with 2.2GB of data and the Rs 561 comes with a validity of 60 days and offers 5 GB data. So essentially under the ‘Freedom Offer’ BSNL is doubling the data being offered. Users will get 2GB, 4.4GB and 10GB data respectively in these special tariff vouchers.\nUsers should note that BSNL’s plans are for 3G data speeds only. BSNL users will also get voice, SMS, Special Tariff Voucher (STV), and combo vouchers benefit even when they are on national roaming as part of the Independence Day deal. BSNL also has a ‘Sixer’ or ‘666’ plan which gives users 2GB per day, plus unlimited voice calls to any network as well. The plan has a 60-day validity.", "Wednesday, 15 February, 2017 - 15:00\nVodafone Warriors managing director Jim Doyle and playmaker Kieran Foran said they were both excited the Kiwi international’s NRL contract had been registered for the 2017 season.\nNRL CEO Todd Greenberg today announced Foran will be able to resume his career this season although he added the 26-year-old wouldn’t be able to play until the club’s third-round match against Canterbury-Bankstown at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on Friday, March 17 (8.00pm).\nIt means he will miss the Vodafone Warriors’ back-to-back season-opening games at Mount Smart Stadium against Newcastle (Sunday, March 5) and Melbourne (Friday, March 10).\nDoyle said Foran had made significant progress since joining the Vodafone Warriors last year and added the club is continuing to provide internal and external support.\n\"Naturally we are keen to see Kieran back on the field as soon as possible but we have always highlighted that the most important thing is to ensure Kieran is mentally and physically ready for the demands of the NRL,\" said Doyle.\n\"We have seen Kieran’s progress over the last few months and we are confident he will be ready for round three.\n\"Kieran has already become an integral part of our squad off the field and his team-mates will be thrilled to see him back on the field.\"\nForan said he was delighted that his contract had been registered.\n\"Naturally I would love to return in round one because I love rugby league and I love being part of the Vodafone Warriors,\" he said.\n\"But both the club and NRL have put my welfare first throughout so I am just happy that my contract is registered and I now have a date for my return.\"\nGreenberg said Foran’s return in the third round would be subject to a further psychological assessment to ensure he is in the right frame of mind to play in the NRL.\nGreenberg and Doyle said they had worked closely over the last four months on a rehabilitation programme to help Foran overcome the problems which saw him drop out of the game last year.\n\"I have always said that my priority is ensuring Kieran’s wellbeing - and his football career is secondary,\" said Greenberg.\n\"The expert advice we recently received indicates that Kieran’s recovery has reached the point where he is physically and mentally fit to return to rugby league.\n\"Consequently, we have today registered his contract to play with the Warriors in 2017.\n\"However, we want to be doubly sure that Kieran is in the right state of mind and have therefore decided to defer his return to the NRL until round three so a further psychological assessment can be made.\n\"Kieran will only be allowed to play again in the NRL if that assessment is positive. Conditions will also be placed on his contract relating to integrity matters following the investigation into his gambling associations last year.\"", "National Broadband Network (NBN) CEO Bill Morrow has said that comments made about retailers asking for wholesale price reductions were not in reference to Vodafone's recent calls for a change to the connectivity virtual circuit (CVC) pricing model.\n\"Vodafone, they understand this. Vodafone are not asking for a price reduction. Vodafone have their ideas around maybe a higher AVC [access virtual circuit] and a lower CVC, and we've asked their opinion for that -- that's no problem,\" Morrow told ZDNet.\n\"There's a lot of retailers that are reselling NBN products ... and some of them have come in knowing what the prices are but are now asking for the prices to be reduced. It's not Vodafone that's doing that; I'm referring to others.\n\"My point is that NBN has an economic model, and we have researched ourselves as to what we think consumers will be willing to pay -- and if a retailer knows what the prices are, they come into it willingly knowing that with their eyes wide open.\"\nIn an NBN YouTube video posted on Monday, Morrow had said that retailers should not be entering the market if they are unhappy with the well-established cost of reselling an NBN service.\n\"One of the key callouts of this financial model that was put together was that it would create this vibrant retail market where there's a low barrier to entry to come in and where anybody can come in and resell broadband services and capture a number of homes out there [in regional areas] ... we see new ones coming in all the time, with big household brand names like Foxtel and Vodafone coming in,\" Morrow had said in the video.\n\"But what's really important is that these companies, they have known for some time what our prices are ... so when they start talking before they even get here about reducing our prices, I don't have any sympathy with that.\n\"If any one of these new entry brands are coming in, be aware of the prices, and if you don't think that you can make money on it, they should not come, because it will be more destructive than beneficial to the industry.\"\nVodafone Australia, which will enter the market as an NBN retail service provider later this year, had previously argued that CVC pricing is inhibiting user uptake and experience, while other retailers including MyRepublic have been vocal in asking for a price reduction, claiming it makes it too costly to offer higher speeds to consumers.\nAccording to NBN's FY17 financial results, announced on Tuesday, a majority of NBN users are still on the two slowest speeds available, with 53 percent of fixed-line users on the 25/5Mbps speed tier; 78 percent of fixed-wireless users on 25/5Mbps; and 66 percent of satellite users on 25/5Mbps.\nLast month, Morrow criticised retailers for cutting corners by focusing on pricing rather than speeds or quality of service after he revealed that the average bit rate per user is around 1Mbps.\n\"Under our pricing model, that could be doubled to 2Mbps for each end user for around an extra AU$5 per month,\" he said.\n\"If an RSP doesn't price their product high enough to recover their costs, they may be forced to cut corners that could affect the quality of the services being offered.\"\nMorrow also reiterated that NBN's CVC pricing is not connected with customer experience.\n\"The customer service and CVC are not directly correlated,\" he told ZDNet.\n\"We don't associate something about the customer service with the pricing model. That's an RSP-related issue as to how they want to dimension their network. Now again, whether they feel that there's a different structure that would help them push people up the speed ranks, that's stuff that we're having discussions with.\"\nNBN made AU$299 million in CVC/network-network interface (NNI) revenue during the financial year, up from AU$131 million revenue a year earlier, with CVC growth outstripping premises added for the first time during the most recent quarter.\nThe Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is looking into whether NBN needs to provide more information related to the amount of CVC purchased by retailers, and the utilisation of the capacity purchased, although it has said it would prefer RSPs and NBN to come to an agreement on CVC pricing.\nIn addition to lowering CVC pricing, higher speeds could also be offered by NBN upgrading its network using DOCSIS 3.1 on HFC; G.fast on fibre to the distribution point/curb (FttDP/C); and NG-PON on fibre to the premises (FttP) -- but Morrow could not say when any of these will be deployed in market, as NBN sees higher-speed broadband as only being necessary around five years into the future.\n\"Right now, the fibre to the curb is really going to be the technology we're going to use with G.fast technology, and [FttC] is really not going to start going online with services being turned on until the first half of next year, so then we'll look at some initial deployments of the VDSL, and then the subsequent deployments will be with G.fast,\" he explained.\n\"But that has little to do with today's needs. I don't think there's anyone screaming on a mass-market basis ... 'Hey, I can only get 25[Mbps] on my fibre to the node and I want more.'\n\"The G.fast is an issue that is banking on what people are going to need three to five years down the road and not necessarily today.\"\nSimilarly, he said modems for DOCSIS 3.1 are being provided now ahead of a \"gradual rollout\", while for NG-PON on FttP \"there aren't any definitive deployments set\".\nIn terms of improving the oft-criticised satellite service, Morrow again pointed to the option of deploying a third satellite as well as building out additional fixed-wireless towers.\n\"We're looking at anything and everything that might be an option to expand the capacity and the speeds for the people served by the satellite technology,\" Morrow told ZDNet.\n\"We are looking at new satellites to go up, we are looking at the use of third-party satellites, we are looking at some micro-deployments of fixed-wireless towers that might be able to offer some relief, we're looking at layer three-type services that help use of that spectrum more efficiently for video applications as an example, so everything is on the table for consideration\".\nA decision on this is a year away, Morrow said.", "Operator installs more mobile masts and upgrades 4,000 existing sites to further spread of its 4G network\nMobile operator EE has released information about upgrades to its mobile network, as it seeks to achieve its goal of 95 percent UK coverage of its 4G network by 2020.\nIn the last six months, the BT owned operator has installed 105 new sites with mobile masts, and has upgraded 4,000 existing locations to 4G over the past year.\nLast month EE revealed it was also tackling rural broadband with the installation of a 4G antenna at premises where, because of their remote location, they cannot get fast broadband speeds via a traditional fixed-line connection.\nNetwork expansion\nBut EE is not neglecting its core 4G network and it said the over the last 12 months it has filled more than 12,000 square kilometres of mobile not-spots.\nThis is the equivalent of more than 1.5 million football pitches.\nAnd the 105 new locations is into virgin territory (mostly Scotland, north Wales and northern England), with most locations previously having no mobile coverage from any other operator.\nEE said these new sites have already carried more than 200 emergency 999 calls from people that would have previously had to drive to an area to get coverage, or use a landline.\nEE said these new sites would be included into the Emergency Services Network, which will enable emergency services workers to communicate using 4G across the country.\n“Our customers need a 4G connection wherever they go,” said CEO Marc Allera. “We’ve added an enormous amount of coverage in the last year, upgrading existing sites and building completely new ones to keep our customers connected in more places than ever before.”\n“Mobile coverage is critical to consumers and businesses and can provide a lifeline for those in need of support from the emergency services – that’s why we keep focusing on filling in more mobile not-spots across Britain,” he added.\nNetwork rankings\nOver the past few years, EE has consistently dominated the mobile operator rankings according to the RootMetrics categories of network reliability, network speed, as well as data, call, and text performance.\nSeattle-based RootMetrics has been carrying out network tests in the US since 2008, and moved to the UK in the last few years, but not without some opposition.\nSome operators (mostly the ones that don’t do too well in its rankigns) have disputed the firm’s findings and methods. Indeed, the colourful CEO John Legere of T-Mobile in the US reportedly called RootMetrics’ rankings “bullshit”.\nAnd O2 – which traditionally has not been well rated by RootMetrics – is also not a fan. It has complained that RootMetrics doesn’t share enough data and its tests are not accurate.\nBut RootMetrics has defended its approach and told Silicon in 2015 that its scientific approach gives the best indication of how well a network will perform, giving consumers the chance to make an informed decision and networks the opportunity to improve their service.\nHow much do you know about UK mobile operators? Try our quiz!", "The Xiaomi Mi A1 smartphone has received a permanent price cut in India, which brings down the handset’s price to Rs. 13,999. The Android One smartphone was launched at Rs. 14,999 in September this year. The Mi A1 (Review) price cut in India is applicable both on Mi.com and Flipkart. This price cut comes soon after the Honox 7X was launched in the country at starting price of Rs. 12,999; incidentally, the Mi A1 was also available at Rs. 12,999 last week as part of an online sale. The Xiaomi handset has a 5.5-inch full-HD display, stock Android 7.1.2 Nougat software, Snapdragon 625 SoC with 4GB RAM, 64GB internal storage, microSD support up to 128GB, dual rear cameras, 5-megapixel camera in front, and a 3080mAh battery.\nThe Mi A1 was not the only smartphone that received a price cut in India today, as the Vivo V5s saw its market price slashed by Rs. 2,000. The smartphone was available at Rs. 17,990 since July this year but can now be purchased for Rs. 15,990. While Flipkart still lists the old price, a Vivo representative has confirmed the new price to Gadgets 360. The Vivo V5s (Review) has a 5.5-inch HD screen, Android 6.0-based custom UI, 1.5GHz octa-core MT6750 chipset, 4GB RAM, 64GB internal storage, microSD expansion up to 256GB, 13-megapixel rear camera, 20-megapixel front camera, and 3000mAh battery.\nIndia’s average 4G Internet speed the slowest\nAccording to a new Ookla report, India stood at the 109th position in terms of mobiles Internet speeds and 76th for fixed broadband speeds in November. However, the country’s average mobile download speed did increase by 15 percent between January to November, up from 7.65Mbps to 8.80Mbps. In wired broadband, the speed has risen from 12.12Mbps to 18.82Mbps, an increase of roughly 50 percent. Nevertheless, India is placed behind the likes of Nepal and Sri Lanka in mobile Internet speeds, as per the report.\nAnother list, this one compiled by OpenSignal, says India’s average 4G speed is 6.1Mbps, which is 10Mbps lower than the global average. Network congestion is said to be the primary reason behind the slow speeds in the country. The same report also says Reliance Jio – which it credited providing LTE signals to consumers 95.6 percent of the time – may raise its data tariffs in 2018. If indeed comes to pass, this will mean an end to the low-cost data that consumers have been enjoying for more than a year now.\nFlipkart New Pinch Days sale date announced\nFlipkart will host its next big sale, named New Pinch Days, from December 15 to December 17. Among electronics, the Flipkart sale will offer deals on LED TVs, laptops, digital cameras, headphones, mobile accessories, power banks. The e-commerce brand has also teased an \"offer of the year\" on Samsung On Nxt 64GB. Online sales staples such as no-cost EMIs and exchange discounts will be part of the sale too, and consumers will get 10 percent additional discount on HDFC debit and credit cards. More details about the Flipkart sale are expected to trickle out as it draws closer.\nIdea launches Rs. 309 plan with 1GB data per day, roaming outgoing calls\nIdea Cellular has released a Rs. 309 plan with 1GB data per day and free roaming outgoing calls for 28 days. Apart from these, the plan comes with bundled local and STD calls and 100 SMSes per day. The bundled calls are limited to 250 minutes per day and 1,000 minutes per week; once these limits are exhausted, the consumers will be charged at 1 paisa per second. Subscribers purchasing the recharge from the Idea website or app will get 1GB of additional data for the validity period.\nVodafone has also launched a Rs. 176 plan with 1GB of 2G data per day, bundled calls, free outgoing calls on roaming. The Vodafone plan is only available in the Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh circle, and comes with access to the Vodafone Play app. The bundled calls are limited to 250 minutes per day and 1,000 minutes a week here too, and if this is crossed, the tariff will be 30 paisa per minute. Buying the pack from MyVodafone app will fetch 5 percent cashback.\nWhatsApp Web may soon get Picture-in-Picture mode\nWhatsApp seems to be looking to get the Picture-in-Picture mode to the Web client, along with the option to reply to messages privately in group chats. For now, the features have not been rolled out, and the company has only submitted the version 0.2.7315 of its Web client that includes the two new features. The PiP mode creates a separate pop-up window for videos, with play/ pause button, volume controller, and timeline slider. With this, WhatsApp users will be able to continue their chats while watching videos.\nOnePlus 5T does not support HD video streaming on most platforms\nIn an unpleasant surprise to buyers, it turns out OnePlus 5T does not support HD video streaming on platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. A user has pointed out that the smartphone does not support the Widevine L1 certification at present, which is mandatory to access HD streams from DRM-protected websites such as Netflix. However, OnePlus 5T (Review) users can still stream content in SD (standard definition) from these platforms, as well as HD YouTube videos. The company reportedly said it plans to fix the issue via a future software update, but has not given a timeline for that so far.\nNokia 3 December security update released\nNokia 3 is now getting the December security update, based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat. The security patches offer an improved level of security for the Nokia 3 (Review), and is part of the company’s promise of monthly updates. In fact, most high-end smartphones across brands are yet to receive this update. Apart from the security patch, this 345.4MB OTA update offers improved stability and UI enhancements. For those waiting for Oreo, the handset will skip the Android 7.1.2 build and move directly to Android 8.0, though there is no fixed timeline for the same yet.\nHarman Kardon Allure speaker with Alexa integration launched in India\nHarman Kardon Allure speaker with hands-free, voice-controlled Alexa access has been launched in India at Rs. 22,490. The new speaker allows users to access the 11,000-odd skills Amazon’s Alexa is capable of, including playing music, ordering goods from Amazon.in, order cabs, and read the news, among others. It delivers 360-degree sound and has a 360-degree multicolour lighting that can adapt to the surroundings. The new Allure speaker will be available only from Prime members via Amazon India.\nAcer Windows Mixed Reality headset launched in India\nAt the finale of the Predator league event, Acer launched the Windows Mixed Reality headset in India, though the price has not been announced yet. The new headset offers both Augment Reality (AR) as well as Virtual Reality (VR) features, and is the first such headset in the country. It features two front-hinged 2.89-inch high-resolution LCD displays that offer a 95-degree field of view. With a resolution of 1440x1440 on each panel and a refresh rate of 90Hz, these displays claim to offer an immersive VR experience. Acer Mixed Reality headset comes with a 13-foot cable and offers connectivity ports such as HDMI 2.0 and USB 3.0.", "The pound slid nearly 1% against the US dollar on Friday as investors cheered a strong jobs report stateside and digested the morning’s disappointing UK construction data.\nSterling was trading at around 1.412 versus the greenback – down 0.9% for the session – but was also flagging against the euro, down 0.4% at 1.134.\nDavid Madden, a market analyst at CMC Markets UK, said: “Sterling has been in a strong upward trend versus the US dollar since March and today’s disappointing UK construction update and the robust US non-farm payrolls report saw traders quickly unwind their long positions on the pound.”\nThe US jobs report showed the country added 200,000 jobs in January, which was ahead of the 180,000 that economists were expecting, keeping the unemployment rate at 4.1%.\n“The highlight of the report was that average earnings jumped by 2.9%, and the previous reading was revised higher to 2.7%, up from 2.5%,” Mr Madden added.\nIt came hours after fresh data showed Britain’s construction sector came within a whisker of stagnation last month, sliding to a four-month low as housebuilders endured a tough start to the year.\nThe Markit/CIPS UK Construction purchasing managers’ index (PMI) recorded a reading of 50.2 in January, down from 52.2 in December, with economists predicting a figure of 52.0.\nA reading above 50 indicates growth.\nAcross Europe, Germany’s Dax was down 1.7% and the Cac 40 in France dropped 1.5%.\nThe price of oil took a tumble after the strong US dollar knocked back gains from the previous session, when a report showed Opec-led supply cuts were helping to counter rising US production.\nBrent crude sank more than 2% to $68.12 a barrel.\nIn UK stocks, Vodafone was one of the biggest risers on the FTSE 100, up 2.38% or 5.1p at 219.5p.\nThe telecoms company confirmed on Friday that it is in early stage discussions regarding the acquisition of just some of Liberty Global’s European assets.\nThe announcement comes after rumours that Vodafone was considering a full-blown merger with the firm – a point it clarified on Friday by saying it was “not in discussion with Liberty Global regarding a combination of both companies”.\nBT shares fell into the red (PA)\nBT shares tumbled more than 2% or 5.65p to 250.35p as the company revealed a drop in third-quarter revenues and earnings, which it blamed on increased investment in mobile devices and “customer experience”, along with higher business rates charged on its network assets as well as pension costs.\nIt also detailed the loss of 5,000 pay TV customers over the period.\nAstraZeneca was the biggest riser on the blue chip index, rising 150p to 5,036p despite posting a 2% fall in full-year revenue, with product sales dropping 5%.\nHowever, investors were encouraged by the company signalling that rising income from new products would boost figures in 2018.\nThe biggest risers on the FTSE 100 Index were AstraZeneca up 150p to 5,036p, Vodafone up 5.10p to 219.5p, Admiral Group up 28.5p to 1,854p, Smurfit Kappa up 38p to 2,570p.\nThe biggest fallers were Glencore down 17.1p to 382.8p, Evraz down 14.6p to 364.5p, Johnson Matthey down 98p to 3,336p, International Consolidated Airlines Group down 17.2p to 629.6p.", "Proving to be a true disruption, Reliance Jio has become the second telecom player in terms of users, capturing more than 23 percent of the Indian market, a report revealed on Wednesday.\nAccording to mobile communication app Truecaller's 'TrueInsights Q4 Report', Jio has grown aggressively in the latter half of 2016, racking up over 16.2 million subscribers in November and taking its total subscriber base to 51.87 million within three months of launching the service.\n\"Investigating the last six months of usage, we can see that Jio has grown aggressively at the end of 2016 summer. Jio racked up millions of customers in their first few months and picked up the pace of acquisition towards the end of the year,\" the report stated.\nThe growth is owing to the Jio welcome offer of providing unlimited data to its subscribers till March 31 this year.\nAs per the latest data from TRAI, India's telecom subscriber base grew to over 1.12 billion at end-November 2016 and the large number of additions were credited to Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd.\nThe report also found that Jio users make calls of less than 30 seconds while Vodafone users make the longest calls - around 41 seconds.\nAs for the overall general calling patterns, subscribers in Jammu and Kashmir make shortest calls of 28.63 seconds while Kolkata users have the longest median call duration of 42.17 seconds.\nAccording to TRAI data, in the month of November 2016 alone, Jio was leading in mobile broadband segment followed by Idea with net addition of 2.52 million new customers. Bharti Airtel and Vodafone added 1.08 million and 890,794 subscribers, respectively.\nMobile Internet usage is expected to grow to over 500 million customers by the end of 2017 with a large portion of those picking Jio.\n\"As a result, there's already consolidation discussions among operators in India due to the increased competitive pressures,\" the report noted.\nReliance Jio has become the primary data connection on most of the mobile devices in India, with 42 percent users having activated Jio in their 4G-enabled slot, followed by Airtel at 17.54 percent, Vodafone at 12.26 percent and Idea at 11.50 percent.\nJio is also leading in data consumption, with a Jio-user logging 6.54GB on average compared to 1.28GB on Airtel, 1.29GB on Vodafone and 1.32GB on Idea.", "Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe See our privacy notice Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email\nA single mum has shockingly revealed how a holiday cost her a staggering £800 more - all because she didn't qualify for a 'family ticket'.\nA jaw-dropping quarter of British families are headed by a lone parent.\nBut, worryingly, the travel industry is still penalising them.\nOne mum, from Sheffield, told the Mirror how she has struggled.\n40-year-old Kate Grice said: “I booked a holiday to Spain in December for my three-year-old and I.\n\"It’s not easy to afford to go away so I booked early so I could pay off the cost in monthly instalments.\n“I was shocked that it cost £800 each.\n\"It seems totally unfair to charge a small child the same as an adult.\n\"I realised afterwards that it would have cost me half the price if I had taken an adult friend along as there would have been a free child place then.\"\nA recent survey by currency exchange firm FairFX revealed many single parents are paying more for holidays than if they were travelling in a couple, with costs for a package deal as much as £500 higher.\nMany holiday companies have deals where children travel free with two adults.\nIn contracts, single parents are forced to pay adult prices for their young children – child prices are only available when youngsters are sharing with two paying adults.\nWith money tight around the summer period, everyone will be looking for ways to save on their flights.\nWith so many tips and hacks kicking around the internet, it can be tricky to separate fact from fiction in order to help you save a few bob on your summer flights.\nThankfully, MoneySavingExpert Martin Lewis has appeared on ITV's This Morning to reveal all to Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield.\nThe financial guru ran through a series of true or false questions, as the Liverpool Echo reports.\n(Image: ITV)\nYou have to show your boarding pass at duty free\nTRUE. This first one is a trick question. When you are purchasing duty free items, you need to show your boarding pass.\nBut what about airport shops?\nFALSE. You do not need to show your boarding pass in airport shops.\nEHIC card ensures free care in EU\nFALSE. Martin, from MoneySavingExpert.com told Holly and Phil: \"A European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) gives you access to state-run hospitals and GPs at the same price as a local. So if it’s free for them it’s free for you, if they pay, you pay.\n\"Everyone should have there own, even children. Lots of them go out of date this year, so check yours now.\n\"They are free, so any website charging you is a scam.\"\nYou can't take water bottles through airport security\nFALSE. You can't take the water through. You can take the bottle so that you don't have to buy expensive water at the airport.\nMost airports have water taps where you can fill your bottles up once you are through security.\nWhen paying by plastic abroad, if asked to choose between pounds and euros, choose euros?\nTRUE. Always in Euros.\nMartin said: \"f you pay in pounds the overseas bank/store will do the conversion, and their rates tend to be awful. Paying in euros is far safer as your bank will do the exchange – and that is usually at least as good, if not better.\"\nYou can't take food through security\nFALSE. Yes, you can. Martin said that taking a picnic to eat on the plane will save you a lot of money, as on-flight food is expensive.\nIf you have unlimited data roaming in the UK, you now get exactly the same when travelling in the EU?\nFALSE. When you take your mobile to the EU you get the same minutes and texts, but if you have an unlimited data package, that is usually capped when in the EU.\nMartin advises that you check with your supplier before you go.\nYou cannot hire a car without paying for insurance\nFALSE. Martin said: \"They will hassle you, but you do not have to. You can get a really cheap add-on at home before you go.\"", "The biggest overhaul of data privacy regulation in the history of the internet comes into force one month from today.\nFrom May 25 in the EU, the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will give regulators greater power to levy large fines on firms who mishandle data, as well as hand users new powers to access and control their data.\nThe new laws also strengthens the jurisdiction of EU regulators, with the new rules applying to all companies and data controllers who handle the data of EU citizens, regardless of where the company itself is based.\nTechnology and internet giants such as Google, Facebook and Apple will also face greater accountability under the laws – which require firms to report any data breaches likely to “risk the rights and freedoms of individuals” within 72 hours of first becoming aware of it.\n(Dominic Lipinski/PA)\nThe fines for violating the new rules are also significantly larger, with regulators able to impose penalties of up to 4% of annual global turnover or 20 million euro, whichever is greater.\nIt means multibillion-dollar companies such as the US tech giants could face unprecedented financial penalties.\nThe regulation is described by the EU as a way to ensure EU citizens’ privacy is protected in an “increasingly data-driven world”.\nFor users, the new regulation enshrines the right to access their data, including details on what data is being collect and for what purpose.\nMany firms, including Facebook and Twitter, have already begun updating their privacy policies in order to meet these new transparency rules, and make it easier for users to see how their data is processed.\nThe right to be forgotten is also part of the regulation, entitling users to have a data controller erase their personal data upon the user’s withdrawing of consent.\nHowever, there have been warnings about the readiness of smaller companies also expected to comply with the new rules.\nMike Cherry, national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), said some smaller firms may not be compliant by May 25 and has called the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to be understanding in their enforcement of the new laws in the UK.\n“As the GDPR deadline swiftly approaches, there is a real danger that many small businesses are yet to have adequately prepared for the changes,” he said.\n“Fortunately, for these businesses, there is still time on the clock to start, or finish, their preparations.\n“The GDPR is the largest shakeup of data protection laws for years, and whether you are a personal trainer or a consultant, most businesses will have to implement changes to their current practices to make sure they are complying with the new rules.\n“Given the extent and the breadth of the changes, it is clear that a majority of small businesses will not be fully compliant before May 25 and will most likely not be compliant when the changes hit.\n“With this in mind, it is critical that the ICO manages non-compliance in a light touch manner with the focus being on education and support, not punishment.”", "\"Cloud native\" isn't just an analyst buzzword, it's the foundation for most enterprise development these days. If it's worth building, it needs to built on the cloud.\nPhoto: Joe McKendrick\nThat's one of the takeaways of a recent survey of 1,800 developers conducted by the Eclipse Foundation. The survey concentrated on developers working with the Jakarta EE platform -- known until recently as Java Platform, Enterprise Edition.\nTwo of the community's top three priorities for Jakarta EE show a consensus that the platform evolve to support cloud native development, while the third priority emphasizes the need for a faster pace of innovation on the platform.\nHalf, 50 percent, of the respondents said they ran about one-fifth of their Java applications today in a cloud. But more than 30 percent said that within the next two years they expect to be running 60 percent or more of their applications in the cloud. \"Those estimates may be low given that most of the respondents have not had a chance to evaluate a forthcoming cloud-native implementation of Jakarta EE,\" the report's authors add. Currently, well over half of respondents (58 percent) view Java EE in its current form as being suitable for the cloud.\nKubernetes emerged in the survey as a favored path for making Jakarta EE cloud native, although alternative platforms may still emerge in the recently formed Jakarta EE working group. Nearly a third of respondents reported they are already working with Kubernetes.\nMicroservices also tops enterprise developers' agendas. A majority, 61 percent, say their number-one wish for the Jakarta EE platform is better support for microservices.\nThe Spring and Spring/Boot frameworks (57 percent) dominate when it comes to building microservices using a derivative of Java, the survey also shows. But as Jarkarta EE continues to evolve it's also more than apparent that framework such as Kubernetes (30 percent), Node.js (22 percent), Jersey (19 percent) and Eclipse MicroProfile (15 percent) are gaining traction.\nOther desires include integration with Kubernetes and faster rates of innovation for similar types of advances.Nearly half (45 percent) of the developers surveyed are already building microservices, with another 21 percent planning to join them in the next year. It's only a matter of time before most of the rest follow suit. 95 percent of the respondents said they are using Java to build microservices, which is followed by Docker containers with more than 50 percent.\nFor many years, Java EE has been the platform of choice for millions of developers and operators running enterprise systems. The survey finds Java EE 7 as the most prevalent platform, used by 56 percent, while 38 percent are still running Java EE 6. Another 21 percent run Java EE 8.\nIn September 2017, Oracle announced that it was transferring the future of Java EE technologies to the Eclipse Foundation. The latest version of Java EE, Jakarta EE, \"is a new undertaking and everything that has occurred previously on the Java EE platform will remain called Java EE and comply with licensing agreements with Oracle.\nFuture work will be led by the Jakarta EE Working Group, a consortium of vendors working collaboratively with a community of open source developers operating under the auspices of the Eclipse Foundation. Founding members include DocDoku, IncQuery Labs, Fujitsu, Genuitec, IBM, Lightbend, Microsoft, Oracle, Payara Systems, Pivotal, Red Hat, SAP, Tomitribe, Vaadin, and Webtide.", "David Haye has been fined £25,000 by the British Boxing Board of Control for his conduct in the build-up to his defeat by Tony Bellew.\nThe heavyweight repeatedly made severe threats against Bellew's life prior to their 4 March fight at London's O2 Arena. At a fight-week press conference he also called sections of his rival's supporters \"f****** retards\" in response to their taunts, some of which he claimed were racist.\nAt the BBBofC's latest board meeting on Wednesday, in the latest development to what has been a controversial career, Haye admitted to a charge of misconduct and bringing the sport into disrepute.\n\"The stewards of the British Boxing Board of Control considered the behaviour and comments made by boxer David Haye for his contest with Tony Bellew on the 4th March 2017 at the O2 Arena, London at their board meeting on Wednesday, 14th June 2017,\" read a statement issued by a governing body.\n\"Mr Haye admitted that his behaviour amounted to misconduct and brought boxing into disrepute.\n\"The stewards fined Mr Haye the sum of #25,000.00.\"\nThe 36-year-old is presently undergoing a rehabilitation programme after he ruptured his Achilles during that 11th-round stoppage defeat, which was his third as a professional.\nHe also recently split Shane McGuigan, the trainer who oversaw his past three fights.", "Fast Market Research announces the availability of the new TechNavio report,”Global Telecom IoT Market 2016-2020″, on their comprehensive research portal\nBoston, MA — (SBWIRE) — 01/02/2017 — The IoT is a network of physical objects that are interconnected and can communicate among themselves as well as with the internal and external environments. It connects hardware devices, software, and communication and IT services. It creates smart communication environments such as smart homes, smart shopping, smart transportation, and smart healthcare. It is an emerging ecosystem of Internet protocol (IP)-connected devices with the potential to deliver significant business benefits across varied industries and is valued at trillions of dollars in the future.\nTechnavio's analysts forecast the global telecom IoT market to grow at a CAGR of 42.36% during the period 2016-2020.\nCovered in this report\nThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global telecom IoT market for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report provides the performance and market dominance of each of the vendors in terms of experience, product portfolio, geographical presence, financial condition, R&D, and customer base.\nGet More Details on this Report and a Full Table of Contents at Global Telecom IoT Market 2016-2020\nThe market is divided into the following segments based on geography:\n-Americas\n-APAC\n-EMEA\nTechnavio's report, Global Telecom IoT Market 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.\nKey vendors\n-AT&T\n-China Mobile\n-Deutsche Telekom\n-Ericsson\n-Verizon Communications\n-Vodafone\nOther prominent vendors\n-Aeris\n-BT (EE)\n-China Telecom\n-China Unicom\n-Huawei Technologies\n-KT\n-MTN\n-Orange Business Services\n-Rogers Communications\n-Singtel\n-SK Telecom\n-Sprint\n-Tele2\n-Telefonica\n-Telenor\n-TeliaSonera\n-ZTE\nMarket driver\n-Increasing demand for network capacity to access connected services.\n-For a full, detailed list, view our report\nMarket challenge\n-Insufficient backhaul capacity.\n-For a full, detailed list, view our report\nMarket trend\n-Enhanced security and safety feature with effective monitoring technology.\n-For a full, detailed list, view our report\nKey questions answered in this report\n-What will the market size be in 2020 and what will the growth rate be?\n-What are the key market trends?\n-What is driving this market?\n-What are the challenges to market growth?\n-Who are the key vendors in this market space?\n-What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?\n-What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?\nYou can request one free hour of our analyst's time when you purchase this market report. Details are provided within the report.\nCompanies Mentioned in this Report: AT&T, China Mobile, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Verizon Communications, Vodafone, Aeris, BT (EE), China Telecom, China Unicom, Huawei Technologies, KT, MTN, Orange Business Services, Rogers Communications, Singtel, SK Telecom, Sprint, Tele2, Telefonica, Telenor, TeliaSonera, ZTE\nAbout Fast Market Research\nFast Market Research is a leading distributor of market research and business information. Representing the world's top research publishers and analysts, we provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available. Our unbiased, expert staff is always available to help you find the right research to fit your requirements and your budget. For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our website at http://www.fastmr.com or call us at 1.800.844.8156.\nBrowse all Information Technology research reports at Fast Market Research\nYou may also be interested in these related reports:\n–Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) Enterprise Application Market – Global Forecast to 2022\n–Telecom APIs and Communication Enabled Apps: Technology, Market Outlook, and Forecasts 2016 – 2020\n–Internet of Things (IoT) WAN Market Analysis and Forecasts 2016 – 2021\n–Next Generation Network OSS/BSS Market and Forecast 2015 – 2020\n–Industrial Convergence: 5G, Industrial IoT, Smart Infrastructure, Big Data, IoT Data Management and Analytics 2016 – 2021\nFor more information on this press release visit: http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/market-reportglobal-telecom-iot-market-2016-2020-published-754846.htm", "Technology and internet giants such as Google, Facebook and Apple will also face greater accountability under the laws – which require firms to report any data breaches likely to “risk the rights and freedoms of individuals” within 72 hours of first becoming aware of it.\nThe new laws also strengthens the jurisdiction of EU regulators, with the new rules applying to all companies and data controllers who handle the data of EU citizens, regardless of where the company itself is based.\nFrom May 25 in the EU, the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will give regulators greater power to levy large fines on firms who mishandle data, as well as hand users new powers to access and control their data.\nThe biggest overhaul of data privacy regulation in the history of the internet comes into force one month from today.\nThe fines for violating the new rules are also significantly larger, with regulators able to impose penalties of up to 4% of annual global turnover or 20 million euro, whichever is greater.\nIt means multibillion-dollar companies such as the US tech giants could face unprecedented financial penalties.\nThe regulation is described by the EU as a way to ensure EU citizens’ privacy is protected in an “increasingly data-driven world”.\nFor users, the new regulation enshrines the right to access their data, including details on what data is being collect and for what purpose.\nMany firms, including Facebook and Twitter, have already begun updating their privacy policies in order to meet these new transparency rules, and make it easier for users to see how their data is processed.\nThe right to be forgotten is also part of the regulation, entitling users to have a data controller erase their personal data upon the user’s withdrawing of consent.\nHowever, there have been warnings about the readiness of smaller companies also expected to comply with the new rules.\nMike Cherry, national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), said some smaller firms may not be compliant by May 25 and has called the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to be understanding in their enforcement of the new laws in the UK.\n“As the GDPR deadline swiftly approaches, there is a real danger that many small businesses are yet to have adequately prepared for the changes,” he said.\n“Fortunately, for these businesses, there is still time on the clock to start, or finish, their preparations.\n“The GDPR is the largest shakeup of data protection laws for years, and whether you are a personal trainer or a consultant, most businesses will have to implement changes to their current practices to make sure they are complying with the new rules.\n“Given the extent and the breadth of the changes, it is clear that a majority of small businesses will not be fully compliant before May 25 and will most likely not be compliant when the changes hit.\n“With this in mind, it is critical that the ICO manages non-compliance in a light touch manner with the focus being on education and support, not punishment.”", "Vodafone has moved to quash media speculation of a major takeover, saying it is in early stage discussions regarding the acquisition of just some of Liberty Global’s European assets.\nThe announcement comes after rumours that Vodafone was considering a full-blown merger with the firm – a point it clarified on Friday.\n“Vodafone confirms that it is in early stage discussions with Liberty Global regarding the potential acquisition of certain overlapping continental European assets owned by Liberty Global,” Vodafone said in a statement.\n“There is no certainty that any transaction will be agreed, nor as to the terms, timing or form of any transaction.\n“Vodafone is not in discussion with Liberty Global regarding a combination of both companies.”\nThe news comes nearly two years after the two firms sealed a deal to merge operations in a joint venture that would bring together Vodafone’s mobile operation with Liberty Global’s Ziggo broadband network.\nLiberty Global is controlled by US cable tycoon John Malone, although it is focused on Europe.\nVodafone was one of the biggest risers on the FTSE 100 on Friday, up 2.38% or 5.1p at 219.5p.\nBut the company said earlier this week that its existing joint venture with Liberty Global had been weighing on top-line growth.\nThe telecoms company on Thursday reported a 3.6% fall in third quarter revenues to 11.8 billion euros (£10.3 billion) for the three months to December 31, after a drop in its European and Africa, Middle East & Asia Pacific (AMAP) divisions, which fell 2.8% and 5.6% respectively.\nThe decline was pinned on the “negative impact from the deconsolidation of Vodafone Netherlands” following the creation of its joint venture VodafoneZiggo, as well as foreign exchange rate movements.\nStripped of those impacts, organic service revenues grew 1.1% to 10.2 billion euros (£8.9 billion) but still marked a slowdown from 1.3% growth in the previous quarter.\nGrowth in its European business also slowed due to the “drag” from regulation and UK handset financing, Vodafone said.\nBut it added that quarterly trading was in line with expectations and reiterated forecasts for a 10% jump in full-year underlying earnings to between 14.75 billion and 14.95 billion euros (£12.9 billion to £13 billion), on an organic basis.", "Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Jio is loosing its charm as the company has managed to add 3.87 million subscribers in the month of April, which is lower compared to March, which was at 5.83 million.\nHowever Jio is still pipping incumbent telcos in terms of user additions in the month and now the telco has a market share of 9.58 percent, which is up from 9.29 percent in March. Airtel, Vodafone India, and Idea Cellular sustained their top three positions in that order, with 23.54 percent, 17.86 percent and 16.69 percent shares, respectively.\nAccording to the data, Jio was also at the top in the wireless broadband service provider with 112.55 million customers, while India's largest telecom operators Bharti Airtel with 52.25 million, Vodafone with 39.76 million and Idea Cellular with 24.09 million.\nTRAI says that the top five service providers constituted 88.04 percent market share of the total broadband subscribers at the end of Apr-17 and these service providers were Reliance Jio Infocom Ltd (112.55 million), Bharti Airtel (52.25million), Vodafone (39.76 million), Idea Cellular (24.09 million) and BSNL(21.58 million).\nMeanwhile, Jio has once again declared as the fastest 4G network in the month of April.\nTRAI said that Reliance Jio had also registered an average download speed at 19. 123 Mbps in April. With this, Jio has managed to beat, Aditya Birla Group-led Idea's (13.709 Mbps) download speed, and Vodafone's (13.387Mbps) as well. However, India's largest telecom service provider is at the fourth spot with the lowest speed at 10.15 Mbps in the same month.", "New EU data privacy regulations could make Facebook and Google even more powerful, according to some internet experts.\nThe laws require tech companies to ask for users' consent for their data, but are likely to strengthen Google and Facebook's dominance over smaller internet firms.\nThat's because cautious consumers are less likely to trust unfamiliar newcomers with their private information than recognised brands, researchers have claimed.\nThe changes could also put off start-ups that lack the resources to comply with the regulations from competing with larger companies, they said.\nTogether these factors may end up ballooning the monpolies that are already enjoyed by Silicon Valley giants like Facebook and Google.\nScroll down for video\nNew EU data privacy regulations could make Facebook and Google even more powerful, according to some internet experts. The laws require tech companies to ask for users' consent for their data, but are likely to strengthen Google and Facebook's dominance (stock image)\n'Regulations help incumbents,' Professor Avi Goldfarb, a marketing expert at the University of Toronto in Canada who has studied the effect of privacy regulations on competition, told the New York Times.\nResearch conducted by Mr Goldfarb in 2013 concluded that privacy regulation could be anti-competitive.\nThis is because getting permissions from users for their data was typically much more expensive for younger companies than for well-established firms.\nThe European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will enter force on May 25 and aims to strengthen and unify data protection for EU citizens.\nThis means cracking down on how companies like Google and Facebook use and sell the data they collect on their users.\nFacebook and Google have recently come under scrunity for the way they handle their users' data.\nThe EU rules could put off start-ups that lack resources to comply with the regulations from competing with larger companies. Together these factors may end up ballooning the monpoly that is already enjoyed by Silicon Valley giants like Facebook and Google (stock image)\nWHAT IS THE EU'S GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATION? The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a new data protection law that will enter into force on May 25, 2018. It aims to strengthen and unify data protection for all individuals within the European Union (EU). This means cracking down on how companies like Google and Facebook use and sell the data they collect on their users. The law will mark the biggest overhaul of personal data privacy rules since the birth of the internet. Under GDPR, companies will be required to report data breaches within 72 hours, as well as to allow customers to export their data and delete it. The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a new data protection law that will enter into force on May 25. It aims to crack down on how companies like Google and Facebook use and sell the data they collect on their users Part of the expanded rights of data subjects outlined by the GDPR is the right for data subjects to obtain from the data controller confirmation as to whether or not personal data concerning them is being processed, where and for what purpose. Further, the controller must provide a copy of the personal data, free of charge, in an electronic format. This change is a dramatic shift to data transparency and empowerment of data subjects. Under the right to be forgotten, also known as Data Erasure, are entitled to have the data controller erase their personal data, cease further dissemination of the data, and potentially have third parties halt processing of the data. The conditions for erasure include the data no longer being relevant to original purposes for processing, or a data subject withdrawing their consent. This right requires controllers to compare the subjects' rights to 'the public interest in the availability of the data' when considering such requests.\nIn March it was revealed that Facebook had allowed the political research firm Cambridge Analytica to syphen the data of nearly 87 million of its users, many without their permission. This prompted a US Senate hearing with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (pictured)\nIn March it was revealed that Facebook had allowed the political research firm Cambridge Analytica to syphen the data of nearly 87 million of its users, many without their permission.\nGoogle has grappled with question over its video-sharing website YouTube as lawmakers raise concerns that the search giant’s data-collection system is as vigorous as Facebook's.\nThe EU's GDPR rules will restrict how internet firms collect, store and use EU citizens' personal data, and will require these companies to explain how they use this information in plain, simple language.\nTech giants can no longer employ convoluted user agreements that are often ignored as a way to gain access to people's personal information.\nWHAT CHANGES IS FACEBOOK MAKING TO COMPLY WITH THE EU'S GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATION? The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will enter into force on May 25, 2018 and offer greater privacy protection online. New terms of service at Facebook are designed to ensure the Menlo Park, California, firm complies with the forthcoming EU rules, with European residents seeing the measures first. Facebook is hoping to exclude 1.5 billion of its worldwide users from the new GDPR laws, arguing that only EU citizens should fall under its purview. Almost 1.9 billion non-EU international users, outside of the US and Canada, would be protected by the stricter law under current rules. Members in Africa, Asia, Australia and Latin America would be excluded from the GDPR's protections if the move goes ahead. Under the new policy, Facebook users will be asked to review and make choices about ads they receive, including whether they want Facebook to use data from third parties. Facebook will begin to ask users if they want to opt in or out of its facial recognition feature, which is making a return under GDPR. They will also be asked to review and choose what to share about sensitive personal data. This will include their political and religious beliefs, as well as relationship status information on their profiles. Facebook is also taking steps to comply with rules that limit advertising and public viewing of data for teens. This will mean no use of facial recognition for anyone under age 18 and limitations on who can see certain information teens have shared. To comply with GDPR, Facebook will also limit what it shows to users between the ages of 13 and 15 unless they get permission from a parent.\nBut according to Nicolas Colin, co-founder and director at the Family, a French start-up accelerator, this could strengthen Google and Facebook's monopolies.\n'People tend to give that permission to companies they trust,' he told the New York Times.\n'Stricter rules strengthen companies because they have that key asset that is trust.'\nOne internet privacy expert suggests Facebook may be using the Cambridge Analytica data scandal for its own profit.\nThe EU's GDPR rules will restrict how internet firms like Facebook collect, store and use EU citizens' personal data, and will require these companies to explain how they use this information in plain, simple language\nWHAT IS THE CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA SCANDAL? Communications firms Cambridge Analytica has offices in London, New York, Washington, as well as Brazil and Malaysia. The company boasts it can 'find your voters and move them to action' through data-driven campaigns and a team that includes data scientists and behavioural psychologists. 'Within the United States alone, we have played a pivotal role in winning presidential races as well as congressional and state elections,' with data on more than 230 million American voters, Cambridge Analytica claims on its website. The company profited from a feature that meant apps could ask for permission to access your own data as well as the data of all your Facebook friends. The data firm suspended its chief executive, Alexander Nix (pictured), after recordings emerged of him making a series of controversial claims, including boasts that Cambridge Analytica had a pivotal role in the election of Donald Trump This meant the company was able to mine the information of 55 million Facebook users even though just 270,000 people gave them permission to do so. This was designed to help them create software that can predict and influence voters' choices at the ballot box. The data firm suspended its chief executive, Alexander Nix, after recordings emerged of him making a series of controversial claims, including boasts that Cambridge Analytica had a pivotal role in the election of Donald Trump. This information is said to have been used to help the Brexit campaign in the UK.\nDr Bernie Hogan, a researcher at the University of Oxford, said Facebook is using the fallout as an excuse to cut its ties with third-party app developers.\nThis allows the company to 'reign in' more services under the Facebook umbrella, opening the door to new lucrative industries that could see the company rival big platforms like Tinder.\nDr Hogan, a Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Internet Institute, told MailOnline: 'Facebook are champions of invasive data collection. Collecting more data than they should has been a part of their corporate mission for years.\nDr Bernie Hogan, a researcher at the University of Oxford, said Facebook is using the fallout of the Cambridge Analytica scandal as an excuse to cut its ties with third-party app developers. Pictured is CEO Mark Zuckerberg\n'This is not changing, nor have they said it is. They have said they are restricting the sharing of this data.\n'If anything they are profitably using this scandal as an excuse to clamp down on sharing with third parties and reign in more under Facebook's umbrella.\n'Tinder using Facebook likes will be gone, but who knows, Facebook dating might appear instead.'", "The free unlimited internet offer on Valentine’s Day generated record data traffic in Supernet™ 4G+, with the highest increase of hourly total data traffic of 53%\nThe leading counties in terms of data traffic increase were Ialomita, Constanta, Giurgiu, Prahova, Vrancea, Galati and Calarasi\nVodafone Romania’s network registered record data traffic on Valentine’s Day, at the start of its 20 years anniversary campaign. The operator’s mobile customers have enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate this very special day with their dear ones by freely enjoying their loved content and by cherishing this way their deepest feelings and emotions.\nThe highest increase of hourly total data traffic in Vodafone Romania’s Supernet™ 4G+ was of 53%, while the peak for data traffic was at 20:50, 33% higher compared to a regular day. Out of the total traffic, 57% was registered by postpaid customers, while the rest of 43%, by prepaid users.\n“Internet is an active part of our customers’ everyday life, as we see in our daily data usage figures. This special 20 years anniversary is a wonderful opportunity to offer them exactly what they appreciate the most, which is the chance to enjoy more the best network in the country, certified as Best in Test for the third year in a row by the independent auditor P3 communications and awarded as The Fastest Mobile Network in Romania by Ookla, the world’s most popular internet speed test. We are proud that, in spite on the heavy traffic, our network registered optimal conditions in terms of availability to our customers”, Catalin Buliga, Technology Director, Vodafone Romania, stated.\nThe leading counties in terms of data traffic increase were Ialomita, Constanta, Giurgiu, Prahova, Vrancea, Galati and Calarasi.\nThe largest share of consumption on February 14, 2017 was video streaming, followed by web browsing and social media.\nVodafone Romania celebrates its 20 years anniversary along the entire year of 2017 through a series of initiatives for its customers and the free unlimited internet offer on Valentine’s Day was the first of them. The Vodafone brand has been present on the Romanian market since 2005, after buying Connex, which launched its services in 1997. Along its history on the local market, the operator has been investing in innovation, being the first to provide GPRS (2001), then 3G (2005) and 4G services (2012). The first Call Center Service (1997), the first corporate foundation (1998), the launch of short message service – SMS – or data and fax services (1998), the first automatic speech recognition service (2014) are among the premieres marked by Vodafone Romania on the local telecommunications market.\nVodafone Romania is a subsidiary of Vodafone Group, one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies which provides a range of services including voice, messaging, data and fixed communications. Vodafone has mobile operations in 26 countries, partners with mobile networks in 49 more, and fixed broadband operations in 17 markets. As of December 31st, 2016, Vodafone had 470 million mobile customers and 14.3 million fixed broadband customers." ]

[ "House Republicans are expected to vote Liz Cheney out from her ranking as number three because she continues to criticize former President Trump and call out his misinformation on the 2020 election." ]

[ "Former U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake decries the GOP's ousting of House Republican Conference chair Liz Cheney, and warns that widespread refusal to accept election results undermines U.S. democracy.", "How do Republicans in Wyoming view Congresswoman Liz Cheney and her ouster from House Republican leadership? Even with conflicting opinions, there are a couple of points many agree on.", "New York GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik is positioning herself to replace Liz Cheney as the number three House Republican leader. She came to Congress as a moderate but shifted to become a top Trump ally.", "Update at 5 p.m. ET: Special coverage of this event has ended. Follow more updates on NPR.org. The House of Representatives passed an article of impeachment against President Trump on Wednesday, making him the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice. The resolution lists \"incitement of insurrection,\" charging that Trump's comments to supporters on Jan. 6 led to a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol that temporarily forced lawmakers into hiding and left at least five people dead. The impeachment resolution reads: \"President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government. He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coequal branch of Government. He thereby betrayed his trust as President, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.\" Unlike Trump's first impeachment, Democrats now have support from some Republican members as well, including the No. 3 House Republican, Liz Cheney of Wyoming. \"There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution,\" Cheney said in a statement released Tuesday evening. In total, 10 Republicans voted for impeachment.", "Do Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rep. Liz Cheney both represent the Republican party? NPR's Noel King speaks to former Republican congresswoman Barbara Comstock, about the GOP's future.", "Wyoming Republican Liz Cheney is deciding between a run for the Senate in 2020 or staying in the House. She is currently the third-highest-ranking Republican with a path to climb even higher.", "Marginalizing Trump critics. Changing election law. Embracing lies. What does it mean to be a Republican in 2021? And what does that say about where the party is headed?   Guests Cas Mudde, professor of public affairs at the University of Georgia-Athens. Host of the podcast RADIKAAL. Author of &#8220;The Far Right Today&#8221; and &#8220;Populism: A Very Short Introduction.&#8221; (@CasMudde) Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst. (@JackBeattyNPR) Pippa Norris, professor of comparative politics at Harvard’s Kennedy School. Author of “Cultural Backlash.&#8221; (@PippaN15) From The Reading List Foreign Affairs: &#8220;Voters Against Democracy&#8221; &#8212; &#8220;At the heart of his inaugural address, delivered just two weeks after a violent mob sacked the U.S. Capitol, President Joe Biden claimed that the transfer of power reflected American democracy’s victory over the forces of insurrection, chaos, and intolerance.&#8221; NPR: &#8220;GOP Ousts Cheney From Leadership Over Her Criticism Of Trump&#8221; &#8212; &#8220;House Republicans have removed Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming as conference chair in retaliation for her unyielding criticism of former President Donald Trump, his continued false claims of a stolen election, his role in the Jan. 6 riot and his future in the Republican Party.&#8221; Washington Post: &#8220;House Republicans oust Cheney from leadership for calling out Trump’s false election claims&#8221; &#8212; &#8220;House Republicans ousted Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) from her leadership post Wednesday because she continues to challenge former president Donald Trump over his false claims about election fraud and his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to several GOP members.&#8221; Politico: &#8220;Stefanik faces first public House conservative foe in her push to replace Cheney&#8221; &#8212; &#8220;Elise Stefanik on Tuesday faced her first formal pushback from a conservative colleague on her apparent glide path to the House GOP&#8217;s No. 3 leadership spot after Liz Cheney&#8217;s expected ouster from the role.&#8221; New York Times: &#8220;Marooned at Mar-a-Lago, Trump Still Has Iron Grip on Republicans&#8221; &#8212; &#8220;Locked out of Facebook, marooned in Mar-a-Lago and mocked for an amateurish new website, Donald J. Trump remained largely out of public sight this week. Yet the Republican Party’s capitulation to the former president became clearer than ever, as did the damage to American politics he has caused with his lie that the election was stolen from him.&#8221; This article was originally published on WBUR.org.", "The future of Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, a Republican, in the GOP is increasingly in doubt as she refuses to back down from criticisms of former President Trump. NPR&#8217;s Susan Davis reports. This article was originally published on WBUR.org.", "House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Tuesday that Republican lawmakers have shared concerns with him over Rep. Liz Cheney's ability \"to carry out the message,\" fueling speculation that the No. 3 House Republican may once again face an effort to oust her from party leadership. \"There's no concern about how she voted on impeachment — that decision has been made,\" the California Republican told Fox & Friends. \"I have heard from members concerned about her ability to carry out the job as conference chair, to carry out the message. We all need to be working as one if we're able to win the majority.\" His comments come a day after Cheney responded to a statement from former President Donald Trump once again perpetuating his false claim the presidential election was stolen from him. \"The 2020 presidential election was not stolen,\" Cheney tweeted. \"Anyone who claims it was is spreading THE BIG LIE, turning their back on the rule of law, and poisoning our democratic system.\" The Wyoming lawmaker, the highest-ranking woman in House GOP leadership, has faced intense backlash from her party since she voted to impeach Trump over his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection. \"There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution,\" Cheney said in a statement at the time. Her vote earned her a censure from the Wyoming Republican Party and a growing list of primary challengers, along with calls to throw her out of her leadership job. She was able to ward them off in a secret ballot vote in February with support from McCarthy. But since then, the gulf between Cheney and the rest of GOP leadership has grown as McCarthy and Minority Whip Steve Scalise are embracing the former president to help Republicans in the next midterm elections. \"This idea that you just disregard President Trump is not where we are, and frankly he has a lot to offer still and has offered a lot. He wants to help us win the House back,\" Scalise recently told Axios. Last month, Cheney, who is responsible for party messaging, pointedly did not invite Trump to speak when Republicans gathered for their annual retreat in his home state of Florida. Once there, she told reporters that any Republican who objected to the Electoral College counts should not ever be considered a GOP candidate for president. \"I do think that some of our candidates who led the charge, particularly the senators who led the unconstitutional charge, not to certify the election, you know, in my view that's disqualifying,\" she told the New York Post. Cheney has also broken with party leaders who are blocking an investigative commission into the Jan. 6 attack because they want it also to examine the violence around some of the racial justice protests last summer. Democrats said that's a distraction, and Cheney agreed. \"I think that's a different set of issues, a different set of problems and a different set of solutions,\" she said at the retreat. \"And so I think it's very important that the Jan. 6 commission, focused on, what happened on Jan. 6 and then what led to that day.\" The strain between Cheney and GOP leadership was on full display at a press conference at the end of February when reporters asked McCarthy whether Trump should speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference. \"He should,\" McCarthy answered bluntly. The question was then posed to Cheney, who answered from the back as McCarthy remained at the lectern. \"I've been clear in my views about President Trump and the extent to which following Jan. 6 I don't believe that he should be playing a role in the future of the party or the country,\" Cheney said, as McCarthy closed his eyes in apparent frustration. An awkward pause followed, with McCarthy abruptly ending the press conference with \"on that high note, thank you very much.\" The pair left walking in separate directions and have rarely appeared together since then. Professor Jim King of the University of Wyoming said Cheney's opposition to Trump hasn't yet ruined her political fortunes, but it has changed them. \"She may not any longer be on track to be speaker, but I don't see that she's in a position where she's going to lose in Wyoming,\" he said. Fundraising for her reelection bid has been robust, and she continues to enjoy support from Republicans such as former House Speaker Paul Ryan as well as fellow Republicans who also supported Trump's impeachment. \"Every person of conscience draws a line beyond which they will not go: Liz Cheney refuses to lie,\" Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, tweeted Tuesday.", "Dozens are dead as violence between Israelis and Palestinians intensifies. Israel launched more devastating airstrikes in Gaza as Hamas continues to respond with rockets. House Republicans will meet this morning to vote on whether to remove Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney from her leadership role. And, price hikes for consumer goods are stoking fears of inflation.", "Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., is under criticism from lawmakers in her party after voting to impeach former President Donald Trump. NPR looks at how voters are reacting to her decision.", "The Biden administration reached an agreement with rideshare companies Uber and Lyft to drive people to vaccine distribution sites for free until July 4. The president is pushing to at least partially vaccinate 70 percent of the American population by the holiday. A hacking group known as DarkSide conducted a ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline. National security experts are investigating whether or not the group is tied to Russia. Meanwhile, Americans are rushing to gas stations to horde what they can, creating an artificial shortage in the process. Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from her House GOP leadership position after criticizing former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric concerning the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Cheney gave an indignant speech on the House floor Tuesday night, signaling to her colleagues she would not go quietly. We cover the most important stories from around the country on the News Roundup.", "A public disagreement over same-sex marriage has escalated between the daughters of former Vice President Dick Cheney. Liz Cheney, a Republican Senate candidate, says she supports the traditional definition of marriage. Her sister Mary Cheney, a married lesbian, says Liz is on the wrong side of history.", "House Republicans on Wednesday removed Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming as conference chair in retaliation for her unyielding criticism of former President Donald Trump, his continued false claims of a stolen election, his role in the Jan. 6 riot and his future in the Republican Party. \"I will do everything I can to ensure that the former president never again gets anywhere near the Oval Office,\" Cheney told reporters after her ouster, which was done by a voice vote. The move marks the second time this year that Cheney faced a vote from her fellow House Republicans to remove her from her leadership position. But this time, she didn't have the support of top Republicans like House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who openly endorses a candidate to supplant her. Cheney's removal, which was widely expected, likely marks the end of her rise in the Republican Party — an ascent that began shortly after her election to the House in 2016. Cheney was among the most conservative members of Congress: She espoused traditional Republican views on foreign policy and national security, the economy and social issues. But the Trump presidency, her criticism of the president and her vote to impeach him turned her party against her. Still, after Wednesday's vote, Cheney appeared undeterred, telling reporters the nation needs a strong GOP — and that she plans to lead it. \"The nation needs a party that is based upon fundamental principles of conservatism, and I am committed and dedicated to ensuring that that's how this party goes forward, and I plan to lead the fight to do that,\" she said. Cheney plans on running for reelection in 2022. But first she has to contend with her own role in the party. McCarthy, who helped Cheney thwart a vote to remove her from House GOP leadership in February, sent a letter Monday to rank-and-file Republicans announcing Wednesday's vote. \"If we are to succeed in stopping the radical Democrat agenda from destroying our country, these internal conflicts need to be resolved so as to not detract from the efforts of our collective team,\" he wrote. \"Having heard from so many of you in recent days, it's clear that we need to make a change.\" The \"internal conflicts\" he references stem from Trump's repeated false statements that the 2020 election was rigged against him, as well as the former president's role in the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6. In Tuesday night remarks on the House floor, Cheney pointedly accused Trump of fomenting the deadly insurrection. \"Today, we face a threat America has never seen before: A former president who provoked a violent attack on this Capitol, in an effort to steal the election, has resumed his aggressive effort to convince Americans that the election was stolen from him,\" Cheney said. \"He risks inciting further violence,\" she continued. \"Millions of Americans have been misled by the former president. They have heard only his words, but not the truth, as he continues to undermine our democratic process, sowing seeds of doubt about whether democracy really works at all.\" Cheney added: \"I will not sit back and watch in silence, while others lead our party down a path that abandons the rule of law and joins the former president's crusade to undermine our democracy.\" Hours after the vote on Wednesday, McCarthy pushed back on Cheney's claim that Republicans are giving Trump a pass for his false claims about election fraud. \"I don't think anybody is questioning the legitimacy of the presidential election,\" he told reporters coming out of a meeting with President Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. \"I think that is all over with. We're sitting here with the president today.\" Trump has cheered Cheney's ousting and on Wednesday morning issued a statement saying House Republicans \"have a great opportunity today to rid themselves of a poor leader, a major Democrat talking point, a warmonger, and a person with absolutely no personality or heart!\" Hours later, he issued another statement after the vote, calling Cheney a \"bitter, horrible human being.\" Cheney's stance that Trump has no place in the present or future of the party puts her at odds with the majority of House Republicans, including McCarthy, who are counting on Trump's support to help them win back the House next year. Republicans argue that Cheney's position on the former president puts her out of step with the GOP conference, which makes her job to carry out party messaging untenable. Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., put it succinctly when he told Fox's Sean Hannity that \"the people who try to erase [Trump] are going to wind up getting erased.\" Cheney acknowledged the blowback in a recent op-ed in The Washington Post but argued that fidelity to the Constitution and democracy is worth any political repercussions she might face. McCarthy is publicly backing Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York to take over Cheney's leadership role. S", "Liz Cheney's decision to move to deep red Wyoming and launch what promises to be an expensive primary challenge against GOP Sen. Mike Enzi continues to baffle. And it's not just pollsters — whose early surveys show her trailing the popular Enzi badly in a state where an overwhelming majority of voters say they don't view her as a \"Wyomingite\" — who are scratching their heads. It's also members of her own party who, even knowing the downside of criticizing the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney (Wyoming's retired GOP Sen. Alan Simpson clammed up after publicly characterizing her run as \"a disaster\"), have begun openly questioning the motives of the 46-year-old lawyer and frequent Fox News commentator. They range from Wyoming Republicans like state Sen. Cale Case, who recently characterized Enzi as a dues-paying, \"salt of the earth\" guy, to GOP senators in Washington who have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Enzi. Enzi, 69, a former mayor and decade-long state legislator, has even won over conservatives like Tea Party provocateur Rand Paul, the Kentucky senator. A libertarian and war skeptic whose candidacy in 2010 was opposed by Dick Cheney, Paul said he'll endorse the low-key, three-termer Enzi, who was last re-elected in 2008 with more than 75 percent of the vote. The question of what has animated her candidacy is animating GOP conversations well beyond Wyoming: Republicans looking for a viable candidate to challenge Democratic Sen. Mark Warner in Virginia, where Liz Cheney lived long before moving to Wyoming last year, have also begun to take aim. Her Father And The Cheney Brand Liz Cheney has been seen as a key adviser to her father and was the person who helped persuade him to write his 2012 memoir, In My Time: A Personal and Political Memoir, which she also co-wrote. She's been a staunch defender, and promoter, of his worldview, relying on Fox News as her pulpit of choice. And her reach for the Senate has been characterized by some as reflective not only of her own driving political ambition but also her commitment to bolstering the legacy of a father who left office as the most unpopular vice president in modern history. But Liz Cheney, who was born in Wisconsin, grew up in Virginia and spent some of her schoolgirl time in Wyoming, may be accomplishing quite the opposite. \"Carpetbaggers, regardless of who they are related to, haven't done well in Wyoming,\" says Phil Roberts, a University of Wyoming expert in the state's history. \"Family name won't do it.\" Steve Peck, editor and publisher of The Ranger newspaper in Riverton, Wyo., recently noted in an opinion piece: Cheney may have instant name recognition in the state, but she will have to \"rough up\" Enzi, a former shoe store owner whose approval ratings are north of 70 percent, according to one poll. \"Cheney probably will have the stomach for it,\" he said. \"She has made a good living over the past couple of years giving rip-snorting speeches.\" But her usual targets have been President Obama and the \"liberal elite.\" Turning her sights on a fellow Republican with a 92 percent rating from the American Conservative Union may not seem a path to enhancing her father's legacy, despite the immediate political opportunity she may see in it. Besides, many party stalwarts say that her father, described by Peck as one of \"Wyoming's all-time political figures,\" is in little need of reputational repair among the state's Republicans. \"Dick Cheney is still viewed very much as a hero among a great many Republicans — the tough guy who was a leading force behind a very aggressive stance against terrorists and the state that protects them,\" says GOP pollster Whit Ayres. \"He has been a loyal Republican soldier for many, many years.\" Her Opportunity When Liz Cheney announced her candidacy, it was almost immediately characterized as another example of the battle raging for the soul of the Republican Party. Ayres, the Washington-based pollster, scoffs at the notion. \"It's going to be pretty hard to spin the daughter of one of the pillars of the Republican establishment as an anti-establishment candidate,\" he says. Tea Party and conservative groups have not rushed to her side, as they have for Republican candidates who have previously challenged party incumbents seen as too entrenched or willing to compromise with Democrats and — especially — Obama. That's even though Liz Cheney is viewed within the party as having a much sharper ideological edge than her father, with political views that perhaps can be best summed up in her own Twitter comment from earlier this year: \"What should GOP do in face of radical Obama agenda? Everything possible to resist/block. That's not obstructionism. That's patriotism.\" Her father, in his years on Capitol Hill before becoming vice president, could fairly be described as a Republican perhaps more like Mike Enzi than Liz Cheney. Here's a description of Dick Cheney as a member of Congress, from a 2004 Associated Press story: \"He rose t", "A family feud between Liz and Mary Cheney, the daughters of former Vice President Dick Cheney, played out in awkward fashion Sunday. Liz Cheney, who is running for Wyoming's U.S. Senate seat, sparked the dispute on Fox News Sunday, saying she \"believe[s] in the traditional definition of marriage\" even though her sister, Mary, a lesbian, is married to a woman. \"I love Mary very much. I love her family very much. This is just an issue on which we disagree,\" Cheney told host Chris Wallace. Shortly after her appearance on the show, Mary Cheney's wife, Heather Poe, sharply criticized her sister-in-law on Facebook. \"Liz has been a guest in our home, has spent time and shared holidays with our children, and when Mary and I got married in 2012 — she didn't hesitate to tell us how happy she was for us,\" Poe wrote, as The New York Times first reported. \"To have her now say she doesn't support our right to marry is offensive to say the least.\" Mary Cheney then followed up with a Facebook post of her own. \"Liz — this isn't just an issue on which we disagree — you're just wrong — and on the wrong side of history,\" she wrote. This isn't the first time Mary Cheney has publicly criticized her sister's views on the issue. She also took to Facebook in August, after her sister first declared her opposition to same-sex marriage, to write: \"For the record, I love my sister, but she is dead wrong on the issue of marriage.\" According to The Times, the two sisters have not spoken to each other since the summer and are not planning on spending Thanksgiving together. As for Christmas, the Cheney family will all celebrate together in Wyoming, but Mary Cheney said she \"will not be seeing\" her sister, The Times reports. Dick Cheney came out in support of same-sex marriage after he left office in 2009. Liz Cheney is attempting to run as a more conservative alternative to Sen. Mike Enzi, who opposes gay marriage, in the Republican primary. But she has trailed by a large margin in polls. American Principles Fund, a conservative superPAC run by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's daughter, has aired advertisements in Wyoming attacking Cheney for being inconsistent on same-sex marriage.", "GOP lawmakers have chosen Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York as the No. 3 Republican in the House, anointing a Trump loyalist to a leadership position charged with delivering party messaging. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., announced her election in a tweet. In a statement posted to Twitter, Stefanik said she was \"honored and humbled to earn the support of my colleagues.\" Speaking to reporters later, she thanked former President Donald Trump whom she called \"a critical part of our Republican team.\" \"I believe that voters determine the leader of the Republican Party and President Trump is the leader that they look to,\" she said when asked about Trump's leadership role within the party. Stefanik's swift installment by secret ballot comes two days after House Republicans removed Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming from the role following her steadfast criticism of Trump over the last few months. Stefanik's name was quickly floated as a replacement for Cheney, who had successfully warded off an attempt on her leadership position in February. Stefanik garnered the public support of McCarthy, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise and Trump. While she appeared in some ways to be a foregone conclusion as the new conference chair, Stefanik faced some opposition from conservatives such as Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, who sent a memo to colleagues this week criticizing her record as being too moderate. Roy maintained the conference shouldn't \"rush this process just for the sake of doing it,\" telling Capitol Hill reporters Thursday evening he would run for the position himself. In Friday's press conference, McCarthy thanked Roy, saying, \"We had a healthy debate and a good election.\" Stefanik sent a letter to colleagues Wednesday detailing her vision to \"unify\" the conference. \"I strongly believe that one of the most important qualities in any leader is the commitment and ability to listen,\" she wrote. \"This week, I have had hundreds of productive and informative conversations with Members from all corners of our Conference. Today, I humbly ask to earn your vote for House Republican Conference Chair to unify our message as a team and win the Majority in 2022.\" Stefanik entered Congress in 2015, representing an upstate New York district that voted twice for former President Barack Obama. She amassed a moderate voting record and earned a reputation as one of the more bipartisan members on Capitol Hill. But as her district shifted hard in favor of Trump, so did Stefanik. She became a star of the MAGA-verse following her passionate defense of the former president during his first impeachment hearings, with her performance earning her personal praise from Trump and record-breaking fundraising for her reelection. Stefanik replaces Cheney, a woman she previously called a \"huge asset in the role\" and whom she twice nominated for the leadership position she now assumes. Cheney is arguably more conservative than Stefanik, who voted against Trump's 2017 tax cuts. But the pair diverged most notably on Trump and his role in the GOP. Cheney voted for Trump's impeachment this year following the insurrection on the U.S. Capitol. Stefanik did not. Cheney voted to certify the electoral results from the 2020 presidential election. Stefanik joined 138 House Republicans in voting to object to the counts in Pennsylvania. Stefanik has also made her embrace of Trump abundantly clear, which aligns with party leaders such as McCarthy who are relying on the former president's support in the next election cycle to boost Republicans' numbers in Congress. But even after her ousting, Cheney remains firm in her stance. \"I will do everything I can to ensure that the former president never again gets anywhere near the Oval Office,\" she told reporters following her removal from leadership.", "Republicans in the House are under pressure to address controversy that's boiling over for freshman member Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has supported QAnon and other conspiracies.", "Host Bob Edwards talks with NPR's Cokie Roberts about the resignation of the speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and what it means for the Republican party.", "The House will vote on Thursday whether to strip Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee assignments after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, chose not to discipline her. Greene is a Trump supporter who has espoused debunked conspiracy theories. Here & Now&#8216;s Callum Borchers speaks with NPR congressional correspondent Kelsey Snell. This article was originally published on WBUR.org.", "NPR's Audie Cornish talks with House Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., about Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., being removed from the House Education and Budget committees.", "On Monday, the Senate will depose Monica Lewinsky, then Vernon Jordan on Tuesday and White House aide Sidney Blumenthal on Wednesday. The list reflects the latest difference between Republicans in the House and Senate. NPR''s Brian Naylor reports.", "Update 2 p.m.: Former Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife Lynne Cheney have issued a statement addressing the family argument: &#8221;This is an issue we have dealt with privately for many years, and we are pained to see it become public. Since it has, one thing should be clear. Liz has always believed in the traditional definition of marriage. She has also always treated her sister and her sister&#8217;s family with love and respect, exactly as she should have done. Compassion is called for, even when there is disagreement about such a fundamental matter, and Liz&#8217;s many kindnesses shouldn&#8217;t be used to distort her position.&#8221; There&#8217;s a public feud between former Vice President Dick Cheney&#8217;s daughters, and it&#8217;s both personal and political. Liz Cheney, a U.S. Senate candidate in Wyoming, told Fox News yesterday that she believes in &#8220;the traditional definition of marriage.&#8221; Her sister Mary Cheney and Mary&#8217;s wife Heather Poe then took to Facebook, saying Liz is on the wrong side of history. Liz Cheney is opposing Republican Senator Mike Enzi, who is running for a fourth term. Enzi also opposes gay marriage. ABC News political director Rick Klein joins Here & Now&#8217;s Jeremy Hobson to discuss how the family differences are playing out in Wyoming, and whether it&#8217;s having an effect on Liz Cheney&#8217;s senate campaign. Hear the earlier interview with NPR's Charlie Mahtesian\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t \n\t\n\t \n\t \n\t \n\t \n\t \n\t \t\n\t \t\t\n\t\t play\n\t\t pause\n\t \n\t \n\t \n\t \n\t \n\t Cheney Sisters Feud Over Same-Sex Marriage &nbsp;\n\t \n\t \n\t \n\t \n\t \n\t \n\t \n\t /\n\t \n\t \n\t \n\t \n\t \n\t \n\t \t\n\t\t mute\n\t\t unmute\n\t \n\t \n\t \n\t \n\t \n\t \t\n\t \t \n\t \t \n\t\t\t \n\t \n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\tjQuery(document).ready(function(){\n\t\t\tvar set50per = false;\n\t\t\tvar set30sec = false;\n\t\t\tvar set95per = false;\t\n\t\t\tjQuery(\"#wbur-player-1\").jPlayer({\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tcssSelectorAncestor: \"#wbur-player-wrap-1\",\n\t\t\t\tready: function () {\n\t\t\t\t\tjQuery(this).jPlayer(\"setMedia\", {\"title\":\"Cheney Sisters Feud Over Same-Sex Marriage\",\"duration\":\"04:52\",\"mp3\":\"http://audio.wbur.org/storage/2013/11/hereandnow_1118_cheney-feud-mahtesian.mp3\",\"oga\":\"http://audio.wbur.org/storage/2013/11/hereandnow_1118_cheney-feud-mahtesian.ogg\"});\n\t\t\t\t},\n\t\t\t\ttimeupdate: function (event){\n\t\t\t\t\tvar percent = event['jPlayer']['status']['currentPercentRelative'];\n\t\t\t\t\tvar duration = event['jPlayer']['status']['duration'];\n\t\t\t\t\tvar audioListenedSec = event['jPlayer']['status']['currentTime'];\n\t\t\t\t\tif(duration == 0 || audioListenedSec == 0) return;\n\t\t\t\t\tif(!set30sec && audioListenedSec >= 30) {\n\t\t\t\t\t\t_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'Audio Player', '30 seconds listened','Cheney Sisters Feud Over Same-Sex Marriage']);\n\t\t\t\t\t\tset30sec = true;\n\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t\tif(!set50per && percent > 50) {\n\t\t\t\t\t\t_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'Audio Player', '50pct Listened','Cheney Sisters Feud Over Same-Sex Marriage']);\n\t\t\t\t\t\tset50per = true;\n\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t\tif(!set95per && percent > 95) {\n\t\t\t\t\t\t_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'Audio Player', '95pct listened','Cheney Sisters Feud Over Same-Sex Marriage']);\n\t\t\t\t\t\tset95per = true;\n\t\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t},\n\t\t\t\tswfPath: \"http://cdn.wbur.org/flash/Jplayer.swf\",\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tsupplied: \"mp3,oga\",\n\t\t\t\twmode: \"window\",\n\t\t\t\tsmoothPlayBar: true,\n\t\t\t\tkeyEnabled: false,\n\t\t\t\ttimeFormat: { 'padMin' : false, 'padHour' : false, 'showMin' : true },\n\t\t\t\tsolution: \"flash,html\"\n\t\t\t});\n\t\t\t\n\t\t});\n\t\t//I AM BATMAN\n\t\nGuest\n\nRick Klein, political director for ABC News. He tweets @rickklein.\nCharlie Mahtesian, politics editor for NPR Digital News. He tweets @charlieNPR.\n JEREMY HOBSON, HOST: There are new developments today in the Cheney family feud. If you haven't been following it, former Vice President Dick Cheney's daughter Liz is running for a U.S. Senate seat in Wyoming and she told Fox News yesterday that she believes in the traditional definition of marriage, and gay marriage rights should be left up to the states, apparently a surprising position to her sister Mary, who is a lesbian and who is married. Let's listen to Liz Cheney right now on \"Fox News Sunday.\" (SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, \"FOX NEWS SUNDAY\") LIZ CHENEY: Listen, I love Mary very much, I love her family very much. This is just an issue on which we disagree. HOBSON: Well, Mary Cheney and her wife Heather Poe took", "Updated at 1:50 p.m. ET Sunday The Wyoming Republican Party voted Saturday to censure Rep. Liz Cheney and also asked her to resign for her vote last month to impeach then-President Donald Trump after the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6. On Sunday, Cheney defended her decision. \"I think that the people in the party are mistaken. They believe that [Black Lives Matter] and Antifa were behind what happened here at the Capitol. That's just simply not the case, it's not true,\" she told Fox News Sunday about the censure, in which just eight of the party central committee's 74 members opposed the resolution. Evidence and arrests thus far have shown it was largely far-right groups and pro-Trump extremists who planned and carried out the Capitol attack. \"People have been lied to,\" Cheney added. \"The extent to which President Trump, for months leading up to Jan. 6, spread the notion that the election had been stolen or that the election was rigged was a lie, and people need to understand that.\" Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican, was one of 10 members of her party who voted to impeach Trump for an unprecedented second time. She has come under fire from Trump loyalists for siding with Democrats in the impeachment. \"As I've explained and will continue to explain to supporters all across the state, voters all across the state: The oath that I took to the Constitution compelled me to vote for impeachment,\" she said. \"It doesn't bend to partisanship, it doesn't bend to political pressure. It's the most important oath that we take, and so I will stand by that.\" Cheney also doubled down on her criticism of Trump, whom she said \"does not have a role as the leader of our party going forward.\" \"The single greatest threat to our republic is a president who would put his own self interest above the Constitution, above the national interest,\" she told Fox. Cheney's censure by her state's GOP is largely symbolic, and it comes after House Republicans decided to let her hold onto her leadership role in Congress. The Wyoming committee also called on her to \"immediately resign,\" according to a copy of the censure published by Forbes. The House vote to impeach Trump, the letter reportedly reads, was done \"with no formal hearings held, no quantifiable evidence presented, no witnesses sworn to give testimony, and no right to cross examine the accusers provided.\" It reportedly says Cheney \"violated the trust of her voters, failed to faithfully represent a very large majority of motivated Wyoming voters, and neglected her duty to represent the party\" and the will of the state's voters. The resolution also falsely states, according to the letter copy, that there was \"ample\" video evidence that the riot at the Capitol was \"instigated by Antifa and BLM radicals.\" NPR's calls to the Wyoming Republican Party were not answered. The pressure on Cheney is unlikely to dissipate following the censure. Anthony Bouchard, a state senator planning to run against Cheney in 2022, tweeted a photo of an empty chair with her name on it from Saturday's meeting. \"Today's vote to censure illustrates that Liz Cheney is hopelessly out of touch with Wyoming, Trump's best state TWICE,\" he said. Cheney was invited to address the meeting but didn't attend. In late January, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz ignored calls by the Republican leadership to try to cool tensions within the party and flew to Wyoming to campaign against Cheney. Cheney is not the only GOP member to face censure for acting in opposition to Trump. South Carolina's GOP formally censured Rep. Tom Rice over his support for impeachment. And Arizona Republicans rebuked Gov. Doug Ducey, former Sen. Jeff Flake and Cindy McCain — widow of the late longtime Sen. John McCain — for taking positions against Trump. Wyoming Public Media's Bob Beck contributed to this report.", "House Speaker Paul Ryan's decision to retire is throwing House Republicans into chaos at a time when the party is deeply worried about losing control of that chamber.", "Saying that she does not know whether her father ever told the CIA not to brief Congress about a program aimed at capturing or killing al-Qaida leaders, Liz Cheney said today on MSNBC's Morning Joe that she's nonetheless sure that \"laws were not broken\" by former vice president Dick Cheney or his team. And Liz Cheney refers to a story first reported yesterday by NPR's Mary Louise Kelly that former CIA director Gen. Mike Hayden says he was never pressured by Cheney or the White House to keep Congress in the dark about key programs:", "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Thursday named members to a select committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, including Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump. Cheney was the only Republican named to the panel by Pelosi, who appointed Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., as its chair. Cheney, along with Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, were the only two Republicans to vote in favor of establishing the committee on Wednesday. The House select committee was approved after Senate Republicans blocked a measure that would have set up a bipartisan commission to look into the events surrounding the attack. But even Republicans who supported the bipartisan commission voted against the select committee, denouncing it as partisan. Cheney, who voted to impeach Trump on grounds he incited the violence, said ahead of Wednesday's vote that the bipartisan commission would have been preferred but that the select committee \"is our only remaining option.\" In a statement following her appointment to the committee, Cheney said she was honored to serve on the panel. \"Congress is obligated to conduct a full investigation of the most serious attack on our Capitol since 1814. That day saw the most sacred space in our Republic overrun by an angry and violent mob attempting to stop the counting of electoral votes and threatening the peaceful transfer of power,\" she said. The other members of the panel are all Democrats. In addition to Thompson, who is chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, the panel includes three veterans of the House impeachment investigations into Trump: Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California, chair of the House Administration Committee who served as an impeachment manager. Rep. Adam Schiff of California, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee who led the House's first impeachment of Trump. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who led the second impeachment. Also named were Reps. Pete Aguilar of California, Stephanie Murphy of Florida and Elaine Luria of Virginia. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has the authority to recommend five other Republicans for the committee, who would need to be approved by Pelosi. But McCarthy reportedly warned GOP House members that they would be stripped of their committee assignments if they serve on the panel, according to CNN and others. In his weekly press conference Thursday, McCarthy said he found it \"shocking\" that Cheney would take such an assignment from Pelosi, rather than following the Republican conference's lead, and denied \"threatening anybody with committee assignments.\" He also declined to say when or if he would appoint his own members to the panel. Pelosi said the committee \"will investigate and report upon the facts and causes of the terrorist mob attack on the United States Capitol on January 6th, 2021. It will also be charged with reporting its findings, conclusions and recommendations for preventing future attacks.\" As chairman, Thompson will have the power to subpoena witnesses and documents.", "Today the House will vote on a resolution that would expel freshman Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene from two committees after Republicans chose not to reprimand for her support of QAnon and other conspiracy theories. And, President Biden will lay out his foreign policy plans in a speech at the State Department today. Also, more college students are taking in-person classes this spring even as coroanvirus cases are up in every state.", "In House Speaker John Boehner's conservative Ohio district, reactions to his resignation show a tug-of-war between different poles of a sharply divided Republican Party.", "Republican leaders met to try and resolve their differences Friday after their election for a new speaker dissolved following the sudden withdrawal of the frontrunner, Kevin McCarthy.", "With Democrats predicted to take back the House in November, NPR's Michel Martin talks Republican midterm strategy with Jesse Hunt, press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee.", "Congress is back, and Republican leaders are ready to push an ambitious agenda with unified GOP control of Capitol Hill and the White House for the first time in a decade." ]

[ "Battle of Saragarhi" ]

[ "Tony Tooke", "The Famous", "Isumbras Took", "pressure at which that transformation takes place", "Hildibrand Took", "Famous", "Peregrin Took", "The Famous Five", "Famous Studios", "Almost Famous", "that which burns", "less famous", "that which purifies", "Nobody Famous", "Armed and Famous", "Famous Dex", "Finally Famous", "Nathan's Famous, Inc.", "Nathan's Famous", "Famous Blue Raincoat", "I'm So Famous", "The Famous Flames", "Places", "The Naked and Famous", "Famous Last Words", "that which is heard", "The Place", "I Took a Pill in Ibiza", "place", "Five Famous Kilns", "3rd place", "physical places" ]

[ "Mississauga, Ontario, Canada" ]

[ "a fine", "The Food City 500", "Fine", "fines", "A Fine, Fine Day", "that which burns", "that which purifies", "A Fine Frenzy", "Fine Gael", "Everything's Fine", "The Fine rolls", "fines and imprisonment", "Sylvia Fine", "Food", "that which is heard", "Talk Fine", "Benny Fine", "A Fine Romance", "fine or imprisonment", "overdue fine", "Everybody's Fine", "fine or mulct", "Anne Fine", "fine regolith", "Fran Fine", "It's a Fine Day", "David Fine", "dead centre", "the program in which they are enrolled", "fine fibrils", "fine arts", "fine dust" ]

[ "As President Trump faced growing outrage over his child detention policy on the U.S.-Mexico border, conservative outlets like Fox News and Breitbart scrambled to his defense. They urged Trump to stand firm, describing the forced separation of migrant children from their families as part of a strategy to keep America's borders safe. But by Wednesday afternoon, that narrative began to unravel as national outrage grew and it became clear the president would reverse course. On Rush Limbaugh's conservative talk radio program, one caller said that this time the fight might not be winnable. \"They've got Trump, they've blown Trump up,\" Limbaugh said, voice rising in disappointment. \"He's got to reunite families or it's over?\" \"It's these photographs [of children],\" the caller said. \"They finally got something that they can stick to him I think.\" During past scandals and debates over controversial policies, Trump and right-leaning media appeared to work closely together, pummeling the president's critics while echoing arguments and developing themes. At the same time, the White House has aggressively dismissed mainstream media coverage as \"fake news\" designed to harm Trump. This time, however, the administration and its media allies faced a different kind of pressure. Powerful audio and images of crying children held in federal detention facilities went viral. The country's more liberal-leaning media amplified the indignation, with Rachel Maddow appearing to choke up during her show on MSNBC while attempting to read about \"tender age shelters.\" \"Trump administration officials have been sending babies and other young children,\" Maddow said, shaking her head with emotion before deciding she could read no more. \"I think I'm going to have to hand this off.\" In conservative media favored by Trump and many of his supporters, the story often looked and sounded starkly different: websites like Breitbart, The Daily Caller and Drudge Report worked to redefine the debate, describing the border crisis as a manufactured media event, concocted by Democrats and advocates of liberal immigration policies. Conservative commentator Ann Coulter said in an appearance on Fox News, \"These child actors weeping and crying on all the other networks right now,\" adding, \"Do not fall for it, Mr. President.\" Trump seemed committed to holding the line. He tweeted defiantly that critics of his tough border policies want undocumented immigrants to \"infest\" the United States. On Fox News, hosts echoed the argument, claiming Trump was defending the border from waves of impoverished and dangerous refugees. \"Their goal is to change your country forever,\" argued Fox host Tucker Carlson Tuesday, referring to those who favor liberal immigration policies. \"They're succeeding by the way.\" Another Fox host, Laura Ingraham, said Tuesday, \"The American people are footing a really big bill for what is tantamount to a slow-rolling invasion of the United States.\" Ingraham also suggested that detention facilities being built for children resemble \"summer camps.\" But this time, conservative media failed to shift the conversation. National anger grew as more images of children being detained emerged. Influential Republicans broke ranks with Trump. \"We don't think families should be separated, period,\" House Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters Wednesday. \"We've seen the videos, heard the audio.\" Meanwhile, White House arguments defending the child detention policy continued to shift and conservative media struggled to keep up. But their narrative began to splinter. In an emotional appearance on Sean Hannity's popular program on Fox News Tuesday night, commentator Geraldo Rivera described the administration's border policy as \"child abuse.\" It's unclear how much this back and forth in the media influenced Trump. As he prepared to sign his executive order on Wednesday, some conservative outlets pivoted and began voicing dismay at what they described as a major capitulation. Breitbart News ran a headline on its homepage claiming Trump had \"buckled.\" The influential website that often cheerleads Trump argued bluntly that he had caved to \"left-wing hate.\" Limbaugh, meanwhile, warned that any retreat from tough immigration policies might divide Trump from his base. \"The only person who can blow up this relationship [with conservative voters] is Trump himself,\" the radio host told his audience Wednesday. \"The media is attempting to force Trump to do things to make you start doubting, to make you start questioning.\"" ]

[ "President Trump&#8217;s immigration framework calls for eventual citizenship for young immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, funding for a border wall and crackdowns on legal and illegal immigration. Alfonso Aguilar (@amigoaguilar), president of the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles, joins Here & Now&#8216;s Robin Young to discuss why he is backing Trump&#8217;s proposal. Interview Highlights On President Trump&#8217;s generalizations about immigrants and crime &#8220;I don&#8217;t love that narrative. I think the majority of immigrants are good, hardworking people who are contributing to our nation and are not involved in criminal activity. However, I understand, at the same time, the frustration from the president and many other Americans. There are undocumented immigrants &#8212; it&#8217;s a small minority, but there are &#8212; involved in criminal activity, and when something like this happens it&#8217;s very frustrating. What happens is that the left tends to totally underestimate when undocumented immigrants are involved in criminal activity. But you know what? If we really care about immigrants and about Dreamers, we have to forget about the narrative coming from left and right, and really look at the policy proposals and what can we do from a policy perspective to get something done that&#8217;s good for the country and good for the Dreamers.&#8221; On the president&#8217;s calls to restrict family-based immigration &#8220;I don&#8217;t love cuts in legal immigration. I want to keep legal immigration levels as they are right now, but I recognize we need to compromise. However, having said that, Democrats are trying to say that this is some sort of draconian law that would massively reduce legal immigration. First of all, these legal courts would take at least 15 years &#8212; in some visa categories, five decades &#8212; to materialize. And even when they fully materialize, our country would still be receiving hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants. This is not going back to the 1920s when we had those very restrictive laws, basically imposed a moratorium on immigration, but that&#8217;s what Democrats are trying to say, and it seems to me that they&#8217;re fabricating excuses not to engage in a conversation.&#8221; On border security and the prospect of a border wall &#8220;Yesterday I had the pleasure, along with other top Hispanic leaders, to meet with Chief of Staff [John] Kelly and with Secretary of Homeland Security [Kirstjen] Nielsen, and look, first of all, they&#8217;re totally committed to the Dreamers. But in terms of the border, they understand that we&#8217;re not going to have a 2,000-mile wall. The point that they&#8217;re making is within this framework &#8230; they&#8217;re willing to negotiate. But Democrats are just closing the door. There are no conversations based on the president&#8217;s framework.&#8221; On arguments that the president should not use DACA recipients as leverage &#8220;I don&#8217;t buy that argument. Because, in the past, Democrats have proposed comprehensive immigration reform that included the undocumented immigrants, but other issues as well. So Republicans are doing the same. Look, I supported the &#8216;Gang of Eight&#8217; [bipartisan immigration overhaul] bill in 2013. It wasn&#8217;t beautiful, I&#8217;m a conservative, but I thought we had to be practical. We had to get this ball rolling, this debate going on immigration. We had to work in a bipartisan way, and there were Republicans in the House that didn&#8217;t do anything &#8212; I criticized them. I think the same thing is happening this time around, but with Democrats. We have the opportunity to provide, not 690,000 people that benefited from DACA, but 1.8 million Dreamers the possibility of a path to legal status and a path to citizenship. That&#8217;s a great win for Dreamers.&#8221; On the potential for mass deportation &#8220;The reality is that it&#8217;s not happening. I know Democrats are saying that there are campaigns to massively deport people &#8212; that is just not happening and we did talk a little bit about that yesterday with Secretary Nielsen. The priority is to go after people with criminal records, and that&#8217;s exactly what is happening. But, you know, immigrants, undocumented immigrants are going to school, working, and they realize that a lot of this is noise. They are living their lives, that nobody&#8217;s coming after them. They know that there are some people who are undocumented who are involved in criminal activity and those people give the entire community a bad name. But I think at the end they want solutions.&#8221;", "Donald Trump's immigration plan is — like the candidate — flashy, strident and headline-grabbing. Fox News called it \"an early Christmas gift\" for immigration hawks. Conservative commentator Ann Coulter pronounced it \"the greatest political document since the Magna Carta.\" But some of those in the trenches of immigration reform say it's unrealistic and unworkable. Donald Trump could write \"Immigration Reform for Dummies.\" He makes a complex issue simple and sexy. \"I will build a great, great wall on our southern border,\" Trump has said, \"and I will have Mexico pay for that wall, mark my words.\" Even people who support tough immigration reform question whether Trump has the right answers. For instance, anyone with an elemental understanding of border security knows how hard it would be to build a continuous wall along 2,000 miles of the Southwest border because of rough terrain and private property rights. Beto Cardenas is a Laredo native, who served as general counsel to then-Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, during immigration debates. \"When it comes to the idea of border fencing, there is a difference that is needed in one county versus another,\" Cardenas said. \"You cannot say there is one solution that fits all.\" Trump's six-page immigration battle plan, released last weekend, contains a host of fixes, though he doesn't mention how much it would cost: Triple the number of border officers Stop birthright citizenship (children born in the U.S. but born to immigrants in the U.S. illegally, would no longer be granted citizenship) Deport people who overstay their visas Make it harder for asylum seekers and refugees to get into the country Perhaps Trump's most controversial idea is to round up all 11 million or so immigrants who are in the United States illegally and send them home. \"We will work with 'em,\" Trump said before adding, \"they have to go.\" Kerry Talbot, an immigration lawyer who worked for Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., was a key negotiator who helped come up with a bipartisan immigration bill that passed the Senate in 2013 (and failed in the House). She dismissed the idea of deporting everyone in the U.S. illegally. \"That's just not a solution that is workable,\" Talbot said. \"It's not possible to deport 11 million people.\" She added, \"And so the Senate negotiators realized that, and they understood that, you know, you just have to work with reality and what's possible. And you need to look at people's connections to the U.S., what kind of contributions they're making. And Trump doesn't look at any of that. He just wants to deport everyone.\" Immigrant families often have mixed legal status. Take the family of Juan Belman — a 22-year-old university student in Austin. He and his 17-year-old brother were brought here illegally from Mexico as young children, and they identify as Americans. His two other little brothers were born in Texas and are U.S. citizens. Belman wants to know, in Trump's hypothetical administration, what happens to a family like his? \"I don't see how that's going to work,\" Belman said, \"how that's going to look good for the United States. It kind of breaks my heart that people think this way, that people have this idea of separating us, of deporting us.\" Trump does, however, get praise for including some ideas that deserve deeper discussion. The government has a voluntary program called e-Verify, where employers check an employee's Social Security number to make sure he's legitimate. Trump wants to take e-Verify national and make it mandatory, as a way to eliminate the magnet of jobs. \"I think that a mandatory verification system is an important part of immigration enforcement,\" said Doris Meissner, a former immigration commissioner under President Clinton. She now works for the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. \"And I think that's one of the interesting things about his proposal is that he mentions it. But there's just a short sentence. It doesn't tell us anything about how you actually would do it.\" Despite their shortcomings, Mark Krikorian says Trump's immigration recommendations are the most thorough of any Republican contender, next to Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who supported the Senate's comprehensive immigration plan. Krikorian is the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which calls for stricter immigration laws. He is no Trump fan, but gives him credit for bringing immigration to the forefront in this campaign. \"Individually, as a citizen, I would not want this guy to be president,\" Krikorian said. \"I mean, look, he's a bloviating megalomaniac. But he has, in fact, made a significant contribution to the immigration debate. We are now debating policy issues that nobody wanted to or cared to talk about before. So that's all to the good in my opinion.\"", "To determine the future of the Republican Party in this country, one policy expert says the GOP needs to redefine itself as a governing party with ambitions beyond a single leader. During the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, seven Senate Republicans voted to convict Trump while the remaining senators stood by him, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Lanhee Chen, a fellow at the Hoover Institution and advisor to Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign, says the GOP’s path forward will likely be tumultuous as Trump continues to have a stronghold with conservatives. The question now, he says, is how much Trump’s influence will be mitigated as time goes on. According to a new poll from POLITICO’s Morning Consult, 59% of Republican voters still want Trump to play an important role within the party. That number jumped 18 percentage points from when it was taken Jan. 7, a day after the insurrection at the Capitol. It’s clear that while some Republicans are still fond of Trump, others like Chen want the GOP to think about where it stands as a party of governance. “The more durable approach in the long run is to have a party and a movement that’s focused on ideas rather than personalities,” he says. The party needs to clearly articulate what it intends to do about major issues facing Americans, Chen argues, such as economic mobility, a market-based approach to health care, and even controversial topics that are not commonly discussed within the party like immigration and climate change. “So far we haven’t heard too much in the way of solutions,” he says. “Only rhetoric, not solutions.” And although Trump may be out of the Oval Office, members of his family are still planning to step in and be heavily involved with the GOP — namely Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, who is planning to run against Sen. Richard Burr for the North Carolina Senate seat. Many GOP members are hopeful for the Trump family’s continued participation. Although it’s difficult to pre-judge one candidate over another, Chen says would rather support a vision-based candidate over a personality-based one. For the next two years, whether the GOP continues to be divided or united, Chen says things might go south before they can become better within the party. “In the long run, I am optimistic,” he says. “I am hopeful that we’ll have a viable conservative movement that’s a counterweight to the progressivism we’re seeing in many parts of the country.” Jill Ryan produced and edited this interview for broadcast with Chris Bentley. Jeannette Jones adapted it for the web. This article was originally published on WBUR.org.", "With a dramatic shake-up at the highest levels of the Department of Homeland Security, President Trump has signaled that he wants to get even tougher on immigration. But how much tougher can he get? Trump has been frustrated with the inability of DHS to stop a surge of Central American migrant families and children from crossing the Southern border. On Tuesday, Customs and Border Protection announced what it had predicted for days: The number of migrants apprehended at the border last month surpassed 103,000 — the highest level in more than a decade. The president signaled that he plans to take the department in a new direction after he accepted the resignation of Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and pulled the nomination of Ronald Vitiello to be director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A senior administration official said on Tuesday that the department wasn't doing enough about the border crisis or acting with enough urgency. Now the White House is discussing new steps that could be taken to slow the flow of migrants, including bringing back a version of separating migrant families at the border. Another option on the table: ramping up deportations of immigrants already living in the U.S. illegally who have an outstanding order of removal. Speaking briefly to reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump said he is not looking to reinstate the controversial family separation policy he suspended last year but then implied it was an effective means of stemming unauthorized border crossings. \"I'll tell you something — once you don't have it, that's why you see many more people coming,\" Trump said. \"They are coming like it's a picnic, because 'Let's go to Disneyland.' \" 'Binary choice' proposal White House officials say they are looking at a variation of the policy that gives parents more of a say in the process. The so-called \"binary choice\" proposal would dramatically expand immigrant detention and give parents a choice: Their children would be separated from them and later released to live with a relative or sponsor in the U.S., or the family could stay together in detention until their day in immigration court. Critics say the modified version of family separation is still cruel and is likely to be challenged in court. In addition, the White House is looking at a stricter screening process for asylum-seekers that would make it tougher for them to pass the first stage of the process, the credible-fear interview. Most migrants are able to convince an asylum officer that they have a credible fear of returning home, and they are released to live in the U.S. while their case plays out. But Trump faces some major head winds. While the White House has been pushing Congress to change immigration law to make it easier to detain and deport asylum-seekers, Congress doesn't appear ready to take up the immigration debate, and previous attempts under Trump have failed. Similarly, Trump frequently returns to his wish list — a border wall, ending policies that make it easier to bring family members to the U.S. and stopping the green card lottery. But those proposals have all languished. Moreover, many of the actions that the Trump administration has taken on its own have been blocked by the courts. On Monday, a federal court in Northern California temporarily blocked the \"Remain in Mexico\" program, which forced some asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico while their claims were pending in U.S. immigration court. Pushing an even tougher approach But immigration hard-liners are ready for Trump to take an even tougher approach. Here are three possible scenarios, according to several conservative policy analysts who are influential with the administration: — Change the rules so that migrant families can be detained indefinitely while their immigration cases are adjudicated. Build tent camps along the border to house them because there is not enough room in ICE detention facilities. Currently, there is a limit on how long children can be held in detention, and critics say DHS had been slow-walking efforts to change that. — Flood the border zone with asylum officers, immigration judges and ICE attorneys. This would allow officials to put asylum-seekers on a so-called rocket docket. Most asylum claims are ultimately denied, so this would speed that process, which can take years given the current backlog of hundreds of thousands of cases. — Focus on deterrence. This would include returning to a version of family separation, rebranded as a \"binary choice.\" Overall, the endgame would be to convince Central American migrants that it's no longer a good idea to cross the border without authorization. An opportunity R.J. Hauman is government relations director at the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which advocates for strong immigration enforcement. Hauman says Trump has \"an opportunity to correct the sins of his administration.\" He said Nielsen, whose specialty is cybersecurity, w", "With days to go before the midterm elections, President Trump has tried time and again to turn the nation's attention to immigration with headline-grabbing moves. On Monday, Trump announced the deployment of thousands of active-duty troops to the Southwest border. On Tuesday, he said he's considering an end-run around the constitutional right to citizenship for those born on U.S. soil. On Wednesday, the president tweeted an inflammatory ad comparing migrants in the caravan to a convicted cop killer who entered the U.S. illegally several years ago. And on Thursday, Trump called for new limits on asylum claims. Trump is trying to fire up his base — Republican voters frequently cite immigration as a top concern — as the GOP tries to retain control of the House and Senate. With control of the White House and Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress, Trump has ushered in sweeping changes to immigration policy. A \"blue wave\" at the polls could change the shape of the immigration debate. At the moment, pollsters are predicting that Democrats are likely to retake the House but not the Senate. That could give Democrats a degree of power they haven't wielded in years. Frank Sharry, executive director of America's Voice, a D.C.-based immigration advocacy group, predicted Democrats would pursue \"an aggressive oversight agenda.\" He said there's \"no doubt\" they would use congressional committees to investigate who is responsible for the Trump administration's family separation policy, which drew international outrage. It was one of several policy changes that Trump made through executive order or administrative rule-making. A Democratic-controlled House couldn't overturn the president's actions, but it could bring more scrutiny. \"The main thing that changes is that the Democrats will have the power to issue subpoenas and to conduct investigations,\" said Sharry, whose group has been highly critical of Trump. A number of Trump's immigration policies have been controversial. He imposed a travel ban on immigrants from mainly Muslim countries, as well as North Korea and Venezuela. He tried to terminate Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, ending protections for hundreds of thousands of young immigrants brought here as children. That issue is still being litigated in the courts. And Trump has moved to strip Temporary Protected Status, TPS, from about 300,000 immigrants from seven different countries. Trump also wants to build a wall on the southern border. Congress has yet to fully fund the $25 billion project, and a Democratic-controlled House could try to block Trump's spending priorities on immigration. Trump's best chance for getting a border wall appropriation may be during the lame duck session after the election, especially if Democrats are set to take over in January. But first, House Republicans, who are divided over spending, would have to overcome those differences. Or, Trump could try to cut a deal with Democrats by agreeing to protect some 700,000 DACA recipients and several hundred thousand more \"DREAMers\" who were never covered by that program. \"I think the president would be happy to trade DACA or even expanded DACA for up to 2 million people for actual appropriation of the money for the wall,\" said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that advocates limits on both legal and illegal immigration. \"The president, I think, would take that in a minute,\" he said. But such a deal — border wall funding for protecting DREAMers from deportation — has failed once before. And aides from both parties say a continued standoff over immigration is likely to lead to a partial government shutdown at the end of the year. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has said she would trade \"nothing\" with Trump to help him get the wall. Pelosi is the odds-on favorite to be House speaker if the Democrats prevail. \"It happens to be like a manhood issue for the president, building a wall, and I'm not interested in that,\" Pelosi said in remarks at Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics in early October. Pelosi said protecting DREAMers is a legislative priority and Democrats do support stronger border security measures. But the wall, she said, \"is probably the worst way to protect the border.\" Moreover, any immigration deal would have to get through the Senate. \"If the Republicans hold onto the Senate, I don't see a DACA bill getting through there unless there are a lot of enforcement provisions and possibly some reforms to legal immigration,\" said Chris Chmielenski, deputy director of Numbers USA, which bills itself as the nation's largest grassroots immigration reduction organization. There's one thing activists on both sides of the immigration debate agree on: It's hard to predict Trump. \"I think at the end of the day the X factor in all this is really the administration,\" said Ali Noorani, director of the National Immigration Forum, a nonpartisan immigration advocacy", "The United States is separating children from their families at the border. President Trump is blaming Democrats for this, a claim PolitiFact has rated&#8221;false.&#8221; The Trump administration may believe that Democrats are responsible for policies that encourage illegal border crossing, but we found no law mandating that children be separated from their parents. … The Homeland Security Department’s longstanding policy is to separate children from their custodians when they are referred for criminal prosecution. Trump’s administration has decided to prosecute all illegal crossings. Families were rarely prosecuted under previous administrations. And The Daily Beast is reporting that intelligence and defense contractors are benefiting from this policy. One corporation, Virginia-based MVM, has listed jobs for child-care workers &#8220;in anticipation of a contract award.&#8221; But the company&#8217;s record certainly isn&#8217;t pristine. Betsey Woodruff and Spencer Ackerman write: In 2008, MVM lost a lucrative contract with the Central Intelligence Agency in Iraq for, The Wall Street Journal reported, “failing to provide enough armed guards.” It also faced internal allegations that its guards in Iraq, which worked for both the CIA and the National Security Agency, “were procuring and possessing unauthorized weapons and explosives,” according to a since-dismissed lawsuit from an Army Special Forces veteran employee who unsuccessfully claimed wrongful termination after blowing the whistle. President Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions&#8217;s controversial immigration policy continues to cause outrage among parents, psychologists and concerned citizens. What&#8217;s the purpose of these highly controversial policies at the border? Will there be any successful opposition to it in Congress? We&#8217;ve done several shows in the past few months on immigration. Here&#8217;s our show about applying for asylum. We did another segment on #WhereAreTheChildren. Back in March, we covered DACA, and that&#8217;s a show which includes listener stories about how the program has affected their lives. Send us your questions for this conversation. GUESTS Priscilla Alvarez, Assistant editor, The Atlantic; @priscialva Michael Miller, Local enterprise reporter, The Washington Post Sister Norma Pimentel, Executive Director, Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley For more, visit https://the1a.org. &copy; 2018 WAMU 88.5 &#8211; American University Radio.", "Top members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus told reporters they are closely watching how House Speaker Paul Ryan navigates the immigration debate as a test of whether they can continue to support him as their leader. \"It is the defining moment for this speaker,\" said Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C. \"If he gets it wrong, it will have consequences for him but it will also have consequences for the rest of the Republican Party.\" Meadows said there is no conversation \"right now\" about challenging Ryan's speakership, but Freedom Caucus members made clear there could be if they feel betrayed by leadership on immigration. Conservatives are closely watching what happens in the Senate on immigration. There is simmering concern that any Senate bipartisan deal will ultimately pass on the strength of Democratic support, which will put similar pressures on the House to do the same. \"On immigration, you really just need a [House] Democrat bill with 30 Republicans to pass something,\" said Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio. \"That's not what we promised America we were going to do.\" If such a scenario were realized, conservatives like Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., say it might be time for a leadership shake-up. \"If the fix is in on something like this it's going to be really really problematic, and as Mark said, not just for our party and for Americans but for the people making big decisions around this place,\" he said. Ryan's current management problem on immigration is compounded by last week's passage of a two-year spending deal. It included $300 billion in new spending and a hike in the nation's debt limit that many conservatives say violated the kind of fiscal promises they made when they won control of the House in 2010. The vast majority of Republicans sided with Ryan — and President Trump — in support of the spending deal, but 67 Republicans opposed it. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, was one of them. He said the vote shook his confidence in Ryan's long-stated commitment to the conservative cause. \"Just a few years ago Speaker Ryan was viewed as the individual in our party, in our country, who was focused on fiscal responsibility, and then you saw what happened last week,\" he said. Ryan's well-known and more moderate views on immigration are giving conservatives pause, even as he has consistently said he will not bring an immigration bill to the floor that Trump opposes. Conservatives are concerned that any legislation that doesn't track with the hard-line immigration stances trumpeted by Trump on the campaign trail will be demoralizing to the party's base in this midterm election year. \"This president was elected largely on the issue of immigration that defined him differently than every other candidate, and so it is the defining moment, more so than the budget or anything else that we've passed,\" Meadows said. For his part, Ryan told reporters last week that he doesn't lose any sleep about what's at stake for his own personal fortunes in this immigration debate. \"I don't think about it at all,\" he said. It's still unclear whether the House will even take up an immigration bill. If the Senate can't pass any legislation this week, the speaker isn't going to force an ugly vote on his members if there's no chance of its becoming law. For some House conservatives, no immigration deal might be the best deal.", "Donald Trump wants to \"Make America Great Again!\" But much of how he plans to do that is still a mystery. In his nearly two months as an announced presidential candidate, the controversial and outspoken billionaire businessman has promised he would be the \"the greatest jobs president God ever created.\" Under fire for his comments on women after attacking Fox News host Megyn Kelly, Trump promised on Sunday that he \"will be phenomenal to the women.\" When asked what he would put in place of Obamacare after repealing it, Trump told CNN it should be \"something terrific.\" But all three statements, along with plenty of others, have not been backed up with an answer to the crucial \"How?\" Trump's campaign site doesn't include a policy page that is standard on most other 2016 candidates' Web pages. Asked Tuesday morning by Savannah Guthrie on NBC's Today show about his lack of specific proposals, Trump didn't answer the question and simply pointed to the record ratings he drew for Fox News. That stonewalling could be coming to an end soon. Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski confirmed to NPR the campaign is planning policy rollouts \"soon\" and will include explanations on Trump's website and more policy-focused speeches. The campaign has been under pressure for some time to release more, though. Lewandowski told The John Fredericks Show nearly two weeks ago that its policy papers were ready to go. \"They're done and we're waiting for our schedule and we won't be dictated to by the mainstream media to tell us what we should or shouldn't be doing and how these positions should be put out front,\" said Lewandowski. Until those policy proposals arrive, here's what we know about where Trump stands on some of the most important issues in this campaign cycle. Immigration This is the issue Trump has become most well-known for, following his controversial comments in his June announcement speech that Mexico was sending its \"criminals and rapists\" across the Southern border. Trump's plan is to build a 1,933-mile wall — the length of the U.S. border with Mexico — and to force the neighboring nation to pay for its estimated $20 billion price tag. Trump, so far, has offered no alternative on how to pay for the fence if Mexico does not. As for the rest of the immigrants in the country illegally, he would deport them all — something the liberal Center for American Progress has estimated would cost between $20 and $25 billion. He hasn't offered any more specifics on how exactly he would round up those estimated 11 million immigrants. \"We're going to have plenty of time to talk about it,\" he said on a whirlwind trip last month to the Mexican border. But he did tell CNN he would let the \"good ones\" come back into the country with an \"expedited process\" to be able to live in the country legally — but not as citizens. \"We've got to move 'em out; we're going to move 'em back in if they're really good people,\" Trump said. In the same CNN interview, Trump was noncommittal on whether he would treat young people brought here illegally when they were children — known as \"DREAMers\" — saying it would \"depend\" and acknowledging it's a \"tough situation.\" The Economy In Thursday's debate, Trump was pressed on his own business bankruptcies but not on the specifics of how he would jump-start the economy. The Trump-friendly conservative site Breitbart News detailed Trump's \"5 part strategy to make America Great Again\" briefly on the day after his official kickoff, largely culling from his books and previous statements. In those writings and statements, Trump says he would repeal the estate tax and lower the corporate tax rate to zero — except for businesses that outsource jobs, which would have a 20 percent tax imposed. He also supports lowering the tax rate on capital gains. His solution for a simpler tax code has four brackets: those with income of up to $30,000 pay 1 percent in taxes; $30,000 to $100,000 pay 5 percent; $100,000 to $1 million pay 10 percent; and $1 million and above pay 15 percent. Trump has been unapologetic in admitting he tries to use the current tax code to his advantage. \"I fight like hell to pay as little as possible for two reasons. No. 1, I'm a businessman. And that's the way you're supposed to do it,\" Trump told CBS. \"The other reason is that I hate the way our government spends our taxes. I hate the way they waste our money. Trillions and trillions of dollars of waste and abuse. And I hate it.\" Health Care This is where Trump could run into trouble within the GOP. While the rallying call for years has been against a single-payer system, the businessman even acknowledged in Thursday's debate he had been supportive of such a system in the past. He says now that circumstances have changed. \"It works in Canada, it works incredibly well in Scotland, it would have worked in a different age,\" Trump said. \"What I'd like to see is a private system without the artificial lines around each state.\" Trump has shown a willingness to ", "Vice President Pence is no stranger to the Conservative Political Action Conference, having addressed the annual gathering nine times when he was an Indiana governor and congressman. But on Thursday night he appeared in his new role to give a vigorous defense of the first month of President Trump's administration and pledge that the priorities their team laid out on the campaign trail would become a reality. \"Over at the White House, I like to say we're in the promise-keeping business these days,\" Pence said, going on to list the administration's priorities. Using Trump's campaign slogan, Pence ticked off the ways they were already \"making America great again\" — from \"putting Americans back to work already\" to \"rebuilding the military and putting our enemies on notice ... supporting law enforcement and ending illegal immigration once and for all ... rolling back big government and slashing through red tape ....[and] leading the fight to repeal and replace Obamacare.\" Like the president often does, Pence took some time to revel in their unlikely win last November, boasting about the \"blue wall\" of the Midwest in states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio that Trump was able to flip to the GOP column to defeat Hillary Clinton. And he chided another favorite opponent — the media — for not foreseeing the outcome and for continued skepticism of the new administration. \"What they should have learned on Election Day is, this is not a government of the elites, by the media, or for the establishment,\" Pence said. \"What November 8th showed, even if they didn't listen, is that this is still government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Still, Pence acknowledged that their work wasn't over, telling the crowd that \"the most important work now lies ahead\" and that \"President Trump will fight for you every single day.\" Pence joked about the fact that he is indeed much different from the commander-in-chief. \"You know, I'm a small town guy. He's big city. I'm Midwest, he's Manhattan Island. He's known for his bigger than life personality, his charm, and his charisma. And I'm, like, not,\" the vice president laughed. Still, Pence said, he had no hesitation when asked to join Trump's ticket and was proud to serve with \"a man for president who never quits, he never backs down, he is a fighter, he is a winner.\" In fact, in years past, it was Pence's brand of conservatism that was more germane to the massive gathering that has attracted a mix of social conservative and libertarians instead of Trump's brand of populism. As NPR's Don Gonyea noted, the former reality TV star and real estate mogul \"has not always been warmly welcomed in this particular room.\" Trump will speak to the gathering on Friday morning. Pence, however, was right at home with the CPAC crowd, giving them the red meat they wanted. \"Let me assure you, America's Obamacare nightmare is about to end!\" he crowed, while chastising \"liberal activists at town halls around the country\" who have come out to protest to GOP members of Congress, who are home for recess, the possible repeal and replacement of the law. \"This failed law is crippling the American economy and crushing the American people,\" Pence said. \"Talk about your fake news, folks. Just look at all the promises liberals made about Obamacare.\" But Pence also cautioned conservatives that they couldn't rest on their laurels, and warned that Democrats were already salivating at the chance to knock them down. \"The other side is not sitting idle, and their allies in the media are more than willing to amplify their defense of the failed status quo every single day,\" Pence said, encouraging conservatives to \"make your voices heard in town halls with your family and your friends, on the Internet and social media, and all those places where commonsense conservative messages are most desperately needed, because this is our time.\" \"We've got to mobilize,\" Pence continued. \"We've got to march forward, as if it's the most important time in the history of our movement, because it is.\"", "With Meghna Chakrabarti The state of U.S. foreign policy now, after Trump orders troops out of Syria, readies to cut forces in Afghanistan and his defense secretary calls it quits. Guests Leo Shane III, deputy editor for the Military Times, where he covers veterans affairs, Congress and the White House. (@LeoShane) Derek Chollet, executive vice president and senior adviser for security and defense policy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. He has served as assistant secretary of defense and on the National Security Council. Author of &#8220;The Long Game: How Obama Defied Washington and Redefined America’s Role in the World.&#8221; (@derekchollet) Adm. James A. Winnefeld, former vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, the nation’s No. 2 ranking military officer. Senior fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center (@BelferCenter) and distinguished professor at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech. Former fighter pilot and instructor at the Navy Fighter Weapons School. From The Reading List Time: &#8220;My Friend Jim Mattis Is Gone From the Pentagon, and the U.S. Is One Step Closer to Chaos&#8221; &#8212; &#8220;His call sign was never &#8216;Mad Dog.&#8217; That was but one of the many, many things President Donald Trump got wrong about retired four-star Marine general and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis. &#8220;His actual call sign is, believe it or not, &#8216;CHAOS&#8217; – an appropriate sobriquet for all that is unfolding in the White House and Washington these days. &#8216;CHAOS&#8217; is actually an acronym meaning &#8216;Colonel Has An Outstanding Solution,&#8217; an affectionate reference to his mastery of the battlefield from his days as a senior colonel. &#8220;Mattis, whom I’ve known for decades, certainly took his share of hills from America’s enemies, in the Persian Gulf War and in Afghanistan and Iraq. But even he eventually hit a hill even he couldn’t take – his mercurial Commander-in-Chief. &#8220;It was not just President Trump’s decision to withdraw from Syria, a foolish choice probably launched to change the daily media cycle. This was only the latest in a cascade of questionable events that had the Secretary of Defense doing little but playing defense in the domestic realm, trying to explain his capricious Commander-in-Chief’s uninformed comments and bad decisions.&#8221; Wall Street Journal: &#8220;Trump’s Foreign-Policy Upheaval Puts U.S. Allies on Edge&#8221; &#8212; &#8220;Abrupt plans for U.S. troop pullouts from Syria and Afghanistan and the departure of Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis are raising fresh concerns among U.S. allies and adversaries alike about a new phase of volatility in Washington’s military posture and foreign policy. &#8220;Mr. Mattis, a four-star Marine general who has been one of President Trump’s most prominent cabinet members since his inauguration nearly two years ago, was regarded by many U.S. allies as a steadying influence, offering a sense of continuity even as Mr. Trump broke with longtime allies on issues as diverse as tariffs and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. &#8220;Governments across Asia offered muted response to the developments while Europeans were more outspoken regarding both Mr. Mattis and Mr. Trump’s troop plans. Senior French and German officials rejected Mr. Trump’s assertion earlier in the week that Islamic State had been defeated and Israeli officials expressed anxiety about regional stability. &#8220;Even Russia, which many observers see as benefiting from Mr. Trump’s moves, reacted cautiously.&#8221; Washington Post: &#8220;Opinion: Trump is now forging foreign policy on his own. Where will he take us?&#8221; &#8212; &#8220;Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’s resignation confirms that President Trump is now forging foreign policy essentially on his own. Stemming on its face from Trump’s decision, announced on Twitter, to remove U.S. military forces from Syria, in fact Trump has signaled displeasure with Mattis and the bipartisan foreign policy consensus that he championed. In the months ahead, conservatives will increasingly be torn between loyalty to Trump and their longtime support for that consensus. &#8220;Trump’s mistrust of American global engagement has long been hiding in plain view. He questioned U.S. defense agreements with allies as early as the 1980s, and he did nothing to hide his doubt about those arrangements on the campaign trail. It now appears he is ready to act upon these deeply held instincts. &#8220;While certainly breaking with modern conservatism, Trump’s beliefs hark back to pre-World War II Republicanism. Back then, the GOP favored immigration restriction, tariffs and keeping the United States out of foreign conflicts. Trump’s three most important deviations with current GOP orthodoxy, then, are actually a return to the old orthodoxy.&#8221; Stefano Kotsonis produced this show for broadcast.", "Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will be feeling the heat again in Tuesday evening's debate as he tries to rebound from a disappointing performance last month that renewed questions about his viability. \"I think there's going to be a lot of pressure on Jeb,\" predicted Katie Packer Gage, who was Mitt Romney's deputy campaign manager in 2012. \"He put some pressure on himself by telling people he's going to get better and work on his debate performance. I think this is kind of a make-or-break moment for him to really step up what he's been able to do in previous debates.\" The one-time favorite is now fifth on stage and is again beside fellow Floridian Marco Rubio. The young senator came out on top of a scuffle with Bush in the last debate, and Rubio will again be looking to capitalize. The fourth Republican debate also comes as the current leaders of the pack, Donald Trump and Ben Carson, have been under new pressures. The wealthy real-estate magnate has slipped in early state and national polls, ceding first place to the retired neurosurgeon with a loyal conservative following. And key parts of Carson's biography and past have gotten the kind of scrutiny expected for someone leading in the polls. Carson is generally mild-mannered but grew animated as questions mounted in a news conference Friday. Which Carson will show up when questions are asked at this debate? The debate, taking place in Milwaukee, Wis., is also the smallest so far. Just eight candidates made the cut for the main stage, the first time there will be fewer than 10 candidates in a prime-time GOP debate this year. Four hopefuls are relegated to the earlier undercard debate, demotions for both New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Fox Business Channel moderators Neil Cavuto and Maria Bartiromo have pledged to keep the debate on track, unlike last month's much-panned CNBC debate. The main topic is supposed to be the economy, but in debates, other topics always come up. The main debate will take place from 9 to 11 p.m. ET, while the undercard debate begins at 7 p.m. ET. Here's a look at what each candidate needs to do and to avoid on Tuesday evening: Donald Trump Need: Show the kind of energy he had in the summer to regain the spotlight, and stand out from rivals to reassert himself; he also needs to show a grasp of economic issues, which should be his strongest policy point Avoid: Fading into the background and being overshadowed by someone like Rubio At last month's debate, the boisterous former reality TV star was almost a nonfactor. After dominating previous meetings, he talked the fourth most and was completely absent from long stretches. It was the second debate in which Trump didn't seem to be having the kind of fun he had earlier in the campaign. Fox Business's promise that candidates will get more equal time should help some. But with Trump starting to taper off, he has to show why he's the best candidate to jump-start the economy. It should be in his wheelhouse with a GOP audience. \"You're beginning to see the first cracks in the veneer,\" said Bruce Haynes, a GOP strategist and president of the bipartisan firm Purple Strategies. \"It feels like his campaign has lost its momentum, and people are wondering if this is the beginning of the inevitable backslide.\" Ben Carson Need: Be at ease on the stage and show a policy depth, especially on economic problems, that so far he has lacked Avoid: Getting rattled and defensive, especially when it comes to his biography Carson didn't have a memorable debate last time, either, but it didn't seem to matter. He's overtaken Trump in some polls, largely thanks to conservative, evangelical voters. But the political novice is learning the hard way that with that new spotlight comes new pressures. Both the media and his fellow rivals, mainly Trump, have tried to poke holes in critical pieces of his biography. A weekend story raised questions about his claim that he had gotten a scholarship to West Point, and there are inconsistencies in other parts of his background. \"I sense that there's a little bit of blood in the water in terms of his biographical story,\" Gage said. \"So far, his modus operandi has been to just blame the media, but there are some legitimate questions there.\" Carson will likely be helped by the fact that Christie and Huckabee are off the stage. In addition to Trump, they have been the most critical of Carson's biographical explanations. Marco Rubio Need: Build on his last strong debate performance; handle questions about his personal finances and credit cards in a credible, nondefensive way Avoid: Looking overconfident, dismissive or defensive; any stumbles that could cast doubt about his ability Expectations are high for Rubio after his last performance. Another strong showing could help catapult him even farther. \"This is Marco Rubio's moment,\" Haynes said. \"He's passed Jeb in the traditional candidate lane, and as Trump has seemed to stall and Carson is ", "The pressure on the U.S. government to address the humanitarian crisis at the southern border has intensified over the past several weeks. But it&#8217;s still unclear what approach immigration officials and Congress will take to focus on an issue that has again captivated the attention of citizens around the world, owing in part to a viral photo. The acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Ken Cuccinelli, responded to the image of Óscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez and his daughter Valeria, who drowned crossing the Rio Grande. A Mexican newspaper reported that the father had become desperate due to lengthy wait times in the asylum application process. Cuccinelli told CNN: But the reason we have tragedies like that on the border is because that father didn’t wait to go through the asylum process in the legal fashion and decided to cross the river and not only died but his daughter died tragically as well&#8230; Until we fix the attractions in our asylum system, people like that father and that child are going to continue to come through a dangerous trip. And Congress passed a $4.6 billion humanitarian aid bill to assist with the record number of people coming across the southern border. The New York Times reported on how the package made its way to the president&#8217;s desk. The substance of the bill divided Democrats. The leaders themselves split, with Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the majority leader; Representative James E. Clyburn, the whip; and Cheri Bustos, the campaign chief, all supporting the bill. Much of the younger, second tier of leaders — including Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the caucus chairman; Representative Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, the assistant speaker; and Representative Katherine M. Clark of Massachusetts, the caucus vice chairwoman — voted “no.” The Congressional Hispanic Caucus issued a blistering statement calling the measure “a betrayal of our American values.” “This bill — opposed by the Hispanic caucus and nearly 100 Democratic members of the House — will not stop the Trump administration’s chaos and cruelty,” the statement said. “What happened today is unacceptable, and we will not forget this betrayal.” Liberal Democrats were left fuming. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York called the decision “an abdication of power we should refuse to accept.” The Trump administration, she said, “will keep hurting kids if we do.” U.S. asylum officers have also protested the Trump administration&#8217;s procedure for those who are requesting the protection. The Migration Protection Protocol, or MPP, sends people who are requesting asylum back to Mexico to wait until they can cross. The officers&#8217; union said this policy abandoned &#8220;our tradition of providing a safe haven to the persecuted and violates our international and domestic legal obligations,&#8221; according to BuzzFeed. Where is Congress on an immigration policy that will address the current crisis? What is the right way to handle what&#8217;s happening at the border? And can anything be done about what&#8217;s behind the surge of people migrating to the U.S.? 1A Across America is funded through a grant from The Corporation for Public Broadcasting. CPB is a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967 that is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. GUESTS Doris Meissner, Senior fellow and director, U.S. Immigration Policy Program, Migration Policy Institute; former commissioner, U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) Franco Ordoñez, White House correspondent, NPR; @FrancoOrdonez Elizabeth Trovall, Immigration reporter, Houston Public Media; @elizTrovall For more, visit https://the1a.org. &copy; 2019 WAMU 88.5 &#8211; American University Radio.", "President Trump was downright low energy. The look on his face, as he meandered through unscripted remarks Friday after the defeat of the Republican health care plan he supported, told the story. The unusually subdued Trump called the loss a \"learning experience.\" Then he seemed to shrug it all off and said he was moving on. But it's hardly going to be that simple or easy. The same fissures in the GOP that derailed the health care bill will be there when it comes to any big issue moving forward, whether it's tax reform, infrastructure or funding the government. And Republicans warn that, unless the president is willing to learn and own the details, the result will likely be the same — failure. \"Trump's defeat this week was entirely predictable,\" said Alex Conant, who worked on Marco Rubio's presidential campaign and was a spokesman for the Republican National Committee and the Bush White House. \"He has never showed any detailed knowledge of health care policy and has few relationships in Congress. Getting health care passed was always going to be a heavy lift, but Republicans should be concerned that Trump couldn't even get it off the ground.\" During the campaign, Trump connected with a significant chunk of the country with big, bold promises. But on arguably his (and the GOP's) highest-profile promise — repealing and replacing Obamacare — he flamed out in one of the most embarrassing ways possible just 64 days into his presidency. It's unlikely that Republican voters will be satisfied with leaving Obamacare in place. \"It failed brilliantly,\" said another Republican strategist, who requested anonymity to speak frankly about a president the strategist may be working with on upcoming priorities. \"Going forward, I would expect there would be a greater ownership on the White House's part on the legislation that is being advanced, and he's going to have to be in a position to know the details.\" No one looks good No one comes off looking good in the debacle — not House Speaker Paul Ryan, who was the brains behind the bill and led the legislative strategy; not White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, who is close to Ryan; not White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who reportedly tried to play hardball with the roughly 40 hard-line conservatives of the House Freedom Caucus, who were largely responsible for the bill's defeat. \"I don't give a s*** what you guys think,\" Bannon reportedly told them, per CNN, in a meeting Thursday before the bill went down. \"Guys, look, this is not a discussion,\" Bannon said, per Axios. \"This is not a debate. You have no choice but to vote for this bill.\" Trump himself showed a level of impetuousness with the Freedom Caucus and a lack of policy understanding that eventually did him in. \"Forget about that little s***,\" Trump told the group Thursday, per Politico. \"Let's focus on the big picture here.\" That might be how campaigning works, but it's not how governing does. Sweating the little stuff is important when it comes to legislating. That's especially true for the big things Trump wants to tackle. But, though Trump said he had \"learned a lot\" and wants to move on, he was looking backward over the weekend, tweeting blame at the Freedom Caucus — a group he underestimated: It's a group that won't be intimidated by ultimatums or tweets. Current House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes of California once referred to the conservatives who became the Freedom Caucus as \"lemmings with suicide vests.\" Trump is going to have to figure out how to deal with them. He also faced opposition from more moderate Republicans, like Rep. Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, who were averse to the ramifications of the policy laid out in the GOP bill. Dent did not deny an exchange reported by Robert Draper in the New York Times Magazine, in which Trump said he was \"destroying the Republican Party\" and was going to be blamed for foiling tax reform by blocking the health care plan. Part of Trump's \"learning experience\" was seeing how members of Congress may care more about what their constituents think than their president does. Trump may be the leader of the Republican Party, but he isn't its CEO. Winning isn't everything, and the \"little s***\" matters Trump likes to win. He told the country during the presidential campaign that we would all get so tired of winning under him that we would all be so bored. The Art of the Deal author hyped himself as the best dealmaker anyone's ever seen. Instead, his first major effort at legislating handed him a stunning loss. It was a textbook chapter in how not to legislate. Part of the problem is that Trump wanted a win on health care so badly that he may have been blinded by his willingness to take any win. He outsourced the details to Ryan and others, and when it got difficult, Trump didn't have enough policy knowledge to close the deal. \"How he was dismissive of policy concerns, and instead focused on the big picture and big political issue, that is never going", "For nearly a year before family separation became an official and controversial policy of the Trump administration in the spring of 2018, federal immigration agents separated \"thousands\" of migrant children from their parents. That's according to a government watchdog report released Thursday. \"OIG found more children over a longer period of time were separated by immigration authorities and referred to HHS for care than is commonly discussed in public debate. How many more children were separated is unknown by us and HHS,\" Ann Maxwell, assistant inspector general for evaluations at the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services, told reporters. She said HHS officials estimated the number of children was in the \"thousands\" but would not give a more exact figure. The report is the first official U.S. government acknowledgment that the Trump administration was using family separation as a measure to deter illegal immigration nearly a year before it became official DHS policy. NPR and other media were reporting the increase of family separations at the border in early 2018. \"Beginning in the summer of 2017, before the formal announcement of the [Trump administration's] zero tolerance policy, ORR saw a steep increase in the number of children who had been separated from a parent or guardian by the Department of Homeland Security,\" according to an OIG press release. That means the Trump administration was engaged in an aggressive and unannounced policy to separate families well before the issue exploded into the headlines in April 2018. That's when then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that all parents who crossed the border illegally would be prosecuted for immigration violations, and the government would take their children into custody. Reports of wrenching scenes in border detention cells where uniformed agents pulled hysterically crying children away from parents sparked a public outcry that prompted the administration to abruptly discontinue the policy three months later in June. The Department of Homeland Security maintains that the uptick in family separations in summer 2017 was a reflection of the higher numbers of undocumented immigrant families arriving at the U.S. border asking for entry. \"The (OIG) report vindicates what DHS has long been saying: for more than a decade it was and continues to be standard for apprehended minors to be separated when the adult is not the parent or legal guardian\" or the child's safety is at risk, said DHS spokesperson Katie Waldman. \"For the HHS OIG to claim it was not known that DHS is actively enforcing this policy in the same manner for more than a decade ... casts doubt on the HHS OIG's credibility on this topic.\" A federal lawsuit resulted in the government identifying a class of 2,737 children who had been separated from their families between May and June 2018. \"However, this number does not represent the full scope of family separations,\" according to the OIG statement. Under orders of a federal judge in California, HHS has now reunited nearly all of those 2,737 children with parents or released them to relatives living in the country. Moreover, the Office of Inspector General says the thousands of children who were removed from their parents starting in the summer of 2017 were all discharged from government custody before zero tolerance went into effect. Immigrant advocacy organizations such as the Women's Refugee Commission said at the time, \"We began to hear a noticeable increase in this practice in the summer [of 2017].\" Moreover, 74 congressional Democrats sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen denouncing family separation as unlawful and immoral. In response to the report, Lee Gelernt, lead attorney and deputy director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project, said: \"This policy was a cruel disaster from the start. This report reaffirms that the government never had a clear picture of how many children it ripped from their parents. We will be back in court over this latest revelation.\"", "Sanctuary cities after President Trump’s moves on immigration and wall. On the campaign trail, Donald Trump promised hard, sweeping changes in American immigration policy. Yesterday, President Trump began to deliver. Ordering immediate construction of a wall facing Mexico. Beginning a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigrants. Blocking refugees. Threatening sanctuary cities with a cutoff in federal funds. This hour in our On Point 100-Day Spotlight on the new administration, the Trump immigration squeeze, and how sanctuary cities will respond. &#8212; Tom Ashbrook Guests Brian Bennett, reporter on national security and immigration for the Los Angeles Times. (@ByBrianBennett) Avideh Moussavian, policy attorney at the National Immigration Law Center, where she is focused on sanctuary policies. Former board treasurer for Families for Freedom, an anti-deportation community organizing network. (@AvidehNILC) Julie Myers, CEO of Guidepost Solutions. Former Assistant U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the George W. Bush Administration. (@MyersWood) Alan Gomez, immigration reporter with USA Today. (@alangomez) Suzanne Jones, mayor of the city of Boulder, CO. (@JonesZan) From Tom’s Reading List Los Angeles Times: Trump orders moves on border wall and &#8216;sanctuary cities&#8217; and is considering a refugee ban &#8212; &#8220;President Trump directed federal workers Wednesday to start building a border wall and begin punishing so-called sanctuary cities and is considering dramatically limiting the flow of people from other countries, including a ban on Syrian refugees, in a flurry of steps that could fundamentally reshape how the U.S. deals with immigration, security and the war on terrorism. Washington Post: Draft executive order would begin ‘extreme vetting’ of immigrants and visitors to the U.S. &#8212; &#8220;The Trump administration plans to start vetting would-be immigrants and visitors to the United States based partly on their opinions and ideology, and will immediately cease the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the United States, according to a draft executive order leaked Wednesday to civil rights advocates and obtained by the Washington Post.&#8221; POLITICO: Trump signs orders on border wall, immigration crackdown &#8212; &#8220;President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a sweeping set of immigration-related executive actions jumpstarting a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, cracking down on sanctuary cities, and directing significant resources toward swifter deportations for undocumented immigrants currently in the country.&#8221; U.S. Sanctuary Cities\nArray Source: POLITICO. Caller Elizabeth: &#8220;I Feel Threatened.&#8221;\nArray &#8220;I am an undocumented student. I&#8217;m calling because I&#8217;m listening to all these arguments and stuff, and it&#8217;s great, but at the same time a lot of people are focusing on how this tax is gonna come, how it&#8217;s going to affect in a political way, economically. But people are not also focusing on the psychological trauma that it&#8217;s going to bring families. In my case, I&#8217;m undocumented, my mom is undocumented, but my sister is a US citizen. But I have DACA. My fear is, what&#8217;s going to happen to me? I&#8217;m going to have to go back to my country? My mom is going to have to go back to my country? I feel threatened, I haven&#8217;t been able to sleep, and I don&#8217;t know what&#8217;s going to happen and what&#8217;s going to happen to my family. But I deserve to be here in this country. This is my home.&#8221; &#8212; Elizabeth from Quincy, MA", "Neoconservative thinker Bill Kristol has been highly critical of President Trump for years, even while many on the right who were once disapproving came to support the president. In the waning days of the president&#8217;s Senate impeachment trial, he tweeted over the weekend his support for Democrats. He says the tweet was meant to be time-sensitive to 2020 and “somewhat jokey,” but also to serve as a warning to Republicans that it’d be “foolish” not to rethink some conservative orthodoxies. “I&#8217;m very honestly just agnostic about what the future looks like,” he says. “I do think in the short term, I think a second term of Donald Trump is very dangerous.” Kristol has been an important figure in the Republican Party for decades. He served in the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations, founded the now-defunct conservative Weekly Standard, was a fierce supporter of the Iraq War, and became an influential opponent of former President Bill Clinton&#8217;s health care reform. Now, he’s the editor-at-large of the Bulwark, a conservative news and opinion website. What about the Republican Party he so fondly engaged with in years past? He says right now, the GOP needs to focus on whether the party can be saved after the Trump administration. “Trump has to be defeated,” he says. “Even then, I think I&#8217;m much more pessimistic than I was a couple of years ago that it would be easy or even possible to get beyond Trump.&#8221; Interview Highlights On what he meant by his tweet on becoming a Democrat “I mean that until November 3rd, 2020, at the presidential level, at least, the attempt which I was involved in to recruit a strong Republican challenger to Donald Trump has failed. So if you want to replace Trump as president, it&#8217;s going to be by a Democrat.” On his tipping point “I think I had a series of sort of mini tipping points which added up to one big one. I mean, Trump turned out to have such a stranglehold on the party. And we saw that in the House on the impeachment vote where again, I thought, ‘OK, they&#8217;re mostly going to stick with Trump, but 10 or 20 I think would desert as happened with Nixon.&#8217; [But that] didn&#8217;t happen. Then in the Senate, I thought, ‘OK, you know, the people who are retiring, who have pretty distinguished careers, do they want to go down with this ship?’ And the fact that they&#8217;re all rationalizing now a vote to acquit, pretty hard for me to look anyone in the eye honestly and say, ‘Hey, let&#8217;s join me in the fight to save the soul of the Republican Party.’ “So the combination of what&#8217;s happened in the country in terms of there being no credible challenger to Trump and what&#8217;s happened with the congressional Republicans, especially on impeachment, but not only on impeachment, incidentally, the general justification of Trump and the acceptance of Trumpism is almost as bad as the acceptance of Trump, the kind of degeneration of everyone&#8217;s rhetoric and to Trump-like rhetoric.” On criticism that Kristol bears responsibility for Washington partisanship after he wrote influential memos telling Republicans not to work with Democrats on health care during the Clinton administration &#8220;I mean at times I&#8217;ve been tactically, certainly against cooperation and who hasn&#8217;t been in politics? And maybe in some of those times I was wrong, but I think I have a pretty good record on foreign policy especially, including under President Obama, of trying to find times to support Democratic presidents when they did the right thing. We supported Bill Clinton in Bosnia, we supported the surge in Afghanistan. &#8220;There are times I went further than I should have I now think in retrospect, but I don&#8217;t think I&#8217;ve ever descended to the level of personal invective that Trump routinely does.&#8221; On response to The Intercept article that said Republicans wanted to create a new establishment to prevent another Republican from ever stepping down like Nixon did, and whether the stage was set 30 years ago for Trump’s impeachment trial today &#8220;No, ludicrous, I was 21 years old when Nixon was impeached and I was on the side of impeaching him so I don&#8217;t know what I had to do with that. The conservative counter establishment was mostly a healthy counter establishment. But no, the conservative counter establishment was mostly a healthy counter establishment, unless the left&#8217;s view was that there should be no one on the other side. You want a conservative counter establishment. You don&#8217;t want a bigoted, xenophobic conservatism. Maybe we haven&#8217;t done as good a job as we might have in fighting that at every stage. But we certainly try to. You know, I was kicking Pat Buchanan out of the Republican Party. I said I would not support Ron Paul in 2008 or 2012 if he won the Republican nomination.” On whether the Republican Party can be reconstructed without rethinking some larger infrastructure and media ou", "President Trump on Sunday sent Congress a list of sweeping immigration changes he says \"must be included as part of any legislation addressing the status of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients.\" Trump wants the border wall he campaigned on to be built, a crackdown on illegal immigration and to switch the U.S. legal immigration system from one that prioritizes family connections to one based on merit. Trump has promoted these policies before, both during the campaign and as president. But what's new is demanding that they be included in the legislative fix for the DACA program. \"Without these reforms, illegal immigration and chain migration, which severely and unfairly burden American workers and taxpayers, will continue without end,\" Trump said in a letter to Congress. Last month, concluding that the DACA program put into place by the Obama administration through executive action was illegal, Trump announced that he would end it in six months. He called on Congress to enshrine in law the protections for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country as children. The approximately 700,000 DACA recipients are often referred to as DREAMers. Under the program, they temporarily avoid deportation and receive work permits. Around that time, Trump had dinner at the White House with the two top congressional Democrats, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and all emerged talking about the rough outlines of a deal. A major component of that agreement was President Trump's willingness to take funding the border wall off the table, when it came to DACA legislation. After the apparent agreement with Pelosi and Schumer, conservatives vocalized their rage, accusing Trump of abandoning the hard-line immigration platform he campaigned on. Conservative commentator Ann Coulter said at the time, \"If we're not getting a wall, I'd prefer President Pence.\" \"DACA now, and the wall very soon,\" Trump told reporters on the south lawn of the White House in mid-September. \"But the wall will happen.\" The White House immigration principles appear to be a departure from that earlier statement. White House documents call for \"completing construction of a wall along the southern border of the United States\" and ensuring \"funding for the southern border wall and associated infrastructure.\" Pelosi and Schumer say these proposals are a clear break with what they believe was agreed to during that dinner at the White House. \"We told the President at our meeting that we were open to reasonable border security measures alongside the DREAM Act, but this list goes so far beyond what is reasonable,\" Pelosi and Schumer said in a statement. \"This proposal fails to represent any attempt at compromise.\" Beyond the wall, the Democrats say the administration's list is \"anathema to the Dreamers, to the immigrant community and to the vast majority of Americans.\" Although Republicans control both chambers of Congress, they have a narrow majority in the Senate and have struggled to pass even top legislative priorities. And it's not clear that all, or even most, Republicans back what Trump is proposing on immigration. Passing a DACA fix is a top priority for Democrats, but they won't go along with Trump's long list of demands, meaning what once seemed like a bipartisan compromise in the works now looks more like another legislative standoff. In his letter to Congress, Trump said the list of proposals was developed from the bottom up, working with law enforcement professionals on the front lines of America's immigration system. \"In response, they identified dangerous loopholes, outdated laws, and easily exploited vulnerabilities in our immigration system — current policies that are harming our country and our communities,\" his letter said. These recommendations happen to also align nicely with Trump's campaign rhetoric. Among the recommendations, as described by the White House: Fund and complete construction of the southern border wall Ensure the safe and expeditious return of Unaccompanied Alien Children and family units End abuse of our asylum system by tightening standards, imposing penalties for fraud, and ensuring detention while claims are verified Remove illegal border crossers quickly by hiring an additional 370 immigration judges and 1,000 ICE attorneys Stop \"sanctuary cities\" Strengthen law enforcement by hiring 10,000 more ICE officers and 300 federal prosecutors End visa overstays by establishing reforms to ensure their swift removal Protect U.S. workers by requiring E-Verify and strengthening laws to stop employment discrimination against U.S. workers End extended-family chain migration by limiting family-based green cards to include spouses and minor children Establish a points-based system for green cards to protect U.S. workers and taxpayers Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., quickly offered praise. \"The principles the president has put out show he understands what's broken in our imm", "When asked what his biggest concern is as he goes to vote in Britain's election Thursday, Michael Simons doesn't hesitate: \"Immigration,\" he says, \"jobs and the financial situation.\" Simons, who has lived in the tiny village of Winsley in deepest rural Wiltshire for the past 30 years, is not alone in his concerns, which reflect the fears of large swathes of Britain's rural, mostly white population. The man he is speaking to is the Conservative candidate for the constituency, Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, who is nodding attentively. \"What we need,\" says Emmanuel-Jones, \"is a cap on immigration for people coming from outside the European Union.\" Surprisingly for a Conservative candidate in this part of Britain, Emmanuel-Jones is black. Born in Jamaica, he moved to Britain at age 4 and grew up in a poor inner-city household in Birmingham, the eldest of eight children. From there he worked his way up, after several years working for the BBC, to set up a successful farm business under the name The Black Farmer. The residents of Winsley don't seem at all bothered by the color of his skin; they are more interested in his firmly Conservative stance on key issues such as immigration and Britain's massive deficit. \"After the election, the reality is going to set in that we've got a massive debt to sort out, which means that there are going to have to be cuts, that there's going to have to be a subconscious change in the way that we think,\" Emmanuel-Jones says. \"The idea that you've got this big state who's there to look after us and care for us ain't going to happen, and people have to realize that.\" Despite the enthusiasm in rural villages for this Conservative line, and the need to make cuts to Britain's welfare state, Emmanuel-Jones still has a fight on his hands. Race may not be an issue, but after a recent scandal in Parliament about how politicians claimed their expenses, there is anger at politics-as-usual, which generally means the two-party politics of the Conservatives and the ruling Labour Party. This has worked in favor of the third party, the Liberal Democrats, which has also received a boost from the strong performances of its leader, Nick Clegg, in Britain's first televised debates in recent weeks. At a school in the nearby town of Chippenham, Emmanuel-Jones takes on three other candidates, taking questions from a hall full of high school seniors, many of whom are first-time voters. One of his opponents is his closest rival in the campaign to represent Chippenham in Parliament: Duncan Hames of the Liberal Democrats. Hames is an impressive, Oxford-educated accountant, whose responses to a wide range of questions are applauded by the audience. His answers reveal the moderate centrist approach of the Liberal Democrats, presenting themselves as the outsiders as they try to attract voters disenchanted with the left-of-center Labour Party and the right-of-center Conservatives. \"There are some big differences,\" Hames says. \"But some of the differences in the political outlook of the candidates are smoothed over by the [central] PR operations of the political parties. \"Some of the things my Conservative opponent says about his ideological attitude to the public sector are things that you would never hear [Conservative Party leader] David Cameron say.\" But Emmanuel-Jones is unrepentant, sticking to his staunch conservatism, repeating that he is the one being honest, and that voters just need to deal with the truth. On his way out of the debate, he is accosted by a young student, angry over what he sees as the Conservative Party's abandoning of the poor. \"I don’t need you to tell me about poverty,\" Emmanuel-Jones retorts. The student interrupts, and after trying to answer the question several times, Emmanuel-Jones gives up, shakes a few more hands and heads for the exit. After all the lamenting in the media that this election, dominated by TV debates and media sound bites, is being fought too much on personalities and not enough on policies, it's clear that at the grass roots, policies count as much as they ever did before. RENEE MONTAGNE, Host: In Great Britain, Conservative Party leader David Cameron got a boost, today, from polls that show he could win a majority of seats in Thursday's general election. Cameron's Conservatives are trying to unseat the long-ruling Labour Party. In advance of the election, NPR's Rob Gifford takes a look at a closely fought race in rural England. ROB GIFFORD: In the constituency of Chippenham in the deeply rural county of Wiltshire, west of London, resident Michael Simons is greeting the local Conservative Party candidate on the doorstep of his home. WILFRED EMMANUEL: Nice to meet you. MICHAEL SIMONS: Thank you. Best of luck. EMMANUEL: Thank you very much. Good day, ladies. It's really nice to meet you. Thank you very much for your support. GIFFORD: Simons has lived in the village of Winsley for more than 30 years. And the main issues for him in this election are cle", "The people closest to President Trump have come under more scrutiny in recent days. News outlets are reporting that First Lady Melania Trump was a key influence on President Trump&#8217;s decision to sign an executive order to walk back the administration&#8217;s previous policy of family separation. And when it comes to people close to the president, Kate Andersen Brower is an expert. She&#8217;s written books on the office of the First Lady and the office of the Vice President. Of Pence, she writes: Before he was elected to Congress, Pence sought name recognition in Indiana as a radio host, marketing himself as “Rush Limbaugh on decaf.” “He could not be a more directable talent,” said Kent Sterling, who was an assistant program director for The Mike Pence Show. When Pence started out in radio, Sterling directed him to try not to be too long-winded. “He nodded when I asked him and I wondered if he got it. The next day he was spot on. He was perfect and he never deviated.” Pence’s friends from Indiana say Mike and Karen see the world as engaged in a moral conflict between those who are against Christianity and those who support it. “I’ve never questioned Mike Pence’s convictions with respect to his faith,” said Scott Pelath, who was Democratic minority leader in the Indiana House when Pence was governor. “He’s gotten exactly what he’s wanted in his life of faith. I’m worried that it’s made him even more resolute in his belief that he’s been sent on a holy mission. And that is dangerous for the country. It’s untenable. Throughout the immigration policy debate, the vice president has supported Trump. In a meeting with members of Congress prior to the executive order on June 20, he emphasized the president&#8217;s priorities. &#8220;But what the President reiterated again yesterday, and he has said every day from when he sought this office, is we have a crisis of illegal immigration. And as the President made clear, we don&#8217;t want families to be separated. We don&#8217;t want children taken away from parents. But right now, under the law &#8212; and we sit with these lawmakers &#8212; we only have two choices before us: Number one is, don&#8217;t prosecute people who come into our country illegally, or prosecute them and then, under court cases and the law, they have to be separated from their children.&#8221; During the family separation crisis, all living first ladies, including Melania Trump, expressed concern about the separation policy. We&#8217;ll talk to Brower about Melania Trump, Mike Pence, and how they and their predecessors see their roles in politics and public life. GUESTS Kate Andersen Brower, Journalist and author of &#8220;First Women: The Grace and Power of America’s Modern First Ladies&#8221; and a new book, &#8220;First in Line: Presidents, Vice Presidents and the Pursuit of Power&#8221;; @katebrower For more, visit https://the1a.org. &copy; 2018 WAMU 88.5 &#8211; American University Radio.", "Donald Trump has been elected the 45th president of the United States, the capstone of a tumultuous and divisive campaign that won over white voters with the promise to \"Make America Great Again.\" Trump crossed the 270 electoral vote threshold at 2:31 a.m. ET with a victory in Wisconsin, according to Associated Press projections. The rise of Trump, a candidate with no prior experience in the military or elected office, confounded nearly everyone in politics. Improbably, the real estate scion turned reality TV star had not even been a member of the Republican Party for long. That made his victory over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton even more stunning, preventing her from becoming the nation's first female president. Taking the stage to cheers, Trump said Clinton had called him to offer her congratulations and to concede the race. \"Now it's time for America to bind the wounds of division and get together,\" he told supporters in New York City. \"It is time for us to come together as one united people. I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all Americans.\" In a rough and tumble campaign, Trump convinced a large slice of the American electorate that the government, Wall Street and the justice system were rigged. \"I will be your voice,\" he told supporters, who then defied the polls to propel him to the nation's highest office. Critical battleground states broke Trump's way. Delegate-rich Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin moved to the Republican candidate. Many polls failed to predict those shifts, leaving the crowds at Trump's party in New York momentarily puzzled, then celebratory. About a mile away, in Manhattan, the event for former Secretary of State Clinton turned solemn. Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, told a dwindling crowd early Wednesday that she would not be speaking yet. \"They're still counting votes and every vote should count,\" he said. Republican Party elites initially brushed off Trump. But he bested 16 more experienced rivals in the primary process while spending little on traditional campaign infrastructure and relying on family members for political and media acumen. By the presidential race's closing days, Trump had won support from only one living GOP presidential nominee, former Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas. Turns out, he didn't need the extra help. \"We want him to be as conservative and effective a president as possible,\" said Rich Lowry, editor of the conservative National Review, who has opposed Trump. \"We're skeptical of him on many levels, but you only have one president at a time.\" Trump will succeed Barack Obama, a two-term president and the first African-American to occupy the office. The president-elect is virtually Obama's polar opposite and in fact needled Obama for years with false claims over his birthplace. Obama had campaigned feverishly to elect Clinton in hopes she would preserve his signature domestic health care law, revive a plan to open up a path to citizenship for immigrants in the country illegally, and nominate more left-leaning justices to the Supreme Court. By contrast, Trump's governing agenda is far less clear. He has promised to deport millions of immigrants who don't have papers, to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico and to bargain with foreign governments such as those of Russia and China. His list of nearly two dozen potential nominees to the nation's highest court is largely in line with conservative doctrine, if Trump in fact chooses from that list. There are hints that Trump, 70, would defer to his vice president, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, on many key policy decisions. That would hardly be the first unorthodox decision by the candidate and his campaign. To say Trump violated the norms of political contests would be an understatement. He never released his tax returns, citing an ongoing audit that would not have barred him from making them public. He called his opponent a \"nasty woman,\" launched his campaign by declaring that some Mexican immigrants who come to the U.S. illegally are \"rapists\" and flatly denied accounts from about a dozen women who accused him of past sexual misconduct or assault. Many voters also appeared to be undeterred by the release of a 2005 videotape from Access Hollywood in which Trump, on a hot mic, talked about grabbing women between the legs because celebrities \"can do anything.\" His relationship with Congress represents another uncertainty. Republicans maintained control of both the House and the Senate, but Trump has openly feuded with Republican lawmakers such as House Speaker Paul Ryan. In other cases, Trump promised to create a superPAC that would go after his enemies. The election deals yet another bitter defeat to Clinton, 69, a former first lady and U.S. senator who had appeared to retain a modest lead in national polls heading into Election Day. Clinton, the first woman to run atop the ticket of a major political party, had cast her candidacy as an inclusive vision for ", "President Trump addressed the nation Monday following mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, that left at least 31 people dead and dozens injured. The motives of two gunmen, both white, are under investigation. Authorities say it&#8217;s too early to speculate. But it has been noted, in media reports and on social media, that at least eight of those who were killed at an El Paso shopping center were Mexican nationals. The suspect, Patrick Crusius, had posted a racist, anti-immigrant screed online not long before the massacre. And among those killed in the Dayton shooting, six of the nine were black. Trump, in his brief televised address Monday, said, &#8220;In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy. These sinister ideologies must be defeated. Hate has no place in America.&#8221; The president denounced violent video games, warned of the &#8220;perils of the internet and social media” and called for mental health reform. But, as The New York Times notes, he did not propose broad gun control legislation desired by many Americans: It seemed unlikely that Mr. Trump’s 10-minute remarks, coming after one of the most violent weekends in recent American history, would reposition him as a unifier when many Americans hold him responsible for inflaming racial division. He took no responsibility for the atmosphere of division, nor did he recognize his own reluctance to warn of the rise of white nationalism until now. The Times (and other publications) noted something else missing from the president&#8217;s address: &#8220;that his own anti-immigrant rhetoric has become part of a national debate.&#8221; Trump&#8217;s critics say his words and actions have fueled violence by white nationalists and other extremists. How should our leaders stand up to hate and violence? And what if our leaders are the ones inciting hate and violence in the first place? We turn to experts who have studied the far right and white supremacist groups for answers. GUESTS Heidi Beirich, Director of The Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center Kathleen Puckett, Clinical psychologist who spent 23 years as an FBI Special Agent investigating cases of domestic and international terrorism Rich Benjamin, Author &#8220;Searching For Whitopia: An Improbable Journey to the Heart of White America&#8221;; anthropologist; contributing writer, The New Yorker; @IAmRichBenjamin Janet Reitman, Contributing writer, New York Times Magazine; @janetreitman For more, visit https://the1a.org. &copy; 2019 WAMU 88.5 &#8211; American University Radio.", "With David Folkenflik President Trump visits Pennsylvania as Pittsburgh mourns. He promises to reverse birthright citizenship despite clear-cut constitutional guarantees. And, there&#8217;s the push toward midterms. Our weekly news roundtable dives in. Guests Mary Bruce, congressional correspondent for ABC News. (@marykbruce) Ayesha Rascoe, NPR White House correspondent. (@ayesharascoe) Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst. (@JackBeattyNPR) From The Reading List Washington Post: &#8220;Trump is half-right. Congress can end birthright citizenship.&#8221; &#8212; &#8220;President Trump says he’s planning to end birthright citizenship “with an executive order.” He can’t, as several experts have pointed out. &#8220;Yet those critics who say the rule can change only through a constitutional amendment, such as House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and the Atlantic’s Garrett Epps, also go too far. The 14th Amendment’s citizenship clause, as attorneys George T. Conway III and Neal Katyal correctly note, was an effort to define previously enslaved African Americans as U.S. citizens. But when they acknowledge that &#8216;it is Congress, not the president, who is in the driver’s seat when it comes to immigration,&#8217; they fail to note that it can steer birthright citizenship policies in a new direction.&#8221; NPR: &#8220;Trump Stays On Campaign Trail, Attacking Media And Democrats After Synagogue Shooting&#8221; &#8212; &#8220;President Trump condemned the deadly synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, but then immediately returned to the campaign trail, and to attacking Democrats and the media.&#8221; New York Times: &#8220;Trump’s Visit to Pittsburgh Divides a City Mourning Victims of Hate&#8221; &#8212; &#8220;One of Pittsburgh’s most solemn days began with hundreds coming together in anguish and grief in synagogues and at gravesides, to start the services for those killed as they prayed on the Sabbath. In the afternoon, they came together again, in shivas to honor the dead and comfort the living, and, later by the thousands, in solemn marches of protest around the Squirrel Hill neighborhood where the attack took place on Saturday. &#8220;This is the Pittsburgh that met President Trump, who arrived with members of his family on Tuesday. &#8220;The presidential visit, welcomed by some in Pittsburgh, unwanted or vigorously opposed by many others, began with a motorcade into the city and a visit to the Tree of Life synagogue. Mr. Trump lit memorial candles in a vestibule near where the shooting unfolded, and placed stones and white roses from the White House outside, in commemoration of those killed in an attack by a gunman full of anti-Semitic rage shouting that Jews must die.&#8221; Fox News: &#8220;State of the Midterms: Analyst predicts bigger House gains for Dems as Pelosi eyes gavel&#8221; &#8212; &#8220;As House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi confidently predicts victory in next week&#8217;s midterms, at least one major political oddsmaker is giving her a boost: Cook Political Report is now saying Democrats could win as many as 40 seats in the House. &#8220;Dave Wasserman, House editor of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, tweeted late Wednesday that the unit is revising its outlook to reflect a Democratic gain of 30-40 seats, up from 25-35. He warned that the outlook could change again before Tuesday. &#8220;Even some in Pelosi&#8217;s party are cautious about the pitfalls of overconfidence, amid recent reports of veteran operatives warning that the curtain-measuring echoes Democrats&#8217; confidence in the lead-up to the 2016 election, which now-President Trump won.&#8221; A massacre of Jewish congregants in Pittsburgh sparks mourning, and protests against the president, who traveled there. Trump accused of violating the Constitution and common decency in his stances on immigration. The president sends thousands of troops to the border to combat a dwindling group of migrants hundreds of miles away. Did I mention? The elections are at last upon us. This hour, On Point: our weekly news roundtable. — David Folkenflik", "Facebook has begun labeling content produced by media outlets it says are under state control, enacting a policy the social network first announced in October. Pages and posts from at least 18 outlets including Russia Today, China's People's Daily and Iran's Press TV now carry notices to users that they are \"state-controlled media.\" Ads from state-controlled publishers will also be labeled starting later this year. The labels will initially be shown to U.S. Facebook users and roll out to other countries over time. \"We're providing greater transparency into these publishers because they combine the influence of a media organization with the strategic backing of a state, and we believe people should know if the news they read is coming from a publication that may be under the influence of a government,\" Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook's head of cybersecurity policy, wrote in a blog post. Facebook will also begin barring state-controlled outlets from buying advertising in the U.S. later this summer. Gleicher said that decision was \"out of an abundance of caution to provide an extra layer of protection against various types of foreign influence in the public debate\" ahead of the 2020 presidential election. He noted that these outlets \"rarely\" advertise in the U.S. Facebook is implementing the new policies at a time when it is also facing criticism for a hands-off approach to inflammatory posts by President Trump and reluctance to fact-check political advertising on its platform. Civil rights groups, Democrats and the company's own employees have called for CEO Mark Zuckerberg to hold Trump accountable for posts that critics say break Facebook's rules against inciting violence and spreading false information about voting. Twitter, in contrast, has begun labeling some of the president's tweets. In response, Trump last week signed an executive order attempting to strip online platforms of long-standing legal protections. Facebook's decision to flag state-controlled media is part of the company's broader effort to avoid a repeat of 2016, when the company failed to curb misinformation and foreign interference in the U.S. presidential election. Gleicher said Facebook uses a number of factors to determine whether a media outlet is under \"wholly or partially under the editorial control of a government.\" That includes who owns it, how it is funded, transparency about sourcing, and governance and accountability processes such as corrections policies and oversight boards. A publisher could receive government funding but still be deemed by Facebook to be independent. Media outlets also have the option to appeal Facebook's label.", "The Trump administration's policy of separating families who are detained after illegally crossing the Southern border has become a lightning rod for the White House's critics. Hundreds of children have already been separated from their parents since Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the policy in May — though the practice has been going on for at least several months. It was an expansion of what Sessions called a \"zero-tolerance\" policy — that the government will prosecute anyone attempting to enter the country illegally. The policy prompted backlash from immigrant rights activists, who protested last week in more than two dozen cities. Cecilia Munoz, a former domestic policy official in the Obama administration who dealt with immigration, told NPR it was \"just outrageous to suggest that we can come up with decent care for kids when they're being separated from their parents.\" She added, \"I don't have words for how reprehensible that policy is.\" Sessions has responded to critics, saying, \"We don't want to do this at all. If people don't want to be separated from their children, they shouldn't bring them with them,\" he told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. The practice brought back searing memories for Viet Thanh Nguyen, the Pultizer Prize-winning author. In 1975, as the war ended, his family fled to the United States from Vietnam. At 4 years old, he was separated from his parents and sent to live with another family. It was done \"benevolently,\" he tells NPR's Scott Simon, yet still prompted \"howling and screaming\" from him. Nguyen now says he \"worries about our nation losing its soul\" after hearing about the Trump administration's separations. \"As a nation, we have had little significant debate on the morality or efficacy of such policies,\" he wrote last month in The Washington Post. \"Perhaps this is because the removal of children from parents is not new in U.S. history.\" He talked about his experience and the attitudes of other Vietnamese immigrants on Weekend Edition. Interview Highlights On why he was separated from his family We, along with 130,000 other Vietnamese refugees fleeing from Vietnam, ended up in four refugee camps in the United States. And in order to leave one of these camps you had to have a sponsor. And in the case of my family, there wasn't a single American sponsor who could take all of us. So one sponsor took my parents, one sponsor took my 10-year-old brother and one sponsor took 4-year-old me. And the point was to help my parents get established in the United States without having to worry about me. And now as the father of a 4-year-old son, I can see just how painful that experience must have been for my parents. But at the time I certainly knew it was painful for me, because this is where my own memories begin — howling and screaming as I was being taken away. On the current policy What goes through my mind now is that that was a very painful experience even though it was done benevolently. And now I see that children are being forcibly removed from undocumented parents who are entering this country or parents seeking asylum in this country. And while we can have a debate about the merits of various kinds of immigration, I don't think there is a debate about whether we should be separating children from parents. That's inhumane, it's immoral and the United States is simply doing the wrong thing. On the administration's argument that parents should not bring children to the country illegally I think that is an argument that reverts to the question of what is legal but not what is just. In many cases, parents are taking their children with them because they are seeking asylum. In other cases, they're taking their children with them because they want to keep their families together. Simply because people are trying to enter this country doesn't mean that the United States has to lose its soul by trying to be as punitive as possible in order to try to deter these people from coming. On the differences between older immigrants and recent immigrants One of the things I think that marks the American character is a willful kind of amnesia. You know, we come here to the United States to start over as immigrants and there's oftentimes a tendency for people of the second and third generations to forget their origins. And we certainly see this tendency exhibited by someone like John Kelly, the White House chief of staff, who himself is the descendant of Italian and Irish immigrants who were not very conversant in English and who came as working class laborers. And now a few generations later, their descendant is John Kelly, who is holding one of the highest offices in the land. There are some former Vietnamese refugees who are saying that, \"We were the good refugees and these new people from different countries are the bad refugees.\" And I think that's simply untrue. In 1975, when we came here as refugees, only 36 percent of Americans wanted to accept us. If those opinio", "May Day protests and rallies around the world and across the U.S. are celebrating labor, calling for greater protections and benefits for workers and highlighting the contributions of immigrants. At least one protest has turned violent: In Paris, protesters threw \"gasoline bombs and other objects\" at police, while officers threw tear gas at the crowd and clubbed some demonstrators with truncheons, Reuters reports. Three police officers were injured, including one who was seriously burned, the wire service says. In Turkey, police used tear gas against protesters attempting to march to Istanbul's Taksim Square, where demonstrations were prohibited, AFP reports. At least one protester was arrested for defying the ban. Thousands of garment workers in Bangladesh gathered to demand wage increases, according to The Associated Press. Unions in Greece marched and critiqued austerity measures. Left-wing parties in Poland protested the conservative party in power, calling for protections not just for workers but for civic rights. In Moscow, two marches drew from \"nostalgia for Soviet times,\" the AP writes. In Venezuela, there are competing marches, both for and against the government, Al Jazeera reports. The first day in May has been a holiday for labor groups and leftist organizations for more than a century. May Day is a national holiday in many countries, but not in the U.S. But as NPR's Kirk Siegler has reported, protests in the U.S. are expected to be larger this year than usual, driven by opposition to President Trump's policies. Many U.S. protests are focusing on immigration. In 2006, May Day in the U.S. was marked by major immigration protests across the country, including a boycott of school and work. Organizers are calling for another nationwide strike by immigrants and their allies this May Day. It will be the second such strike since Trump took office; Feb. 16 was also a \"day without immigrants,\" organized in response to Trump's immigration policies and travel ban. In Kennett Square, Pa., about an hour west of Philadelphia, a few dozen people gathered at a march. Most of the immigrants who showed were farmworkers, reports NPR's Joel Rose. \"They gathered at a park and then marched through the center of town chanting and holding up banners,\" Joel says. He reports that there were recently immigration raids at a nearby mushroom producer — mushrooms are a major industry in the area. The immigration officials were reportedly looking for information about four men. \"They didn't find them, but they did arrest at least a dozen others and put them in deportation proceedings,\" Joel says. \"Organizers say that likely drove down turnout for the march today because people are scared.\" Rallies and marches are happening nationwide. In Seattle, previous May Day marches have turned violent, with police using pepper spray against rock-throwing protesters. But this year, authorities are worried about a different kind of violence — \"crowd-on-crowd conflict,\" as Seattle Police Capt. Chris Fowler puts it. \"A group of Trump supporters is expected to counter-protest,\" explains Simone Alicea of member station KNKX, in addition to the \"anti-fascist and anti-capitalist groups who are likely to demonstrate.\" Thousands are expected in Milwaukee, reports Chuck Quirmbach of Wisconsin Public Radio, where protesters are expected to target not just federal policy, but local Sheriff David Clarke. \"Last week, he again defended Trump administration immigration efforts, as media reports indicate Clarke may get a job with the Department of Homeland Security,\" Quirmbach says. Several NPR member stations are covering other local events, including Capital Public Radio in Sacramento, KPCC in Los Angeles and Oregon Public Radio.", "Updated at 6:57 p.m. ET The House passed a bill Tuesday evening to avert a government shutdown on Thursday, as Senate leaders still hope to clear the way for years of budget harmony this week with a long-term spending agreement. But as Congress worked on keeping things running, President Trump made a fresh call to shut down the government over immigration. Trump made the comments during a roundtable briefing at the White House on threats from the MS-13 criminal gang. He appeared to endorse shutting down the government if Democrats do not agree to increases in military spending and funding for a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. \"I'd love to see a shutdown if we don't get this taken care of,\" Trump said. \"We need to strengthen our borders, not by a little bit but by a lot.\" The House bill, approved with mostly GOP votes, would fund the government until March 23, along with a full year of military funding. The Senate is likely to change the deal before passing it — a move that would require another House vote to prevent a shutdown later in the week. Senate leaders said Tuesday that they are nearing a deal on a budget and spending plan and could release the measure in time to add it to a short-term spending bill that must be approved by the end of the day on Thursday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to discuss the negotiations. \"I'm optimistic that very soon we'll be able to reach an agreement,\" McConnell told reporters after the meeting. Schumer said the pair \"are closer to an agreement than we have ever been.\" That plan is expected to lock in increases for domestic and military spending for two years. Such a plan would provide Congress a much-needed respite from what has become a constant struggle to keep the government funded. Democrats want to ensure equal increases for domestic and military programs. If Republicans agree, it could ease the way for a broad, bipartisan Senate vote on the spending plan. Immigration on a separate track Although a standoff over how to deal with the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was at the heart of last month's government shutdown, talks over an immigration deal are now proceeding on a separate track from budget negotiations. And they may be complicated by something White House chief of staff John Kelly said to reporters during a visit to Capitol Hill. Trump's immigration proposal includes a path to citizenship for 1.8 million people now in the country without legal status who came to the United States as children. About 700,000 of them signed up for the DACA program, which Trump has moved to cut off on March 5. Kelly said Trump's offer was generous and then ventured to explain why not all of those eligible had signed up for DACA in the first place. \"The difference between [690,000] and 1.8 million were the people that some would say were too afraid to sign up, others would say were too lazy to get off their asses, but they didn't sign up,\" Kelly told reporters. His remarks have been widely taken as racially insensitive and could make it harder for Democrats to agree to a deal with the Trump administration. But when asked to explain Kelly's choice of language, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders deflected. \"We're focused on actually getting a solution, and frankly I think if anybody's lazy, it's probably Democrats who aren't showing up to work and aren't getting to the table to make a deal on this,\" said Sanders. In reality, bipartisan negotiations on immigration in Congress are ongoing, and Democrats are actively participating. McConnell has said he will bring an immigration bill to the floor of the Senate for open debate if no agreement is reached in conjunction with this week's budget talks. And despite Trump's bellicose language and threat of a shutdown if he doesn't get what he wants on immigration, Sanders said that Trump wants a budget deal and that the White House doesn't expect immigration legislation to be attached to it. House Republicans pass their own spending bill The progress in the Senate on a potential long-term spending agreement comes as the U.S. House voted Tuesday on a stopgap spending bill to avoid another government shutdown before funding runs out at the end of Thursday. Conservatives like the plan for long-term military spending, but they generally oppose more funding for many of the domestic policies that would get a short-term extension. House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, R-N.C., told reporters on Monday that it would be difficult for conservatives to support a bigger budget deal that increases spending across the board. \"Based on the numbers that have bantered around, conservatives are not real wild about the non-defense discretionary,\" Meadows said. \"Certainly that will change the mix of the vote count over on this side. If you plus up the size of government substantially, it certainly loses some conservatives.\" But a strong bipartisa" ]

[ "Davanti al Gup di Busto Arsizio 9 giovani del gruppo" ]

[ "La quarta giornata di Premier League si &egrave; aperta con la vittoria dell'Everton sul Liverpool p...", "MANNHEIM - Il caporale Charles Graner, uno dei protagonisti delle terribili foto di sevizie ai prigionieri nel carcere di Abu Ghraib in Iraq, è apparso oggi davanti al giudice in un&#39;udienza preliminare nella base americana di Mannheim, in Germania.", "Milano. Sono gia&#39; arrivate a quota un migliaio le richieste di costituzione di parte civile presentate oggi al Gup Cesare Tacconi nel corso della prima udienza preliminare avviata a Milano sul crac della Parmalat.", "E' la quarta aperta nel Paese, produrra' 52,2 Gw all'anno" ]

[ "By . Bianca London . PUBLISHED: . 13:46 EST, 14 February 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 13:46 EST, 14 February 2013 . They say you can't put a price on love. However one internet venture now claims to have pulled it off - offering a Facebook girlfriend for just $5 (£3.20). In the age of social media, it is no longer the most important thing to have a pretty blonde on your arm at a cocktail party. These days it's all about impressing online - and the pressure to impress in a virtual world has sparked a surge in websites offering to boost your online personality. Buy a girlfriend: Websites promise users the ability to create their 'perfect girlfriend', who will post messages on their wall, giving the impression that they are in a long distance relationship for £3.20 a week . One such site, Cloud Girlfriend, promises users the ability to create their 'perfect . girlfriend', who will post messages on their wall, giving the impression . that they are in a long distance relationship. Billing itself as . 'The Social Network Girlfriend', the site describes four steps to creating a virtual partner, with . users asked to 'define their perfect girlfriend' before the site's . owners 'bring her into existence'. It then promises the . budding online Romeos they will be able to 'connect and interact' with . their new girlfriend 'publicly on your favourite social network'. Advertised as a 'public long-distance relationship', the creators of . the site say it will employ real human beings to act as fake . girlfriends. Make believe: Billing itself as 'The Social Network Girlfriend', Cloud Girlfriend allows users to find their dream lady . Co-founder David Fuhriman claimed that Cloud Girlfriend helps users to bag themselves a real girlfriend. He . explained to website Business Insider that women who see posts from a . virtual girlfriend will think 'someone else thinks highly enough of this . person to date him, so maybe I should too'. But who are these girls? One BBC technology journalist sought to find out and joined a similar site to Cloud Girlfriend, Fiverr - a website which lists things people are willing to do for $5. Everyone is always slightly curious about a potential suitor before meeting them for a first date. And it seems that it's the women who . are most keen when it comes to pre-date homework with 48 per cent of . single women admitting to researching a partner on Facebook before the . first date compared with 37 per cent of men. Men are more keen to find out for . themselves in person with nearly half of single men believing that . researching someone prior to a first date is unacceptable, found Match.com . Here he met Sophia, an intelligent, attractive 24-year-old. But after a few days in a fake relationship with her, he couldn't keep up the lies so came clean that he was a journalist to which Sophia responded: 'That's quite funny actually. 'The whole Sophia thing is just my marketing username. Nothing on that Facebook profile is real! My photos on there are really me, but nothing else is.' Speaking to the BBC about being a member of the site, she said: 'It's not a big deal really. It's just easy to do... I just tick 'in a relationship.' Sophia explains how men who 'buy' her relationship are mainly those trying to make someone else jealous - a scenario everyone can empathise with. Some have voiced concerns that Cloud Girlfriend contravenes . Facebook's terms and conditions with regard to fake profiles. The site's terms currently . state that users must 'not provide any false personal information on . Facebook, or create an account for anyone other than themselves without . permission.' Services . that offer an opportunity to create a virtual girlfriend are already . popular in Japan, with one Nintendo DS game, Love Plus, selling 100,000 . copies within a month of release. In December 2009, one user even 'married' a character from the game, tying the knot at a ceremony attended by 40 people." ]

[ "Poaching them on a stick is certainly an novel way of cooking your eggs, but at least it appears to come without all the mess. A machine promises to end the laborious process of frying, poaching or scrambling eggs - and invites users to simply crack an egg into its upright cylinder and select a desired cooking time. The Rollie Eggmaster from US company Kalorik uses ‘vertical cooking technology which combines a cylindrical non-stick cooking surface surrounded by a revolutionary heating element’. Scroll down for video . Three steps: A machine promises to end the laborious, messy process of frying, poaching or scrambling eggs . Happy cooking: The product invites users to simply crack an egg into its upright cylinder and select a time . Possibilities: The firm said users can create 'perfect pizza rollies or cinnamon rollies for a delectable dessert' The firm, based in Miami Gardens, Florida, said the device - delivered for $40 (£25) - can also help you make ‘tasty rollie burritos, perfect pizza rollies or cinnamon rollies for a delectable dessert’. However, reviews on the product's Amazon page have been very mixed - with some customers giving it top marks, but others claiming it stopped working after just a few uses. John Willis said: ‘I was excited to buy this, but after four uses it died on me. It just stopped working. When I plug it in, nothing happens. I've followed the manual. ‘It died mid-cooking the fourth time I used it. Disappointment. I guess I should have expected that though. I liked using it the three times it worked. It's a shame it didn't last.’ In we go: The company advises customers to use 'no more than two large eggs at one time' in the system . Here's the result: The Florida firm insists that users should 'not mix the egg yolk with the egg white' All smiles: Reviews on the device's Amazon page have been very mixed - with some customers disappointed . But Taher Alnajjar said: ‘Amazing product and can do my lovely eggs within five minutes... it's better than running somewhere to find food.’ 'I liked using it the three times it worked. It's a shame it didn't last' John Willis, customer . However, other users - whose purchases have been verified by Amazon - including Abo Abdallah, 'Scallywag' and 'jthomas', all said that their Rollie Eggmasters had stopped working. The company said on its website that the device comes with a one-year warranty against 'defects in material and workmanship', and it will issue a replacement if the product is proven to be ‘defective’. It advises customers to use ‘no more than two large eggs at one time’ in the system, ‘use regular or large eggs’ and insists that users should ‘not mix the egg yolk with the egg white’.", "By . Lizzie Edmonds . If you think you don't push yourself when it comes to exercise, take a look at these gym-goers from a bygone era. Dressed in full suit and tie, these gentleman are hardly breaking a sweat as they 'exercise' on equipment from the 1800s. And rather getting their pulses racing by doing some serious time on the cross trainer, these 'athletes' don't appear to be doing very much of anything at all. These pictures show a series of exercise machines from the 1800s - which hardly seem to work the user at all. Dressed in their best attire, these gentlemen appear to be sitting and standing around . This gentleman, wearing his full suit and tie, appears to be having a sit down, rather than doing any form of physical activity. It is thought the machine may have helped strengthen leg muscles . Another gentleman seems to be doing a Victorian version of yoga move the plank - but with the help of a suspended section of a bench . The vintage contraptions are believed to . be early frontrunners of modern gym equipment such as the treadmill, . exercise bike and bench press. They . were created by Swedish physician Gustav Zander  - who designed more . than 70 keep-fit machines, detailed in his booklet Mechanical Exercise: A . Means of Cure. The images were published by Zander at his fitness institute in London’s Soho Square in 1883. A young male pulls his own body weight using two pulleys attached to his seat . Another posture machine, which was one of 70 created by the doctor, was thought to help the user straighten the user's spine . The manual pictured men and women using the machines, which he described as 'a preventative against the evils engendered by a sedentary life and the seclusion of the office'. The equipment was fitted with a complicated set of pulleys and counter balances designed to exercise muscles and fight the flab. Later exercise equipment doesn't appear to be a great deal better. By in the 19th Century, women were . offered a magnetic corset as a cure for paralysis, indigestion and . rheumatism – as well as helping them to keep wait. But . the 1920s brought with it the Molby Revolving Hammock, which promised . to stretch a person’s muscles while straightening their spine. It even claimed to calm a user’s anxiety as well as giving them a fuller bosom and hourglass shape. The unusual-looking wooden machine looks much more trying than its counterparts - and would most likely work the exerciser's upper body and arm strength . A 19th century magnetic corset - which was believed to help indigestion and rheumatism by 'recharging the blood with magnetism' The terrifying-looking Molby revolving hammock was released int he 1920s and promised to stretch a person's muscles while straightening their spine . A decade later, fitness freaks were using a horse-simulation machines, advertised as a hobbyhorse for adults with the ability to build muscles with its trotting movement. It had been preceded by the Horse-Action Saddle from the Vigor shop in London’s Baker Street. The store claimed the machine 'promotes good spirits', 'quickens the circulation', 'stimulates the liver', 'creates appetite' and 'cures indigestion and gout'. A 1930s advert for Vigor's horse-action saddle - which claims the strange contraption is the 'perfect substitute for the live horse'. The machine, which emulates a trotting horse, would help build muscles in the user's stomach . A 1960s advert for a women's roller massage - aimed to help distribute fat build up and cellulite .", "Women will place their faith in all manner of weird and wonderful beauty buys in their quest for eternal youth. The last product that promised to dramatically slow the effects of ageing without resorting to surgery was the wrinkle-busting balaclava. The Face Trainer maintained that just ten minutes of daily wear would be enough to tighten sagging skin and ease . the signs of ageing. And hot on its heels comes the Facewaver Exercise Mask, a spin-off version created by a Japanese company that comes with a set of, frankly, terrifying advertising campaign shots. Frightening tightening: The Facewaver Exercise Mask from Japan promises to give users a more youthful and energetic look . The mask is described online as 'a new face stretcher from Japan that promises to give users a more youthful and energetic look'. 'It's cheaper and doubles as a great Halloween outfit,' states Japan Trend Shop, who sell the product. The stretchy accessory wraps around your face and claims to help exercise different muscles while you make all kinds of bizarre facial expressions. Apparently, this not only improves and increases blood circulation to your face, but also smooths out any wrinkles, lines and sags in just five minutes of daily use. Available only in pink, the Facewaver is made out of nylon and polyurethane and will fit most face sizes. Priced at £40.58 ($61), this bizarre invention markets itself as a more affordable way to tighten your face and cheeks. There are, however, no reports on whether it actually works. It all started with this: The Face Trainer works to reduce the signs of aging by toning the underlying muscles through a series of exercises . Strange: The device comes with detailed instructions of the exercises, which, if . done for 10 minutes a day, are meant to help build up the muscles under . the face and improve wrinkles . Among the amusing range developed in . Japan is the Hana Tsun nose straightener - billed as a 'nasal support . beauty clip' - which features two silicone prongs that must be inserted into the . nostrils. According to the . seller, also Japan Trend Shop, putting the gadget into one's nose for 20 . minutes a day is enough to achieve the perfect profile. Other unusual products sold on the . website include the £80 Eye Slack Haruka, which is aimed at combating . sagging skin around the eyes with battery-powered vibrating pads, and . the £70 Beauty Lift High Nose, which applies vibrations to help push the . nose higher and make it firmer. The . manufacturers insist that just three minutes' use a day will make . enough of a difference that others will notice the user's perky new . profile. Cartoonish: The Face Slimmer Exercise Mouthpiece slips over the wearers natural lips and claims to enhance the natural pout without the need for injections . Quirky: The Face Slimmer Exercise Mouthpiece is made of a pliable silicone that is said to be comfortable to wear . For those who hanker after the . plumped-up lips of Katie Price - or even more extreme, Pete . Burns - the rather cartoonish Face Slimmer Exercise Mouthpiece slips over . the wearer's own mouth, with the ultimate goal of boosting the lips to a . more prominent pout. And then there's the Facial Lift At Once Toner, a . cylindrical white plastic gadget that is gripped between the user's lips where it . buzzes at a high frequency, thereby toning the area. Buzz your way to a better nose: The Beauty Lift High Nose applies vibrations to help push the nose higher and make it firmer . Lip up: A facial lifting device fits between the lips where it buzzes at a high frequency to exercise the area, resulting, say the manufacturers, in a youthful, taut complexion . 'All . you do is put on the mouth cover, pop it in your mouth and it does the . hard work for you!,' the website claims, adding: 'If only running a . marathon could be as easy!' The Japan Trend Shop claims the results are instantaneous. Other gadgets include rubber masks that . can be strapped on to provide resistance for facial exercises (just 10 . minutes a day will provide staggering results, they say) and a pair of . outlandish goggles that the makers claim will mean you 'won't look old . and tired any more' thanks to their ridged form that massages tired, . lined eyes. Bizarre: The Eye Slack Haruka creates vibrations that combat sagging skin, say the manufacturers .", "A cadre of top Obama administration information technology officials told Congress on Wednesday that improvements have been made to the problem-plagued HealthCare.gov portal and more are on the way in coming weeks as enrollment in Obamacare was far below what was first anticipated. The administration experts warned the website would \"not be perfect\" on November 30, when the White House has promised it would be running smoothly for most users. Administration: Site won't be perfect on Nov. 30 . Source: Nov. deadline possible . At a hearing on the website, House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa asked White House Chief Technology Officer Todd Park if the Obamacare website \"will work\" by month's end? Park did not answer yes or no. He said the team assembled to fix it \"is working incredibly hard to meet that goal.\" But White House spokesperson Jay Carney told reporters shortly afterward the website overhaul is \"on track\" for the site to be working smoothly for the \"vast majority\" of consumers by the deadline. The website is the primary federal portal for people to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. Some states have separate web-based systems for consumers to register as well. Capacity, enrollment fall short . Since it's troubled launch on October 1 when it could not perform the basic functions it was envisioned to do, Park said HealthCare.gov has increased capacity and is now able to handle up to 25,000 users on the site per hour. Additionally, 17,000 are able to register on the website each hour. Although improved, it is still far short of the administration's goal of increasing capacity to at least 50,000 people per hour. Obamacare promises: Where things stand . On signing up, only 26,794 people have completed the enrollment process for health care coverage through the federal insurance marketplace, including HealthCare.gov, Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told reporters on a conference call. In addition, 79,391 have enrolled for coverage through separate state-based exchanges. Obamacare's first month: 106,000 signed up . Map: Enrollment numbers . The government reported that nearly 27 million unique users have visited either HealthCare.gov or state exchange sites since enrollment began on October 1 — 19.5 million of those to the federal site. Park is one of several government IT officers who testified at the 4 1/2-hour Oversight hearing. In the first hour, both Park and Henry Chao, deputy chief information officer for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, called the problems with the website \"unacceptable.\" At times, the question-and-answer session before the Republican-led panel became contentious, not only between witnesses and members of Congress but also between lawmakers. Democrats have accused Issa of over-politicizing the issue. One testy exchange involved Issa and Democrat Rep. Jim Cooper, who likened the hearing to a kangaroo court. Issa shot back. \"This is not a partisan hearing. I will not have it accused of a partisan hearing,\" Issa said. Cooper then said, \"This is a hearing on a broken website by a broken committee.\" During his opening statement, Issa said HealthCare.gov \"wasn't a small mistake.\" He said it went \"live and effectively exploded on the launch pad.\" \"The President should have known,\" Issa added, \"They weren't ready. They weren't close to ready.\" Rep. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma, demonstrated the website's continuing problems by holding up his iPad and saying he had been trying to use the site for about an 90 minutes. But when he hit the \"create account\" button, it didn't take him to the next screen. The button \"just changes colors.\" The top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland, said in his opening statement that the hearing is motivated by politics and Republicans have no intention of working on a solution to ensure the Affordable Care Act is successful. \"For the past three years, the Number One priority has been to bring down this law,\" Cummings said, referencing the recent government shutdown and repeated attempts by Republicans in the House to repeal or defund the measure approved without Republican support in 2010. Park was subpoenaed . Politics around the hearing had reached fever pitch on Tuesday. Park was subpoenaed last week by Issa, after the White House balked at a request for his voluntary immediate appearance because he is leading the team working feverishly to fulfill a promise that by the end of the month problems will be eliminated on HealthCare.gov. Issa insisted Park appear immediately to explain why the website wasn't ready when it was launched to adequately handle inquiries and enrollment. The White House decided at the last minute to allow him to testify. The site's problems have been a major early policy and political setback for Obama on this issue, but the administration says it is working aggressively to fix it and should have it working smoothly for most people by month's end. Meanwhile, former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, who served as an economic adviser to Obama, said the President has not been adequately served by his staff in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. \"He was not well served by his colleagues in the administration,\" Summers said on CNN's \"Erin Burnett OutFront.\" \"The American people were not well served by the way in which this played out.\" White House officials get earful from House Democrats . Summers wrote a memo to the President in 2010 suggesting that HealthCare.gov was not something the government could handle and he needed to bring in experts. While Summers would not provide details about internal discussions, he said Tuesday, \"You need experts. You need to trust but you need to verify. You can't go rushing the schedule when you get behind or you end up making more errors.\" Security . Security of personal and financial information was also a topic of concern to committee members. Chao admitted security aspects had not been tested \"thoroughly.\" The admission came when Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, a former owner of web consulting business, paraphrased Chao's previous statement about security testing, indicating that Chao said security testing had been conducted \"thoroughly.\" Chao jumped in and said \"If I said 'thoroughly,' I apologize.\" David Powner, director, Information Technology Management Issues at the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office, said security testing was done early on an incomplete system. Powner noted however, that he did have access to testing record after mid-September. \"The fundamental question is what is being done now and is that adequate to date,\" he said. Using his knowledge of web development, Farenthold said HealthCare.gov's design to access information from the IRS and Social Security Administration is a \"target for hackers.\" Official: Hackers tried repeatedly to attack Obamacare website . But Chao assured the committee that consumers would be notified if their credit card information has been compromised, adding that \"several laws and rules apply\" that the government is required to follow. Cost of HealthCare.gov . At the hearing, the administration technology officials were stymied by the question: \"how much all this is going to cost us to straighten this out?\" They had no answer. One said they were \"blind to that.\" The actual figure of money in the pipeline to last for development and early implementation of the website is north of $630 million. GOP rips early Obamacare enrollment figures . Can Congress really save insurance plans lost under Obamacare? Many in Congress avoiding Obamacare exchanges .", "Online store Cafe Press has come under fire for selling baby clothes with pornographic content and merchandise which activists say promote rape. The retailer, which specialises in user-customised products and gifts, has items for sale on their website printed with the slogans, 'You Smell Like Porn,' 'F**k me like a porn star,' 'Awesome butt sex,' and 'Retired XXL porn star,' among many other similar products. 132 items are available in a category labelled 'Adult Sex XXX Porn Baby Clothing', including baby and toddler onesies, shirts, bibs, and blankets. The site has also been accused of promoting rape culture and trivialising sexual assault, by selling a shirt with the slogan, 'No Means Yes, Yes Means Anal'. The slogan, 'No Means Yes and Yes Means Anal' was originally used by a sorority at Yale which yelled the saying at a women's dorm on campus . The slogan was also available on the site printed on a child's rash shirt, sparking outrage among social media users, and raising concerns about other merchandise which overtly sexualises children. Collective Shout, a campaign movement against the objectification of women and sexualisation of girls, is calling for consumers to blacklist the website and boycott buying it's products for Christmas. Campaign managers Melinda Liszweski and Cailtin Roper said the slogans made light of sexual assault and fuelled the sexualisation of children. 'Slogans like this make a mockery of sexual assault and undermines the efforts made by society to reinforce that there are boundaries,' Ms Liszewski said. 'We’ve been trying to say for a long time that if no consent is given, it's rape, and this reverses that. More than that, children are not capable of giving consent,' she said. 132 items are available in a category labelled 'Adult Sex XXX Porn Baby Clothing', including baby and toddler onesies, shirts, bibs, and  even blankets, as seen above . The retailer, which specialises in user-customised products and gifts, has items for sale on their website printed with the slogans, 'You smell like porn,' and 'F**k me like a porn star' 'Awesome butt sex,'and 'Retired XXL porn star,' are among products available . 'I don’t even know how they place these items under freedom of speech. There are other freedoms that need to be protected including keeping children safe from harm. There is no freedom in fuelling sex towards children.' The Twitter page for Cafe Press has been bombarded with customers expressing their anger at the products, calling the incident 'sick', 'disgusting', 'despicable', and 'reckless', and claiming that the slogans perpetuate rape culture. 'This is disgusting. How can you justify selling this kind of thing?' asked one Twitter user. The site reportedly operates on user-generated content uploaded by individuals, where any member can load designs which is then available on all types of merchandise. Collective Shout's Ms Roper said that the organisation had contacted the company nearly two years ago, drawing attention to the inappropriate merchandise, and were told that there was a 'computer glitch' that had allowed the products to fall through the cracks. Despite promising that they would modify the system to ensure that the products were not available for purchase, Cafe Press has allegedly not taken action and has continued to sell items which Ms Roper said take a 'pornified, pro-rape' stance. Collective Shout's Ms Roper said that the organisation had contacted the company nearly two years ago, drawing attention to the inappropriate merchandise . Despite promising that they would modify the system to ensure that the products were not available for purchase, Cafe Press has allegedly not taken action . These items were available on the website until 2013, when Collective Shout campaigned to have them removed from the store . 'Cafe Press are serial offenders. This not the first time this has happened, and they have known about this issue for a long time,' Ms Roper said. 'Every time someone alerts them to the issue, they say that they had no idea, and promise to do something, but have failed repeatedly,' she said. Two of Collective Shout's spokespeople tested the company's promise a month after it was made, and were able to not only order, but receive in the mail, baby onesies with the slogans 'SL_T all I need is the U', and 'Incest: good thing it's illegal otherwise everyone and their sister would be doing it.' At least one item available on Cafe Press with pornographic content was specifically designed for a baby, with a onesie featuring the slogan 'No, my mommy does not like it in the ass. I'm here, aren't I?'. After spotting the 'No Means Yes' shirt this week, Ms Roper contacted the company via Twitter to seek immediate action, and was told that 'like before.. You must contact our content usage department for further assistance.' Ms Roper and other Twitter users were quick to point out that it was not their responsibility to draw the company's attention to their own products, and raised the point that the items should not have been created in the first place. 'Its really clear that Cafe Press either doesn't care, or has no control over what they actually sell,' said one Twitter user. Campaign managers Melinda Liszweski (left) and Caitlin Roper (right) said the slogans made light of sexual assault and fuelled the sexualisation of children . 'Cafe Press are serial offenders. This not the first time this has happened, and they have known about this issue for a long time,' Ms Roper said . Twitter users were quick to point out that the items should not have been created in the first place . Another user suggested that the website should have a policy that ensures that offensive user content is vetted and removed, which Ms Roper said should be standard practice in a company as large and lucrative as Cafe Press, which has been established for 15 years and has in excess of 13 million members. ‘I think it’s a massive issue using children's clothing to promote what they would called 'adult sexual humour', even though it's clearly rape 'humour',' Ms Roper said. 'It's highly inappropriate, and not just distasteful but entirely unacceptable,' she said. 'The 'No Means Yes' slogan did not come out of nowhere, it came from fraternities at Yale who stood outside women's dorms and yelled it at them.' Ms Roper said that the slogan normalises serious crimes against women and makes it more difficult for people to have empathy for victims and survivors of sexual assault and rape. ‘Imagine being a victim of rape or sexual violence and seeing this slogan,' Ms Roper said. 'This is inhumane violence that has been done to you, and other people are seeing it as a punchline.' Collective Shout will shortly be releasing their annual Christmas blacklist, which details companies that objectify women and sexualise children. A spokesperson for CafePress told Daily Mail Australia that they had 'taken action to extensively remove the offensive content' from their site. 'Please know that these designs do not reflect the views of CafePress employees and we regret any offense or concern caused by the images in question,' the spokeswoman said. ‘CafePress is an automated service that allows users to upload merchandise designs into online shops and/or the CafePress marketplace. ‘At times, users may upload designs that others find distasteful or offensive, but are nevertheless consistent with our policies for expressions and content on our website. We encourage our customers to notify us at cup@cafepress.com if they see user content on CafePress that they feel violate our policies.'", "It's not uncommon to see a pretty bird flit by when you are enjoying a walk or a picnic - even if you live in a built-up area. But if your knowledge of flying fauna isn't up to Bill Oddie's standards, it can be difficult to work out which creature you have spotted. But now an app, developed by computer scientists, can identify a bird from a single photo. Watch the birdie: Computer scientists have developed an app that can identify birds from a photo using computer vision and machine learning techniques. Users can also browse though species (pictured) A team of researchers led by Professor Peter Belhumeur at Columbia Engineering, New . York City, have used computer vision . and machine learning techniques to create Birdsnap. The free iPhone app claims to be an electronic field guide featuring 500 of the most common North American bird species. It lets users identify bird species by uploading photos and there is also a website, which includes 50,000 images as well as bird calls for each species. Beginners and experts can sort through species alphabetically, by their relationship in the Tree of Life and by the frequency with which they are sighted at a particular place and season. Picky: The app detects parts of a bird so that it can examine the visual similarity of its . comparable parts. It automatically discovers visually similar species and makes visual suggestions for how they can be distinguished (pictured left) and information about the different birds can be scrolled through (right) It automatically discovers visually similar species and makes visual suggestions for how they can be distinguished. Birdsnap app was developed by computer scientists. It uses computer vision and machine learning techniques to identify species of birds from photos. 'Electronic field guide' features 500 of the most common North American species. It is designed for iPhones and is free from the App Store. Users can upload photos and the app will identify birds in them. They can also use a website to browse through the species in different ways and listen to different bird calls. In the future the app could offer a Shazam-like feature to recognise bird song. The technology could also be added to binoculars to identify and tag species within the field of view. The app and . website were developed with the University of Maryland and made their . debut at the EEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition . in Columbus, Ohio. ‘Our . goal is to use computer vision and artificial intelligence to create a . digital field guide that will help people learn to recognise birds,’ Professor Belhumeur said. He has previously launched Leafsnap - a similar electronic field guide for trees. ‘We've been able to take an incredible collection of data - thousands of photos of birds - and use technology to organise the data in a useful and fun way.’ He and fellow computer scientist David Jacobs of the University of Maryland, realised that many of the techniques they have developed for face recognition, in work spanning more than a decade, could also be applied to automatic species identification. Face recognition algorithms rely on methods that find correspondences between comparable parts of different faces, so that, for example, a nose is compared to a nose and an eye to an eye. Birdsnap works the same way by detecting the parts of a bird so that it can examine the visual similarity of its comparable parts. Each species is labelled through the location of 17 parts. It automatically discovers visually similar species and makes visual suggestions for how they can be distinguished. Catalogue of calls and clucks: A website (pictured) includes 50,000 images plus bird calls for each species. Beginners and experts can sort through species alphabetically, by their relationship in the Tree of Life, and by the frequency with which they are sighted at a particular place and season . ‘Categorisation is one of the fundamental problems of computer vision,’ said Thomas Berg, a Columbia Engineering computer science PhD candidate. ‘Recently, there's been a lot of progress in fine-grained visual categorisation, the recognition of - and distinguishing between - categories that look very similar. ‘What's really exciting about Birdsnap is that not only does it do well at identifying species, but it can also identify which parts of the bird the algorithm uses to identify each species. ‘Birdsnap then automatically annotates images of the bird to show these distinctive parts - birders call them “field marks” - so the user can learn what to look for.’ The team is also using the fact that smartphone cameras embed the date and location in their images to improve classification accuracy. They have designed a system that can pinpoint which birds are arriving, departing, or migrating. The scientists hope to add the ability to recognise bird songs in the future as well as creating ‘smart’ binoculars that use this artificial intelligence technology to identify and tag species within the field of view. I spy: The scientists hope to add the ability to recognise bird songs in the future as well as creating 'smart' binoculars that use this artificial intelligence technology to identify and tag species within the field of view. A girl using standard binoculars is pictured .", "By . Jack Doyle . PUBLISHED: . 09:56 EST, 2 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 01:36 EST, 3 April 2013 . Internet giant Google is facing a major probe by the privacy watchdog over allegations it is abusing users’ personal data. The search firm could face fines of hundreds of thousands of pounds if it is found guilty of breaching data protection rules. Britain’s Information Commissioner was one of six European data protection regulators who launched investigations into the search company yesterday. Google is facing legal action across Europe as regulators try and force the company to overhaul practices they say let it create a data goldmine at the expense of unwitting users . There are concerns Google’s privacy . policy is creating a data goldmine at the expense of unwitting users - . and poses a ‘high risk’ to privacy. The firm is accused of collecting . excessive amounts of information on users’ internet activities, keeping . it for too long and not giving users enough control over how it is used. The current row revolves around Google's decision to pool of anonymous user data across Google services. For Google, this is a big advantage when selling online ads. Google and other large internet . groups like Facebook provide free services to consumers and earn money . from selling ads that they say are more closely targeted than . traditional TV or radio campaign . Privacy campaigners said the firm was . guilty of ignoring consumers’ rights. But a spokesman for the company . insisted it was in full compliance with European law. Nick Pickles, director of privacy . group Big Brother Watch, said: ‘Google has repeatedly put profit ahead . of user privacy and the way that the company ignored concerns from . regulators around the world when it changed its privacy policy showed . just how little regard it has for the law. ‘Just because Google is a big business . does not put it above the law. The company has ignored the authorities . and refused to make any meaningful changes to how it collects and uses . people’s data. ‘Consumers are increasingly concerned . about how their data is being used and it is essential that those . breaking the law are properly punished. It is essential regulators find a . sanction that is not just a slap on the wrists and will make Google’s . think twice before it ignores consumer rights again.’ Google launched a new combined privacy . policy for all its services in March 2012. It allowed the company to . combine data on individual users from across its services, which include . video-sharing site YouTube, Gmail and social network Google+. Users . have no right to opt out. The move prompted a joint privacy . investigation commissioned by 29 European agencies, including the . Information Commissioner in the UK. Successful legal action would hurt Google's image and could block its ability to collect such data until it addresses the regulators' concerns. Carried out by France’s watchdog, . CNIL, it concluded in October that the policy posed a ‘high risk’ to the . privacy of individuals. It found users were not given enough . information on what data was being collected and used for. Even looking . at particular websites was automatically recorded and kept for 18 . months. The company also refused to say how . long data would be held for. Google was given until February to suggest . changes, but the firm failed to comply. It was accused of providing . ‘incomplete or approximate’ answers to questions. Yesterday national investigations were launched in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Holland and Italy. It is only the latest privacy scandal . to hit the company, which is being investigated by the Information . Commissioner over the collection of huge amounts of data from open Wi-Fi . networks. A Google data center in Douglas Country, Georgia, where the firm holds vast amounts of data on its user's behavior . Google’s Streetview cars harvested . Street View cars harvested vast swathes of personal information as they . took pictures of the country’s streets. It claimed the collection was a . ‘simply mistake’ but an investigation by US regulators found that a . company software engineer explicitly designed the Street View programmes . to collect the data and warned his bosses repeatedly about privacy . implications. A spokesman for the Information . Commissioner’s Office said: ‘The ICO has launched an investigation into . whether Google’s revised March 2012 privacy policy is compliant with the . Data Protection Act. ‘The action follows an initial . investigation by the French data protection authority CNIL, on behalf of . the Article 29 group of which the ICO is a member. Several data . protection authorities across Europe are now considering whether the . policy is compliant with their own national legislation.’ ‘As this is an ongoing investigation it would not be appropriate to comment further.’ A Google spokesman said: ‘Our privacy policy respects European law and allows us to create simpler, more effective services. ‘We have engaged fully with the DPAs . (Data Protection Authorities) involved throughout this process, and . we’ll continue to do so going forward.’ Google's battle has been running since 2011 - here are the key moments: . March 30, 2011: The Federal Trade Commission announces a settlement with Google. The search and advertising company agrees to adopt a comprehensive privacy program to settle federal charges that it deceived users and violated its own privacy policy when it launched a social-networking service called Buzz. Jan. 24, 2012: Google announces a plan to link user data across its email, video, social-networking and other services. The company says the move will simplify its privacy policy, improve the user experience and help advertisers find customers more easily, especially on mobile devices. Critics raise privacy concerns. The plan takes effect March 1. Feb. 28: France's regulator says a preliminary analysis finds that Google's new policy appears to violate European data-protection rules. April 13: The Federal Communications Commission fines Google $25,000, saying the online search leader \"deliberately impeded and delayed\" an investigation into how it collected data while taking photos for its Street View mapping feature. April 26: Google disputes the FCC's characterization of that probe and says the FCC was the party that took its time. Google argues that the 17-month inquiry would have gone much more quickly if the FCC hadn't dawdled so much. Google says it accepted the fine to close the case. Aug. 9: The FTC announces that Google has agreed to pay a $22.5 million fine to settle allegations that it broke a privacy promise by secretly tracking the online activities of millions of people who use Apple's Safari web browser. Oct. 16: European regulators ask Google to clarify its new privacy policy and make it easier for users to opt out. March 12, 2013: Google says it has agreed to a $7 million fine to settle a probe over Wi-Fi data collection connected to its canvassing for street-level photo. The settlement covers 38 states and the District of Columbia. April 2: Led by the French, organizations in Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Italy agree on legal action against Google over the 2012 changes to its privacy policy.", "The internet is becoming a 'dark and ungoverned' place for paedophiles, murderers and terrorists to safely operate, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police has warned. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has met with law enforcement experts at the headquarters of the New York police department as the levels of cybercrime increases ahead of officers ability to control it. The Metropolitan Police commissioner said encryption on computers and mobile phones is frustrating police inquiries and leaving parts of the web as ‘anarchic places’. Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe has warned that the internet is becoming a 'dark and ungoverned' place for paedophiles, murderers and terrorists to safely operate and has called on internet companies to do more . He called on communication providers and internet companies to do more to protect the public from the so-called 'deep' internet. Speaking at the conference in the U.S, he said: 'We cannot allow parts of the internet - or any communications platform - to become dark and ungoverned space where images of child abuse are exchanged, murders are planned, and terrorist plots are progressed. 'In a democracy we cannot accept any space - virtual or not - to become anarchic where crime can be committed without fear. Yet this is in danger of happening. 'This is a considered view that is shared by many law enforcement and intelligence professionals both at home and indeed here in the US.' Encryption on computers is frustrating police inquiries and leaving parts of the web as ‘anarchic places' He added: 'Privacy is important, but in my view the security of communications methods and devices is growing beyond what any genuine domestic user could reasonably require. 'The levels of encryption and protection that we are seeing in the devices and methods used to communicate are frustrating the efforts of police and intelligence agencies to keep people safe. Sir David Omand, former GCHQ director, said that cybercrime is racing ahead and there are not enough detectives with the ability to control it . 'We need an informed, balanced discussion with communications providers to explore what they can do to help us protect the public from serious crime and terrorism.' Last month a former senior civil servant warned that cybercrime was speeding ahead of law enforcers' ability to control it as the 'dark web' expanded. Sir David Omand, a former director of Britain’s electronic surveillance agency, GCHQ, said that law enforcers were trying to police the worst excesses of the internet - as it was used by thieves, fraudsters, terrorists and paedophiles. He told Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee: 'They are failing, because cybercrime is racing ahead, and the dark web is expanding. 'There aren't enough experienced cyber detectives, the tools for cybercrime can be bought, law enforcement can't access the communications data.' The law enforcers had been forced to look to the intelligence community, which was primarily involved with safeguarding national security, to help protect society from threats of terrorism and criminality. This has lead to a misconception that this amounted to mass surveillance, which was not the case, according to Sir Omand. The remarks made by Sir Hogan-Howe comes days after the new head of GCHQ, warned that US technology companies are becoming the ‘command and control networks of choice’ for terrorists. Robert Hannigan said Islamic State exploited social media for recruitment and propaganda, using the likes of WhatsApp, Twitter and YouTube to promote beheadings. Tor - short for The onion Router - is a matrix of encrypted websites that allows users to surf beneath the everyday internet with complete anonymity. It uses numerous layers of security and encryption to render users anonymous online. Normally, file sharing and internet browsing activity can be tracked by law enforcement through each user's unique IP address that can be traced back to an individual computer. The Tor network on the Deep Web hides the IP address and the activity of the user. Most of the Web's information is buried far down on dynamically generated sites, unable to be found or seen by traditional search engines - sites or pages don't exist until created as the result of a specific search. An Internet search is like dragging a net across the surface of the sea - a great deal of information is caught, but a majority is deep and therefore missed.", "By . Bianca London . From the Atkins to the Dukan diet, there have been hundreds of eating programmes over the years promising to aid weight loss. Most recently, the 5:2 diet, . which advocates eating just 500 calories (600 for men) on two . non-consecutive days each week, then normally for the other five, became the diet-de-jour. But now it seems that dieters are taking a step back in time and turning to the flappers for inspiration. As art deco spectacle The Great Gatsby is launched in cinemas the 90-year-old diet technique followed by glamorous 1920s flapper girls is experiencing a resurgence. Blast from the past: The 1920s saw flappers as the feminine ideal and to achieve the look they embarked on The Hay Diet, which is seeing a resurgence . Famous fans: Liz Hurley and Catherine Zeta Jones are followers of The Hay Diet, which is making a comeback from the 1920s when it was first founded . First created in the 1920s by physician William Howard Hay, the Hay Diet was created to achieve the slim, . hip-less, flat-chested look of the dancers. Its principles have stood the test of time and it has garnered much praise by nutrition experts for its far-reaching health benefits as well as its ability to help manage body weight. Unlike faddy crash diets or cleanses, the Hay Diet promotes the idea that it's not so much what you eat, but what you choose to eat with it- artist Man Rey was a notable fan in the 1920s and modern fans include Elizabeth Hurley and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The Hay Diet is based on the principle . of segregating certain food types to maintain a healthy weight and the key to the diet is understanding that some food groups shouldn't be consumed with others. One such mix is carbohydrates and proteins. Whilst following the Hay Diet no one meal should contain both protein and carbohydrates at one sitting. How it works: The Hay Diet is based on the principle of segregating certain food types to maintain a healthy weight and the key to the diet is understanding that some food groups shouldn't be consumed with others, but is it really effective? This is because dieters believe that the body's natural ability to digest food and burn fat is hindered and slowed down by tackling both protein and carbohydrate foods at the same time. In the Hay Diet framework, food is also grouped into two further categories - alkaline and acidic. This is to ensure that ones diet is not too acidic as this is believed to be the cause of health complications such as acid indigestion and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). High acidic foods they advise avoided are cranberries, white flour and cheese, which should be replaced by low acidic foods such as spinach, plums and eggs. Foods high in alkaline are lemons, asparagus and mangoes, with bananas, tomatoes and peas being a better option. The diet is also known to have greatly benefitted followers suffering with serious health complications such as allergies, arthritis and diabetes. Creator of newly launched website HayDiet.co.uk Philip Edwards said: 'Several celebrities and health experts have been very vocal about their positive experiences with the Hay Diet. No mixing: Whilst following the Hay Diet no one meal should contain both protein and carbohydrates at one sitting, but some nutritionists say this is 'unfounded' 'It is the perfect method for those who are looking to implement clean, healthy habits to boost their fat-burning abilities and boost their energy levels rather than a get-thin-quick scheme which often fails and leaves dieters with low energy and no significant difference in their weight.' Whilst it counts celebrities as fans, the theory that carbohydrate and protein rich foods should be eaten separately is considered 'unfounded' by some nutritionists who claim it ignores the fact that carbohydrate rich foods all contain significant amounts of protein. 'Eating protein separately from carbohydrates also tends to cause the body to burn the protein as an energy source rather than to build muscle', writes David Bender in A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. THE GRAPEFRUIT DIET: The Grapefruit diet, also known as the Hollywood Diet and the 18-Day Diet today, saw women consume only 800 calories a day. They would munch on ‘fat-burning’ grapefruits to kick-start their metabolism, believing that if you ate grapefruit with unhealthy foods, it would somehow block fat. THE CHEW-CHEW DIET: Dating back to the Art Nouveau period, Art dealer Horace Fletcher, known as The Great Masticator, advocated a diet technique where you should chew but not swallow your food. He claimed by chewing on a piece of food 25 times but spitting it out would help you lose pounds. THE CIGARETTE DIET: In 1925 doctors prescribed tobacco cigarettes to patients wanting to shed pounds. THE TAPE-WORM DIET: The idea was that if you ingested a tapeworm, it would magically eat up all your food for you.", "By . Eddie Wrenn . PUBLISHED: . 10:23 EST, 11 May 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 11:51 EST, 11 May 2012 . Bluetooth watches, which pair with your phone to display text messages and control your music, have been tried before with limited success. But when enthusiastic inventors promised to get it right if they were given enough funding to create their 'Pebble' wristwatch, the Internet erupted with generosity. The team hoped to raise $100,000 in a month - they achieved this in just hours. Now, three weeks later, the creators have $10.1million in the bank, and 85,000 buyers waiting to receive their own watch once it rolls off the production lines. The watch has an E Ink screen and users can pair it with apps on Android and iPhone smartphones . The watch will pair with phones to receive and display text messages . Kickstarter works by allowing investors to put up anything from $1 to thousands of dollars. Some enthusiastic fans pledged $10,000 to turn the smartwatch into reality. Those who donated more than $100 will get a Pebble delivered. So why is it so special? 'Pebble . is the first watch built for the 21st century,' say its creators. 'It's . infinitely customizable, with beautiful downloadable watchfaces and . useful internet-connected apps. 'The watch will connect via Bluetooth, and alert users to incoming messages via vibrations - and apps . bring Pebble to life. 'Cyclists can use Pebble as a . bike computer, accessing the GPS on your smartphone to display speed, . distance and pace data. 'Runners get a similar set of data displayed on . their wrist. Use the music control app to play, pause or skip tracks on . your phone with the touch of a button.' The watch pairs with apps to record data for sports such as golf, cycling or running . The watch will connect via Bluetooth, and alert users to incoming messages via vibrations . It is this extensibility which . attracted wannabe-customers to the Pebble - the uses can be limited only . by the ingenuity of programmers. The creators added: 'If . you're a golfer, feel free to bring Pebble onto the course - we're working with Freecaddie to create a great golf . rangefinder app for Pebble that works on over 25,000 courses . world-wide. 'Instead of using your phone, view your current distance to . the green right on your wrist. These apps will be the first, with more . in the works!' The . KickStarter website is often used to raise money for hi-tech ventures . such as videogames, and the sums involved have risen rapidly during . 2012 - but Pebble has set a new record. Rivals such as Sony - who did try a . similar range about seven years ago, just before smartphones hit the . scene - are working on similar products. LG and others have tried watches with built-in SIM cards before, but the devices have been bulky and expensive. Users can download new 'faces' for the watch . The project raised $4.3 million in just five days - and then $10million with a week to spare .", "(CNN) -- Rapiro is a humanoid robot that can be programmed to do various tasks — including make you coffee. The kit was created by a Japanese company as a \"catalyst between robotics and Raspberry Pi.\" The credit-card sized, Linux-based PC known as Raspberry Pi is designed to work with the basic hardware of Rapiro, allowing you to program it to do many things, such as manage your calendar or tell you the weather, in addition to making the coffee. Rapiro isn't the first of its kind: BrickPi is a Raspberry Pi-controlled lego robot that was funded through Kickstarter. According to its developers, BrickPi \"connects LEGO Mindstorms Sensors, motors, and parts to turn your credit card-size computer into a robot.\" Unlike Rapiro, it functions more as a toy than a personal assistant. Raspberry Pi makes the software easily customizable for users who are familiar with the technology. Rapiro can also be fitted with a camera to give it the ability to gather and store visual data. (Also a feature of Raspberry Pi.) Rapiro also has 12 \"servo motors,\" which help it with mobility. If you're not Raspberry Pi-savvy or just dabbling in robotics, that's fine too. According to the website, the idea of the project is for a beginner to get into robotics and for an expert to create higher utility through Raspberry Pi. There is strong interest in this little robot: With over 46 days left in its Kickstarter campaign, it has already crossed its funding goal. Interested backers can get the full kit for a $350 pledge. For more, check out the video above. © 2013 MASHABLE.com. All rights reserved.", "Google glasses will be available to purchase by the end of the year for less than $1,500, according to reports. The company's long-awaited tech toy, officially called 'Google Glass' is a voice-activated device designed to be worn like a pair of spectacles. Google just revealed new details this week on how they function as a number of employees have been spotted wearing them. The company is trying to fine-tune the design of the gadget before officially releasing it to the market, the tech website The Verge reported. Scroll down for video . Google also revealed Glass will come with a set of lenses to turn them into sunglasses . The new video reveals how Google glass could be used - including this video chat between a users holding a snake and a young child shocked by the animal . Google has revealed for the first time what wearers of its Glass computer will see. Here, a message is received and displayed on screen. Users can speak to reply . Google Glass was also shown off giving directions to a driver passing over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, where employees have been seen wearing the glasses in recent weeks . Users can record video of what they see, and even see weather forecasts simply by asking for them . The glasses allow wearers to see . sat-nav directions, take pictures and reply to emails - but until this week . Google has refused to show how they actually work. 'Want to see how Glass actually feels? It's surprisingly simple,' Google said. 'Say \"take a picture\" to take a picture. Record what you see, hands free. Even share what you see, live. 'Directions are right in front of you. 'Speak to send a message, or translate your voice. 'Get the notifications that matter most. 'Ask whatever's on your mind and get answers without having to ask.' The firm also said all of the footage was captured through Glass. Project Glass will come in five colours - black, gray, blue, red or white and have removable shades. The company is negotiating with Warby Parker, an e-commerce start-up company that sells trendy eyeglasses, to help it design more fashionable frames, according to the New York Times. Google is also believed to be working with designers to try and make Glass less obtrusive and more stylish . Wearers will be able to ask questions - such as 'How long is the Brooklyn Bridge' It also showed off a mockup of a more advanced version of the system, giving clearer directions to wearers . The system will also be able to automatically translate speech into another language . Another concept showed the glasses reminding a user of their flight as they move through an airport - telling them their current flight status . Google also detailed how the first people to get hold of them. Potential . 'Explorer' early-adopters will have to apply in 50 words or less, . including a short video (15 seconds max) and five photographs, to . explain what they would do with the early version of Glass. They . will then have to order a $1,500 Project Glass 'Explorer' kit and . attend the pick up in New York, LA or San Francisco in person. 'We’re looking for bold, creative individuals who want to join us and be a part of shaping the future of Glass,' the firm said. 'We’d love to make everyone an Explorer, but we’re starting off a bit smaller. 'We’re still in the early stages, and while we can’t promise everything will be perfect, we can promise it will be exciting.' Google Glass will come in a range of colours - and the firm is working with spectacle designers to make the gadget look trendier . Google glass has a small screen, and is controlled by voice of gestures on a small trackpad on the arms of the glasses . The glasses use voice recognition, but also have a trackpad on one arm to negotiate menus .", "By . Victoria Woollaston . and Ellie Zolfagharifard . PUBLISHED: . 06:30 EST, 12 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:08 EST, 12 August 2013 . A Japanese website believes it has confirmation that the successor to iPhone 5 will be called the . iPhone 5S, and that Apple’s rumoured low-cost iPhone . will be known as the iPhone 5C. The website Macotakara said that its 'sources in Asia' have confirmed the names, which have long been under speculation. The C in the iPhone 5C is thought to stand for 'colour' which could suggest that the phone will come in a range of colours, rather than the standard black and white options. Apple is set to officially unveil the new generation iPhone at an event next month, insiders say. The new generation iPhone expected to be launched on September 10 will run new software iOS 7 and possibly include a finger-print scanner . It is believed the event, allegedly . on September 10, will see the launch of the upcoming iPhone 5S and . possibly also a rumoured iPhone 5C 'low-cost' device. Indicated updates on the iPhone 5S . include sensor which can identify the owner by his or her fingerprints. Photographs have leaked of a smartphone . dubbed ‘5C’, supposedly intended as a cheaper version of the popular . iPhone, with a plastic case. Due to its relatively expensive price tag, Apple is struggling to succeed in emerging markets, something which the rumoured September event could change, according to AllthingsD. Previously the company has solved this problem by offering its old models at a lower price, but cheaper Android phones have seen their market share dip, the tech-website said. Rumoured updates on the new iPhone 5S include an slow-motion camera and a fingerprint sensor since a string of code in the latest release of its latest iOS7 Software implied a scanner function. According to TechCrunch, values can range depending on a variety of factors, including device colour, physical damage and liquid damage . The code describes a user touching the . Home button with their thumb. A fingerprint then appears on the screen, . that changes colour - presumably to signify a match - and the . 'recognition is complete'. More . code discovered in iOS 7 suggests phones running the software will be . able to record video at a rate of 120 frames-per-second (FPS) rather . than around 30 frames per second. This is fast enough to allow iPhone users to create slow-motion films. The iOS 7 software also lets users swipe between menus, select apps and control the device's screen using just head movements. A string of developer code discovered in the fourth beta release of Apple's iOS 7 software, pictured, gives the strongest indication to date that either the iPhone 5S or the iPhone 6 could have a fingerprint scanner . When the Switch Control feature is enabled, it will scroll through and highlight different onscreen sections - including individual menus and apps. When the required section is highlighted, users can move their head to the left to select it. Other new features include Night Mode in Maps that responds to ambient light when you use it in the dark. The new iOS7 software for iPhone includes a radical redesign of menus and icons as well as improved notifications and better photo-organising abilities.", "Staring confidently into the camera, these are the men who have made millions putting ‘profits before welfare’ with their infamous Ask.fm website. Yesterday, brothers Mark and Ilja Terebin, who are pictured with one of their tech-savvy partners, were in hiding, each refusing to discuss their website’s role in Hannah Smith’s suicide on Friday. But a whistleblower who worked at the site’s headquarters in Riga, Latvia’s capital, claims his former bosses are aware of the harm caused by Ask.fm but are more interested in the £5million a year they are making in advertising revenue. Pressure: Partners, from left, Marks Terebins, Oskars Liepiøö, Ilja Terebins of the Ask.fm website, but despite an open letter released today they haven't agreed to be interviewed . He told the Daily Mail: ‘They don’t care what happens to the children. No one in this project cares. ‘They have more than enough resources to moderate the site and get rid of the vile things that are written. ‘They believe the site’s popularity is down to the fact some young people want to write anonymously about others. ‘And they believe if they closed down that facility then they would lose customers and therefore money.’ The site provides the perfect opportunity for ‘trolling’ because contact with users can be made anonymously. The website claims to have ‘50 moderators monitoring 30 million questions and answers a day’ but the whistleblower, who does not wish to be named, said he ‘never saw any moderation’. Misery: The controversial Ask.fm website which has been blamed for the deaths of four UK children . ‘Most of the users are teenagers,’ he said. ‘It is believed that teenagers find it easier to ask questions if they are able to do so anonymously. ‘But this anonymity has created a place where anyone can write nasty and dirty things about children. ‘That really bothered me and that is why I left the company. ‘There is a philosophy that the internet should be completely free from regulation but it has gone too far at Ask.fm. ‘While I worked there we became aware that some teenagers had committed suicide because of things that were said on the site, but still the bosses refused to do anything. ‘They have put profits before welfare.’ Victim: Hannah Smith, 14, has killed herself after being bullied by anonymous trolls online. Ask.fm bosses have refused to discuss their website's part in her death . Party-loving founders Mark and Ilja Terebin are the sons of a wealthy former Soviet Red Army officer and they used family money to bankroll the online enterprise in 2010 before being joined by three partners with technical knowledge – Oskars Liepins, Valerijs Vesnakovs and Klavs Sinka. They copied the format of a successful American question and answer network to create Ask.fm. Initially it limped along employing a handful of technical staff until 2011, when the site took off almost overnight. In less than two years it has become a global social networking sensation and now has over 60 million registered users worldwide and is raking in at least £16,000 a day in advertising revenue. They moved into state-of-the-art offices in the heart of Latvia’s capital and employed teams of highly-trained computer technicians. Charming and good-looking, the brothers are described as ‘inseparable’. A friend said: ‘Mark and Ilja are always together and share a love of the good life.’ The older of the brothers Ilja, 35, is CEO and lives in an opulent home in the trendy coastal resort of Jarmala, some 20 miles from the capital. Mark, 29, lives in an upmarket apartment in the centre of Riga and has only recently settled down after years of ‘serious partying’. He has recently become engaged to a glamorous Russian, Natasha Dovgjalo, who is from Moscow. Last year Mark attracted huge criticism for comments he made following the death of two Irish teenagers, Ciara Pugsley, 15, and Erin Gallagher, 13, who both committed suicide after suffering abuse on the Ask.fm site. He claimed: ‘Of course there is a problem with cyber-bullying in social media. Under fire: Mark Terebin faced criticism over comments he made last year regarding the deaths of Erin Gallagher, left, and Ciara Pugsley, right . ‘But as far as we can see we only have this problem in Ireland and in the United Kingdom most of all, trust me. ‘There are no complaints regarding cyber-bullying from parents, children or other sources in other countries. ‘It seems that children are crueller in these countries (Ireland and the United Kingdom).’ He later said: ‘It’s not about the site, the problem is about education, about moral values that were devaluated lately. ‘Ask.fm is just a tool which helps people to communicate with each other, same as any other social network, same as phone, same as piece of paper and pen,’ he wrote. Terebin also told a Finnish journalist: ‘Kids lack attention, mainly because parents are doing other things such as watching TV, drinking beer and reading the tabloids. ‘When they come to sites like these, they start trolling themselves so that their peers start protecting them. In this absurd way, they get the attention.’", "By . Michael Seamark . The mother of a gifted young ballerina who threw herself under a train demanded action yesterday against the ‘toxic digital world’ of the internet that glamorises suicide and self-harm. Tallulah Wilson, 15, had been hooked on photo-sharing websites, where users encouraged her to harm herself. The privately-educated schoolgirl – who had created a fantasy cocaine-taking online character – killed herself at London’s St Pancras station in October 2012. Talented: Tallulah Wilson was a promising dancer who had been 'headhunted' by the Royal Ballet . Yesterday, after the inquest into her . death ended, her mother Sarah Wilson issued a statement urging websites . to do more to protect vulnerable youngsters. She . asked companies to withdraw advertising from those sites which . ‘continue to host inappropriate self-harming and suicide-promoting . blogs’ to ‘stop this poison spreading’. Mrs . Wilson said she was horrified when she discovered pictures of her . daughter self-harming on the blogging website, Tumblr, and the family . had tried to protect her. ‘We have lost someone more precious than words . could ever say – a beautiful, loving and talented shining star has been . stolen from our skies,’ she said. ‘Her sisters and I did everything we could to keep her safe, but she had fallen into a world of nightmares. ‘She was in the clutches of a toxic digital world where in the final few weeks we could no longer reach her.’ Mrs . Wilson, who had desperately tried to keep her troubled daughter off the . websites, added: ‘I was shocked by the ease with which Tallulah and . other children can access online self-harm blogs. ‘Tallulah . entered a world where the lines between fantasy and reality became . blurred. It is every parent’s worst nightmare. Torment: The teenager moved from St Marylebone School in Westminster after 'bullying' claims . 'I believe the likes of . Tumblr should do more to protect other vulnerable young people from the . insidious aspects of the internet; they need to take an active role in . policing and swiftly removing unsuitable material as some sites already . do.’ Tallulah, the youngest . of three girls whose parents are divorced, lived with her family in a . £1million house in West Hampstead, North-West London. She had a bright . future and had been head-hunted by the Royal Ballet School. St . Pancras Coroner Mary Hassell said she would write a ‘prevention of . further death report’ for the Department of Health and other government . agencies after the inquest jury highlighted the need for a ‘better . understanding’ of online media. The jury delivered a narrative verdict. During . the inquest, Miss Hassell described two sides of Tallulah. One was a . talented horse rider and a ‘confident, lively, engaged, lovely-looking . girl’, the other was a troubled teenager who suffered from . self-loathing. The inquest . heard she had become addicted to the internet and created a fantasy . character to escape reality but she ‘spiralled out of control’ and . became obsessed with her online persona. Days . before Tallulah’s death, her mother found out that she had created the . online persona and gained 18,000 followers after posting about drinking . and taking cocaine and uploading pictures of herself with cuts she had . made in order to impress her fans. New school: Tallulah moved to £11,000-a-year St Margaret's School in Hampstead a month before her death . Tribute: The mother of Tallulah Wilson, who died in 2012, has spoken of her grief at losing her 'beautiful shining star' Mrs . Wilson wept as she told the court: ‘She didn’t think she could have . friends in the real world. I told her it wasn’t real. It was scary.’ Of . the images on Tumblr, Mrs Wilson told the inquest: ‘It was pictures of . her cutting herself. It’s like the worst horror movie you have ever seen . in your house. ‘I realised . there were young girls on there cutting themselves to see who is worse. It’s unbelievable. I saw one girl post a picture with a noose, and the . picture said, “Here’s your new necklace, try it on”.’ The inquest heard claims that Tallulah . had been bullied at St Marylebone School in Westminster, which she . attended until summer 2012. In September she started at £11,000-a-year . St Margaret’s School in Hampstead. By this time she had become addicted . to the websites, her mother said. The . teenager – who was diagnosed with clinical depression – had regularly . posted troubling messages on Twitter, including; ‘I will never be . beautiful and skinny’ and ‘I have absolutely no plan for my future’. One of her final messages was: ‘Why the f*** should I stay if no one around me stays for me? I’m done. #suicide #goodbye.’ A . spokesman for Tumblr said last night that ‘issues of depression and . self-harm are extremely challenging, particularly in online environments . that encourage  self-expression’. He added that the site has policies . to address harmful content and is committed to improving its ability to . act on  self-harm content. Martyn . Piper, whose 17-year-old son Tim killed himself in 2002 after searching . online for information on suicide, is vice-chairman of Papyrus, a . charity that works to prevent youth suicides. He said: ‘We believe there . is no place for such sites and forums. At the very least they must be . brought within the regulatory processes seeking to tackle other internet . dangers, such as sexualisation of children and pornography.’ For confidential support call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90, visit a local Samaritans branch or see www.samaritans.org.", "Sci-Fi films such as Minority Report show people controlling computer programmes with expansive hand gestures. And now there's a gadget called Flow that will allow users to do just that, which could one day replace the computer mouse. Flow is designed to be more sensitive than a mouse and will allow people to edit documents, draw and control apps by touching it or swiping in mid air above the gadget. Flow, a gadget that responds to gestures and touch could be used to edit documents, draw and control apps, replacing the computer mouse . It can be programmed with shortcuts for more than 30 applications, enabling users to control Spotify with the flick of their wrist or use it to manipulate images in Photoshop. The gadget, designed by engineers in Berlin, Germany, works alongside a desktop or laptop via a Bluetooth connection, with apps such as Final Cut Pro X, SoundCloud, Spotify and YouTube. The engineers and computer scientists are raising money on crowd funding site Indiegogo to put Flow into production. Flow (pictured) works alongside a desktop or laptop via a Bluetooth connection, with apps such as Final Cut Pro X, SoundCloud, Spotify and YouTube. For example, a user could programme the device to skip tracks in a Spotify playlist by swiping in mid-air over the device . Flow will allow users to manipulate images and documents using hand gestures, such as in sci-fi films like Minority Report (a screenshot is pictured) - without the light-up gloves . To begin with, the device will support Macs, with iOS devices, Android, Windows and Linux support in the pipeline. It could be used alongside work equipment or in the home (pictured) which may mean that smart appliances could one day be controlled using the simple device . Description: A programmable wireless controller that is small enough to fit in a pocket and could one day replace the computer mouse. Materials: A metal ring and polycarbonate touch surface. Connectivity: Bluetooth LE/4.1. Compatibility: Macs, with more operating systems in the pipeline - starting with 30 popular apps. Battery: Four months. Size: Almost three inches (7cm) in diameter and half an inch (1.5cm) high. Sensors: 360° angular positioning, capacitive touch, light and infrared hand gesture recognition. They say: ‘We work on graphic design, video editing or CAD on a daily basis. Keyboard and mouse are great but they are far from giving you the same sensitivity and abilities as your hand. ‘The same applies for music, browsing or presentations. We need a tool that gives us flexible shortcuts and perfect control, a tool that makes the things we love fast, precise, intuitive and fun. ‘That's why we created Flow, a freely programmable wireless controller.’ The team combined three technologies into their small circular device so it can recognise hand gestures, sensitive touch and precise haptics (such as being tapped) via sensors. They say that controls for more than 30 popular applications will be available at launch with more becoming available week by week. ‘Let us know which shortcuts or controls are important to you and we'll get right to work,’ they wrote. The engineers creayed Flow beacuse they said that the computer mouse is ' far from giving you the same sensitivity and abilities as your hand,' whereas their gadget has more sensing capabilities . he team combined three technologies into their small circular device (pictured in a work situation) so it can recognise hand gestures, sensitive touch and precise haptics via sensors . To begin with, the device will support Macs, with iOS devices, Android, Windows and Linux support in the pipeline. The gadget is open source so users with some coding know-how will be able to build new shortcuts and applications. Flow is available to pre-order via Indiegogo for $99 plus shipping, with an estimated delivery date of June 2015. Samsung has revealed a next-generation kind of eye tracking mouse, called EyeCan+. When positioned below a computer monitor, the portable box allows disabled people to write documents or browse the internet by blinking and moving their eyes. The device works by wirelessly calibrating with the user's eye as long as they sit or lie between 23 inches (60cm) and 27 inches (70cm) away from the monitor. Samsung has revealed a next-generation kind of eye tracking mouse, called EyeCan+ which allows disabled users such as Hyung-Jin Shin (pictured) to browse the internet by blinking and moving his eyes . EyeCan+ only needs to be set up when a person uses it for the first time and remembers individuals’ eye characteristics. The gadget was developed by Samsung engineers in their spare time, with help from quadriplegic grad student Hyung-Jin Shin. By using the system for 17 months, the team were able to refine the tracking system - a number of which will be built for charities. The technology is open source so that anyone can commercialise it.", "Intelligence agency GCHQ is able to spy on Facebook and Youtube users and can manipulate online polls, according to the latest documents allegedly leaked by fugitive CIA worker Edward Snowden. Documents thought to have been provided by the whistleblower allegedly show that the Cheltenham-based agency has developed a set of software programmes designed to breach users' computers and manipulate the internet. Among the listed tools are ones capable of searching for private Facebook photographs, sending fake text messages, changing the outcome of online polls, censoring 'extremist' material, and collating comments on Youtube and Twitter. Spying tools: Intelligence agency GCHQ is able to spy on Facebook and Youtube users and can manipulate online polls, according to the latest documents allegedly leaked by fugitive CIA worker Edward Snowden (pictured) Some of the software enables the psychological manipulation of internet users, not unlike the controversial secret study recently undertaken with the approval of Facebook, in which the social network altered people's newsfeeds to see if it had an effect on their emotions. The list of programmes was revealed in a Wikipedia-style document allegedly compiled by GCHQ's Joint Threat Research Intelligence Group . (JTRIG), which was first published by The Intercept. The tools, which have each been given codenames such as Birdsong, Angry Pirate, and Scrapheap Challenge are described as being part of the agency's 'weaponised capability'. The list, apparently compiled in 2012, . also notes whether a tool is operational, or in the design, pilot or . implementation stages, although the document states that most of them are 'fully . operational, tested and reliable'. It states: 'Don't treat this like a . catalogue. If you don't see it here, it doesn't mean we can't build it. Headquarters: According to leaked documents, Cheltenham-based agency GCHQ (pictured) has developed a set of software programmes designed to breach users' computers and manipulate the internet . 'If you involve the JTRIG operational teams at the start of your operation, you have more of a chance that we will build something for you. 'For each of our tools we have indicated the state of the tool. We only advertise tools here that are either ready to fire or very close to being ready (operational requirements would re-prioritise our development).' GCHQ had not responded to a MailOnline request for comment at the time of publication. Publication of the list comes as Snowden criticised Britain for introducing the new surveillance Bil, which was pushed through Parliament today and designed to foil terrorist plots, during peace time. Snowden, 31, who has become one of the world’s most wanted men, said the measures to allow the security services and police to monitor the public’s phone, email and internet records ‘defied belief’. ‘We don’t have bombs falling. We don’t have U-boats in the harbour,' he told the Guardian newspaper. Snowden is wanted for treason after stealing classified documents from the US National Security Agency, and has been granted temporary asylum in Russia. Most wanted: Edward Snowden, 31, is wanted for treason after stealing classified documents from the US National Security Agency, and has been granted temporary asylum in Russia . The defence contractor, a computer specialist at an intelligence centre in Hawaii, has previously leaked highly damaging revelations of attempts by state spy agencies – including Britain’s GCHQ and MI5 – to monitor citizens’ private information. After he revealed how intelligence agents had access to data compiled by the likes of Google and Yahoo, some of the internet giants – under pressure from civil liberties groups – became reluctant to co-operate with the Government and say they may withhold crucial intelligence. David Cameron insisted last week that new snooping laws were urgently needed because Snowden had compromised the ability of the spy agencies to keep track of dangerous extremists. Earlier this week Government lawyers admitted that GCHQ, MI5 and MI6 . do intercept private communications such as phone calls and emails by . innocent people in order to target terrorist suspects. However, . lawyers representing intelligence chiefs said the mass surveillance was . ‘lawful and appropriate’ and said claims it acted illegally were . ‘outlandish’. The defence was included in legal documents submitted . in a landmark challenge over the activities of the spy agencies at the . Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT). The case, which is ongoing, has . been brought following the leak of documents by Snowden linked to the . alleged surveillance practices of GCHQ and the US National Security . Agency (NSA). Privacy campaigners claim that safeguards surrounding GCHQ’s collection of vast quantities of online data are inadequate and do not conform to the law. AIRWOLF YouTube profile, comment and video collection . ANGRY PIRATE A tool that will permanently disable a target's account on their computer . BIRDSONG Automated posting of Twitter updates . BIRDSTRIKE Twitter monitiering and profile collection . BOMB BAY The capacity to increase website hits, rankings . BURLESQUE The capacity to send spoofed SMS messages . DANCING BEAR Obtains the locations of WiFi access points . FATYAK Public data collection from LinkedIn . GESTATOR Amplification of a given message, normally video, on popular multimedia websites (YouTube) GLASSBACK Technique of getting a target's IP address by pretending to be a spammer and ringing them. Target does not need to answer . GODFATHER Public data collection from Facebook . GOODFELLA Generic framework for public data collection from online social networks . MINIATURE HERO Active skype capability. Provision of realtime call records (SkypeOut and SkypetoSkype) and bidirectional instant messaging. Also contact lists . PHOTON TORPEDO A technique to actively grab the IP address of MSN messenger user . SPRING-BISHOP Finding private photos of targets on Facebook . SCRAPHEAP CHALLENGE Perfect spoofing of emails from Blackberry targets . SUNBLOCK Ability to deny functionality to send/receive email or view material online . UNDERPASS Change outcome of online polls (previously known as NUBILO) WARPATH Mass delivery of SMS messages to support an Information Operations campaign .", "It was loud all-night parties that eventually busted the secret stripper training school hiding inside a $2million 12,000 sq ft mansion next door to an exclusive gated community in Florida. The Egyptian-themed mansion, advertised as Pharaoh’s Palace on its website, promises a 'perfect private location' on seven secluded acres in Tampa. An August 2014 adult-themed party dubbed 'Midsummer Night Wet Dream' got the mansion, bought by Canadian millionaire Gordon Lownds, its first noise complaint. It was the loud all-night parties that eventually busted the secret stripper training school hiding inside Pharaoh's Palace, a $2million mansion next door to an exclusive gated community in Tampa, Florida . The Egyptian-themed mansion promises a 'perfect private location' on seven secluded acres on the Gulf Coast on its website advertisement . An August 2014 adult-themed party dubbed 'Midsummer Night Wet Dream' got the mansion, bought by Canadian millionaire Gordon Lownds, its first noise complaint . Neighbor Ron Nagy had seen ads for the party and filed a complaint with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and Code Enforcement. 'This to me seems like there was an undercurrent of very sexually-related activities,' Nagy told the Tampa Tribune. 'They're gaming the system.' After months of complaints both Lownds and Sean Grey, the mansion's manager, got hit with code violations. Grey was also charged with violating the county's noise ordinance, which was dismissed by a circuit judge on Monday. On its website, Pharaoh's Palace was advertised as the 'perfect' place for entertaining. Other ads on the internet said it was available for rent to producers for music videos, television and film, as well as event planners and professional photographers. But the mansion also became where Grey and Nicholas Worlds, a former adult-themed business investor, ran a modeling agency dubbed Pharaoh's Daughters. On its website, Pharaoh's Palace was advertised as the 'perfect' place for entertaining . Other ads on the internet said it was available for rent to producers for music videos, television and film, as well as event planners and professional photographers . 'Turn your stripper job into a career in exotic dancing and achieve the elite lifestyle you deserve,' the website promises. Pharaoh's Daughters advertises itself as an agency that helps 'promising young strippers and exotic dancers' find work 'in prestigious gentlemen's clubs'. It lists getting to live in the Tampa mansion as one of its perks, boasting a 'safe and secure residence'. Pharaoh's Mansion has six bedrooms within the house, as well as two in a guest house. It's website also lists a spa room with a waterfall and massage area. There is also a 'harem room' that includes a fully equipped wet bar and poker table, as well as a dance/fitness studio with two stripper poles and a parking garage that fits up to 40 cars. But the mansion also became where Sean Grey, its manager, and Nicholas Worlds, a former adult-themed business investor, ran a modeling agency dubbed Pharaoh's Daughters . Pharaoh's Daughters advertises itself as an agency that helps 'promising young strippers and exotic dancers' find work 'in prestigious gentlemen's clubs' Lownds said he and some of his partners had planned to film a reality show at the mansion about the day-to-day lives of strippers. But he has since shut down the modeling school and stopped all commercial activity at the mansion, he told the Tampa Tribune. 'We are aware of what we are allowed to do and not to do,' Lownds said. 'We are conforming with all the zoning requirements.' The mansion was hit with five citations from Code Enforcement, including for holding special events in a residential zone and for operating special events without approval. But according to deputy Phil Acaba, who investigated the events, it was the parties that ended up shutting the mansion down. 'If they had flown under the radar, they'd still be in business,' he said. 'The noise was the issue that brought their downfall.' Lownds said he and some of his partners planned to film a reality show at the mansion about the day-to-day lives of strippers . But he has since shut down the modeling school and stopped all commercial activity at the mansion .", "Many people promise themselves they will stop slouching but then get caught up in their day and forget all about it. Now, a team of American inventors have created a gadget which could put an end to this problem. LUMOback, which is produced by LUMO BodyTech scientists from Stanford, monitors people's posture and encourages them to improve it throughout the day. A team of American inventors have created a device which helps people improve their posture by vibrating every time they slouch to encourage them to sit up straight again . The device compromises a belt, which contains a sensor, which is worn around the waist with the sensor resting on the small of the back. The device monitors the wearer’s posture and activity throughout the day and gently vibrates when they slouch. It tells the user how much time they spend sitting up straight compared to slouching, how much time they spend sitting down, how many times each day they stand up and how much distance they cover when walking. It can also tell a person how much time they spend sleeping on their back, front and side and estimates sleep quality. It also measures the number of calories they burn during the day. The device can be synced with an iOS device and a free app also allows the user to track improvements in their posture and activity levels over time. It monitors the wearer’s posture and activity throughout the day and gently vibrates when they slouch. It can tell the user how much time they spend sitting up straight compared to slouching, how much time they spend sitting down, how many times each day they stand up and how much distance they cover when walking. It can also tell them how much time they spend sleeping on their back, front and side and estimates sleep quality. It also measures the number of calories they burn during the day. The device can be synced with an iOS device and a free app also allows the user to track improvements in their posture and activity levels over time. The device is worn around the waist with the sensor in the small of the back . The gadget can be used in conjunction with a free app to allow the user to monitor who many steps they take each day, how much time they spend sitting down and how much sleep they get . The sensor can be worn for six days before it needs charging. It is compatible with the iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod Touch and iPad. It is also compatible with Android 4.3 and above on Nexus 4 and 5, HTC One, Samsung S3 and S4 and Motorola G. It costs about £90 and can be purchased from the LUMO BodyTech website. The gadget can also monitor how many calories a person burns in a day and the quality of their sleep .", "Looking for love: Millions of singletons will be looking for their perfect date online this week with dating websites reporting a surge in users in the period between Christmas and Valentine's Day . It may be the annual onslaught of loved ones questioning your single status over Christmas dinner or the pressure to find that special someone to kiss at midnight on New Year's Eve. But it seems that the post Christmas slump is the time to find romance online with the period between Boxing Day and the turn of the year the busiest stretch for online dating sites. Some websites have reported an increase in traffic as high as 350 per cent with some of the most popular sites bombarding singletons with adverts to convince them that 2013, or even the tail end of 2012, could be their time to be lucky in love. Match.com expects a staggering three million email messages to be sent by users this week with a further 2.5million 'winks' sent and 500,000 instant messaging conversations taking place. Traffic to some of the most popular sites including eHarmony and Match.com has a tendency to peak at the startof January. According to Phillip Hodson, of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, the reason for the surge in people signing up to dating websites is down to singletons taking stock of their lot at the end of another year. He told the Guardian: 'Christmas tends to be a period of review and revision, partly because it gives you the chance to observe existing models of relationship – the ones that you have, the ones you want to avoid and the ones you want to emulate. 'It is also the winter pause when you review what has been missing in your life and what you want in it, and a period of great loneliness for people who don't fit into the government-approved vision of family. 'Many sense they want a crack at feeling better than they did in the preceding 12 months.' The surge in interest surrounding online dating comes as the UK becomes somewhat less snobby about the way we meet our perfect mate. According to YouGov, one in five relationships in the UK now begins online, and meeting via the internet is the third most popular way to find a date behind 'through friends' or making acquaintance at a pub or bar. Improving standards: Dating websites such as Match.com have met with the ABIA to discuss industry-wide behaviour standards . 'Shopping' mentality: Browsing dating websites online can lead to singletons becoming excessively picky when looking for their perfect partner according to a university study . Nearly half of the UK's singletons are also thought to have dabbled with dating online at some stage too. So it's little wonder that in 2011 dating websites were big business, bringing some £170million to the UK economy - an upsurge of six per cent on the previous year. And the UK is leaps and bounds ahead of its European neighbours when it comes to web dating with 1,500 of the continent's 5,000 dating websites originating in Britain. But it's not all good news for those looking for the perfect partner online - interest wanes significantly when people return to work in the New Year. A study from the University of Rochester in the U.S earlier this year said that dating websites are making people more judgemental. Browsing through profiles on dating websites is said to result in a 'shopping' mentality making people excessively picky according to the study.", "By . Peter Campbell, City Correspondent . Facebook has been accused of creating ‘tomorrow’s generation of problem gamblers’ by rolling out real money casino games. Under a lucrative deal with online gaming company 888, the social networking giant will offer Las Vegas-style slot machines and games such as roulette and blackjack. The move heralds a major expansion of its gambling sites. Casino games: Facebook has been accused of creating the next generation of gamblers through its real money games (file picture) Campaigners criticised Facebook's first gambling app launch amid concerns that young people would be exposed . Gamers will be able to place up to £500 on bets using a credit or debit card with promises of jackpots worth tens of thousands of pounds. These will only be available in the UK, where gaming laws are more relaxed than in the US. Both Facebook and 888 insist they have safeguards to prevent minors from accessing the games. These include checking the credit card details used against both their Facebook profile and the electoral register. But there is nothing to stop children logging on to parents’ accounts and using card details already stored on the family computer. Already, Facebook users as young as 13 can use virtual slot machines on the website to win ‘credits’ – which have no monetary value. But as soon as they turn 18, millions of children who use the social networking site will be bombarded with adverts for real money gambling games. Facebook has three million UK users aged between 13 and 17. But a further one million are thought to be under 13 and pretending to be older. Any of these could already be playing the ‘free’ slot and bingo games – which critics say form gambling habits because they simulate the thrill of hitting the jackpot. More than a million people are already signed up to play 888’s free bingo game Bingo Island – although not all of these are UK based. They have to pay for online credits to play, but cannot win any real money back. Concern: Critics worry users, including children using parents credit card details, will get hooked on the casino-style games . Excited: The chief operating company of 888 said there is a 'significant audience' for the games and under 18s would be prevented from seeing them . Yesterday 888 launched its first real . money bingo application, with promises to roll out casino games. Critics . fear many will be attracted to the new games to try to win money back, . after experiencing the unrealistic odds offered on the free versions. ‘You . win virtually every time you play one of the free games,’ said Mark . Griffiths, professor of gambling studies at Nottingham Trent University. ‘Research has shown again and again . that one of the biggest factors in developing problem gambling is . playing free games online first. These children and teenagers today are . the problem gamblers of tomorrow.’ He . warned the deal with 888 could cause ‘the floodgates to open’ as . gambling companies dive into the social media frenzy to make money. It . is thought Facebook will take a 30 per cent cut of all bets placed. In August, Facebook launched its first ‘real money’ gambling game with Bingo Friendzy, which offers bingo and slot machines. But the deal, done with Gamesys Group, is relatively small compared with the potential influx of gambling giants who could queue up to join Facebook if the venture proves to be profitable. Itai Frieberger, chief operating officer of 888, said: ‘Our Facebook play for fun offerings have found a significant audience, and we are very excited by the opportunity real money gaming on Facebook provides.’ He said the company would prevent users who are under 18 on Facebook from even seeing the games. A spokesman for Facebook said Bingo Friendzy players are subject to ‘strict account acceptance controls verifying their identity, and that they are over 18 and located in the UK.’ Gambling will not be promoted to Facebook members registered as under 18, it added.", "(CNN) -- Half a million acres will be protected Wednesday when President Barack Obama establishes the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument. It's \"a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity\" to head off development on the swath of land in south-central New Mexico that has \"unique Pre-American, New Mexican, and American history,\" the monument's official website says. For Obama, signing a proclamation Wednesday at the Department of the Interior will bring to fruition a promise in his 2014 State of the Union address: \"I'll use my authority to protect more of our pristine federal lands for future generations.\" White House spokesman Jay Carney said, \"By establishing the monument, the President will permanently protect more than 496,000 acres to preserve the prehistoric, historic and scientific values of the area for the benefit of all Americans.\" Carney cited an independent study that found the monument could generate $7.4 million \"in new economic activity annually from new visitors and business opportunities, while preserving access for sportsmen, ranchers and recreational users.\" The monument is apparently smaller than what some in New Mexico had sought. A proposal had called for 600,000 acres to be protected, according to the website. The United States has 77 other national monuments, according to the organization National Park Advocates, which operates nationalparkstraveler.com. Some were created by acts of Congress; others by presidential proclamation. The Bureau of Land Management operates 19 national monuments across nine Western states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington. In October 2012, Obama established the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument in California. Scientists: U.S. historic landmarks imperiled by climate change .", "The world gets a first proper look at Apple’s latest gadget tonight when the company launches its first smartwatch. With a price tag of about £220, the Apple Watch boasts a range of lifestyle functions – promising to open your car door, buy a coffee and even track your heart rate. The company hopes it will have a winner on its hands, even though sales of rival products by Samsung, LG and Sony have been sluggish and many smartwatches have a notoriously short battery life. Scroll down for video . Apple's latest gadget - the Apple Watch - will be unveiled on Monday night and comes with a price tag of £220 . However, Apple and its British design guru, Sir Jonathan Ive, plan to make the firm’s watch a lifestyle essential. Partnerships have been signed with car companies like BMW, which will allow users to open the vehicle door through the watch. It can also be paired with technology in the home and in hotel chain rooms to automatically let the user in without a key or smart card. There will be partnerships with airlines that will see the watch double as a boarding pass to allow users to sweep through airports more quickly. Importantly, it will be loaded with the new ‘Apple Pay’ technology, that will allow users to pay for a raft of purchases by waving the watch over a till point scanner. The system, which is tied in to user bank accounts, means people will buy lunch or pay for a train or bus ride without the need for cash. The watch, which will be linked to the owner’s iPhone via a Bluetooth link, will also provide a map and directions, vibrating on the wrist to warn of the need to make a turn. The first details of the watch were revealed by Apple chief executive, Tim Cook, in September last year . Importantly, it will also include a raft of health sensors and trackers, which will measure the heart rate and activity level as part of a program to boost fitness. When the first details of the watch were revealed last September, chief executive, Tim Cook, said: ‘We love to make great products that enrich people’s lives. We love to make technology more personal and allow our users to do things they never imagined. ‘We believe this new product will redefine what people expect from this category. This is the next chapter in Apple’s story. ‘It is the most personal watch ever created. It is incredibly customisable to find one that reflects your personal style and taste. It is also a comprehensive health and fitness device. ‘Being more active is being one of the best things you can do to improve your health. Apple Watch gives the ability to motivate people to be more active...or track what you are doing during the day.’ While the watch will have a starting price of around £220 it is suggested there will be a host of other premium versions, including one in gold that will cost as much as £3,325. As such, the company are presenting the device, which was created with input from Paul Deneve, the former chief executive of the fashion house Yves Saint Laurent, as very much a fashion item. The first version, which was unveiled in the autumn, featured a square steel and glass device with a range of case designs, digital watch faces and straps, some leather, some sporty, and one stainless steel to reflect the style of the wearer. It is controlled via a button on the side, which is called a ‘digital crown’ and looks much like the winder on a traditional watch. Sir Jonathan said: ‘Creating beautiful objects that are simple, pure and functional has always been our goal. We have designed a range of products so personal that you wear them on your wrist.’ Ernest Doku, technology expert at uSwitch.com, said: ‘Apple’s long-awaited entry to the wearables space will no doubt supercharge a market that otherwise seemed destined to be the preserve of techies and early adopters.’ The Apple Watch boasts a range of lifestyle functions including the 'Apple Play' software, which will allow users to avoid the need to use cash by simply waving the watch over a till point scanner . The latest speculation suggests that Apple is worried about battery life on the Watch - a common issue among existing smartwatches. Smartphone users already struggle with the relatively short battery life and adding the need to charge a new device will put some people off the whole idea. Mr Doku said: ’The reveal will hopefully give us greater insight into how this device will benefit our lives with a selection of dedicated app demos, a more finalised look at the software and user interface as well as those all-important price points - we entirely expect Apple’s premium positioning to continue in the wearables arena.’", "Social media experts believe Schoolies looking to meet a match on the Gold Coast this weekend are likely to turn to the dating app Tinder. Concerned parents have warned their kids against the dating app, which has come under fire in recent months due to its controversial nature and it's ability to let complete strangers view users' personal photos. The app, which is used by over 10 million dating fanatics, matches users who are in close proximity to each other and allows people to decide whether they find each other attractive based on a select number of Facebook photos. This means that Schoolies who are in a crowd on the Gold Coast could take out there phone and potentially swipe through all the Tinder users in the room. Social media experts believe Schoolies looking to meet a match on the Gold Coast this weekend are likely to turn to the dating app Tinder . Schoolies week kicked off tonight in Surfers Paradise, with over 20,000 teenagers expected to hit up the popular designated party zone on the beach by 7pm tonight. Experts say the apps eliminates any social awkwardness that may be involved in directly talking to either a boy or a girl. Professionals say Tinder can be used as a conversation starter amongst teens and there should not be a social stigma attached to the online dating tool. The popular matchmaking mobile phone application can be used by people under the age of 18, however underage users are unable to access the Tinder profiles of people who are over 18. Schoolies who are in a crowd on the Gold Coast could take out there phone and potentially swipe through all the Tinder users in the room . Tinder offers users the opportunity to interact with people nearby, who have common interests. Users then 'swipe left' if they do not think they are a match, or 'swipe right' if they think they are perfect for each other. Speaking to the Age, Associate Professor Burgess said Tinder's popularity has grown significantly in the last year due to the success of other dating apps. The popular matchmaking mobile phone application can be used by people under the age of 18, however they are unable to access any other Tinder profiles where the users are over 18 . 'We've seen a massive mainstreaming of mobile dating as opposed to online dating, and Tinder has been a huge part of that,' she said. Tinder follows in the footsteps of previous dating sites including PlentyOfFish, Match.com and OKcupid.com . 'We talk about 'digital delegation' – Tinder outsources checking age, sourcing pictures and building a profile to Facebook,' Professor Burgess said. Concerned parents have warned their kids against the dating app, which has come under fire in recent months due to its controversial nature and it's ability to let complete strangers view users' personal photos . 'But you've got to be careful of toolies on Tinder just as you would out in a club.' The app came under scrutiny recently after Kiwi tourist Warriena Wright fell to her death from the balcony of a Surfers Paradise apartment. Ms Wright had met Gable Tostee, a complete stranger, on Tinder just a few hours before her death.", "Stop worrying about the website and start talking about Obamacare's benefits. That was President Barack Obama's message to the nation on Tuesday as he kicked off a three-week public relations blitz intended to generate more participation in his signature health care reforms. A day after officials declared the previously dysfunctional HealthCare.gov website working smoothly for most users, Obama held a White House event to try to shift the focus of a fiercely partisan public debate to how much help the 2010 Affordable Care Act offers Americans in need. He noted the botched website launch of October 1 set back implementation of the reforms, and encouraged supporters to help him reintroduce the law to a still skeptical nation. \"Our poor execution in the first couple months on the website clouded the fact that there are a whole bunch of people who stand to benefit,\" Obama said. \"Now that the website's working for the vast majority of people, we need to make sure that folks refocus on what's at stake here.\" The administration hopes the new ability of HealthCare.gov to handle 800,000 users a day or more without major problems signals a major step forward in getting people to sign up for health coverage now required by law under the reforms. However, officials including Obama, warn that glitches will persist and describe the website as a work in progress. In another potential problem disclosed Tuesday, a Treasury inspector general audit cited possible security weaknesses against potential fraud by people getting government subsidies under Obamacare to lower their health insurance costs. The Internal Revenue Service, which will enforce compliance with the law's mandate to obtain health coverage, responded that it continues to develop systems to detect and prevent fraud involving subsidies when recipients file their 2014 tax returns. Meanwhile, insurance companies say some \"back-end\" aspects of the HealthCare.gov system continued to malfunction. In particular, insurers cite problems with applications from people who signed up through the website, including erroneous or missing information. White House spokesman Jay Carney said tech experts were working on the processing problems, offering assurances they would be fixed in time for enrollment starting on January 1, 2014. \"We're confident that they'll be able to achieve that,\" Carney said. Critics, led by conservative Republicans trying to dismantle the health care reforms known as Obamacare, say the website problems foreshadow deeper failings of the law that passed with no GOP support. \"It's not just a broken website; this bill is fundamentally flawed,\" House Speaker John Boehner said Tuesday, later adding that \"when you look at Obamacare, what you see is a government-centered health care delivery system.\" Americans don't want that, the Ohio Republican insisted, declaring they instead \"want to be able to pick their own type of health insurance, they want to be able to pick their own doctor and they want to be able to pick their own hospital.\" Obama challenged Boehner and other Republicans to come up with something better instead of simply opposing and trying to obstruct the implementation of Obamacare. \"We may never satisfy the law's opponents,\" he told an audience of supporters at the White House, including embattled Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, whose department oversees the reforms. The President listed specific benefits, such as an end to lifetime caps on coverage and denial of coverage due to pre-existing conditions. Because of Obamacare, parents can keep their children on family policies up to age 26, and people can get free mammograms and other screening. Now, he said, the 1 million visitors to HealthCare.gov on Monday showed the robust public interest in new health insurance exchanges under the reforms. \"Some have already convinced themselves that the law has failed, regardless of the evidence,\" Obama said, prompting applause when he rejected Republican efforts to delay or dismantle the reforms. \"We're not repealing it as long as I'm President,\" he said, adding \"We're not going to walk away from it. If I've got to fight another three years to make sure this law works, then that's what I'll do.\" In a blog post on Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that more than 1.46 million people have been added to Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program rolls due to expanded services under the health care reforms. The Affordable Care Act offered states additional federal funding to offer Medicaid and CHIP coverage to more low-income Americans. So far, 24 states and the District of Columbia have accepted the expansion funding while three others are still deciding and 23 have declined. More events will occur daily through December 23, the deadline for people to get coverage that will take effect on January 1. A new-found confidence . Over the weekend, officials announced they had met their self-imposed November 30 deadline for getting the site working for the \"vast majority\" of users, saying response times and error rates had been slashed while capacity increased. Jeffrey Zients, a former administration official brought in to oversee the website fixes after its launch, compared the hardware upgrades so far to widening a highway on-ramp from two lanes to four. That means chronic breakdowns, error messages and delays users experienced two months ago when the website went live have mostly disappeared, he said, noting the average response time was less than 1 second and the system's \"uptime\" -- a measure of system stability -- was consistently surpassing 90%. It all means that HealthCare.gov can now handle its original intended volume of 50,000 concurrent users for a total of 800,000 visitors a day, according to Zients. A new component that put users in a waiting queue during periods of high volume provided a better-managed delay than the site freezes and error messages of October. The waiting queue also asked users if they wanted to receive an e-mail notifiying them when they could try again at the front of the line. According to an HHS official, 13,000 people requested an e-mail and 60% of them -- roughly 7,800 -- later returned after getting the email notification. Administration: Obamacare website working smoothly . Not all roses in the Rose Garden . Vocal throughout the launch of the program and the successive problems, the GOP stayed vigilant with its critique. \"President Obama and his administration repeatedly claimed the Obamacare website would be fully functioning by the end of November, but this has proven to be just another broken promise,\" Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said Monday. \"The Obama administration had over three years to build HealthCare.gov, and all they've produced is a non-functioning website, wasting hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars.\" Obamacare site fix: 5 things to look for . Insurers: Site glitches persist . In October, the first month of a six-month enrollment period, just over 106,000 people signed up for Obamacare. Less than 27,000 of them did so through the HealthCare.gov website, which was supposed to be the main enrollment portal. An administration official familiar with the matter told CNN that about 100,000 people signed up for coverage last month on the site. The official cautioned the number was preliminary and final numbers would be released in mid-December. Joanne Peters, a Health and Human Services spokeswoman, said enrollment through alternate channels and successful exchanges in 14 states would help bolster November figures. Initial enrollment figures lower than hoped . Website progress garners muted reaction from Congress . Marilyn Tavenner, the official charged with implementing Obamacare as director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told a congressional hearing last month that the administration initially hoped to enroll 800,000 people by the end of November. The overall enrollment target by the March 31 deadline for 2014 is 7 million. A properly functioning HealthCare.gov is crucial to implementing the most vital provisions of the health law that require people to have health coverage. The coming months will show if it was successful. With website deadline met, Obamacare scrutiny increases .", "Yahoo and Microsoft have both revealed plans to create their own TV shows in the ever-expanding battle for the living room. Yahoo has unveiled plans for four shows, while Microsoft is believed to have 12 in development. They will go up against Amazon, Hulu and Netflix, all of whom are also commissioning their own shows in a bid to change they way we watch TV. Scroll down for video . Yahoo chief executive Marissa Mayer has unveiled plans to break into television-style original video with the launch of two original comedy series and an internet channel that will stream live concerts. The expansion makes Yahoo the latest technology company to mount a challenge to Netflix . Amazon last week unveiled a $99 TV box to take on Apple, Google and Roku - and it doubles as a games console. At an event in New York the firm launched the Fire TV box, which runs a special version of Google's Android software. The small box fits under a TV, and comes with a remote with a built in microphone for voice recognition. It allows users to download films and TV shows, along with apps. To play games, users can use a remote, or buy a separate game controller for $40. Mike Frazzini from Amazon Games said each game will be priced like a phone app, costing on average $2. Games available at launch will include Minecraft, driving game Asphalt 8 and first person shooter Sev Zero, created by the games studio double Helix Microsoft bought recently. Microsoft has signed up comedians Sarah Silverman and Seth Green for its projects. It hired former CBS boss Nancy Tellem to head up its new TV studio, which will produce shows to be watched on the firm's Xbox games console as well as its mobile devices. The studio now has six series lined up - including a science-fiction thriller called 'Humans' about humanoid robot workers - and more than a dozen projects in development, according to Bloomberg. Yahoo is seeking to order web series’ that will position it to compete with offerings from other streaming video goliaths in a bid to bolster advertising revenues. The web portal is set to order four new shows with per-episode budgets of as much as a couple million dollars, a source told the Wall Street Journal. CEO Marissa Meyer’s sweet spot appears to be half-hour comedies with 10 episode seasons ‘led by writers or directors with experience in television,’ the paper reported. Sagging revenues and four straight . quarterly losses have created a sense of urgency among executives . looking to have deals lined up before a major advertising conference . later this month. Actress Sarah Silverman is among those believed to have signed up to Microsoft's TV shows. It is believed the firm has six projects approved, with a dozen in development. ‘They want to blow it out big time,’ said the Journal’s source. Meyer believes the key to upping the advertising rate ante is adding television-caliber content to compete with the likes of Amazon, Hulu and Netflix, a person close to the negotiations explained. ‘They're looking at the same type of shows that Netflix and Amazon are eyeing,’ said the source. Having those shows lined up by the April 28th ‘NewFront’ event – in which internet companies pitch their advertising dollar worthiness similar to the way television networks present their primetime lineups – is key to that strategy. Yahoo is competing against an ever-increasing number of cable networks and other sites for the original content and viewers’ eyeballs, but is fixated on the potential premium advertising rates charged for video has for boosting the bottom line. Recent successes such as ‘House of . Cards’ and ‘Orange is the New Black’ helped drive a subscriber surge of . 2.3million in the fourth quarter of 2014 alone, the company announced earlier this year. Yahoo currently trails far behind other online video providers. Financial terms of Yahoo's deals to license the new series weren't disclosed. However, Yahoo doesn't plan to charge viewers to watch the series . Yahoo trails far behind other streaming providers, but it wants a piece of that pie, and the revenues that could be reaped through international syndication deals, according to the Journal. The ability to stream video from Amazon, HBO Go, Hulu and Netflix straight to televisions through Blu-ray players, game consoles, set-top boxes like Roku and other devices has no doubt fueled their growth, as has the ability use apps specially designed for handheld devices. Amazon Prime has also added multiple scripted and animated shows to its subscription-based Prime service, and only sweetened the deal with the recently-released Fire TV box meant to stream the content directly on to televisions. Vizio televisions currently use a Yahoo-based interface for apps, including direct video streaming competitors, to extend their usefulness – but it is not clear if the search giant would look to leverage that partnership. Also available is the Yahoo Sceeen app, which allows users the ability to watch Yahoo videos on Apple handheld devices. A Yahoo Screen website is also available for those interested. Yahoo declined to comment about it's video ambitions when reached by MailOnline. 'House of Cards': The Kevin Spacey-starring Netflix series has become the standard for online television shows . Yahoo is up against stiff competition without the ability to easily stream video content to televisions. Binge-watching has replaced appointment viewing, and web series have reached a level of critical acclaim with Kevin Spacey starring in ‘House of Cards.’ The site has produced original video series in the past, such as the Morgan Spurlock-directed ‘Failure Club’ reality show, and has also recently ramped up video production across its news and sports divisions. This is not an entirely new frontier. Recent moves to hire veteran journalists Katie Couric and David Pogue, as well as a rumoured $300million acquisition of video provider News Distribution network have also hinted at Yahoo’s ambitions. Meyer and chief marketing officer Kathy Savitt have reviewed more than 100 projects over the past few months, but are looking for shows that can hit the ground running, according to the Journal.", "By . Hanna Flint . and Mark Duell . A Game of Thrones actor was today slammed by women for his bad train etiquette after being caught taking up too much space on the London Underground. Richard Madden, 27, was photographed on the Bakerloo line and the image was uploaded to the Men Taking Up Too Much Space On The Train website, where a user called for him to be 'castrated'. The commenter reportedly wrote: 'Castrate him. Maybe it would free up some of the space his c*** is desperately trying to take up.' The Men Taking Up Too Much Space On The . Train website exposes a world of sexual politics that will strike a . chord with anyone who has suffered at the hands of bad etiquette on . public transport. Slammed: Game Of Thrones star Richard Madden was accused of taking up too much space on the Tube . King of the Tube: One user reportedly called for the actor's castration for the so-called bad train etiquette . Comments: The Men Taking Up Too Much Space On The Train website exposes a world of sexual politics that will strike a chord with anyone who has suffered at the hands of bad etiquette on public transport . Dozens of other men have been shamed . on the Tumblr website, which has many other funny pictures posted by . users of anyone they believe is being disrespectful to fellow . passengers. Even former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith . waded into the row last night, saying: 'Apparently the excuse . that was given here was that it can be uncomfortable for men to put . their legs together.' She told Sky News: 'I'm surprised he isn't taking any abuse from that poor guy sitting next to him who hasn't got any room.' One user of the website said: 'Oh, look who it is. Richard, why are your legs so d*** far apart?'. It was a common theme to . reference his Game Of Thrones character, Robb Stark, who was Lord of . Winterfell and later King in the North in the HBO fantasy drama. Trend: These two pictures are also from the Men Taking Up Too Much Space On The Train Tumblr website . Not right? Dozens of other men have been shamed on the Tumblr website, which has many other funny pictures posted by users of anyone they believe is being disrespectful to fellow passengers . Moving on: Since leaving the HBO series, Richard was last seen promoting new film A Promise with Alan Rickman and Rebecca Hall . 'Oh man, Robb Stark is a subway leg-spreader?! Maybe the Red Wedding was justified after all…' wrote another blogger. Couple: He is dating Doctor Who star Jenna Coleman . However some people confused Richard Madden for . co-star Kit Harrington, who plays his half-brother on the show, with one saying: . 'You know nothing about Tube etiquette, Jon Snow'. But there were many comments in support of Madden, with some bloggers saying he was not actually taking up too much space, and as the 'King of the North' he was more than entitled to. 'Hey now. Robb Stark is the King of the North. He can take up as much space as he likes. When you play the game of underground seating you either win or die,' one user stated. Another became more passionate in defence of Madden, saying: 'I hope someone just found this picture on the internet and submitted it because if you saw Richard F****** Madden on the train and took a picture because he was taking up too much room, what are you even doing?' Since being uploaded on June 5, the image has received 520 notes by Tumblr users. Richard - who is dating Doctor Who star Jenna Coleman - has thrown himself into film work since his time on Game Of Thrones came to an end. He was last seen promoting A Promise with co-stars Rebecca Hall and Alan Rickman at Venice Film Festival. Madden's representative did not immediately respond to a MailOnline request for comment.", "A new ice cream that promises to get your taste buds tingling and spice up not only your palate, but also your love life, has been created. The new carrot and cardamom flavour ice cream is pumped full of aphrodisiac ingredients, which is well-known for its ability to increase sexual desire. Award-winning ice cream producer Yummy Yorkshire has joined forces with food producer Puckett’s Pickles to create the sweet treat, which combines swirls of both eastern and western flavours for a taste of 'pure seduction', promise the makers. Scream for ice cream: Cafe manager Laura Dodson, . 18, tastes the carrot and cardamom aphrodisiac ice-cream, which the . Yummy Yorkshire Ice Cream Company has created for Valentine's Day . The key ingredient is aromatic spice cardamom, which is deemed to be a powerful aphrodisiac in certain cultures, as well as having a number of health benefits. Sarah Puckett, founder of Puckett’s Pickles, said: 'It was great fun working with Yummy Yorkshire and seeing my chutneys being made into ice cream. Who would have thought you could combine the two! 'And my goodness, the resulting ice cream tastes so delicious. If you take into consideration the additional health benefits of cardamom in treating things like respiratory allergies, digestive problems and even depression, it surely makes it one of Yummy Yorkshire’s most medicinal flavours ever. 'There’s no need to feel guilty indulging in this one'. Spice up your life: The key ingredient is aromatic spice cardamom, which is deemed to be a powerful aphrodisiac in certain cultures . In the run up to Valentine’s Day, Yummy Yorkshire is also debuting a sweet almond ice cream, a fiery chocolate and chilli ice cream and a spicy-sweet honey and ginger. Their long-standing award-winning basil flavour will also make a reappearance on their menu. All flavours have gone on sale at Yummy Yorkshire’s ice cream parlous in Huddersfield, West Yorks, and are also available for restaurants, delis, farm shops and independent retailers to order. Powerful: Cardamom claims to help in treating things like respiratory allergies, digestive problems and even depression . Yummy Yorkshire co-founder Louise Holmes, who is responsible for the new flavours, said: 'We believe that Valentine’s Day is perfect for bringing people together to share intimate moments and what better way to do that than with some decadent ice cream. 'We’re sure that one of our five aphrodisiac flavours will appeal to ice cream aficionados and lovers everywhere this Valentine’s Day. 'But, if these are too adventurous, there’s always good old chocolate or double chocolate fudge brownie to indulge in.' Cardamom is deemed a powerful aphrodisiac, as well as a cure for impotence . It is high in cineole, which can increase blood flow in areas where it is applied . Green cardamom has been used for years in South Asia to treat infections in teeth and gums, as well as to prevent and treat throat problems and digestive disorders . It has also been used to break up kidney and gall stones . It was even reportedly used as an antidote for snake and scorpion venom . It has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat stomach discomfort and constipation .", "By . Sarah Griffiths . PUBLISHED: . 05:55 EST, 27 January 2014 . | . UPDATED: . 09:44 EST, 27 January 2014 . Most people would love to take a tour of a coral reef or speed past fish on holiday, but snorkelling can be slow and difficult to master. Now a Norwegian sailing fanatic has found a new way to travel underwater with the agility and grace of a dolphin. Simon Sivertsen has created a clever device with two wings that is towed along by a boat to enable a person to be pulled along underwater while twisting, turning and performing acrobatics. A Norwegian sailing fanatic has found a new way to travel underwater with the agility and grace of a dolphin . The Subwing consists of two separate wings connected in a rotatable swivel. By grabbing the grip on each wing, it can easily be controlled in all directions. Users can tilt both wings downwards to dive, and upwards to resurface. If attempting a roll, a person twists the wings in opposite directions. The company says that controlling the Subwing is easy to learn and comes naturally to many first- timers. For more experienced SUBWING users, a single hand grip is mounted between the wings at the rear. This grip is designed to be used when equalising ear pressure and when one hand is needed. The device must be towed behind a boat. Water is about 800 times denser than air and therefore high speeds are not necessary to achieve what feels like a fast speed under water. The company recommends a towing speed around 2-4 knots, (2.3mph to 4.6mph) which can be achieved by a boat with a small motor. The 20-year-old came up with the idea for Subwing in 2010 during a sailing trip to the Mediterranean. The device is attached to a boat by Dyneema rope - the world's strongest rope – and features two wings which can be rotated individually to control movement. By twisting them in certain ways, users can perform acrobatics, including spinning. By holding onto these wings the user is pulled along at anything from two to four knots, (2.3mph to 4.6mph with a scuba mask being the only other piece of gear required to create a sense of underwater flying. A deep breath is needed but Subwing users . can surface for breath when they like and manoeuvre the device by . pointing its wings in the direction in which they wish to travel. Because of the way the ropes are attached . to the wings, a force balance between the user and the tow ropes is . created, which reduces the energy required to operate the device and . allows divers to hold their breath for longer, the company said. The Subwing (pictured) has two wings and is connected by a flexible component that allows the device to be twisted so that users can steer and perform tricks . The device costs $490 for the basic model, with the ultimate 'carbon glossy' version priced at $895 . Beginners will typically spend between 10 and 15 seconds underwater at a time, diving to around three metres - but with more training and practice users can go much deeper and for longer. The carbon wings' hollow design and foam . filling allows the Subwing to float when it is not being towed some 10 . to 12 metres behind a speed boat. Simon Sivertsen (pictured) has created a clever device with two wings that is towed along by a boat to enable a person to be pulled along underwater while twisting, turning and performing acrobatics . The device costs $490 for the basic model, with the ultimate ‘carbon glossy’ version priced at $895. There are a number of accessories that can be attached to the wing, including a lighting system for dark waters and a GoPro camera mount to let divers capture their experience on film. The device (pictured) is attached to a boat by Dyneema rope - the world's strongest rope - and features two wings which can be rotated individually to control movement. By twisting them in certain ways, users can perform acrobatics, including spinning . The 20-year-old came up with the idea for Subwing (pictured) in 2010 during a sailing trip to the Mediterranean . Mr Sivertsen conceived the idea on a sailing trip when he was 18. ‘When sailing through the Greek islands, I was astounded by the clarity of the water, it almost felt like flying when diving, just missing the speed and thrill,’ he write on the company’s website. ‘The first ideas of an underwater wing, towed behind a boat, started emerging deep in the right hemisphere of my brain. A deep breath is needed but Subwing users can surface for breath when they like and manoeuvre the device by pointing its wings in the direction in which they wish to travel . He first tested his idea with a piece of driftwood and a water ski rope. ‘The idea worked and I was able to control the up/downward moment without too much effort. But it was far from perfect and felt somewhat static, like a 2D videogame, it was missing a third dimension,’ he said. The idea evolved into a design with two separate wings connected with a twistable joint and after a number of DIY prototypes made from items from a hardware shop in Italy, he knew the idea could be turned into a  product and put the sailing trip on hold to create the product. Beginners will typically spend between 10 and 15 seconds underwater at a time, diving to around three metres - but with more training and practice users can go much deeper and for longer (pictured) Because of the way the ropes are attached to the wings, a force balance between the user and the tow ropes is created, which reduces the energy required to operate the device and allows divers to hold their breath for longer .", "iPhone trolls are using AirDrop to send images of a Space Sloth to strangers around the world . A photograph of a sloth in a spacesuit is being sent to unsuspecting iPhone users by pranksters who are exploiting a security loophole in Apple's AirDrop service. Owners of Apple's iPhone who have upgraded to its latest iOS 8 software have reported receiving the photograph, known as 'Astronaut Slot or 'Space Sloth'. A photographer and writer based in San Francisco is thought to have been the first to have used this to send unsolicited pictures of the Astronaut sloth to commuters while travelling to work by train. Josh Lowensohn said he began trolling strangers on the train with the image, which was created by artist Pedro Dionisio, to highlight the dangers of allowing an iPhone to receive files from anyone in the surrounding area. The practice takes advantage of a security feature in Apple's AirDrop service, which allows users to share files wirelessly over WiFi and Bluetooth networks. After upgrading the operating software, iPhones and iPads can be set to receive files from 'everyone' in the surrounding area. It is thought to work within a range of around 30 feet. But now it appears his prank has been adopted by others and is spreading around the world, with victims reporting being sent the image by AirDrop in London and New York. Mr Lowensohn, who began trolling commuters in San Fransisco a year ago, insists he is not responsible for the appearance of the AstroSloth on iPhones in other cities as he has been 'landlocked' in California. When contacted about the image appearing on phones in London, from iPhone users called AirSloth', he described the spread as both 'wonderful and terrible'. The Space Sloth began appearing on the internet in February 2012 after an artist called Pedro Dionisio posted the image on the website deviantArt and Tumblr. Within just a few months the image had been shared millions of times and had its own spoof twitter account and Facebook fan pages. It gained notoriety as people began using the image to play pranks on friends and colleagues by using it to replace pictures in frames on their desks or setting it as their desktop picture. The picture was created by superimposing a sloth's head over the face of an astronaut. While many nicknamed the sloth Neil Armsloth, the spacesuit actually belongs to one of the crew who took part in the mission to the International Space Station STS-121 in 2003. It is believed the photograph originally used to create the image was a portrait of US astronaut Mike Fossum. He said: 'I certainly didn't invent the concept of sending strangers unsolicited files using AirDrop, but I'd like to think that I'm doing it in a way that's more fun than malicious. 'You could send much worse things, which I'm not so sure was well known by most people. 'When I first started exploring this, artist Pedro Dionísio's sloth in a spacesuit seemed like a perfect fit: it was playful and disarming. 'You could easily argue that this is not a nice thing to do to people, but I'd like to think that by leaving the feature set to \"everyone,\" you're secretly hoping to see a sloth.' While the picture of the sloth in the space suit is harmless - it originally started being shared over the internet in 2012 after artist Pedro Dionísio uploaded it to his deviantArt account - it highlights an important security loophole in the iPhone. By allowing iPhone users to send unsolicited files to anyone with this setting turned on, it could allow hackers to install virus software that could allow them to eavesdrop or even take over devices. In September Apple also extended its AirDrop service to include MacBooks and iMacs, meaning the number of devices that could be vulnerable are even greater. For many the Astronaut Sloth may be simply an amusing way of trolling strangers to see their reaction upon receiving the photo. It is a new twist on a prank that began in 2012 when people began replacing desktop images and screen savers of friends and colleagues with the picture. Technology writer Harry McCracken is among those to have been targeted by the AirSloth prank, sent from an AirDrop user who apparently shares his name with notorious American murder and gangster Whitey Bulger . The Space Sloth has developed its own dedicated online followers with fan pages and its own twitter feed . The image quickly became a meme of its own as people replaced the heads of humans from other historic images and pictures. The image even began appearing on T-Shirts, coffee mugs and bags. Among those to have received the sloth picture over AirDrop is Harry McCracken, former editor in chief of PC World magazine and technology editor of New York based magazine Fast Company. Other victims have reported being sent the space sloth in Kensington, London, an AirDrop user identifying themselves only as Sloth's 'iPhone'. For Mr Lowensohn, the thrill of watching the reactions of his fellow commuters while keeping a straight face, saw him troll stranger after stranger. Writing on the website The Verge, he said: 'I've done it perhaps a hundred times, and the thrill has not waned one little bit. 'I've seen reactions that range from amused to confused, but never has anyone been visibly angered. 'The beauty of the technology is that your targets can be far away by the time you've done the deed.' Apple's AirDrop allows iPhone users to send pictures and files to other Apple devices over WiFi and Bluetooth networks but those who leave the service set to receive from 'Everyone' (right) are vulnerable to hackers .", "By . Jonathan O'Callaghan . Colin Furze - the eccentric inventor behind the X-men Wolverine claws, magnetic shoes, flamethrower and more - is at it again. This time, he’s developed a machine to replicate the sound a fart makes, and pointed it towards France from Dover. A valveless pulsejet was used to create the incredibly loud sound, which apparently was heard by two people in Calais - 26 miles (42km) away across the English Channel. Scroll down for video . 34 year-old Colin Furze from Lincolnshire has unveiled his latest creation. Using a pulse jet engine he created a contraption (shown) that was heard in France . A pulse jet engine is a type of engine in which the combustion happens in loud pulses and is fired by jets. They can be made with few or no moving parts and can ignite a mixture of air with the majority of fuels available. Pulse jets are more commonly used in drones, for flying control line and . radio-controlled aircraft as well as industrial drying and home heating . equipment. The engines convert fuel into heat, making them perfect for boilers, for example. Boeing . has a proprietary pulse jet engine technology called Pulse Ejector . Thrust Augmentor (PETA), and plans to use pulse jet engines to lift . military and commercial aircraft vertically from a standing position. In the video 34-year-old Furze and a crowd of fans gather to watch the device in action. The father-of-one ignites the gas inside the jet which begins the combustion process inside the jet. This creates a noise that Furze says ‘kind of sounds like a fart from a distance.’ He them calls up people in Calais to see if they heard the noise - which they apparently did. The device used in the video is a valveless pulse jet. A pulse jet engine is a lightweight form of jet propulsion. Within a pipe it allows combustion to occur in pulses with little or not input from the user. Furze directed his machine to Calais from Dover - a distance of 26 miles (shown). And after calling people in Calais he found that the sound had been heard . The device used in the video is a valveless pulse jet, seen here being used by Furze in a previous test. A pulse jet engine is a lightweight form of jet propulsion. Within a pipe it allows combustion to occur in pulses with little or not input from the user aside from fuel . Furze created the valveless pulse jet by making a U-shaped pipe that has fuel pumped directly in a combustion chamber. Once the fuel is ignited the engine roars to life. ‘The pulse jet is a wonderful thing, its simplicity is its best strength,’ Furze writes on his website. ‘As an engine it’s not great as most of the energy is wasted on heat and noise but for this task it’s that noise we need.’ Furze said his pulse jet was one of the largest that has been built. In a previous video he shows how he built and tested the engine for the stunt. This latest milestone follows some of his other crazy inventions such as Wolverine's claws from X-Men and magnetic shoes that let the wearer walk on the ceiling.", "By . Victoria Woollaston and Ellie Zolfagharifard . PUBLISHED: . 06:03 EST, 19 August 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 04:29 EST, 22 August 2013 . The next iPhone will come in gold, according to the latest Apple rumours. Techcrunch columnist MG Siegler said he has heard by 'multiple sources' there will be a gold iPhone 5S. A gold option had first been suggested in May when leaked parts of the new iPhone were shown to be markedly different from those in the current model. The iPhone is currently only available in black and white. While the current iPhone only comes in black and silver, companies such as AnoStyle can customise your iPhone to look gold (pictured) Anastyle uses a chemical process called anodisation that creates the desired colour change. Gold is currently one of the most popular after-market colour adjustments for iPhones . The parts included the loud-speaker . bracket, ear speaker bracket, vibrating motor assembly, Wi-Fi flex cable . ribbon and SIM card tray - which were in both silver and gold. Last week Rene Ritchie from iMore outlined why a gold iPhone could be a good move for Apple. According to iMore’s Ally Kazmucha, making a gold iPhone is much simpler than making one that is black because it’s an easier colour to anodise. The process involves a straightforward chemical reaction, with the possible addition of dye depending on the exact colour needed. Gold is also one of the most popular after-market colour adjustments for current iPhones, including gold cases. The SIM card trays appear to show handsets being made in multiple colours - including silver and gold . ‘Given how popular gold is as an aftermarket option for colour-treatments, and how many gold cases there are - including but certainly not limited to the Asian markets - it could simply be the decision to offer supply where there's demand,’ said Mr Ritchie. MG Siegler from Techcrunch believes that the colour could be more champagne than gold, similar to the old gold iPod mini. However, he also notes, that this model of the iPod was the shortest-lived. The new generation iPhone expected to be launched on September 10 will run new software iOS 7 and possibly include a finger-print scanner . Apple is set to officially unveil the new generation iPhone at an event next month, insiders say. It is believed the event, allegedly . on September 10, will see the launch of the upcoming iPhone 5S and . possibly also a rumoured iPhone 5C 'low-cost' device. Last week, Japanese website believes it has confirmation that the successor to iPhone 5 will be called the . iPhone 5S, and that Apple’s rumoured low-cost iPhone . will be known as the iPhone 5C. The website Macotakara said that its 'sources in Asia' have confirmed the names, which have long been under speculation. The C in the iPhone 5C is thought to stand for 'colour' which could suggest that the phone will come in a range of colours, rather than the standard black and white options. Other rumoured updates on the new iPhone 5S include an slow-motion camera and a fingerprint sensor since a string of code in the latest release of its latest iOS7 Software implied a scanner function. It has been rumoured that Apple will launch a low-cost device, the plastic-case Iphone 5C, to target mid- and emerging markets . The code describes a user touching the . Home button with their thumb. A fingerprint then appears on the screen, . that changes colour - presumably to signify a match - and the . 'recognition is complete'. More . code discovered in iOS 7 suggests phones running the software will be . able to record video at a rate of 120 frames-per-second (FPS) rather . than around 30 frames per second. This is fast enough to allow iPhone users to create slow-motion films. The iOS 7 software also lets users swipe between menus, select apps and control the device's screen using just head movements. A string of developer code discovered in the fourth beta release of Apple's iOS 7 software, pictured, gives the strongest indication to date that either the iPhone 5S or the iPhone 6 could have a fingerprint scanner . When the Switch Control feature is enabled, it will scroll through and highlight different onscreen sections - including individual menus and apps. When the required section is highlighted, users can move their head to the left to select it. Other new features include Night Mode in Maps that responds to ambient light when you use it in the dark. The new iOS7 software for iPhone includes a radical redesign of menus and icons as well as improved notifications and better photo-organising abilities. A niche gadget designer has created . the world's most expensive iPhone 5 from gold, white diamonds and a rare . £9million black diamond. Craftsman Stuart Hughes created a 24-carat gold smartphone with an Apple logo encrusted with 53 sparkling jewells. The phone is now worth £10million. Mr Hughes, who develops 'exclusive, . elite gadgets', was approached by a mysterious businessman from Hong . Kong who he refers to as 'Joe'. The . unidentified millionaire travelled to Liverpool to meet the niche . designer with a rare 26 carat black diamond that forms the centrepiece. The hand-crafted iPhone 5 is encrusted . with a jaw-dropping 600 white diamonds and the sapphire glass screen . contains 135 grams of 24-carat gold. This one of a kind solid gold, black diamond encrusted iPhone 5 is said to be the most expensive in the world ." ]

[ "Sarajevo" ]

[ "capital", "Turkish", "Turkish Empire", "a capital city", "capital/capitol", "Topkapi Palace", "the Winter Palace", "Capital building", "palazzos (or palaces)", "capitalism", "Greek & Turkish", "Turkish delight", "Caesars (Palace)", "capitals", "the Crystal Palace", "Zagreb", "name", "a Turkish bath", "the national capital", "names", "the Imperial Palace", "\"The Capital Gang\"", "the Uffizi Palace", "the Turkish Angora", "Capital Cities", "Type in capitals", "Belgrade", "the Bosporus", "Capital One", "No Name", "the Balkans", "Basra" ]

[ "Robert Ashley, a restlessly innovative American composer, died at his home in New York March 3 from complications of cirrhosis of the liver. NPR confirmed the composer's death through his wife and manager Mimi Johnson. Ashley was 83. Although not a household name, Ashley blazed an individual path in opera throughout his career, which spanned five decades. Far from resembling any traditional form of opera, Ashley's works are constructed of intricate speech-song recitations on a vast array of topics — from Renaissance consciousness to The Wall Street Journal. He composed his operas not for the stage, but for television — a foreshadowing, of sorts, of MTV. \"I put my pieces in television format because I believe that's really the only possibility for music,\" the composer told author Kyle Gann in his recent biography of Ashley. The American tradition, Ashley said, is not tied to the great opera houses of Europe: \"La Scala's architecture doesn't mean anything to us. We don't go there. We stay at home and watch television.\" Among Ashley's more notable operatic experiments were The Park and The Backyard, episodes from his first TV opera Perfect Lives (1977-80), itself a panel in a large trilogy tracing the consciousness movement in America and commissioned by the Kitchen in New York. His evocative and enigmatic lines, in deadpan recitation over electronic drones and Indian tabla drums, gave the music a timeless and improvisatory feel. The recording became something of a cult hit among Ashley insiders and at some more adventuresome college radio stations. A sample from almost any moment in the two 20-minute works includes seemingly odd but ultimately memorable lines such as, \"Fourteen dollars and twenty-eight cents is more attractive than fourteen dollars because of the twenty-eight. No one likes or dislikes zeros.\" (In my days as a radio producer in Ann Arbor, Mich. in the early 1980s, Robert Ashley fans identified themselves by reciting one of his colorful lines like \"The feeling of the idea of silk scarves in the air\" then waiting for an equally esoteric response.) Ashley was born March 28, 1930 in Ann Arbor and graduated with a degree in music theory from the University of Michigan. He worked at the University's Speech Research Laboratories before organizing the ONCE festival of contemporary performing arts in the early 1960s and the resulting music theater ensemble called the ONCE Group. In 1969, Ashley was named as the director of the Center for Contemporary Music at Mills College where he created the first public access music and media facility. For ten years, beginning in the mid-1960s, Ashley toured with the experimental Sonic Arts Union, which included composers Alvin Lucier and Gordon Mumma. In 1984, the BBC televised Ashley's complete Perfect Lives in seven half-hour episodes. It's since been seen in Austria, Germany, Spain and the U.S. Along with some 17 operas, Ashley wrote film scores, chamber music of all stripes, works for tape, for solo piano and free-thinking pieces like Night Sport, for \"improvising voice and various distractions.\" Although his music was performed around the world, Ashley always seemed to be a composer on the fringe, one rarely recognized for his brilliance and humor, and often either misunderstood or outright ignored. \"And let it be set down, Bob was one of the most amazing composers of the 20th century, and the greatest genius of 20th-century opera,\" Gann writes on his blog. \"I don't know how long it's going to take the world to recognize that. And it hardly matters. He knew it. That the world was too stupid to keep up was not his problem.\" The world premiere of Ashley's final opera, Crash, will be performed along with two of the composer's other works at the 2014 Whitney Biennial in New York April 10-13. AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: Does this sound like opera to you? (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Segue to a firm voice that says: That was cuckoo. (Unintelligible) for thought. This little incident at the radio... CORNISH: This is music from Robert Ashley, who died earlier this week. He came up with a new recipe for opera that mixed technology and theater in ways no one had tried before. Joining us now is NPR Music's Tom Huizenga. He's written about Ashley on our classical music blog, Deceptive Cadence. Hey, there, Tom. TOM HUIZENGA, BYLINE: Hey, Audie. CORNISH: So, first, help us understand: Who was Robert Ashley? HUIZENGA: Well, until the late 1970s, when he kind of reinvented opera, he was a run-of-the-mill avant-gardist. I mean, he was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1930. He studied at the university there, and a little bit in Manhattan, did a stint in the Army. His first little laboratory was a speech research institute at the university. He got interested in electronic music. He was a teacher at Mills College. And then, in 1977, kind of the operatic light bulb went off for him, and it was a huge turning point for him, and for opera. CORNISH: Now, what did he do that was " ]

[ "Do you remember the pop song \"I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That),\" a '90s hit by Meat Loaf? The song's title, with its love-struck message, could easily sum up the plotline of Mozart's opera La Clemenza di Tito — if you get rid of \"(But I Won't Do That).\" The opera's lusty story, set in ancient Rome, features one character who really will do anything to bolster his love life, and another who's more than willing to egg him on. Sesto is a young man in love. Vitellia, the object of his desire, takes full advantage. She's determined to marry Tito, the emperor — so determined that when Tito chooses another woman, Vitellia persuades Sesto to burn down the entire city of Rome, hoping the emperor will be roasted alive in the process. The scheme almost works, but not quite. Tito survives, then lives up to his reputation for kindness and benevolence when he learns of the plot and pardons the would-be assassins. Mozart composed La Clemenza di Tito for festivities surrounding the coronation of a new Bohemian king. The ceremony was scheduled for Sept. 6, 1791 — just three months before Mozart's death. The composer got the commission at the last minute and wrote the opera in a whirlwind of activity, even farming out some of its recitatives to an assistant. He took the libretto from the work of Pietro Metastasio, a prolific librettist who had written Clemenza about 60 years earlier. The story of a wise and kindhearted emperor was the perfect vehicle to honor a newly minted monarch. Metastasio's libretto had already been set by more than 40 composers. When Mozart got ahold of it, he, in his own words, \"reduced it to a proper opera.\" In other words, he made it a lot shorter. Mozart also did something else at least as significant. The aging text pretty much demanded the time-worn dramatic structure of opera seria. Still, despite a libretto and format that were decidedly long in the tooth, the resulting opera is mature Mozart at its finest, shot through with startling innovations and stunning beauty. It turned out to be the last opera he would compose. On World of Opera, host Lisa Simeone presents La Clemenza di Tito from the 2011 Aix-en-Provence Festival. Tenor Gregory Kunde sings the title role, with mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly and soprano Carmen Giannattasio as Sesto and Vitellia. The production also features the London Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Colin Davis. See the previous edition of World of Opera or the full archive.", "Gustav Mahler died 97 years ago today — May 18, 1911. Today, he's known primarily as a composer, but in his time, Mahler was revered as one of the great conductors, especially of opera. Mahler worked his way up from provincial summer opera theaters in Bohemia to become the music director of two of the greatest opera companies in the world: the Vienna State Opera and the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. For all his expertise as a composer and an opera conductor, it's surprising that Mahler never wrote an opera of his own. Classical-music commentator Robert Greenberg says that, depending on how you look at it, Mahler did write operas. The Symphony as Opera \"I think for Mahler,\" Greenberg says, \"his symphonies were his operas, his all-inclusive artworks.\" Greenberg says that Mahler thought his massive symphonies had as much dramatic punch as anyone's opera. They tell wonderful stories from beginning to end, and many of them use solo singers and choruses. Mahler was an accomplished composer of songs, and some of the melodies from those songs ended up as instrumental passages in his nine numbered symphonies. A good example is \"Ging heut' morgens übers Feld,\" from a cycle of songs about a lover's rejection called Songs of a Wayfarer (Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen). Greenberg explains that a few years after Mahler wrote the song, the melody (without the words) ended up as the opening theme of his first symphony. \"In Mahler's own ear, the same moods of natural beauty, tinged by the bitter pain of rejection, existed in the first symphony, as well. Without the words, it's still the same music, and it represents the same mood.\" Number Nine, Number Nine ... The number nine, for the superstitious Mahler, was a number to be feared when it came to writing symphonies. Beethoven, Bruckner, Dvorak and Schubert all died after composing their ninth symphonies. Greenberg says Mahler cooked up his own plan. \"He wrote eight numbered symphonies, and then he wrote this piece that was called, initially, Symphony No. 9 — a song cycle for two singers and a full orchestra. However, he decided not to call it the ninth symphony, and not bring the curse down upon his head. So he called it Das Lied von der Erde instead. Then he composed his ninth symphony and he thought he had cheated God. He started writing his tenth and died.\" Mahler was only 50 when he died. Those who admire his writing for voice wonder whether, had he lived longer, he might have finally been tempted to compose an opera. Greenberg says he doesn't think so. \"I don't think he felt the compelling need to write an opera. He made this very famous statement at one point: 'The symphony is the world; it must contain everything.' Having said that, it contains opera, as well as the symphony, for him. So no — I feel his symphonies really were his all-inclusive artworks.\" LIANE HANSEN, host: Gustav Mahler died 97 years ago today - May 18, 1911. Known as a great composer, he was also one of the finest conductors of his time and one of the greatest opera conductors of all time. He worked himself up from provincial summer opera theaters in Bohemia to become conductor of two of the top opera companies on the planet - the Vienna Court Opera and the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. You could also that Mahler was the best opera composer never to have actually written a single opera. Here to discuss what may or may not be a paradox about Mahler almost a century after his death is WEEKEND EDITION's classical music commentator Robert Greenberg. Nice to talk to you again. ROBERT GREENBERG: Great to be back. HANSEN: Okay. That paradox: a great opera composer who never composed a single opera. What's up? Why not? GREENBERG: I think for Mahler his symphonies were his operas, his all-inclusive artworks. Mahler, as you mentioned, was a great conductor of opera, he was also a great composer for the voice. He composed over 50 songs for the voice, many of them, most of them, originally for piano and voice but then he orchestrated many of these. And then, of course, he wrote nine numbered symphonies - began a tenth symphony, and then a wonderful piece for orchestra and voices called \"Das Lied von der Erde\" - \"A Song of the Earth.\" You know, if we had him sitting here with us right now and if he would deign to talk to us, because he was a thorny character. He might simply walk out in disgust. But if we said, Gustav, buddy, why didn't you write any operas and do you plan any? He'd said, of course I'm not going to write any operas. I don't need to write any operas. My symphonies are my operas. (Soundbite of music) Unidentified Man: (Singing) (Foreign language spoken) GREENBERG: My symphonies tell these wonderful stories. Many of my symphonies use voices. (Soundbite of music) Unidentified Man: (Singing) (Foreign language spoken) GREENBERG: Many other of my symphonies employ melodies originally composed for my songs. (Soundbite of music) Unidentified Man: (Singing) ", "Robert Ward, the American composer who won the Pulitzer Prize for bringing Arthur Miller's play The Crucible to the opera stage, died early Wednesday of natural causes. The composer, who was also a National Endowment for the Arts Opera Honoree, was 95 years old. He had been living independently until early this year in a retirement home in Durham, N.C., according to his son Mark Ward, the assistant principal cellist of the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, who confirmed the death to NPR Music. Born in Cleveland in 1917, the elder Ward was an Army bandmaster in the Pacific theater during World War II. His Second Symphony was commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra and premiered three years after the end of the war. A onetime student of Aaron Copland at Tanglewood, he was trained at the Eastman and Juilliard schools. Ward went on to a distinguished academic career that included a decade of teaching composition at Juilliard, five years as president of the North Carolina School of the Arts and a decade as a professor at Duke University. In October 2011, Ward was a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Opera Honors in an event hosted by NPR's Nina Totenberg in Washington; the NEA cited in particular Ward's \"concern for social and political issues of the times as well as his interpretation of American idealism.\" In the 1950's and 60's, Ward was also awarded three Guggenheim Fellowships for his work. In addition to composing seven symphonies, eight operas and a range of instrumental and choral works written in an open, accessible style, he also served as an executive at the classical music publisher Galaxy Music Corporation. Mark Ward recalled to NPR Music the encouragement his father gave him and his four siblings, who include Melinda Ward, senior vice president for content at Public Radio International. \"He was great because he allowed us and made it possible for us to follow our dreams,\" said the younger Ward. \"He told all of his kids we need good people in arts management, and we need people who know it from the inside.\" Opera composer Michael Ching, the music director of Nickel City Opera in Buffalo, N.Y., studied with Ward at Duke and described him as \"a great teacher and colleague. His best lesson about opera to me was if you can't play it and sing it, think carefully before you write it,\" noted Ching. \"For my senior project at Duke, he let me write a one-act opera, which we made into a small production the semester after I graduated. He made me play and sing it and anything I couldn't play or sing — at the same time, mind you — got cut from the show.\" Ward's opera The Crucible, with a libretto adapted by Bernard Stambler, was commissioned by New York City Opera and has been mounted frequently since its 1961 premiere, including a 50th-anniversary production at Sarasota Opera in Florida in 2011. \"Physically, I'm 93, so I don't feel quite as active as I was then,\" Ward told an interviewer for the Sarasota Opera. \"But, in terms of the opera [The Crucible], it's got staying power. It keeps being produced, and now all over the world. And I think it's the political thing which it holds for many countries in the world at this point. And so I'm naturally very happy about that because that was what attracted us to it, this powerful story.\" And that story changed his family's life. \"I was in the 8th or 9th grade and came home from school,\" Mark Ward recalled about one particular day in 1962. \"My parents were in the kitchen drinking champagne. I said, 'What's going on here?' That's how I found out he won the Pulitzer Prize.\"", "Julia Roberts is 41 years old, and here's a look at her new movie. On March 6, Newsweek asked, in anticipation of the opening of Duplicity, \"Is Julia Roberts' Box-Office Reign Over?\", and declared her \"Hollywood ancient.\" And so, again, we find ourselves embroiled in a debate about age and women, money and Hollywood, and -- oh, yes -- jokes about support hose, because really, what's fresher than that? Of course, Newsweek didn't say they think she's too old; it simply said Hollywood thinks she's too old. It's the \"some people say\" brand of little dig: \"We're not saying anything; we're just saying.\" Traditionally, of course, there's plenty of truth in the bruising realities faced by actresses over 40. But there are other questions about that piece that need asking. Being on a first-name basis, the irrelevance of Ashley Judd, and much more, after the jump... Read More >> Why is she called \"Julia\" throughout, as if she is our pet kittycat and not someone who has generated billions of dollars in revenue and -- let's not forget -- three Oscar nominations, one of which resulted in a win? When was the multiplex not dominated by \"dude movies\"? Most of all, how on earth did the massive, female-dominated audiences for Sex And The City and He's Just Not That Into You translate into bad news, based on the positively contortionist logic stating that it has apparently become harder to get men to see \"chick flicks\" than it was before? Isn't it more logical that the money made by those movies on the strength of female audiences is good news for a sexy verbal rat-a-tat movie starring Julia Roberts and the magically delicious Clive Owen? In the E! comparisons of Roberts to other actresses, problems abound. The career of Naomi Watts has absolutely nothing to do with Julia Roberts. Halle Berry is certainly not Julia Roberts. Ashley Judd? Ashley Judd isn't even Julia Stiles. The problem with making predictions about whether Julia Roberts is \"too old\" is that there is simply nothing to use for guidance. As soon as you read the list of actresses to whom she's being compared, you realize it: None of those women are Julia Roberts. That doesn't mean they are lesser actresses or lesser performers than Julia Roberts; it means they do not exist in the same cultural space. Some of them can be thrown out because they have been primarily marketed to men, not women -- Demi Moore and Halle Berry, to name the most glaring examples. Some have rarely played leads. Some make mostly bad movies. Most haven't made enough movies since they turned 40 to make the data meaningful. There are plenty of valid reasons not to like Julia Roberts. I haven't Googled \"Julia Roberts\" and \"great big teeth,\" but I'm guessing it is a fruitful exercise in skeptic-locating. But the pre-writing of her cinematic obituary because nobody watched Ashley Judd as the third lead in Crossing Over (which opened in limited release at the end of February and appears to be the only movie Ashley Judd has been in since turning 40), or because Sandra Bullock as Harper Lee in Infamous made less money than Sandra Bullock in Speed is a lot of hocus-pocus. There's never been Julia Roberts at 41 at this particular moment in pop-culture history before. Perhaps she's past her prime, and perhaps she's not. But I wouldn't break out the support hose just yet.", "Denyce Graves and Eric Greene star as Margaret and Robert Garner in Opera Carolina's production of Margaret Garner. The opera is based on the real-life story of a fugitive slave in pre-Civil War America who would rather die than return to slavery. The music is by Richard Danielpour with a libretto by Toni Morrison. Denyce Graves Mezzo-soprano (Margaret) American mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves created the title role in Margaret Garner at the opera's world premiere in Detroit in 2005. The role was composed especially for her by Richard Danielpour. Recognized worldwide as one of today's most exciting opera singers, Graves continues to inspire popular and critical acclaim for her performances in a wide variety of roles. Graves has become particularly well-known for her portrayals of the title roles in Bizet's Carmen and Saint-Saens' Samson et Dalila. Those signature roles have brought Graves to opera companies around the world, including the Metropolitan Opera, Vienna Staatsoper, Royal Opera Covent Garden, San Francisco Opera, Opéra National de Paris, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Washington National Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper and the Arena di Verona. She has also embraced less traditional roles, singing Judith in Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle, Baba the Turk in Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress, the High Priestess in Spontini's La Vestale, and Dulcinée in Massenet's Don Quichotte. Graves gave a series of appearances in response to the tragic events in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pa. on September 11, 2001. She was invited by President Bush to participate in the National Prayer Service in Washington's National Cathedral in which she sang 'America, the Beautiful' and 'The Lord's Prayer.' This event was televised worldwide and was followed by Ms. Graves' appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show in the live musical program Healing through Gospel Music. She was also the subject of an award-winning profile on CBS's 60 Minutes. Eric Greene Bass-Baritone (Robert) American Bass-Baritone Eric Greene has been praised for his fine musicianship and smooth, resonant voice. He created the role of Robert Garner in the world premier of Margaret Garner in Detroit in 2005. Greene's signature roles include Porgy and Jake in Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, Marcello in Puccini's La Boheme, King Melchoir in Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors, the Father in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel and Count Almaviva in Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. Greene has performed in houses around the U.S. including the Baltimore Opera, Seattle Opera, Washington National Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, New York City Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Virginia Opera and the Opera Company of Philadelphia. He made his Los Angeles Opera debut this season in Porgy and Bess. Greene was the winner in the Leonytine Price Vocal Competition in Maryland and the first place winner in Rosa Ponselle's All Marylanders Competition. He also won first place in the NAACP ACT-SO competition, the Maryland State Scholarship in 1992, and was awarded the Gluck Foundation scholarship. Michael Mayes Baritone (Edward Gaines) American Baritone Michael Mayes is acclaimed for his command of the stage and dramatic singing with opera companies across the United States including Madison Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Skylight Opera, Opera Theatre Highland Park, Central City Opera, Union Avenue Opera Theatre, and Fort Worth Opera. The Conroe, Texas native also performed the role of Edward Gaines opposite Denyce Graves in the Philadelphia Opera production of Margaret Garner. His upcoming engagements include the title role in The Barber of Seville with Duluth Festival Opera, Dandini in Rossini's La Cenerentola with Connecticut Opera, and the Father in Opera Company of Philadelphia's production of Hansel and Gretel. A graduate of the University of North Texas, his operatic roles include Wagner in Gounod's Faust, Sciarrone in Puccini's Tosca, Silvio in Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci, Lord Capulet in Gounod's Romeo and Juliet, John Proctor in Robert Ward's The Crucible. Mr. Mayes honors include 3rd place at the Metropolitan National Council Auditions in Chicago, the Entergy Young Texas Artist Competition Vocalist Award, the John Alexander Award, the John Moriarty Award, and advanced division award at the Anton Guadagno Vocal Competition.", "Drummer Max Roach died on August 16, 2007 in New York after a long illness. He was 83. A primary architect of the bebop revolution, Roach was one of the most innovative and influential musicians in jazz. He was also a composer, a bandleader, an activist and a teacher. His transcendent musical contributions also ranged from collaborative works for theater and dance, to his groundbreaking percussion-only ensemble, M’Boom. Roach was born on January 10, 1924 in a poor North Carolina town called New Land. Seeking better opportunities, his parents moved the family to New York City. During the 1930’s, New York was teeming with outstanding bands and musicians, and Roach saw stars like Louis Armstrong, Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington and Jimmie Lunceford on a regular basis. He recalls what powerful role models these great musicians and bandleaders were to the youth of his day. Roach was captivated by the surging rhythms of drummers like Papa Jo Jones, Sid Cattlet and Chick Webb and decided to take up drums in the boy scout marching band. In high school, Roach was gigging at Coney Island sideshows and after hours joints when a club owner recommended him to Duke Ellington, whose drummer had fallen ill. That night, Roach played at the Paramount Theater with the Duke Ellington orchestra. Soon, legendary saxophonists Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young also sought his abilities. Roach made his first professional recording backing Hawkins at age nineteen. He recalls these early experiences with such influential musicians as his \"classroom.\" Roach was attending Manhattan School of Music in the 1940s when he met trumpeter Miles Davis. The two were in awe of virtuoso alto saxophonist, Charlie Parker, who was working with trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie to push harmony, melody and rhythm beyond all limits. Roach and Davis also displayed innovative techniques and were soon invited to work with Parker and Gillespie. These four, along with pianists Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell formed a core of pioneers who developed the styled called bebop. Gillespie commented that, \"Max was the leading delineator of that music. He was one of the originators of the style, like Charlie Parker was the style on the alto saxophone.\" Roach’s style supported experimentation, improvisation and interaction between members of an ensemble. Drummer Kenny Washington said that Roach shifted the emphasis from keeping a simple, steady beat to facilitating a conversation between the drums and cymbals and the other musicians. Roach set the standard for the modern jazz drummer with his melodic approach to rhythm. In the mid-1950s, Roach led a legendary quintet with trumpeter Clifford Brown before a car accident took Brown’s life at the age of 25. Later, Roach turned his attention to the Civil Rights Movement and composed his Freedom Now Suite, which chronicled the African-American struggle from slavery to the present. Roach collaborated with poet Oscar Brown, Jr., vocalist Abbey Lincoln and a dance ensemble; they toured the show as far as Tokyo. He continued composing theater and dance, for which he has won an Obie award. Beginning in the 1970s, Roach began teaching at the University of Massachusetts, where he passed on his jazz tradition to students and young musicians while helping them explore new ideas. Roach remained at the forefront of rhythmic innovation. He established an entire orchestra of jazz percussionists called M’Boom, and composed numerous compositions exclusively for the jazz drum set. Meanwhile, he continued working with his jazz quartet, which included Odean Pope on saxophone, Cecil Bridgewater on trumpet and Calvin Hill on bass. The group often collaborated with his daughter Maxine’s Uptown String Quartet to form the Max Roach Double Quartet. Roach gave new meaning and respect for the drums. His quest for innovation was unrelenting and he will always be recognized for his contributions to the aritsitc community. From the poverty of the inner city to co-creator of one of the most revolutionary and infuential styles in music, Roach believed that creativity and determination could make opportunities for anyone, no matter how difficult their circumstances. Roach wanted future generations to know, \"It can happen, you can beat anything.\"", "There is a funeral service for Ashley Theriot in Pensacola, Fla. today. She was just 32, and a gifted freelance writer. The death of a vibrant young person is a tragedy in all ways. But the person who dies can leave a gift for someone else to go on. That can be a flesh and blood blessing. Ashley Theriot returned from Colombia on Jan. 1 and began to have seizures. She turned out to have a rare tear in the artery of her brain stem. She had served in the Peace Corps 10 years ago, in Ukraine, and was still pals with two friends she made there, Lea Kumayama and Maggie Saalfield. They now live in Brooklyn. When she heard this terrible news, Leah Kumayama came to Ashley's side in a hospital in Alexandria, Va. She was with Ashley and her family when she died. Leah called their friend Maggie, back in Brooklyn, to tell her the tragic news. And Maggie Saalfield steeled herself to ask what sounds like a pretty nervy question, especially over the phone: Would Ashley's family donate a kidney to someone Maggie knew who needed one? Maggie Saalfield's husband, Peter, was high school friends with a man named James Driscoll, of New Hampshire. He was 33 and his kidneys were beginning to shut down because of Berger's disease. Ashley Theriot's family was not upset by the question, even — or especially — at their deepest moment of loss. \"It wasn't awkward or off-putting at all,\" Ashley's sister told the New York Post. \"She would have wanted to help anyone.\" The family signed papers for their daughter to become a donor. James Driscoll's doctors gave his medical information to doctors in Virginia. Their organs turned out to be a match, and this week, doctors in Boston put Ashley Theriot's kidney into James Driscoll. So far, the transplant seems to work. James Driscoll has a new life through the kindness of the family of a stranger. More than 30,000 transplants were performed in the United States in 2015. Even more lives could be saved if more people made arrangements to be donors when they die, as routinely as they provide for their insurance, funeral, or the inscription on a cemetery stone. Eight of Ashley's organs have been donated. In her short, brilliant life she traveled to Europe, Thailand, Turkey and many more places. \"We've been joking that he has the most well-traveled kidney ever,\" said Ashley's sister. \"We just hope he's going to be able to live his life to the fullest and maybe even travel the way she would have.\"", "People in more than 10 states have reported seeing scary clowns in recent weeks. Some communities have closed schools, but some clown sightings have turned out to be hoaxes. USA Today reporter Ashley May has been following the growing trend, and joins Here & Now&#8216;s Robin Young to discuss what&#8217;s happening. Guest Ashley May, Nation Now multiplatform reporter for USA Today. She tweets @AshleyMaytweets.", "Texas lawmakers are debating the future of the state&#8217;s Medicaid program and looking at ways to cut services and costs. But a bigger question looms in the discussion: will a major chunk of the money even be there next year? From the Here & Now contributor newtork, KUT&#8217;s Ashley Lopez reports. \nKUT: How a Renewed Medicaid Expansion Fight Could Play Out in Texas\n\nReporter\n\nAshley Lopez, reporter at KUT, Austin. She tweets @AshLopezRadio.", "Max Roach was the hottest drummer in New York by the time he was 20 years old. By the time he died at age 83, he was truly one of the giants of jazz. Roach died early Thursday morning in hospice care in New York after a long illness. In addition to being a drummer, Roach was also a composer, a bandleader, an activist and a teacher. He redefined what it meant to be a drummer. Before he arrived, the drum functioned basically as a timepiece. Roach says he made his drums sing solos. \"I felt that the instrument itself could be just as vital as any of the others I could think of,\" Roach said. \"And by virtue of the fact that you deal with that instrument with all four limbs, you have four voices you deal with when you think like that.\" In 1989, Roach described the drum kit as an American invention that combines cymbals from the Middle East, tom-toms from Africa and snares from Europe. His band mate Cecil Bridgewater says Roach's genius was in putting those parts together. \"Max doesn't play fundamental drumbeats behind you just to keep the time going,\" Bridgewater says. \"He's making musical statements at all times.\" Max Roach was born in a North Carolina town founded by freed slaves, and grew up in a rough Brooklyn neighborhood. His mom gave him drums to keep him off the street. But it was on Manhattan's 52nd Street that Roach started experimenting with harmony and melody alongside Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker. \"We hated to sleep,\" Roach said. \"We'd work 9 'til 9 in two different clubs. We'd spend the day looking for places, working out arrangements on things like [Thelonius Monk's] 'Around Midnight.'\" Before his death in 1993, Dizzy Gillespie commented that Roach was a remarkable innovator. \"He had terrific ideas,\" Gillespie said. \"And he developed them as we went along. He had the lick for the shtick.\" Roach founded a seminal quintet in 1953 with trumpeter Clifford Brown. But after just three years, Brown was killed in a late-night car accident. He was only 25. Shocked and grieving, Max Roach buried himself in music, and in the blossoming civil rights movement. In 1960, he recorded an album called \"We Insist--The Freedom Now Suite\" that featured, among others, singer Abbey Lincoln. It was Roach's answer to the turmoil of the time. Roach continued to speak out for social justice and helped launch the field of jazz studies. His magnet for talent led him into lifelong collaborations with dancers, playwrights, filmmakers and musicians of practically every genre and every country. What seemed to happen whenever Max Roach was around was fearlessness—on the bandstand, in the classroom, and on the streets. ROBERT SIEGEL, host: Max Roach was the hottest drummer in New York by the time he was 20. By the end of his life, he was one of the giants of jazz, a composer, bandleader, activist, teacher. Max Roach died this morning in hospice care in New York after a long illness. He was 83 years old. NPR's Neda Ulaby reports. NEDA ULABY: Before Max Roach, the drum functioned basically as a timepiece. Roach made it sing solos. Mr. MAX ROACH (Jazz Musician, Activist and Teacher): I felt that the instrument itself could be just as vital an instrument as any of the other instruments. And by a virtue of the fact that you deal with that instrument with all four limbs, you do have four voices that you deal with when you think like that. (Soundbite of drums) ULABY: In 1989, Max Roach described the drum kit to NPR as an American invention that combines cymbals from the Middle East, tom-toms from Africa and snares from Europe. His bandmate, Cecil Bridgewater, said Roach's genius was in putting those parts together. Mr. CECIL BRIDGEWATER (Max Roach's Bandmate): Max doesn't play fundamental drumbeats behind you just to keep the time going. He's not just concerned with that. He's making musical statements at all times. (Soundbite of music) ULABY: Max Roach was born in a North Carolina town founded by freed slaves. And he grew up in a rough Brooklyn neighborhood. His mom gave him drums to keep him off the street. But it was on Manhattan's 52nd Street that Roach started experimenting with harmony and melody alongside Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk and Charlie Parker. (Soundbite of music) Mr. ROACH: We would work from 9 until 9 the next morning in two different clubs. We would then spend the day looking for places. We go to Dizzy's house, and spend the rest of the day working out arrangements. ULABY: Before his death in 1993, Dizzy Gillespie told independent producer Ben Shapiro that Max Roach was a remarkable innovator. Mr. DIZZY GILLESPIE (Jazz Musician): He had terrific ideas in the beginning. And he developed them as we went along. He had the lick for the shtick. (Soundbite of music) ULABY: Roach founded a seminal quintet in 1953 with trumpeter Clifford Brown. But after just three years, Brown was killed in a late-night car accident. He was only 25. Shocked and grieving, Max Roach buried himself in music and th", "With the death of Jon Vickers, opera has lost one of its most intense voices. The Canadian tenor, often hailed as one of the greatest opera singers of the 20th century, died Friday in Ontario. In a note to London's Royal Opera House, Vickers' family said he lost a prolonged battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 88. Vickers' voice was a force of nature — large, strong and well suited to heroic characters such as the lead roles in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, Verdi's Otello and Beethoven's Fidelio. John Steane, in his book Singers of the Century, talks of Vickers' incomparable intensity, stating that \"if there had not been, working from within, a genuine spiritual refinement, the sheer size of his voice, breadth as well as power, would surely have bludgeoned the listener into insensibility.\" The singer could also reduce his hurricane force to a silvery thread of tone, something approaching a croon but fully supported and dramatically absorbing. Along with his imposing voice, Vickers inhabited his roles with penetrating earnestness, bordering on ferocity. Reviewing the tenor's 1972 recording of Tristan und Isolde, Robin Holloway wrote: \"There is no doubt whatsoever about the stature of his tour de force, but it remains extreme — something unique as if the story were, just this once, literally true. I can pay no higher tribute, but I never want to hear it again.\" Vickers was drawn to characters who struggled from within — to Canio in Pagliacci, Don José in Carmen and Jason in Medea, which he sang opposite Maria Callas. Steane says Vickers was one of the very few singers who could match Callas \"in the magnetism of performance.\" His portrayal of the title character in Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes may have been the tenor's crowning achievement. As the misunderstood fisherman within a narrow-minded community, Vickers brought an explosive, if controversial intensity to the role onstage and in a 1978 recording. As Grimes, he could be savage and unpredictable, with a sneer in his voice, then shift suddenly to show a dreamy, vulnerable and tender side of the character. The composer himself had mixed feelings about Vickers' interpretation. On one hand, Britten disapproved of it and Vickers' insistence on changing some of the text. On the other hand, the opera had found a new popularity, with companies mounting productions specifically for the tenor, including New York's Metropolitan Opera in 1967. Vickers was born Oct. 29, 1926 in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and grew up in a devoutly religious household where everyone sang and played instruments — \"a poor man's Trapp family,\" Vickers said, according to Jeannie Williams' biography Jon Vickers: A Hero's Life. He held jobs as a butcher, a Woolworth's store manager and a tool salesman before enrolling in Toronto's Royal Conservatory in 1950. He made his stage debut as the Duke in Verdi's Rigoletto four years later. In 1957 he began singing at London's Royal Opera at Covent Garden, where he later triumphed in the demanding role of Énée in Berlioz's Les Troyens. In 1974 he sang that role at the Metropolitan Opera, along with multiple performances of Tristan and Otello, all in a stretch of six weeks. Vickers could be a challenging colleague and his religious convictions sometimes conflicted with particular roles. He refused to sing in two major productions of Tannhäuser (at Covent Garden and the Metropolitan Opera) claiming that \"Wagner challenged the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.\" He was also known to scold fellow singers and conductors, and once even the audience. In a 1975 Dallas Opera production of Tristan, he reprimanded patrons during the prelude to Act 3 to \"shut up your damn coughing.\" \"The thing that wasn't printed was that they stopped coughing,\" Vickers told the Dallas Morning News in 2002. \"It wasn't necessary to cough.\" As his career and his magnificent voice wound down, Vickers settled into his farmhouse north of Toronto, then retired in 1988, occasionally giving a master class. In 1998 he recorded Richard Strauss' Enoch Arden as narrator with pianist Marc-André Hamelin. He is survived by two daughters, three sons, 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.", "Soprano Laura Aikin sings the role of Konstanze and tenor Charles Castronovo is her sweetheart Belmonte in Mozart's The Abduction from the Seraglio from the 2006 Salzburg Festival. Laura Aikin Soprano, Constanze American Soprano Laura Aikin's generous vocal range of three octaves provides her with a wide body of repertoire to sing. Comfortable in operas from the Baroque to the contemporary, she has sung across Europe and America, beginning her career as a member of the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin. She's appeared at the Vienna State Opera, La Scala in Milan, the Bavarian State Opera, and at the Bastille in Paris. In the United States she's sung major roles at the Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Santa Fe Opera and San Francisco Opera. She's also made debuts with the Berlin Philharmonic and Sir Simon Rattle and with both the Cleveland Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony. Charles Castronovo Tenor, Belmonte Charles Castronovo is recognized internationally as an important lyric tenor and has appeared with many of the world's leading opera companies, including the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera Covent Garden, Vienna State Opera, Los Angeles Opera and San Francisco Opera. In August of 2006 Castronovo made his debut at the Salzburg Festival as Belmonte in The Abduction from the Seraglio. He subsequently returned to the Berlin State Opera for Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte, and to the Opera National in Paris as Nemorino in Donizetti's The Elixir of Love. In the summer of 2007 he returns to San Francisco in Mozart's Don Giovanni. Other roles in his developing repertoire include Romeo in Gounod's Romeo et Juliette, Des Grieux in Massenet's Manon and Edgardo in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. Castronovo resides in Berlin and California with his wife, the celebrated Russian soprano, Ekaterina Siurina. Ivor Bolton Conductor Ivor Bolton is one of Britain's most active and versatile conductors, in repertoire ranging from baroque to contemporary. He was educated at Cambridge University, the Royal College of Music, and the National Opera Studio in London. Since his debut in 1994 Ivor Bolton has conducted in many of the U.K.'s acclaimed opera venues such as the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Glyndebourne, English National Opera, and Welsh National Opera. Elsewhere in Europe he has appeared regularly at the Bavarian State Opera, Maggio Musicale in Florence and in other major houses including Paris, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Brussels, Geneva, Dresden and Leipzig. Operatic engagements outside Europe have included San Francisco, Sydney, and Buenos Aires. Bolton made his Salzburg Festival debut in 2000 with Gluck's Iphigenie en Tauride. He returned to Salzburg in 2003 for a new production of The Abduction from the Seraglio and in the Mozart year of 2006 he conducted three productions during the Festival. In September 2004 he became Chief Conductor of the Mozarteum Orchestra of Salzburg.", "Democrats and Republicans don&#8217;t often see eye-to-eye on many issues. The economy, immigration and the environment are among the topics that lead to polarized politics. Reporter Ashley Ahearn of Here & Now contributor KUOW invited two state senators from Washington state &#8211; one Republican and one Democrat &#8211; to sit down over a beer to discuss one of the most contentious issues in their legislature: climate change. \nRead Ashley Ahearn&#8217;s full story via KUOW\n\nReporter\n\nAshley Ahearn, environment reporter at KUOW and part of the multimedia collaborative project EarthFix. She tweets @aahearn.", "The region known as the wettest place in the lower 48 states is on fire. Washington State&#8217;s Olympic National Park, characterized by lush foliage, massive hanging ferns and spongy lichens, is experiencing the worst wildfire in the park&#8217;s history &#8212; a blaze that has consumed 1,600 acres and is not expected to be under control for another two and a half months. The unprecedented fire is being blamed on the severe drought that has plagued the western United States, from California to Alaska. Ashley Ahearn, a reporter with Here & Now&#8217;s contributor KUOW, joins Here & Now&#8216;s Jeremy Hobson to discuss the latest on the blaze. Reporter\n\nAshley Ahearn, reporter with KUOW and part of EarthFix Public Media Collaborative. She tweets at @aahearn.", "Baseball trailblazer Frank Robinson died Thursday at 83. He was the MLB's first African-American manager. Richard Justice of MLB.com remembers Robinson's remarkable career.", "While political Washington is in a tizzy about the election and what it portends for the Supreme Court, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is prepping for her operatic debut in Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti's \"The Daughter of the Regiment.\" For one night in November, the diminutive legal diva will play the nonsinging role of the Duchess of Krakenthorp, a character akin to the dowagers in Marx Brothers movies. It's no cameo. According to the Washington National Opera, while this opera is \"best known for its vocal acrobatics, the high-comedy antics\" of the nonsinging duchess \"often steal the show.\" Indeed, for Ginsburg's one-night stand, the script has been altered. At one point, for example, after the duchess observes that the best leaders of the House of Krakenthorp have been \"persons with open but not empty minds, individuals willing to listen and learn,\" she looks at the audience meaningfully, and asks, \"Is it any wonder that the most valorous members ... have been women?\" She goes on to list the qualifications for admission to the House of Krakenthorp, some of which sound suspiciously like the qualifications for being a Supreme Court justice — i.e., \"must possess the fortitude to undergo intense scrutiny,\" and have a \"character beyond reproach.\" Ginsburg will be wearing a costume created especially for her by the Washington National Opera, including a big, feathery hat suitable for a doyenne or a duchess. The 83-year-old justice will join a long list of notables who have played the Duchess of Krakenthorp — among them comediennes Bea Arthur and Hermione Gingold and retiring opera stars like Kiri Te Kanawa and Montserrat Caballe. Ginsburg has had a lifetime love affair with opera. She often lectures about the law in opera and has said that her one regret in life is that she could not be a real operatic diva. She might have tried, she says, but for one thing: She can't sing. Washington National Opera Artistic Director Francesca Zambello initially asked Ginsburg to play the Duchess of Krakenthorp in all eight performances at the Kennedy Center this fall, but the justice said she really could not have \"a day job and a night job.\" So, she will be keeping her day job, and working the night shift only on opening night, Nov. 12. Is she nervous? \"What's to be nervous about?\" the justice declares with a giggle. After all, she doesn't have to sing.", "Legislation that supporters call &#8220;religious freedom bills&#8221; continue to be debated in state legislatures across the country. Yesterday, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed legislation that allows mental health counselors and therapists to refuse to treat patients based on religious objections or personal beliefs. Businesses are playing an increasingly vocal role in the debates over these laws, which opponents say allow discrimination against people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. Following fallout from controversial bills in North Carolina and Mississippi, businesses across Texas are gearing up to take on similar bills in the legislature. Ashley Lopez from Here & Now contributor KUT in Austin reports. \nRead Ashley Lopez&#8217;s full story on KUT\n\nReporter\n\nAshley Lopez, reporter at KUT, Austin. She tweets @AshLopezRadio.", "The &#8220;House of Tomorrow,&#8221; designed for the 1933 Chicago World&#8217;s Fair&#8217;s Century of Progress Exhibition, was named a National Treasure this week by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. When it was built it was one of the most innovative and influential buildings in modern architecture, filled with the latest technology and appliances. But it&#8217;s fallen into disrepair, and now sits empty. The designation as a National Treasure will help raise money to restore the house. Here & Now&#8216;s Lisa Mullins talks with Todd Zeiger, director of Indiana Landmarks&#8217;s northern regional office, about the plans to preserve the house. Interview Highlights: Todd Zeiger On the house&#8217;s design and layout &#8220;The &#8216;House of Tomorrow,&#8217; designed by Chicago architect George Fred Keck, was a very forward-thinking and innovative full-glass house with steel structure, curtain wall, glass walls of the outside. Innovation such as a garage &#8212; you can park your car inside and hit a button and the door would go up&#8230; Dishwasher that would wash your dishes for you, and very early in the thinking about solar design.&#8221; On why the house was moved from fair &#8220;There was a gentleman by the name of Robert Bartlett. And Bartlett was creating a new development called Beverly Shores, Indiana. And he saw these houses, along with another dozen from the fair, as a way to begin to promote his development. He would bring folks over from the South Shore and tour them through the houses&#8230; So he moved them over there from the fair as a way to spark his development, and hope that folks would come by property in Beverly Shores, which he was promoting as the &#8216;Miami Beach of the north.'&#8221; On the kinds of features the house had in 1933 &#8220;Everybody loves the airplane hangar. The charge to the designers in the home and industrial arts group of the fair, where this house and the other four nearby at were at, was to design an affordable house that would be thinking about what we would be living at in the future, living in materials, and design appliances, that sort of thing. The &#8216;House of Tomorrow&#8217; very much pushed that envelop the farthest and had the most influence &#8212; and we&#8217;d say the most innovation, and including, that&#8217;s right, an airplane hangar. So for some of us, we&#8217;re still waiting for that innovation to come but it had an airplane hangar. You back your airplane into its own little garage and park it next to your car &#8212; had all the things like a machine shop, because if you have an airplane and a car, you need to be able to make some parts and fix it. And then the living space was actually on the upper floor, what you might the second floor, which is another innovation of this home. Most people didn&#8217;t live only on the second floor in their homes. This one alleviated that up one story.&#8221; On the goal of the restoration &#8220;&#8230;Actually our vision for this is to make this the best of Keck&#8217;s design, those influential pieces that we talked about &#8212; the glass structure &#8212; but also make this a new house for tomorrow, so we can include things around sustainability, and the modern technologies that can be put in as part of our rehabilitation. Once the restoration is completed, Indiana Landmarks &#8212; who&#8217;s doing the project &#8212; will lease this house completed. So you would be able to live in the &#8216;House of Tomorrow&#8217; for, we&#8217;re thinking three year periods, and then to be able to enjoy that.&#8221; Guest Todd Zeiger, director of Indiana Landmarks&#8216;s northern regional office. The organization tweets @IndianaLandmark.", "The Junkman makes music with mailboxes, saw blades, frying pans and beer cans. But he has also composed two pieces for Twyla Tharp and performed with both Eminem and the Louisville Symphony. Now the Junkman has written a full length spoken-word opera based on the Nordic myth of the Viking god of war, who also happens to be the Viking god of knowledge. Odin calls for 10 percussionists, a cast of six and a chorus of 24. It will be performed at New York University in April. Andrea Shea reports. MICHELE NORRIS, Host: From NPR News this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Michele Norris. ROBERT SIEGEL, Host: And I'm Robert Siegel. This Friday in New York a new opera will have its world premier. There will be some common operatic elements. Norse gods, warriors, bloody battles, a grand quest for truth, but this opera, Odin it's called, written by Vermont percussionist Donald Knaack, is very different. It is performed on hundreds of pieces of junk. Andrea Shea reports. ANDREA SHEA: Before you run screaming from your radio in fear of some quirky NPR story about an environmentalist who concocted an opera for recycled materials, consider this, Donald Knaack, a.k.a. the Junkman, is a classically trained percussionist who studied with John Cage. Chirographer Twyla Tharp thought enough of Knaack's compositions to ask him to write two for her company. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) SHEA: Donald Knaack performed this with Tharp's dancers at the Kennedy Center. Conductor Robert Franz commissioned a piece from Knaack for the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra in Ohio. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) SHEA: He says if the idea of music played on scrap wood, saw blades and used pie tins scares you, you're not alone. ROBERT FRANZ: And I can tell you when I first brought this to the staff of the Mansfield Symphony there was fear in their hearts as well. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) SHEA: Conductor Robert Franz says this 35-minute concerto for orchestra and junk is a complex, contemporary work and Donald Knaack is a legit composer. FRANZ: Before he was the Junkman, Don was a very talented and working percussionist. He was a member of the Louisville Orchestra for a number of years, but he was also a member of the Buffalo Philharmonic. So he had gone to school, gotten his degrees in percussion, won jobs as a percussionist in orchestras, which, by the way, is no mean feat. (SOUNDBITE OF PERCUSSION) SHEA: But Knaack gave up coveted positions and some measure of job security to pursue a career in junk. Fifteen years ago he packed up his kit bag and moved to the green mountain state. DONALD KNAACK: Welcome to Vermont. SHEA: It smells like Vermont. Burning wood in the air. KNAACK: Yeah, everybody's still burning wood, yeah. SHEA: Knaack's modest cobalt blue house is in Manchester, not too far from the Stratton Mountain Ski Resort. His recording studio is upstairs, but the tools of his trade are kept in crowded, organized shed just steps from the house. Inside it looks like a cross between Dr. Frankenstein's lab and the back of Fred Sanford's truck. Knaack rummages through a plastic garbage can labeled heavy metals. KNAACK: This is an old artillery shell. (SOUNDBITE OF TAPPING ON SHELL) KNAACK: It's made of brass, but that's too nice of a sound. I'm looking for something that is going to be a little more cutting. SHEA: The percussionist needs one more instrument for his new opera. KNAACK: This could be interesting. Let's see what this is. (SOUNDBITE OF TAPPING) KNAACK: I think this is nice. This is some kind of electrical conduit cover. I think I'm going to go with that. SHEA: Knaack says he fell under junk's spell three decades ago. As a percussionist with the Louisville Orchestra he was sent to a junkyard to find six metal plates for another composer's work. Since then, Knaack says your run of the mill marimba isn't enough. KNAACK: When you're writing for a symphony orchestra we have drums and we have cymbals and we have tuned, like, xylophone and timpani. All of those are specific sound colors that the composer is using. What the junk does is, because there are just so many thousands of pieces of metal out there and wood and all that, it's as if for every one color a traditional composer has in percussion, I'm given a couple of hundred. SHEA: Knaack admits the transition from glockenspiel to gas can wasn't easy. At first some fellow percussionists snickered. But that changed when he worked with composer John Cage in the early 1970's. KNAACK: Essentially he was kind of the glue for me. He's the one that allowed everything in my life to make sense, because I had this experience with junk before, but I was also a trained composer in a classical sense. And then I met him and I discovered that he had written these three constructions for percussion in the late 30's and early 40's, and they all included found objects. SHEA: Brake drums and anvils and metal cylinders. Knaack eventually recorded Cage's work under the composer's supervision. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) SHEA: Some of those", "Robert Downey Sr., a filmmaker and writer who played a major role in New York's experimental film scene, died Wednesday in his home from complications due to Parkinson's disease. He was 85. \"Last night, dad passed peacefully in his sleep after years of enduring the ravages of Parkinson's..he was a true maverick filmmaker, and remained remarkably optimistic throughout,\" his son, Robert Downey Jr., wrote on Thursday in an Instagram post. Downey Sr.'s absurdist style and irreverent sensibilities came to define his movies and plays, balancing anti-establishment sentiments with a playful sense of experimentation that brought on a truly singular era of American cinema. Downey's breakout film, Putney Swope, is a satirical comedy about a Black advertising executive who is accidentally appointed chairman of a powerful advertising firm. The movie skewers the way race and power function in corporate America at a time when both were subject to increased awareness. \"This is the era of advertising becoming a completely pervasive and never-changing facet of American life,\" film critic Bilge Ebiri told NPR. \"He's recognizing that advertising speaks to all sorts of things in the American subconscious.\" Downey wasn't afraid to defy conventions in other ways as well. In another one of his films, 1968's No More Excuses, Downey plays a confederate soldier lost in time. To shoot one scene from the film, Downey wandered into the middle of an actual live baseball game — without permission — and in character, told a player he was looking for the \"yankees.\" He wound up in jail for the stunt. \"When we think about underground cinema, experimental cinema, we sometimes mistakenly have this notion that it's all heavily symbolic, incredibly art-y, filled with deep meanings — and somehow you need a PhD to understand all this stuff,\" Ebiri explains. \"If I had to compare his movies to anything today, I would say they resemble comedy sketches, or even YouTube videos.\" In that way, Ebiri argues, it might be most accurate to consider someone like Eric Andre his contemporary. Robert Downey Sr. gave his son, Robert Downey Jr., his first-ever role in the 1970 drama Pound, a movie about dogs, played by human actors, who are waiting to be euthanized at the pound. In a 2003 interview with Fresh Air, Downey Jr. reflected on his father's artistic legacy. \"He was very much revered and hailed [as] this just, you know, super innovative guy,\" he said. \"I knew that my dad was something really, really, really special.\"", "Ask any Northwest skiers and they’ll tell you it’s been a bad year for snow. They’re right. While the Northeast was pummeled by storms the past couple of months, snow levels are at record lows in Washington and Oregon. But water managers say it&#8217;s not time to hit the panic button, yet. From the Here & Now Contributors Network, Ashley Ahearn of EarthFix reports. \nRead more on this story via OPB\n\nReporter\n\nAshley Ahearn, environment reporter at KUOW and part of the multimedia collaborative project EarthFix. She tweets @aahearn.", "Risë Stevens, a mezzo-soprano who sang at the Metropolitan Opera for nearly a quarter-century and then went on to become one of the Met's most prominent supporters and administrators, died Wednesday. She was 99. Her son, Nicolas Surovy, informed the Met Thursday that she died at home in Manhattan. Stevens sang 337 performances with the company between 1938 and 1961 — and in nearly a third of those, she sang the lead in Bizet's Carmen, which was her signature role throughout the 1940s and '50s. In her prime, the glamorous singer's voice was famously insured by Lloyd's of London for $1 million. But Stevens was a force not just in the rarefied world of high opera; she became something of a star in Hollywood, as well. She sang in 1941's The Chocolate Soldier with Nelson Eddy and with Bing Crosby in 1944's Going My Way. A frequent guest on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show, Stevens also voiced Glinda in the 1974 animated film Going Back to Oz. At the prime of her operatic career, she starred in a Chesterfield cigarettes ad decked out as Carmen. As contemporary star mezzo Susan Graham notes somewhat wistfully in a video tribute to Stevens made for the National Endowment for the Arts in 2011, \"It was truly a golden age to be an opera singer, and be part of the public culture, the culture across the boards: in films, on television, when opera [was] more than just being the background on a spaghetti commercial.\" After Stevens' retirement as a singer, she continued to be a significant presence at the Met: She served as the director of the Metropolitan Opera National Company and the National Council Auditions, as well as a managing director on the Met's board. She also went on to serve as president of New York's Mannes College of Music. Born Risë Gus Steenberg in the Bronx on June 11, 1913, to a Norwegian father and a Jewish-American mother, Stevens sang on a Sunday-morning radio program as a girl. After roles in local theater productions, she sought private lessons, eventually entering the Juilliard School; during this time, she helped support herself and her family with odd jobs that ranged from modeling fur coats to singing on the Palmolive Beauty Box Theater radio program. After competing in the very first Metropolitan Opera Auditions in 1935-36, Stevens was offered a role at the company in Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. Thinking that she was not yet ready for such exposure, she chose instead to sail to Europe, and made her operatic debut in Prague in 1936 in the title role of Thomas' Mignon. Her Met debut came two years later as Octavian in Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier when the company was on tour in Philadelphia; in December 1938, she performed on the Met's New York stage for the first time in Mignon. Stevens knew the contours of her voice well enough to capitalize on its strengths. As Peter G. Davis quotes her in his 1997 book The American Opera Singer, \"You can throw me to the crocodiles of the Nile,\" she said after singing her first and last Amneris [in Verdi's Aida], \"but I'll never do that part again.\" Instead, she sang a powerful, spirited and sultry Carmen 124 times at the Met. The mezzo officially retired from the stage in 1964 at age 51. Three years later, she was named one of two general managers of the house's short-lived touring ensemble, the Metropolitan Opera National Company. She later became executive director of the company's extremely prestigious Metropolitan Opera National Council Regional Auditions, a program that launches young singers into their professional careers. In 1975, she became president of Mannes, which today is part of The New School. During her brief and contentious tenure there, she attracted star faculty that included pianist Vladimir Horowitz. However, she resigned just three years later, citing differences with members of the school's board. Stevens' prizes include a 2011 NEA Opera Honor and a 1990 Kennedy Center Honor Award. These awards given in Washington, D.C., were particularly fitting for the dynamic mezzo; in 1961, the same year she retired from singing, Stevens was credited with helping to avert a strike at the Met — in part by contacting President John F. Kennedy to ask for his personal help in bringing all parties back to the table.", "The Metropolitan Opera recently opened a new production of Siegfried, the third of the four operas in Wagner's Ring Cycle — in 3-D. You won't need special glasses to see the actors on stage. Instead, the background sets 3-D projections of forests and other illusions. It turns out that having 3-D sets in a live show is just the latest tech-savvy leap for the genre. Historian Mark Schubin lectures about opera's place on the cutting edge of technology. He says opera theaters got the jump on the first telephone patent, Edison's light bulb, commercial radios and more. \"The first radio transmission of a complete opera was in 1910,\" Schubin tells Weekend Edition Sunday host Audie Cornish. \"That was 10 years before what people consider the first radio station.\" Even before that, Schubin says, people listened to opera at home via telephone lines, using headphones and, in some cases, stereo sound. The cooperation between opera and phone companies began in New York with a former opera impresario named Edward Fry. \"In his later life, [he] was stuck in bed, so he had telephone lines installed to the local opera house,\" Schubin says. \"They came to his house, and he could hold up the telephone receiver and listen to the opera. And that was in 1880.\" Schubin says it wasn't long before the service was commercialized. Other cities created their own models: In Paris, for example, you could use public coin-operated machines to listen to a few minutes of opera at a time, or use a home service that was pay-per-event. In Budapest, announcers began reading daily headlines over the phone lines before the start of the opera, giving rise to the first newscasts. Schubin argues that even movies and television have roots in opera. \"It doesn't matter who you want to pick as the inventor of movies,\" he says. \"If you pick Thomas Edison, his first filing with the U.S. Patent Office said that the purpose of movies was for opera. If you prefer the inventor Louis Le Prince, he filed a patent for the adaptation of animated pictures to operatic scenes. If you prefer Charles Francis Jenkins, he said that one of the things you could do with television, in his description of the first television set in 1925, was the delivery of opera.\" Opera's culture of innovation continues today, as the Metropolitan Opera takes to the 3-D frontier. Schubin says the projection system used for Siegfried incorporates some of the most advanced technology available. \"There are people that are working in rock concerts, who work in all sorts of other levels of computer graphics and projection,\" Schubin says, \"who are calling the people at the Met every day and saying, 'What did you do today?' It's just so amazing how they're pushing the limits.\" AUDIE CORNISH, HOST: Wagner's Ring Cycle has been a staple of opera repertoire for a nearly century and a half. This is a recording from The Metropolitan Opera a few years ago. (SOUNDBITE OF \"SIEGFRIED,\" THE METROPOLITAN OPERA) UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: (Singing in foreign language) CORNISH: This season, the company is giving the work a 21st century makeover with a new production of \"Siegfried,\" the third opera in the cycle. The staging features 3-D-like special effects; computerized projections that create spooky optical illusions of forests alive with creeping, flying fauna. But it turns out these special effects are just the latest technological leap in the opera house. Engineer, opera buff and media historian Mark Schubin has traced these advances, going back to the 19th century, and joins me now from our New York bureau. Mark Schubin, welcome to the program. MARK SCHUBIN: Thank you very much. CORNISH: And, of course, you are also and Emmy Award-winning engineer for the Metropolitan Opera in New York. So maybe you can explain to me how exactly is a live performance - how does that involve 3-D? (SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER) CORNISH: Is that a misnomer? SCHUBIN: Well, in this case, 3-D probably is a misnomer. But I should point out that there have been operas that were performed live that did have true 3-D, with the audience wearing glasses. You're familiar with those pictures of movie audiences all wearing their 3-D glasses. Well, there's a picture that shows an audience that looks a little classier than a movie audience. And that was actually taken at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion during the performance of \"Monsters of Grace,\" which was a Philip Glass opera that had a true three-dimensional backdrop. CORNISH: That's just one example of a sort of a modern media innovation. And I'm saying modern by opera standards. Can you list may be two or three others, just straight examples of things that opera tried out before they became widespread or, in some cases, before they were technically invented? SCHUBIN: Sure. Well, we're listening to radio right now. The first radio transmission of the complete opera was in 1910. That's 10 years before what some people consider the first radio station. Even before that, there were people who were listen", "Composer Daniel Catán died suddenly on Saturday, April 9, at age 62 in Austin, Texas according to reports confirmed by his publisher, Associated Music Publishers/G. Schirmer. The cause of death is still to be determined. A resident of Pasadena, Calif. and the winner of a Guggenheim Fellowship, Catán was spending the semester teaching at the University of Texas Butler School of Music. He had been scheduled to spend this past weekend in Houston at performances of his opera Il Postino at the University of Houston. Born in 1949 in Mexico City, Catán first studied philosophy and music in England before receiving a doctorate from Princeton University, where his teachers included Milton Babbitt, James K. Randall and Benjamin Boretz. He then returned to his native country to become administrator at Mexico City's Palace of Fine Arts. Catán later became a U.S. citizen. Read More And Hear The Music Though he was not exclusively an opera composer, Catán found strong champions for his work within the vocal music community, perhaps most notably tenor and impresario Plácido Domingo. In 1998, Catán won the Plácido Domingo Award; Catán's 2010 opera Il Postino (based on the novel and film of the same name), premiered at the Los Angeles Opera with Domingo playing Pablo Neruda. Il Postino had its European premiere at Vienna's Theater an der Wien last December; of that staging, George Loomis wrote in The New York Times, \"You can understand why singers like operas composed by Daniel Catán. They abound in real melodies — melodies with musical shapeliness, a capacity to soar and the potential to move the listener.\" The composer also found ardent champions at the Houston Grand Opera, which premiered two of his operas, beginning with 1996's Florencia en el Amazonas — a work co-commissioned by HGO, Los Angeles Opera and Seattle Opera. It was the first Spanish-language opera to be commissioned by major American companies. HGO also commissioned Catán's third opera, Salsipuedes, A Tale of Love, War and Anchovies, in 2004 in celebration of the company's 50th anniversary. At the time of his death, Catán was working on a new opera, Meet John Doe, which was scheduled to premiere next year at the University of Texas at Austin, where the chamber version of La Hija de Rappaccini was premiered in February 2011. He is survived by his wife, Andrea Puente, as well as by three children and four grandchildren.", "Here & Now&#8216;s Callum Borchers speaks with Ashley Lopez, a reporter for KUT in Austin, about what&#8217;s on the agenda for Texas lawmakers in the special session beginning Thursday. This article was originally published on WBUR.org.", "Four Alaska Army National Guard soldiers died when their Blackhawk helicopter crashed over the weekend in Iraq. Their hometown is devastated by the loss. Ashley Gross of the Alaska Public Radio Network has this story.", "Since they were first noticed by European explorers in the 1700s, totem poles may have been misunderstood as frightening statues worshipped as gods. But some say early totem poles were actually billboards for powerful native families, announcing the privileges they enjoyed. NPR's Robert Smith traces the history of totem poles for the <EM>Present at the Creation</EM> series." ]

[ "President Barack Obama said Monday that Iran might join Cuba as a second rogue state to enjoy normalized diplomatic relations with the United States under his administration. In a 40-minute interview with National Public Radio conducted on December 18 – but held back for 11 days – the radio network's senior morning host quizzed Obama in the Oval Office about a wide range of policy positions, including his plans for the Middle East. 'Is there any scenario under which you can envision, in your final two years, opening a U.S. embassy in Tehran?' asked NPR's Steve Inskeep. 'I never say never,' Obama replied, while allowing that 'I think these things have to go in steps.' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEOS . ROGUE NATIONS? Obama aired the astonishing possibiity of normalized U.S.-Iran relationsjust a few days after announcing that he would restore formal diplomatic ties with the communist enclave of Cuba . STRATEGY: President Barack Obama sat down in the Oval Office with NPR's Steve Inskeep on December 18, but the public radio network held its interview back for 11 days . The unprecedented olive branch pointed in the direction of Iran's mullahs will stoke controversy among older Americans who recall the 1979 hostage crisis in the last embassy Washington maintained there. Fifty-two Americans, mostly diplomatic personnel, were taken hostage in November of that year and held for 444 days but a group of student revolutionaries. In Iran the event is still celebrated as the 'Conquest of the American Spy Den.' Few observers believe Iran is interested in proving its stated intentions to abandon its nuclear-weapons ambitions by the time Obama leaves office in January 2017. But the president believes there's a chance. 'We have to get this nuclear issue resolved – and there's a chance to do it,' he said, 'and the question's going to be whether or not Iran is willing to seize it.' If the country's anti-America hardliners yield to more moderate voices, he predicted, 'there's incredible talent and resources and sophistication inside of Iran, and it would be a very successful regional power that was also abiding by international norms and international rules, and that would be good for everybody.' 'That would be good for the United States, that would be good for the region, and most of all, it would be good for the Iranian people.' Obama shocked the world – and angered America's Cuban emigres – with a December 17 announcement that he would re-establish formal ties with the Raul Castro regime in Havana. But speaking to NPR eleven days ago, he painted Iran differently – noting that a more recent history of aggression makes U.S.-Iran relations 'different from the history between us and Cuba.' 'And the strategic importance of Tehran is – or Iran – is different from what we face with Cuba.' The Islamic republic, he reminded Inskeep, 'has a track record of state-sponsored terrorism, that we know was attempting to develop a nuclear weapon.' But in the same breath Obama said 'Tehran is a large, sophisticated country.' Tehran is Iran's capital city. NOT THE SAME THING: Obama insisted that 'the strategic importance of ... Iran is different from what we face with Cuba' WINNERS: Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (center) and the Islamic republic's political class will gain global clout from Obama's pronouncement . That lapse aside, Obama emphasized Monday a theme that he has grappled with since the heady days of his first presidential campaign: the prospect of changing the global diplomatic map by bringing unfriendly nations under America's wing. 'I was asked very early in my presidential race back in 2007 – would I meet with these various rogue regimes?' he recalled. 'And what I said then remains true: If I thought it advances American interests, yes. I believe in diplomacy, I believe in dialogue, I believe in engagement.' He also claimed credit for what he characterized as a realignment of global attitudes toward Iran . 'When I came into office, the world was divided and Iran was in the driver's seat,' Obama said. But through economic sanctions, 'now the world's united because of the actions we've taken, and Iran's the one that's isolated.' 'I mean, there's a reason why we've been able to get this far in the negotiations,' he said: 'We mobilized the international community at the start of my presidency – a classic example of American leadership.' But Iran's supreme religious authorities, who run the country despite the fig leaf of a constitutional government, has 'a path to break through that isolation,' Obama declared. 'And they should seize it.' Obama drew criticism in 2008 for subtly changing his positiion on negotiating with antagonistic countries. Speaking to an audience of Jewish advocates in June of that year, he insisted that he had 'no interest in sitting down with our adversaries just for the sake of talking.' 'But as president of the United States, I would be willing to lead tough and principled diplomacy with the appropriate Iranian leaders at a time and place of my choosing if and only if it can advance the interest of the United States.' But during a debate eight months earlier he was asked whether he would be willing to meet Iran's leaders 'without precondition,' during the first year of his administration. 'I would,' then-Senator Obama replied. 'And the reason is this: the notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them – which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this [George W. Bush] administration – is ridiculous.'" ]

[ "Alan Gross, the contractor freed . last week after five years in a Cuban jail, will receive $3.2million from the US government as part of a compensation package, it was announced yesterday. Gross was arrested in Cuba in 2009 and sentenced to 15 years in prison for importing banned technology and trying to establish clandestine Internet service for Cuban Jews. Yesterday the US Agency for International Development (USAID) claimed it had reached the settlement with his former employer DAI - which said it was 'delighted to have Alan home and pleased to have this legal matter settled'. Scroll down for video . Payout: Alan Gross, the contractor freed last week after five years in a Cuban jail, will receive $3.2million from the US government as part of a compensation package . Gross (left, shown with wife Judy) was physically robust and 100 pounds heavier before he was sent to a Cuban prison in 2009 . 'Our understanding is that the money will go to Alan Gross as part of an agreement between the two parties,' the USAID spokesman said. The money would be paid in the next few days, he added. Gross, 65, a foreign aid subcontractor, was delivering electronics to Jewish groups when he was arrested in Havana in December 2009. The United States says Gross was merely helping Cubans get connected as part of a democracy-building project. Initially accused of espionage, he was put on trial by Havana in 2011 and convicted of committing 'acts against the independence and territorial integrity' of Cuba. Gross met with Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin on the tarmac after he arrived in the United States . He was released in a series of surprise moves last week that saw the United States announce that it would end 50 years of estrangement and normalize relations with Cuba. Gross arrived in Washington on a US military aircraft last Wednesday, accompanied by several US politicians. The $3.2million payout came as a settlement of a larger contractual claim for $7 million filed by DAI against USAID for expenses related to the arrest and incarceration of Gross. Entering U.S. airspace: Alan Gross celebrates onboard a government plane headed back to the US with his wife Judy Gross in this December 17 handout photo . Obama talked about America's Cuba policy on December 17 , announcing a new openness that drew jeers from senators on both sides of the aisle . Cuban strongman Raul Castro, seen July 26 in a military memorial ceremony, negotiated a three-for-one package with Barack Obama that saw his country's most celebrated American captives set free . The settlement was finalized on Monday. 'The settlement avoids the cost, delay and risks of further proceedings, and does not constitute an admission of liability by either party,' USAID said in a statement. At the time of his arrest, Gross was allegedly in possession of an electronic chip that prevents the location of satellite telephone calls to be traced. A specialist in satellite communications, he visited Cuba several times, delivering computer and satellite gear to the island nation's small Jewish community. FREED: (left to right) Gerardo Hernandez, Antonio Guerrero and Ramon Labañino are three Cuban spies set to be released by President Barack Obama in exchange for the return of prisoner Alan Gross. Hernandez was given two life sentences for conspiring to shoot down airplanes flown  by American civilians . Gross and his wife Judy filed a $60 million lawsuit in . November 2012 for gross negligence against DAI and the U.S. government. He settled with DAI for undisclosed terms in May . 2013, and a US district court rejected his claim against the . government, which was upheld last month on appeal. A lawyer for Gross declined to discuss the settlement but . added that it was planning to seek a review by the Supreme Court . of its case against the U.S. government. Gross was employed by Bethesda, Maryland-based DAI as part of a USAID financed project. Gross speaks during a news conference at his lawyer's office in DC where he said he has learned the lesson during five years in Cuban captivity that freedom is not free . Cars drive past an 'End to Injustice!' banner featuring five Cuban prisoners held in US custody, two of whom were previously released, in Havana December 17 . Gross was a longtime supporter of Jewish causes and a career development consultant who traveled the world on private contracts before taking his Cuba assignment. He had only once previously visited Cuba and spoke very limited Spanish. Gross worked for Maryland-based Development Alternatives Inc (DAI), which had a $6 million deal with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to promote democracy and support political dissidents. Gross signed two contracts with DAI paying him a total of $590,000 to deliver telecommunications equipment over 20 months. During five trips to Cuba in 2009, Gross imported banned satellite communications devices and other high-tech gear in his luggage and helped install it at Jewish centers in Havana, Santiago and Camaguey. Cuban officials arrested him in his hotel room on Dec. 3, 2009, just before he had planned to return home. Gross sued DAI and the U.S. government for $60 million, saying he was inadequately informed of the dangers and illegality of his mission. He settled with DAI for an undisclosed sum and a judge threw out his suit against the United States, a decision upheld on appeal. While incarcerated, Gross morphed from a gadget geek to an embittered critic of the U.S. and Cuban governments. He lost 100 pounds from his original 254 pounds. His spirits dimmed after his mother died of cancer in June, and he stopped seeing doctors, his wife, or officials of the U.S. interests section shortly thereafter. The day before his release, Barack Obama and Cuban strongman Raul Castro spoke on the phone for 45 minutes to cement what became a prisoner swap. It was the first such contact between the countries' heads of state since the middle of the 20th century. 'I was very insistent with him that we would continue to promote democracy and human rights and speak out forcefully on behalf of the freedom of the people of Cuba,' Obama told ABC News in a post-announcement interview that aired Wednesday night. During a 15-minute television address hours earlier, he pledged to 'end an outdated approach that, for decades, has failed to advance our interests, and instead we will begin to normalize relations between our two countries,' 'Todos somos Americanos,' Obama said – 'We are all Americans' – emphasizing his wish that Cuba should be mainstreamed among its North and South American neighbors. The historic breakthrough in U.S.-Cuban relations began in spring 2013, when President Barack Obama authorized secret talks with Havana, the same tactic he used to open nuclear negotiations with Iran. Months of talks in Canada and at the Vatican, involving one of Obama's closest aides, culminated on Tuesday when Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro spoke by phone for nearly an hour and gave final assent to steps that could end a half-century of enmity and reshape Western Hemisphere relations. Talks in Canada and at the Vatican culminated on Tuesday when Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro spoke by phone for nearly an hour and gave final assent to steps that could end a half-century of enmity . Obama believed that 'if there is any U.S. foreign policy that has passed its expiration date, it is the U.S.-Cuba policy,' said a senior Obama administration official, briefing reporters on condition of anonymity. The Vatican played a key role in the rapprochement, including facilitating talks on the release of Alan Gross, a former subcontractor for the U.S. Agency for International Development who returned from Cuba on Wednesday after five years' imprisonment, U.S. officials said. In early summer 2014, Pope Francis - who is from Argentina - sent separate personal letters to Obama and Castro, urging them to exchange captives and improve relations. When the pope received the U.S. president in Vatican City in late March, the secret Cubatalks were a central topic of discussion. Cuba 'got as much attention as anything else,' the official said. The first face-to-face talks that eventually led to this week's deal took place in June 2013 in Canada, which has long maintained relations with Cuba. Leading the U.S. delegation were Ben Rhodes, a close Obama aide who is a deputy national security adviser, and Ricardo Zuniga, the top Latin American specialist on the White House's National Security Council. The names of the Cuban participants in the talks could not immediately be learned. U.S. and Cuban prisoners were a major point of debate, the officials said. For the Obama administration, Gross' continued imprisonment was both a practical and political barrier to improved ties. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke by phone four times this summer with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez about Gross, a second senior U.S. official said. Kerry told the Cubans that if anything happened to Gross, there would never be better relations between Washington and Havana, this official said.", "Former President Jimmy Carter lauded the decision to normalize diplomatic relations with and ease sanctions imposed on Cuba, steps he said would benefit the Cuban people and not the country's autocratic rulers. Carter said President Barack Obama's decision to change the dynamic of the U.S.-Cuba relationship \"very wise and courageous\" and said he hopes Congress will move to end the embargo on Cuba. \"I think this is a good move, for both Cubans and Americans. I think it will be a major step forward to bring about more freedom and democracy and more respect for human rights in Cuba as well.\" Carter said Wednesday on CNN. \"It's long overdue.\" Related: Historic thaw in U.S.-Cuba relations . Obama settled a landmark deal to normalize relations between the two countries in a phone call with Cuban President Raul Castro this week. The call between the two leaders capped more than a year of secret discussions to secure the release of American aid worker Alan Gross. Obama released three convicted Cuban spies, but secured the release of 53 political prisoners held in Cuba, a Cuban national who spied for the U.S. and won concessions from Castro to free up Internet access in Cuba. Carter jumped to Obama's defense following a chorus of attacks from Republicans led by Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida who say Obama's decision amounted to appeasement of a totalitarian government that will lead to anything but democratization. Related: 2016 Republicans slam Cuba announcement . \"It is a lifeline for the Castro regime that will allow them to become more profitable ... and allow them to become a more permanent fixture,\" Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, said Wednesday on CNN. \"The embargo is leverage, these sanctions are leverage.\" Carter, who has traveled to Cuba several times and met with both Fidel and Raul Castro, called Rubio's comments \"absolutely ridiculous.\" \"[The embargo] doesn't hurt the Castro brothers, it just hurts the people of Cuba -- about 11 million of them -- who have had to suffer because of our own imposed economic sanctions,\" Carter said. Related: American Alan Gross freed by Cuba . Carter added that Obama's decisions to ease the trade embargo -- which will include allowing the export of telecommunications equipment to Cuba and more travel authorizations to the country -- will help open up Cuban society and foster democracy. And Carter added that Americans could also benefit if the embargo is lifted. \"We're the only ones that can't go to Cuba,\" Carter said, referencing the ban preventing Americans from going to Cuba as tourists.", "The European Union hopes to strike a deal to restore relations with Cuba by the end of 2015 after cutting ties with the country back in 1996. It froze relations with the country 19 years ago until it reformed areas such as human rights, fundamental freedoms and democracy. Now the two sides have agreed to intensify the pace of talks which began in 2014 aimed at improving bilateral relations, the EU's foreign policy chief has said. Reconnect: The European Union hopes to a deal to restore relations with Cuba and its president Raul Castro (pictured) by the end of 2015 after cutting ties with the country back in 1996 . Negotiations: EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini (left) held talks with Cuba's president Raul Castro and high-ranking officials (pictured) 'Slow progress': Ms Mogherini said the EU wants to finalise the framework for an agreement between the two bodies by the end of 2015 . Federica Mogherini said the pace of progress was 'slow' but it was gaining 'political momentum' after meeting with Cuban president Raul Castro and other high-ranking officials in Havana. She said: 'We decided today to speed up the rhythm of our negotiations, hopefully to manage to finalise the framework of our dialogue and agreement by the end of this year. The negotiations they began last April were seen as part of an improvement in relations since the 28-nation bloc lifted diplomatic sanctions on Cuba in 2008. But only three meetings took place in the next 11 months, prompting the Europeans to quicken the pace which Cuban officials agreed to. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez will now visit . Mogherini in Brussels on April 22 and like the EU chief's trip to . Havana, the meeting will fall outside of formal negotiations. Between now and then they will also see each other at the . Summit of the Americas set for April 10-11 in Panama, to which . both Cuba and the EU are invited for the first time. Fixed: Cuba has recently improved relation with its old enemy the United States and Raul Castro (right) famously shook hands with US president Barack Obama (left) at Nelson Mandela's memorial service . Cuba has also begun to engage in talks with the . United States after the former enemies announced they would restore diplomatic relations in December. Relations between the countries are still strained but they have improved drastically since Fidel Castro stepped down as leader of Cuba and Barack Obama became president of the United States. After assuming office, Obama said he was open to scrapping the trade embargo if Cuba underwent political change and in 2009, he eased some economic sanctions on the country and eased travel restrictions too. Cuba's president Raul Castro reciprocated Obama's policies and in July 2012 he said his government was willing to hold talks with the United States to 'discuss anything'. They two leaders famously shook hands at former South African president Nelson Mandela's state memorial service. The United States and Cuba quickly arranged high-level . meetings in Havana and Washington, while EU-Cuba talks were . postponed twice. Though not as severe as the open conflict between the United . States and Cuba, Europe's relations with the Caribbean island . have also been strained through the years.", "Likely Republican presidential contenders Marco Rubio and Rand Paul are already clashing over President Barack Obama's recently announced shift in U.S. policy toward Cuba. Paul has said that lifting a more than 50 year embargo on Cuba is 'probably a good idea' while Rubio has swiftly made himself the face of opposition to normalizing relations with the Communist country. The argument between the two Republican senators escalated last night when Florida Sen. Rubio, who is the son of Cuban immigrants, claimed that Kentucky Sen. Paul 'has no idea what he’s talking about' when it comes to his parents' home country. Scroll down for video . Florida Senator Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, is pictured here standing alongside Florida Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen during a press conference in Miami, Florida on Wednesday about the United States' decision to restore full diplomatic relations with Cuba and open an embassy in Havana for the first time in more than a half century. Rubio has taken a hardline stance against the issue . Paul has placed himself at odds with several possible Republican presidential challengers, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, also of Cuban descent, by aligning himself with the president and coming out in support of removing trade and travel restrictions on the Latin American country located less than 500 miles off the Florida coast. 'This announcement today will be remembered as a tragic mistake,' Cruz warned on Wednesday after Obama's announcement. 'Just like the administration did with Iran, right when the administration was feeling the maximum pain it throws them an economic lifeline and continues the brutal repression and dictatorship of the Castro brothers,' he said on Fox News. Likewise, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush wrote on Facebook that 'Cuba is a dictatorship with a disastrous human rights record, and now President Obama has rewarded those dictators. Bush became the first Republican candidate to officially acknowledge that he is exploring a presidential run earlier this week, just one day before Obama confirmed that his administration was reestablishing high-level diplomatic relations with Cuba. The former governor of the state with the largest Cuban-American population called Obama's move a 'misstep' and argued that it 'undermines America's credibility and undermines the quest for a free and democratic Cuba.' During a radio interview this week Paul said 'if the goal was regime change, [the embargo] sure doesn’t seem to be working.' 'Probably, it punishes the people more than the regime because the regime can blame the embargo for hardship,' he added. Rubio fired back at Paul on The Kelly Report on Thursday night and said, 'Like many people who have been opining, he has no idea what he’s talking about. 'Look, Venezuela's economy looks like Cuba's economy now,' he told the Fox News show's host, Megyn Kelly. 'You can't even buy toilet paper in Caracas. And there's no embargo on Venezuela. What Venezuela has in common with Cuba, is they both have adopted radical socialist governmental policies. 'And I would expect that people would understand that if they just took a moment to analyze that, they would realize that the embargo is not what's hurting the Cuban people,' he continued. 'It's the lack of freedom and the lack of competent leaders.' Rubio tore into Kentucky Sen. Paul on Thursday night over Paul's decision to come out in support of the president's Cuba policy shift. Paul 'has no idea what he’s talking about,' Rubio accused . Rubio has said he will use his position on the Senate Foreign Relations committee to block the creation of a U.S. embassy in Cuba and will oppose the lifting of the U.S. trade embargo on the country, which only Congress can authorize. In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Rubio called Obama's decision 'a victory for oppressive governments the world over and will have real, negative consequences for the American people.' Rubio argued that 'the opportunity for Cuba to normalize relations with the U.S. has always been there, but the Castro regime has never been interested in changing its ways. 'Now, thanks to President Obama’s concessions, the regime in Cuba won’t have to change,' he asserted. He went on to say that the U.S. policy shift 'is based on the illusion—in fact, on the lie—that more commerce and access to money and goods will translate to political freedom for the Cuban people. 'Cuba already enjoys access to commerce, money and goods from other nations, and yet the Cuban people are still not free. 'They are not free because the regime—just as it does with every aspect of life—manipulates and controls to its own advantage all currency that flows into the island. More economic engagement with the U.S. means that the regime’s grip on power will be strengthened for decades to come—dashing the Cuban people’s hopes for freedom and democracy.' The U.S. is the only country in the world that restricts interactions with Cuba. The White House told reporters this week that it has become clear in the last 53 years that the 'unilateral' embargo has not had the intended effect. 'The rest of the world is actually on the other side of this issue. They criticize our sanctions regime policy against Cuba and it actually interferes with our ability to bring to bear pressure from the rest of the international community on the Castro regime to better respect human rights,' the president's spokesman, Josh Earnest, said. While high-profile Republicans are mostly aligned in their opposition to the White House's policy, polls taken this year on the issue show that Cuban-Americans in the the influential voting state of Florida share Paul's views as do the majority of Americans across the nation. A Florida International University poll of Cuban-Americans in South Florida taken in June found that 68 percent of the demographic is in favor of reestablishing diplomatic ties with Cuba and 69 percent want travel restrictions eliminated. A majority also said they were in favor of doing away with trade restrictions, 52 percent, and that the embargoes have not worked, 71 percent. And nationally, majorities of Americans in both political parties support resuming relations with Cuba, a total of 56 percent, according to an Atlantic Council poll taken in February.", "Barack Obama's historic peace-deal with Cuba after 50 years of cold war hostility was a breakthrough not to be sniffed at. But that didn't stop the US president having a try, when he got close and personal to a Cuban on Wednesday ... not a citizen, but a cigar. Significantly, it was the first time in 52 years that a US president has officially savoured the Cuban delicacy since John F. Kennedy stockpiled a secret stash of his favourite Havanas in the hours before he imposed a trade embargo on the Communist state in 1962. This, of course, doesn't include Bill Clinton's adventures with cigars and Monica Lewisnky in the Oval Office. Scroll down for video . Close to a Cuban: Obama was attending one of two White House receptions to welcome the start of Hanukkah when a guest handed him a large cheroot, which he took in his hand and ran under his nose . Obama was attending one of two White House receptions to welcome the start of Hanukkah when a guest handed him a large stogie. He took it in his hand and waved it in the air before running it under his nose for a whiff. The room fell near-silent as he paused to take in its aroma, before declaring it 'pretty good' to everyone's relief. 'I had the unique distinction of gifting the President of the United States with one of Cuba's finest cigars, a Montecristo Series at the White House…after a ceremony in which a Menorah was lit,' John Berzner, who offered the cigar to the president on Wednesday, told ABC News. He had packed just one cigar for the event, but felt compelled to present it to Barack Obama in celebration of the deal to begin normalising relations between the United States and Cuba, after 18 months of secret talks over prisoner releases brought a sudden end to decades of tension. 'Pretty good': The room fell near-silent as he paused to take in its aroma, before declaring it 'pretty good' to everyone's relief . When Berzner handed the cigar to Obama, he said: 'Mr. President, a Cuban cigar for you!' 'Oh, nice!' Obama replied as he lifted the cigar to his nose. 'The finest,' Berzner replied. The president approved, telling Berzner, 'Pretty good!' Nigel Savage, who was also a guest at the event and shot the video, added, 'The president definitely looked like he appreciated a good Cuban cigar.' It is unclear whether Obama kept the gift or handed it to the Secret Service. Legal again: President Barack Obama lifted some of America's sanctions against Cuba on Wednesday, making it legal for Americans who travel there to bring back a limited supply of cigars . The president's smoking habits have long been in the news. Obama last year told a United Nations official that he hadn't smoked a cigarette in years — mostly because of First Lady Michelle Obama. 'I haven't had a cigarette in probably six years,' Obama was overhead telling Maina Kiai at the U.N. General Assembly in New York back in September 2013. 'That's because I'm scared of my wife.' In 2009, the president said he was a 'former smoker' but he would 'constantly struggle' with kicking the habit. 'Have I fallen off the wagon sometimes? Yes,' he confessed at a press conference in 2009. 'Am I a daily smoker, a constant smoker? No. 'I don't do it in front of my kids, I don't do it in front of my family,' he added. 'And, you know, I would say that I am 95 percent cured. But there are times where...There are times where I mess up.' Michelle Obama in February 2011 said her husband stopped smoking about a year earlier. President John F. Kennedy was partial to a puff and even asked his press secretary to buy him 1,000 of his favorite Cuban cigars in the hours before he imposed the Cuban trade embargo . Obama is not the first US president to enjoy a Cuban cigar on occasion. It emerged this week that President John F. Kennedy ordered his press secretary on February 2, 1962 to buy him as many of his favorite Cuban cigars as he could lay his hands on – and held off signing the Cuban trade embargo until his precious stogies were safely inside the White House. Kennedy asked Pierre Salinger to find at least 1,000 H.Upmann petit coronas, and gave him just a half-day to accomplish the task before they would become contraband. The next morning, Salinger recalled in rare video footage of his storytelling, he reported that he had bought up 1,200 of Cuba's finest exports – a feat the president pronounced 'Fantastic!' just before he signed a decree that banned all the communist country's products from the U.S. Washington already had some limited sanctions in place, but Kennedy's decision was the beginning of a comprehensive ban on U.S. trade with the island that remained intact until Wednesday. In 1996 the Helms-Burton law tightened the sanctions further. But President Barack Obama made a shocking move on Wednesday to reopen relations with Cuba and establish an embassy there. That means Americans who travel to Havana – and there will be thousands – 'will be able to return to the U.S. with some Cuban products, including Cohibas and other Cuban cigars,' according to Cigar Aficionado magazine.", "Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (CNN) -- Every day, the workers in the Guantanamo Bay kitchen cook three squares for the detainees held here. And every day, up to 100 of the 166 inmates send them back. They're protesting their ongoing imprisonment by going on hunger strikes for what is now 100 days. Not only has Guantanamo Bay become a lightning rod for America's critics -- it's no prize for America's taxpayers, either. Running the prison camp costs the Pentagon more than $150 million a year -- just over $900,000 for each of the 166 detainees at the facility, located on a Navy base on the eastern end of Cuba. By comparison, costs for a typical federal prison inmate run about $25,000 a year; at the \"supermax\" prison in Colorado that holds domestic terrorists Eric Rudolph and Ted Kaczynski, it's about $60,000. And despite calls by President Barack Obama himself to close the 11-year-old facility, the military is about to spend millions more to upgrade the prison camp. \"We have to always plan to conduct that mission from now into the future,\" said Army Col. John Bogdan, commander of the military's Joint Detention Group at Guantanamo. \"And the policymakers will decide when that mission's over.\" Daily life at Guantanamo: Hunger strikes, sprays of filth . The renovation plans include a $50 million overhaul for Camp VII, the most secretive part of the compound. The inmates there include Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-professed organizer of the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington; accused co-conspirators Walid bin Attash and Ramzi Bin al-Shahb; and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the man accused of leading the plot to bomb the destroyer USS Cole in Yemen, killing 17 American sailors. They face trial on war crimes charges before the military courts set up to try al Qaeda and Taliban figures. Most of the rest of the prisoners face no charges at all. Because the facilities were hastily built and never thought to be permanent, the prison camp may need as much as $170 million more in repairs, said Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly, the chief of U.S. forces in the region. \"This is really a kind of thrown-together operation,\" Kelly told the House Armed Services Committee in March. \"It's really not 11 years long. It's really one year, 11 times.\" The kitchens are \"literally falling apart,\" Kelly said, and the barracks that house the 1,900 troops assigned to the prison camp need replacing. And since everything has to be brought in from outside, it all costs about twice as much, he said. Guantanamo at a boiling point . The decrepit remains of previous units -- the original Camp X-Ray, where detainees were first housed in chain-link cages, and the successive Camps I-IV -- still stand on the way to the infirmary. Weeds grow up among the rusted gates, empty watchtowers and abandoned exercise equipment, all within a mile of the facilities where the remaining prisoners are held. A total of 86 of the 166 detainees have been approved for transfer out, but both the Obama administration and Congress have effectively halted the moves. The last transfer took place in September, and the State Department office tasked with finding countries that would take the others was closed in January. And the indefinite imprisonment the detainees face has fueled the wave of hunger strikes, which have progressed to the point where about 30 inmates are being force-fed. \"It's kind of a tough mission,\" the camp's senior medical officer, who was interviewed on condition of anonymity for security reasons, told CNN. \"This is kind of an ugly place sometimes.\" The battle to force feed Gitmo detainees . The inmates are given a last chance to drink a nutritional supplement before being force-fed. If they refuse, they're strapped to a chair and a plastic tube is shoved up their noses, down their throats and into their stomachs. The Pentagon says the feeding program is lawful and humane. The inmates are given a numbing gel and the thin tubes are lubricated before being inserted, they say. \"Nobody's expressed to me that this hurts,\" the senior medical officer said. But Cori Crider, a lawyer for hunger striker Samir Moqbel, called it \"an incredibly agonizing process.\" \"You don't get farther than about here, into your throat, before the tears start streaming down your face. ... He said he had never felt so much pain like that in his life,\" she said. Photo: Inside look at Guantanamo . The practice has been condemned by human rights groups and the American Medical Association, which says every patient has the right to refuse even life-sustaining treatment. But the senior medical officer said that when a prisoner is on the verge of harming himself, \"suddenly it's not a very abstract decision.\" \"It's very easy for folks outside this place to make policies and decisions that they think they would implement,\" he said. \"There's a lot of politics involved\" in the AMA's opposition he added, \"And I'm sure there's lots of politics that they need to answer to as well.\" CNN Pentagon Correspondent Chris Lawrence reported from Guantanamo Bay. Matt Smith reported and wrote from Atlanta.", "Gilberto Martinez was . almost penniless when he left Cuba in 2005 to start a new life . in the United States. Eight years later he returned a rich man and built a large . house in his dusty neighborhood on the outskirts of Havana. Flush with money, he drove an Audi and a Mercedes and . started a music career under the artistic name 'Gilbertman'. But . two weeks ago, his flash lifestyle caught up with him when a swarm of Cuban police descended on his home and . arrested him. Boastful: The accused credit card fraudster, Gilberto Martinez, found living in Cuba, poses on Facebook with wads of cash on his biceps . Taking advantage: Like American music producers the videos he appeared in includes guns, strobe lights and scantily clad women . No taste: In the Cuban fugitive's rich video he says 'I have a lot of money in the bank,' he croons while throwing piles of cash around . 'It was dramatic. There were dozens of cops, in cars, sirens . blaring. They blocked off the street,' said one neighbor who . asked not to be identified. It is not clear what charges the 28-year-old Martinez faces . in Cuba but, whatever they are, the U.S. government also wants . to bring him in. Florida court records show he is a fugitive and faces up to . 16 years in prison after he was indicted on Sept. 30 in a Secret . Service credit card fraud probe involving $150,000 of purchases . at stores including Toys'R'Us and Babies'R'Us. In recent years, dozens of Medicare, credit card and . mortgage fraudsters who came to the United States from Cuba have . avoided prosecution by jumping bail and fleeing to their . homeland. Under President Obama's new Cuba policy, the fraudsters, who . have cost U.S. tax payers hundreds of millions of dollars, could . finally come under the long arm of U.S. law. Talks aimed at restoring diplomatic relations after decades . of hostility began this week in Havana, and U.S. officials say . issues of legal cooperation will be raised in the months ahead. Show-off: The young music artist publicly flaunted his riches: a spacious new house, a fleet of motorcycles and luxury cars, designer clothes and stately furniture . Star status: He was wanted in the United States for stealing people's credit card numbers and ripping off stores across Florida . Caught: Cuban police earlier this month raided the gated home of a U.S. fugitive in the town of Guanabacoa, outside Havana . Justice: Cuban officials aren't talking, but pictures and video shot by neighbors show armed, SWAT-like teams standing guard outside Martinez's home . In the past there has been occasional cooperation regarding . low level fugitives, including a Florida couple repatriated in . 2013 after they kidnapped two small sons they had lost custody . of due to a drug arrest and fled to Cuba on a sailboat. 'We would hope to be able to expand some of that cooperation . in the future as more normal relations go forward, and to have, . frankly, a better relationship on that kind of issue,' a senior . State Department official said this week. 'We are starting to compile a list of those fugitives that . we believe may have flown back to their native country,' said . Barry Golden, spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service in Miami. 'But as you can imagine it's very hard to confirm if they . are there. It's not like we can call the U.S. embassy and ask . them - at least not yet.' Not so in the case of Martinez who posted dozens of photos . of himself in Cuba on social media. 'He's all over YouTube so we . can pretty much verify he is there,' said Golden, who confirmed . that Martinez has an outstanding federal warrant. For days after his arrest, Cuban police were stationed . outside his single story hacienda-style home occupying almost an . entire block, and several officers were seen inside apparently . conducting an inventory. It is not clear why Martinez was arrested or on what charges . and no mention was made of the raid in Cuban media. Cuba's . government does not usually comment on police actions. No tact: Martinez, 28, posted hundreds of pictures of himself on Facebook living in Cuba like a Hollywood celebrity . Arrogance: About a week ago, a Spanish-language station in Miami, featured news of Martinez's arrest, friends and fans on social media began praising him . Their Cold War animosity means Cuba and the United States . have no extradition agreement or law enforcement cooperation . treaty, although that could change once diplomatic relations are . restored. Despite their differences, the two countries have for long . cooperated on immigration issues and drug trafficking. But . building closer law enforcement ties would still be a huge step . in Cuba's one-party system, where the police and the military . are under the control of the ruling Communist Party. The most prominent political fugitive in Cuba is Joanne . Chesimard who escaped a New Jersey state prison following her . life sentence conviction for killing a state trooper in 1973. But there are a host of others wanted for financial crimes. Since 2007, U.S. authorities have been cracking down on . Medicare fraud, arresting and charging about 2,000 people who . collectively have falsely billed more than $6 billion to the . government health program for the elderly and disabled. Most arrests were made in south Florida, often involving . Cuban immigrants. 'They have got it down to a science ... When they get caught . they know they can skip bail and get away to Cuba. It's their . business model,' said Carlos Fleites, the lawyer for Martinez's . girlfriend, Yuleidys Gonzalez Amaral, who is charged in the same . credit card fraud case. Fleites said the scale of the problem is hard for Cuba to . ignore. 'They have to cooperate somewhat if they want to have a . normal relationship. They know where everybody is on the island. They could round up everyone overnight and fill a plane and have . them in Miami in the morning. Hopefully judgment day is coming.' The FBI provided Reuters with a list of 64 south Florida . Medicare fugitives, all but six from Cuba, though the number . could be higher as some investigations may be under seal. Among them is Jorge Emilio Perez de Morales, wanted on . charges he laundered $238 million stolen from Medicare. Three brothers - Carlos, Jose and Luis Benitez - are accused . of running 11 Miami-Dade county clinics that swindled $110 . million from Medicare. South Florida judges are increasingly taking a harder line . on fraud involving recently arrived Cubans, refusing bond and . imposing tough jail sentences. Last week, federal Judge Federico Moreno ordered Gonzalez . Amaral jailed after she appeared in court on bond to change her . plea to guilty and offered to cooperate with prosecutors. 'There are too many people who have fled,' Moreno said. Lavish lifestyle: Martinez built a large, white house with pool and hot tub, marble floors, and wraparound porch — then walled it off from neighbors . Breaking the rules: Martinez's mistake is that he lived too openly and too ostentatiously for a communist state . Out of time: In the past, Cuban-born criminals escaped to the island with their riches, well out of reach of American authorities - but now the past is catching up to Martinez .", "Barack Obama's move to open relations with Cuba brought an official weather forecast from Havana's state news agency that it would rain flower petals, but Cuban-Americans serving in the U.S. Senate unleashed a stormy tempest on the White House Wednesday. The president made his shocking and historic announcement armed with a new budget that seems to cement the State Department's ability to fund an embassy and pay salaries in Havana. But while two Republicans threatened action when the new GOP-led Congress convenes, they were led by a Democrat who has backed the White House on nearly everything for the last six years. Complicating the saga, Hillary Clinton reportedly engineered the Cuba thaw when she was Obama's secretary of state, and she will likely be saddled with it in the 2016 White House race if the effort fails to move the island nation toward Democratic reforms. New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez lashed out immediately, saying Obama'd decision to free three Cuban spies in exchange for U.S. aid worker Alan Gross had 'vindicated the brutal behavior of the Cuban government.' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEOS . DEVASTATED: Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio (left) appeared Thursday with Florida GOP Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (center) and Mirta Costa, the mother of Carlos Costa, a pilot from a group called 'Brothers to the Rescue' who was shot down and killed by Cuban fighter jets in 1996 . SPRUNG: Cuban spies Ramon Labanino (left), Geraldo Hernandez (center. left side), Antonio Guerrero (near right) jumped for joy after their release from US custody as a condition of Cuba returning US aid worker Alan Gross to the United States. Fernando Gonzalez (far right) was convicted along with them but released earlier . New Jersey Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, a Cuban-American, disagrees with the president's position on Cuba and gave the White House an earful about appeasing dictators on Wednesday . BOWED, NOT BROKEN: Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican son of Cuban emigres, said he would do everything in his power to block the president's new openness with the Castro regime . 'Trading Mr. Gross for three convicted criminals sets an extremely dangerous precedent. It invites dictatorial and rogue regimes to use Americans serving overseas as bargaining chips' and will 'invite further belligerence toward Cuba’s opposition movement and the hardening of the government’s dictatorial hold on its people,' Menendez said. Speaking of Obama's move to normalize diplomatic and trade relations with the communist dictatorship, he claimed 'the United States has just thrown the Cuban regime an economic lifeline.' Menendez is the outgoing chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. His GOP colleagues, Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida, are also Cuban-Americans – and they threatened to stop the White House before its plan to open an embassy in Havana can gain traction. Appearing on CNN, Rubio pledged to block the confirmation of any White House nominees to a new post of Ambassador to Cuba. 'I reserve the right to do everything within the rules of the Senate to prevent that sort of individual from ever even coming up for a vote,' said Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants. On the Fox News Channel, he said Wednesday was 'a terrible day for democracy. It's a sad day for those that want freedom and liberty for the Cuban people.' VIVA MADAME ARCHITECT! Hillary Clinton reportedly engineered Obama's Cuba thaw while she was secretary of state, which could open her up to criticism in a presidential race if the plan flops . Alex Conant, Rubio's chief spokesman, told MailOnline that the senator is still exploring practical avenues to block the president, through both the confirmation process and Congress' power of the purse. 'We're looking into those questions ourselves,' he replied to questions about what Republicans might practically do. 'But I don’t see how a nominee to be ambassador to Cuba gets confirmed in the Senate next year.' In the past, any single U.S. senator could block a floor vote on a presidential nomination and force the nominee's advocates to come up with 60 votes to override his or her action. But through outgoing Senate Majority Leader Harry's Reid's use of what Washington wags called the 'nuclear option,' a simple majority is now all that's needed to approve a presidential appointee. Even so, with Republicans holding 54 seats in the Senate that will open for business in January – and some Democrats angry about Obama's new Cuba policy – actually confirming a nominee could be impossible. Cruz speculated on CNN about Senate action that could block the resumption of diplomatic and trade relations with Havana. 'It's not clear at this point where the votes will be, but I expect in the Senate to see a far more vigorous voice defending our national security interests,' he said. 'And I am hopeful that we will prevent a bad deal and a bad decision. The point I was making on this, there’s a reason why I expect to see bi-partisan cooperation to rein this in. In 2009, the appeasement of Putin didn't work and Putin invaded Ukraine a sovereign nation.' It's unclear what else Congress could do, but some political operatives are buzzing about the power of the purse. Lawmakers approve the money spent by federal agencies, including the State Department. DEFIANT: Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz said he expects 'bi-partisan cooperation to rein this in' among senators in January . But Obama announced his Havana shift while his signature on a new federal budget was just days old. That document may stymie Senate dissenters who just last week would have forbidden Secretary of State John Kerry from spending money on a new Havana embassy and on salaries to staff it. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest thumbed his nose at them during a press briefing on Wednesday, suggesting that the administration already has the funds it needs to follow through on the president's televised announcement since U.S. personnel have been on the ground there for some time. 'As a point of fact, it’s not clear to me that additional appropriations will be necessary to establish an embassy in Cuba,' Earnest said, 'principally because there is already a significant diplomatic presence in Cuba.' 'There is an Interests Section there that represents the interests of the United States. So I don’t know of any specific appropriations request that has been made. There may be one in the future. We'll see.' Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, the Judiciary Committee's outgoing chairman and one of the lawmakers who accompanied Gross back to the U.S. on Wednesday, said it would be 'really, really foolish' to normalize relations with Cuba while no ambassador is in place. And Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, who has tried unsuccessfully for 12 years to rally support behind legislation to change U.S.-Cuba policy,said 'it would be really counterproductive to block funding for an embassy.' 'We're going to have a lot more Americans traveling to Cuba. … To tell those Americans who travel there, you're out of luck if you have a problem, I just don't think that's right. BOLD: Obama surprised Washington and the world by announcing that he would scrap the 53-year-old policy of detachment from the communist country of Cuba . However U.S-Cuba relations sort out, Hillary Clinton will get much of the credit or blame. From 2009 until her departure early last year, then-Secretary of State Clinton took the lead when the Obama administration interfaced with Cuban officials, according to Bloomberg News. White House and State Department officials and others told Bloomberg that Clinton pushed hard for the administration to end the half-century-old bans on tourism and trade with the island communist state. While some in the White House resisted her pressure, her brainchild ultimately came to fruition this week. 'Hillary Clinton played a very large role,' New America Foundation senior fellow Steve Clemons told the news outlet. 'Cuba was on her mind,' he said, referring to her final year in office. 'I know that she raised it a number of times. The White House wasn’t ready to move but she kept that in play.' And Arturo Valenzuela, then assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs and Clinton's top Cuba-policy aide, said 'there was strong support in the State Department for liberalizing some of the restrictions and Secretary Clinton was quite clear about that.' Trade relations with the island dictatorship just 90 miles from Florida are governed by the 1996 Helms-Burton Act, which strengthening the trade embargo first put in place by President John F. Kennedy. Only Congress can overturn that law – a near-impossibility with strong GOP majorities in both houses when the 114th Congress convenes just weeks from now. But GOP leaders seem to concede that nothing Obama promised on Wednesday goes beyond what Helms-Burton permits. 'It's not like he's thrown the door open to Cuban cigars coming into Florida and Chevrolets going to Havana,' an aide to a senior House Republican told DailyMail.com. 'But the danger, now that Obama has moved the goalposts, is what the next Democratic administration and the next Democratic Congress could do. And the next. And the next.'", "The Pentagon broke federal law by exchanging five Taliban detainees for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl without giving Congress the appropriate notice, Congress' independent investigative arm announced Thursday. Susan Poling, general counsel for the U.S. Government Accountability Office, wrote in a letter to nine Republican senators that the Pentagon should have notified \"the relevant congressional committees at least 30 days in advance of the transfer.\" Moreover, Poling noted that the GAO also concluded the Defense Department broke the law by using \"appropriated funds to carry out the transfer when no money was available for that purpose.\" Poling noted that her office wasn't weighing in on Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's decision to carry out the prisoner swap, but rather his \"responsibility to comply with a notification condition on the availability of appropriations to transfer individuals from Guantanamo Bay.\" Talking to CNN on Thursday evening, Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby noted Hagel's previous admission \"that we probably could have done a better job keeping Congress informed. Absolutely.\" But that doesn't mean the Defense Department did anything illegal, Kirby said. He stated officials felt they had \"to move quickly\" out of concern for Bergdahl's life. The Pentagon said that President Barack Obama's administration felt \"it was necessary and appropriate to forgo 30 days' notice\" to do so. \"We ... believe that it was lawfully done, lawfully conducted,\" Kirby said of the exchange. \"And this was a judgment that was shared by the Justice Department.\" Poling's letter was in response to a June 13 request from the GOP senators for her opinion on the matter. Captured in Afghanistan early in the summer of 2009, Bergdahl was freed almost five years later in exchange for five men who were being held at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. U.S. soldier freed in swap . At the time of his release, the 28-year-old was the longest-held U.S. soldier since the Vietnam War. The swap stirred sharp criticism, especially among Republicans who questioned whether the U.S. government might encourage its enemies to take more Americans captive. Others -- including members of his unit -- accused him of deserting his comrades in the midst of a war. An Army fact-finding investigation conducted in the months after his disappearance concluded he left his outpost deliberately and of his own free will, according to an official who was briefed on the report. There has been no definitive conclusion Bergdahl was a deserter. He met for two days earlier this month with an Army investigating officer who has been reviewing his case. Unless he requests an extension, the investigating officer has until mid-August to complete the probe. A report would typically be issued about a month later. As for Bergdahl, he's back in the active military. Following his release in late May, the Idaho native underwent medical care and mental counseling at an Army hospital in San Antonio before taking a desk job at Fort Sam Houston, according to military officials. Bergdahl finishes with Army investigator . Sen. Saxby Chambliss made no mention of Bergdahl -- including how he went missing, his time in captivity or his future -- in a statement Thursday on the GAO's findings. The Georgia Republican did, however, reference \"the Taliban Five\" and repeated Poling's assertions about the Defense Department handling of this matter. In doing so, he reiterated a claim made by many in his party -- as evidenced by the GOP-led House giving the go-ahead earlier this summer to sue Obama over executive orders -- that the administration has often overreached its authority. \"While the President has a habit of ignoring laws relating to domestic policy, such as health care and immigration, this latest overreach regarding our national security has dangerous implications,\" Chambliss said. \"The United States has a long-standing policy of not negotiating with terrorists for good reason, and these senior Taliban leaders will soon rejoin the fight.\"", "President Barack Obama staunchly defended a framework nuclear agreement with Iran as a 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' to prevent a bomb and bring longer-term stability to the Middle East. He insisted the U.S. would stand by Israel if it were to come under attack, but acknowledged that his pursuit of diplomacy with Tehran has caused strain with the close ally. 'It's been a hard period,' Obama said in a weekend interview with New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman. He added that it is 'personally difficult' for him to hear his administration accused of not looking out for Israel's interests. Scroll down for video . On the back foot: Barack Obama phrased his actions in negotiations with Iran as an attempt to 'take the nuclear issue off the table'. Iran has agreed to restrict its nuclear program in exchange for relief from economic sanctions . Now in his seventh year in office, Obama cast the Iran talks as part of a broader foreign policy doctrine that sees American power as a safeguard that gives him the ability to take calculated risks. 'We are powerful enough to be able to test these propositions without putting ourselves at risk,' he said, citing his overtures to Cuba and Myanmar as other examples of his approach. The president's comments come days after the U.S. and other world powers reached a tentative agreement to curb Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. The framework cleared the way for negotiators to hammer out technical details ahead of a June 30 deadline for a final deal. Negotiations: Secretary of State John Kerry, right with Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, was involved in the nuclear talks in Lausanne, Switzerland . Obama argued that successful negotiations presented the most effective way to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, but insisted he would keep all options on the table if Tehran were to violate the terms. 'I've been very clear that Iran will not get a nuclear weapon on my watch, and I think they should understand that we mean it,' Obama said in the interview published Sunday. 'But I say that hoping that we can conclude this diplomatic arrangement — and that it ushers a new era in U.S.-Iranian relations — and, just as importantly, over time, a new era in Iranian relations with its neighbors.' The president said there are many details that still need to be worked out with the Iranians and cautioned that there would be 'real political difficulties' in implementing an agreement in both countries. He reiterated his opposition to a legislation that would give the U.S. Congress final say in approving or rejecting a deal, but said he hoped to find a path to allow Congress to 'express itself.' Victory? Obama looked forward to 'a new era' of relations with Iran. Pictured above is the nation's president, Hassan Rouhani . The White House plans an aggressive campaign to sell the deal to Congress, as well as to skeptical Arab allies who worry about Iran's destabilizing activity in the region. The president has invited leaders of six Gulf nations to Washington this spring and said he wanted to 'formalize' U.S. assistance. On the substance of the Iran framework agreement, Obama outlined more specifics of how the U.S. would seek to verify that Tehran wasn't cheating. He said there would be an 'international mechanism' that would assess whether there needed to be an inspection at a suspicious site and could overrule Iranian objections. The nuclear talks have marked a remarkable shift in the frozen relationship between the U.S. and Iran. It has become normal for officials from both countries to communicate and hold face-to-face meetings. Obama is yet to meet with Iranian President Hasan Rouhani, though they did speak on the phone. He has also exchanged letters with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Obama said the letters include 'a lot of reminders of what he perceives as past grievances against Iran.' But he said the concessions Khamenei allowed his negotiators to make in the nuclear talks suggests that 'he does realize that the sanctions regime that we put together was weakening Iran over the long term, and that if in fact he wanted to see Iran re-enter the community of nations, then there were going to have to be changes.'", "Chris Christie has attacked President Obama for not doing more to stop Sony cancelling the release of The Interview after it was struck by hackers. He said the President ought to have called Sony and pulled strings with movie distributors to ensure the running of the controversial film - despite threats of 9/11-style attacks at theaters showing it. The New Jersey governor, a Republican, also attacked the President's recently-announced deal with Cuba, saying that America gets too little out of it and railing against the communist regime there for harboring criminals. Slam: New Jersey governor Chris Christie, right, attacked President Barack Obama, left, for decisions on the Sony hack and opening relations with Cuba . Controversy: The Interview outraged North Korea and prompted the cyber attack. The film includes a scene where Kim Jon Un is blown up, above . Christie, speaking on local station NJTV, said Obama 'made a mistake by not being assertive' when the crisis hit. The President said shortly after the movie was pulled that he wished Sony had called him first - but by then then all screenings had been cancelled. Christie told host Steve Adubato: 'It seems to me that it's the obligation of the President of the United States to call them. 'Sony made a mistake by backing off, and I think, quite frankly the President made a mistake by not being assertive'. He said Obama ought to have gathered executives from Sony, movie theater chains, and his spies, and asked them: 'O.K., what's the nature of the threat and what can we do to stop it. Is there a safe way to show this movie?' 'That's what a leader does', Christie said. Sony pulled in film after weeks of embarrassing revelations about the company, prompted by caches of emails and other information dumped online by hacking cell Guardians of Peace. The group - which the White House later said was a front for the North Korean government - demanded that the studio cancel the film, which ridicules Kim Jong Un, the country's Supreme Leader. One scene the hackers deemed particularly offensive showed Kim being blown up by a missile in slow motion. Material leaked online also implied it featured him taking part in a gay orgy. Christie also rounded on the President's decision to re-open diplomatic relations with Cuba. Asylum: Joanna Chesimard, left, was imprisoned for killing New Jersey state trooper Werner Foerster, right, but escaped jail and fled to Cuba . He said the deal should not have been made while officials continue to grant asylum to a woman who killed a New Jersey state trooper in the 1970s - and was a poor deal for the United States to begin with. He told the show that the move was 'unacceptable' while Joanne Chesimard, a former Black Panther member, continues to live free in the country. He said: 'These thugs in Cuba have given her political asylum for 30 years. 'It's unacceptable to have a reopening of diplomatic relations with Cuba, and unacceptable to even consider taking them off the terrorist watch list if they are harboring a convicted cop killer. 'She murdered, in cold blood, a New Jersey state trooper on the side of the road who was just doing his job.' Christie, who sent an outraged letter to the White House on the same subject this weekend, added that Cuba will benefit far more from the new situation than the United States will.", "In a throwback to the Cold War, a Russian spy ship caused a stir after unexpectedly docking in Havana on the eve of historic talks between the U.S. and Cuba. There was nothing stealthy about the arrival of the Viktor Leonov CCB-175, which was moored to a pier in Old Havana where cruise ships often dock. But the visit was not officially announced by Cuban authorities. The timing also raised eyebrows as it came on Tuesday, the eve of historic U.S-Cuba talks aimed at normalising diplomatic relations. U.S. officials in Washington played down the presence of the Russian vessel, saying it was perfectly legal and not at all out of the ordinary. 'It's not unprecedented. It's not unusual. It's not alarming,' a defense official told AFP news agency. Scroll down for video . Arriving unnanounced: The Viktor Leonov CCB-175, a Russian Navy intelligence warship, is seen docked to a pier in Old Havana after sailing into the harbour on the eve of historic talks between the U.S. and Cuba . The Vishnya or Meridian-class intelligence ship, which has a crew of around 200, went into service in the Black Sea in 1988 before it was transferred seven years later to the northern fleet, according to Russian media. The vessel previously docked in Havana in February and March last year, staying there for a few days. Those visits were also unannounced. The Russians said the visit was scheduled a long time ago and was yesterday opened up for the children of Russian diplomats. For Cubans, who became increasingly dependent on Russia after the 1959 revolution, the ship's latest visit has taken them down memory lane. Raphael Hernandez told ABC News: 'We have normal relations with Russia. 'One day, when we have normal relations with U.S., we could have an American ship visiting.' The highest-level U.S. delegation in 35 years will conclude two-day talks in Havana today with both sides cautioning an immediate breakthrough was unlikely. Senior U.S. officials say they hope Cuba will agree to reopen embassies and appoint ambassadors in each other's capitals in coming months. Nothing to see here: U.S. officials in Washington played down the presence of the Russian vessel, saying it was perfectly legal and not at all out of the ordinary . The United States also wants travel curbs on its diplomats lifted and unimpeded shipments to its mission in Havana. During talks on Wednesday, the Americans vowed to continue granting safe haven to Cubans with special protections denied to other nationalities. Cuba complained the U.S. law promotes dangerous illegal immigration and protested against a separate U.S. program that encourages Cuban doctors to defect, calling it a 'reprehensible brain drain practice.' As her deputy sparred with the Cuban officials over immigration policy, the lead U.S. negotiator in the diplomatic talks, Roberta Jacobson, arrived in Havana aboard a commercial charter from Miami. She became the first U.S. assistant secretary of state to travel to the communist-led island in 38 years and the highest-ranking visitor in 35 years. Cuban and U.S. delegations take part in negotiations to restore diplomatic ties in Havana on Wednesday . Her Cuban counterpart will be Josefina Vidal, director of the foreign ministry's U.S. affairs, who also participated in the immigration talks. The meetings are the first since U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced on Dec. 17 they would work to restore diplomatic ties snapped by Washington in 1961. Despite resistance from some in Congress, Obama has set the United States on a path toward removing economic sanctions and a 53-year-old trade embargo against Cuba. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday he looked forward to formally opening a U.S. embassy in Cuba. Kerry also said he was prepared, when the time was right, to meet his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez, with whom he has only talked by telephone. 'And when it is timely, when it is appropriate, I look forward to traveling to Cuba in order to formally open an embassy and begin to move forward,' Kerry told reporters in Washington. In his annual State of the Union speech on Tuesday, Obama urged Congress to start work on ending the embargo. But critics say Obama first needs to win concessions on Cuban political prisoners and democratic rights, the claims of U.S. citizens whose property was nationalised after Cuba's 1959 revolution, and U.S. fugitives who have received asylum in Cuba. The former Soviet Union was Cuba's main patron during the Cold War.", "The Pope 'played a very important role' in opening up a dialogue between the United States and Cuba, says President Barack Obama. 'The Pope doesn't wield armies. He can't impose sanctions, but he can speak with great moral authority, and that makes a difference,' the U.S. president said in an interview that aired today on Good Morning America. 'And it certainly made a difference in this case,' he added. Scroll down for video . Pope Francis and President Barack Obama shake hands during a private audience on March 27, 2014 at the Vatican.  The meeting preceded talks between U.S. and Cuban officials in October at the Vatican that led to an announcement on Wednesday that the countries had reestablished diplomatic relations . Obama, consciously or not, channeled a famous Stalin statement about the power of the Pope. Soviet Dictator Joseph Stalin is said to have written off the importance of the Pope in a conversation with French Prime Minister Pierre Laval and British Prime Minister Winston ChurchilI. In his book The Second World War, Churchill writes that in 1935 Stalin told Laval flippantly, 'The Pope! How many divisions has he got?' While the Pope was not directly involved in the talks between the U.S. and Cuba, according to the White House, the Vatican played host to at least one discussion between 'high-level administration officials' from both countries 'in a meeting that was hosted by members of the Pope’s team.' 'We certainly welcomed their participation in these conversations, and the degree to which the Pope and his team facilitated this reconciliation is one that we appreciate,' Obama's spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters on Wednesday. The White House also credited the Pope with helping to jump start talks in the first place through personal letters he wrote to both Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro. According to the Vatican, the letters encouraged the two country's leaders to 'resolve humanitarian questions of common interest, including the situation of certain prisoners.' The Holy See also confirmed in a statement that the Vatican served as a meeting place for officials from Cuba and the United States in October. Obama was not present at those discussions but he did travel to the Vatican to visit the head of the Catholic Church in March. The Vatican has confirmed that Pope Francis will make his first papal visit to the U.S. in September for a conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but it has not said if the trip with include a stop at the White House to see Obama. Alan Gross embraces an entourage of family and friends who were awaiting his return from five years of captivity in Cuba to Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday. The United States and Cuba agreed on Wednesday to restore diplomatic ties that Washington severed more than 50 years ago, and President Barack Obama called for an end to the long economic embargo against its old Cold War enemy . In a statement to announcing the United States' intentions to 'end an outdated approach' to Cuba and its commitment to 'normalize relations' with the Communist country, Obama thanked the Pope for helping to break down the decades-long barrier of communication with the Castro regime. 'To those who have supported these measures, I thank you for being partners in our efforts. In particular, I want to thank His Holiness Pope Francis, whose moral example shows us the importance of pursuing the world as it should be, rather than simply settling for the world as it is,' he said. In a statement of his own, Castro also name-checked His Holiness and acknowledged 'the support of the Vatican. Upon hearing the news that Cuba had released American Alan Gross and more than 50 other political prisoners and that the U.S. planned to reestablish diplomatic relations with the country after 53 years, including the creation of a U.S. embassy in Havana, the Vatican promised on Wednesday to continue helping the two countries improve their relationship. 'The Holy See will continue to assure its support for initiatives which both nations will undertake to strengthen their bilateral relations and promote the well-being of their respective citizens,' it said in a statement.", "First Lady Michelle Obama will fill nearly two dozen of the seats in her State of the Union box with individuals representing key initiatives being promoted by her husband during the annual address to Congress. Among the first lady's guests are Alan Gross, the American aid worker recently released from a Cuban prison after a five-year detention, and his wife, Judy; Nicole Hernandez Hammer, a Guatemalan immigrant who raises awareness within the Latino community about climate change, and astronaut Scott Kelly, the brother-in-law of former Democratic congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Giffords, the victim of a 2011 shooting, is married to Kelly's twin brother, Mark. She resigned three years ago in January, a day after being recognized at Obama's 2012 State of the Union. Anthony Mendez, a freshman in college and beneficiary of FLOTUS' Reach Higher Initiative who spent part of his formative years in a homeless shelter after his family was evicted from their home, and 13-year-old Malik Bryant, the Chicago teen who wrote Santa a letter asking for 'safety' and received a response from the president, will also join Mrs. Obama on Tuesday night, the White House revealed on Tuesday. Scroll down for video . First Lady Michelle Obama, center, is pictured with her guests at the U.S. Capitol before President Barack Obama's State of the Union address last year before a joint session of Congress. The first lady typically uses her invites to highlight beneficiaries of her husband's policies, and this year will be no exception . U.S. contractor Alan Gross takes a selfie with his wife, Judy Gross, on board a government plane headed back to the U.S. on December 17 after being released in a prisoner exchange. Alan Gross was held in Cuba for five years as a political prisoner until Barack Obama negotiated his release last month as part of a deal to normalize relations with Cuba. The Grosses will sit in FLOTUS' box tomorrow night at the SOTU . This 2013 photo shows retired astronaut Mark Kelly, left, former Democratic Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, astronaut Scott Kelly and Amiko Kauderer, right, at an event in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Kelly twins, both astronauts, are the subject of scientific research related to space exploration. Scott Kelly will be a guest of Michelle Obama tomorrow night, as well . The first lady's guest list offers an early look at themes President Barack Obama will hit on in tomorrow evening's speech before a joint session of Congress. Obama is expected to defend his decision to normalize relations with Cuba, a move that's been met with criticism by a of a bipartisan group of lawmakers that include Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants whose state, Florida, boasts the highest number of Cuban Americans. Embargoes on the Communist country haven't worked, Obama contends, and should be rescinded. He'll also brag about the economic recovery in the United States, highlighting the receding unemployment rate and resurgence of the manufacturing industry as proof positive that his administration's policies have been a success, and promote a multinational agreement with China to reduce CO2 emissions by a target rate of 28 percent by 2025. The tone of Obama's sixth State of the Union is anticipated to be more upbeat than his past addresses and serve as an inspiration to Americans to live up to their fullest potential while reminding them how far the nation has come since he took office. The president will use Kelly's presence at the speech to promote scientific research that will help 'support the next generation of space exploration and President Obama’s goal of sending humans to Mars by the 2030s,' the White House told Politico. Kelly will soon participate in a yearlong mission aboard International Space Station. He and his twin brother, a retired astronaut, are the subject of a research initiative that will compare data from the two men's bodies while in space. Malik Bryant, Letter Writer . Chelsey Davis, Student, Pellissippi State Community College . William Elder, Jr., Medical School Student . LeDaya Epps, Laborer Apprentice . Rebekah Erler, Letter Writer . Victor Fugate, Letter Writer . Staff Sergeant Jason Gibson, U.S. Army, Ret. Letter Writer, Wounded Warrior . Alan Gross, American Aid Worker, and his wife, Judy . Nicole Hernandez Hammer, Mother and Sea Level Rise Researcher . Scott Kelly, American Astronaut . Anthony Mendez, Student, Reach Higher Initiative . Katrice Mubiru, Letter Writer, Career Technical Education Teacher . Astrid Muhammad, Letter Writer . Kathy Pham, United States Digital Service . Captain Phillip C. Tingirides, Los Angeles Police Department . Catherine Pugh, Maryland Senate Majority Leader . Carolyn Reed, Letter Writer, Small Business Owner . Dr. Pranav Shetty, International Medical Corps . Prophet Walker, Watts United Weekend, Co-Founder . Tiairris Woodward,  Union member . Ana Zamora, Letter Writer, Student, DREAMer . Larry J. Merlo, President & CEO CVS Health . Malik Bryant, Letter Writer . Chelsey Davis, Student, Pellissippi State Community College . William Elder, Jr., Medical School Student . LeDaya Epps, Laborer Apprentice . Rebekah Erler, Letter Writer . Victor Fugate, Letter Writer . Staff Sergeant Jason Gibson, U.S. Army, Ret. Letter Writer, Wounded Warrior . Alan Gross, American Aid Worker, and his wife, Judy . Nicole Hernandez Hammer, Mother and Sea Level Rise Researcher . Scott Kelly, American Astronaut . Anthony Mendez, Student, Reach Higher Initiative . White House letter writer Carolyn Reed, a Colorado native, will serve as a visual reminder of what small business owners have been able to achieve during Obama's administration with help of the government. 'Thanks to a loan from the Small Business Administration,' Obama said in his weekly address, Reed and her husband were able to expand their businesses and raise wages for their employees. Victor Fugate, another letter writer, whom Obama recognized in a Kansas City, Missouri, speech last year, represents the success of Obamacare. 'Because of the Affordable Care Act, [Victor and his wife] now have the security and peace of mind of affordable health insurance,' Obama claimed in his Saturday morning address. The president will also give immigration reform a shout out, as well as his executive actions to protect illegal immigrants brought to the country as children, also known as DREAMers, from being deported, as well as their parents. Letter writer Ana Zamora, a senior at Northwood University in Texas, will sit in the first lady's box and serve as Obama's token Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program success story. Obama has revealed in sneak peaks of his address that he will also needle Congress to pass laws his administration believes will further lift up the middle class. Obama will formally ask the Republican-controlled legislative body to require businesses to give all their workers a week of paid sick days and at least six weeks of paid leave for new parents. In a nod to paid sick leave, Maryland Senate Majority Leader Catherine Pugh, author of a bill in her state to provide employees with seven days of paid absence, will also sit with Mrs. Obama. Also sitting in FLOTUS' box tomorrow night are Nicole Hernandez Hammer, a Guatemalan immigrant who raises awareness within the Latino community about climate change, and Ana Zamora, a senior at Northwood University in Texas. Zamora will serve as Obama's token Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program success story . Anthony Mendez, a freshman in college, is the beneficiary of FLOTUS' Reach Higher Initiative. Mendez, center right, spent part of his formative years in a homeless shelter after his family was evicted from their home. He is the first person in his family to graduate from high school . He'll also ask for billions of dollars from Congress to make community college free to most graduating high school seniors. The White House announced over the weekend that Obama is again seeking to levy an eight percent capitol gains tax increase on the wealthy couples. He also wants to close a loophole on capital gains that stops inherited funds from being taxed. Republicans have already shot down every initiative the president has revealed so far. A top House member called Obama's tax plan a 'non-starter' on Sunday. 'We’re not just one good tax increase away from prosperity in this nation,' House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Jason Chaffetz said on CNN’s State of the Union. The president has already set to work on some new measures from his State of the Union address that he's previewed this month that he's able to enforce without the compliance of Congress. He announced the first week in January that his administration would reduce mortgage premiums for first-time home buyers who obtain loans through the Federal Housing Administration to make ownership more feasible for average Americans. And in a memorandum last week, Obama directed the federal government to immediately put a six-week paid family leave policy into effect for its employees. Members of Congress often use their guests to make political statements, as well, and today Rubio announced that he would bring Rosa María Payá, the daughter of a late Cuban activist, as his guest tomorrow night. 'All Oswaldo Payá wanted was a better future for Cuba and the Cuban people, and the Castro regime assassinated him for it,' Rubio said in a statement today. 'Since her father’s murder, Rosa María has honored his legacy by continuing to advocate for a free and democratic Cuba and also fighting to bring his murderers to justice. The Florida Republican and possible 2016 presidential candidate said Obama's Cuba policy that gives the Castro regime' legitimacy and greater access to American dollars' will only be used to fund the foreign government's 'machine of repression – the very machine that harassed Oswaldo Payá for years, eventually murdered him and pays hush money to potential key witnesses.'", "Online searches for trips to Cuba are up a staggering 95 per cent following US President Barack Obama's plans to re-develop relations between the two countries. Tourists are being warned that if they want to see 'the real Cuba' they should book their trips now, before the Caribbean country becomes 'Americanised.' President Obama announced a 'new chapter' in US relations with Cuba, with plans announced by the White House include easing access for US citizens, lessening financial restrictions, and lifting the 54-year-old trade embargo. Scroll down for video . As America have eased sanctions with Cuba, could tourism between the two countries be looked at next? Tourists are being urged to visit Cuba sooner rather than later if they want to see unadulterated local culture . And while the landmark thaw is relations signals a positive future for Cuba, travellers looking to explore the 'timewarp' nation are being urged to go now, before it changes forever. As part of resuming diplomatic relations with Cuba, the US will soon reopen an embassy in the capital of Havana and carry out high-level exchanges and visits between the governments. The US is also easing travel bans to Cuba, including for family visits, official US government business and educational activities. Tourist travel remains banned for Americans, although the relaxing of regulations have led many to believe that this could well be the next issue to be reviewed. TravelSupermarket travel expert Bob Atkinson is urging anyone who is thinking of visiting Cuba to book sooner rather than later. Speaking to MailOnline Travel, Mr Atkinson said: 'It really is a unique place to visit, and once it becomes fully open to the Americans, they will without doubt pile in. 'Havana was seen as a party destination for Americans years ago, such was its close proximity to Florida. 'However you look at it, opening up to the Americans will change the way it feels and I think this will be to the detriment to the culture and heritage of the place. It is likely that with economic sanctions lifted, Cuba will change forever, in many cases for the better but there are fears it will lose some of its unique identity . Havana is famed for its colourful colonial architecture and crumbling buildings . 'I would urge anyone who is thinking of visiting Cuba to book now; there is something about Cuba that you just can't put your finger on. 'I would say go now, as you cannot be sure the culture and heritage of Cuba will remain as it is now. 'Looking at searches on December 10/11 against December 17/18, following Obama’s announcement of a new approach, searches to the destination were up 95 per cent week on week.' As one of the popular Caribbean destinations for travellers around the world, Cuba also remains one of the most affordable, and there is a good choice of flights available from the UK. Natasha Lee, head of product at letsgo2.com, added: 'Cuba is set to change now that relations with the USA are warming up. While Cubans will doubtless fiercely protect their national identity, customs and traditions - the authentic aspects of Cuba so loved by holidaymakers - change will come. 'First time visitors and those already familiar with Cuba and her charms may be best to visit now and experience the island before the pace of change speeds up.' The town of Trinidad in Cuba is one of UNESCOs World Heritage sites and offers untapped beauty . Explore, the adventure travel specialist, is encouraging customers to travel to Cuba sooner rather than later to experience the country's unique character and charm before it changes forever. Ashley Toft, managing director of Explore has travelled to Cuba on a number of occasions and has mixed emotions about the news. The Che Guevara memorial is in Santa Clara . 'On the one hand it is very evident that change will come at some stage, and that the younger generation of Cubans are waiting for that to happen. While they have excellent education and healthcare, there is still real poverty, and they lack things that we all take for granted such as a choice of goods to buy (food is mostly from ration shops) and access to the internet and to world news.' He goes on to add: 'On the other hand, part of the charm and intrigue of Cuba as a travel destination is that it is 'stuck in time', with few shops, no global brands and of course a huge number of old gas guzzling 50's American cars on the roads. 'I have no doubt that change will happen quickly once diplomatic relations start to build, and especially if congress agree to start lifting sanctions, which looks likely to happen now,' he added . 'All these things will take some time, but if you want to see Castro's Cuba before change starts to happen and I would really recommend travelling soon.' Gordon Steer, UK manager for World Expeditions, said: 'We are thrilled that this historic announcement coincides with the re-introduction of Cuba in our programme. 'Although the development does not signify any changes in the immediate future for travellers, it does open the door to major developments in the country's tourism industry and infrastructure to accommodate the increased interest and accessibility. 'Travelling to Cuba today often feels like stepping back in time – internet access is limited and slow, there are no shopping centres and department stores, all cars go back to the 1940s and 1950s, you will not find any international fast food or coffee chains and all hotels are, either fully or partly, owned or run by the Cuban state. 'But as the relations between the two countries improve, change will come. At World Expeditions, we hope that Cuba will move away from being a largely all-inclusive destination to offering more opportunities to independent and adventure travellers so they can visit more pockets of this beautiful country and enjoy more authentic experiences.' US President Barack Obama announced a shift in policy toward Cuba in an address to the nation . Licensed American travelers to Cuba will now be able to return to the US with $400 in Cuban goods, including tobacco and alcohol products worth less than $100 combined. This means the long-standing ban on importing Cuban cigars is over, although there are still limits. The US is also increasing the amount of money Americans can send to Cubans from $500 to $2,000 per quarter, or every three months. Early in his presidency, Obama allowed unlimited family visits by Cuban-Americans and removed a $1,200 annual cap on remittances. Secretary of State John Kerry is also launching a review of Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of terror. Obama does not have the authority to fully lift the long-standing US economic embargo on Cuba, given that Congress enacted that policy. However, officials said he would welcome lawmakers taking that step.", "Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush once knocked President Bill Clinton as being too 'preoccupied with other matters' to confront Cuba, an email from Bush's time in office that was released today reveals. In the January 1999 email, obtained and published by the Washington Post along with other correspondence from Bush's eight years in office, Florida's newly elected chief executive took a shot at embattled Clinton over his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky and suggested that the next president should be more bold with the communist country. 'Forceful diplomacy can make a difference and we have had none for the last seven years and the current President is preoccupied with other matters,' Bush said in an email to then-Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart of Florida. Jeb Bush, left, is sworn in as governor of Florida by Florida Chief Justice Major Harding, right, as Bush's wife Columba holds the Bible and their son George P., left, looks on in this Jan 5, 1999 photo, Newly released emails from Bush's first days in office show a hard-working executive who took time to answer constituent emails but was concerned that his communications might one day be released, just as they have been . All in the family: Jeb Bush is pictured here in October on his son George P. Bush's campaign bus during an interview in Abilene, Texas. At the time George was running for Commissioner of Texas's General Land Office, a position he was elected to, and Jeb was merely mulling the presidential run he is now actively exploring . At that time Jeb's older brother, George, was competing in the Republican primary for president but he had not yet beat out fellow contender and Arizona Sen. John McCain for the party's nomination. George W. Bush would go on to win the 2000 general election with the help of his brother's home state of Florida. And as predicted by Jeb, he did in fact take a harder line with Cuba than his predecessor Clinton. When it was Jeb's name on the ballot again, George came to Florida, which boasts the largest Cuban-American population in the country, and promised to veto any legislation proposing to lift the embargo on Cuba and then-President Fidel Castro's regime. Fast forward 15 years, and now it's Jeb who is in the hot seat over the United States' relationship with Cuba as he considers competing for the presidency himself next year. A day after Bush said he would 'actively explore' a bid for higher office, President Barack Obama announced a shift in U.S. policy toward Cuba and called for an end on the 53-year-embargo that restricts trade and travel with the country. Bush immediately reprimanded Obama, calling the decision to resume high-level diplomatic relations with the country a 'misstep' and 'another dramatic overreach of his executive authority.' 'It undermines America’s credibility and undermines the quest for a free and democratic Cuba,' he said in a statement posted to Facebook. 'Cuba is a dictatorship with a disastrous human rights record, and now President Obama has rewarded those dictators. We should instead be fostering efforts that will truly lead to the fair, legitimate democracy that will ultimately prevail in Cuba.' At an event hosted by the US Cuba Democracy PAC earlier in the month, before word broke of the Obama administration's secret talks with Cuban President Raul Castro, Bush argued that the embargo, which contains several loopholes, should be tightened, if anything. 'I would argue that instead of lifting the embargo we should consider strengthening it again to put pressure on the Cuban regime,' he said, providing a glimpse of his foreign policy style. Former President George H.W. Bush puts his arm around then-President . George W. Bush, center, as they leave the 18th green with then-Florida Governor . Jeb Bush after playing an early morning round at Cape Arundel Golf Club . in Maine in this July 7, 2001 photo. Jeb could be the third Bush to hold higher office in the last three decades if he wins the 2016 general election . The emails published today by the Washington Post show another side of Bush: a hard-working executive who personally responded to online correspondence directed to him but was wary of leaving behind a permanent trail of unflattering communications. In one message, dated December 1999, Bush reportedly warned aides that they may not want to have a conversation about vacation time over email it 'might make a newspaper one of these days. He went on to say, 'I suggest that you guys have a verbal conversation about it rather than create a public document. :)' In it's review of the emails spanning from 1999 to 2007 the Post says it found that Bush often responded to constituents who emailed him, including one woman who asked him for his wife's birthday. Another time Bush directed a staffer to look into a man's plea for help in a personal matter. 'What should have been a messy divorce, seems to have turned into a criminal matter; with me in the middle,' the man wrote, describing two friends' divorce. Bush couldn't resist responding facetiously to another man who emailed him to complain that 'politicians make me sick, you make me sick.' To him Bush said, 'I am truly sorry you feel that way. Have a nice day' with a smiley face at the end of the message. The set of emails, available to the public through Florida's open records act, were set to be released by Bush in the coming weeks as a show of transparency. The Post sped up the process on Wednesday and published excepts of the more meaty messages. While mostly mundane, the emails obtained and released by the Post did unearth one political liability for Bush: concerns that he isn't conservative enough. Early in his tenure Bush handled his own hate mail as his administration had not yet created a process to flag and respond to such messages. The recently elected governor passed on at least one angry email to his advisers that characterized his as 'NO CONSERVATIVE.' That was years before Bush would come out in favor of national educational standards known as Common Core and comprehensive immigration reform, two issues that conservatives have used as a cudgel against him. Since Bush affirmed his presidential aspirations, current and former aides have come to defense of his record as governor, pointing to his rejection of a high speed rail project of $2 billion in new spending during his tenure and $19 billion in tax cuts.", "The handshake seen 'round the water cooler was no fluke, it turns out. When President Barack Obama approached the podium at Nelson Mandela's memorial service and made a beeline for a row of foreign leaders – stopping first to shake Cuban dictator Raúl Castro's hand – it came after representatives from the two historically antagonistic nations had already been in talks for six months. '[B]ehind the scenes,' two Daily Beast national security reporters wrote on Tuesday, 'U.S. and Cuban officials have held midlevel discussions in Havana and Washington on a range of issues, including direct postal service, migration issues, disaster response, and search and rescue at sea.' During the president's trip back from South Africa, Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters on Air Force One that 'it's been quite some time since the Presidents of the United States and Cuba were even in the same place.' But he acknowledged that 'we’re in talks on issues associated with . migration that, again, I think allow for there to be greater . connectivity particularly among Cuban Americans and Cuba.' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . President Obama shook hands with Castro during the memorial service for former South African President Nelson Mandela, but the 'chance' meeting may indicate a more ordinary diplomatic future . Confirmed: 'We're in talks' with Cuba on a wide range of issues, said Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes (L), shown with the president on Air Force One . News that the two leaders' deputies have been meeting in secret comes after nearly five years of a foreign policy thaw between the U.S. and the communist island nation, and nearly two decades after Mandela himself suggested that the two countries re-evaluate their icy Caribbean staring match. The Obama administration has already turned heads by lifting an earlier prohibition on family travel and money transfers to Cuba. But a hostage situation and the iron fist that Castro wields against pro-Democracy activists have largely kept the U.S. at arms' length. National Security Adviser Susan Rice laid out a case for the softer approach on Dec. 4 during a speech during a Washington, D.C. human right summit. 'Ultimately, it will be the Cuban people who drive economic and political reforms,' said Rice. 'And that’s why President Obama has increased the flow of resources and information to ordinary citizens.' The hostage situation involves Alan Gross, who has sat in a Cuban jail for four years. He drew a 15-year sentence 'for facilitating uncensored Internet contact 'between a small religious community on the island and the rest of the world,' as White House Press Secretary Jay Carney put it on Dec. 3. Gross penned a letter to Obama this month, asking for his direct participation in an effort to free him. Some observers hinted on Tuesday that the Obama–Castro handshake may have been an overture toward that end. The Obama administration, meanwhile, faces immediate obstacles to a Cuba rapprochement that go far beyond the imprisonment of one American. Raul Castro was a guerrilla commander under his brother Fidel in the 1950s and then helmed Cuba's armed forces for nearly five decades before becoming president in 2008. After the revolution, he was responsible for overseeing the executions of soldiers who were loyal to the deposed, U.S.-supported president Fulgencio Batista . Cuban-American lawmakers were brutal in their assessment of the South Africa handshake, and threaten to make noise if the White House takes public steps toward relaxing its half-century-long estrangement and trade embargo. 'It is nauseating': Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen slammed Obama for shaking hands with the Cuban strongman . 'When the leader of the free world shakes the bloody hand of a ruthless dictator like Raul Castro, it becomes a propaganda coup for the tyrant,' Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said Tuesday during a Capitol Hill hearing. Ron DeSantis, another Florida Republican, said in a statement that 'the excitement exhibited in some liberal quarters regarding the embrace of Raul Castro by President Obama ignores the millions of victims of the totalitarian Castro regime.' 'President Obama failed the people of Cuba with this very public handshake,' added Arizona Republican Rep. Matt Salmon. Some criticism came from Democrats, including New Jersey Rep. Albio Sires. 'I'm very disappointed that the president would shake the hand of someone who stands for the opposite of everything Nelson Mandela stood for,\" the Cuban-American congressman told PolitickerNJ. 'Castro stands for the abuse of human rights and lack of freedom. It was just very hypocritical of the president to go and honor Mandela and then turn around and shake hands with Castro.' In July the nation of Panama intercepted a ship traveling from Cuba to North Korea with a cargo of what the vessel's manifest said was sugar. It turned out to be a massive cache of missiles and missile parts intended for one of America's more fearful enemies, in violation of both U.S. and United Nations sanctions. 'It was just very hypocritical of the president to go and honor Mandela and then turn around and shake hands with Castro,' alleged Rep. Albio Sires . And while Obama and Castro shook hands in South Africa on International Human Rights Day, at least 20 human rights protesters were detained in Havana when they gathered for a public demonstration. But when it's practical, the Obama administration has seemed to embrace Cuba's involvement in achieving America's other geopolitical objectives. The whole world is watching: Obama and Castro found themselves under an unprecedented spotlight as the world's attention turned to Mandela's memorial service . When Castro agreed to host peace talks between the Columbian government and a Marxist guerilla group called the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), Obama had good things to say about Cuba's decision to put FARC, which is has supported, in the same room with a government whose drug-interdiction policies are crucial to U.S. efforts along the same lines. Episodes like that, some former government insiders say, have put America on a collision course with a Cuba that's suddenly interested in normalizing relations – an outcome that nearly every nation supported during a recent United Nations General Assembly.. 'The Cubans regularly say to people that they are ready for a different relationship,' Obama administration veteran Dan Restrepo told The Daily Beast. During Obama's first term in the White House, Restrepo managed Latin America policy at the National Security Council. He said in addition to one-on-one midlevel talks, intermediaries have delivered Castro’s messages to the Obama administration – usually U.S. citizens with connections to the Cuban government. Latin American diplomats political leaders, he added, have also been involved with back-channel-communications between Washington and Havana. New America Foundation fellow Steve Clemons added that 'there has been a string of emissaries, both private citizens and Latin American leaders, who have begun to nudge Obama forward on engaging in talks with Cuba and also carrying a message from Castro that he’s willing to talk.' Clemons has what the Daily Beast called 'exceptionally close ties to the Obama . White House.' He also traveled with Vice President Joe Biden when he visited East Asia recently.", "As the clock to 2016 ticks down, Democrats are fretful that Hillary Clinton and her team aren't prepared for the rigors of a bruising presidential contest based on their botched response to what is now being called 'email-gate.' Clinton is widely expected to launch her presidential bid in the next several weeks. Other than Vice President Joe Biden and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has adamantly said she's not running, Clinton is seen as the only Democrat with enough credibility and name id to weather a national campaign. While many Democrats continue to stand with Clinton, others are questioning the wisdom of the party's approach as it seeks to win the Oval Office for a third consecutive time. Scroll down for video . Democrats are fretful that Hillary Clinton and her team aren't prepared for the rigors of a bruising presidential contest based on their botched response to what is now being called 'email-gate' 'My view of the electorate is, we react badly to inevitability, because we experience it as entitlement, and that is risky, it seems to me, here in America,' former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick told the New York Times. 'I want Democrats to win.' Democrats have never been particularly comfortable with handing Clinton the party's nomination. Buying into that notion of 'inevitability' is how the former New York senator lost her 2008 bid to Barack Obama, and it could lead to defeat for the party at the polls next November. But if not Clinton, then who? 'There is no one else — she’s the whole plan,' Sarah Kovner,a high-dollar Democratic fundraiser based out of New York told the Times. 'She is by far the most experienced and qualified person we could possibly nominate. Not even on the horizon but on the far horizon.' Clinton has been hit hard throughout the last two weeks from politicians and pundits all across the political spectrum for her use of a private email system while serving as secretary of state. Republicans, and Democrats who worry about Clinton's viability as a candidate, contend that the calculated move to avoid using an email address directly registered to the federal government will intensify the public perception that Hillary and her husband, Bill, are secretive and therefore potentially untrustworthy. Clinton has said that she sent the State Department copies of all her work-related emails, but there's no way to verify her statements, as she retains the rights to both her inbox and the computer server she ran them through. And the White House said on Thursday that the federal government neither reviewed Clinton's personal email nor was it 'particularly interested' in doing so to make sure she hadn't tossed out anything of importance. If not Clinton, then who?: While many Democrats continue to stand with the former secretary of state, others are questioning the wisdom of the party's approach as it seeks to win the Oval Office for a third consecutive time . Still a candidate-in-waiting, Clinton had to tackle the controversy over her emails this week with limited resources. She held a press conference to address the matter on Tuesday at the United Nations' headquarters in New York after a speech, allowing her to push much of the advance work onto the venue's staff and off her small band of aides. The former secretary of state has already built a network of campaign staff, but they, like her, must continue to linger in the wings until Clinton's candidacy becomes official. That will reportedly happen sometime in April, as early as the first day of the month, according to a report in the Guardian this week. The gap in staffing helped cripple Clinton's ability to strike back in real time to verbal assaults on her character throughout the last two weeks as fury over her email practices reached its peak. House Select Benghazi Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, like-minded House Republicans and not-yet-announced GOP presidential contenders, who are using their leadership PACs as cover until they declare their own candidacies, pounced on the weakness and flooded the media with statements attacking Clinton. 'Given State's delay in disclosing the fact Secretary Clinton exclusively used personal email to conduct State business, there is no way to accept State's or Secretary Clinton's certification she has turned over all documents that rightfully belong to the American people,' he said in a statement on Tuesday after hew news conference. Then-senator Hillary Clinton is pictured here at a rally at Cal State University in East Los Angeles during her 2008 campaign for president. She is expected her announce her 2016 candidacy in the next few weeks . House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, who took the gavel from California Rep. Darrell Issa in January, Wednesday that in light of the recent developments, Oversight would open a new investigation into Clinton, having already concluded its review of the 2012 terrorist strike on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, before the current session of Congress. Chaffetz believes Clinton may have violated the Federal Records Act with her conduct - an offense that would fall under his committee's jurisdiction. 'I’d rather not have to subpoena her, but if she’s fully cooperative there wouldn’t be a need,' he told the Wall Street Journal. Campaign staff or no campaign staff, Democratic heavy-weights have said that Clinton should have publicly reacted to the email crisis much quicker. 'Had this story been responded to in two or three days instead of in eight days, it would not be as big,' President Obama's first White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, told the Washington Post. 'They are the ones who put air in this balloon in a way that was not necessary at all. . . . It’s clear they lack an apparatus. She’s a candidate without a campaign.'", "New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has become the first governor in five years to visit Cuba, following President Obama's ease on trade and travel to the communist nation. The Governor is heading a delegation of 18 academics and business leaders visiting the island in the wake of the December announcement that the US and Cuba would restore diplomatic relations after more than a half century of hostility and confrontation. Today, Cuomo met with Cuba's top officials for U.S. relations along with executives from Jetblue, MasterCard, Pfizer and other New York-based companies. Scroll down for video . Thumbs up: Andrew Cuomo has become the first American governor to visit the island since the recent thaw in relations with the communist nation, is meant to foster greater ties between New York and Cuba . Local tradition: Governor Cuomo enjoys a mojito during a meeting at the Hotel Nacional in Havana on the first evening of the delegation's visit . Business first: Cuomo has met with Cuba's top officials for U.S. relations along with executives from Jetblue, MasterCard, Pfizer and other New York-based companies . 'Like the people in Cuba, the people in New York and the United States are very excited about the courage that your president, Raul Castro, has shown, and the leadership that he has shown,' Cuomo said. 'We believe that this is going to be a dramatic change that is going to be to the benefit of the people of Cuba and also to the people of the United States.' Cuomo said the purpose of his visit was to see what can be . done now and look to the future should full trade be restored. Marilu B'Hamel, director of North American affairs at Cuba's foreign trade and investment ministry, said the visit was . welcomed and would 'serve to explore the potential between our . two countries and support the progress of normalization.' MasterCard says it is ready to provide service in Cuba and . JetBlue has said it wants to begin direct commercial flights to . Cuba. Meeting: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, center, shakes hands with Cuba's Minister of Foreign Trade Rodrigo Malmierca at the Hotel Nacional in Havana . Checking the engine: Cuomo smiles after seeing a Japanese Toyota engine fitted into a 1956 Chevrolet . Speech: Cuomo addresses members of the press alongside (from left) Cuba's Maria de la Luz B'Hamel, director of the North American Department at Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment, Carl E. Heastie speaker of the New York Assembly and New York State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins . Mojitos sir? Antonio Martinez, Director of the Hotel Nacional, front left, shows Governor Cuomo, and the delegation of academics and business leaders the bar of the hotel . Neither has reached a deal with Cuban officials, but by . Monday afternoon the delegation was in initial talks with Cubans . from biotechnology, aviation, banking and tourism after lunching . with the Foreign Trade and Investment Minister Rodrigo . Malmierca. 'Our meeting with Minister Malmierca was very exciting and . informative,' Cuomo said. 'There is much hope for the future.' Obama loosened the trade embargo early this year with a series of executive actions that allow easier U.S. travel to Cuba, more remittances to the island and, at least on paper, U.S. exports to support the island's relatively new private business sector. Obama also moved to remove Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terror, removing a barrier to access to the global financial system. Cuban officials have been pushing Obama to go further with measures that could include more specific federal licenses for U.S. businesses to trade with Cuba in ways currently prohibited. 'The president of the United States has the ability to grant licenses to businesses so that businesses can actually start developing right now in select areas and those are areas that we want to pursue,' Cuomo said. Ten previous U.S. governors have visited Cuba since 1999 but none since 2010, according to the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council.", "Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush says his views about America's place in the world will often be compared with those of his father and brother, but insists, 'I am my own man.' The likely Republican candidate for president, in remarks Wednesday to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, said he is 'lucky' to have family members who have 'shaped America's foreign policy from the Oval Office.' 'I recognize that as a result, my views will often be held up in comparison to theirs' – sometimes in contrast to theirs,' Bush said. In the course of answering questions from the audience, he admitted that 2002 pre-war intelligence about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq was wrong, seeming to part with his brother President George W. Bush on his justification for sending America's military in full-bore. 'There were mistakes made in Iraq, for sure,' he said. Scroll down for video . Former Florida Governor Jeb. Bush took questions after speaking to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs on Wednesday in Chicago . In his brother's shadow: Jeb, right, said he loves his older brother George, center, 'but I am my own man' But he also praised his brother for an act of political 'courage' for later authorizing a troop surge in Iraq to stabilize the country, something few in the federal government at the time thought was wise. That move, he claimed, was 'hugely successful.' 'I am my own man – and my views are shaped by my own thinking and own experiences,' he insisted. 'Each president learns from those who came before – their principles, their adjustments.' While Bush has not yet formally declared his candidacy, he is all but certain to run for president in 2016 and has already faced questions about how he would distinguish himself from his family, particularly his older brother, former President George W. Bush. The older Bush brother finished his second term in 2009 amid an unpopular war in Iraq, an economy in freefall and with a majority of Americans disapproving of his job performance. Among donors, Jeb Bush has noted a strong family and religious bond with his older brother, but has also said they are not clones and have differences common among siblings. Some foreign policy experts say Bush must go farther. Peter D. Feaver, a former national security adviser to George W. Bush, said that includes taking a stance on whether George W. Bush's decision to invade Iraq in 2003 was appropriate. Jeb Bush did not answer that question directly when asked about it last week after an event in Florida for his mother's literacy charity. 'The answer he gave last week, about not litigating the past, that's not a satisfying answer,' Feaver said. 'He has to come up with a better answer than that.' He seemed to go there on Wednesday. Feaver said Bush, should he win election, would inherit an international landscape far different from the one his brother left behind. Instead of the lurking threat of al-Qaida, Jeb Bush would take on a map dotted with violent and unstable spots that include Syria, Iraq and Ukraine. 'The United States has an undiminished ability to shape events and build alliances of free people,' he said. 'We can project power and enforce peaceful stability in far-off areas of the globe.' Man of the people? Jeb is trying to distinguish himself from his more famous relatives . The former governor insisted on Wednesday that the Obama administration's policies on Cuba and the ISIS terror army are wrong-headed . Bush aides also released what they called a preliminary group of experts who would provide him advice. They included familiar names, such as James Baker III and George Shultz, both secretaries of State under President Ronald Reagan; former Homeland Security secretaries Tom Ridge and Michael Chertoff, and former Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, all three of whom served under George W. Bush. The list also included some lesser-known names, such as Meghan O'Sullivan, a former national security adviser to George W. Bush, who now teaches at Harvard and is seen as key to Jeb Bush's idea of lessening U.S. dependence on Middle East energy. Bush has harsh words for the foreign policy of President Barack Obama, whose administration is 'inconsistent and indecisive' and has led the U.S. to lose 'the trust and the confidence of our friends.' 'The great irony of the Obama presidency is this: Someone who came to office promising greater engagement with the world has left America less influential in the world,' Bush said. And he spelled out a need for America to respond to the threat of the ISIS terror army with a strategy that 'takes them out.' 'There's no talking about this. That's just not going to . work for terrorism,' he said. Bush insisted that the Obama administration's approach to Cuba was wrongheaded, and blasted the White House for conducting secret negotiations that will give the Raul Castro regime access to American tourism dollars and open markets. 'We got nothing in return,' he said. 'I wouldn't call what we did a reset. I would call it bad negotiations.' Bush aides also confirmed late Tuesday that former Minnesota congressman Vin Weber, a senior policy aide to 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, was advising Bush.", "The Pentagon broke the law when it swapped Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, a prisoner in Afghanistan for five years, for five Taliban leaders, congressional investigators said Thursday. The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office said the Defense Department failed to notify the relevant congressional committees at least 30 days in advance of the exchange – a clear violation of the law – and used $988,400 of a wartime account to make the transfer. The GAO also said the Pentagon's use of funds that hadn't been expressly appropriated violated the Anti-deficiency Act. 'In our view, the meaning of the [law] is clear and unambiguous,' the GAO wrote to nine Republican senators, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and various committees. Scroll down for video . FILE - This August 2014 file photo provided by Eugene R. Fidell shows Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl preparing to be interviewed by Army investigators. The attorney for Bergdahl, who was held as a prisoner of war in Afghanistan for five years before his release, says the soldier wants to go to college once the investigation of how he was captured by the Taliban is finished. (AP Photo/Eugene R. Fidell, File) MANDATORY CREDIT . Rach of the five Taliban prisoners send home in exchange for Bergdahl was categorized as 'high' risk to the United States, its interests and its allies, but the Pentagon released them anyway . 'Section 8111 prohibits the use of \"funds . appropriated or otherwise made available\" in the Department of Defense . Appropriations Act, 2014, to transfer any individual detained at . Guantanamo Bay to the custody or control of a foreign entity\" except in . accordance' with the law. The GAO said the relevant committees received phone calls from May 31 – the day of the transfer – to June 1, with written notification coming on June 2. Five senior Taliban were released from detention at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo in exchange for Bergdahl, who had disappeared from his post in Paktika province in eastern Afghanistan on June 30, 2009. The five Taliban are to remain in Qatar for a year. Lawmakers, especially Republicans, were furious with President Barack Obama and members of the administration for failing to notify them about the swap. Some in Congress have said Bergdahl was a deserter and the United States gave up too much for his freedom. Several lawmakers have cited intelligence suggesting the high-level Taliban officials could return to the Afghanistan battlefield. The administration has defended the swap and its decision to keep Congress in the dark, saying concern about Bergdahl's health and safety required speedy action. The Joint Chiefs of Staff has unanimously supported the exchange, insisting that the United States has a sacred commitment to men and women who serve that it will never leave anyone behind on the battlefield. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said the swap in May was 'likely our last, best opportunity' to free Bergdahl. Bergdahl is doing administrative duties at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio while an investigation into how he was captured by the Taliban is conducted. A more gaunt Bowe Bergdahl was seen in a Taliban video before the Obama administration traded five high-value Taliban prisoners to ensure his safe return . Last month, a bitterly divided House Armed Services Committee voted to condemn Obama for the swap. The Republican-led panel backed a nonbinding resolution that disapproves of the exchange and faults Obama for failing to notify Congress 30 days in advance of the swap, as required by law. The bipartisan resolution raised national security concerns about the transfer of the five Taliban, who had been held at the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for more than a decade, and the 'repercussions of negotiating with terrorists.' The measure also expresses relief that Bergdahl has returned safely to the United States. The full House is expected to consider the measure in the fall, just a few weeks before the midterm elections.", "U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger ordered contingency plans drawn up nearly 40 years ago to attack Cuba, incensed over the small island's deployment of troops to Angola, according to declassified government documents posted online Wednesday. In several White House meetings, Kissinger advocated for strong action to stop Castro, fearful that his incursion in Africa was making the U.S. look weak. He argued that Cuba's actions were driving fears around the world of a wider race war that could spill over into Latin America and even destabilize the Middle East. In a series of contingency plans that followed, options ranged from a military blockade to airstrikes and mining of Cuban ports. 'I would be in favor of clobbering them': In several White House meetings in 1976, then-U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger advocated for strong action to stop Fidel Castro, fearful that his incursion in Africa was making the U.S. look weak. Castro sent troops to Angola in 1975 . Historic: President Gerald Ford (right) leans close to his Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (left) to hear some words of diplomatic wisdom from the Middle East peace-seeker in August 1975 . 'Smash him': Kissinger feared that Fidel Castro (pictured) had humiliated the U.S. by sending troops to Angola . But the documents also warned of heavy risks, including a wider conflict with the Soviet Union and a ground war to defend the U.S. Naval base at Guantanamo Bay. 'I think we are going to have to smash Castro. I don't think we can do it before the election,' Kissinger told President Gerald R. Ford, according to a transcript of a Feb. 25, 1976 meeting in the Oval Office. Ford replied: 'I agree.' Jimmy Carter ultimately won the 1976 presidential election. Kissinger, who had returned from a trip to Latin America, and told Ford that leaders in the region 'are scared to death about Cuba. They are afraid of a race war.' The documents were declassified by the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library at the request of the National Security Archive, which published them online Wednesday. An account of the episode is being published in a new book, Back Channel to Cuba, written by William M. LeoGrande, a professor at American University, and Peter Kornbluh, director of the Cuban Documentation Project at the National Security Archive. At another Oval Office meeting on March 15, 1976, Kissinger said 'even the Iranians are worried about the Cubans getting into the Middle East countries. I think we have to humiliate them. If they move into Namibia or Rhodesia, I would be in favor of clobbering them.' Secretary of State Henry Kissinger during a meeting of the Senate Finance Committee discussing the Trade Reform Bill in December 1974 . Nine days later, Kissinger chaired a high-level 'Special Actions Group Meeting' at the White House Situation Room to discuss options. 'If there is a perception overseas that we are so weakened by our internal debate so that it looks like we can't do anything about a country of 8 million people, then in three or four years we are going to have a real crisis,' Kissinger said. The contingency plans outlined military options from blocking outgoing Cuban ships carrying troops and war material to airstrikes against Cuban bases and airfields. The documents discussed risks, including the possibility that the Soviet Union would thwart a blockade by seizing or sinking ships. 'Escalation to general war could result,' one document said. The contingency plans sounded a cautious note about what sort of Cuban provocation would trigger a U.S. military response. They stated that while the 'threshold' should be low if Cuba moves against U.S. territories, it should be 'highest' for Africa.", "Washington (CNN)At least three conservative critics of House Speaker John Boehner, say they'll be voting for somebody else when lawmakers return to Washington next week to officially open the new GOP-dominated Congress, previewing some of the conservative opposition that will greet the Ohio Republican. Rep. Ted Yoho was the latest to publicly announce his decision not to support Boehner for his current position, making the news on his social media accounts Saturday night. On Friday, Rep. Jim Bridenstine pointed to Boehner's moves in December to advance a measure favored by President Barack Obama to fund the government for the next 10 months. \"Speaker Boehner went too far when he teamed with Obama to advance this legislation. He relinquished the power of the purse, and with it he lost my vote,\" Bridenstine said in a statement. Rep. Thomas Massie said Saturday he too would not support Boehner and said he opposed the way Boehner steered legislation the House floor, in some instances without a full 72 hours for lawmakers to read enormous bills. \"During my first two years as a congressman I discovered a significant source of the dysfunction. I watched the House Leadership,\" said Massie in a statement. Massie and Bridenstine are unlikely to be the only Republican to vote against Boehner for speaker. In a local radio interview first noted nationally by BuzzFeed, Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) said he'd been talking with 16 to 18 conservatives about identifying an alternative candidate for speaker and rallying around that person. RELATED: Scalise brings back Boehner's familiar right flank hangover . A freshman Alabama Republican, Gary Palmer, said in October that he'd told Boehner personally that he wouldn't be voting for him for speaker. \"I told him that if the first thing that I did when I got up there is violate my word to the voters, and break that trust, not only would I lose that confidence, but, immediately in the back of his head, he would be wondering at what point would I break my word to him,\" Palmer told The Birmingham News. Dropping a few of his own party's votes in the speaker's race isn't new for Boehner. When the last Congress kicked off in 2013, there were nine Republicans -- including Bridenstine -- who voted against Boehner, and three others who didn't vote for a candidate for speaker. Most of them had complained that Boehner isn't enough of a hard-liner. Indeed, in Bridenstine's note Friday, he said \"our Constitution is under assault\" because Republicans haven't fought strongly enough against Obama's moves to curb some deportations, restrict environmentally-harmful emissions, shift prisoners out of the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba detention facility and strike a deal to ease relations with Cuba. The wake of November's massive midterm victories for Republicans, Bridenstine said, was the best opportunity Republicans had to use their funding authority to rein Obama in. \"It seemed Democrats were melting down, Republicans were unified, and all we had to do was buy enough time to get our Republican reinforcements to Washington in January,\" he said. The position that Boehner should be ousted has backing from Republican voters. Sixty percent said they'd pick someone new over Boehner for speaker, according to a survey commissioned by The People's Poll, conducted by Caddell Associates and released this week. Still, it's not clear that there are enough Republicans willing to reject Boehner to throw the vote for speaker into a second round. The GOP holds 247 seats in the House, and Boehner will need a simple majority of 218 to be elected speaker. That means he can afford to lose 29 votes from Republicans -- assuming no Democrats support him. If 30 or more Republicans do oppose Boehner, that would mean another round of voting, with conservatives hoping Boehner would drop out of the running and Boehner's allies likely heaping immense pressure on the hold-outs. CNN's Ted Barrett contributed to this report .", "Three men who served long U.S. prison terms for spying received a standing ovation in Cuba's parliament Saturday, shaking their fists in victory as President Raul Castro declared that detente with Washington won't change the communist system he leads. The last imprisoned members of the 'Cuban Five' spy ring were freed this week in a sweeping deal that included the liberation of American contractor Alan Gross and a Cuban who had spied for the U.S. from their jail cells in Cuba as a first step toward the restoration of full diplomatic ties and a loosening of U.S. trade and travel restrictions. U.S. President Barack Obama said efforts at engagement rather than isolation should encourage reform in Cuba's one-party system and centrally planned economy. Cuban raft survivor Elian Gonzalez (top, L), his father Juan Miguel Gonzalez (top, R), and Cuban Five Five spies Fernando Gonzalez (bottom, L) and Rene Gonzalez (bottom, R) attend the Annual Session of the Parliament in Havana . Elian Gonzalez, the young Cuban rafter who was at the center of a bitter custody battle in 2000 between relatives in Miami and his father in Cuba, attends the closing ceremony of the legislative session at the National Assembly in Havana . Castro rejected that idea in his address to the twice-annual meeting of the National Assembly, saying 'we must not expect that in order for relations with the United States to improve, Cuba will abandon the ideas that it has struggled for.' Also digging in their heels Saturday were some Cuban exiles in Miami who had called for a mass protest against plans to normalize relations with the Castro government. About 200 people showed up before the speeches began, most of them older Cuban-Americans, and some expressed deep disappointment at the turnout. At the parliament in Havana, Castro expressed gratitude to Obama for the 'just decision' to release the men who spied on anti-Castro exile groups in South Florida in the 1990s and have long been regarded as heroes in Cuba. Seated behind the three and their families was Elian Gonzalez, the young Cuban rafter at the center of a bitter custody battle in 2000 between relatives in Miami and his father in Cuba. Cuban president Raul Castro delivered an speech, in which he said that the fight to end the embargo by the US will be 'long and difficult' Cuba's President Raul Castro, right, gestures for National Assembly President Esteban Lazo to take his place for the closing of the twice-annual legislative session at the National Assembly in Havana . The president closed his speech with 'Viva Fidel!' in reference to his older brother, who has not been seen nor heard from since the historic development was announced on Wednesday, provoking speculation about his health and whereabouts. The executive orders Obama announced Wednesday can clear the way for limited exports to Cuba and freer travel by specific categories of Americans such as academics and artists, but he acknowledged his need to work with Congress to end the decades-old embargo Cuba blames for the dire condition of its infrastructure and economy. Castro reminded Cubans that the embargo remains in place, particularly limits on international financial transactions that Cuba accuses of blocking its access to credit and international investment. 'An important step has been taken, but the essential thing remains, the end of the economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba, which has grown in recent years particularly in terms of financial transactions,' he said. Castro confirmed he would attend the Summit of Americas in Panama in April, where he is expected to have further discussions with Obama. Cuban raft survivor Elian Gonzalez (L) attends the Annual Session of the Parliament in Havana next to Cuban Five spie Ramon Labanino (R) His address to the National Assembly follows surprise announcements by both presidents Wednesday that Cuba and the U.S. will reopen embassies and exchange ambassadors for the first time in more than 50 years. The agreement included the exchange of the three prisoners, convicted in 2001, for a Cuban who had been imprisoned on the island for nearly 20 years for spying on behalf of the CIA. Gross had been held in Cuba for five years for illegally importing restricted communications equipment. Two members of the Cuban Five, Fernando Gonzalez and Rene Gonzalez, already had been released by the U.S. As part of the exchange, Cuba also released 53 other prisoners. Late Friday, Cuban state television showed four of the Cuban Five celebrating their reunion by singing together during a private party in Havana. Their release angered the protesters in Miami. Two women held up a sign saying 'Imprison Americans and get three spies and an embassy.' Most of the estimated 2 million Cubans living in the United States are in Florida, and they closely follow developments on the island. Thousands marched and more than 350 were arrested in 2000 after U.S. agents seized Gonzalez and returned him to Cuba to resolve an international custody dispute. Cuban raft survivor Elian Gonzalez attends the Annual Session of the Parliament . When Fidel Castro ceded power to his brother in 2006, hundreds celebrated in the streets of Little Havana. And Cuban-born singer Gloria Estefan led tens of thousands in support of Ladies in White dissidents in Havana. By comparison, Wednesday's spontaneous protests and Saturday's planned demonstration were sparsely attended. 'I think there are a lot of people sitting on the sidelines, tired,' said Andy Gomez, a Cuba expert and retired University of Miami professor.", "Attorney General Eric Holder has been bruised and battered by Republicans who made him the first-ever sitting Cabinet member to be held in contempt of Congress. He's been knocked around in behind-the-scenes White House battles with some of President Barack Obama's top advisers. But more than 1,700 days after being the first black man sworn in as attorney general, Holder has defied expectations that he was on his way out. And he's planning on staying for a while longer. Sources close to the attorney general say he plans to stay in office until well into 2014, at the President's behest. He's changed his mind before. This past summer, he and the President spent time together during their vacation at Martha's Vineyard. Holder was considering leaving later this year, and the President asked him to stay as long as he could, sources said. Holder: New strategies needed for 'active shooter' situations . These days, Holder appears to be more at ease in the job. Last week, he went toe-to-toe with Jamie Dimon, chief of JPMorgan Chase, taking a hard line on the bank's tentative $13 billion mortgage securities settlement. At recent news conferences, the attorney general has even invited additional questions from reporters. Not long ago, Holder's battles with Republicans and even with Obama's top lieutenants fueled years of speculation about how long he would remain on the job. The attorney general attracted Republican criticism early on after the President handed him the job of leading legal efforts to close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Weeks after taking office in February 2009, Holder tangled with Rahm Emanuel, who was then White House chief of staff, over comments Holder made suggesting the need to revive the assault weapons ban, according to people familiar with the matter. Emanuel was angry that Holder's gun control comments could provide fodder for opponents of the President's legislative agenda. By 2010, Emanuel succeeded in getting tighter White House control of Holder's public statements amid disagreement between the two men on how to deal with terrorism trials in New York of the accused 9/11 plotters. In the meantime, Holder had to contend with efforts by other White House advisers, including David Axelrod and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, to rein in his public role on the administration's behalf. Many of Holder's troubles with White House officials were detailed in a book by journalist Daniel Klaidman. A series of challenges . Matthew Miller, who was a top aide to Holder during some of those early troubles, says being tasked with the Guantanamo review began a series of challenges for Holder that became compounded with the 2009 Christmas Day underwear bomber case. Then the scandal over the botched gun sting called Fast and Furious and more than a year of congressional investigations and hearings added to the attorney general's problems. \"Even he would say that in the first few years, he was unable to focus on the things he wanted to do as attorney general,\" Miller said. Fast and Furious, in which agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives allowed suspected smugglers to buy about 2,000 firearms, squandered much of Holder's tenure. Amid congressional hearings and Republican calls for his resignation, the attorney general assumed a more low-key public presence. Source: U.S. to allow ATF agent to write 'Fast and Furious' book . It wasn't until September 2012, after a Justice Department inspector general probe cleared Holder of wrongdoing in Fast and Furious, that he began to emerge, giving media interviews and doing major speeches. By that time, Congress had held Holder in contempt in a fight over documents related to the gun sting. Back on his feet . In recent months, Holder appears to have regained his footing. He has spent recent months focusing on efforts to remove mandatory-minimum sentences for some nonviolent drug offenses and boosting the department's efforts to enforce the Voting Rights Act after the Supreme Court struck down a key component of the law. He's also trying to complete some big financial crisis cases. Justice Department sues North Carolina over voting law . He's even managed to find a few Republicans to support some of his initiatives. Rep. Jim Sensebrenner of Wisconsin is working to try to rescue the civil rights law. Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Mike Lee of Utah are working to put into law some changes Holder is making on mandatory-minimum sentences. Miller says the difference has been that Holder is now focusing on matters he cares about. \"And you're seeing the results,\" Miller says. He still takes fire, as he did this summer for targeting journalists in aggressive leak investigations. He announced some changes in the way prosecutors pursue such cases that appear to have quelled the outcry. One of Holder's harshest critics, California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform committee, hasn't been quieted by Holder's attempts to turn the page. In a June appearance on CNN's \"State of the Union,\" at the time of the controversy over Holder's testimony to Congress about the leak investigations, Issa said: \"It's hard to have confidence in what this attorney general says -- or his people say -- when so often it turns out not to be true.\" Holder seeks to cut mandatory minimum drug sentences .", "A boom in player recruitment for Major League Baseball is being mooted in the wake of yesterday's surprise thawing of relations between Cuba and the U.S. A day after President Barack Obama announced the two nations will re-engage after more than half a century of hostilities, baseball experts have turned their gaze towards Cuba for the next generation of high quality talent. That talent has faced obstacles getting to the U.S. since 1961, when the United States terminated diplomatic relations with Cuba. Cuban Los Angeles Dodgers player Yasiel Puig makes a run from first base during a baseball game in July. He is one of 25 Cuban-born players currently playing in the major leagues . Boston Red Sox's Yoenis Cespedes, a Cuban, hits a ball during a baseball game at Yankee Stadium in September . Baseball is an immensely popular sport in Cuba and the country has a strong domestic competition. Pictured is the Cuban national team following an exhibition series against the Baltimore Orioles . Fred Claire, a former Los Angeles Dodger general manager, said establishing academies in Cuba was an 'absolutely natural (progression), just as the Dominican was and Venezuela'. He added: 'You go to where the talent is. The high level talent for Cuban players is still there.' The path to the major leagues for Cuban players has often involved smugglers who bring them out of the island nation for a price. However, it's hard to foresee exactly how that will change in the short-term, or whether MLB teams will be allowed to invest resources in the communist country. 'While there are not sufficient details to make a realistic evaluation, we will continue to track this significant issue, and we will keep our clubs informed if this different direction may impact the manner in which they conduct business on issues related to Cuba,' MLB said in a statement. Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro pictured wearing a Cuban national team baseball helmet . Twenty-five Cuban-born players appeared in the major leagues this year, a group that includes outfielders Yasiel Puig and Yoenis Cespedes, and hard-throwing reliever Aroldis Chapman. There have been 59 since 1995. Many have received large contracts, topped by a $72.5 million, seven-year agreement in August between outfielder Rusney Castillo and the Boston Red Sox. Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu was voted AL Rookie of the Year this season after agreeing to a $68 million, six-year deal with the Chicago White Sox. Yasmany Tomas, an outfielder who may be shifted to third base, signed $68.5 million, six-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks this month. Because of the American trade embargo, a player who defects from Cuba has to obtain a license from the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control to 'unblock' him before he can sign with a major league organization. It would take congressional action to lift the embargo. 'We remain hopeful that today's announcement will lead to further positive developments,' the Major League Baseball Players Association said in a statement. The Cuban government has approved a policy allowing athletes to sign in foreign leagues and pay tax on their earnings, but the U.S. embargo prevents American teams from employing Cuban residents. Well regarded outfielder Alfredo Despaigne agreed this year to a contract with the Chiba Lotte Marines of Japan's Pacific League. A Cuban boy practices his swing at a school in Havana, where local games can attract huge crowds . Fans of the Cuban national team cheer on their players during its game against the Baltimore Orioles in Havana . Defecting players have established residency outside the U.S. in order to become free agents and not be subject to MLB's amateur draft. But free-agent riches could come to an end in 2017, when MLB teams hope to start an international draft. 'Frankly, American players, many of them have a lesser standard than what's offered international players,' said agent Scott Boras, who has criticized restraints on contracts for players in American high schools and colleges. 'We've really got to review what we're doing with our draft and our international players to really say what we do with the Cubans. Maybe it will prompt a broader discussion to revamp the entirety of the system.'", "Havana, Cuba (CNN)All eyes are going to be on the new kid finally allowed to play and the big kid who for so long wanted nothing to do with him -- Cuba and the United States in the same diplomatic playground. Cuba pulled off a diplomatic coup by marshaling the support of other regional countries to insist on their attendance at the Summit of the Americas. And for the first time since 1962, the U.S. has not blocked Cuba's attempt to join. Now it's time to see how they play and who they play with -- especially Venezuela, which often falls out with Washington for crushing dissent at home and supplying Havana with billions of dollars in oil. Cuba is trying to re-establish itself at the two-day summit in Panama, arriving with more than 100 government officials, diplomats, small business people and artists. But Cuba's attempts to rebrand itself as an open, diverse society stumbled Wednesday when government supporters and anti-Castro supporters brawled in the streets of Panama. Video of the incident showed Cuban government officials exchanging punches and insults with dissidents until Panamanian police in riot gear broke up the melee. With the historic thawing in relations between the U.S. and Cuba, Washington now has urgent business to discuss with Havana. \"We have really big issues with the Cubans that do need to be solved,\" said Ambassador Vicki Huddleston, who served as the chief of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana. She added \"The Cubans are typical of their negotiating style. You think it's going to be easy because we have said 'We are going to have good relations with you' and they say, 'That's not exciting for us and it is for you.' So they are hard negotiators as they always have been.\" The forum could provide the opportunity to push forward an agreement to re-establish formal relations and re-open embassies after nearly four months of negotiations. While President Barack Obama is not scheduled to meet Cuban leader Raul Castro, U.S. officials said there will be opportunities for \"interaction\" between the two leaders. The first time the two heads of state met was in 2013 at Nelson Mandela's funeral. Their brief handshake captured the world's attention and lit up social media. Few people then knew that the two countries were secretly involved in negotiations to thaw five decades of deadlocked Cold War-era relations. Obama had said he had hoped a U.S. Embassy would reopen in Havana before the summit, but Cuban officials have said they cannot imagine a full restoration of diplomatic ties until Cuba is removed from the U.S. State Department list of countries that support terrorism. \"It would be difficult to explain that diplomatic relations have been resumed while Cuba has been unjustly listed as a state sponsor of international terrorism,\" said Josefina Vidal, the general director of U.S. affairs at the Cuban Foreign Ministry and lead negotiator in the talks. Cuba was added to the list in 1982, which includes Syria, Iran and Sudan. The designation carries financial sanctions which Cuban officials say further damages their already ailing economy. The State Department has sent a recommendation to the White House that Cuba be removed, paving the way for the White House to announce its intent to de-list Cuba as early as this week, two administration officials told CNN. Removal from the list \"does not relate to whether or not we agree with everything a country does or whether we agree with its political system, or its foreign policy,\" Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said on a conference call with reporters Tuesday. \"It's a very practical review as to whether or not a government is sponsoring terrorism.\" Rhodes also dialed backed rhetoric on Venezuela, saying the country did not pose a national security threat to the United States, despite a recent declaration to that effect. The designation was meant to allow officials to target seven allegedly corrupt Venezuelan officials, but it ignited a firestorm, particularly in Cuba, which has close ties to Venezuela. Deceased Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was a friend and admirer of former Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Chavez's successor Nicolas Maduro continues to send Cuba tens of thousands of barrels of oil each day, despite his country's own economic turmoil. In exchange, Cuba sends doctors, military advisers and sports trainers to Venezuela. In Cuba's state-run media, criticism of U.S. policy towards Venezuela has overshadowed the improvement in U.S.-Cuba relations. In March, Fidel Castro published a letter criticizing the U.S.' \"brutal plans towards\" Venezuela and the Cuban government promised \"unconditional aid\" to help defend against American threats. Its remains to be seen how much Cuba will risk its warming relations with the United States to back up ally Venezuela. But apparently there is little doubt among the Cuban people on what their government should do. A poll of 1,200 Cubans released on Wednesday found that 97% of the people surveyed by Miami-based polling firm Bendixen & Amandi on behalf of The Washington Post and Univision Noticias/Fusion supported improved U.S.-Cuban relations.", "Havana (CNN) -- Church bells rang out Wednesday afternoon in Havana, marking a major moment in history -- Cuba and the United States are renewing diplomatic relations after decades of ice-cold tension. Word of the massive change was met with passionate opinions and some protests in the United States. And tearful celebrations erupted in the streets of the island after President Raul Castro announced the news in a televised address. But there was uncertainty and some anger amid the joy. Dissident Cuban blogger Yusnaby Perez tweeted that his neighbor asked him whether a change in U.S.-Cuban trade relations would mean that he could finally afford to buy meat. Other dissidents worried that their concerns will now be overlooked. Yoani Sanchez, a well-known Cuban blogger, decried what she described as a carefully plotted victory for the Castro regime in the swap of detained U.S. contractor Alan Gross for Cuban spies imprisoned in America. \"With the main obstacle for the re-establishment of diplomatic relations eliminated, the only unknown is the next step,\" she wrote in a column for 14ymedio.com. \"Is the Cuban government planning another move to return to a position of force vis-a-vis the U.S. government? Or are all the cards on the table this time, before the weary eyes of a population that anticipates that the Castro regime will also win the next move.\" Even with the next steps unclear, happiness spread quickly through a market in the heart of Cuba's capital, where crowds watched speeches from Castro and U.S. President Barack Obama announcing the news on TV screens. \"In the audience,\" 14ymedio reported, \"many threw kisses to Obama and hugged each other.\" Angry debates erupt in Miami . In Miami, where the vast majority of the large population of Cuban exiles once fiercely opposed any change in the U.S. stance toward the island, reactions were split, mostly along generational lines. A rift over the embargo that political analysts have noted within the Cuban-American community was on full display. Angry debates erupted in the city's Little Havana neighborhood between groups of younger demonstrators who said they supported Obama's decision to exchange the prisoners and thaw diplomatic relations and older protesters who said they were opposed to the move. Outside the iconic Versailles Cafe, demonstrators shouted: \"Obama a coward! Coward, coward, coward!\" One held a sign that read: \"Obama administration conspiracy with Castro terrorist.\" One man stood with an American flag around his neck, smiling and proudly holding a sign with Obama's face on it as other demonstrators yelled at him. A June poll by Florida International University found that more than half of Cuban-Americans surveyed in Miami support an end to the embargo and a solid majority of them also favor restoring diplomatic relations with Havana. Younger generations who immigrated more recently, analysts say, are more open to dialogue and have different priorities than older generations who came to the United States decades ago. George Davila told CNN en Español the time for change has come. \"I represent a generation of Cubans who are very interested in the future of Cuba. We think that the best days for Cuba have yet to come. And we think that in the end, the Cuban people need to stop being pieces in a game of chess,\" he said. For decades, they were pawns in the Cold War standoff between the United States and the Soviets, he said. Then, he said, they became pawns in the U.S. election politics as candidates jockeyed for Florida's 29 electoral votes and feared the political repercussions of reshaping U.S. policies toward Cuba. \"In the end, the 50 years of the embargo that we have had without having any type of dialogue with the Cuban government has not done anything to try to change the system,\" he said. \"But it has allowed the Cuban government to manipulate this status in order to be able to justify its actions.\" Natalia Martinez said she can sense a generational divide. \"Being a relatively recent Miami re-transplant, I think I have an optimistic view,\" said Martinez of Roots of Hope, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization based in Miami that helps students and young professionals in Cuba to their peers in the U.S. to share information through the Internet and other technologies. There's value to how older Cuban-Americans feel, she said. But the conversation, she said, has shifted. \"It's more focused on what we (Cuba and the U.S.) can agree on as opposed to the things we disagree on.\" 'I don't trust the Castro government' Some older Cubans, many of them exiles in Miami, were decidedly angry about the news. A crowd quickly grew outside the Versailles Cafe, and hours before Obama addressed the nation to explain the release of Gross and the change in policy, many were fuming. While happy about Gross' freedom, some said the price was too steep: the release of three Cuban intelligence agents convicted of espionage in 2001, and a sweeping change in America's diplomatic approach toward its communist neighbor. \"There is a long history here of people who have a lot of anger, people who have been hurt,\" said John Losada, who's been an exile since the 1960s. Miami Mayor Tomás Pedro Regalado, who came to the United States in the '60s, said he thinks Cuba will make more arrests and crack down even more on human rights after the United States changes its policy. The Castro government won't change its ways, he said. Miguel Saavedra, another exile, said there's a practical issue to consider: 70% of Cuban exiles \"don't support business to Cuba,\" he said. Easing relations with Cuba feels like a \"betrayal,\" Felix Gonzalez told CNN on Wednesday. The 76-year-old Cuban-American came to the U.S. in 1961 and had come to Versailles for his morning coffee. \"I don't trust the Castro government,\" he said. \"I will never.\" But others in the United States seemed cautiously optimistic. \"It was a huge surprise for me,\" said Raúl Galván, a Cuban-American historian who also works for a public television station in Wisconsin. \"I know that they opened economic doors. But beyond that, we are still in a situation that is just beginning. There is a lot more to do still.\" Galván, who's lived in the United States since the 1960s, told CNN en Español he was grateful that Obama had taken the steps to thaw relations with the Cuban government, and interested to see what happens next. \"The Cuban side of me,\" he said, \"is hoping that someday I can travel to Cuba freely.\" Cuba Fast Facts . CNN's Patrick Oppmann reported from Havana, Alina Machado reported from Miami and Ashley Fantz reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Saeed Ahmed, Catherine E. Shoichet and Maria Santana and CNN en Español's Jose Manuel Rodriguez and Camilo Egaña contributed to this report." ]

[ "These are great training treats when you need something lightweight that won't make a mess of your pockets. I have a couple problems with them though. First, they are too expensive for every day training. Second, the sizes are so inconsistent that you need to cut some of the large cubes up (at this price, they should be ready-to-eat). Actually there is a third, which is that the powder leftover on the bottom is useless to me.<br /><br />I've found it much cheaper to just put some sliced beef liver from the store in the oven and bake till dry. Cut it up, put it in small portions, and freeze. My dog likes it better than the freeze-dried anyway. I do a whole bunch at a time so I am not prepping frequently. But I figure if I have to prep something, it might as well be something cheap!" ]

[ "Although my kids prefer Pop Tarts, this is a healthy alternative. Believe it or not, the Apple without the frosting is pretty decent. There is cinnamon on the top of it which adds a bit of spice...I don't really like too much frosting on mine. The cherry pomengrante is the most preferred in my home. They don't last as long as opposed to the blueberry...Strawberry is delicious too. They travel pretty well too. Don't crumble too much...", "This is so much better than cheesecloth! I use it for nutmilks & to press juice. It's also very easy to clean!<br /><br />For the juice, I keep all of the ends, stalks etc. from making smoothies and food prep in a container in the fridge, and when it gets full I blend it all in the blender and use the Nut Milk bag to get just the juice out of it. Sometimes I'll add an apple to the blender too. It makes for a fabulous morning with tons of extra energy. I'm thinking maybe I can get by without a messy and expensive juicer, using this bag :-)", "Not great, too much of this stuff is still way too readily available up to this day in 2011, so even though it's from the 80's, there still no real nostalgia. Perhaps doing other foods like doritos or Pepsi but with their OLD logos would have been much more fun... although that would probably be a lot more expensive.", "We love our powdered rice milk! It was a HUGE life saver while traveling. It's a little difficult to mix thoroughly but works great when you don't have anything else. It is also a fantastic idea for baking too!!", "I buy this primarily for my husband, who is more of a coffee-drinker than I am. It is very much better better than Folger's. Safeway has its own version, but this is way better than either. Wish it were easier to find in stores. More often than not, I want tea, so this is a good solution/alternative for us. Great to take along when traveling, too.", "I'm very picky about chai teas because I don't like them to have too much \"spice\" in the after taste; basically, I don't like the black pepper too much. But this chai latte has the perfect blend - it's not too much, nor too little. I was addicted from the first sip. And I love that once it's brewed and steaming in my cup, I don't need to add anything to it! This is my favorite thing to brew into my travel mug and take with me on the ride to school in the morning. Just brew and go! Very soothing for sitting in stressful traffic.", "This is a great company because when you go to the grocery store spices are so expensive and this company is much cheaper and fresher. I will only buy my spices from them from now on. I still can't believe how much you get for the price I though it was going to be one of those too good to be true things but I was wrong. I've already told 3 friends who were very happy with their purchases too.", "I just tried these and they are great. They do not have a funny aftertaste and the blueberry pieces are real blueberrys. I just checked the price on here and it is way too expensive they are much cheaper in the stores...Amazon please sell these without going through a third party.", "This very decent vanilla is so much less expensive than prices I have been paying at the supermarket and it's organic, too!", "I've tried every dark chocolate bar I can find and this is definitely my favorite. My wife's too. It is so much better than the other options that we were willing to travel an extra 20 miles to shop at the grocery store that carried them. Alas, it is now only available online...", "These are a great travel in the purse snack for when the kids get hungry before you do. They love them and so do I, they are sweet and not too tart, I really enjoy them and recommend them, they don't melt in your purse and are very easy to open.", "I've been using Minis by Splenda for years. For some reason they have become impossible to find in the grocery stores where I live, which is why I'm shopping for them here. Each packet is equivalent to 1/2 packet of Splenda which is why I like the Minis; plus it's impossible to measure out 1/2 a packet. One packet is too much for my morning coffee. The packaging is also for great for travel.", "The product is good, not too sweet.<br />OValley has been able to maintain their quality. They products taste better than Horizon. My kids love vanilla, strawberry, chocolate. Its useful while travelling, an emergency snack in the car.<br /><br />I do find it expensive at 15.99 .... recently i got the chocolate flavor at costco for $6.<br />The other thing i did not like was that Amazon sent me a pack of milk with an expiry date of April 24. THis was at the at end of Feb/the beginning of march. I expected a fresh product .... that is why i cancelled the subscription too.", "At first I was a little hesitant to buy it because I've heard other dogs won't eat the life source bits, but I was at a local pet store and decided to give it a try. I had looked over the ingredients before so I was familiar with what was in it. I knew that it was a pretty good food and certainly better than most. I decided to give it a try because it wasn't too expensive and it didn't have too much protein. I've tried other really good brands and the ones with too much protein didn't work out. I was surprised the my dog liked it so we stuck with it. To this day he is still eating the same food. He does great on it. No gas. No loose stools. Everything has been great. The size of the kibble works out great for my pug. It's not too big and it's not too small. I also like that it doesn't have corn in it.", "Not bad...just a little bland and not much in the cup. I add some more \"stuff\" to it and use it as a base. I realize that's not the point of an instant soup, but if you're prepping it at home and have time to add some more items to it, it's fantastic! I add some additional wakame seaweed, fresh tofu, brewer's yeast, a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. I'm sure shitake mushrooms would be great too, but I haven't tried that yet.<br /><br />I'm a much bigger fan of the Vegan Curry with Brown & Wild Rice Pilaf, perfect as is, no additional ingredients required and HIGHLY addictive! :)<br /><br />BTW, AVOID the Vegan Black Bean & Lime Soup at all costs. It's absolutely disgusting: hard to mix, smells like BO, and tastes bland.", "I bought this product because I was traveling out of the country.It is usually hard to find soymilk in some other countries & my luggage weighs too much if I bring \"shelf stable\" cartons of soymilk. So when I found THIS product, I figured it would be better than nothing. I was very surprised when I tried it........it's great!! It was not only better than nothing,but it was better than some of the other soymilk I have tried. This product will definately save me alot of time searching for soy in other countries. I found that using less water makes it taste more like regular soymilk. I made a qt at a time & kept it in the fridge, but you can also use it just like creamora & add the powder to your coffee & it will mix up perfect,too. I hope this helps someone else who runs into this problem when you travel.", "I thought St. Dalfour's cherry tea didn't have much of a cherry taste to it, but this one definitely tastes like strawberry. It's a natural strawberry flavor, too. I first found this tea at a gourmet store when I was travelling and am glad I can have it shipped from Amazon now.", "Very good texture and taste, not too sweet. Great for travel as you can eat it plain, but I like it warmed in the microwave with soy milk. Only gave it four stars, as with all gluten free products the package looks small for the money. Definitely re ordering it.", "I am not what I would consider to be a \"coffee lover\". By time I finish with prepping a cup of black 'joe' it is usually some sort of sugary milky drink. This is why I like this coffee so much! Not too intense and tasty enough that a splash of milk and one or two sugars and I'm set! No need for some kind of flavor shot or flavored creamer! Gotta love the price here on Amazon as well! It's technically $2 cheaper as a member on the Keurig site, but they charge almost $7 for shipping!", "product was very disappointing, flimsy,much smaller than pictured (too expensive for what you get)!-returned to Amazon.", "I found the Harry Potter Chocolate overpriced and too small. I found out too late that you can buy them at stores such as Iparty for alot cheaper and not have to pay the very expensive delivery charge. How much could they weigh anyway?", "It takes a little over an once to match what 15 frozen/microwaved sherries do, but the effect seems prompt. Easier to take, though, and great for travel. I put it into seltzer water and stir for a fairly tasty drink. It isn't too sour or anything...it's just right as is.", "The noodles in these things are good but MAN this was the most spicy thing I ever ate. If you like enormously spicey stuff and need your nasal passages cleaned then get this for sure.<br />The package does say spicy, but I didn't know what spicey was until I ate this :). Kind of messy in the microwave prep too.", "This is a great item! Perhaps it is a little small in quantity, but the end taste is great. It may be a little expensive too, but, personally, I like this candy.", "I have a difficult time finding these dinner kits at my local supermarket as we live in a very small town so I was thrilled to find them here. They take a very small prep time and come out just as good as your local take-out! (which we don't have either) The sweet and sour and spicy garlic flavors are great too. Can't get the Kung-Pao yet but I can't wait to try that one!", "The Walden Farms products are very good tasting but they are way too expensive on Amazon. Go to the Walden Farms website and get their stuff MUCH cheaper!!", "I liked the blueberry flavor of these cracker bars, but the cracker itself is somewhat bland and way too crumbly.<br /><br />Pros:<br />Good taste like a mini Pop Tart<br />Only 100 calories<br />Zero transfats<br />Convenient size<br /><br />Cons:<br />Expensive packaging that is wasteful<br />Too expensive for what you get<br />Made in Mexico...sad for Quaker<br />Too much sugar (first filling ingredient is high fructose corn syrup)<br />Too many chemicals and additives<br />Crumbling, dry cracker is messy", "When our son started on solids, we were determined to make all our own food, and purchased the Beaba Baby Cook right away. As a product, we were generally happy with it - it's an \"all-in-one\" device - you can steam, blend, and reheat homemade food. As a result, when we traveled out of town for 2 weeks, we took it with us (in the travel bag, which we purchased separately, for another $40). We used it in our hotel room with local ingredients, and it was great. Our three complaints about it functionally are minor - it seems to take quite a while to steam the food, you have to hold the blender button in the 'on' position continually, and the blender itself is quite loud. Our baby's room is next to the kitchen, and I would constantly worry about waking him up if I was using this while he was sleeping. It also only makes very small batches of food because of its small size, so I wound up with about 1 cup of blended food after 30+ min of prep and cook time.<br /><br />The biggest issue with this machine is that it's not worth the expense for the money ($150 + $40 for the travel case = $190!!!) - it was a MUCH BETTER VALUE to use our full-size Cuisinart, which we already owned. If we had not, it would have been smarter to purchases a mini-Cuisinart for about $40. Here's why: we made ALL the baby food our son ate, at least at first. It was much, much faster and more efficient to steam the food on the stove, using a couple inexpensive steamer baskets and pots (much faster), and then to puree them (much more quietly)in the Cuisinart. We could make much larger batches of food, which we then froze in ice cube trays (cheaper and again, more efficient, than the freezing trays Beaba sells). The Baby Cook made such small batches it hardly seemed worth the effort. For busy parents out there (and you know you're one of them) - this was, by far, not the most efficient method for making baby food, and costly to boot.<br /><br />TL;DR: The Baby Cook works well, but a Cuisinart/Kitchen Aid is cheaper, more efficient, and will get the job done just as well/better. Don't spend the extra money on the Baby Cook.", "I found it to be much more flavored with peanut butter than the chocolate, so it was disappointing to me.<br />It was much better when I softened it in the microwave..... a bit too expensive for somethng just so so", "I'm a tea snob and typically buy the more expensive whole leaf teas by the ounce, but when traveling, I typically take bagged tea for convenience. I've tried all the usual brands you typically find at your local grocery store and they're all just terrible. No really... just awful. I had been making do with PG Tips, as they make a reasonable cup of tea but then I discovered Dilmah while in Australia. This is the best bagged tea I've ever had. Period. And before Amazon started carrying it, I had to get it from various importers (and pay too much).<br /><br />This Dilmah tea has a crisp, rich, smooth flavor with a sweet finish. It's great for a breakfast tea, takes milk well and is even great iced (I'm drinking some as I type this). It's good enough that I sometimes crave it over my precious whole leaf teas. And like all bag tea (aka shake), don't over steep! 30-60 seconds is all you need.", "Love this tea and I had to travel to a larger Publix in my town to get it. Then they'd be out of it! With Amazon Prime and a subscription I will never run out or have to waste gas looking for the best iced tea made. Great flavor, healthful, organic, and just enough sweetness. And I save money too. Perfect!", "the candy was all melted and sticky (could have been from shipping in the heat) I had to throw away all the jolly ranchers and they made everything else sticky too. bag is really expensive too, when i went to walmart it was much cheaper...<br /><br />!" ]

[ "Most of the AWS SDKs mentioned support constructing a custom endpoint, for example as described here for Node.JS.\n\nSetting the endpoint to storage.googleapis.com and using your GCP access credentials should enable you to operate the Google storage backend service \"like S3\"." ]

[ "Personally, we use S3 on top of GCE and really love it. Depending on how much data you're dealing with, Google Drive just doesn't quite match the 5 TB max that S3 gives you. Also, if you're using python, boto does a pretty fantastic job of making most aws services pretty accessible regardless of what stack you're dealing with. Even if you're not using python, they've got a pretty straightforward API that generally is more accessible than Google Drive.\n\nInstead of google drive, though google did recently release a cloud storage service, apart from drive, that lets you more closely integrate your storage with any gce instance you've got, https://cloud.google.com/products/cloud-storage/\n\nThey've got an API which seems to be pretty comparable to S3's, but I can't profess to having really played around with it much. Pricing-wise the two are identical, but I think that the large community and experience with aws in general still puts S3 squarely above both google's cloud storage and google drive.", "Yes, I opened a support ticket and the AWS representative said that\nFargate is really intended as a stateless container solution. I took\nthat to mean it's more of a self-made Lambda rather than a managed\nDocker solution. The suggestion to add persistent storage was taken\nunder consideration and will be added to the feature request list.\nYou can add the storage also at the time of container configuration may be you can use NFS or you can upload data from fargate to s3.\n\nWith bind mounts, a file or directory on the host machine is mounted into a container. Bind mount host volumes are supported when using either the EC2 or Fargate launch types. Fargate tasks only support nonpersistent storage volumes, so the host and sourcePath fields are not supported. For more information, see fargate task storage.\n\nYour Amazon ECS service can optionally be configured to use Amazon ECS Service Discovery. Service discovery uses AWS Cloud Map API actions to manage HTTP and DNS namespaces for your Amazon ECS services. To create service discovery you can refer to here.", "In most cases, you would use a file-storage solution such as Amazon S3 or Google Cloud and many others, which provide designated solutions for large object storage and retrieval. \n\nYou would then ideally want to update your code to retrieve the model directly from the file storage. Whether this download needs be done on every run or only once (storing the model locally for future runs), should be decided based on your specific needs.", "There is now (since 2013-07-19 - version 0.6.22) support to use Google Cloud Storage directly in duplicity.\n\nYou should use gsutil config -a to create a ~/.boto config file. And then you can use duplicity like this:\n\nduplicity local_dir gs://yourbucket\n\n\nAlso of note is that only the old authentication mechanism is supported. You should enable \"Interoperable Access\" from your Google Storage Console.\n\nDetailed steps on http://www.willdurness.com/back-up-your-vm-to-google-cloud-storage-using-duplicity.", "Would uploading a file, program, script, etc. to an online storage service, without sharing it, count as distributing the file to the online service?\n\n\nTo me, it depends on the terms and conditions of the remote storage service. If the service itself acquires rights to use content you store on it, then yes, it is very possible this constitutes distribution. But if they're simply providing you a safe repository wherein you store data, then it no more constitutes giving them a copy than putting your valuables in a safety deposit box constitutes giving them to the bank.\n\n\n If I backup a python script not intended for distribution in a private GitHub/GitLab/etc. repo, which imports a GPL library, do I have to comply with GPL?\n\n\nI don't intend to read their terms and conditions; if you decide to use their private repositories, that's your job. But assuming they don't acquire any rights over and above those needed to safely store a copy of your data and return it on demand, then by Q1 I don't think it does. If they do acquire some rights, then we'd need to know what those are, at which time apsillers' excellent point may come into relevance.\n\n\n Normally, running a GPL web service is not distribution. However, what if the web service is run on a server like AWS, where you have to upload it first? Do you have to comply with the GPL for the upload?\n\n\nI'd hold that AWS is rented space, like a safety deposit box, and thus Q1 still applies. I've stored quite a lot of data on some fairly expensive AWS deployments over the years, and I've never heard the slightest suggestion that that data belonged to anyone other whomsoever owned it at the time of storage.\n\nIf you make it available to anyone else from that storage, then distribution definitely occurs.", "You seem to be confused a bit about how Firestore stores data and what Google is suggesting you do.\n\n\n What is the problem? You are backing up a bucket inside other bucket.\n\n\nThis is not correct. Firestore stores its data inside some sort of mostly opaque database format. If you are copying this out to a GCS bucket, that really is an export into a different storage medium and a different format.\n\nThat being said, it's still reasonable that you might want to keep your data backups outside of Google (although GCS has a good SLA). To do that, after you've exported your Firestore data to a GCS bucket, use the gsutil utility to copy that bucket down:\n\ngsutil cp -r gs://your-bucket-name .", "Yes, for the most part both Amazon and Google require that the Hardware vendor run a service that supports their specific API that the Voice Assistant systems can call.\nFor Amazon you have to provide a AWS Lambda function as the interface and Google require a HTTP API endpoint.\nThere are some exceptions to these rules, e.g. Amazon support direct control of Belkin WeMo devices, but I believe they are removing this capability and migrating over to the same system of making an API call.\nThe other standard is ZigBee lights, with some Alexa devices having built in ZigBee radios providing direct control.\nGoogle devices tend to support the Thread system (since this was what NEST used before Goolge bought them)\nGoogle also support something called their Local Control SDK which allow the direct control from the local Google Home device directly to the device, but this still requires the cloud service as both a back up command route and device discovery and state are still all done via the vendors cloud service.\nIt's also worth pointing out that the Hardware vendors also want to run their own systems a lot of the time. It allows them to gather all sorts of useful data about how customers use their hardware (e.g. if features are actually getting used or not) and to do fault/failure analysis. Neither Amazon or Google will let them see any of that data.\nApple's Homekit system is the exception in that all control is local and each device has to be locally discoverable and controllable by implementing Apples API on your local network.\nThings are starting to change as there is now a consortium made up of Amazon, Apple, Google and a bunch of IoT device manufactures to try and build a standard control protocol for doing local control. (https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/18/21027890/apple-google-amazon-smart-home-standard-zigbee-connected-ip-project)", "At the moment, perhaps you're not wanting to have your code reviewed as I suggested in the comment. So, if you actually want to go ahead and try to do the solution you proposed, here are some options for storing that string:\n\nYou can simply store an S3 object and access it from the zero. If there isnt any personal info, you can even just even expose that S3 bucket for read on the internet so that you dont have any authentication issues from the zero. You may want to turn object versioning off. This is probably your easiest option.\nYou can store it in a google spreadsheet and access it via API. As long as you dont hammer it with requests, you should be ok.\nLook at airtable\nIts also possible to use IoT platforms such as AWS IoT, Azure IoT and even google pub/sub. This is different from what you asked for, but it is an option.", "When you're running ephemeral workloads like you would on a spot instance the best bet, if you don't want to bake an ami, is going to be a secret store of some kind.\n\nThe two most common methods I've seen for doing this are:\n\n\nIf your provisioning tool (terraform, cloudformation, salt cloud) allows it then you can create a kms key and use it to encrypt secrets in user data. Once the instance has started it can decrypt them using that key.\nYou can use a secret store like you mentioned. You said that AWS Secrets Manager would get pricey so you're probably going to want to use Vault. It's not that hard to set up and can use IAM permissions to allow your instances access to secrets. Using it also opens other avenues to doing secret storage right.", "Issue 1:\n\n\n is the fact that I need to store my credentials in a file\n\n\nIf your server is an EC2 instance, then you don't have to store credentials in a file.\n\nInstead, use IAM roles and instance profiles with your EC2 instances. When you do this, do not configure credentials for the AWS CLI. When you execute commands with the CLI, the CLI will collect temporary credentials off-server and use them.\n\nhttp://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_roles_use_switch-role-ec2.html\n\nIf you do this, then should someone gain unauthorized access to the server, there won't be any credential files for them to take away. To do any damage, they would have to do it right there on the server.\n\nIssue 2:\n\nTo prevent damage to the bucket, enable bucket versioning. By doing this, if someone deletes objects and/or changes them, you have the old versions available to access.\n\nAlso, if you really need to delete objects, then enable MFA deletion. When enabled, MFA must be used when objects need to be deleted. Without using the MFA device, deletion objects is prohibited.\n\nFor anyone accessing the bucket, give them minimal permissions. Be careful blindly allowing s3:*. If they only need to read objects, just give them s3:GetObject.", "My question has been answered here by Frank and I quote:\n\nBoth the regular Firebase client SDK, and the Firebase Admin SDK for servers can be used on a Raspberry Pi Node.js application. Which one to use depends on how you use the device and app.\nThe firebase module accesses Firebase as a regular client application, similar to how any other web app, iOS app, or Android app would access it. So with this SDK you'll typically ask the user to sign in with Firebase Authentication, and then use those credentials to access their data in Cloud Firestore.\nThe firebase-admin module however accesses Firebase as an administrative client. This means that it is authorized through pre-configured credentials, and can then access all data in Firestore and the rest of the Firebase project without any limitations. This SDK is used when you're creating an administrative application, that you then run on your Raspberry Pi.\nSo: if you're building a regular application that requires no special permissions, use the firebase module. If you're building an admin-type application that requires elevated permissions, use the firebase-admin module\n\nAnd also a comment specifying:\n\nThere is no Firebase client app SDK for Cloud Storage for Node.js. But you should only use the Admin SDK if you want to allow the users of the app to have full access to your Firebase project.", "I believe you will need to do this programmatically using the AWS SDK as described in Sending a Message (AWS SDKs). Here is a quote a from it:\n\n\n To send an SMS message by using one of AWS SDKs, use the action in\n that SDK that corresponds to the Publish request in the Amazon SNS\n API. With this request, you can send an SMS message directly to a\n phone number\n \n ...\n \n Sending a Message (AWS SDK for Java)\n \n The following example uses the publish method of the AmazonSNSClient\n class to send a message directly to a phone number:\n\npublic static void main(String[] args) {\n AmazonSNSClient snsClient = new AmazonSNSClient();\n String message = \"My SMS message\";\n String phoneNumber = \"+1XXX5550100\";\n Map&lt;String, MessageAttributeValue&gt; smsAttributes = \n new HashMap&lt;String, MessageAttributeValue&gt;();\n //&lt;set SMS attributes&gt;\n sendSMSMessage(snsClient, message, phoneNumber, smsAttributes);\n}\n\npublic static void sendSMSMessage(AmazonSNSClient snsClient, String message, \n String phoneNumber, Map&lt;String, MessageAttributeValue&gt; smsAttributes) {\n PublishResult result = snsClient.publish(new PublishRequest()\n .withMessage(message)\n .withPhoneNumber(phoneNumber)\n .withMessageAttributes(smsAttributes));\n System.out.println(result); // Prints the message ID.", "Yes, you could install the Amazon S3 Plugin in order to select &amp; configure that Volume type in your control panel.\nAfter installing that you will get new volume type “Amazon S3” in Settings → Assets → New Volume.

\nNow you can create new column and using it you can store your assets in Amazon S3 cloud service.", "The service account needs permissions to the storage segment where the containers will be pushed. To fix this\n\n\nLog in to the Google Cloud Platform console\nGo to the Storage section\nTick the corresponding storage segment and click Show information panel button in the top-right corner.\nAdd the storage object administration permission to your service account.\n\n\nYou can then retry locally with jet steps --push.", "Download - yes. Simply set each Object ACL to be publicly readable.\n\nList - sort of. If you set the Bucket ACL to publicly readable anyone can list the content. However it's a rather human-unfriendly XML listing.\nYou can generate your directory listings to some index.html files through an external process and configure the bucket to serve those.\n\nBasic auth - nope. You can look at something like S3 pre-signed URLs to protect the content.\n\n\nHope that helps :)", "Key material is the “mathematical” key, as opposed to metadata about the key such as the key type, its name in a database, its usage policy, etc.\n\nIn the context of key management, and in particular of programming interfaces that manipulate cryptographic keys, the term key can mean multiple things. It can refer to the actual bytes or numbers that are used in cryptographic computations: this is key material. It can also refer to the name (or label, identifier, index, …) of a cryptographic key in a key storage database. It can refer to an object in a system which supports requests such as “encrypt” and “decrypt”, and which may have associated metadata such as the key type (“this is an AES key”) and usage policies (“this key may only be used for AES-GCM, only on Tuesdays and only by users with the Grand Vizir privilege”).\n\nIn the context of information security, key material is the aspect of a key that requires especially confidential storage. Typically, the metadata about a key has low sensitivity and can be stored, manipulated and displayed with ordinary precautions. Key material (except for public keys) is more sensitive and requires additional precautions: avoid storing copies in a cache, require additional authentication before viewing or extracting, refuse copying to unencrypted storage, etc.\n\nFor example, the top Google hit for “key material” for me right now is “Importing key material in AWS Key Management Service”.\n\n\n An AWS KMS customer master key (CMK) is a logical representation of a master key. In addition to the CMK identifiers and other metadata, a CMK contains the key material used to encrypt and decrypt data.\n\n\nWhen you create a CMK in AWS, you have a choice of letting AWS generate the key material randomly, or importing your own key material. In either case, you pass metadata such as identifiers as parameters to the key creation request.\n\nAnother example: PKCS#11 does not consistently use the term “key material”, but it uses it (without a formal definition) in the context of key objects. For an RSA private key, the key material consists of the (RSA-specific) attributes modulus, public exponent, private exponent, etc. For a secret key, the key material is a single byte array which PKCS#11 calls “key value”. Other key attributes, such as the key type, start and end date, usage policies “derive”, “encrypt”, “verify”, etc. are key metadata, not key material.\n\nIf you have a smartcard containing a decryption key, and you know the PIN that allows you to use the smartcard, then you have access to the key, in the sense that you can use the key for its intended purpose. But unless the smartcard is configured to allow extracting the key, you don't have access to the key material itself: only the smartcard has the key material.", "Yes, you can use use multi-index tables to store the relevant data in the persistent storage while indexing it by account name. To access the persistent storage, you'd need to have bought RAM to pay for the storage while it's in use.\n\nExample adapted from the docs:\n\nstruct [[eosio::table]] mystruct \n{\n name key; \n uint64_t strength;\n uint64_t durability; \n uint64_t speed; \n\n uint64_t primary_key() const { return key.value; } // getter for primary key\n};\n\n\ntypedef eosio::multi_index&lt;\"mystruct\"_n, mystruct&gt; datastore;\n\n\nOther projects such as EOSKnights show a working app using similar concepts.", "The cutting of amazon goes on and on, but we have to do our duty and plant more trees, preferably with eyes. \n\nThat said, the following is now done: \n\n\namazon-cloudfront × 2576 &leftarrow; aws-cloudfront × 89 \namazon-cloudwatch × 1402 &leftarrow; aws-cloudwatch × 50 \namazon-ecs × 1390 &leftarrow; ec2-container-service × 55\naws-opsworks × 488 &leftarrow; opsworks × 59 \naws-sdk × 4174 &leftarrow; amazon-sdk × 8 \namazon-vpc × 847 &leftarrow; aws-vpc × 149\naws-sdk-ios × 89 &leftarrow; awsiossdk \naws-php-sdk × 139 &leftarrow; aws-sdk-php × 32 \n\n\nNotes: \n\n\nJohn Rotenstein proposed aws-vpc as a synonym for amazon-vpc on Oct 29 '17 at 22:15. I approved it today. \nThere was vpc also proposed as a synonym for amazon-vpc, which I deleted. \nI'll wait for a couple of days and merge these, just to make sure there aren't any issues.", "If you choose the original option, every photo and video you upload will count towards your quota. As stated in the Google Photos help article, using the &quot;original&quot; setting counts against your free storage, regardless of your photo size.\n\nWhether there's a cost depends on your settings. You can choose between 2 storage sizes for backing up your photos and videos:\nHigh quality: Unlimited free storage for photos and videos that might be reduced in size or resolution.\nOriginal: Counts against your Google account's 15 GB of free storage for photos and videos that are stored exactly as you captured them.\n\nGoogle help also points out that\n\nIf the camera takes photos with 16 megapixels (MP) resolution or lower, most stored photos will essentially look the same using either storage option.\n\nYou can also change your mind at any time, however -\n\nChanging the setting will affect storage sizes going forward and won't resize items you've already stored.\n\nSources: https://support.google.com/photos/answer/6220791 and https://support.google.com/photos/answer/6193313", "You can regain access to the object by assigning an appropriate role, such as roles/storage.objectAdmin, to yourself or another member. \n\n\nGo to IAM under IAM &amp; admin session\nAdd members, and select Storage > Storage Object Admin role\n\n\nNote that doing so provides access to all objects in the bucket or project.\n\nYou can see best practices for more information.", "https://docs.aws.amazon.com/general/latest/gr/aws-arns-and-namespaces.html lists the schema for (I believe) all of the ARNs that Amazon supports. Text in italic red indicates where you should substitute in your own value, rather than the literal string, and there are examples in each section to help figure this out.\n\nBe warned that IAM is less usefully restrictive than it appears on first glance. To start with, most services have only partial IAM support. Secondly, often the things that are supported at a resource level are supported only in very specific ways; for instance, granting all permissions on a subnet ARN does not grant the attached users the ability to fully manage instances in that subnet, as AttachVolume only supports restricting by volume id, etc. Thirdly, if the users are going to use the Amazon web console at all, they must have broad viewing permissions, as the console was not written with PoLP in mind and issues non-resource-restricted API calls (and often merely dumps errors in the javascript console!).", "I'd go with aws autoscaling set-desired-capacity following the documentation\n\nBut if you're up to make a button you should look into the various AWS sdk (on top right is the list of them) to call the related API instead of forking to a system command.", "Due to Raspbian support Python 2&amp;3, you can check online documents about AWS SDK for Python to start your coding. \nhttp://docs.aws.amazon.com/iot/latest/apireference/iot-api.pdf \nhttps://github.com/aws/aws-iot-device-sdk-python/blob/master/README.rst \nBut for beginners, I suggest that before you start to approach the Amazon AWS, you should try on \n\n\n CloudMQTT\n\n\nand make a simple project like : \n\n\n \"turn the LED on/off\"\n\n\nor \n\n\n \"turn the LED on if the temperature is above 30 Celcius degrees\" (which use Arduino UNO to support you)", "No you can't. \n\nS3 is an object storage, accessed over HTTP or REST for example. Just as you can't mount an HTTP address as a directory you can't mount a S3 bucket as a directory.\n\nHaving said that there are some workarounds that expose S3 as a filesystem - e.g. 's3fs' project. How reliable and stable they are I don't know.", "Definitely. Especially when using AWS services, the aws-sdk for JavaScript is superb.\n\nWriting code using JavaScript in a shop that has both frontend people writing JS in some framework (Angular/React/Vue/...) and backend people using Node.js removes barriers. Just pushing to use JS provides the org. with even more developers who don't have barriers to reading and fixing infrastructure code.\n\nFor example, I am quite proficient in using Python, Ruby, Shell, JavaScript (even Perl). But when it comes to fixing or adding something to HashiCorp's tools like Terraform, I just don't have the time to learn Go sufficiently enough - so I don't do it. If a tool like Terraform was written using JavaScript, I would have added my contribution for that missing service a long time ago.\n\nJavaScript support is excellent in AWS Lambda as well, and that is quite a big \ndeal. For example, one of the ways to make CloudFormation do things you never thought it could is to write an AWS::CloudFormation::CustomResource implemented in a Lambda function.\n\nAnother good example is streaming CloudWatch Logs into ElasticSearch. If you ever try to press that button you discover that AWS just creates a JavaScript function for you in Lambda.\n\nJavaScript is everywhere in DevOps and AWS, doing the same thing with Java, or C# or even Go would take much more time.\n\nShould you bring a \"DevOps Engineer\" in the future (please don't), and that person does not know JavaScript while all your code is the backend and frontend is in JavaScript then simply don't hire such a person. It is a bad fit for both you and them.", "AWS Import/Export is a service that accelerates transferring data into and out of AWS using physical storage appliances, bypassing the Internet. AWS Import/Export Disk was originally the only service offered by AWS for data transfer by mail. Disk supports transfers data directly onto and off of storage devices you own using the Amazon high-speed internal network.\n\nImport/Export was released on May 2009, and described in this blog post - https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/send-us-that-data/\n\nReleased on October of 2016 there is also Amazon Snowball, a service for customers who want to transport terabytes or petabytes of data to and from AWS, or who want to access the storage and compute power of the AWS cloud locally and cost effectively in places where connecting to the internet may not be an option.\n\nBlog post describing the snowball service -\nhttps://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/aws-importexport-snowball-transfer-1-petabyte-per-week-using-amazon-owned-storage-appliances/\n\nThe documentation explains how to prepare a device for export, and how to create the Amazon S3 Export process.\n\nHere are some older docs:\n\n\nhttp://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSImportExport/latest/DG/PackingS3Jobs.html\nhttp://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSImportExport/latest/DG/createanexportjob.html", "Definitely. It could be part of a service offering and the users of the API could define their own policies concerning permanent data storage, depending on their regulatory needs, for instance.", "AWS IoT uses the MQTT protocol (and AWS APIs), not REST.\n\nThere are two ways to solve your problem:\n\n\nConvert everything to MQTT: Have your web app send a message to AWS IoT (Luckily, they support websockets for just this purpose), and use the AWS mobile SDK to make your mobile app speak MQTT.\nIf you need your components to be RESTful, then you should forget about AWS IoT and use AWS Lambda (+API Gateway) instead. You can use SNS messaging and push notifications.\n\n\nDon't force AWS IoT if it's not a good fit. The name is just a marketing term. There is no best IoT Architecture.", "That is not a pointer, that is an actual folder with all the pictures and videos from Photos taking up storage in drive if you upload in original quality.\n\nFrom Google Help Center:\n\n\n Your photos and videos are stored using your Google Account's storage space.\n \n \n If you upload photos directly to Google Drive, they will count against your storage quota.\n If you upload using Google Photos or Backup and sync, it will count against your storage quota if you upload in original quality.\n \n\n\nFrom the Help Center also see What happens when you change or delete a photo.", "I would recommend you use their Google Cloud Secrets Engine. Documentation is here: https://www.vaultproject.io/docs/secrets/gcp/index.html\n\nManaging such sensitive secrets by any means other than a Vault service is dangerous.", "Nope, the only external storage you can use is Amazon's cloud storage.", "Openstack is something you might install to setup an self-service IaaS platform that manages VMs, storage and network. Whereas the top three cloud providers have written their own proprietary IaaS platforms a small cloud provider, or a large company, cannot feasibly code there own cloud-like management software, so they might setup their “private cloud” using openstack (or, say, a big vendors distribution of it) so that many internal projects can use it as self-service IaaS. To quote Wikipedia with some expansion by myself:\n\n\n OpenStack is a free and open-source software platform for cloud\n computing, mostly deployed as infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS),\n whereby virtual servers and other resources are made available to [internal or external]\n customers. The software platform consists of interrelated\n components that control diverse, multi-vendor hardware pools of\n processing, storage, and networking resources throughout a data\n center. Users either manage it through a web-based dashboard, through\n command-line tools, or through RESTful web services.\n\n\nPeople might talk about it being “your operating system for private cloud” which is a bad analogy. In general the term “operating system” is often deliberate misused as it has positive connotations and might indicate to none technical people the broad benefits of investing in a given technology. For example people might also talk about container orchestrators such as Kubernetes or Docker Swarm being “the new operating systems of the cloud” which is a similar poor analogy. \n\nIf a backup project said it provides connectors for AWS S3, Azure Blob, Google Cloud Storage, and Openstack Swift then it would be more clear exactly what it does: write large binary backup files into a cloud store. Such a product could then accurately say it supports AWS, Azure, GCP, and Openstack. Just to be clear I am not saying the the technology you are looking at actually uses those APIs I am making a general point about openstack having feature parity with many public cloud technologies." ]

[ "Sussex’s Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim) said he is thrilled to be performing on ‘his doorstep’ at this year’s Wild Life Festival.\nSpeaking to the renowned DJ, musician and record producer, who lives in Hove, earlier today (April 13) at Shoreham Airport, where he was joined by the Shoreham Allstars, he said he was looking forward to his ‘first big show’ of the summer.\nNorman Cook aka Fatboy Slim at Shoreham Airport earlier today (April 13)\nHe said: “This is probably the closest anybody has ever lived to a festival. I try and do something big in the area every year.\n“When I’m running and training I run past the airport.\n“The last Wild Life, I could hear it from my house. So for something like this to be on your doorstep and to be doing things in your own city, especially when you have got an established love affair with your own city.”\nThe festival is returning to the airport for the third time.\nThe event, which was started by Disclosure and Rudimental in 2015, will take place on Friday, June 9 and Saturday June, 10.\nIt promises to bring revellers ‘the very best of an eclectic mix of dance, pop, indie, hip-hop and more.’\nMore than 35,000 attended the event last year.\nFatboy Slim was the first headliner to be announced.\nDon’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.\nHere are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.\n1) Make our website your homepage\n2) Like our Facebook page\n3) Follow us on Twitter\n4) Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.\nAnd do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!\nAlways the first with your local news.\nBe part of it." ]

[ "The video will start in 8 Cancel\nGet What's On updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email\nA music festival which was due to be held in Cardiff this summer has been cancelled.\nThe festival, called It's a Love Thing, was a collaboration between Bristol-based festival Love Saves The Day and The Depot in Cardiff.\nOriginally due to be held in Pontcanna Fields on Saturday, June 9 , Fatboy Slim had been billed to headline the electronic music event.\nBut organisers have cited problems with finding a location as the reason for cancelling the one-day music festival.\nA spokesperson for the event said: “Owing to difficulties confirming a suitable location for the Cardiff It’s A Love Thing Festival, the event will not be taking place this year as planned.\n\"We’re really disappointed, having worked towards this event since May last year, and we’re sorry to disappoint all those who were interested in coming along.\"\nPeople who had pre-registered for It's a Love Thing, however, will still have the chance to see Fatboy Slim at a discounted price in Bristol.\nThe spokesperson added: \"Those who pre-registered for tickets will soon be sent an email offering discounted tickets to the Bristol Love Saves The Day festival on Saturday, May 26, where Fatboy Slim will be performing.\"\nAnd they're hoping to rearrange the event for 2019, adding: \"We’re working closely with Cardiff Council and hope to bring a festival to the capital next year.”\nFor updates visit the It's a Love Thing Facebook page .", "The video will start in 8 Cancel\nGet What's On updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email\nPete Tong and the Heritage Orchestra are bringing the Balearic mood to Cardiff Castle this summer and tickets will be on sale soon for the huge outdoor concert .\nRavers will be treated to the irresistible combination of the UK’s most influential DJ with a 65 piece orchestra and a spectacular visual show with lasers.\nWhen is the show?\nThe outdoor show will take place on Saturday, July 28.\nWhen do tickets go on sale?\nTickets are on sale from 10am on Friday, April 27 via Ticketmaster.co.uk , Seetickets.com and Derricks Records in Swansea.\nYou can also call 0844 844 0444.\nWhat will they play?\nCelebrating the legacy of dance music, the show re-imagines some of the White Isle's most iconic records from legendary artists such as Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, Faithless and more from the past two decades; fusing together visual effects and music technology into phenomenally vibrant orchestral interpretations.\nExpect to hear these thunderous reinterpretations from the #1 album Classic House and Pete Tong Ibiza Classics", "The video will start in 8 Cancel\nGet What's On updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email\nParklife Festival and Warehouse Project boss Sacha Lord-Marchionne is turning his attention to Manchester's burgeoning dining scene by investing in a local street food business.\nSacha has backed butter-dunked bagel business Eat New York, which currently has a concession at city centre leisure spot Junkyard Golf Club close to his Store Street club.\nEat New York has also recently run pop up stands at the new SCRANcoats events in Ancoats General Store, and at city centre brewery Alphabet Brewing Co. They have also previously run stands in the VIP area at Parklife.\nThe caterer, which specialises in New York City inspired sandwiches, celebrated the news by posting on Instagram: \"We've grafted like mad men and today marks the start of a new chapter.\"\nIn a tweet, Sacha said: \"Delighted to confirm I've just invested in this business. Really looking forward to the next few years\". He signed off his announcement with the humorous hashtag #GonnaGetFat.\nParklife returns to Heaton Park on June 10-11 2017, at which headliners Frank Ocean and The 1975 will share a bill with the likes of Chaka Khan, London Grammar, Fatboy Slim, Rag 'N' Bone Man, Jess Glynne, Carl Cox, and Pete Tong.\nGeneral admission tickets , priced £59.50 daily, £99.50 all weekend, as well as VIP wristbands are on sale now.", "We take our music seriously at \"CBS This Morning.\" Keep up with the music we play on the broadcast by following our \"CBS This Morning\" Spotify playlist and checking CBSThisMorning.com for daily playlist posts.\n\"Feel So Close\" – Calvin Harris\n\"I Will Follow\" – U2\n\"Why I Am\" – Dave Matthews Band\n\"Praise You\" – Fatboy Slim\n\"Bills, Bills, Bills\" – Destiny's Child\n\"Baby I'm A Star\" – Prince\n\"One More Time\" – Daft Punk\n\"New Sensation\" – INXS\n\"Pompeii\" – Bastille\n\"Work\" – Rihanna, Drake\n\"Come See About Me\" – The Supremes\n\"Real Wild Child\" – Iggy Pop\n\"Den Epitrepete\" – Natasa Theodoridou\n\"Pretty In Pink\" – The Psychedelic Furs\n\"Clocks\" – Coldplay", "The video will start in 8 Cancel\nGet Daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email\nExeter's Lockdown Festival will not be returning to Exeter in 2018, it has been revealed.\nPowderham Castle which has been the host of the festival for the past two years say that 'in support of local opinion, they have decided that Lockdown won’t be returning next year'.\nThis year thousands of festival-goers attended the event to see the likes of Fatboy Slim, Dizzee Rascal and Chase and Status perform live on stage.\nAhead of this year's festival which took place in September, organiser Steve Haywood said they were thrilled to have Fatboy Slim performing at the festival.\n\"All of the organisers are thrilled to be announcing that Fat Boy Slim will be performing at this year's Lockdown Festival. It is going to be awesome,\" he said.\nLast year's festival was also attended by thousands of music fans.\nOn Saturday, September 10, festival-goers enjoyed performances from Sigma, Krept and Konen, Tinie Tempah, Katy B and Chase and Status who performed on the main stage.\nOn Sunday, September 11, DJ Rudimental, Andy C, Sub Focus, Netsky, Wilkinson and Stormzy took to the stage to perform.\nLockdown, which is organised by UK Live Ltd will be bringing Let's Rock to Powderham Castle in June 2018.\nThousands of people descended upon Powderham Castle in July to take a trip back to the 80s with Let's Rock Festival.\nThe festival saw the likes of Level 42, Tony Hadley, Jason Donovan and Chesney Hawkes perform live on stage.\nAnd now we know who will be performing at next year's festival which will be taking place on Saturday, June 30, 2018.Who has been confirmed to perform so far?\nThe acts that have been announced to perform so far are:\nSister Sledge\nABC\nMidge Ure\nSara Cox\nNick Heyward\nAtomic Kitten\nHeather Small\nThe Fizz\nModern Romance\nTransvision Vamp's Wendy James\nHow can I get tickets and how much will they cost?\nBased on previous year's adult tickets for the festival will cost around £49.50 and children's will cost around £23.10.\nA family ticket is expected to cost £123.20.\nCamping will also be available on the Saturday night and it is expected to cost around £22 per adult and £11 per child.\nFor more information and to keep up to date with all the latest announcements you can visit their website.", "To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video", "A Leeds-based Hip Hop act is bringing his rapping and production talents to Harrogate in a unique music event in Harrogate.\nSince he released his first mixtape, Abstract Views, in 2013, Lence has evolved into one of the North’s most progressive rappers.\nHis headlining appearance at 'Harrogate does Hip Hop' in Harrogate’s North Bar's upstairs room on Friday, June 15 will be preceded by a selection of some of the greatest moments from hip hop history.\nInspired by the likes of Wu-Tang Clan, this event is presented at the North Bar by the town’s longest-established music night Charm on Friday, June 15.\nThe fiercely intelligent musican and producer Lence is a former Harrogate resident and it will be a bit of a homecoming gig.\nKnown for his hard-hitting beats and atmospheric videos filmed in the dead of night in the heart of urban Leeds, Lence has won acclaim for his forward-thinking lyrics and sophisticated musical backdrops – like Wu Tang-Clan meets Massive Attack with a splash of Eminem.\nLence said: “I really want to connect with the listener through passion and emotion.\n“My new track The Portal follows on from my last release The Brink. For The Brink I had a clear picture in my mind of what I wanted the video to look like and I made sure the lyrics fitted it.\n“I wanted The Portal to represent a new level of progression. In order to have full control I direcrted the filming myself while my usual director Imran Naushad edited the footage.\n“The beats were made by a producer I’ve been working with recently called Minos.”\nAudiences can all expect classic recorded tracks from the likes of Jay Z, Wu-Tang Clan, Grandmaster Flash, Kendrick Lamar, Public Enemy, Kanye West, A Tribe Called Quest and Run DMC.\nTickets are available now from Harrogate Theatre in person or online.", "You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.\nPlease use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.\nThis video has an invalid file format.\n00:00:00 HTML5 Auto HD High Low Report a problem\nSorry, but you can't access this content!", "As many Malawian musicians in the diaspora continue to put Malawian music on the map, it interest some of them to remember their fans back home,countrys United Kingdom based Nic Thindwa has this week premiered his brand new music Video titled Boom Boom featuring Jorome on Malawian Television stations.\nBoom Boom premiered on various local television stations and is continuously getting airplays locally a development in which the artist described as a feel at home from a distance.\nA love song that praises a woman and admires her body shape to be better than most ladies, Boom Boom also adds on to praise the behaviour of the said woman and compares to no one for all the good things she does. the song is produced by Blantyre based Tricky beats.\nThindwa has also revealed he is planning on collaborating with many artist from home and tipped Malawi’s top RnB singer Kell Kay to be one of the artists he wants to work with.\n“I have lined up various collaborations With many local artists from Malawi , its always good to work with our artists from home. As artists our main aim is penetrate more markets and the global mainstream music. When we work together this goal can easily be achieved” explained Nic Thindwa.\nHe started doing music at a tender age and moved to the UK in 2003 where he continued writing music.\nIn 2007 he made his mark with a song called “Mutione” under the name N.I.C, the song was successful among the Malawian community in the UK.The same year, he also released another song called “Muli Mphamvu”\nNic Thindwa has shared the stage with popular Malawian artists like Ethel Kamwendo Banda, Maskal, Pop Dogg, Hazel Mark, Tay Grin, Langa Ndovie and many more.\nFollow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :", "Wild Adventures Press Release:\nVALDOSTA, Ga. – Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta, Ga. will host Grammy Award-winning recording artist and songwriter Tasha Cobbs-Leonard on Saturday, April 28 as the next performance in the 2018 Flash Foods and Circle K Summer Concert Series.\n“The excitement around this concert is incredible, and we are thrilled to be able to share Tasha’s heartfelt and powerful music with our guests,” said Adam Floyd, public relations manager.\nTasha Cobbs-Leonard was named the Most Streamed Gospel Artist of 2016 by Billboard, and her RIAA Gold-certified smash hit “Break Every Chain” continues to be one of the highest-selling albums of the past five years.\nTasha Cobbs-Leonard’s concert begins at 8 p.m. and is included with park admission or a season pass. Reserved seats and discounted church group rates are available at WildAdventures.com.\nSplash Island Waterpark, MEGABUGS! Adventure Encounters and every show in the 2018 Flash Foods and Circle K Summer Concert Series are included with park admission or a season pass. Visit WildAdventures.com or call (229) 219-7080 for more information.", "We take our music seriously at \"CBS This Morning.\" Keep up with the music we play on the broadcast by following our \"CBS This Morning\" Spotify playlist and checking CBSThisMorning.com for daily playlist posts.\n\"Go Big Or Go Home\" – American Authors\n\"Come A Little Closer\" – Cage The Elephant\n\"Giving Up The Gun\" – Vampire Weekend\n\"What Is Life\" – George Harrison\n\"A Little Less Conversation\" – Elvis\n\"Taste The Feeling\" – Avicii\n\"Wrecking Ball\" – Bruce Springsteen\n\"Start Me Up\" – The Rolling Stones\n\"Waiting On The World To Change\" – John Mayer\n\"Sugar\" – Maroon 5\n\"It's Your Thing\" – The Isley Brothers\n\"One Foot\" – WALK THE MOON\n\"Walk On\" – U2\n\"You Will Be Found\" – Ben Platt\n\"Moth's Wings\" – Passion Pit\n\"Human\" – The Killers\n\"Praise You\" – Fatboy Slim", "-All Categories- Animals & Pets Art Calls to Artists Citizen Festivals & Events Food Kids & Teens Literature Odds & Ends On Stage Religious/Spiritual Sports & Fitness Talks & Lectures Workshops & Classes Events Events & Workshops Recurring Register Special Screenings -All Regions- Placerville North Boise Boise Downtown and Fringe Broadway Avenue State Street West Boise Bench Middleton Marsing Meridian Southwestern Idaho Eastern Idaho Central Idaho North Idaho East Boise Southeast Boise Kuna Oregon Eagle Caldwell Nampa Star Emmett Garden City South Boise Greater Boise Area\n-All Categories- Alternative Americana Blues Country Electronic Hip-Hop/Rap Jazz Metal Pop Punk R&B Reggae Rock Singer-Songwriter Variety World -All Regions- Placerville North Boise Boise Downtown and Fringe Broadway Avenue State Street West Boise Bench Middleton Marsing Meridian Southwestern Idaho Eastern Idaho Central Idaho North Idaho East Boise Southeast Boise Kuna Oregon Eagle Caldwell Nampa Star Emmett Garden City South Boise Greater Boise Area\nSelect a movie After the Storm Beauty and the Beast Beauty and the Beast 3D Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along The Belko Experiment The Boss Baby The Case for Christ CHIPS Doctor Who: Season 10 Premiere A Dog's Purpose Elle Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them The Fate of the Furious: The IMAX 2D Experience The Fate of the Furious Fifty Shades Darker Frantz Get Out Ghost in the Shell Ghost in the Shell Ghost in the Shell 3D Gifted Going in Style The Great Wall Hidden Figures John Wick: Chapter 2 Kong: Skull Island La La Land Land of Mine The LEGO Batman Movie 3D The LEGO Batman Movie Life Lion Logan Manchester by the Sea Moana Monster Trucks Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Saban's Power Rangers The Shack Sing Smurfs: The Lost Village Smurfs: The Lost Village 3D Split T2 Trainspotting A United Kingdom Your Name The Zookeeper's Wife\nor Select a location Big Wood 4 Bonner Mall Cinemas Country Club Reel Theatre Edwards Boise Downtown Stadium 9 Edwards Boise Stadium 21 with IMAX Edwards Nampa Gateway Stadium 12 Edwards Nampa Spectrum Stadium 14 Magic Lantern Cinemas Majestic Cinemas-Meridian Nampa Reel Theatre Northern Lights Cinema Grill Northgate Reel Theatre Overland Park Cinemas Take One Cinema Terrace Drive-In The Flicks The Reel Theatre 8 Ontario Village Cinema", "Anya Scott-Rodgers is delighted to be coming ‘home’ as Funbox returns to Motherwell next month with a brand new show.\nJoin former Singing Kettle stars Anya, Gary Coupland and Kevin Macleod for an Underwater Adventure at Motherwell Concert Hall on Sunday, October 8.\nThere’s somefin fishy going on in their latest singalong tail – the Funbox and the gang will have to cause a splash because their magical keys are all tucked up in the sea bed.\nFluffy and Flossie, the Funsters, will be diving in to lend a hand and of course everyone’s favourite salty sea dog; Bonzo will be joining the aquatic action – but has he packed his trunks and rubber ring?\nAnya said: “I always love coming to Motherwell because it feel like home, my mum and dad had their wedding reception at the Civic Centre and my grandpa Bernard Scott was a councillor there.\n“We always have several shows running at once and sometimes you can get a little mixed up when doing six different shows in six days, but normally a quick check to see what everyone is wearing sets you straight.\n“The good thing about having all these different shows is we can accommodate any venue, but Motherwell is great because it allows us to put on the big show complete with all the scenery and spectacle.”\nUnderwater Adventure is packed with familiar favourites like ‘My Father Went To Sea, Sea, Sea’, ‘The World Must Be Coming To An End’ and ‘Hole At The Bottom Of The Sea’ as well as brand new songs.\nAnya said: “We like to ensure that everyone can join in so we always have the classics that everybody knows, but at we also enjoy writing our own songs.\n“You have to ensure they immediately sound familiar for the audience so they can singalong, even though they haven’t heard them before.\n“We have some boys and girls coming to see us year after year, which we absolutely love, and want to make sure that the show always remains fresh.”\nPerformances are on at 1pm and 3.30pm and tickets costing £13, family of four £48, groups 10 or more £11, babes in arms £2 are available by calling 01698 403120 or online\nGo dressed for the sea – be a mermaid, a diver or your favourite fish – to ensure you’ll have a whale of a time!", "Boner Candidate #1: WOW! TALK ABOUT CHRISTMAS ENTERTAINMENT\nQueens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme can be seen violently kicking a female photographer in the face in a video taken at KROQ Acoustic Christmas on Saturday. The incident happened during the band’s performance on night one of the L.A. radio station’s 28th annual holiday concert. Chelsea Lauren, a photographer for Shutterstock, which has a licensing partership with Variety owner Penske Media, said the incident was unprovoked and that Homme was even smiling before he struck her. “It was obviously very intentional,” she said. Homme released a statement Sunday, characterizing the incident as an accident.\nRead More\nBoner Candidate #2: YOU THERE FATBOY?\nThe intersection that started it all: Eugene Matusevitch made a right turn here at 6:50 p.m. on a Monday. (Dan Morse) All things considered, the ­seven-minute traffic court trial went pretty well for Eugene Matusevitch. He was fined $50, but there was no conviction and no points were lodged against his driving record. Several hours later, though, he just couldn’t seem to let it go. And that’s why the 34-year-old from Bethesda, Md., is due back in court Jan. 9 — this time accused of sending a barrage of obscene and harassing text messages to the Montgomery County officer who handed him the citation. “Nice job in court today playing up to the judge so he didn’t waive ticket,” Matusevitch allegedly wrote. “All good, I still make a lot of money.” Three minutes later came another.\nRead More\nBoner Candidate #3: PEOPLE ARE GONNA LOVE THIS.\nIt’s a Friday afternoon, and I’m finding myself watching a video of a guy who cemented his head inside a microwave. What? Welcome to 2017 everyone, where common sense no longer matters. In the video below, 22-year-old Jimmy “Jay” Swingler from the YouTube channel TGFbro put his head inside a bag in a microwave and… filled it with polyfilla. The incident took place in Fordhouses, Wolverhampton, UK. Yeah, it’s really dumb. Yeah, it could have killed him. Yeah, it nearly did. In the video, Swingler said he was struggling to breath, leading his co-hosts to try to break him out of the microwave. Warning, the video does have some strong language and, if you needed reminding, please don’t try this yourself.\nRead More", "Get Daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email\nThe wristbands and entrance passes you've been wearing since 2017 are getting a little too frayed, so it's time to look ahead and start making plans for this year's festivals.\nIt'll be summer before you know it and for music fans that means one thing - festival season.\nOkay, so Hull might not be welcoming Big Weekend again this year but there are loads of great local events listed on our website.\nWe've also taken a look at some of the bigger events taking place elsewhere in the country should you wish to travel a little further.\nSadly, it isn't good news for Glastonbury goers as it is taking a year off to let the land at Worthy Farm have a break - the organisers do this every five years.\nYou can still register for 2019 tickets here, but this does not guarantee you will get one.\nHowever, all is not lost as there are still plenty of music events to look forward to and tickets are already on sale for many of them.\nWe've rounded up some of the most anticipated music festivals of the summer, including ticket prices and line up details.\nWe Are FSTVL\nWhere: Damyn’s Hall, Upminster, East London\nWhen: 25, 26, 27 May\nTicket Price: Day ticket from £59.50, two-day ticket from £108.50, camping ticket from £169.50\nThis is a great festival for fans of electronic dance music. The likes of Carl Cox, Armand Van Helden, Andy C, Gorgon City, Marco Carola and Jamie Jones will be playing this year.\nYou must be over the age of 18 to gain entry to We Are FSTVL, and a valid form of ID is required upon entrance to the park.\nBuy tickets here.\nDownload\nWhere: Donington Park, Leicestershire\nWhen: 8-10 June\nTicket price: Camping five nights from £210 plus a £16.80 booking fee, camping three nights from £200 plus a £16 booking fee, non-camping ticket from £175 plus a £14 booking fee\nOne for rockers, this mega five-day festival attracts the biggest names from various sub-genres of the scene.\nThis year fans can look forward to performances from Marilyn Manson, Ozzy Osbourne, Bullet For My Valentine and Avenged Sevenfold.\nFestival organisers have promised more acts will be announced later on in the year. Children are welcome to attend the festival, but must be accompanied by an adult.\nBuy tickets here.\nBoomtown\nWhere: Matterley Estate near Winchester, Hampshire\nWhen: 9-12 August\nTicket price: Coach traveller pass (18+) £198.50, residency pass (18+) £223.50\nThe three-day festival is a plethora of music and art, each year the organisers create a different theme for different sections - last year's was 'Wild West: Cowboys and gals, dubious land-ladies or underhand poker players'.\nThis year's theme is yet to be announced. Gorillaz have been confirmed as one of the headliners, more acts will be revealed closer to to the time.\nBuy tickets here.\nLove Box\nWhere: Brockwell Park, South London\nWhen: 13-14 July\nPrice: £80, plus an £8.75 booking fee\nThe festival was founded by Jools Butterfield and Groove Armada in 2002 and started life as an annual club night in London before it moved to Victoria Park in 2005 - where it was spread over two days as opposed to one night.\nThe line up is yet to be announced but in 2017 Frank Ocean, Solange, Sampha, Jamie XX, Kano and Chase Status performed.\nBuy tickets here.\nParklife\nWhere: Heaton Park, Manchester\nWhen: 9-10 July\nTicket price: TBA, last year they started from £56\nParklife started in 2010 and was originally a one-day festival held at Platt Fields Park, Manchester - before it moved to Heaton Park, north of the city in 2012, to accommodate the increased numbers attending.\nThis year's line up is yet to be revealed, but in 2017 more than 180 acts and artists graced the various stages including Fatboy Slim, Damian Marley, Eric Prydz and Jamie Jones.\nIt's a great festival if you like house, dance and hip hop music, although you are likely to find the odd pop act like Jess Glynne and Rag'n'Bone Man who both performed last year.\nReading and Leeds\nWhere: The two events will take place simultaneously at Richfield Avenue, Reading and Bramham Park, Leeds.\nWhen: 24-26 August\nTicket price: Weekend camping tickets are now on sale from £205. You can also pay via an instalment plan.\nThis year's line up is yet to be announced, although weekend tickets are on sale now. Music bloggers are predicting the likes of the Arctic Monkeys and Kendrick Lemar will be headliners, although nothing has been confirmed.\nLast year Eminem was one of the main acts, and he told his fans he was \"honoured\" to be performing at the show. He also performed at the festival in 2013.\nAs it is held as two events, each location has its own dedicated website, for Leeds visit here and for Reading visit here.\nBuy tickets here.\nThe Hull Daily Mail has launched a free app which features all the latest news, sport and what’s on information. You can download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple's App Store, or get the Android version from Google Play.", "Get What's On updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email\nIt’s one of the most famous films in cinema history but, unknown to many, it has its roots in a west Wales town.\nNow a Welsh theatre company is taking the little-known story of how the Star Wars Millennium Falcon was built in Pembroke Dock as inspiration for its new production.\nIn 1979 the Royal Dockyard town proved to have the most suitable space and the most skilled and capable workforce in the country to construct the only full-size replica of Han Solo’s famous spaceship ever made to feature in the second Star Wars film The Empire Strikes Back.\nWhile the Millennium Falcon was being built it was kept hidden from the public to prevent news leaking.\nWorkers referred to the project as the ‘The Magic Roundabout’ to keep the truth about what they were building in the giant Western Hangar building under wraps.\nAfter completion the enormous full-scale model was deconstructed and transported to Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire where the film was being shot.\nTaking this impropbable tale as its inspiration, Welsh theatre company Dirty Protest has teamed up with Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff and Torch Theatre in Milford Haven for a co-production which brings the 1979 Pembroke Dock building of the full-scale Millennium Falcon to the stage.\nThe play, which will embark on a five-week tour around venues in Wales starting in April, was written by self-confessed Star Wars fan Mark Williams.\n(Image: Publicity picture)\n(Image: Publicity picture)\n(Image: photographs taken by John Clark in 1979)\n“In 1979 I was too young to be aware of the rumours that the Millennium Falcon was being built on my doorstep in Pembrokeshire,” said the playwright. “Learning about it later it felt almost too amazing to be true.”\nSet in Pembroke Dock in 1979 and 2014, the play’s lead character Sam is a Star Wars-obsessed kid in 1979 and a single father in 2014. His father is a redundant shipwright, employed to build the Millennium Falcon.\nWhen 11-year-old Star Wars superfan Sam discovers the Millennium Falcon is being built in his home town his life is turned upside down.\nDetermined to get inside the cockpit, his only obstacle is his stepdad Mike, guardian of the secret hangar where the legendary ship is being built in Pembroke Dock. Fast forward to 2014 and Sam’s daughter Lizzie goes missing, forcing him into a desperate hunt to bring her back to safety before it’s too late.\nLightspeed from Pembroke Dock explores what happens when Hollywood’s best-loved spaceship lands on your doorstep.\nWhen we all got excited about seeing the Millennium Falcon fly again in The Force Awakens:\nVideo Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now\nThe production is billed as a story of hope, courage, and how to be a family when it seems the universe is against you.\n“The thought of actually getting to see it – what that would mean to someone of Sam’s age, and how that might shape his life – was what first inspired Lightspeed,” added Mark.\n“Some of my earliest memories are of seeing the Star Wars films for the first time. They continue to influence everything I write, in countless ways. For all their incredible effects and thrilling pace, at heart the Star Wars films have always been about underdogs and unlikely allies overcoming the odds stacked against them – stories of family, friendship, and hope.”\nLaunching in Chapter, Cardiff, on April 4, the tour concludes by taking the story back to its home in Pembrokeshire, with performances at Torch Theatre, Milford Haven on – fittingly enough – May 4.\nFor tickets and more visit www.dirtyprotesttheatre.co.uk", "Follow The Beat On Twitter: Follow @979beat\nLil Ronny MothaF known for making you bounce in the club has a new video that drops Friday, April 21. He appears as a feature, along with TRU Lyrics on the Eazy Boi record. Dallas’ own Fat Pimp even makes a cameo.\nSign Up For Our Newsletter!\nClose Thank you for subscribing! Please be sure to open and click your first newsletter so we can confirm your subscription.\nBased on the clip, this song might not live up to the smash record “Circle,” but hey, it is what it is. We support in the Triple D!\nWhat ya’ll think DFW? Comment below under the gallery.\n-Farlin Ave (@farlinave)\nRelated Stories\nDallas’ Fat Pimp and Lil Ronny Motha F Have Moves To Make In New Video\n[#979CarShow] Fat Pimp Reps For The Big Boys In The D!\nFeatured on #NEWandNOW w/ @jkruzonair— @LilRonnyMothaF “New Years Resolution” [Gwalla] (Video) [EXPLICIT]", "Here’s half a dozen great events taking place over the next two days\nMUSIC: Dedication breeds the best\nGrammy Award-winning multiplatinum guitarist and singer Mark Tremonti continues to commit himself to his craft in his 2018 tour.\nPyramids Centre, Southsea, Thursday, 7.30pm.\nCONCERT: Sing for Uganda\nPortsmouth Gospel Choir will be performing to raise funds for Kikaaya College School in Uganda. £8, children £5.\nSt George’s Church, The Hard, Portsea, tonight (Wed), 7.30pm.\nSTAGE: All for one!\nPupils from Mayville High School will be taking to the stage to put on their very own performance of Disney’s High School Musical.\nKings Theatre, Southsea, tonight (Wed), 7pm.\nCOMEDY: Laugh your socks off\nThe Fat Fox presents its monthly stand-up comedy show, so go along for an evening of laughing, drinking and socialising. Free entry and pay what you like on exit.\nThe Fat Fox, Southsea, tonight (Wed), 7.30pm.\nFILM: Moscow. 1953. Panic.\nWhen tyrannical dictator Stalin drops dead in 1953, his power-hungry cronies begin to frantically panic when tasked with finding the new soviet leader in The Death of Stalin (15).\nSt Vincent College, Gosport, tomorrow (Thurs), 7.30pm .\nSOCIAL: Raising cash for charity\nSpend the evening with a glass of wine, socialising with others and listening to music to raise funds for the organ repair project.\nSt Mary’s Church, Fratton, tomorrow (Thurs), 7.30pm .", "This weekend Rickey Smiley hosted Jazz in the Gardens again! And from the looks of it, he had an amazing time. One of his favorite artists, the legendary Anita Baker was one of the headliners, and Rickey got the chance to dance with her on stage.\nFollow @TheRSMS\nSmiley went on the stage as she called him up and gave his best two step. Baker looked so happy to be joined by him. Watch this magical moment.\nListen to “The Rickey Smiley Morning Show” 6am ET.\nRELATED: How Rickey Smiley & Da Brat Had A Successful Weekend [EXCLUSIVE]\nRELATED: Rickey Smiley Talks About Watching A Man’s Facebook Live Stream From Prison [EXCLUSIVE]\nRELATED: Rickey Smiley “Watch What Happens Live” Highlights [VIDEOS]\nThe Latest:", "Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email\nIt’s for wheel – these are the snaps that show Zoe Ball has found true\nromance again.\nThe It Takes Two host went for a bike ride with businessman Michael Reed.\nThen tellingly they both took her daughter Nelly to a funfair close to the Brighton home she once shared with the eight-year-old’s DJ dad Norman Cook.\nIt marks another positive step in a ­relationship that has turned serious as the couple split their time between each other’s houses.\nIn December, Zoe introduced construction boss Michael to ex-husband Norman and their two children – Nelly and Woody, 17.\n(Image: Flynet Pictures)\n(Image: Flynet Pictures)\n(Image: Flynet Pictures)\nThe Strictly star’s romance with Michael, 47, ­began to blossom eight months after her ­boyfriend, Antiques Roadshow cameraman Billy Yates, killed himself at home aged 40.\nA source said: “The fact that Zoe has ­introduced her children to Michael shows how serious she is about him.\n(Image: Flynet Pictures)\n(Image: Flynet Pictures)\n(Image: Flynet Pictures)\n“Michael has met both of her kids and Norman.\n\"They all get on well and Zoe is in a happy place.\n\"They are smitten and spend all their time together. It’s very sweet to see.\n“All of Zoe’s friends are really happy for her. She, more than anyone, deserves to find happiness. Norman is very happy for her too.\n(Image: PA)\n(Image: Flynet Pictures)\n(Image: Flynet Pictures)\nMichael, director of a London-based firm called Zero Zero Five, has two children with his ex-girlfriend Carrelyn Gardner.\nZoe, 47, split from Fatboy Slim star Norman in 2016 after 18 years together and then became close to Billy, who was said to have put a smile back on her face.\nHe is believed to have been struggling with depression and financial ­problems at the time of his suicide.\nAfter his death Zoe followed Depression Awareness and Anxiety UK on Twitter.\nOn World Mental Health Day she shared a photo and wrote: “So many emotions today.”", "SURVIVING members of Ronnie Lane’s Slim Chance are performing at the Crooked Billet pub in Stoke Row on August 30.\nRonnie Lane, who also played with The Small Faces, is best-remembered for hits including Itchycoo Park, All or Nothing, How Come and The Poacher.\nSlim Chance formed in 1973 released several chart-topping albums, including Ronnie Lane’s Slim Chance, Anymore for Anymore, One for The Road and Rough Mix with Pete Townshend.\nThey toured extensively, including famously travelling Britain with a huge circus tent, dancing girls, clowns and fire eaters. This tour is currently in production for a movie. Ronnie battled multiple sclerosis for many years, and following his passing in 1997 was introduced posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.\nSlim Chance reformed for the 2004 Ronnie Lane Royal Albert Hall Memorial Concert.\nThe pub will host original Slim Chance members Steve Bingham, vocals and bass, Billy Nichols, vocals and guitar, Charlie Hart, vocals and fiddle, Steve Simpson, vocals and guitar, alongside Brendan O’Neil, drums, and Geraint Watkins, keys.\nAs well as choice cuts from the band’s back catalogue, there will be a generous helping of anecdotal stories from their careers.\nFor table reservations and tickets, call the Crooked Billet on (01491) 681048.", "Elephants and crocodiles don't often find themselves locked in a deadly battle, but a thrilling footage of one such battle has emerged from the Liwonde National Park in Malawi.\nA group of tourists who were on a boating safari were able to capture the terrifying encounter on film, according to a report from Mashable. The clip showed a herd of elephants trudging through a shallow river when a crocodile suddenly jumped out of the water and chomped on the trunk of one of the smaller members of the herd.\nThe rest of the elephants backed away, but roared ferociously as the crocodile trashed around violently and refused to let go of the elephant's trunk. Eventually, the largest elephant of the herd came forward and appeared to help its friend, stomping on the crocodile in the process.\nAlexander Makanga, who filmed the encounter and shared the video on YouTube, told Breaking News that the mighty fight occurred just a few meters from the tourist boat and that it was \"absolutely insane.\"\nSuch is life in the wild -- dangerous and unpredictable. However, humans can be just as cruel to elephants.\nAccording to a report from National Geographic, a newly released hidden camera video footage showed zookeepers at Hannover Adventure Zoo in Germany abusing three young elephants.\nThe heartbreaking video showed the zookeepers pushing the elephants' heads to the ground and thrusting bull hooks on their necks. They also whipped them to force the animals to perform tricks. The three-year-old elephants were seen cowering and attempting to run away from their keepers.\nElephant Aid International founder Carol Buckley said in a review of the video, \"The elephants live under a constant threat of pain and harassment. This creates a continual low-level stress that causes anxiety and fear; can trigger aggression; and has a negative impact on their immune system.\"", "J. Cole’s latest album KOD is breaking first-day streaming records like it’s straight out Wakanda and today the rapper who went double platinum with no features is looking to keep his momentum going.\nDropping a new visual for the KOD album cut “Kevin’s Heart,” J. Cole enlists the talents of Kevin Hart himself and gives viewers a glimpse into the day of a life of the comedic superstar post marital affair controversy. Seems like Kev was getting about a mill in ice grills from disappointed fans.\nBack in the hood Fetty Wap links up with De La Ghetto and Fatboy SSE to don some expensive furs on some young women in the clip to “F.L.Y.”\nCheck out the rest of today’s drops including work from R-Mean featuring The Game, Mally Stakz featuring Fat Joe, and more.\nJ. COLE – “KEVIN’S HEART”\nDE LA GHETTO FT. FETTY WAP – “F.L.Y.”\nR-MEAN FT. THE GAME – “OPEN WOUNDS”\nMALLY STAKZ FT. FAT JOE – “BOX TO BOOM”\nMALLY STAKZ FT. FAT JOE – “BOX TO BOOM”NIKKI JEAN – “PEOPLE & PLANES”\nRALO – “AHK SH*T POP SH*T”\nHOODRICH PABLO JUAN & BRODINSKI – “GRAVEYARD SHIFT”\nLILCJ KASINO – “WON’T MAKE IT FAR”", "The Ventura County Fair won’t be here until August, but organizers have been hard at work scheduling the music lineup for the 11-day event. The Grandstand Entertainment Series is always a major highlight, and as in year’s past, the mix includes something for everyone.\nPop nostalgia by the decades seems to be the theme for the fair’s first week. The dream of the ’90s (and early-aughts) will be alive when Smash Mouth and Sugar Ray both take the stage on Thursday, Aug. 3. The heart of rock and roll still beats for 1980s hitmakers Huey Lewis and the News (Friday, Aug. 4), while disco fans can shake their booties to KC and the Sunshine Band (Saturday, Aug. 5). The Dia de la Familia concert on Sunday afternoon, Aug. 6, will feature a variety of Latin music performers (yet to be announced).\nWeek two of the fair brings country and R&B artists. Savannah, Georgia-native Billy Currington headlines on Monday, Aug. 7, followed Tuesday, Aug. 8, by Motown greats The Spinners in the afternoon and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds in the evening. Wynonna Judd and her band The Big Noise will headline the final concert before the rodeo takes over the arena; catch her on Friday, Aug. 11.\nTwo outliers add something a little different to the fair’s usual entertainment. Post-grunge, alternative metal band Shinedown appears Wednesday, Aug. 9, and Gabriel Iglesias brings comedy to the grandstand on Thursday, Aug. 10, with his “Fluffy Mania” show.\nLots of great music to go with the corn dogs, rollercoasters and pig races. Plan accordingly!\nThe Ventura County Fair “Rooted in Tradition” takes place Aug. 2-13. For more information call 648-3376 or visit www.venturacountyfair.org.", "It sounds echo-y over the phone because Caleb Cornett is speaking to New Times from an empty house in his hometown of Morehead, Kentucky. Tired of the distractions of living in downtown Los Angeles, he's renting his childhood friend's house to finish his new, still-untitled album.\n\"I'm just vibing out and being as loud as I want to, basically,\" he says. \"I kind of felt like I needed to clear my head and just finish it. I kept putting things off, and it wasn't getting done, so I decided to go home for two weeks and hash out everything I need to do. It's been a good trip so far.\"\nHe's been overly productive in Kentucky if anything. With too much material for the album, he's in the process of \"trimming fat\" for the final cut, and it hasn't been easy deciding which tracks are expendable ahead of mixing and mastering. \"I'm attached to so much of the work,\" he says, \"but so much of it's got to go. It's too much. I'd have enough for like, two CDs.\"\nCornett is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and DJ/producer better known by his stage name Amtrac. He's about a decade into a genre-bending, boundary-pushing career as a funky force in dance music. He's remixed songs for such music industry notables as Zhu, Two Door Cinema Club, and Ellie Goulding and released a host of singles, EPs, and one full-length album, 2011's Came Along.\n\"It's been way too long since my last album,\" he says. \"I've released tons of singles and stuff, but nothing as special as this is to me.\"\nAmtrac is playing a DJ set at Floyd on Friday, July 6. Though his main claim to fame is making dance records, his forthcoming album stylistically leans toward indie-rock and features only a couple of tracks that will translate easily to the nightclub setting. As a matter of fact, Cornett never intended to be a DJ in the first place.\n\"On my first album, I sang on a couple of songs and played keyboards live,\" he says. \"I grew up playing in an indie post-rock band. I was making music coming from that background, not any kind of club atmosphere. There was definitely none of that around me at the time.\"\nAs a fan of rock music, he was drawn to electronic acts with crossover appeal such as the Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, and the Prodigy. \"I went to a Prodigy show in Washington, D.C., and it changed my life,\" he says. \"I never knew things could be that loud or sound that good.\"\nCornett subsequently got into sampling records by taking cues from notorious album-plunderers the Avalanches and eventually remixing songs for other artists. He doesn't do much sampling or remixing anymore, however. He used '80s-sounding synthesizers and arpeggiators to create songs from scratch for the new album.\n\"I want to spend more time making things,\" he says, \"rather than grabbing them from somewhere else.\"\nThe new Amtrac record doesn't have a release date yet, but Cornett expects to drop it this year. Stay tuned.\nAmtrac. 10 p.m., Friday, July 6, Floyd Miami, 34 NE 11th St., Miami; 786-618-9447; floydmiami.com. Tickets cost $15 to $20 via ticketfly.com.", "Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email\nGet your glow sticks and neon vests at the ready, because DJ Rankin is heading up a night of raving in Irvine next month.\nThe hardcore DJ will join the likes of Gary McF and DJ Zitkus for the special event in the Burns Tavern on Saturday, March 10.\nThe show is part of the ‘I am a Raver’ album launch tour, which sees the organiser release their very first record.\nThe album itself contains new tracks from a number of the DJs on the tour.\nAlso there on the night is DJ Bad Boy and Deekay with tickets on sale from Friday, February 2 from10am priced at £5.\nFor more information and for tickets, visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/148423912540159/.\nFor all of the latest and breaking news visit irvineherald.co.uk . Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you.\nWe're also on Facebook - your must-see news, features and pictures throughout the day from the Irvine Herald.\nRead more news from Irvine and Kilwinning", "Police on Long Island say skydiving video shows a man and woman wanted for stealing a credit card to go on the jump. (Suffolk County Police Department.)\nA pair of scamming skydivers are being hunted by New York cops who are trying to track down the identify thieves via video of the pair on a parachuting jaunt — a trip paid for with a stolen credit card.\nThe theft cost a skydiving company in Suffolk County on Long Island about $700, NBC 4 New York reported Friday.\n“I would say it’s somewhat brazen,” Suffolk Police Chief Stuart Cameron said. “Normally, if you’re using a stolen credit card you don’t want to have your photo taken.”\nSuffolk police last week asked the public for help in identifying the two suspects, a man and a woman, who purchased the skydiving company’s video and photo package for a June jump with two skydiving instructors.\n“That was amazing,” the man is heard saying on video released by Suffolk Police. “Best thing I ever did in my life.”\nThe woman appeared to be just as thrilled.\n“So much fun!” she’s heard saying. “Thank you!”\nThe owner of Skydive Long Island in Shirley called the cops when the credit card company rejected the charge and he spoke to the card’s owner — a man from Washington state — who said his wallet had been stolen, the station reported.\nA Suffolk Police spokeswoman told Fox News on Monday the couple in the video was still at large.", "Search in Archive\nSearch by Month Select month June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 Search by Category Arts & Entertainment Art Artist’s Lane Charity Comedy Dance Films Fort Lewis Holiday Events Museum Music Concert Pagosa Arts & Culture Project Creative Pagosa MAKERS Expo Pagosa Center for the Arts Photography The Successful Nut Theater Curtains Up Pagosa Stage Struck Thingamajig Youth Features Lifestyle Cards of Thanks Celebrations Births Community Education Relationships Clubs Community Center News Extension Viewpoints Farm & Ranch Food Food for Thought What’s Cookin Fund Raiser Gardening Health Nurturing Center The Battle of the Netherlands History Pagosa’s Past Library Library News Movie/ Film Pagosa Springs Youth Center Religion A Matter of Faith Ross Aragon Community Center Senior News Sport Veterans Corner News Airport Archuleta County Business BizBeat CDC Chamber News CDOT Crime Education Education Center Seeds of Learning Election Fire District Law Enforcement Legal Lines Medical Political Reservoir Hill Town of Pagosa Springs Parks and Recreation Town Rec Center Town Tourism Committee Updates Utilities Dry Gulch Geothermal LPEA PAWSD Water Village at Wolf Creek Wal-Mart Weather Wildfire Obituaries Opinion Editorial Letters to the Editor Political Outdoors Chimney Rock CO Parks and Wildlife Fish and Game Forest Pagosa Lakes News Public Notices Sports Baseball Basketball Cheerleading Cross Country Football Golf Pirates Rodeo Soccer Track and Field Volleyball Winter Sports Wrestling Top Stories Veterans Search with Google", "Get Daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email\nMost people will be well aware of Love Saves The Day’s huge line-up by now with plenty of the biggest names in dance music and beyond descending on Bristol’s Eastville Park.\nOn both days of the May Bank Holiday thousands of revellers will witness the likes of Fatboy Slim, Sampha, Loyle Carner, Tom Misch and many more at the popular blowout.\nThe festival runs from midday to 11pm on both days, but for those who don’t want the fun to end there will be two big after parties taking place at superclub Motion – and the line-ups have just been revealed.\nThe Saturday night will be headed up by the ever-popular Jackmaster, who will be bringing his infectious blend of house, disco and techno while the equally esteemed Artwork will also be playing the main room.\nIn the adjoining Marble Factory, Bristol’s favourite bass duo My Nu Leng will be heading things up alongside Zinc, Special Request and Gotsome, while The Tunnel will welcome Jus Now, Roska and more.\nSunday night’s billing will be equally as weighty with more internationally-renowned acts playing across all rooms. The main room will host a masterclass in house music as Hot Since 82 and Heidi go back to back.\nThe Marble Factory will be every drum & bass fan’s dream as High Contrast, Lenzman, Enei head up a Run takeover and The Tunnel plays host to a secret headliner along with the fast-rising Moxie.\nTickets are on sale here.", "Oops! It appears that you have disabled your Javascript. In order for you to see this page as it is meant to appear, we ask that you please re-enable your Javascript!", "NASH COUNTY, N.C. — Heartwarming video of a North Carolina sheriff’s deputy who was challenged to a dance-off by a local teenager is going viral.\nThe video, which was posted by the Nash County Sheriff’s Office Monday night, shows Deputy Cody Williams and a young boy named Jason doing the running man to Zay Hilfigerrr and Zayion McCall’s “Juju On That Beat.”\nThe moment was filmed by Capt. Eddie Moore, who was helping Deputy Williams fix his vehicle when Jason started talking to them. When the topic of dance came up, Jason challenged the deputy to a dance-off.\n“We want people to know that we’re a part of the community and no different than they are,” Moore told ABC News. “It’s important to us to foster positive relationships with the community and that they know we’re here for a good reason.”\nSince it was posted, the video has more than 219,000 views, 4,600 shares and 2,700 likes.\nThe real question is, who won the dance-off?", "WHARVES has unveiled the unnerving, tense visual music video to their latest single High School Hero.\nThe Lennox Head quartet are also thrilled to be joining indie rock outfit Bad Pony on their Deficiency EP tour this June.\nThe music video was created by filmmaker Ben Sheen, who explained the story behind the video.\n\"This clip is a profile of the epitome of the High School Hero character - someone who peaked in high school and has solved all life's challenges with a punch to the face,\" Sheen explained.\n\"So proud, he has tattooed this title like a brand of honour to his fist.\n\"The clip sees him right now, in a society that no longer puts up with his bullshit.\n\"He sits staring at his hands and feeling sorry for himself, sitting alone in a motel room which is as dated as he is.\n\"The chorus echoes into his ears - we hope he feels some remorse and regret - but ultimately we see he does nothing to fix or repair the trauma he has caused others.\"\nTalking about the creative intentions of the video, Sheen said the clip was a collaboration with performer James Batchelor and Alice Stephens.\n\"We wanted to find a movement piece that started from a gesture of looking at hands - and built to reveal an inner life of the character,\" he said.\n\"He is both the subject and the audience of the song.\n\"We wanted the camera movement to be active reminding this character that we are not on his side.\"\nHigh School Hero was recorded at Rockinghorse Studios in Coorabell last January.\nIt was engineered, produced and mixed by Steven Schram (Paul Kelly, San Cisco), and mastered by Steven Smart at Studios 301.\nAt the Byron Brewery, Byron Bay, on Friday, June 29, supporting Bad Pony." ]

[ "Jeanne Cooper" ]

[ "Restless Farewell", "The Girl Who Played with Fire", "plays", "play", "The Restless Wave", "Restless and Wild", "Play On", "Chancellor of the Exchequer", "Who Made Who", "Playing with Fire", "Play No Games", "playing technique", "the playing card", "Playing in the Shadows", "play song", "The Band Played On", "Google Play", "Price to Play", "squeeze play", "Play Dead", "offensive plays", "slowing the play", "halt in the play", "passing plays", "Play by Numbers", "Play That Song", "A parable play", "The Plays Are Made", "The Long Play", "Playing with the Boys", "4 Play", "double play" ]

[ "Woodshedding at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival in Connecticut: the Trio in A minor by Brahms for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano is performed in the Music Shed in Norfolk by Boris Berman (playing the festival's \"new\" 1867 Bechstein piano), with clarinetist David Krakauer (KRAH-kow-ehr) and cellist Ole Akahoshi. (OH-lay ahk-ah-HOH-shee) (Bernd Gottinger Recordings)" ]

[ "The New York Woodwind Quintet plays a suite of five Renaissance tunes transcribed by the group's oboist Ronald Roseman. Recorded in July at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival in Norfolk, Connecticut. (Bernd Gottinger Recordings)", "In a performance from the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival in Norfolk, Connecticut, pianists Peter Frankl, Joan Panetti, and Elizabeth Sawyer Parisot join the Norfolk Chamber Orchestra and conductor Aldo Parisot in Bach's Concerto for Three Claviers in D Minor. (Bernd Gottinger Recordings)", "GUESTS: Paul Fraim Mayor of Norfolk Andrew Sacks Attorney Gerald Jones Member of the Virginia House of Delegates Chairman, the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus Ray Suarez is taking Talk of the Nation on the road again, this time to Norfolk, Virginia. Like many cities in the country, Norfolk is grappling over the best way to revitalize a growing metropolitan area. Ray will be joined by city officials for an inside look at Norfolk politics and how cities allocate funds for urban renewal projects. Join Talk of the Nation live from Nauticus, The National Maritime Center in Norfolk, Virginia.", "A dog walker found a body on Queen Elizabeth II's Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England. The royals spend the holidays every year on the sprawling, 20,000-acre estate. The Norfolk Constabulary issued a statement saying the female body was found on Sunday, while the Royals were at home, and that the office has launched a murder investigation. ABC News reports: \"'We are at the very early stages of the investigation and it could be a complex inquiry,' Detective Chief Inspector Jes Fry said at a news conference today at the queen's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England. 'The circumstances suggest this is a murder case and we are looking at missing persons reports and cold cases both locally and nationwide.' \"The human remains were found near the Royal Stud where the queen oversees the breeding and training of race horses, and less than three miles from the queen's main residence, Sandringham House. \"'The body had been there for some time,' Fry said, adding that authorities were doing a post-mortem today on the body.\" ABC also spoke to Duncan Larcombe, royal editor for The Sun, who said this might be the first time a murder takes place on royal grounds. As the AP explains, some parts of Sandrigham are accesible to the public: \"The hamlet of Anmer is home to several dozen people and sits around three miles (4.8 kilometers) from Sandringham House, which has served as a private residence for British monarchs since 1862. Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip spent part of the holiday season there and were at Sandringham House on New Year's Day. \"Sandringham Estate's website says the entire estate is spread over 8,000 hectares (19,768 acres) in Norfolk. Sandringham House and its gardens make up 24 hectares (59 acres), and there are 240 hectares (590 acres) of woods and open countryside in a section that is open to the public free of charge all year.\"", "Fear in Bliss. That's the name of the debut album from the psychedelic folk-rock band Horse Thief. Originally from Denton, Texas, the band moved to Oklahoma City to attend the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma. The academic woodshedding was extremely fruitful, and Horse Thief caught the attention of The Flaming Lips' management and a high-profile independent label. Horse Thief's debut comes out next week. Make sure you download the World Cafe: Next podcast with two songs from the album.", "The treetops of Central Park in New York City are being used by Western smoke jumpers. The folks whose regular job is to parachute into wildfires are propelling themselves into maples and elms in an attempt to stop the killer Asian longhorned beetle.", "A logger in Wisconsin uses a draft horse to pull pine trees out of the forest. Nick Van Der Puy reports that the horse can haul half as much as a logging truck, but is cheaper to maintain and causes less damage to the woods.", "From the 1997 Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the Vermeer Quartet performs the Italian Serenade by Hugo Wolf (HOO-goh VOHLF). Recorded on July 12th at the Music Shed in Norfolk, Connecticut. (Bernd Gottinger Recordings)", "Melinda talks live with PT host Martin Goldsmith, who's in Norfolk, Virginia after making weekend appearances at the Virginia Waterfront International Arts Festival as narrator of \"Carnival of the Animals\" and as guest radio announcer for a Norfolk Tides minor league baseball game.", "The Virginia Chorale, led by guest conductor Dale Warland, performs \"A Tribute to Stephen Foster,\" recorded during a concert in Norfolk, VA on May 31st. The set includes arrangements of the Foster songs \"Laura Lee,\" \"Hard Times Come Again No More,\" Gentle Annie\" and \"Oh! Susannah.\" (WHRO, Norfolk)", "A Vermonter cuts his own Christmas tree in the Green Mountain National Forest. The land was once owned by his grandfather.", "When you watch a freight train roll by, you might think you're watching something that technology hasn't really touched. After all, the essentials -- steel wheels on steel rails -- are pretty much the same as they were 200 years ago. But high-tech tools are reshaping the railroad industry, and they're playing a big role in creating one of the most profitable periods the industry has enjoyed in decades. Inside Norfolk Southern's green-glass headquarters building in Norfolk, Va., there are models of trains, pictures of trains, and train memorabilia dating back a century or more to what many still think of as the golden era of railroading. CEO Wick Moorman says that visitors expecting to find a low-tech business are often surprised. \"Railroads are inherently interesting because they are so complex,\" he says. Norfolk Southern has more than 21,000 miles of track, so making sure the trains run on time requires a lot of advanced technology. Vice President Deborah Butler says that Norfolk Southern uses four large mainframe computers and more than 1,000 servers to manage the company's far-flung operations. Combined with global-positioning satellites and scanners, the complex system keeps track of the railroad's 195,000 locomotives and train cars. \"There are a lot of things you can do with GPS and communication modules on the locomotives,\" Butler says. \"Because you can not only see where the locomotive is, you can read the fuel level. So you can use that to make better decisions about where and when to fuel your trains.\" And that's significant for a company like Norfolk Southern, which burns 40 million gallons of fuel each month. In the old days, railroad workers used pencil and paper to schedule the arrival and departure of trains. These days, workers use logistics software to identify the best routes, determine where the trains are going, identify which cars are running late or have missed a connection, and what operators need to do to fix the problem. Technology has allowed the railroad to root out inefficiencies in its system. For instance, Norfolk Southern cut the time it takes to move a train from Birmingham, Ala., to Allentown, Pa., by two and a half days. John Hall has been driving trains for 40 years. The engineer commands a 4,000 horsepower locomotive that costs more than $1.5 million. To him, the technology has been something of a mixed blessing. \"There are so many jobs disappearing, I think maybe it's bad,\" Hall says. \"Maybe it's good in the way they know where everybody's at.\" Fifty years ago, about 1 million people worked for U.S. railroads. Today the number is around 160,000. Despite that decline, railroad workers today move far more freight -- and do it more efficiently -- than their predecessors. The freight railroads are experimenting with even more sophisticated technologies, including a system that will let them remotely control the speed of a locomotive. One day soon, the trains might just drive themselves. Moorman says that before the deregulation of the industry in 1980, many freight railroads weren't investing at anywhere near the levels needed. He says that with business now booming, that has all changed. \"We now manage the railroad in a different way than we used to, because some of the things we always knew were important but we could not quantify, we can now quantify,\" Moorman says. That investment is likely to continue. As West Coast ports become increasingly clogged, more goods are being brought to East Coast ports from Asia. That means more business for Norfolk Southern. The rail line plans to spend nearly $100 million to upgrade its line between Norfolk, Va., and Columbus, Ohio, a major Midwest distribution point. Investors are also reaping the rewards of the increased use of technology. Norfolk Southern's first-quarter earnings were up sharply. The railroad's stock has risen 85 percent in the past two years. RENEE MONTAGNE, host: In business news, how hi-tech is paying off for one railroad. (Soundbite of music) MONTAGNE: When you watch a freight train roll by, it would be easy to think that you're watching something that technology hasn't touched. After all, the essentials are pretty much the same as they were 200 years ago. But hi-tech tools are reshaping the railroad industry and are playing a big role in creating one of the most profitable periods the industry has enjoyed in decades. NPR's Jack Speer visited the headquarters of Norfolk Southern, and has this report. JACK SPEER reporting: Inside Norfolk Southern's green glass headquarters building, there are models of trains, pictures of trains, and train memorabilia dating back a century or more to what many still think of as the golden era of railroading. Sitting in his office with a view of the Elizabeth River, the railroad's CEO Wick Moorman says visitors expecting to find a low-tech business are often surprised. Mr. WICK MOORMAN (CEO, Norfolk Southern Railroad): One of the things that I go around saying all the t", "Beethoven String Quartet marathon, Day 14. The Tokyo Quartet performs Beethoven's surprising, unpredictable and beautiful Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 131 in concert at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival in Norfolk, Connecticut. (Bernd Gottinger Recordings)", "The Norfolk, VA-based chamber music group Apollo performs Three Pieces for Flute, Harp and String Quartet by early 20th-century American composer Daniel Gregory Mason. From a January concert at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. (Seth Lampman Recordings)", "Braving the wild north woods of New York and New England, hardy souls forage amidst the thorny brambles of blackberry bushes. North Country Public Radio's Martha Foley sends this postcard.", "Norfolk, Va., is in mourning Sunday, following the helicopter crash in Afghanistan that killed 30 U.S. troops — including almost two dozen Navy SEALs. Norfolk is home to many SEALs and their families. Guest host David Greene speaks with NPR's Daniel Zwerdling, who says this is a city that keeps grief close to the vest.", "From a July 12th concert at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival in Norfolk, Connecticut, the Vermeer Quartet and guests Nobuko Imai (noh-BOO-koh ee-MEYE), viola, and Antonio Meneses (men-NAY-ses), cello, perform the Sextet from \"Capriccio\" by Richard Strauss. (Bernd Gottinger Recordings)", "NPR's John Nielsen reports on an unusual patch of old-growth forest that is being threatened -- a parcel of land right next to Arlington National Cemetery. The cemetery says it needs to expand -- but environmentalists are fighting the effort.", "The great Lost Saab Key crisis in Norfolk, MA has a happy ending, on Stump the Chumps. Also, Dad and son bond over wacking the bejeebers out of a Civic CV Joint, a Forester owner ponders life without 5th gear, and, if you're searching for a time machine, look no further!", "Simon/Toilet Paper -- Scott speaks with the chief architechtural conservator for Colonial Williamsburg, Thomas Taylor, about why they are using a poultice made from toilet paper to leech salt out of the brick in a Colonial-era smokehouse.", "With Spring officially right around the corner, Matthew Evans, chief landscape architect and horticulturist at the United States Capitol, introduces NPR's Andrea Seabrook to his favorite tree -- a willow oak on the northwest lawn of the Capitol.", "The weekend after Thanksgiving is usually when bonfire-building begins in earnest along the levees in St. James Parish in Louisiana to light the way for Papa Noel in the bayou. Because of high waters, the Army Corps of Engineers has put bonfire building on indefinite hold. Guest host Jacki Lyden talks with longtime bonfire builder Philip Creel as he makes a gumbo.", "Listener Paul Hass of Boise, Idaho, tells us about a massive log-trimming machine, and what it sounds like. The machine, a type of enormous lathe, produces long, smoothly shaped pieces of wood up to 15 inches in diameter.", "Margot talks with NPR's Barbara Bradley about the case of Yasser Esam Hamdi, who was born in Louisiana, raised in Saudi Arabia, and picked up by U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Because of his U.S. citizenship, he is incarcerated in Norfolk, Va., instead of Cuba with others who were captured. A federal judge in Norfolk held a hearing today on questions related to whether the government can deprive him of rights usually given to imprisoned Americans. The Bush administration says all it has to do to hold him without criminal charges and without access to a lawyer is to declare him an \"enemy combatant.\"", "A wealth of old-growth timber lies beneath rivers and lakes across the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes. Salvage companies say water reservoirs globally may hide billions of dollars in potentially useful wood.", "\"Authentic\" Dvorak: The Panocha String Quartet, four musicians from the Czech Republic, joined by violist Jesse Levine, perform the beautiful Quintet in E-Flat, Op. 97, by Czech composer Antonin Dvorak. Recorded this summer during the annual Norfolk Chamber Music Festival in Norfolk, CT. (Gottinger Recordings)", "You know you've lost it after traveling all day and finally landing at a spectacular B&B, and instead of kicking back and breathing in the view, you spend three hours on the phone with Tech Support trying to get your laptop online. Yes, I really lost it and alas, not for the first time. It tends to happen when I'm on assignment, running around collecting tape. (Make that \"tape\"; my hands haven't touched the real stuff in a long, long time). But I am not a complete idiot. I do have a better self. And she's the one who yanks my head out of my hard drive and says, NATURE, GIRL. GET THEE TO NATURE. So after I said goodbye to my last interview yesterday, an extraordinary forest historian named Charlie Cogbill who'd waltzed me through 18th century tree archives in Calais, VT, I got dropped off several miles short of the B&B and walked back home in the wonder that is northern Vermont. I leave you today with a final word for the hard-working during this unfolding fall: Get Over Yourself and Get Outside!", "The summertime home of the Yale School of Music is in Norfolk, Connecticut at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. We'll hear faculty member, pianist Claude Frank join three members of the Tokyo String Quartet to perform the Piano Quartet in G minor, K. 478 by Mozart. (Bernd Gottinger Recordings)", "Tchaikovsky on a small scale. From a concert they gave last Friday at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival in Connecticut, festival musicians including pianist John O'Conor, violinist Erick Friedman and cellist Ralph Kirshbaum play the only Piano Trio by Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky. Recorded in concert at the Music Shed in Norfolk. (Bernd Gottinger Recordings)", "You can re-enact that scene in the old movie Christmas Vacation. A family goes into a forest and cuts down a ridiculously tall tree. The U.S. Forest Service is selling Christmas tree removal permits for $5 in the Green Mountain National Forest of Vermont. You go into the forest. You cut down the tree yourself. There's only one catch: the tree you choose cannot be more than 20 feet tall. STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: Good morning, I'm Steve Inskeep with a chance to re-enact that scene in the old movie \"Christmas Vacation.\" A family goes into a forest and picks out a ridiculously tall Christmas tree. The U.S. Forest Service is selling Christmas tree removal permits for $5 in the Green Mountain National Forest of Vermont. You go into the forest, you cut down the tree yourself. And there's only one catch. The tree you choose cannot be more than 20 feet high. RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: Forget it. That's not big enough. INSKEEP: You're listening to MORNING EDITION.", "That holiday tree in your living room seems fresh, but it was probably plucked from the farm earlier this month. Tom Banse has an insider's look at the industrial operation to bring trees to market.", "Australia has announced that it is revoking self-government on tiny Norfolk Island, where ancestors of the original HMS Bounty mutineers settled in the mid-19th century. The move was announced after it became clear that the island, a former penal colony with just 1,800 inhabitants, was facing bankruptcy. \"The reality is, infrastructure on Norfolk Island is run down, the health system not up to standard and many laws are out of date with all other Australian jurisdictions,\" Assistant Minister for Regional Development Jamie Briggs said in a statement quoted by The Australian Associated Press. Residents of Norfolk will begin paying federal taxes to Canberra in July 2016. In return, they will get access to social services, including Medicare and pharmaceutical benefits, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. Descendants of the Bounty mutineers — 193 men, women and children — arrived on Norfolk Island in 1856 after setting sail from Pitcairn Island 4,000 miles to the east, where only a small number of residents remained behind. The original mutineers seized control of the Bounty in 1789, setting Capt. William Bligh and loyal members of his crew adrift in a small boat. Bligh eventually reached Timor with all hands. The mutineers, led by Master's Mate Fletcher Christian, first called at Tahiti, where the men retrieved local brides, and then settled on isolated (and mischarted) Pitcairn Island, where they hoped to evade British authorities. Today, Pitcairn, Britain's smallest colony, is home to fewer than 50 islanders — all related to the original mutineers. Beginning in 2000, police uncovered widespread allegations of child sexual assault on Pitcairn that went back decades on the largely autonomous island. Eventually, most of the island's residents were caught up in the scandal, as alleged perpetrators, accomplices or victims. Four years later, seven island men, including Mayor Steve Christian, a descendant of Fletcher Christian, were found guilty of charges related to sexual offenses." ]

[ "When someone owes you money, that debt is an asset for you. When they are not paying that money back on the agreed schedule, that asset is non-performing." ]

[ "In a non-recourse loan, if you don't pay what you owe, they can seize whatever you had offered as collateral, but can't go after your other assets if that's insufficient to cover the amount due. It the more common recourse loan (in states that allow them), lenders can sue for other assets too, until the whole amount due is paid off.", "Many people with more assets (often men, but not always) complain that they lose everything, when, in fact, they simply get 50% of the assets. It's frustrating for the asset-holder, because s/he feels like s/he has worked hard for these assets. What this person fails to recognize are the unpaid contributions from the other spouse.", "You can also think of it as “assets - liabilities = equity”. Say you owned you own business, your net assets (assets less liabilities) would be how much you have invested in your company (ownership equity you have invested). As you create net income, that gets added to your equity in the company.", "Revenue is the total amount of money that a company takes in over a specific period of time. Operating income is the amount of operating revenue left after you subtract all operating expenses not including interest or taxes. Net income is all revenue minus all expenses including tax. Total assets is the sum of everything that a company owns or controls which has or produces value. Total equity is all of the assets that the company has residual ownership of or claim over. Total equity is the total assets minus the total liabilities (assets that other people or entities have residual claim to.)", "Beta is a systemic risk measure. It's calculated by comparing the stock's past performance to the overall market's past performance. A stock with Beta=1 goes up and down as much as the market overall. A low Beta stock moves less; it the market goes up 10% and the stock goes 5% it would have a beta of 0.5 . Similarly, a high Beta stock is more volatile than the market. CML and SML are related to the capital asset pricing model (CAPM) methodology.", "Depreciation for the purposes of ELI5 impacts both balance sheet and income statement, (It hits cash flow as well but that isn’t important here.) Depreciation decreases the asset side of the balance sheet by reducing the net value of the assets the company owns over time on a set schedule as the asset is utilized. (Set schedule dictates number of years and annual % of asset expensed as depreciation. This can vary depending on depreciation methodology.) On that same set schedule, the depreciation is expensed on the income statement, which directly impacts net income (lowering it.) This reduction in net income is also reflected in the equity section of the balance sheet. Therefore the decrease in net asset value is offset by an equal reduction in equity, keeping your balance sheet in balance.", "assets = liability + stockholders equity assets are items of value owned by you (accounts receivable where people owe you money but haven't yet paid, cash, inventory, etc liabilities are your obligations of transfering something of value to others (accounts payable where you haven't yet paid the others, debt, etc.) equity is the owners value in an asset, such as company stock, bonds, and retained earnings Assets must ALWAYS equal Liabilities + Equity. No exceptions. so basics of debits and credits: one goes with the other. debits and credits are the hardest thing to understand and the hardest to explain. the best i can do is that debits increase and credits decrease. if you receive $500 cash from an accounts receivable person, you get a debit of $500 to assets because your cash is increasing, and a credit of $500 to account receivable because the total value of the account receivable is going down $500. hopefully this sets you in the right direction!", "The banks also have lots of debts, which cancel out the value of the assets. (For instance, if a bank had $100 worth of assets but owed me $100 tomorrow, it would be worth $0.)", "NGO's are referred to as such because they are non-government organizations that perform jobs typical of government organizations like humanitarian, educational, health care, and public policy services.", "Assuming you mean in North America. The _URL_0_ The +1 was a way to accept toll charges, most phone plans now include no long distance charges. so the 1 is no longer required. * 10-digit dialing: NPA NXX xxxx * 11-digit dialing: 1 NPA NXX xxxx (1 is the NANP trunk prefix for long distance circuits) Since most phone companies now include national long distance. the 1 is no longer needed. The reason that almost everyone has to dial the area code even for local calls is because of the overlay of area codes over existing areas. source: Wikipedia, and I work for a phone provider", "the assets are deemed by the purchase to be worth billions. the assets being the users and the niche technology", "QE2 was the second round of quantitative easing in the US, performed by the Federal Reserve, the central bank. QE is just \"printing\" money (electronically) and using it to buy assets, and in this case, unlike QE1, the Fed was *only* purchasing Treasury notes.", "Basically means if you are holding assets like securities, you have to value them at what the current market price shows they are worth. Before the Mark-To-Market rules, companies would carry now worthless investments on their books as if they were still worth what they paid for them. This means that they had significantly less in assets than their books declared. So in an ELI5 answer Walmart has a shelf full of Star Wars Galaxies and lists them at $50.00 a copy. They claim they have $5,000 in inventory. You know the game servers have been disconnected for years so the game is worthless. No one is going to buy a game that you can't play. Under Mark-to-market the company basically has to write off the games as worthless.", "To clarify for everyone (as I forgot what profits are for a second): net profits are the assets are left over after the expenses(the money or stuff the business owes somebody) have been paid. Gross profits is what you call the money or stuff(assets) earned before you pay expenses. In some cases, like Newman's Own, they are given to charity, which means they are a non-profit business. In other cases, they are held within the company to be used in future investments. They can also be given as dividends, which is basically assets given to people who own part of the business(shareholders). That is what happens in the case of a for profit business. Does that help?", "It is a term encompassing actions with the aim of making money coming from illegitimate sorces appear as they are legitimate. Example: You robbed a bank and now have 1000000 in cash you cannot just say you found. So every once in a while your lemonade stand will make a phantom sale where you earned cash, declared it, but in fact sold nothing. You just laundered 50c. Rinse and repeat.", "Let's say you own and operate a business. You work 80 hours a week trying to make it work. Your yearly profit is $0.13, which is greater than zero. You don't think it will improve in the future, and you can't find anyone willing to buy it from you. Do you want to continue working 80 hours a week for 13 cents a year? Meanwhile, if you close the company down you can sell the real estate for $10,000,000 (to someone who will tear it down and turn it into something else). You can use that 10M to buy some muni bond funds, and make $250,000 a year in tax free, for working less than one hour a year.", "A businessman like Warren Buffet doesn't have that $2B in a bank account somewhere. Buffet is what we call asset rich, this means he owns a lot of things (companies, property, shares/stocks etc.). Because of this, his net worth is calculated by how much his assets are worth. If the outlook turns sour and the people only want to pay $1B for his assets he is then only worth $1B. Someone who is asset rich be it in businesses or commodities (like gold) are only worth what there asset is worth. So in answer to your question, no money goes anywhere. It just means someone would no longer pay him that $2B if he decided to sell up. TL:DR he never actually loses the $1B, his worth is only a future prediction on what his assets would be worth if he decided to sell them.", "Because it is crucial that performers on stage be able to hear themselves and each other. A typical live performance PA has two outputs: main, and monitor. The mains are for the audience. The monitors are for the performers. A non-musician might be surprised at how hard it is for live performers to hear what's going on onstage, and how negatively that affects your getting your money's worth from in front of the mains.", "Say you had a brother who sells yu-gi-oh cards locally for a living. Over the years, he gives you (in reality SA buys) thousands of the rare cards he is selling. $750,000 worth. One day, you and your brother get into a fight and as \"payback\" you dump your $750,000 card collection at the street corner for $100,000. It still doesn't sell because there's only so many people who actually want yu-gi-oh cards, even at 85% discount. But your brother is now screwed because he can't sell any and is running out of money. But then you realize what you've done. Your brother lost a few thousand in lost sales and will have trouble selling for years, but he still has all the inventory and will recover. You on the other hand, lost your retirement fund. Instead of having $750k in assets to fall back on, you now only have $100k (if you're lucky). And you know you're not getting cards from your brother any time soon. TL;Dr: It's an economic suicide vest", "You (Enron) and your friend Bobby (Enron employees) open up a lemonade stand with $100 from your parents (the U.S. gov and population). The agreement is that as long as you're making money they will give you the funds to buy supplies (lemons, etc). Your brother (Arthur Andersen) will keep track of your money and report it to your parents and grandparents so they know whether or not you are actually making money and should be getting more stuff. You make your lemonade stand and make $25. You spend the rest of the $75 on candy. Your brother is going to tell your parents, but you make an agreement with him. You tell him you'll give him some money if he tells your parents that you made $25, but the other $75 wasn't lost because you used it to open up a candy business. Sarbanes-Oxley and \"whistler-blower\" laws are put in place so Bobby tell your parents what is going on without having to worry about you running around the neighborhood and telling other kids not to be friends with you because he told on you.", "When a company shuts down, it doesn't just go -pop- like a soap bubble. Its assets -- including its intellectual property assets -- are either sold off to other companies or retained as property of a shell corporation that still exists as a legal entity but is no longer doing business.", "Ones deemed a speculative investment meaning thst in the terms it states you could lose your money with no gain . and one is deemed charity and fraud", "Not that different at all actually. An individuals net worth is their assets less their debts. Meaning what I have minus what I owe. Cash, investments, house, car and a fork are all examples of assets. Their value is added up and subtracted by the total of; mortgage, loans, credit card balances and that bet you lost last week. edit: Companies are similar but more complex since there are other factors that influence their value.", "Let's say you own a company called Globocorp. You're doing pretty well, making $100m a year in profit, but you're paying a lot of taxes. So you start another company, Globocorp Land Holdings Ltd, and you base it in the Cayman Islands. Globocorp transfers the ownership of its real estate to GLH Ltd, and GLH Ltd rents the buildings back to Globocorp for $100m a year. Now Globocorp is making no money at all! For tax purposes it makes $0 a year because after paying the rent there's nothing left. Globocorp Land Holdings Ltd however is making serious bank, and doing it in a country with almost no corporate taxes.", "Not sure what the focus of your question is (no pun intended!), but this might be of interest: [_URL_1_](_URL_1_) And [here's a non-paywall version of the paper cited for \"Performing smooth pursuit without a moving visual stimulus is difficult\"](_URL_0_) that I think speaks to your questions.", "A marriage joins you together as one. What is yours is theirs and what is theirs is yours, unless there's a prenup which states a division of assets with conditions.", "Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization. The reason you look at earnings before those other factors is because theyre subjective variables that makes it difficult to compare earnings of one operation with another. I e. Two identical businesses and one is funded by debt, the other equity - theyre going to have different tax and interest paid, however their EBITDA is the same", "The other older answer \"money\", plus security. It's one less piece of potentially highly sensitive information being transmitted through the air. Planes are owned by airlines that will want to protect themselves from misinterpretation or armchair diagnosticians looking at the performance data of their assets and employees when lives are at risk, and especially when lives have been lost.", "When someone dies, their assets and liabilities become part of their estate. This normally includes the house (as an asset), life insurance proceeds (another asset), and some types of loans (liabilities). The assets can be used to pay liabilities and remaining assets are given to heirs. Paying off the mortgage after the death of the family breadwinner is one of the big reasons people purchase life insurance.", "The Excecutions are not performed by medical staff. Cause medical staff refuses to assist in such killings. I doubt a non-professional could properly work or read an EEG machine anyway.", "This was explained a few days ago on reddit, so let me see if i can reguritate it. Non profit means the company isn't making profit. That still means they need qualified persons to fill their jobs. These people are paid, sometimes very competitively, to keep this organization afloat. What Non-Profit means is that the extra money that's not spent at the end of the fiscal year is invested into their cause, and not divided among the shareholders. So a profit organization would give dividends, but a non-profit would, for example, use the money to build another theatre/stage if the organization was helping the mute and deaf perform on stage. Just because they're non-profit doesn't mean they're a charity.", "It means that it has been determined that the business is no longer viable as a going concern because it is carrying too much debt and is in no reasonable position to pay it all. So now, the business' only function is to pay of as much of its debt as it can. The business is put under the control of an \"administrator\" whose job it is to liquidate the business' assets (ie. sell everything the business owns) and use the funds to pay off as much of its debts as possible, then close down the business. It's basically what happens when a business goes bankrupt and the owners decide (either willingly or by force) to close it down." ]

[ "In San Bernardino, Calif. the city government is suddenly seeking bankruptcy, while in Scranton, Pa. city workers have seen their salaries reduced to minimum wage. One of our readers disparages San Bernardino's actions while another advocates bankruptcy for Scranton. \"Anthony DiStephano\" writes: \"A Municipality in the USA should not be allowed to declare bankruptcy! At the first hint that a bankruptcy situation is imminent, the federal Government should deploy a task force to take control of the municipality. People who live in this town or city deserve public health and safety; a bunch of corrupt politicians should not cause them to be deprived, and placed in jeopardy.\" While \"Zach Hoffman\" cautions: \"... The mayor took a radical step to preserve jobs while trying to find a long-term solution. I don't think it was the right move since it is very short-term and obligations keep piling up but it certainly got everyone's attention. The simple fact is that the city doesn't have the money to meet its obligations. Suing the city will change nothing, just like suing an uninsured motorist who hits your car and injures you ... Bankruptcy and reorganization is the only answer for Scranton.\"" ]

[ "Now that it feels like we're living in a society that I find myself thinking of as \"Gilead lite,\" how could The Testaments, Margaret Atwood's highly anticipated sequel to The Handmaid's Tale, possibly convey the same degree of shock as its predecessor? The answer is, it can't. When The Handmaid's Tale was published in 1985, American women's reproductive rights seemed relatively secure and global climate change was relegated to disaster movies. But the barren and repressive fundamentalist regime of the Republic of Gilead (formerly most of the United States) that Atwood summoned up so vividly in The Handmaid's Tale has turned out to be not so outlandish after all; hence, the popularity of the current Hulu series starring Elisabeth Moss as the handmaid, Offred. While The Handmaid's Tale may not be an exact reflection of \"how we live now,\" it no longer feels as reassuringly improbable as it once did. In The Testaments, Atwood explicitly wears the mantle that The Handmaid's Tale conferred upon her: that is, literary social critic and seer extraordinaire. A curious difference between the two novels, however, is that, rather than taking readers on another descent into nightmare, Atwood here foresees the possibility of hope: hope that the forces of resistance and sisterhood will eventually triumph over misogyny, power-mongering and the despoiling of the planet. It may take a century or two, Atwood cautions, to reach the light at the end of the Gilead tunnel, but reach it we will. The Testaments opens about 15 years after the end of The Handmaid's Tale, when, as readers will remember, our narrator Offred was about to escape Gilead into either a deadly trap or the freedom of Canada. In interviews, Atwood has confessed that the challenge of re-creating Offred's voice — so hollow and hypnotic — was a creative stumbling block to writing a sequel to The Handmaid's Tale. She solves that problem in The Testaments by dividing the narration among three distinct characters: Agnes, who grows up in Gilead as the daughter of an important Commander; Daisy, a passionately anti-Gilead activist teenager who lives in Canada, and Aunt Lydia, whom Atwood's readers will remember, un-fondly, from The Handmaid's Tale. Aunt Lydia is a gender norm enforcer: one of the class of \"Aunts\" akin to high-ranking prison matrons, who preside over births, executions and the training of handmaids. But, early in The Testaments we discover that beneath her righteous \"Go, Go Gilead!\" demeanor and what Atwood calls her smug \"wrinkly old-turnip smile,\" Aunt Lydia is a seething Fury. In her retrospective narration, we hear about the brutal process by which Aunt Lydia — who in her former life served as a judge — was molded into an \"Aunt.\" For decades now, she's been out for vengeance, amassing and scribbling down the secret sins of Gilead: She knows that, as another character says, \"beneath its outer show of virtue and purity, Gilead was rotting.\" Atwood has always been a deft suspense writer — novels like Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin and even Cat's Eye attest to her talent for quickening readers' heart rates. The Testaments is all about suspense: It's plot driven, whereas The Handmaid's Tale was a novel of vision, voice and mood. That mood — oppressive and claustrophobic — was a product of Offred's enforced stillness: She spent most of her time with her eyes cast down, indoors, in small rooms, waiting to be summoned for the monthly ritualized sex \"ceremony\" with the Commander. Here, our characters are on the move: Their paths and stories ingeniously intersect — as in a Victorian novel — and, at the end, there's even a thrilling, cinematic chase scene. What The Testaments lacks in eeriness, it gains in entertainment. Atwood herself seems lighter, even a little frivolous here: For instance, she bestows goofy names on some of the Aunts (like Aunt Estée and Aunt Sarahlee) and has them sit down for tea in the Schlafly Café. Dare I say, The Testaments is more \"fun\" to read than its predecessor. It's a tribute to the greatness of The Handmaid's Tale that I and so many other readers, particularly female readers, have been willing and eager to re-enter Atwood's sinister dystopian republic of Birthmobiles and Prayvaganzas. If I sound mildly disappointed in The Testaments, it's paradoxically because the novel so kindly (and perhaps a little too easily) gives me what I most want: that is, the promise of an end to Gilead.", "Liane Hansen talks with Miles Chapin (CHAY-pin), o-editor of, \"Tales From The Jungle: A Rainforest Reader.\" It's a collection f fiction and non-fiction which illustrates changing attitudes toward the ainforest during the 19th and 20th centuries. Chapin reads an excerpt from rthur Conan Doyle's 1912 book, \"The Lost World.\" 7:00 \"Tales From The Jungle: A Rainforest Reader;\" edited by Daniel R. Katz and iles Chapin; Crown Trade Paperbacks,", "Amid commemorations and ceremonies on World AIDS Day Dec. 1, a unique anthology of short fiction was published. Entitled Telling Tales, the book was conceived by novelist and Nobel Prize winner Nadine Gordimer in response to the HIV-AIDS crisis in southern Africa. Gordimer, 81, decided that it was time for writers to do something collectively for a cause. \"If musicians can get up and sing, we can get up and write.\" Telling Tales features 21 distinguished authors from around the world, including Günter Grass, Kenzaburo Oe, Salman Rushdie and Arthur Miller. Five of the featured writers are winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature, and all donated their stories waiving any fees or royalties. The book's profits will go to medical and advocacy programs on AIDS. NPR's Jennifer Ludden talks with Gordimer about the project. 'Telling Tales' Introduction by Nadine Gordimer: Gather round to enjoy the storytelling collected for your enjoyment in this book. It is going to be a unique experience in two ways. First way. Rarely have world writers of such variety and distinction appeared on a contents list in the same anthology. Their stories capture the range of emotions and situations of our human universe: tragedy, comedy, fantasy, satire, dramas of sexual love and of war, in different continents and cultures. The reader learns about others—and about oneself, revealed as only fiction, the ancient art of storytelling can do and always has done. Along with making music, the art is the oldest form of enchantment as entertainment. The twenty-one stories are written in different \"voices\"—vividly individual styles—capturing the marvelous possibilities of use of words by living writers. They include five Nobel Prize Winners in Literature. All have come together to bring the joy of reading to whoever takes up this unusual and remarkable collection of creative talent. Second way. All twenty-one writers have given their stories—in each instance chosen by themselves as representing some of the best of their lifetime work as storytellers—without any fee or royalty. The publishers of each edition in each country where the anthology is published, have produced the book without receiving any profit or royalty. Why have these writers agreed to grant the free gift of their talents and work? Musicians have given their talents to jazz, pop, and classical concerts for the benefit of the 40 million worldwide men, women, and children infected with HIV/AIDS, two-thirds of whom are in Africa. We decided that we too should wish to give something of our ability, as imaginative writers, to contribute in our way to the fight against this disease from which no country, no individual, is safely isolated. All royalties and profits from the sale of Telling Tales worldwide will go to HIV/AIDS preventive education and for medical treatment for people living with this pandemic infection and the suffering it brings to our contemporary world. So when you buy as a gift or for your own reading pleasure this unique anthology of renowned storytellers, you are also making a gift, of the money you have paid for the book, to combat the plague of our new millenium. The subjects of the stories are not about HIV/AIDS; but the profits go to help succour and support its victims. Excerpted from 'Telling Tales.' Used by permission of Picador.", "Welcome to the third installment of NPR's Backseat Book Club, where we select a book for young readers — and invite them to share their thoughts and questions with us and the author. Our selection for December is a perfect holiday story: the enchanting modern-day fairy tale Breadcrumbs, by Anne Ursu, author of the popular Cronus Chronicles trilogy. Ursu tells NPR's Michele Norris that Breadcrumbs was inspired in large part by her own \"snow coated\" memories of growing up in Minnesota: \"When you're a kid and you look out the window and it's snowing and that seems so magical and the world just becomes something else, something other. Everything is quiet, and it feels like it's almost your kingdom to go out and conquer.\" Navigating the wintery world of Breadcrumbs are best friends Hazel and Jack, fifth-graders in a working-class Minneapolis neighborhood. Adopted as a baby from India, Hazel feels like an outsider, especially after her parents split up and she's forced to attend a new school. Meanwhile, Jack is facing his own family challenges, and the two friends begin to drift apart. Their all-too-familiar problems are given a supernatural twist when Jack disappears, supposedly lured into the forest by a woman in white. It's up to Hazel to brave the wintry woods and find her friend. The appearance of this sinister stranger prompted a question from one of our sharp-eyed book club members, sixth-grader Isabelle Verdury, who wondered if the white witch from Breadcrumbs had anything to do with the White Witch from Narnia. The similarities are obvious: Both ride white sleighs and lure children with Turkish Delight. Breadcrumbs pays homage to the fairy tales Ursu loved as a child. The book is based on Hans Christian Andersen's fable The Snow Queen, which features a woman in white who inspired Jadis the White Witch from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Another reader, 11-year-old Kate Purdhum, wondered why Ursu decided to intertwine her story with so many classic fairy tales. The idea came from the characters themselves, Ursu says. Hazel is so isolated and such a fierce reader, she is prone to interpreting her world through books. When Jack's mother begins suffering from depression, Hazel notes, \"The mom looked like someone who had suffered her damen,\" a reference to The Golden Compass. And she observes that her \"order-bound\" teacher looks like she came from Camazotz, the planet in A Wrinkle in Time. But the lessons Hazel must learn, she cannot find in books. She endures loneliness and must learn to cope without Jack. \"Dealing with the grief [of losing friends] is such an essential part of growing up,\" Ursu says. Hazel gains indispensable wisdom, and better yet, she learns how to access — and generate — an everyday magic. As Ursu says, as Hazel abandons her belief in \"childlike\" happy endings for understanding the real world, she learns that \"magic might not come and save the day but magic can be created with memories, with a friendship ... that is the real happy ending.\"", "Scott Simon and children's author Daniel Pinkwater talk about a new book for young readers called Jellybeans, by Sylvia van Ommen. Van Ommen, an author/illustrator based in the Netherlands, offers a tale about two pals, a rabbit and a cat who discuss questions about heaven while they eat jellybeans together in the park. Pinkwater and Simon note that the line drawings and premise for the book offer a likable and \"deceptively simple\" tale that turns into something more.", "Author Peter Straub, whose novels include Ghost Story and The Hellfire, knows a bit about terror. As the editor of the new two-volume set American Fantastic: Tales, Terror and the Uncanny, he spent two years researching the best — and scariest — American stories, dating from the age of Edgar Allan Poe to the present. \"I wanted to get a good representation of stories from across the decades, from as early as possible to the present,\" he tells Scott Simon. The resulting compilation includes pieces from well-known authors, including Poe, H. P. Lovecraft and Stephen King, as well as lesser-known writers like Emma Frances Dawson and Olivia Howard Dunbar. Straub says that scary stories appeal to the parts of ourselves that aren't normally reached: \"In America, we don't like darkness, really, but there is a an immense quantity to be learned there, and we all experience it in our lives.\" Even the worst slasher movie — and there are a lot of cards in that deck — can make millions at the box office, which suggests something we all secretly know: Americans love to be scared. That impulse has been around for at least three centuries, as American Fantastic Tales, the new two-volume horror fiction anthology from The Library of America, proves. The stories in this collection date from Charles Brockden Brown's irresistibly creepy Somnambulism: A Fragment, first published in 1805, to Benjamin Percy's perfectly executed 2007 short story \"Dial Tone.\" (You can purchase the books separately or as a boxed set; the first volume leaves off in 1939.) These tales run the gamut of betes noires, and it's not what you might expect — there are vampires and ghosts, sure, but the majority of the stories are subtler, relying on the reader's innate fear of the unknown and unexplained. Editor Peter Straub, himself an acclaimed author of horror fiction, has done a superb job, not just with his selection of these 86 stories but with his engaging and hyperliterate introductions as well. The usual horror suspects (Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King) are represented, but not by the stories you've read dozens of times before. Poe's \"Berenice\" is chosen, for example, instead of \"The Tell-Tale Heart\" or his other tales that have been anthologized to death. The only thing that comes close to an obvious pick is F. Scott Fitzgerald's \"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,\" which wasn't exactly a noted piece of fiction until the recent film adaptation made it one. Straub has gone out of his way to select a great number of authors who aren't household names. Some of the strongest tales here are by writers like Ralph Adam Cram, Seabury Quinn and Brian Evenson, the latter a brilliant contemporary author who deserves to be widely read. It's fascinating to read these volumes and watch the American horror story evolve before your eyes, from the baroque and Gothic vibe of Poe and Washington Irving to the terrifying tales of insanity in Lovecraft and the Weird Tales set; from the Twilight Zone-inspired authors of the '50s and '60s to the disturbing and hilarious dystopian stories of writers like George Saunders (whose \"Sea Oak\" might be the strongest pick of the anthology). There's not a weak story in the bunch. As for my personal fear-ometer, Edward Lucas White's \"Lukundoo\" gave me nightmares (probably for life), and thanks to Poppy Z. Brite's \"Pansu,\" I might never be able to go to a Korean restaurant again. It's not quite accurate to say that these remarkable collections are the only horror books you'll ever need, but they'll certainly keep you shivering for a very long while. Scott Simon will interview Peter Straub on Weekend Edition Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009.", "Dozens of writers and illustrators earned some of the highest honors in children's literature at a joyous gathering hosted by the American Library Association in Denver on Monday. But just two managed to snag the best-known, most prestigious annual prizes for books aimed at young readers. Erin Entrada Kelly's Hello, Universe won the Newbery Medal for outstanding contribution to children's literature, and Matthew Cordell's Wolf in the Snow won the Caldecott Medal for most distinguished American picture book for children. \"Filipino folklore and real life converge at the bottom of a well,\" the judges said of Hello, Universe. \"Even while following signs and portents, the characters are the definition of creative agency. Masterfully told through shifting points of view, this modern quest tale shimmers with humor and authentic emotion.\" In Cordell's book, which he both wrote and illustrated, words are few — but the images wrought in pen and watercolor bring vivid life to its tale of a girl and a wolf, both lost in the blowing cold of a storm. \"Fairy tale elements in a strong sense of color and geometry offer an engrossing, emotionally charged story,\" the judges said in their commendation. Still, these two prize winners were not the only authors and illustrators to emerge with honors Monday. Dozens of books earned nods at the 2018 Youth Media Awards, for achievements ranging from informational books and literary criticism, to audiobooks and contributions to teen readers. You can see the winners of all of Monday's prizes — including the Coretta Scott King awards and the Michael L. Printz Award — at this link and watch the full ceremony in the video embedded above. In the meantime, why not bask in a few more images excerpted from Cordell's Caldecott-winning picture book?", "I am not a trained reader of horror. Usually whenever I encounter horror stories, I'm left feeling dissatisfied with the quality of my unsettlement; I think \"oh, that was gratuitous\" or \"eh, was that necessary?\" With very few exceptions, I tend not to seek out horror. Emily Carroll's Through the Woods is so thoroughly an exception that I have to revise my stance on the whole genre. In these five graphic tales (meaning comics, not stories told in Grand Guignol fashion — although that linguistic line is definitely blurred here), Carroll's sinuous prose and emphatic art blend seamlessly into a path through the stories she tells. If there is a key to this collection, it is the phrase, \"It came from the woods. (Most strange things do),\" which recurs in \"His Face All Red,\" the story of a man who murders his brother only to see him emerge from the woods whole, happy and unscathed. These are tales of strange things that come from or go into the woods — and what they did to people, or had done to them, along the way. These stories are thick with the cadence and syntax of fairy tale, where the telling's stylized repetitions are rendered as much through art as through words. I badly want to hold up three pages in \"A Lady's Hands Are Cold\" in order to discuss at obnoxious length how the twisting layout on one page draws the gaze into a song, how the song encircles a character, how the art is contrapuntal and telling three stories in harmonic dissonance to the line of the prose. It's a story in conversation with Bluebeard and Mr. Fox while aping neither; it's unsettling, and frightening, and builds expectation in familiar fairy tale lines only to — well. That would be telling. It's also stunningly beautiful. The whole book is magnificently executed: the work with color, character, contrast, perspective, layout, lettering, is all dextrous and varied and absolutely masterful. It's Gorey with less humor and more eloquence, elegance and poise; in place of whimsy is a wicked sense of pace, threat and a lurking delight in causing terror. I found myself so awed by individual pages that I had to exclaim about them in great detail to hapless people around me, saying things like, \"Look, just look at how the ribbon around her throat is a threat because of this blood-striped knife,\" or \"do you see how the word 'nothing' here is part of a sentence but also an illustration of what is spoken between them!\" I should say that I greeted the endings of some stories with dismay. They are, after all, horror. But it was a dismay that felt earned, that seemed to say, \"What kind of story did you think this was?\" in a gentle, chiding way — while patiently eating your face. (Not that anyone's face gets — well. Anyway.) Through the Woods is complex without being opaque; these are all still clear, deceptively simple stories that are kissing-close to beginning with \"once upon a time.\" They're stories about girls who lose a father to the winter, a mother to sickness, a friend to a ghost; they're stories told as straightforwardly as fairy tale while containing all the rich density of poetry. I am still not a reader of horror. But I am a reader of poetry, of folk and fairy tales, of dark fantasy and a frequent wanderer of woods — and as such, I am most certainly a reader of Carroll. It's not lost on me that this book is, in so many ways, a cautionary tale against setting foot in strange forests — while being at the same a dense tangle of story-wood in and of itself. Nor, I suspect, is it lost on Carroll, who lures us in only to do terrible, wonderful things to our heads and hearts. Amal El-Mohtar is the author of The Honey Month and the editor of Goblin Fruit, an online poetry magazine.", "Gregory Maguire is known for re-imagining classic tales, for example in his &#8220;Wicked Years&#8221; books he put his spin on L. Frank Baum&#8217;s &#8220;The Wizard of Oz.&#8221; For &#8220;Egg and Spoon&#8221; he explores pre-revolutionary Russia, incorporating magical figures from tales he read in his childhood. But as longtime Maguire fans know, he often weaves in modern elements in his storytelling: his version of the Russian witch Baba Yaga eats Cheerios and talks like a borscht belt comedienne, which, as Gregory Maguire tells Here & Now&#8217;s Robin Young, helps to show young readers that she exists &#8220;outside of time and is really magical.&#8221; &#8220;Egg and Spoon&#8221; came out in paperback this month, and today we revisit our conversation with Gregory Maguire from last September. \n\nRead an excerpt from &#8220;Egg and Spoon&#8221; here\n\n\nGuest\n\nGregory Maguire, author of “Egg and Spoon,” and the “Wicked” books.", "C.S. Lewis wrote that \"once every hundred years some wiseacre gets up and tries to banish the fairy tale.\" Lewis also said the best fantasy worked for young and old alike. Authors of children's fantasy examine how that holds in today's literature. Guests: Neil Gaiman, author of The Sandman comic book series; author of the books The Wolves in the Walls, American Gods, Neverwhere and Good Omens Christopher Paolini, 22-year-old author of the Eragon series; published first book at 15 Tamora Pierce, author of a series of fantasy books for teenagers, including the Circle of Magic Quartet; her latest book is Trickster's Queen NEAL CONAN, host: This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan in Washington. `Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy.' And with that simple sentence, generations of young readers have found themselves in the magical world of Narnia, among talking animals, welcoming satyrs, a wicked witch and a world of magic, mystery and occasional menace. The movie version of \"The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe\" opens this week, but even if it's a box office bonanza, the big-screen spectacular can only confirm what owners of these slim books already know: Narnia is an enduring children's fantasy. Children's fantasy novels slip into a space between the fairy tales of childhood and the sword and sorcery epics that occupy most of the bookstore fantasy shelf. From J.K. Rowling to T.H. White to George MacDonald, writers create magical worlds, places to encounter malice and moral ambiguity in the safe remove of the unreal. And the lure of these tales continues long after childhood. Think about how many adults you've seen with their noses deep in \"The Hobbit\" or at Hogwarts. So what mixture of imagination, tradition and reality keeps kids turning pages for generations? And are there things fantasy gives young readers that other genres can't? To discuss these questions, we've got quite a panel: Neil Gaiman, who's gone from writing mature-readers-only comic books to the possibly stranger world of children's fiction; Christopher Paolini, the author of the \"Eragon\" series\"--he wrote the first one at the age of 15, which makes him both author and audience; and Tamora Pierce, who's written teen fantasy for more than 20 years. And we want to hear from you. What fantasy book or series stayed with you since childhood? What made it so good? Did it hold up when you were an adult? Give us a call. Our number is (800) 989-8255; that's (800) 989-TALK. And the e-mail address is totn@npr.org. Later in the show, we'll discuss the stranger-than-fiction world of the face transplant. How do you prepare psychologically for a new face? But first, the world of fantasy. Neil Gaiman may be best known as the creator of \"The Sandman,\" a series of graphic novels for older readers. His novels include the recently published \"Anansi Boys,\" and he writes dark and sometimes funny tales for children. He joins us from the studios of member station WHWC in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Nice to have you back on the program, Neil. Mr. NEIL GAIMAN (Author): It's nice to be back, Neal. CONAN: Is there one thing that makes children's fantasy work? Mr. GAIMAN: I think the thing that really makes children's fantasy work is the power of belief. Children know when they're being patronized. They know when someone's telling them a story that the person telling it doesn't believe or is telling it to kids for their own good. I think--and talking about \"Narnia,\" I think the enduring power of \"Narnia\" is that really you had C.S. Lewis following these ideas. He had this idea of a faun in a snowstorm with an umbrella and packages and wanted to write the stories and find out who this faun was and where he came from. CONAN: You wrote an interesting addendum to \"The Chronicles of Narnia,\" a story called \"The Problem of Susan.\" Why did you want to do it? Was it homage? Mr. GAIMAN: No, \"The Problem of Susan\" was a story that eventually sort of came out from something that had been bugging me for many, many years. The Narnia books were the books that hooked me as a reader, hooked me as a--I was maybe six years old. I absolutely adored them, went seriously off them when I was 12, came back to them as an adult, first reading them to my older two children and then to my younger daughter. And each time I'd read them, I would get more and more irritated by the way that C.S. Lewis treated women of, let's say, reproductive age. Girls are cool and he had some terrific girls and there are some nice elderly women in there, but when it gets to sort of beautiful, nice women of reproductive age, they're ", "I live in Tucson, Ariz. National news about thousands of unaccompanied minors crossing the U.S.-Mexico border — some as young as 2 years old — is local news here. A front-page headline from this week's Arizona Daily Star reads, \"Immigration tension boils over in Oracle.\" It's subtitled \"Protesters, supporters, clash; bus carrying children fails to show.\" The article featured a photograph of protesters, adults standing by signs scrawled with red and blue markers. \"Remember the Trojan Horse\" and \"No se Puede\" — \"it cannot happen.\" Protesters and supporters comment on whether the \"youths\" posed a threat to the community, as the sheriff claimed they did. \"Where did the children go? What will happen to them?\" my 9-year-old asked over cereal and juice, which suddenly seems like a luxurious breakfast. Where did the children go, and what will happen to them — these primal questions remind me immediately of the body of work I love most. I often visit Maria Tatar's The Grimm Reader for a cold dose of courage. Her translations come from the Brothers Grimm, whose now-famous collection of Kinder– und Hausmarchen [Children's and Household Tales] was first published in 1812. The book was not intended for young readers. In fact, one early critic dismissed the Grimms' writing, Tatar notes in her introduction, as \"tasteless\" and \"dismal.\" Yet the stories became wildly popular with parents to read to their children. (Ultimately the Grimm Brothers published seven painstakingly revised editions over some 40 years.) There is no book more timely, I think, than Tatar's exacting collection. The Grimms' tales are serious stories about children alone in horrible situations. You've probably heard the one about a brother and sister whose parents abandon them in the woods. A witch locks Hansel inside a shed, and plans to fatten him up and then eat him. But his sister, Gretel, shoves the witch in the oven instead. Tatar's version glitters with everyday details of wicked predation and quiet survival. Here readers will find familiar tales rendered in the Grimms' intended language, spare and poetic. In \"The Twelve Brothers,\" siblings take shelter in the forest to escape murderous threats from their father: \"They went into the woods and shot rabbits, deer, birds, and doves, whatever was good to eat. Then they brought the food back home for Benjamin, who had to prepare it in an appetizing way for them. They lived together in the little house for a stretch of ten years, and time was never heavy on their hands.\" Later in the story, their sister is trying save them. I love the intuition and dignity in Tatar's phrasing: \"She went and found a hollow tree, seated herself in it, and began spinning. She neither spoke nor smiled.\" And this beginning from \"Little Brother and Little Sister,\" another tale of children alone in the world: \"Little Brother took Little Sister by the hand and said, 'Since the day that our mother died, we haven't had a moment of peace. Our stepmother beats us every day, and when we try to talk to her, she just gives us a swift kick and drives us off. All we get to eat are crusts of hard bread. Even the dog under the table is better off than we are. At least he gets an occasional tidbit.' \" Then of course there's Snow White — a young girl who outsmarts a hateful queen by fleeing into the woods. These aren't escapist fantasies; they're stories of kids facing unimaginable terror. As Tatar writes, in fairy tales children must find radical ways to \"survive a world ruled by adults.\" This is our grim reality. And it's the grim reality of these children at the border as well. Of course, not all endings are unhappy. Remember Hansel and Gretel? They manage to shove that witch in the oven, and they emerge from the forest ... alive. Kate Bernheimer's latest book is How a Mother Weaned Her Girl from Fairy Tales, which will be published in August.", "Maureen Corrigan is one of those lucky people in life who has been able to combine her passion with her profession. She is Fresh Air's book critic, writes about mysteries for The Washington Post, and is a professor at Georgetown University. She discusses her new memoir, Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in Books, which chronicles her lifelong love of reading. Excerpt from the introduction to Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in Books Hovering over all the ruminations about literature and life that follow is the cosmic question of why so many of us feel compelled to go through life with our noses stuck in a book. I'd like to propose a resolutely earnest answer -- all the years I devoted to reading the Victorian Sages in graduate school have left their mark on my beliefs about literature. I think, consciously or not, what we readers do each time we open a book is to set off on a search for authenticity. We want to get closer to the heart of things, and sometimes even a few good sentences contained in an otherwise unexceptional book can crystallize vague feelings, fleeting physical sensations, or, sometimes, profound epiphanies. Good writing is writing that's on target; that captures, say, the smell of sizing on a just-sewn garment the way no other known grammatical scramble of words has before. (Ann Packer's recent wonderful debut novel, The Dive from Clausen's Pier, did just that.) Those are, unfailingly, the sentences that we reviewers quote in our reviews because they leap out and offer those cherished \"Aha!\" moments in reading. Little wonder that one of the most overused words in favorable reviews is the adjective luminous. Readers, professional or casual, are alert to passages in a book that illuminate what was previously shadowy and formless. In our daily lives, where we're bombarded by the fake and the trivial, reading serves as a way to stop, shut out the noise of the world, and try to grab hold of something real, no matter how small. Hence the enormous popularity of extreme-adventure tales that take their readers to the \"last good places,\" like the top of Mount Everest or the middle of the ocean -- places that are still unsullied, authentic. Detective fiction, another literary genre that I love and will talk about in this book, oftentimes weaves the search for authenticity into its plots. What I and a lot of other readers consider to be the greatest American detective-fiction tale of all time, Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel, The Maltese Falcon, describes a fastpaced search for a bejeweled falcon that dates from the Middle Ages. When detective Sam Spade finally gets his hands on the bird, it turns out to be a fake. Spade, being made of tougher stuff than most of his shocked readers, takes his disappointment in stride and forges on. Detectives, like Spade, are close readers. They have to be to catch all the hidden clues. Spade's close reading throughout The Maltese Falcon as he searches for the authentic treasure mirrors our own activity as readers of the novel, as we search in Hammett's story for something authentic that will deepen our understanding of our own lives. The roots of my own yearning to read are easy enough to trace. I was a shy kid, an only child who grew up in a two-bedroom walk-up apartment in Queens. Reading offered companionship as well as escape. It also gave me a way to be more like my dad, whom I adored. Every weeknight, after he came home from his job as a refrigeration mechanic and ate supper, my dad would go to his bedroom and read. Mostly, he read adventure novels about World War II. He had served first in the Merchant Marine and, then, after Pearl Harbor, in the Navy on a destroyer escort. Those Navy years were the most intense of my father's life, although he never said so. My dad belonged to that generation of men, forged by the Great Depression and World War II, whose unspoken motto was \"The deeper the feeling, the fewer the words.\" He didn't talk a lot about the war, but I knew it haunted his memory because every night he cracked open a paperback (usually one with an embossed swastika on its cover) and sat smoking and reading. Near his chair was a framed photograph of his ship, the USS Schmitt. To read was to be like my dad and, maybe, to get a glimpse of his experience -- to me, as wide and unfathomable as the sea. In his youth my dad's reading tastes had been more eclectic. For one thing, he liked poetry. On a childhood expedition into his dresser, I once came across a wrinkled green pamphlet -- the kind, I later learned, that used to be sold on newsstands. It was entitled The Most Wonderful Collection of Famous Recitations Ever Written. They were, too. Inside were funny and melodramatic poems by Robert Service, Rudyard Kipling, and other now-demoted bards. The titles alone would draw a reader in: \"The Cremation of Sam McGee,\" \"Casey at the Bat,\" \"Laugh and the World Laughs with You,\" \"Over the Hill to the Poorhouse,\" \"Woodsman", "There's a popular misconception that literary fiction is supposed to be staid, boring, realistic to a fault. Like all stereotypes, it's deeply unfair, but it endures, perhaps because readers keep having traumatic flashbacks to novels, like Sister Carrie, that they were forced to read in high school. But in her new short story collection, Vampires in the Lemon Grove, it takes Karen Russell only a few pages to put the lie to that idea. The book opens with the title story, the tale of an aging vampire couple falling out of love with each other. She follows that with \"Reeling for the Empire,\" a yarn about women who have been turned into silkworms. Not long after, there's \"The Barn at the End of Our Term,\" an account of former President Rutherford B. Hayes, who has been reincarnated as a \"skewbald pinto with a golden cowlick and a cross-eyed stare\" and forced to share a stable with several other commanders in chief, including James Garfield (\"a tranquil gray Percheron\") and Warren G. Harding (\"a flatulent roan pony\"). So much for dry realism. Russell's creativity won't come as a surprise to anyone who has read her critically acclaimed 2011 novel, Swamplandia!, but it should convert the skeptical readers who hold on to the idea that literary fiction can't be creative and entertaining. It should also delight the same readers who loved George Saunders' Tenth of December. Like Saunders, Russell is a true original, and Vampires in the Lemon Grove is one of the most innovative, inspired short-story collections in the past decade. The premises of Russell's stories are astonishingly imaginative, but her prose is so beautiful and assured, it's easy for the reader to suspend his disbelief. In the horror tale \"Proving Up,\" a young boy in 19th-century Nebraska is sent on an errand that quickly turns terrifying. His mother seems to be the only family member who senses what's in store, and she unsuccessfully tries to dissuade him from making the journey: \"Ma seeps out of the dugout in her blue dress. She sees us gathered and runs down the powdery furrow like a tear — I think she would turn to water if she could.\" Even the most conventional story in Vampires in the Lemon Grove is deeply bizarre. \"The Graveless Doll of Eric Mutis\" is a coming-of-age tale that centers on a mysterious scarecrow of a disappeared bullying victim. Told from the point of view of one of the boy's tormentors, it's indisputably horrifying but also deeply felt, and it occasionally approaches something like sweetness. Reflecting on a school employee who unsuccessfully tries to stop the gang of bullies, the protagonist sounds almost wistful: \"I think we needed that librarian to follow us around ... reading us her story of our lives, her fine script of who we were and our activities — but of course she couldn't do this, and we did get lost.\" It's a testament to Russell's emotional maturity and originality — there are no obvious antecedents to her work besides, perhaps, Flannery O'Connor — that she's able not only to pull these stories off, but to do so with such seemingly effortless beauty. While the plot of \"The Barn at the End of Our Term\" is almost insane, it doesn't take long for Russell to turn the story into something achingly exquisite — President Hayes pines for his wife, Lucy, who he's convinced has been reincarnated as a sheep. If that sounds ludicrous, it's because it is, but it's no less wistful and tragic because of it. There's no shortage of American authors who have mastered both the short story and the novel, but not many writers are brave or talented enough to attempt the kind of fiction that Russell has made her stock in trade. Let the skeptics of literary fiction remain doubtful if they insist. Vampires in the Lemon Grove is flawless and magnificent, and there's absolutely no living author quite like Karen Russell.", "This segment, from Nov. 1 is part of our Best Of 2013 series, in which we revisit some of our most memorable interviews and performances of the year. Graham Nash proves himself an entrancing storyteller throughout today's episode of World Cafe, on which the Englishman talks with host David Dye about his new autobiography, Wild Tales: A Rock & Roll Life. The events in the book recall the musician's life while growing up poor in Manchester, England, and takes readers through Nash's journey to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with both The Hollies and Crosby, Stills & Nash. The singer-songwriter also discusses meeting his childhood friend Allan Clarke, and reflects on their life-changing encounter with The Everly Brothers and the formation of The Hollies.", "From The Further Tale Of Peter Rabbit by Emma Thompson. Copyright 2012 by Emma Thompson. Excerpted by permission of Penguin Young Readers Group.", "Ten years ago this month Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans and more than a thousand people died. A quarter of a million more fled their homes, which were damaged or destroyed in the devastating floods. A lot has changed in the past decade, but the recovery has been uneven. White residents are doing better than they were before the storm hit, while African Americans are struggling to catch up from the storm's aftermath. Allison Plyer, chief demographer at The Data Center, calls it a \"tale of two cities.\" She joins Here & Now's Peter O'Dowd to discuss the new report. Interview Highlights: Allison Plyer On the state of New Orleans a decade after Hurricane Katrina \"No one would have guessed how well the city is doing 10 years later. We have, depending on how you measure it, around 80 percent of the population we did before the storm. The metro area, which was also was damaged, has about 93 percent of the population it had before the storm. Our economy is actually doing really well — actually better than before the storm in many measures: in terms of job growth, entrepreneurship and many other indicators.\" On demographic shifts caused by Katrina \"We have 97,000 fewer African Americans in the city and 9,000 fewer whites, and about 6,000 more Hispanics and about 3,000 more Asians and others. The demographic shift has definitely been significant. Even with that, before the storm, the city was 66 percent African American and it's still 60 percent. So definitely still a majority, minority city.\" On the increase of Latino populations in New Orleans suburbs \"That's an interesting phenomena demographers called hurricane chasers, where you have single Latino men who are sort of a very mobile labor force and they'll go from one place to another, often times in Florida, following a disaster to help rebuild. And our disaster was so massive that there was rebuilding going on for years, so after several years a lot of those single men settled down, brought their families here, and now we see an increase of Latinos, particularly in the suburbs, almost doubling in the last 10 years.\" \"It's interesting down here, if you talk to folks, it's almost like a tale of two cities and it often splits on racial lines.\" On economic trends after natural disasters \"We know from the disaster literature, a couple of things: that whatever the trends were before the disaster tend to get accelerated after the disaster, and also folks that were doing okay, or doing well, actually benefit from all the new infrastructure. But folks who were poor or had poor health, it's really hard for them to recover. The shock is often too much. So what we're seeing is growing income inequality as many of our white households are doing much better but black households are not. We see employment rates for black men are virtually the same that they were before the storm, but for white men they are much better. It's interesting down here, if you talk to folks, it's almost like a tale of two cities and it often splits on racial lines. So you'll talk to white folks and they'll say, 'Wow! The city is doing much better. Never been better, all these great things are happening. Entrepreneurship, the economy is great, our wages are up. Etcetera, etcetera.' But you'll talk to black folks and they'll say, 'Things are much worse, a lot of our neighbors aren't here. It's been such a struggle to rebuild. I don't even had some of the business networks I used to have.'\" On the importance of demographers for the city's future \"The numbers that we put out are really to help leaders and business leaders and elected leaders understand that not everybody is doing well and if we want to be successful in the future and resilient to the shocks that we certainly will feel going forward, we need to reduce our poverty rates and make sure more people are benefiting from the economic strength that we're starting to experience.\" \"We've worked incredibly hard to preserve our history and our culture ... And it's an interesting combination of sort of preservation and also innovation and it's making for a new New Orleans which hopefully preserves all the good and at the same time makes things better than they were before.\" On New Orleans' blooming entrepreneurship \"There's a lot of folks who have gotten engaged in our entrepreneurship boom here. There's a lot of folks who really wanted the city to recover and some of them actually came here and started their businesses as a way to help the city recover. One example is Receivables Exchange — it's a company that started here and has actually gone public and they started here specifically because they wanted to bring their economic clout to this city. But it's done really really well. There's just a myriad of other entrepreneurs. We have a lot of social entrepreneurs who are coming up with innovations for schools or for water management or for blighted properties. We have techie entrepreneurs and a lot of them wanted to help the city rebuild ", "Book critic Maureen Corrigan's memoir about her lifelong love of reading is <em>Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in Books.</em> <em>This interview originally aired on Sep. 12, 2005.</em>Maureen Corrigan is one of those lucky people in life who has been able to combine her passion with her profession. She is Fresh Air's book critic, writes about mysteries for The Washington Post, and is a professor at Georgetown University. She discusses her new memoir, Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in Books, which chronicles her lifelong love of reading. Excerpt from the introduction to Leave Me Alone, I'm Reading: Finding and Losing Myself in Books Hovering over all the ruminations about literature and life that follow is the cosmic question of why so many of us feel compelled to go through life with our noses stuck in a book. I'd like to propose a resolutely earnest answer -- all the years I devoted to reading the Victorian Sages in graduate school have left their mark on my beliefs about literature. I think, consciously or not, what we readers do each time we open a book is to set off on a search for authenticity. We want to get closer to the heart of things, and sometimes even a few good sentences contained in an otherwise unexceptional book can crystallize vague feelings, fleeting physical sensations, or, sometimes, profound epiphanies. Good writing is writing that's on target; that captures, say, the smell of sizing on a just-sewn garment the way no other known grammatical scramble of words has before. (Ann Packer's recent wonderful debut novel, The Dive from Clausen's Pier, did just that.) Those are, unfailingly, the sentences that we reviewers quote in our reviews because they leap out and offer those cherished \"Aha!\" moments in reading. Little wonder that one of the most overused words in favorable reviews is the adjective luminous. Readers, professional or casual, are alert to passages in a book that illuminate what was previously shadowy and formless. In our daily lives, where we're bombarded by the fake and the trivial, reading serves as a way to stop, shut out the noise of the world, and try to grab hold of something real, no matter how small. Hence the enormous popularity of extreme-adventure tales that take their readers to the \"last good places,\" like the top of Mount Everest or the middle of the ocean -- places that are still unsullied, authentic. Detective fiction, another literary genre that I love and will talk about in this book, oftentimes weaves the search for authenticity into its plots. What I and a lot of other readers consider to be the greatest American detective-fiction tale of all time, Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel, The Maltese Falcon, describes a fastpaced search for a bejeweled falcon that dates from the Middle Ages. When detective Sam Spade finally gets his hands on the bird, it turns out to be a fake. Spade, being made of tougher stuff than most of his shocked readers, takes his disappointment in stride and forges on. Detectives, like Spade, are close readers. They have to be to catch all the hidden clues. Spade's close reading throughout The Maltese Falcon as he searches for the authentic treasure mirrors our own activity as readers of the novel, as we search in Hammett's story for something authentic that will deepen our understanding of our own lives. The roots of my own yearning to read are easy enough to trace. I was a shy kid, an only child who grew up in a two-bedroom walk-up apartment in Queens. Reading offered companionship as well as escape. It also gave me a way to be more like my dad, whom I adored. Every weeknight, after he came home from his job as a refrigeration mechanic and ate supper, my dad would go to his bedroom and read. Mostly, he read adventure novels about World War II. He had served first in the Merchant Marine and, then, after Pearl Harbor, in the Navy on a destroyer escort. Those Navy years were the most intense of my father's life, although he never said so. My dad belonged to that generation of men, forged by the Great Depression and World War II, whose unspoken motto was \"The deeper the feeling, the fewer the words.\" He didn't talk a lot about the war, but I knew it haunted his memory because every night he cracked open a paperback (usually one with an embossed swastika on its cover) and sat smoking and reading. Near his chair was a framed photograph of his ship, the USS Schmitt. To read was to be like my dad and, maybe, to get a glimpse of his experience -- to me, as wide and unfathomable as the sea. In his youth my dad's reading tastes had been more eclectic. For one thing, he liked poetry. On a childhood expedition into his dresser, I once came across a wrinkled green pamphlet -- the kind, I later learned, that used to be sold on newsstands. It was entitled The Most Wonderful Collection of Famous Recitations Ever Written. They were, too. Inside were funny and melodramatic poems by Robert Service, Rudyard Kip", "Gregory Maguire is known for putting his particular spin on well-known tales, most famously, his &#8220;Wicked Years&#8221; books which reinterpreted L. Frank Baum&#8217;s &#8220;The Wizard of Oz.&#8221; In his new book, &#8220;Egg & Spoon,&#8221; Maguire takes readers to Russia, prior to the revolution. Two girls &#8212; one a noble, the other a peasant &#8212; inadvertently switch places, and thus begins a tale in which the Firebird and the Russian witch Baba Yaga also play important roles. As Maguire tells Here & Now&#8217;s Robin Young, his fascination with tales of Baba Yaga and other Russian stories began in his childhood, as he graduated from reading Grimm&#8217;s fairy tales to looking for other stories. &#8220;Russian fairy tales have a genetic relationship with Grimm, but the characters are different and the environment is different, and so I could be both at home and completely adrift,&#8221; Maguire said. Baba Yaga&#8217;s potential to be both good and evil also provided Maguire with some of the inspiration for the ambiguous witches of his &#8220;Wicked&#8221; books. Egg & Spoon by Gregory Maguire\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t EGG & SPOON. Copyright © 2014 by Gregory Maguire. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA. Guest\n\nGregory Maguire, author of &#8220;Egg & Spoon,&#8221; and the &#8220;Wicked&#8221; books.", "When I heard that Akashic's Noir series was tackling Amsterdam, I was immediately curious. The series is known for giving crime fiction fans glimpses into the darkest corners of cities and countries all over the world. Some entries are unsurprising because the places are known hotspots for illegal activities, gangs, and violence (i.e. Haiti, Chicago, Lagos, Mexico City, Detroit), but others are unexpected — like Amsterdam. According to a United Nations study, the Netherlands is near the bottom of the list in murders on a global scale, and only 15% of its murders are related to gangs and organized crime. So where does noir go when crime is rare? Editors René Appel and Josh Pachter had their work cut out for them, and they delivered. Well, sort of. Most books in the series are arranged geographically; Amsterdam Noir breaks away from that. In this anthology, the 15 stories are grouped thematically, based on four classic noir films: Out of the Past, Kiss Me Deadly, Touch of Evil, and They Live by Night. This approach helps readers identify the cohesive elements in each section and presents the city as a whole, instead of as separate neighborhoods. Spotlighting a city known worldwide for licit drug use and sex workers while steering clear of clichés was probably the hardest test for Amsterdam Noir, and it passes. Only a few stories mention sex workers or drug use. In fact, there is only one tale dealing directly with the city's famed red light district: Simon de Waal's \"Salvation,\" a surreal story about a man struggling to cope with the loss of his daughter which includes this superb description of Amsterdam's diversity: The dark-skinned prostitutes preside over their domain in the small alleys surrounding the stately building, just like every other group that has its own space in the district: the S&M ladies, the Thai and Filipino transsexuals, the Chinese, the Eastern Europeans. And all of that spiced up by dozens of busy coffee shops, by a café where the Hells Angels meet, by the headquarters of the Salvation Army. Belief and sin go hand in hand here. The problem with steering clear of clichés is that it shows Amsterdam as a clean city, making Amsterdam Noir a collection packed with stories tangentially about crime, not a noir anthology. In fact, it reminded me of the problems I had with a previous installment, San Juan Noir, which missed the mark by including stories from a few crime and mystery masters — but mostly from authors, academics, and translators who had rarely published crime narratives and failed to present troubled places like La Perla, a famous slum that's home to some of the island's biggest heroin rings, and Luis Lloréns Torres, an enormous public housing project. San Juan Noir was a good introduction to the diversity of the island, but a mediocre collection of crime narratives. Amsterdam Noir is only saved from averageness by a handful of stories that, besides being the best in the collection, also adhere to the standards of the genre. Highlights include Michael Berg's \"Welcome to Amsterdam,\" a revenge narrative that is the most violent and perhaps the most satisfying read in the book; Karin Amatmoekrim's \"Silent Days,\" a story about an old man who rescues an abused woman that has some of the best writing in Amsterdam Noir (\"Some things are better without sound. Even violence seems peaceful when wreathed in silence.\"); Murat Isik's \"The Man on the Jetty,\" a tale about a pervert molesting two boys on the street that explores the concept of otherness in an international metropolis; Loes Den Hollander's \"The Stranger Inside Me,\" which is the weirdest story here and deals with a young man who commits a murder guided by the ghost of Ted Bundy; and \"Starry, Starry Night,\" a straightforward account about a bit of harassment gone horribly wrong, written by editors Appel and Pachter. Every book in the Noir series serves as an introduction to a place. Besides the crime, the series and its editors have made it a point to address things like economic infrastructure, gentrification, and racial politics. This aligns with Akashic's motto: \"reverse-gentrification of the literary world.\" Amsterdam Noir toes that line beautifully, touching on subjects like the impact of tourism, migration, and discrimination of Moroccans. For example, Walter Van Den Berg's \"Get Rich Quick\" shows the relationship between socioeconomic status and skin color: When we were kids, we used to swim there, because our parents wouldn't give us money for the public pool where the white kids went, so us brown kids were the poor schmucks who had to settle for the green water of the lake. In their introduction, editors Appel and Pachter say they want readers to know that bad things happen in Amsterdam, that the city \"also has its dark side, its shadowy corners.\" However, what they ended up with is an anthology about a place where bad things happen not because of the psychogeography of the population, not because of corruption, gang vio", "Long ago, when I was a graduate student in English, I was taught to scoff at terms like \"the best books of the year.\" Everything back then had to be \"contextualized\" and \"problematized\" and shaken up in a blender and \"theorized.\" But even then, when I was trying to sound like a true believer in the cult of deconstruction, I didn't buy it. Some books are just better than others. You know you have a terrific book in your hands when you encounter language or elegantly presented research that startles you into fresh awareness; you know it when the atmosphere of a novel doesn't leave you for days, or years. In the case of the books listed below, I know they're among the \"Best Books of 2008\" because I'd be happy to read all of them — again. TERRY GROSS, host: Our book critic Maureen Corrigan has made her list of the best books she's read in 2008. MAUREEN CORRIGAN: If I had to pick the Michael Phelps of fiction for this year, the gold would go to Joseph O'Neill's novel \"Netherland,\" a story about post-9/11 New York City as viewed through the scrim of F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece, \"The Great Gatsby.\" Gatsby here is reincarnated in a Trinidadian cricket player, but O'Neill's novel is so much more than just an exercise in imitative gestures. Like Fitzgerald, O'Neill is a connoisseur of the lost, dusty places in New York and also a poet of retrospection, a mood that suits the city directly after 9/11. Remember how Nick Carraway at the end of \"The Great Gatsby,\" talks about when the \"green breast\" of the New World, Manhattan, first appeared before Dutch sailors' eyes, it was the last time in history when man beheld an object commensurate with his capacity to wonder. It's all over, Carraway is saying in that ending. The age of discovery, the roaring '20s promise of New York City, it's finished, kaput. We live in a permanent state of aftermath, which is where O'Neill's gorgeous, mournful novel begins. Two short story collections also top my list. Jhumpa Lahiri's \"Unaccustomed Earth\" zeros in on characters whose natural tendency toward isolation is intensified by the immigrant experience, most are first or second-generation Indian Americans. As a writer, Lahiri is made of exquisitely stern stuff. And even though, as a reader, you quickly catch on to the fact that her characters won't be granted reprieve from their loneliness, you stick with them for the great pleasure of their solitary company. The five electrifying stories in Uwem Akpan's debut collection, \"Say You're One of Them,\" are narrated through the distinct voices of children in Africa who've seen too much. They've lost family members to prostitution, AIDS, slavery and genocide. Akpan's brilliance resides in the bewildered but resolutely chipper voices of these rough children, never overly endearing nor innocent. Let's lighten the tone here a bit. Muriel Barbery's wry and erudite novel \"The Elegance of the Hedgehog\" won the 2007 French Booksellers Prize. It was translated into English and published in paperback in this country this year. Barbery's tale of a middle-aged French concierge named Rene, who hides her hard-won education in the humanities from her building's wealthy tenants, astutely comments on class, presumption and power. As Rene says, \"As always, I am saved by the inability of living creatures to believe anything that might cause the walls of their little mental assumptions to crumble.\" Philip Roth's \"Indignation\" may not be what one would call a comic novel, given that it's set in 1951 and that our narrator, a 19-year-old Jewish transplant from Newark, finds himself shipwrecked on the antiseptic, anti-Semitic campus of a Midwestern college. But Roth's vision is always alert to the absurd. \"Indignation\" is Roth's bow to Shakespeare's \"Twelfth Night,\" a play whose brutally humorous tone is explicitly carried forward throughout this tale. Politics and history dominated nonfiction this election year, so I want to give a quick nod here to literary nonfiction. Elizabeth McCracken's memoir called \"An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination\" is an intense and tough-minded meditation on loss, in this case, the loss of her first child who was stillborn. McCracken captures the confusion of being thrust into a nightmare that hasn't been quite categorized. Brenda Wineapple's superb biography of the friendship between Emily Dickinson and her editor, Thomas Wentworth Higginson, complicates our understanding of the Belle of Amherst and gives her more juice. Finally, The Library of America did readers a great service this year by reprinting A.J. Liebling's \"World War II Writings.\" As this collection, which runs over a thousand pages, demonstrates, when the journalism gods made Liebling, they pretty much broke the mold. His style was forged by a classical education, and the Great Depression, and a vigorous print culture and fairy dust. And to any skeptics out there who think I'm being unduly sentimental, allow me to quote Liebling from o", "Many of my all-time favorite novels have a common (if slightly unsettling) thread: They feature an unreliable narrator at the helm. The term was popularized in the 1960s by the literary critic Wayne C. Booth, but the unreliable narrator herself has been around at least as long as the Wife of Bath in The Canterbury Tales. An unreliable narrator is one who tells a tale with compromised credibility, whether the narrator herself understands that or not. The reader usually finds this out only slowly, as cracks in the narrator's version of events begin to appear. For the reader, figuring out what really did happen is an unending but joyful mystery.", "From bombings in Iraq to mass killings in Darfur, sometimes the sheer numbers from tragedies can feel overwhelming. Paul Moore, public editor for the Baltimore Sun, talks about how his newspaper is trying to crack through the data and help readers find meaning behind the numbers in the news. Paul Moore, public editor, the Baltimore Sun Ellen Peters, senior research scientist, Decision Research Walker Gladden, youth coordinator, The Rose Street Center, Baltimore, MD NEAL CONAN, host: This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan in Washington. Flip through the newspaper and there is a barrage of numbers. Over the weekend, the yearlong homicide toll in Baltimore City rose by five to a total 174. One seems to happen every day. Of course, so do atrocities in Iraq. Yesterday, a bomb in the northern city of Kirkuk killed almost 80. Add a couple of zeros and you'll get the number dead from starvation and murder in Darfur. Intellectually, we all understand the horror behind those numbers, but after a while, we just don't seem to react. It's difficult but only human to be numbed. As the scale of the tragedy grows, the numbers climb, the emotional distance only seems to grow. People make sense of it in different ways and comparison may just complicate things. Later in this hour, Buffy is back once more with some serious feeling. But first, numbed by numbers. As you read the news or hear reports from places like Baltimore, Baghdad or Darfur, do you shut down? And if you're an activist, how do you keep it going? Our number is 800-989-8255, 800-989-TALK. E-mail is talk@npr.org. You can also join the conversation on our blog, that's at npr.org/blogofthenation. Joining us now is the public editor of the Baltimore Sun, Paul Moore. He joins us from the newspaper's studios there in Baltimore. And nice to have you on the program today. Mr. PAUL MOORE (Public Editor, The Baltimore Sun): Thank you for having me. CONAN: And it's been a bad summer for homicide in your city and the Sun's editor made a decision to try to connect their readers to crime in ways that the crime both seemed out of control and in some ways out of mind as well. Mr. MOORE: Well, Baltimore has a history of perennial high murder rate, but it's obviously grown this summer. It's on pace to pass the figure of 300, which is sort of a watershed number, which was achieved last in the 1990s. Because of the proliferation of reporting about crime, whether it be murder or other forms of criminal activity, the newspaper does use a certain amount of resources every day to such a problem, but there had been some very different approaches recently and that's what I wrote about recently. CONAN: And described some of them for you. I know one is a daily box that lists the number of murders. Mr. MOORE: Well, it is everyday on what's known as the Maryland section front, which is your standard metro page for a metropolitan newspaper. As you mentioned in your intro, it's now 174. It's listed under the count homicide since January 1st. It includes a short synopsis of the latest murder case and information about it. That in itself, in my opinion, is an interesting and risky venture, but I think at this point, the editors have decided that - not to put it front and center, in front of our readers is just not responsible. It's part of our mission as an institution in this city to keep not only people informed. And yet, we have to recognize, as you pointed out at the beginning, that there is a numbing factor to numbers, whether it is Darfur or Baltimore or Iraq. CONAN: And risky because it risks alienating readers, not only readers, but advertisers as well and business interests. Mr. MOORE: Well, I think to some degree. The business of course is changing and that's another story for another time. But certainly, perception is a very important part of living in a city like Baltimore and the surrounding region. The quality of life that people ascertain it to in this city, there's a great cycle actual affect on the lives of the citizens. As my reporting, and certainly the reporting of the newspaper itself, that this is an urban environment that it is on the upswing. It's a great city with a lot of wonderful opportunities, but it's also a city with significant social problems. You're trying to find the balance and run the risk of being too alarmist and possibly driving readers into the corner, but this is the ongoing debate at this point in time here at the Sun. CONAN: And it's not just this box, but a series of articles as well that try to put this both in terms of - but more broadly and in more depth. Mr. MOORE: Yes. And actually, since I wrote my column, which appeared in the Sunday paper, there's been two more pieces of some note. The Sun commissioned an independent poll to ascertain from citizens of Baltimore, what the most important issues are. And astonishingly, 68 percent said crime, dwarfing education, which is more traditionally at the top. I think some of this is inc", "The Discreet Hero is set in two Peruvian cities, the provincial desert town of Piura and the metropolis of Lima, and tells of two aging businessmen, each of whom we meet on the verge of life-changing situations. A transportation company owner from Piura, Felicito Yanaque, has spent most of his adult years in a bloodless marriage. He has two sons, a young mistress, and has recently become the apparent target of an extortion threat against his transit enterprise, a threat that, he vows heroically, to fight against, with or without the help of the police. The other businessman, Ismael Carrera, is a Lima insurance executive and a widower ready to retire and travel a bit. He has a new love, but when his two playboy sons hear of it, Ishmael finds himself in the middle of a war with his spoiled and rather nasty offspring. As we go back and forth between Piura and Lima, and between these two men, each struggling to seize his own destiny and live out a peaceful second half of life, the plot builds with a tension usually reserved for novels about war and politics. Felicito takes his initial threat — a note signed with the drawing of a spider — to the Piura police, but they give him little satisfaction. In the arms of his mistress, the attractive and ultimately duplicitous Mabel, he finds some pleasure. But the threats continue. When someone sets fire to his office and posts another threat on the door of Mabel's hideaway Felicito goes into higher gear, pushing the police ever harder to catch his extortionists. Felicito's story comes to the reader directly by means of a third person narrative. The Lima strand, the story of Ismael Carrera, comes filtered through the experiences of a colleague at his insurance company. Don Rigoberto is a dear friend and deep thinker edging toward retirement who serves as witness to Ishmael's personal trials and family turmoil. When his friend and colleague fights back against his sons, Don Rigoberto himself becomes entangled in the war of the younger generation against the older. Felicito to Ismael, then back to Felicito, from hot dusty Piura to damp and foggy ocean-side Lima, the story continues until finally building to the high point where the two men intersect. In anyone else's hands this material might seem drab, but I can't think of another novel in recent years that has given readers these kinds of thrills alongside and old-fashioned kind of high novelistic narrative. As he considers how he's become caught up in his boss's struggle, Don Rigoberto puts it this way: \"My God, what stories ordinary life devised; not masterpieces to be sure, they were doubtless closer to...soap operas than to Cervantes and Tolstoy...but then again not so far from... Dumas... Zola... Dickens, or...Galdos...\" Somewhere between soap opera and Dickens, Zola and Galdos, is not a bad place to be. By plucking his heroes from the world of business rather than government or the military, Vargas Llosa calls our attention to the strengths of people we don't normally think of as noble characters. It makes for a peerless novel about middle-class people wrestling with the nature of fate, happiness, the nature of success, and the struggle to lead an ethical life — a tale of two men, two families, two cities, two crises, two scandals. And in his use of the double hero Vargas Llosa demonstrates yet again his broad reach — not one major figure but two, who, taken together, reveal a great deal about the national character and the geographical particularities of the writer's native country. After setting three of his last four novels in places other than Peru, this return home is a welcome one, allowing him to reassert his old and enduring allegiances to the Nineteenth Novel (Flaubert's to be specific) even as he exercises his modernist prowess. Let me say just a little indiscreetly this big book about ordinary people living out big modern themes is the best new novel I've read in quite a while.", "\"My dad was such a comedian,\" Jennifer Lickteig tells Kansas City's KSHB-TV. \"He loved the Chiefs, so we had to let him have the last word.\" Which explains why his obituary begins this way: \"Loren G. 'Sam' Lickteig passed away on Nov. 14, 2012 of complications from MS and heartbreaking disappointment caused by the Kansas City Chiefs football team.\" Lickteig, who was 81, will be remembered Tuesday at Coronation of Our Lady Catholic Church in Grandview, Mo. (\"In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the MS Society.\") The 1-9 Chiefs, tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the worst record this season in the National Football League, continue their death march (hey, it sounds like Lickteig would agree!) on Sunday against the Denver Broncos. Chiefs players, by the way, are well aware that the team's fans aren't pleased. Loyal Two-Way readers know that we do enjoy humorous obituaries: Son's Funny And Loving Obituary About Dad Charms Readers.", "Ian McEwan's Sweet Tooth is that oddest of literary achievements: an ingenious novel that I compulsively read, intellectually admired and increasingly hated. By the time I got to McEwan's last sneer of a plot twist, I felt that reading Sweet Tooth is the closest I ever want to come to the experience of watching a snuff film. Think that's harsh? Open up Sweet Tooth and find out what McEwan thinks of you, Dear Reader, particularly if you're a woman, as most readers of fiction are. Our heroine here is a young woman named Serena Frome who devours 19th and 20th century fiction — everything from Jane Austen to Jacqueline Susann to Muriel Spark. Several times in Sweet Tooth, Serena discusses her reading tastes, much to the exasperation of her brainy novelist boyfriend. Serena says, \"I wanted characters I could believe in and I wanted to be made curious about what was to happen to them. Generally, I preferred people to be falling in and out of love. ... It was vulgar to want it, but I liked someone to say 'Marry me' by the end.\" Later on, Serena adds, \"I didn't like tricks.\" Oh, what fun McEwan has squirting acid over everything simple Serena — clearly, the Common (Female) Reader — enjoys in a novel. McEwan deploys his great gifts of storytelling to draw readers into an intricate plot about Serena's career during the 1970s, working as a low-level operative for MI5, the British internal intelligence service. Then, by novel's end, McEwan ridicules us readers for ever believing in Serena and the fictional world he's blown breath into. McEwan's title, Sweet Tooth, refers to both a clandestine operation Serena carries out and to the mind-candy lure of fiction itself. Certainly, as much as it is a suspense tale, a novel of ideas and a political meditation on the decline of Britain in the 1970s, Sweet Tooth is also a cynical novel about the art of fiction and its pointlessness in the larger scheme of things. As the story goes, beautiful Serena is recruited into MI5 by her lover at Cambridge, a history professor who is one of the many brilliant, narcissistic and essentially mean men whom she falls for. After graduation, Serena moves into a damp bed-sit in London and enters the intelligence service at a time when the glass ceiling for women was ankle-high. She diligently files and smiles until the day that her expertise as a novel reader is called upon for a mission dubbed \"Sweet Tooth.\" MI5 wants to secretly fund fledgling writers and artists whose work it deems anti-communist in sympathy. Serena is dispatched to entice a fiction writer named Tom Haley into the operation, and, as preparation, she reads the short stories he's written, which McEwan himself, of course, concocts and scatters throughout this novel. Violating one of the cardinal rules of tradecraft, Serena falls in love with Tom, even as she's tormented by the fact that she's concealing her true identity as a secret agent. As he has in previous novels, like Atonement, McEwan revels here in breaking the \"fourth wall\" between his fictional world and our own: For instance, real-life Brit writers, living and dead, like Martin Amis and Ian Hamilton turn up in scenes and schmooze with Tom and Serena. Tom's short stories all revolve around the themes of love, betrayal and fakery and, so, they explicitly comment on the larger tale this novel tells. Betrayal certainly dooms the relationship between Serena and Tom, as well the relationship — built on an illusion, after all — between the reader and this novel itself. What sets Sweet Tooth apart from McEwan's other work, however, is the tone. There's a degree of nastiness here — particularly in that genderized disdain for female readers as well as in McEwan's cool dismissal of the products of his own imagination. Postmodernist writing can have humor and heart, but, in Sweet Tooth, McEwan's postmodernist narrative \"tricks\" simply serve as weapons of mass destruction. The novel is exposed as little more than a mental game, and Serena, whom we've grown attached to, is brutally silenced. All that remains is a reader's grudging recognition that McEwan, our Author-God, is awfully clever. Call me sentimental, but that's not enough.", "The second best quality Diane Johnson has as a writer is that she's so smart. Her first best quality — and one that's far more rare — is that she credits her audience with being smart, too. Whether she's writing fiction, biography or essays, Johnson lets scenes and conversations speak for themselves, accruing power as they lodge in readers' minds. So it is with her memoir, Flyover Lives, which is bookended by a moody anecdote. Johnson recalls how she and her husband were invited to spend a night at a friend's rental villa in Provence, France. The villa was filled with other American couples and two of the men were retired Army generals whose well-preserved blonde wives were politely hostile to Johnson. Even as Johnson embarks on her memoir proper — partly as a response to her French hostess's remark that \"you Americans\" are indifferent to history and \"don't really know where you're from\" — we readers are still troubled by the curious meanness of those other women. Flyover Lives is a fairly traditional memoir, in that Johnson tries to define who she is by fleshing out the histories of her ancestors; but, at the same time, that tale of the strangely sour house party adds a note of mystery: How do you ever really know what's really going on with people, let alone the truth about the lives of your long-dead forebears? Flyover Lives is a memoir of the Midwest sure to charm readers — especially of a certain age — with its detailed observations of small-town American life before the advent of television and rural meth labs. As a consequence of growing up in landlocked Moline, Ill., Johnson read seafaring adventure tales as a girl and dreamed of being a pirate. She perceptively observes the long reach of the past in the daily domestic routine of her childhood world: \"My aunts, all of them,\" Johnson recalls, \"always seemed to me to be busy making things — canning and quilting, knitting and crocheting — activities carried over from the preindustrial agricultural world in which they still seemed to live.\" With the exception of her father, who had served overseas in World War I, \"none of my relatives,\" Johnson says, \"had been anywhere else; tales were not told about distant places, only about Bloomfield, or over to Pontiac or Muscatine or faraway Des Moines, journeys to be made by automobile on two-lane roads ... commenting on the progress of the crops, waiting for the Burma-Shave signs to unfold.\" But, of course, some of Johnson's ancestors had to have caught a primordial itch for travel, and she locates her family's \"first arrival\" in a pair of brothers, Rene and Francois, who left France early in the 18th century and promptly had their names Americanized to \"Ranna\" and \"Franceway.\" Johnson discovers the brothers because of that greatest of boons to genealogical detectives: a distant relative who wrote things down. In Johnson's case, the family chronicler was a great-great-grandmother named Catherine Martin. Martin was born in 1800 and wrote about immigrating to the Midwest with her husband and children, and homesteading in a two-room log cabin. Martin's account of losing her three little daughters (she calls them her \"three little prattlers\") to an epidemic of scarlet fever within the space of one week is the devastating center of Johnson's family memoir. Johnson tells us that her life, in comparison, has been \"lacking in drama.\" Granted, she escaped a bad early marriage and enjoyed some minor brushes with history — a summer job at Mademoiselle where one of her fellow interns was Sylvia Plath; a screenwriting gig with Stanley Kubrick on The Shining. But Flyover Lives is, as its title suggests, chiefly a memoir that tries to recapture the texture of the life once lived by many people in the vast American heartland. If she has a larger aim, Johnson says it's to remind readers \"of things people talk about as being missing in America today\" — fairly simple things like Mom-and-Pop restaurants and nice, long vacations and trains. Johnson is no reactionary and she's well aware of the pitfalls of nostalgia; but in Flyover Lives, she vividly reminds us that the country we're all from is the unfamiliar one called the past.", "You can print these titles, along with all our other year-end picks, using this master list. We need extra nourishment in the winter season. To me, that means feeding the body and feeding the mind. I have a recommendation that combines the two: Life is Meals: A Food Lover's Book of Days. Award-winning fiction writer James Salter and his playwright wife, Kay Salter, offer a year's worth of deliciously textured day-by-day entries about preparation, tasting, culinary history and personal history. For some good after-dinner reading: Thomas Pynchon's new 1,000-page novel, Against the Day, should last several evenings. Set between 1893 and the aftermath of World War I, the story features revenge plot and dozens of subplots filled with charming characters, such as ardent boy sleuths in air balloons and dogs that read Henry James. Against the Day is so long and dense that it will take even the most devoted Pynchon fan a week or two to read, and then more time to reread and ponder. Pynchon is a modernist -- so he may not be for everyone on your list. But for those folks who want to make that extra effort to spend time in an alternative world of humor and wild imagination, he's your best bet. Tucker Malarkey's Resurrection is a novel perfect for the holidays. This thinking-person's Da Vinci Code has a wonderful heroine who discovers her late father's work with the Nag Hammadi Gospels in post-World War II Egypt. In his nonfiction account Blood and Thunder, Hampton Sides details the opening of the American West during the mid-19th century. It's a fascinating history filled with mountain men, charismatic Navajo warriors, American presidents and the legendary scout Kit Carson. On the subject of this great American land: Home Ground: Language for an American Landscape, edited by Barry Lopez and Debra Gwartney, is a feast of definitions of geographical terms by some of America's best writers. It makes a splendid gift for the nature reader, the map lover and anyone who just flat-out loves where we live. For some comic relief, refer to Max Brooks' World War Z, a zombie novel. The audio-book version of this story, which imagines our world attacked by the living dead, will prove to be a great antidote for long commutes -- if you dare to go on the road. While Brooks' zombie tale is not one for kids, the Rabbit Ears Treasury of... series most certainly is. It's all your favorite fairy tales, tall tales and fables, told by voices you might recognize: Cher reading \"The Ugly Duckling,\" Glenn Close reading \"The Emperor and the Nightingale,\" Denzel Washington telling the West Indian tale \"Anansi\" and Nicolas Cage reading \"Davy Crockett.\" Finally, a fine gift for friends and family who love poetry: American Religious Poems, a Library of America anthology by Harold Bloom. It's 700 pages of great poems on faith and hope and charity and holidays, by many of our greatest poets. O, illuminated night! I wish you many of them, with plenty of light to read by, through the winter.", "Though M. T. Anderson couldn't possibly have planned it, his new book The Daughters of Ys feels like it was created for just this moment. The story's driving force and key image — a torrential flood of natural and unnatural origin that sweeps away a city — is the perfect symbol for our era. If you've felt your brimming anxiety about the coronavirus overflow as you've tried to keep up with the never-ending tide of news about it, you'll sympathize with Anderson's characters. This book is an excellent read right now for other reasons, too. Trying to keep abreast of your daily news feed may have made you impatient of any pleasure reading that isn't perfectly absorbing (OK, that's the last flood pun, I swear). A graphic novel, The Daughters of Ys is fun and easy to read. Anderson's story, a reinterpretation of a Breton folktale, is effortlessly page-turning and actually feels a bit like a young adult title — not surprisingly, considering YA is Anderson's preferred genre. But like Anderson's National Book Award-winning The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, this book is both accessible to a wide age range and rich with ideas that will intrigue adults. (Note, however, that due to dark themes, some gore and the fact that the characters have sex, it may be best kept away from immature readers.) Best of all, Daughters of Ys is a terrific respite for eyes weary of scanning headlines. Artist Jo Rioux isn't as well-known as her coauthor — as is often the fate of illustrators who focus on children's books — but she should be. Her drawings here aren't just beautiful, with their deep, layered colors and elegant compositions; they're also smart. Nodding to the original tale's 5th-century setting, Rioux uses the style and motifs of Anglo-Saxon art (think of the Bayeux Tapestry and the metalwork of Sutton Hoo). But she doesn't just replicate the style, she uses it to explore the evocative possibilities of minimalist cartooning. The characters' faces have flat-looking eyes and minimal features, but they express intense, ambiguous emotions. Rioux also borrows the glowing lights and velvety shadows of Maxfield Parrish's work for certain scenes, including a wonderful interlude set inside a circle of standing stones. The reader is encouraged to recall Parrish's turn-of-the-20th-century America, when astonishing and alarming technological advances triggered a yearning for the romantic past, and to compare it with our own time. Rioux's style also reinforces the parallels Anderson seeks to draw between our world and the Ys legend. The original folk tale is (surprise, surprise) primarily an exercise in woman-hating. Ys, a fabulous city built on land reclaimed from the sea, is ruled by King Gradlon, holder of the only key to the massive gates that keep the ocean at bay. His daughter Dahut — a half-fairy, sometime sorceress and nasty piece by all accounts — steals the key, opens the gates and dooms the city. Gradlon tries to flee the rising waters on horseback with Dahut riding behind him. They're about to drown when a voice calls out to Gradlon to throw Dahut into the sea if he wants to be saved. From there, different versions of the legend vary — some said Gradlon throws Dahut off the horse, others that she simply falls off. Either way, Gradlon is saved, and the evil woman gets what she deserves. Anderson tweaks the story considerably. In his hands it becomes a fable about climate change and capitalism, with the city (which exists only thanks to the magic of Gradlon's fairy wife) exemplifying humans' arrogance and short-sightedness about the dangers of technology. Anderson's Dahut isn't a nice girl by any means, but she has a nuanced character and understandable motives for her actions. Though she's somewhat responsible for the city's destruction, there's plenty of blame to go around. Gradlon closes his eyes to the city's underlying problems until it's too late, and the unlocking of the sea gates is just the final step towards catastrophe. Anderson also takes the opportunity to rebuke the original myth's misogyny, elevating Dahut's sister Rozenn to a major character so as to introduce a wider range of female experience. Rozenn may seem at first like a saintly anti-Dahut: She appreciates nature, bonds with a hermit and loves a humble fisherman, while Dahut parties into the night and sleeps with visiting princes. But while her intentions may be purer than Dahut's, Rozenn is as much to blame as her sister and father for the city's disastrous end. For all its beauty and delight, this book has at its heart a warning as grim as the dark truths in The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing. That book's protagonist reflected that \"all that seeks to rise burn[s] itself to nothing,\" while here King Gradlon intones, \"one can do nothing against God and the sea.\" It remains to be seen whether Anderson's warning, added to so many others we've heard, can somehow move us to disprove Gradlon's words. Etelka Lehoczky has written about books for The At", "The stories of lost pets turning up years later and hundreds (or thousands) of miles from home keep coming. Today's tale, from The Associated Press: \"A calico cat named Willow, who disappeared from a home near the Rocky Mountains five years ago, was found Wednesday on a Manhattan street and will soon be returned to a family in which two of the three kids and one of the two dogs may remember her. \"How she got to New York, more than 1,600 miles away, and the kind of life she lived in the city are mysteries.\" Once again, as in many other such stories, a microchip has led to owner being reunited with pet. Earlier this month, there was the report of a boxer in Florida named Cane who's now back with his family. In August, there was the tale of Fadiddle, a miniature pinscher who somehow got from Salt Lake City to San Diego. Heidi the German shorthair pointer from Arizona ended up in Pennsylvania. If only they could tell us about their journeys.", "I enjoy books that live between categories, the platypuses of the bookstore, and City of Ash and Red is that type of book. Classified as a thriller, it could also appeal to literary readers or speculative fiction fans. Whatever shelf you want to put it on, it's an anxious nightmare of a novel. I made the mistake of reading this while on a trip to Boston, which either made things worse or was just the perfect moment to tackle it, seeing as the book begins with a man on a journey to a country called only C. A virus going around has everyone on edge, which means our protagonist is subjected to an uncomfortable interrogation at the airport within the first few pages. Every time I fly into another country I am sure I will be dragged into a white room and forced to answer questions I'll fail to understand, and that's exactly what happens to the nameless protagonist of this tale, who has been transferred, for vague and mysterious reasons, to a new city which looks like a demented dystopia festooned with garbage and people in hazmat suits. Much will be made by critics about the themes of immigration, alienation and communication inherent in the book — but in simple terms imagine if, after a Duolingo course, you ended up in Mad Max's hood and there's rats and you lost your passport. It's a bad situation, and at first you'll feel sorry for the protagonist. But the more you get to know him, the more you'll hate him. People will surely talk about Kafka, but Gregor Samsa was never this disgusting, despite turning into a giant bug. Nevertheless, good literature does not require nice characters and Hye-young Pyun (with translator Sora Kim-Russell) expertly drags us through a nightmare, even if we wish we were in the company of someone with even a smidgen of heroism. In fact, the neat trick City of Ash and Red pulls is that almost every page is riddled with unbearable disquiet which keeps you going despite the \"wishy washy, introverted, insecure and passive\" protagonist who tumbles from one bad situation into another. There are rats, disease, murder, scavenging, rape and literal trash fires. And you won't be able to stop reading. Hye-young Pyun's previous novel, The Hole, won a Shirley Jackson Award. I've seen that book described as the Korean version of Stephen King's Misery. In the case of City of Ash and Red I've taken to calling it High-Rise if J.G. Ballard took on a whole neighborhood instead of just one luxury apartment building. It's a good book and it's a nasty one. Due to its platypus status, though, it might be easy for potential audiences to miss, with speculative readers thinking it's too smarty-pants because literature in translation always has that aura of caviar, and literary readers imagining that dystopian books are trashy. But whether you want to believe this is a grim look at the human condition or an exciting bit of weird fiction, it's worth a read. Silvia Moreno-Garcia is an award-winning author and editor. Her most recent novel is The Beautiful Ones. She tweets at @silviamg.", "After more than 50 years, EC Comics' legendary flagship title returns with all new Tales from the Crypt, narrated by the original Crypt Keeper, Old Witch and Vault Keeper. The first complete volume featuring four, 20-page tales in the EC tradition is out for Halloween. The new Tales from the Crypt comic book maintains the format of the old. That series influenced generations of young readers, from film director Steven Spielberg to author Stephen King, to horror film director John Carpenter. The newest comic offers several stories. There's the collector who buys a Japanese action figure — only to see it come to life. There's the cheap landlord condemned to live in his own run-down property — which happens to be next to a cemetery. In a comic book like this, it's not giving away too much to predict that many of the main characters will end up dead. And along the way, many will do something to make you think they deserve it. Jim Salicrup, is the editor of the new Tales From the Crypt comic books. The resurrected Tales from the Crypt is out now, to inspire and terrify a whole new generation. RENEE MONTAGNE, host: And if that's not scary enough, a series of comic books made its name by leering at people getting hurt. The series was called \"Tales from the Crypt.\" And like so many of the dead people it depicts, the comic has returned. Mr. JOHN KASSIR (Actor): Hello, boils and ghouls. It's the Crypt Keeper, and I just wanted to say good morning to my MORNING EDITION listeners. MONTAGNE: That's the voice of actor John Kassir. He played the Crypt Keeper on the television series that in turn was based on the 1950s horror comic by the same name. The Crypt Keeper served as a host, weaving grim stories together by inserting fiendish puns between them. Mr. KASSIR: I'd like to insert you into my story. (Soundbite of laughter) STEVE INSKEEP, host: The new \"Tales from the Crypt\" comic book maintains the format of the old. That series influenced generations of young readers, from Steven Spielberg to Stephen King, to horror film director John Carpenter. Mr. JOHN CARPENTER (Film Director): I enjoyed \"Tales from the Crypt\" because they were graphic. I enjoyed that - the rotting corpses. I enjoyed the one where the intestines were spread all over the bases. I can't - \"Foul Ball\" or \"Foul Play\" or something like that. I really loved it because you got to see it. INSKEEP: The newest comic offers several stories. There's the collector who buys a Japanese action figure only to see it come to life. There's the cheap landlord condemned to live in his own run-down property, which happens to be next to a cemetery. In a comic book like this, it's not giving away too much to predict that many of the main characters will end up dead. And along the way, many will do something to make you think they deserve it. Jim Salicrup is the editor of the new \"Tales from the Crypt\" comics. Mr. JIM SALICRUP (Editor, \"Tales from the Crypt\"): We're trying to make the \"Tales from the Crypt\" of today be sort of set in the very scary world of today. But at the same time, it's still a comic book and compared to reality, we're not that scary. MONTAGNE: The resurrected \"Tales from the Crypt\" is out now to inspire and terrify a whole new generation. (Soundbite of \"Tales from the Crypt\" theme music) Mr. KASSIR: This is the Crypt Keeper. You're listening to MORNING EDITION. Happy horror day. (Soundbite of laughter)", "Voters in New York City go to the polls Tuesday to choose their next mayor, and it appears all but certain that they'll elect Bill de Blasio, the city's public advocate. The Democrat has built a wide lead in the polls by distancing himself from the incumbent mayor, billionaire Michael Bloomberg. In fact, de Blasio has made income inequality the central issue of his campaign, name-checking the Charles Dickens novel A Tale of Two Cities dozens of times at debates and stump speeches. \"It always falls back to, 'It's a tale of two cities,' \" Republican candidate Joe Lhota complained in a recent interview with MSNBC. \"There's nothing more divisive than saying we are two cities, whether it's rich versus poor, black versus white.\" But de Blasio won't back down. \"There's nothing divisive about acknowledging the struggle that so many New Yorkers face. It's not class warfare,\" de Blasio said in a speech last month to a group of business leaders. \"It's arithmetic. And it's reality.\" For the stock market and the real estate business, these have been the best of times, or pretty close. But de Blasio argues those gains haven't been spread equally among all New Yorkers, including the record number of 50,000 people in the city who are homeless. De Blasio has been eager to emphasize his differences with outgoing mayor Bloomberg. De Blasio lives in Brooklyn, where he sends his children to public school; Bloomberg is one of the richest men in the country, who used his personal fortune to win three terms in office — first as a Republican, later as an independent. And Bloomberg did his best to make the wealthy feel welcome in New York. \"If we could get every billionaire around the world to move here, it would be a godsend,\" Bloomberg said in September during his weekly radio interview on WOR. \"They're the ones that spend a lot of money in the stores and restaurants and create a big chunk of our economy,\" Bloomberg said. \"And we take tax revenues from those people to help people throughout the entire rest of the spectrum.\" But polls suggest voters are ready for a change. De Blasio is poised for the kind of landslide win New York hasn't seen since the 1980s. Still, as mayor, de Blasio may find there's not much he can do to narrow the income gap. \"Great as New York is, it is not actually the federal government,\" says Julia Vitullo-Martin, a senior fellow at the Regional Plan Association. The mayor \"does not control the Federal Reserve, much less taxation and trade policy,\" Vitullo-Martin says. \"And it is very hard for a local jurisdiction to redistribute income.\" New York's mayor can't suddenly end the city's dependence on the financial industry — or replace disappearing jobs that pay middle-class wages. But de Blasio's supporters say there are things the next mayor could do to reverse decades of rising inequality. \"There are two cities. And the way that the new city is being built is only increasing the gap between the two cities,\" says Tom Angotti, a former aide to three New York mayors, during an interview on the waterfront in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This area is one of several places in the city where Angotti says high-rise luxury developments are changing the composition of whole neighborhoods. \"It has jacked up the rents and land prices and housing prices around. And that has displaced many, many people,\" says Angotti, who now teaches urban affairs at Hunter College. \"People who have lived in the city for years and generations are concerned that they're not going to be able to stay.\" On the campaign trail, de Blasio has pledged to build more affordable housing, and to give all New Yorkers access to universal prekindergarten, paid for by raising taxes on the highest earners. \"When so many New Yorkers are being priced out of their own city ... it's a crisis of affordability,\" de Blasio said last month. \"I don't accept this as our destiny. I am committed to tackling this crisis.\" De Blasio has been committed to that message as a candidate. But he may find it's a lot harder to bring the two cities closer together. MELISSA BLOCK, HOST: Tomorrow, voters in New York go to the polls to choose their next mayor. And it appears all but certain that they'll elect a Democrat for the first time in 24 years. New York public advocate Bill de Blasio has built a wide lead in the polls by distancing himself from current mayor, billionaire Michael Bloomberg. In fact, de Blasio has made income inequality the central issue of his campaign, as NPR's Joel Rose reports. JOEL ROSE, BYLINE: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. That's how Charles Dickens opens his famous book about London and Paris in the late 1700s. But for Bill de Blasio, Dickens could've been talking about present-day New York. BILL DE BLASIO: We are living a tale of two cities. That New York had become a tale of two cities ROSE: De Blasio has repeated the book's title all year at debates and stump speeches, a fact that has not been ignored by his main rival, Republi" ]

[ "US auto giant General Motors has received several bids for its loss-making Swedish unit Saab, a company spokesman told AFP Friday." ]

[ "Saab, a unit of General Motors has filed for protection from its creditors after GM announced plans to do away with the brand by 2010 and the Swedish government politely declined to take it over.", "20:39 GMT, January 3, 2011 Defence and security company Saab has received an order for ARTHUR weapon locating system.", "Swedish Automobile NV announces that Saab Automobile AB and its subsidiaries Saab Automobile Powertrain AB and Saab Automobile Tools AB have filed for voluntary reorganization today with the District Court in Vänersborg.", "Carmaker Saab has filed for voluntary reorganisation at a district court in Sweden.", "Saab has already restarted production in Sweeden, sources from Pangda told the Beijing Times today.", "Fiat has denied a German news report that it plans to cut 18,000 jobs and close 10 factories in Europe, should it succeed in its bid to take over GM's European operations.", "Saab, the defense and security company, has entered a contract for additional deliveries of the RBS 70 ground based air defense system to the Finnish Army.", "General Motors says it will shut down its Swedish auto brand Saab after talks failed to produce a buyer for the money-losing unit.", "The Saab Automobile division of General Motors on Friday filed for creditor protection after failing to get funds from both the Swedish government and its parent.", "Saab, the ailing Swedish carmaker, averted the threat of imminent collapse after an appeals court granted its request for bankruptcy protection.", "Saab, the loss-making subsidiary of General Motors Corporation, is brewing local production in China, according to foreign media reports quoting the words of Jan-Ake Jonsson, the company's managing director.", "Saab Automobile AB said Wednesday that it is discussing a new ownership structure with its Chinese investors, trying to save plans of selling the cash-starved company after former owner General Motors Co. objected to the deal.", "Under the agreement, BMW will supply to Saab a turbocharged four-cylinder 1.6-litre engine, which has been tailored to the Swedish company's requirements.", "Saab has resumed vehicle production, with an all-new 9-5 sedan marking the first vehicle made by the newly independent company.", "Bruno's Supermarkets, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February 2008, has received several bids as part of its bankruptcy auction, revealed Reuters.", "Vikings GM Rick Spielman said Thursday that despite recent rumors, Minnesota has ``no intent'' of trading wide receiver Percy Harvin.", "Rams GM Billy Devaney confirmed he is under the impression that Texas QB Colt McCoy will throw at the Combine.", "General Motors Co. is offering buyouts to several thousand skilled trades workers at 14 plants around the US", "Yesterday, Motor Trend reported that inside sources with GM have stated that the Granite has been given the green light for production.", "Mahindra Satyam today announced its plans to collaborate with defence and security company Saab to develop its operations in India for the global defence and homeland security market.", "Saab Automobile and its current administrator, Guy Lofalk, have applied to have a new administrator oversee the restructuring of the troubled Swedish car maker, after Lofalk last week moved to abandon the reorganization attempts.", "Titans GM Ruston Webster confirmed Tuesday that the Titans have agreed to terms with Fitzpatrick, the former Buffalo Bills quarterback.", "Southampton have not received any bids for winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, according to manager Nigel Adkins.", "Liverpool have confirmed they have had a bid for Andy Carroll accepted after the striker handed in a transfer request.", "After several months of dialogue with FIFA, FFA Chairman Frank Lowy and FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke have issued a joint statement confirming Australia will focus its World Cup bid on 2022.", "General Motors Corp. has confirmed that it will offer buyouts to all of its hourly employees as the troubled automaker continues to slash costs.", "Aston Villa today confirmed they have rejected an improved bid from Liverpool for captain Gareth Barry.", "Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group has confirmed it will lodge its bid for troubled bank Northern Rock on Monday.", "Under GM's May the Best Car Win campaign, buyers can return new GM cars if they don't like them.", "Highly-rated Vasco da Gama defender Dede has confirmed that Cruzeiro have made a bid to sign him.", "GM said Wednesday that it has narrowed down the locations where it could build its new small car to factories in either Michigan, Tennessee or Wisconsin.", "A confirmed tornado ripped through Slidell Thursday afternoon as severe weather rolled through southeast Louisiana." ]

[ "Music from the tragic story of an ape's hopeless love: The \"Main Title\" and \"Jungle Dance\" from a new recording of Max Steiner's complete score to the 1933 film \"King Kong.\" William J. Stromberg conducts the Moscow Symphony Orchestra. (Marco Polo 8.223763)" ]

[ "After nearly 25 years in the music business, The Tragically Hip continues to thrive, thanks in part to its vigorous and often improvisational live shows. Still, the band has remained on the relative outskirts of the U.S. music scene, despite rising to rock immortality in its native Canada. The band performs a concert from WXPN and World Cafe Live in Philadelphia. After 1989's Up To Here, The Tragically Hip couldn't find an arena in Canada big enough to hold it, selling out shows while attracting a raucous army of insatiable fans. The band has released 10 full-length albums of bare-bones rock 'n' roll, as well as the 2005 box set Hipeponymous, which arrived on the heels of The Tragically Hip's induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Its newest studio disc is last year's World Container.", "Refugee: It's a word loaded with fear, abandonment, and sometimes the most brutal and tragic of stories. From Iraq to Darfur, it's the stories of people fleeing the worst of humanity that are the most moving examples of the ravages of war. Today, we'll talk to a group of refugees from the horrifying eleven year civil war that devestated Sierra Leone -- who are defined equally by their experience as refugees, and their musical group, The Refugee All-Stars. They formed the group in a refugee camp in Guinea as a way of putting their experiences in context artistically. A documentary about them will be on PBS in a few weeks. They're extraordinary people; you can't believe what they've been through. If you have questions for them, or if you've ever been a refugee, please feel free to post comments and questions.", "The Extraordinaires are a theatrical four-piece band from Philadelphia. Originally formed by Jay Purdy and Matt Gibson in 2004, the group later expanded to include pianist Jacob Wolf and drummer Peter Hurd. Their music draws on a broad range of influences, from ragtime and country-western to the Muppets. Using storytelling as their focal point, they've released two fully illustrated hand-made hardcover books to accompany their albums. The first of which, a tragic romantic opera entitled Ribbons of War, is now the subject of a fully produced traveling stage adaptation, starring the band and a full cast. Their most recent album, Short Stories is a collection of high-energy pop songs, with everything from cowboys and cacti and ancestors to arsonists.", "Here's what's surprising about guitarist Nathan Salsburg: He writes passionate instrumental tales about racehorses and turns them into accessibly eclectic tunes. With a brilliant debut album (Affirmed) full of intricate and melodic fingerpicking, Salsburg is likely to become one of those names we all associate with American folk guitar. Salsburg knows something about American folk music, too: He's been an archivist at the Alan Lomax Archive, and has spent his share of time listening to and learning rare acoustic music by Rev. Gary Davis and Jelly Roll Morton. When Salsburg picks up the guitar, what comes out is a mix of blues and ragtime, but these are 21st-century rags from an old soul with new energy. He's been playing guitar for 22 years, yet he's only played out publicly for a few months. The two tunes Salsburg plays in this Tiny Desk Concert are both inspired by great racehorses: The first celebrates the Triple Crown-winning horse Affirmed. The second, \"Eight Belles Dreamt the Devil Was Dead,\" tells the tragic story of Eight Belles, who in 2008's Kentucky Derby tripped across the finish line, coming in second place, and tragically broke both her front ankles. The horse had to be euthanized on the field, an event documented in a few songs on Affirmed. Set List: \"Affirmed\" \"Eight Belles Dreamt the Devil Was Dead\" Credits: Producer and Editor: Bob Boilen; Videographer: Michael Katzif; Audio Engineer: Kevin Wait; photo by Doriane Raiman/NPR", "Families have always made great subject matter for dramatic entertainment. Happy families, quarreling families, dysfunctional families, even tragic families they all make for captivating stories, maybe because nearly everyone can identify with the rewards and struggles of family life. \tLooking back at what some consider the \"golden age\" of American television, it was happy families that seemed the most popular — in particular families blessed with a father's wisdom. Robert Young in Father Knows Best and Fred MacMurray in My Three Sons are just two examples of the many firm but kindly fathers who populated TV in the 1950s and '60's. It was a great time for fathers and their kids — at least in Hollywood. \tBut go back a hundred years or so, to another form of popular entertainment, and you'll find a different sort of family life altogether — and a great composer who was a master at setting it to music.\t Giuseppe Verdi's own life as a father was tragic, almost from the beginning. His first wife died, as did their two children, while Verdi was still in his 20s. At the time, he was just getting his start as an opera composer. As he grew more and more successful, he often relied on tragic stories, featuring the deep love between fathers and their children — and especially between fathers and daughters. \tOne famous example is Rigoletto, an opera in which the title character — a truly devoted father — inadvertently causes his own daughter's death. Verdi also featured a poignant, father-daughter relationship in his potboiler Stiffelio, and one between a concerned father and his sort-of-daughter-in-law in La Traviata. And just a few years after Traviata, Verdi created a father-daughter bond that may top all the others. It's the centerpiece of his dark and intensely emotional opera Simon Boccanegra. \tJust as Verdi seemed to spend a lot of time pondering fathers and their daughters, he also took quite a while to come to grips with Simon Boccanegra. The opera began life in the 1850s, but the final version didn't take shape until 1881. Even then, it took a long time for the opera to earn its way among so many Verdi masterpieces. But by now, it's widely recognized as one of the most complex and moving of all his great tragedies. On World of Opera, host Lisa Simeone presents Simon Boccanegra from one of the world's great musical venues, the Vienna State Opera. Baritone Leo Nucci stars in the title role, with soprano Roxana Briban as his daughter, Amelia, in a production led by conductor Yves Abel. See the previous edition of World of Opera or the full archive", "As a child, Benjy Ferree dreamed of becoming an actor. After discovering his love of music, he moved to Washington, D.C., and began playing gigs at local clubs. Before long, Ferree's vintage Americana music had caught the eye of a label, which put out Leaving the Nest, a folksy, acoustic and blues-filled album that won the singer many new fans. Ferree's new follow-up, Come Back to the Five and Dime Bobby Dee, Bobby Dee, tells the tragic story of Disney actor Bobby Driscoll in song. Though he sticks to Americana, Ferree adds interesting touches of Britpop and '50s doo-wop while maintaining his idiosyncratic, crooning vocal style. In a session with host David Dye, Ferree performs songs from his new album.", "Opera and African drumming make an unlikely pair -- but composer and flautist Leslie Savoy Burrs has merged both music forms into a compellingly original opera, Vanqui. Burrs blended African rhythms with classical motifs to create the opera's music and partnered with renowned author John A. Williams, who wrote the libretto. The result is both a musical love story and a tragic polemic on slavery, as the spirits of two murdered Africans enslaved in America seek each other in the afterlife. Williams won the National Book Award for his collection of poems, Safari West, and some of the passages from that book find their way into Vanqui. Burrs and Williams spoke with NPR's Tavis Smiley about their opera and its signature blend of jazz, classical and African music cues -- a sound Burrs calls \"urban classical.\" Burrs collaborates with other musicians to explore that unique sound further in his latest CD, Blue Harlem, Black Knight. To get a copy of Blue Harlem, Black Knight and to learn more about Vanqui, e-mail Burrs at LeslieBurrs@aol.com.", "One of music's greatest strengths lies in its capacity to stir the emotions, and over the centuries, composers of classical music have found inspiration in virtually every occasion, from the violence of the battlefield to a bucolic peacetime flirtation. On this Valentine's Day, here are five pieces that capture the power of love in some of its various guises: stoking the fire of creativity (Elgar), leading lovers blindly down a tragic path (Khachaturian and Mozart), intensifying love's desire (Canteloube), or creating a quiet but joyous contentment (Bodorova). It's all here—from the bliss of love to its tragic consequences.", "One of the most moving love stories in the world of music is the relationship between Robert and Clara Schumann. In 2007, the British producer David Caird put together a music theater piece called Twin Spirits at London's Covent Garden in which Derek Jacoby narrated the romantic and tragic story, with Sting and his wife Trudie Styler reading passages from Robert and Clara's letters and the remarkable diary they kept together in the first years of their marriage. Some excellent chamber musicians and singers punctuate the readings with excerpts from the works of both Robert and Clara. Twin Spirits tells the story of Robert Schumann coming to Leipzig to study with the renowned music teacher Friedrich Wieck. Wieck's daughter Clara was a piano prodigy, by far the most talented of his six children. Robert was nine years older than her. He lived with the Wiecks for a year. By the time Clara was in her mid teens, they had fallen in love. Wieck was violently opposed to this romance. Clara's career came first. He refused to permit the marriage and ultimately the two lovers went to court for permission. Clara was 21; Robert 30. Wieck eventually relented when the couple had the first of their eight children, only four of whom outlived their parents. Clara was much more famous than Robert, and traveled extensively giving recitals, which were admired by the greatest musical figures of the time. She inspired Robert — the year before they were married, he wrote more than 100 of his greatest songs. And she helped further his career by playing his compositions. Robert Schumann suffered from periodic mental breakdowns; tragedy struck when he tried to drown himself. He was institutionalized, but Clara was forbidden to see him for more than two years, until he was actually dying. She spent the rest of her life giving concerts and performing her husband's music. In his musical selection, Twin Spirits producer/director David Caird is less concerned with chronology than with finding something appropriate for each part of the story. Purists might object to the way Caird has rearranged some of the original music for this production. But in this dramatic context, I find these new arrangements both tasteful and effective. Sting, we've come to know, has a serious interest in classical music; he's also a coolly expressive actor and reader. Trudie Styler is particularly affecting reading what Clara wrote during her final visits to Robert. The most disappointing element of Twin Spirits is the rather artificial narration by Derek Jacobi, an actor I usually admire. But the whole enterprise is a compelling and poignant retelling of the story, and the well-chosen and well-performed music make this an outstanding addition to the year celebration of Robert Schumann's bicentennial. TERRY GROSS, host: This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of composer Robert Schumann. Our classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz thinks one of the most interesting new Schumann commemorative items is a DVD of a British music and theater piece called \"Twin Spirits\" about the intense relationship between Schumann and his wife Clara. Another famous couple, Sting and Trudie Styler read the Schumann's actual letters and diary entries. (Soundbite of \"Twin Spirits\") STING (Singer, Songwriter): (as Robert Schumann) That even when all my prayers were turned into scorn and derision, you, would spring into my mind - you, alone, my beloved girl child. I would find myself asking the question: Will she one day become my wife? Then, every day between us lay far into the future. Who made me love you? Who made you love me? And from whom can one demand and explanation? LLOYD SCHWARTZ: One of the most moving love stories in the world of music is the relationship between Robert and Clara Schumann. In 2007, the British producer David Caird put together a music theater piece called \"Twin Spirits\" at London's Covent Garden, in which Derek Jacoby narrated the romantic and tragic story, with Sting and his wife Trudie Styler reading passages from Robert and Clara's letters and the remarkable diary they kept together in the first years of their marriage. Some excellent chamber musicians and singers punctuate the readings with excerpts from the works of both Robert and Clara. (Soundbite of music) SCHWARTZ: \"Twin Spirits\" tells the story of Robert Schumann coming to Leipzig to study with the renowned music teacher Friedrich Wieck. His daughter Clara was a piano prodigy, by far the most talented of his six children. Robert was nine years older than her. He lived with the Wiecks for a year. By the time Clara was in her mid teens, they had fallen in love. Here's one sweet story. (Soundbite of \"Twin Spirits\") STING: (as Robert Schumann) Dear, kind, Clara, I have a mystical proposal that you must grant. Tomorrow night at exactly 11 o'clock, I shall play the adagio from Chopin's \"Variations on 'La ci darem,\" and will think intently, exclusively of you. If you do the same thin", "Stephen King, John Mellencamp and T-Bone Burnett's collaboration on the musical Ghost Brothers of Darkland County began 13 years ago. Inspiration for the story came when Mellencamp bought a vacation cabin; he says he found out just after closing that the home was the site of the tragic death of two brothers and the girl they both loved. With the idea that King could fully realize the horrific tale of one brother attempting to kill the other and all three kids dying, Mellencamp contacted King. Together, the pair set off into uncharted territory: a musical. Mellencamp wrote the songs to drive the story forward, while King handled the script. Later, Burnett was brought in to wrangle the music. The result was a full-on production presented in Atlanta last year, with a CD/DVD version released this week. Burnett has \"cast\" the music well. Ryan Bingham, Neko Case, Rosanne Cash and others, including Elvis Costello as a devilish character called \"The Shape,\" bring these songs to life. Learn more about the unusual and extended creative process as Stephen King, John Mellencamp and T-Bone Burnett join World Cafe.", "Scott Joplin was once among America's most popular songwriters. The son of a former slave, the composer's Ragtime music swept the nation more than 100 years ago. Joplin's house in St. Louis is thought by some to be haunted. A visit to the home inspired author Tananarive Due to write her latest book, Joplin's Ghost. Due's book brings Joplin into the present as a ghost that is haunting a young R&B singer — a woman who has already survived a crushing encounter with an antique piano. For those seeking a more concrete connection with Joplin, there are still piano rolls holding his compositions. The composer would have played a piano that punched tiny holes in rolls of paper. When fed into a player piano, the rolls re-create music from Joplin's era, and maybe even his own hand. St. Louis music collector Trebor Tichner has collected Joplin rolls, but it would be hard to prove that Joplin actually made the piano rolls that bear his name. One roll in Tichner's collection, however, is likely to have been produced by Joplin's own hand. The playing on the 1916 roll in question is poor, and it's well-known that Joplin was a better composer than he was a player. Scott Joplin's furniture is gone from the house in St. Louis. Many of the facts of his life are gone, too. And one of his biographers points out that many details of his life are in dispute. What remains is the music he wrote and perhaps the traces of Scott Joplin's hands on the keys of a player piano. RENEE MONTAGNE, host: And now a story of another pioneering pianist. (Soundbite of ragtime piano) STEVE INSKEEP, host: Here's a ghost story that just might be true. It's about the great composer Scott Joplin. We first heard this story from a novelist, who heard it from somebody else. The writer, Tananarive Due, says the story inspired her latest novel, Joplin's Ghost. It started years ago when she visited a city where Scott Joplin had lived. Ms. TANANARIVE DUE (Writer): I was on one of my very first book tours in the City of St. Louis, and there were only a couple of people there. One of them was the curator of the Scott Joplin House in St. Louis. And he proceeded to tell me very sober faced stories about his encounters with what he was convinced was the ghost of Scott Joplin: a man standing by the window. When the curator turned around they tried to tell him it was closing time, all of a sudden the man was gone. That story really stuck with me. And I asked myself, why would there be a ghost at the Scott Joplin House? (Soundbite of ragtime piano) INSKEEP: The house in St. Louis was preserved because Scott Joplin was once among the most popular American songwriters. He was the son of a former slave, whose Ragtime music swept the nation more than 100 years ago. (Soundbite of ragtime piano) And it resurfaced in the 1970s with the soundtrack from the movie The Sting. (Soundbite of Scott Joplin's \"The Entertainer\") Okay. Now, we are not about to tell you that Scott Joplin's House is really haunted, but we are going to find out how Scott Joplin might, in a manner of speaking, haunt a piano. To get there we have to learn about Joplin, just as Tananarive Due started learning after she heard that ghost story. Ms. DUE: I even wrote in my journal that night a little about the encounter; Joplin's Ghost would be a great name for a story. But at that point, I didn't know the rest of the piece, until I learned a little bit more about Joplin's tragic life. INSKEEP: What was tragic about his life? Ms. DUE: Part of the tragedy was an artist who felt that he was constrained and could not follow his muse and win the respect and admiration of the world, which is what all artists want. That was probably his deepest sorrow. But he also had syphilis, without proper treatments for that during that period. He had three wives, the second of whom died very tragically only a few weeks after they were married, at a very tender age. Actually, she got sick while she was touring with him, and then, boom, she was dead. (Soundbite of ragtime piano) INSKEEP: Are there recordings of Scott Joplin playing? Ms. DUE: No. No, no, no. There are not. INSKEEP: Yet there may be a way that we can still listen, as if he sat down to a piano today. Mr. Trebor Tichner (Music Collector): This is Maple Leaf Rag roll-played by Scott Joplin issued in 1916. INSKEEP: That's a St. Louis music collector named Trebor Tichner. We reached him at his house, which has a player piano. He was holding a piano roll, a long scroll of paper, a copy of one that might have been made by Scott Joplin himself. Joplin would have played a piano that punched tiny holes in the paper. The roll in Tichner's hand was likely edited, improved after the performance. But when he feeds it into the piano and the machine starts to spin... (Soundbite of roll spinning) INSKEEP: ...you hear one of Joplin's greatest songs, as though he is at the keyboard. (Soundbite of Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag) INSKEEP: It would be hard to prov", "When it comes to anecdotes about musicians, the one about 17th century French composer Jean-Baptiste Lully certainly ranks among the most bizarre. Lully, who spent much of his career writing music for King Louis XIV of France, had composed a grand motet titled \"Te Deum,\" a work for chorus, soloists and orchestra. When conducting the piece, he accidentally stuck himself with his baton. The wound later killed him. Lately I've been listening to a new three-disc set of the Lully's Grand Motets, which includes the fateful \"Te Deum.\" Tragic story aside, the \"Te Deum\" is, like many of the works on this set, a very fine piece. I admit, I didn't know most of the music in this collection. With a few exceptions, French Baroque music has never been my particular cup of tea. Too much cream and sugar, perhaps. But there's stronger drink in these recordings, and I'm taking new stock of Mr. Lully. \"Plaude laetare Gallia\" celebrates the Dauphin, the heir to the French throne. The texts of these motets often mix the celebration of a royal personage in conjunction with Christ. This text includes the lines: \"The Dauphin is washed in the sacred spring / And the Christian is consecrated in Christ.\" I can't say that I know much about the Dauphin, but every time I get to the end of this captivating track, I hit repeat. This box set collects three previously recorded albums from the group Le Concert Spirituel conducted by Herve Niquet, whose soloists are mostly first rate. At 16 bucks for three CDs, it's a fine entryway into the music of this composer. Another option is to go online and sniff out individual tracks you might like for about 90 cents each. In the meantime, I'm going to listen to more from Lully. It could be that I've missed a lot of good music. MICHELE NORRIS, host: Jean-Baptiste Lully was a master composer in 17th century France. He wrote a grant motet for King Louis XIV, the grand motet \"Te Deum.\" But while conducting a performance of the piece, Lully struck himself in the foot with his staff and he later died. Music critic Tom Manoff has been listening to a new three-CD set of Lully's works, including the infamous grand motet and he has been pleasantly surprised. (Soundbite of music) TOM MANOFF: So, here it is: Jean-Baptiste Lully's \"Te Deum.\" The composer was conducting 150 musicians during the famous incident. It must have been quite a show. (Soundbite of music, \"Te Deum\") MANOFF: Tragic story aside, the \"Te Deum\" is a fine work, as are many of the grand motets on this three-CD box set. I didn't know most of this music. With a few exceptions, French baroque music has never been my particular cup of tea -too much cream and sugar, perhaps. But there's a stronger drink on these recordings, and I'm giving Mr. Lully a new listen. This motet celebrates the dauphin, the heir to the French throne. Can't say I know much about that guy, but every time I get to the end of this captivating track, I hit repeat. (Soundbite of music) MANOFF: Here's another motet that Lully composed for the king. (Soundbite of music) MANOFF: This box set puts together three previously recorded CDs from the group Le Concert Spirituel, conducted by Herve Niquet. The soloists on this recording are mostly first-rate, though a few tracks could be better. But at 16 bucks for three CDs, it's a fine entryway into the music of this composer. Another option is downloading tracks that you might like. These run about 90 cents. Meantime, I'm going to listen to more from Jean-Baptiste Lully. Could be that I've missed a lot of good music. (Soundbite of music) NORRIS: That was Tom Manoff reviewing \"Lully: Complete Grant Motets\" performed by Le Concert Spirituel.", "Updated at 11:10 a.m. ET Gord Downie, singer of The Tragically Hip, died of complications from brain cancer Tuesday night at the age of 53. His death was announced in a statement from his family. \"Gordie said he had lived many lives,\" his family writes. \"As a musician, he lived 'the life' for over 30 years, lucky to do most of it with his high school buddies. At home, he worked just as tirelessly at being a good father, son, brother, husband and friend. No one worked harder on every part of life than Gord. No one.\" The Tragically Hip — Downie, bassist Gord Sinclair, guitarist Rob Baker and drummer Johnny Fay — was formed in a high school in the Canadian province of Ontario in 1984. Guitarist Paul Langlois joined in 1986 while the group was performing in small venues across Ontario. The Tragically Hip would go on to be one of Canada's best-known bands, becoming indelible within the country's pop landscape during its ascent in the 1990s. In a statement on the news of Downie's passing, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau writes that the singer \"painted landscapes with his words, elevating Canadian geography, historical figures, and myths. When he spoke, he gave us goosebumps and made us proud to be Canadian. Our identity and culture are richer because of his music, which was always raw and honest — like Gord himself.\" While the band never broke into the upper 50 of the Billboard 200 stateside, it placed seven No. 1 albums on Billboard's Canadian Albums chart. Of its 13 studio albums, three have been certified diamond (more than 1 million copies sold) and eight certified platinum (more than 100,000 copies sold) in Canada. While The Hip's music was inescapable in its home country, Downie seemed to have a knack for recruiting fans from the most unlikely sources. Damian Abraham, singer of the Canadian hardcore band F***** Up, wrote for Vice that The Tragically Hip's \"songs are stitched into the collective subconscious of this country in a way that can only come from being played constantly on radio, television, and during breaks of play at sports events,\" and that after deeper listening, \"I was blown away by Gord's ability to tell stories and convey emotion within the constraints of the song.\" Downie announced his illness in May 2016, after being diagnosed in December 2015. \"It is my difficult duty today to tell you that Gord Downie's brain tumour is incurable,\" neuro-oncologist James Perry told a news conference at the time of its announcement. In response to the news, Prime Minister Trudeau tweeted: \"Downie is a true original who has been writing Canada's soundtrack for more than 30 years.\" Shortly afterward, Downie also announced he would be joining The Tragically Hip for what would be its final tour, culminating in a performance in the band's birthplace of Kingston, Ontario. The concert was streamed across Canada and watched by 11.7 million people, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The tour, and that final show, were documented for the documentary film Long Time Running, which is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on Nov. 26. Downie told the CBC that the tour \"was just heaven on Earth. And all these sorts of provisions were made for me. Just every fantasy I've ever had for a show was coming true.\"", "I did not particularly like the way this story was presented. A man died, that is tragic and his audio was interesting but his wife's comments and what she said about the situation seem to detract from the man who died of brain cancer. We should not speak ill of the dead, especially if you have a story on a radio for millions to hear. Tragic things happen to everyone and everyone dies, I am not particularly interested in hearing how difficult it was to be married to a man with brain cancer. Who in a right mind would think that living with a terminally ill person is going to be easy. But it's up to that person to deal with it the best he or she can.", "Two members of the up-and-coming indie band The Yellow Dogs were among the dead in a Monday morning murder-suicide in Brooklyn. It's a tragic ending for a band that came from Iran to escape crackdowns on rock music.", "The year's best pop music from Lily Allen; The quiet and contemplative Damien Rice; Chilling out with The Hold Steady; Three new CDs from Tom Waits; A tragic treasury from The Gothic Archies; Surreal sounds out of Kansas: White Flight; West Africa's Refugee All Stars. Download this show in the All Songs Considered podcast. Sign up for the All Songs Considered newsletter and we'll tell you when new music features are available on the site.", "The music of The Guggenheim Grotto blends classical instruments such as the viola, the glockenspiel, the Wurlitzer and the Hammond organ with the more conventional guitar, bass and piano for a haunting and melodic sound that often evokes tragic love stories. The Guggenheim Grotto began as the duo of Mick Lynch and Kevin May, who toured the same singer/songwriter circuit in Ireland that launched Damien Rice's career. They were soon joined by Shane Power, a skilled musician and sound engineer who helped them develop their distinctive sound. The group's debut album, ...Waltzing Alone, was released last year in Ireland. It came out last month in the U.S. and Canada, where the band is currently touring.", "For a lot of music fans, uttering the name Jeff Buckley is tantamount to prayer, and whispering the title of his song \"Eternal Life\" is prophecy. While there are limited morsels of Buckley's otherworldly essence left on this earth, there are untold stories from those who knew him. It's taken Dave Lory two decades to tell some of these tales. Dave Lory picked Jeff Buckley up in a white Ford contour van in the winter of 1994 for Buckley's first solo tour, and co-managed the remarkable star (along with George Stein) all the way through Buckley's tragic and untimely death in 1997. Lory shares many of those stories in a new book he co-authored with Jim Irvin called Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah to Last Goodbye. Lory's book will be released on the anniversary of Buckley's death May 29, but he visited the World Cafe to give us an early preview. From their time on the road together to the triumphs and challenges release of Grace, Lory gives us a window into Buckley's tremendous artistic life. Lory also mines the painful memory of Buckley's disappearance, including the final voicemail Buckley left for Lory shortly before his death. Listen in the player above.", "Music, no matter how innocent and lovely it might seem, can still convey some truly dire emotions. You may remember a romantic hit from the 60s, \"The End of the World\" by Skeeter Davis. It features a gentle melody and softly poetic lyrics, but depending on context, those lyrics could reflect a desperate state of mind: \"Why does my heart go on beating? Why do these eyes of mine cry? Don't they know it's the end of the world? It ended when you said goodbye.\" Someone thinking that way — someone who has lost their one true love — might decide that if their own romantic world has ended, living with the rest of the world just isn't worth the effort any more. Massenet's opera Werther is another example of music that, at first, is deceptively innocent. It's opening scene features happy children practicing a joyous Christmas carol on a bright, July afternoon. But before long, we meet a young man so distressed that for him, even Christmas in July is no picnic. Werther, and the book that inspired it, are among those tragic works of art that may feed the strange yet persistent notion that suicide, especially in the name of love, is somehow a romantic, even noble, thing to do. It's certainly hard to believe that at the moment someone takes their own life the act could possibly seem romantic — and it's surely nothing but tragic for the people left behind. Still, the idea of romantic suicide has been around for a long time, and Werther proves that. The opera was completed in 1887, and is based on novel by Goethe that appeared more than a century earlier. The book was inspired by an actual event: the suicide of a young man who was in love with a married woman. Goethe's novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther, consists mainly of letters from the title character to his beloved. The opera's libretto goes well beyond that, fleshing out the rest of the pivotal characters. Still, it remains Werther's story — and somehow it's plain, right from the falsely cheerful beginning, that things are bound to end badly. World of Opera host Lisa Simeone brings us a production from the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, starring tenor Giuseppe Filianoti in the title role, and the brilliant mezzo-soprano Sonia Ganassi as Charlotte. See the previous edition of World of Opera or the full archive", "The pianist and scholar Charles Rosen once said, \"The death of classical music is perhaps its oldest continuing tradition.\" His humorous bon mot simultaneously pokes at the perennial hand-wringers who forecast the demise of a centuries-strong art form and reminds us that the classical music fortress is not impenetrable. The past 10 years in classical music, which this episode of All Songs Considered explores, has been a roller coaster ride of high points and derailments. Hence the dramatic title, \"A Decade of Reckoning.\" Symphony Orchestras and opera companies floundered financially, some going belly up and others rebounding as newly created organizations flourished. Women seemed to take a few steps forward and a few backward: While five of the last ten music Pulitzers were awarded to women, their music was conspicuously absent from our symphony halls. And tragically, both women and men, in many facets of classical music, were victims of sexual abuse and harassment. Anne Midgette, the author and classical music critic for The Washington Post who joins me for this discussion, broke an important story on widespread sexual harassment in the classical music world in the summer of 2018. She describes what it was like to build the story over a period of seven months and speak with over 75 accusers. As for classical music itself, Midgette says there's nothing wrong with it. \"The music isn't the problem, it's the way we're offering it.\" Big, inflexible institutions take away the \"oxygen and funds\" from the smaller organizations, she argues, which typically have a stronger vision and take more risks. Audiences, she adds, prove time and again there's no lack of interest. \"I think the only reason orchestras are struggling is that not everybody wants to go and sit in a concert hall and have that experience. It's not that people don't want to hear Beethoven.\" While classical music no longer holds a central place in American culture as it once did, there are more orchestras, opera companies, chamber groups, venues and forward-thinking practitioners than ever before. And audiences are still there, still hungry for a fresh experience. The question is: Will we give it to them? Hear tracks from NPR Classical's Best Albums of the Decade below. (This playlist gets updated weekly with a quirky mix of new and old favorites and rare finds.)", "Teyana Taylor has released a divisive music video for her song \"Still,\" from her June release The Album. The video includes footage from a variety of protests related to racial injustice, including the 1992 Rodney King riots, and features Taylor dressing up like Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Trayvon Martin and Emmett Till's mother, Mamie. While \"Still\" is soulful and moving, no one would have called it a protest song when it was originally released. There's nothing particularly revolutionary about lyrics like, \"I can't fight back, I don't want to, babe / 'Cause I'm always a heartbreak too late / Chillin' with some s*** from the past / Tryna get what I never had\" and \"I keep cryin' for love / But it won't wipe, won't wipe, my tears / Ain't it crazy how I'm still so emotional, still? / Got no control, still forever yours.\" Yet Taylor's self-directed music video invokes the radicalism of Malcolm X and shows footage of George Floyd being killed. Taylor received criticism on social media from those who questioned the effectiveness of the visuals. Even if the video was intended as a homage or memorial, it runs the risk of capitalizing on tragic stories that Black America is still grappling with, in which victims of police brutality become martyrs without receiving justice. Introduced as a \"Spike Tey\" joint — an on-the-nose nod to divisive director Spike Lee — \"Still\"'s visuals are, at best, unsettling and at worst, reductive and exploitative.", "Ed Gordon talks to music journalist Peter Guralnick, whose new book charts the life and tragic death of soul music icon Sam Cooke.", "Fernando Trueba, whose film Belle Epoque won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1993, will be back at the Academy Awards this year; his film Chico and Rita, a love story about a Cuban pianist and singer, is up for a statue in the Animated Feature category. Trueba says animation has some of the qualities that classic old movies had — \"a more concise, more synthetical way of storytelling.\" \"Today, movies, they are violently realistic,\" Trueba tells Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon. \"Most of the time, modern directors are obsessed with making fiction who looks like documentary. Sometimes, it's very well done, but I think it's kind of a waste of time, because fiction must be something else. But I think most people are afraid of telling stories. And they are afraid of the audience not buying them, not believing them.\" In the story of Chico and Rita, Chico is the hottest piano player in the already hot music scene of 1948 Havana, and Rita is the sultriest singer. Trueba says these two characters weren't based on anyone specific, but were amalgams of people he knew. \"In my life, I became friends with many, many Cuban people and most of them [are] these things,\" Trueba says. \"And I know their stories, their lives, so many anecdotes, that Chico in some ways has grown from many, many of them.\" The film opens with Chico as an old man, flinging open the shutters of his small, stale apartment overlooking the Havana docks. As he hears an old song on the radio, he move his fingers over the windowsill as if playing along. It turns out to be his song \"In Always,\" and a reflection on his life and loves lost. \"My partner, [co-director Javier Mariscal], who is the artist in the movie, the man who designed everything ... told me when we were really starting, 'I would like this movie to be like bolero,' \" Trueba says, referencing the Latin ballad. Chico and Rita's story opens in Havana, as both their music and their love are flowering, but when they move to New York to build their music careers, they begin to lose hold of each other. \"Boleros are always very tragic, no?\" Trueba says. \"It's always losing your love and getting together again or losing it again. So, we try to give the movie this song structure of the bolero, no? And to use all the conventions, the sentimental, tragic center of the bolero to the movie, no? So, that's why Chico and Rita are always losing each other.\" The relationship continues over 50 years, which Trueba acknowledges may seem a stretch. And yet: \"I think that is part of the bolero style, no? Bolero is always exaggerating the feelings, no?\" Trueba says. \"The sadness, the happiness, everything, making it bigger than life.\" SCOTT SIMON, HOST: \"Chico and Rita\" is an animated film that opens on an old man who shines shoes, flinging open the shutter of his stale little apartment overlooking the Havana docks. He hears an old song on the radio and begins to move his smudged fingers over the windowsill as if playing along. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG) UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: (Singing in Spanish) SIMON: It's his song, \"In Always,\" and the song of his life and loves lost and the way history could shake all of us. \"Chico and Rita\" is nominated for this year's Oscar for best animated feature. The film's co-director is Fernando Trueba, whose film, \"Belle Epoque,\" won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1993. Fernando Trueba joins us from our studios in New York. Thanks so much for being with us. FERNANDO TRUEBA: Thanks. SIMON: Chico is the hottest piano player in the hot music scene of Havana 1948, and Rita is the sultriest singer. Is this anyone's real story? TRUEBA: No. It's not real but my life, I became friends with many, many Cuban people and most of them is these things. And I know their stories, their lives, so many anecdotes that Chico in some ways has grown from many, many of them. SIMON: What can animation do that sometimes conventional film technique can't? TRUEBA: Animation has some quality that classic old movies had. They had a more concise, more synthetical(ph) way of storytelling. Today, movies, they are violently realistic. Most of the time, modern directors are obsessed with making fiction who looks like documentary. Sometimes, it's very well done, but I think it's kind of a waste of time because fiction must be something else. But I think most people are afraid of telling stories. And they are afraid of the audience not buying them, not believing them. SIMON: You know that old phrase from a famous tune - right time in the wrong place. Seems to be Chico and Rita's story in a sense. They open in Havana when the music is flowering and so is their love. But, you know, then they move on to New York and things don't quite work out and they keep losing hold of each other. TRUEBA: Yeah. My partner, Mariscal(ph), who is the artist in the movie, the man who designed everything. Mariscal told me when we were really starting, I would like this movie to be like bolero. (SOUNDBITE OF ", "Today, we're traveling back 50 years to 1968 Memphis, Tenn. to take a peek inside one of the most influential recording studios, Stax Records. Co-founded by brother and sister Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton, Stax was home to the likes of Otis Redding, the Staples Singers, Booker T. and the MG's, Judy Clay, Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, Isaac Hayes, and my guest today, William Bell. Bell's here to tell stories of the wildly productive time that's captured on a new box set called Stax '68: A Memphis Story. The box features all 134 singles that Stax put out that year. William's also here to talk about what was going on outside of Stax and the politics that you can't separate from the music of that time. While Stax was an integrated space, in William's words, Memphis itself was \"staunchly segregated.\" In April of 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, which was also a frequent hangout for some of the Stax crowd like Isaac Hayes. Hayes was a friend of Bell's, and so was Otis Redding, whose song \"(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay\" was released in early 1968, shortly after Redding died in December 1967 in a tragic plane crash. That's where we begin with William Bell. Listen in the player.", "DeVotchKa's sad and lovely sound is a surprisingly potent potpourri of cabaret, spaghetti Western, and Eastern European Gypsy songs. In \"Head Honcho,\" Nick Urata's soaring, silken voice holds the melting pot together as a lone accordion intrudes upon his reverie, insistent and beautiful. Even as he proclaims, \"It's love / It's love we're dying of,\" quiet desperation and suppressed pain are evident in his voice. From Russia to South America to Mexico and back again, DeVotchKa enhances its heady sonic cocktail with instruments not usually heard on the indie-rock circuit: a melancholy accordion, earthy guitars, and the soothing but sorrowful oomph of a tuba, all playing melodies fit to score tragic romantic fantasies. The dreamy, melodramatic \"Head Honcho\" isn't merely \"indie polka\" or revamped Gypsy music, but the product of a band that's both familiar and timeless. Listen to yesterday's Song of the Day, and subscribe to the Song of the Day newsletter. This story originally ran on May 12, 2008.", "Opera has a long history of over-the-top spectacle and melodramatic plots. Composer Jacob Cooper decided to embrace that excess, creating a contemporary opera that imagines the tragic end of one particularly tempestuous pop diva. The work is called Timberbrit — as in Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears. It's a tragic tale that imagines Spears' last concert, in the final hours of her life. Timberlake returns after a long absence to win back Spears' love, but in the end she chooses the audience's love above all else. Cooper began work on the opera by experimenting with a technique called time-stretching. Using digital audio software, he slowed down Spears' songs — and suddenly the light pop tunes seemed hauntingly tragic. Phrases like \"Hit me baby one more time\" took on an entirely different and more weighted meaning. Cooper then collaborated with his performers to create new pieces of music inspired by those slowed-down hits, and writer Yuka Igarashi crafted fresh lyrics using the vernacular of Spears' songs — tears, love, dreams, innocence. As a doctoral student at Yale, Cooper has looked at the psychological aspects of how traditional operas stretch time during death scenes — the way a dying character in Rigoletto or Boris Godunov, say, will pause to sing a 10-minute aria. Not realistic perhaps, but it packs a punch. Cooper has expanded on that distinctive musical tradition by creating an entire opera enveloped by a fatal slowness of action. The idea is that in Timberbrit, Spears' prolonged destruction amplifies the tragedy of her downfall. The opera premiered in New York City as a semistaged production in 2008 and is currently being developed into a fully staged version. Meanwhile, the cast and crew of Timberbrit recently shot a music video of Cooper's song \"Worst Fantasy,\" inspired by Spears' \"Toxic.\" In keeping with the opera's process, the videographers started with a slowed-down, stretched-out recording of the original, then manipulated it and built on it to create something new. The result: a distillation of Spears' music videos and public meltdowns that forces viewers to take a second look at both pop-star lives and the way the public devours them. This piece was originally produced for NPR's Intern Edition by Claire Happel and Sarah Metcalf. MADELEINE BRAND, host: You could say the life of pop star Britney Spears is a soap opera. Well, now it really is an opera. Composer Jacob Cooper has written the new music opus \"Timberbrit.\" Claire Happel reports. CLAIRE HAPPEL: A dying Britney Spears performs her last concert. It's her final, desperate hour, and Justin Timberlake wants her back. (Soundbite of music) HAPPEL: Or at least that's what the opera \"Timberbrit\" imagines. (Soundbite of opera, \"Timberbrit\") HAPPEL: Its slowed-down versions of Spears and Timberlake songs create something entirely new: a strange mix of electronic, pop and smoky vocals. (Soundbite of opera, \"Timberbrit\") Ms. MELLISSA HUGHES (Singer): (As Britney Spears) (Singing) I was your… HAPPEL: When you slow down music that's already composed, it's called time-stretching. Mellissa Hughes performs the role of Britney. Ms. HUGHES: \"Hit Me Baby One More Time\" is like… (Singing) Hit me baby. But we listen to it in real time, and you don't hear all those sort of consonants getting, you know, super stretched out and being all liquidy. HAPPEL: Singer Ted Hearne plays Justin Timberlake. Mr. TED HEARNE (Singer): Justin is a really, really vocal performer, right, and he has these sounds, you know, like (making mouth noises). That becomes, like, (singing). You know, these, like, incredibly drawn out things. And every cymbal (singing). And every cymbal's like (singing). HAPPEL: The libretto, written by Yuka Igarashi, uses some of Spears' reoccurring themes: tears, love, dreams, innocence. The audience is reminded of Spears' music and lyrics, but the fast-paced sheen of pop becomes dark and weighted. (Soundbite of opera, \"Timberbrit\") Ms. HUGHES: (Singing) Hit me... HAPPEL: The slowness of the music is reflected in the pace of the plot. In writing the libretto, Cooper and Igarashi took a snippet of Spears' life and suspended it over an hour. This is an adaptation of an old technique, where an important scene is stretched to heighten the drama. In the death scene of Verdi's \"Rigoletto,\" for example, the plot completely stops as a prone, dying woman suddenly finds the strength to sing a 10-minute aria. (Soundbite of opera, \"Rigoletto\") Unidentified Woman: (Singing in foreign language) HAPPEL: In most operas, the death scene is only that: one scene. But in \"Timberbrit,\" the death scene is the entire opera. Again, Ted Hearne. Mr. HEARNE: It sort of takes place in a moment. And in that way, it's very different from traditional opera, I think. HAPPEL: The stretching of both the music and story prolongs Spears' destruction and amplifies her downfall. But seeing it happen in slow motion makes it all the more tragic. For ", "Miwa believes she is a fisherman's daughter and that the moon and the ocean taught her music, which is \"too hippy-dippy,\" according to Time Out NY. But then again, Miwa notes, they did call her a \"charming antifolkie with a soothing voice.\" According to her official bio, Miwa was born sometime, somewhere (long, long ago in a a far, far land) and she vaguely remembers her parents dancing the jitterbug when she was a baby. One day she was lured by the fickle north wind, left home and became a wandering soul. After a brief, tragic romance with Frankenstein (who didn't even see her and almost trampled her) and Charlie Chaplin (who just broke her heart), she picked up a guitar and began to sing. Miwa went through what she calls \"an angry punkrock stage\" and now settles comfortably for good story telling and simple melodies. Miwa's new CD is Forgetful Ocean and Other Strange Stories. The featured track is \"Charlie Chaplin Broke My Heart.\"", "Love him or hate him, Richard Wagner has a reputation as the composer of immense, four-hour-plus dramas rooted in confusing stories and drawn from obscure mythology. For legions of Wagner enthusiasts, that makes no difference. Countless music lovers have found themselves drawn — raptly — into the vast musical worlds Wagner created, and eager to return time after time. But there are others who find his sprawling, dramatic canvases — the ones he called \"music dramas\" rather than operas — to be abstruse, forbidding or simply too long to bear. Yet Wagner wasn't always the composer his reputation now suggests. His earliest works are more traditionally operatic, and their musical style doesn't quite seem fully his own. But by his fifth opera, The Flying Dutchman, Wagner had hit his stride. Its powerful music clearly anticipates the groundbreaking dramas yet to come, yet it serves a simple and compelling tale that's brimming with action, and passion, from top to bottom. And its two-hour story seems to fly by, even in the original, one-act version. The Wanderer Wherever you look, in the history and literature of just about any culture, you can find a shadowy character generically described as \"the wanderer.\" On film, we find examples among Hollywood Westerns. Think of all those Clint Eastwood movies where he plays an unknown horseman who rides into town, metes out justice, wins a heart or two and then leaves as mysteriously as he came. The title character in Wagner's The Flying Dutchman is simply a more venerable version of that same, legendary wanderer. The Dutchman's story dates back centuries. He's the ship's captain who tempts fate and is cursed, doomed to wander stormy seas forever. By now, this character's tragic legend, and his evocative name, are pervasive enough to have made it into some unexpected places. Not long ago, the Dutchman found himself mixed up with the unlikeliest of modern heroes — in a video game called \"Spongebob Squarepants: The Revenge of the Flying Dutchman!\" Still, of all the Dutchman's varying incarnations, it's hard to think of one that's more vivid, dramatic and compelling than the one in Wagner's opera. On World of Opera, host Lisa Simeone presents a production of The Flying Dutchman from the Washington National Opera, featuring standout performances by baritone Alan Held in the title role and soprano Jennifer Wilson as Senta, the woman who finally breaks the Dutchman's curse. See the previous edition of World of Opera or the full archive.", "After years marked by the hashtags #OscarsSoWhite and #OscarsSoMale, industry observers are crowing over this year's topline numbers. For the first time in Academy Awards history, almost half the nominees in the acting categories (9 of 20) are performers of color, and more women (70) are nominated throughout the 23 categories than in any previous year. Less noted is that this expanded diversity walks hand-in-hand with social consciousness in the year's most nominated films. There are the stories of FBI malfeasance in the martyrdom of Black Panther Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah, and the tragic downfall of singer \"Lady Day\" in The United States vs. Billie Holliday; portraits of '60s social activists in One Night in Miami and The Trial of the Chicago 7. Also stories of women standing up to systemic abuse — from a racist music industry in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and from a misogynist culture in Promising Young Woman. Stories of social marginalizing can be found in Nomadland, about a community of economically dislocated drifters, Minari, the chronicle of an immigrant Korean family that moves to Arkansas, and Sound of Metal, about a heavy metal drummer who finds himself in unfamiliar territory when he suffers severe hearing loss. That's a potent litany of social issues, arriving at a time of social turmoil in the world outside cineplexes. A litany that might well have been diffused had COVID-19 not shattered film studio release schedules and altered the awards landscape. Prior to the pandemic, the films regarded as likely Oscar contenders included more anodyne offerings: a new version of the musical West Side Story (script by Pulitzer winner Tony Kushner, directed by Oscar winner Steven Spielberg), the star-studded costume epic The Last Duel from Gladiator director Ridley Scott, and The French Dispatch, the latest weirdness from Wes Anderson, director of The Grand Budapest Hotel. Given the talent and clout behind them, all would have been heavily promoted by their studios, and might well have shoved aside some of the more socially conscious titles that have dominated this awards season.", "From a performance given last month at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, we hear the Piano Quartet in G minor of Mozart. The work begins tragically, and ends with a great finale that bubbles with wit and good humor. It is played by Alexander Kerr, violin, Kathleen Mattis, viola, Rafael (RAFF-ay-el) Figueroa(FEEG-way-roh-a), cello and pianist Leif Ove Andsnes (LAYF OH-vuh ANDZ-ness). (ASPEN MUSIC FESTIVAL AUDIO INSTITUTE)", "In 1912, American composer George Whitefield Chadwick completed an opera that was never performed--until this month. \"The Padrone\" is a tragic account of the harsh environment that immigrants from Italy found in the United States. Phyllis Joffe reports on the world premiere in Waterbury, Connecticut and on the startlingly clear vision of American life that Chadwick offers in song and music.", "\"Murga attacks everything,\" says a Uruguayan choir director during our podcast of the week's best arts stories. Murga is a kind of choral music that sticks it to everyone during competitions that take place as part of Uruguay's Carnaval festivities. They're said to be the longest in the world — the party goes on for well over a month. We've also got pieces this week about fixing the misquote on the new Martin Luther King Jr. memorial on the National Mall, an interview with the British singer Estelle, a review of the top-grossing movie so far this year, Dr. Seuss's The Lorax, and a look at the new memoir by New York Times foreign correspondent Anthony Shadid. House of Stone was published just days after Shadid's tragic and untimely death while reporting in Syria. Subscribe to Culturetopia here or stream below." ]

[ "It's quirky, but you can do it...\\n\\nAll times in Excel are DateTimes, so you have to provide a day. Also, remember that the formatting is important.\\n\\nIn one cell, put \"1/1/2006 9:00 am\", in another put 1/1/2006 5:00 pm\"\\n\\nIn a third cell, subtract the second cell from the first.\\n\\nNow it works, but it doesn't look right because its showing you a date as well as a time. Highlight all three cells, and go to \"Format | Cells\" and set the format to \"hh:mm\" Now the cells look like:\\n\\n9:00 am\\n5:00 pm\\n8:00\\n\\nVoila!" ]

[ "Sign up for and install Yahoo Messenger with Voice and you can set up your web cam to allow people to automatically see you or by your invitation. Yahoo give excellent tutorials for getting things set up. Well, go! Do it now!", "Give Atkins or South Beach Diet a try to jump start your diet. It'll help you make better choices later. And try to do some sort of exercise daily for at least 30 minutes. Walking is excellent. If you can go for longer periods or add 10 minutes here or there throughout the day you'll see big results in no time. Get a pedometer and see how many steps you take in an average day. Try to increase it by 2000. (it's about a mile) Try to get up to like 8,000 or more to lose weight. You'll be surprised at how easy it can be. You'll see how 10 minutes here and there can really add up. Good luck!", "Yes, it's an excellent career, but you must go to shcool for 6-8 years, depending on how many credit hours you take.\\nPay is 70,000.00 and up, with some experience. Start at your local community college, it's cheaper, then transfer to a university. Good luck!", "Alcohol leaves the system at a rate of about 1 ounce per hour. Add how many ounces you had and you'll know how many hours (roughly) till you're in the clear.", "I think you almost have to go first thing in the morning. If you put it off until later in the day, you'll just find a reason to not make it. (Not that you would make anything up, it's just that things come up as the day goes on.)\\n\\nFor the past few months, I've been getting up an hour earlier and going to the YMCA. It is a GREAT way to start the day... a real energy lifter, in my opinion. After you get used to it, you'll find it becomes habit and your day doesn't feel the same if you missed a workout that morning.\\n\\n------\\nWell... sounds like you have a full schedule. I would say the only way you could make it to the gym more would be to do it on the weekends or give up some of your obligations. I don't have the power to add a few hours to the day, or I'd try to help you out. :)", "Guess what, there's alot of things that don't add up. If you believe in God, heaven and all, then close your rational mind, cause it just don't add up. Don't forget to wonder how 6 million Jews were put to death during WW II, if God was omnipotent and benevolent, do you think that could've happened?", "Unless you are really trying something ridiculous (IM or the like), it is not as frightening as it seems. 2-3 hours a week can do a great job of training for shorter events. Add an hour if you want to try Olympic distance. Doing a little of everything each week cuts it down. Also, it keeps things from getting really dull.\\n\\nAlso check any or all of the sites listed below. They all have folks that can help.", "Cancel your internet!! If you cant afford furniture for you and your kids you shouldnt have the luxury of other things like the internet. If you smoke and/or drink...stop. Add up the cost for all that for one year and see how much that is. Stop trying to get free handouts when you can give some things up for you and your kids!!", "Try digdb excel add-in\\n\\nthis is the linke you need", "the same way you do if she has dial-up. Easiest thing to do is, next time she IM's you, on the IM window, click \"add\". It will add her to your list.", "it's really just another name for probably what you're doing now. a budget analyst digs into variances between actual and budgeted/forecasted results.\\n\\nIt's not so much an excel thing as it is an understanding thing. if you understand the guts of the financials, how they work and what makes them up, you should be fine.\\n\\nsource - me, i spent the first 12 years of my career in various analyst roles.", "I tried to figure this out and it's incredibly complex, as it turns out.\\n\\nThe earth rotates at a little over 1037 miles an hour, so you've got that.\\n\\nThe earth revolves around the sun at about 66486 miles an hour, so you add that.\\n\\nThen you consider that the sun is moving toward other stars at 45,000 miles per hour. (and taking us along with it.) So if you were outside our solar system, you'd see that too, I guess.\\n\\nThen you add that the sun moves up and down (if you consider the disk of the solar system to be the horizon) at about 261 mph.\\n\\nThen you add in the sun revolving around the galaxy, which is a difficult thing to calculate, but it can be figured that the sun revolves around at about a blistering 447,386.4 miles per hour.\\n\\nAdd that all up and you see that, relative to a person standing OUTSIDE the galaxy, we're moving at ABOUT....\\n\\n\\n493,684 miles per hour! That's awfully fast!\\n\\nNow, I have no idea how to calculate this, but the whole galaxy is moving as the universe expands...\\n\\nBut, hope that gives you somewhat of an answer.", "i run 15 credit hours and have two jobs that add up to a full time 10 and 32 hours yeah i didnt get a lot of sleep this semester and well i had to pull 2 24 hour days a week to keep it all together. the problem is that you cannot just take 5 hours in a row the schedules at most colleges will keep you from having a perfect schedule. if you can do it you really wont have a social life. work it around if you can but, bet on having a part time job at night", "The big rule to follow is that you have two quantities that are equal, and you do the same thing to both of them, what you get will be equal.\\n\\nSo you can add, subtract, multiply, and divide both sides of an equation by the same thing and the equation remains valid.\\nNote: You can't multiply or divide by 0.\\n\\nThe idea is to pick what you add, subtract, etc. by so that you end up with something simpler than what you started with. You want to add and subtract things that will make pieces of the equation disappear.\\n\\nIn your case, if you subtract 3x from both sides to get rid of one term from the left side. You end up with 7 = x.\\n\\nIf you had something like 6x + 2 = 3x + 5\\n\\nFirst you subtract 3x from both sides to get \\n3x + 2 = 5\\n\\nThen you subract 2 from both sides to get\\n3x = 3\\n\\nThen you divide both sides by 3 to get\\nx = 1.\\n\\nThen you substitute 1 for x in the orginal equation to check you work.\\n\\nAgain, at each step, try to do one thing to make things simpler. Do the same thing to both side of the equation.", "Wow... an easy question and a hard question.\\nThe key to getting fit is to be active and eat right.\\nI will just talk about the active part.\\n\\nThere are 2 key things that have worked for me.\\n1. Do something every day\\n2. Variety\\n\\nSo first of all you have to find something you like to do. If you don't like it, you wont have fun doing it.\\n\\nSecondly, you need to have variety. If you do the same thing every day, I don't care how fun it is you will get bored of it!\\n\\nSo a very good way to do this is find a friend or partner that likes to do things you like to do.\\n\\nWhatever you do, do it for at least 1 hour. Even light activity for 1 hour, every day, is good for you.\\n\\nGood luck!", "2400 at one time, because for at least eight of those 24 hours yuo're trying to do situps, you'll be asleep. the time difference doesn't add up. just work out for 2 hours, doing 2400 crunches, taking five minute breaks between segments of 250. that's what works for me. ecept i do 5000 a day. (i work out for about 3 hours)", "If there were no truck drivers how would food get to the store? How would anything you buy anywhere get there? Truck driving is a hard job, you have to get a CDL license,hours on the road causes health problems, long hours, low pay,heavy lifting,and putting up with inconsiderate drivers to boot! And that's just the beginning of it...\\nI appreciate truck drivers because I know how hard they work,how many hours they stay away from their families and they do it all so people can buy things!\\nIf I see a trucker trying to come around a corner I make sure I stop so he has plenty of room which usually gets horns honking ... most of the time the trucker acknowledges you for it, so it's worth the honking.We should all be very considerate of our truckers.\\nThey are a part of our everyday life more than people realize!", "The more points you get allows you to advance to the next level (You are at level 1)..There are 6 or 7 levels, each with different \"rewards\" or privelages granted like the ability to answer more questions in a 24 hour period, and things like that.\\n\\nAlso what determines how long your answer is personal preference(meaning how long do you want to type for basically) and/or intellence level. Some can sum it up in 2 sentences while others can write several long paragraphs.", "Good reasoning skills, the ability to listen and to ask relevant questions, attention to detail, excellent writing skills, the willingness to take on unpopular causes and some personal integrity. That will get you on your way. You will also have to be able to stay up late hours reading and remembering everything you've read!!", "Obscure gave a good answer (remind me to rate that answer too:) Let me just add one thing I do when i have trouble drifting off to dreamland, I get myself so dead tired by running for an hour (in the ealier part of the evening of course) or have a hard exercise. A good sex is also a good form of making you sleep like a log.", "start by writting everything down. force yourself to get up early. exercise to be more energetic.\\nstart doing things by program, and you will be surprized of how many things you can do efficiently. that will bring you pleasure and ths more will to be organized.", "If you want to stop procrastinating take small steps to overcome it. Instead of maling a day long to do list just pick one thing to do by a certain time. A few days later add a second thing to do a certain time. Using the same approach, every few days add an additional thing. Before you know it you'll be getting a lot of things done on time and you'll feel better about yourself and your future. Good luck.", "How do you get a girl to love you??? Show her that you care without taking up all her space. Tell her how you feel without coming off too strong. Do LITTLE things for her and then she will do the same.", "Can't do that in Excel. The best thing you can do is type your headings in row 1 in each column.", "Hmmm, Was about to tell you to go to bed earlier, but you already say you covered that.. Try going to bed an hour earlier and see what happens...\\n\\nBest thing is to get up and walk around at least once an hour - if you are sitting at a desk all day, its natural to get bored and then tired...", "how do u think they get up from those awesome belly slides they love to do? they push up from the ground with their beaks and front wing things and they can stand up.", "You can do it in x/30 + x/20 time, where x is the total hours. Since each hour, you accomplish 1/30 of the task.\\n\\nx/30 + x/20 = 1. Solve and get 12.\\n\\nIf you think about it, this answer checks. You won't both get the half done. After 12 hours, you would have done 12/30 of the work and your friend would have done 12/20 of the work, assuming the pace is constant. 12/30 + 12/20 adds to all of the work being done.", "Yes I think so. They risk their life for us. I'm sorry to say but the pay for what they do. Sucks. They work a lot of hours and get paid I think it was under a dollar an hour. So how would you like to go to a job. Get paid a dollar an hour. Look at them in iraq. They are their for 24 hours 7 days a week. Away from their family. Risking their lives. Getting paid less then a dollar an hour.", "That is about right, personal trainers are about $50 an hour. Make sure you get the full hour out of him, warm up before the session is supposed to start and do your cardio on your own, don't let him include it in your hour. That is where they usually get you.", "I must add that she probably needs more attention from the family. Little kids that act really bratty, take things, throw things, make a scene actually need more quality attention. They do all that because it's the only way they know how to get attention, even though it's the wrong kind.", "You might have acid indigestion when lying on your back. Do you eat right before you go to sleep? \\nWhen you're body is working overtime to 'fix' something like acid indigestion, you tend to get unfitful sleep...meaning nightmares, sweats, etc. \\nSame thing if you are drunk. How many times have you woken up after only 3 hours of sleep from a bad dream because you are dying of thirst?", "1. You will need a REAL ESTATE CONTRACT, suggest a Real Estate Agent might help for a few dollars to write one for you.\\n\\n2. You need an AMORTIZATION TABLE, (creating a mortgage) which Excel can help with, look up downloads on MS Excel.\\n\\nThis can be attached to a \"Promisory Note\" or you could do it as a \"land contract\" or \"bond for a deed.\"\\n\\n3. You will need Notarized Signatures. Banks and Lawyers have notaries.\\n\\n4. You will need to record the Mortgage at the county Registry of Deeds, along with the promisory note.\\n\\nGiven how important these papers are, and how difficult things can be if the buyer skips payments, you should have a lawyer check it all over, or just pay to have it written in the first place." ]

[ "It's a parable - a story to teach us a lesson. The Bible is not always an accurate history of life." ]

[ "England,my England.To be born in England is to be honoured by god himself.If god did not love England so much why did he choose to have all the best people born here ?", "Please refer to the Gospel accounts in the Bible (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). You will note that Mary & Joseph did have sons so Jesus did have \"half\" brothers (in an earthly sense). But remember that Jesus was all God and all Man. Mary was just the way he entered the world as human. So technically, he was an only child - the Son of God.", "Here ya go, this should keep em busy for a while!\\n1. Why would God entrust the spreading of 'His' word to one of his 'fallible' children? He knows men are sinners and are untruI doubt a professor would allow one of his students to teach a class if all the other students' futures were at stake. If God loved us so much and he wants us to be with him, why would he put our eternal souls at risk like that? \\n\\n2. If Satan is the ultimate trickster, how do we know that Satan hasn't tricked Christians into worshipping him as God (Yahweh) and are actually rebuking the \"real\" God in his own name? \\n\\n3. If god cast the devil into hell and hell is a place for eternal punishment from which even god cannot grant a pardon, then why do the preachers tell us the devil is walking up and down the hallways of high schools tempting teenagers to do drugs and have pre-marital sex? A warden who allows his prisoners the freedom to go out and kill and rape would be terminated for incompetence. \\n\\n4. I have often heard from many believers that even Satan has a presence in the church, which is why even in church people can still have impure thoughts. If Satan can find his way in the church, how do Christians know that Satan didn't find his way into the Bible and twist the whole book? \\n\\n5. If the Universe is everywhere by definition, why do theists ask where it came from? How can there be anywhere for the universe to come from if the Universe is already everywhere by definition? \\n\\n6. Does God think? If so, he cannot be all-knowing. Think about it. \\n\\n7. If a soul is non-physical and the human body is physical, how does a soul stay in our bodies? \\n\\n8. If God is all-knowing, how could he be disappointed in His creation? \\n\\n9. If God is unchangeable (immutable), how is there evidence of a god when everything else around us is changing? \\n\\n10. Why did God flood the earth to remove evil? It didn't work! Evil came right back, God should have known that would happen! So why did He bother? \\n\\n11. Why is it that theists tell me that I have to examine every part of the universe and not find God anywhere in order to say that there is no god, when in fact all I need to do is not find God in one location since he is supposed to be omnipresent? \\n\\n12. If the garden of Eden was a perfect paradise as xians claim, then why did Eve even want to eat the apple? Wouldn't a perfect place provide everything a person would want or desire and thus she would want nothing? \\n\\n13. Romans 6:23 says \"For the wages of sin is death\" Does this mean animals sin as well? Or uni-cellular organisms? Do plants sin? Because they all die as well, not just humans. Why does an animal die, if it doesn't know the moral difference between right and wrong? \\n\\n\\n14. Why would an all-powerful god become flesh in order to sacrifice himself to himself so that his creation might escape the wrath of himself. Couldn't god, in his infinite wisdom, come up with something a little more efficient? \\n\\n15. If we are the children of god, and yet we have never seen him, does that make us the bastards of god? Not to mention my mom didn't marry God.\\n\\n16. After 9/11 a lot of people have been tossing around \"god bless america\". Why do they keep saying this? From the looks of it god hasn't blessed anything. If god had blessed america, the 9/11 event would've never happened. Theists seem to give the answer of \"everything is part of gods big plan\". If everything is part of gods big plan, why are we after Bin Laden? Wasn't he and other terrorists just carrying out gods desired plan? So it seems that Bin Laden/ terrorism isnt our enemy , but god. \\n\\n17. Christians say that God is NOT the author of confusion. Can you say, Tower of Babel? \\n\\n18. Christians will tell you that if a baby dies it goes to heaven. Why then are they so against abortion? All the child is being deprived of is the opportunity to go", "Jesus died to bring salvation to humanity. His teachings, life, and sacrifice caused a world revolution. He brought a message of peace, and brotherly love. To know Jesus is to love Him...for what he did and for what he continues to do. I have a dream that all religious groups will acknowledge what Christ did for the human race and unite in brotherly love. Fanaticism is not the way---love of God and Humanity is.", "Son of God can be applied to other people besides Jesus, and it does apply to other people in the Bible. It would be like saying Child of God. It does not mean divine necessarily.\\n\\nAnyhow, Christians do see Jesus as a unique son of God, the Divine Son of God. They feel that if he was just a man, he would not have been able to forgive people's sins by his sacrifice on the cross. But if he is divine, and totally perfect, then he would have been a perfect sacrifice, and he can act as a mediary betweeen them and God, whom they see as totally unapproachable any other way.\\n\\nWhy do you believe he was a Prophet? How do you know anything about what he said and did? All our knowledge of what Jesus said and did comes from the New Testament, so if you believe parts of it, why not the whole thing? I know that you think that the Qur'an gives correct information on Jesus and all that came before, BUT WHY DO YOU BELIEVE THAT? Why not believe that the Prophet Muhammad was just speaking what was on his mind about it, giving his own human interpretation, and was NOT delivering the message of God? \\n\\nYou believe this on faith, I would say. Similarly, Christians believe what they do based on faith.", "I think he might realize that he's not the God of all wide-outs and next season he will give himself an attitude adjustment. He is a star player, and I know he wants to continue breaking records. He will get over this season and start again with someone else (possibly the Raiders or the Jets in my honest opinion).", "First, you need to define evolution. You're talking about micro evolution which has no problems with Christianity. When you start getting into macro, stellar, cosmic and chemical evolution, we've got problems.\\n\\nIf the ebola virus evolved, it evolved from another virus. That is micro evolution. Macro evolution says that that process is evidence that a virus can turn into a dog over time. This is where you're getting into religious faith and not science. \\n\\nThere are hundereds of different breeds of dogs to include wolves and foxes, etc. Micro evolution says that all those breeds of dogs came from a common ancestor...a dog. Again, no problem with Christianity.\\nMacro evolution will say that the dogs, cats, birds, snakes, plants, blah, blah, all came from a common ancestor. That's ludicrous and severely contradicts the bible.\\n\\nNow, as far as your question about before the fall of man...\\nGod told Adam that if they ate of the fruit, they would die. We know that they didn't drop dead on the spot, so what did He mean? He meant that they would change world events to bring death into the world.\\n\\nThe world event that possibly changed all of this was the flood. When man knowingly was sinful (because of Adam), God had to destroy the world (death from the sin of Adam). Before the flood, the earth had much different living conditions than we do today. There was the protective canopy of water around the earth that made it paradise. It increased the oxygen and air pressure to double, it blocked UV rays and had many other benefits. This is how people were able to live to be 900 years old.\\nIt's possible that viruses and other diseases started forming after that protective canopy was gone. Add in man's industrial chemicals and we've got a recipe for disaster.\\nThere was research done with poisonous snakes. They put the snakes in a hyperbaric chamber and pumped the air pressure to double. The snakes came out non-poisonous. How was the world before the flood? We can't know for sure, but some amazing scientific research has been done on this topic.\\n\\nAnother possibility is that many viruses were always there, but was just recently released because we went into the rain forest and started cutting down trees. If it was locked in its environment before and we released it, then it didn't evolve, it was discovered.\\n\\nYou should check out www.drdino.com and download the seminar titled \"The garden of Eden\". It will explain these things in much greater detail.", "The US's acts of terrorism are covert...we conduct terrorism all over the world and then deny that we did anything. \\n\\nWe shouldn't be involved in the middle east like we are, but America does what it wants in the name of protecting Americans and protecting those in the world that need our help...kinda makes you wonder why we do nothing in Somalia...and why we didn't bother entering WW2 until we were attacked...", "It is a false belief that Jesus was God or was the only son of God. God cannot make himself die. Also He does not deceive people. He sends reformers who tell the truth about God. Jesus called him father only because he loves us all like a father loves his children, that does not make the God actual father of Jesus.\\n\\nThis is a fact too, that Jesus did not die on cross as he was put on cross for such a shorter time the he did not die. His wounds were cured after he was take off of it. Why would a person tried to be cured if he is dead? Read Bible and you will find the truth about Crucifixion. Christians do not want to use their brains in this matter, otherwise a sensible person can simple understand that he did not die on cross. Why do they think, he died? Only because they do not find the traces of Jesus after crucifixion. My question to them is that in such a case where did Marry go? Did Jesus's deciples thrown her into no where and not care about her? Some researchers had tried to bring the facts into the knowledge of those who really want to know the truth, instead of just following the wrong belief.", "It'll be in re-runs from now until the end of time. God knows when the 6th season is gonna start. If it is at all.. The Series might be over..", "Yes, too many Christians today resemble those hypocrites. They have all these little traditions and clicks instead of spreading love and goodwill like Jesus did. That’s why I stay away from Church and those places. Those people scare me...They don't know the real GOD, they just use Gods word to judge others. Think about this...Hitler believed that the bible justified what he did. Really...Judgment is not to be done by us.", "No, essentially and exponentially, you cannot be thrown out. The Bible states: \"We will all be PERFECT beings in heaven.\" Therefore, we will not feel the need to rebel. In the Book of Revelation, we find terrible things happen.\\n\\nNow, if we were to see these things, as they are ultimately from GOD, why in the world would we feel the need to rebel? No, we cannot and will not rebel. Of course, you will see this when you go to heaven. LOL. \\n\\nTherefore, as I said, techinically, realistically, spiritually, and religiously, you cannot be thrown out and you will not do anyting to be thrown out.\\n\\nOne person asked this:\\n\\n\"If God is omnipotent (all-powerful), then why did he throw Satan out of heaven instead of destroying him? \\n\\nWell, because he uses Satan to test us. Therefore, he gives us a chance to shows real devotion to HIM or Satan. Now, if you choose Satan you are basically choosing damnation. In the end, though, he will destroy Satan.", "As far as I know that's all he did, started playing for Santos lower aged group teams as a kid.", "NO, God is something that someone made up to give people a reason for things that happen. anything good god did. anything bad the devil did. whatever. Things happen, that's life. I stopped believeing in god and absolutely nothing is different in my life. except for more time on sundays, and no more deciding whether the things i do are \"right\" in god's eyes. This belief helps keep some people in line. it is all psycological, or in your mind.People think if you don't believe in god you will go to hell. what if you don't believe in hell or satan. will he hate you to? There are all types of religions that do nothing more than give us something to reason with how the world started.", "Try: \"Listen I have a question: OK, here it goes: Why did Saddam Hussein bomb the World Trade Center?\"\\n\\nThe answer is: he didn't, in fact, he probably had nothing at all to do with it.", "She wouldn't know what to do with it if you did hand it to her... Just ask Bill, why do you think he needed Monica.", "They are all monotheistic, they all call recognize the god of the bible. Together they repersent over two thirds of the worlds population all pointing to the cretor god of the bible the God of abraham.", "Angels were created 4 His pleasure. To worship Him and praise Him. They were here before we were.Satan it says in the Bible was the praise & worship leader of Gods heavenly choir. His angelic name was Lucifer.\\n\\n One day satan started to wonder why he wasn't considered an equal to our Creator. Then he started to question Gods authority over him and over the other angels and he began to rally them against God. One third of the angels he convinced to war against God. And the way satan became evil was a little sin called Pride. Through out all of this God never interfered.\\n\\n I think God was waiting for Lusifer to repent. God loves all his creations until He cant reach them anymore. He waited until satan & his followers came agaist Him ready to battle. Ofcourse God won and cast him down to the earth.\\nAll of this occurred before man was created. \\n\\nI belive that the reason GoD gives us all free will,angels included, is because He is a good parent. I am a mother and I know that I have to let my children make mistakes so that they will, with my guidence, become the kind of adult that I can be proud of & welcome into my home forever. But when they choose not to be good, and I know that I cant reach them anymore, I will cast them out of my house. It will break my heart but I must do it to show the others in my house or the other ones that want to be a part of my house, that that sort of bahavior will not be tolerated. \\n\\nBecause a parent must love all thier creations, we let them have free will. Understand? Read the Bible and you will see many ways that He has loved us.", "He did so much more than just sing. He brought to light many aspects of the human condition, including the freedom of speech, civil rights, and issues on religion all over the world.", "It so tempting to try and believe in these things. Truth is, Satan himself would be pleased if you did. Because God sees and knows all. \\n\\nAs a human, you never have to find out what's going to happen to you. If you persist on this, you will stay where you are and do nothing, thus negating all what God has given you. On the other hand, if you work hard and pray hard, you will know where you're going without the need of witchcraft. A strong person needs not the falsehoods and lies to know his future, he makes HIS own future with God's aid and help.", "Eskimo: \"If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?\" \\nPriest: \"No, not if you did not know.\" \\nEskimo: \"Then why did you tell me?\"”\\n\\n\"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.\" Dalai Lama\\n\\nAnd please forgive Schneb for saying it's a regiment. He just loves to rhyme.", "God loves all his children, not just the Israelis. There is much suffering all over the world that God permits, because He has given us our agency. God has a purpose in this.\\n\\nThere is a beautiful domed mosque that sits where the temple of David once was in Jerusalem. It is currently in Israeli territory, but they Muslims are free to use it as they wish.", "Christianity started in the Middle East in Israel, where there are still Christians to this day. It is the world's largest religion and can be found all over the world. As you know from the terrorist movement among some Islamic extremists, the name of any religion can be abused by evil men. A TRUE Christian is someone who has the love of Jesus Christ in his heart. This comes from a conscience that is at peace with God. This peace can only be procured by faith that Jesus Christ took upon Himself the punishment of your sins by dying on the cross. If you confess to God that you are a sinner who can't save yourself by your own inadequate efforts to meet His perfect standards, but instead you humbly accept what His Son Jesus did as payment for your sins, you will be saved.", "If that is you, okay why did you ask that? and if it isn't he better be a friend. (oh and whoever that is \"god bless you!\")", "God, allah, OM, jah, Great messenger, you name it hes got all kinds of names. Why do people believe in god? Because he/she gives us hope and serenity. And im like the person who posted, if you believe in the big bang theory, then where did it come from?", "It is not something that you should just \"deal\" with. This can be a very serious issue. Do you know why the fear is there? Does it stem from something in your past? If you do not know, then you need to dig deep into that issue first, before you can tackle the issue of the fear itself. Have you always been like this? Or did it just start to happen? \\n\\nNow, if you know why it is (something in your past, abuse, ect.) then you need to start to work on that issue. Maybe seek a psychologist that specializes in sexual issues. DO NOT exclude your spouse from any of this. Communication is SOOOO important. If he does not know anything is wrong, or if he doesn't know you are seeking help, how is he going to get help? He needs to be helped just as much as you do because I am sure at one point, he has thought (or he might just be thinking it now) that it is his fault (and again, I am just taking a guess that none of this is actually his fault).", "I know that, in my world, God exists. He, however, may not exist in someone else's world or, if he does, he exists different to him/her than me. I love God and hope that I am not led by blind faith.", "Absolutely not. How did you not kick him as hard as you could? You have more self control than I do. Whenever he is not home go and put your own profile on that same website and start sending him messages and just mess with him a while. Set up a meeting (if he goes for it) and bust him there. Then after he knows you know, talk about why he did it and see if its something he did out of boredom or for another reason. Good Luck!!", "Who ever they were, and whatever their religion, you can't bring it down to pointing your finger and saying \" Why did they do what they did when they are supposed to be religious\" Every war has the backing of the church, both sides get blessings to vanquish the enemy, I don't ever recall a war when the church ever said \"don't do this it is against Gods will\" The communists in Vietnam were supposed to be anti religion, but that is not why there was a war with them, they had their own beliefs.\\nBut that is a very good question, which begs to know why did the religious leaders in Germany England and America and the rest of the world never say \" Don't do this it's wrong\". Yes the answer is pretty obvious! Does the goverment and country over ride religion.", "People fear what they do not know. Why did people believe that Russians were going to get us? And everyone knows not all Arabs and Muslims are terrorists, just most. Ha ah haa. Seriously though, get over it.", "We Muslims believe the following things about Jesus:\\n\\n1. We love Jesus & respect him as a major prophet of Islam.\\n2. We also love the mother of Jesus, the Virgin Mary. We believe she was a pious and noble woman chosen over all of the women of the world. \\n3. Muslims believe that Jesus was born miraculously of a virgin mother and no father. His birth is miraculous like the birth of Adam, the first human being, who was created with neither mother nor father. \\n4. Muslims do not believe that Jesus was the son of God. God is so powerful and self-sufficient that He does not need a son or any kind of partner. \\n5. In Arabic Bible the name for God is Allah. Therefore all Arab Christian call God Allah as Muslim do as well. \\n6. Jesus did not die on the cross. Rather, God saved him as his enemies were confused about him. Jesus was taken up by God to Heaven. \\n7. Jesus is called Isa (pronounced Eesa) in Arabic. \\n8. Jesus performed miracles by the Will of God, like healing the blind and those with leprosy. \\n9. Jesus prayed to the same God as all Prophets and we Muslims pray to. \\n10. Jesus will return before the end of the world. \\n\\nIf Jesus is a son of God, then the following things come up:\\n\\n1. Why Adam & Eve are not sons & daughters of God when God created them without parents?\\n2. What about all living beings which God created without both father & mother for the first time?\\n3. If Jesus was son of God, then why only 120 people accepted his prophethood at that time, rest of all spit on him, insulted him, terrorized him and eventually killed him (Christian belief) but God didn't save him?\\n4. If we take Jesus born without 'father' then how come God is his father?\\n5. As God is all powerful & compared to no one then how come he beget a son like humans?\\n6. God doesn't need any food nor any shelter. But why Jesus felt hungry and sought rest & comfort?\\n7. No one can do any harm to God, but how come people murdered Jesus?\\n8. God has no beginning & no end, how come Jesus was born & eventually died?\\n\\nYou do not have to answer these. There is no direct statement by Jesus himself that he came to fulfill this mission. He was very clear to tell people that God is my God and yours. He used to pray to God and ask Him for support and comfort. He never said, “I am God” or “I am the Son of God.” Rather, he was called several times in the Gospels “a prophet” and “a mighty prophet”. He was also called “the servant of God” like Prophet Muhammad after him. People used to shout, “Here a prophet has risen among us” and repeated this phrase whenever Jesus performed a miracle in front of people. \\n\\nAll the things above I said from Islamic logic, it's not necessary for me to convince people to Islam. I just answered your question to inform \"What Why & How\" about islamic faith in Jesus. \\n\\nThank You. God bless everybody.", "Yes, it is cheating. Why does he need to look for other girls when he has you? What would he do if a girl did respond? You should get a friend who he doesn't know to respond to him and see what happens." ]

[ "True Grit (1969) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error A drunken, hard-nosed U.S. Marshal and a Texas Ranger help a stubborn teenager track down her father's murderer in Indian territory. Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 40 titles created 31 Mar 2011 a list of 28 titles created 15 Oct 2011 a list of 37 titles created 03 May 2013 a list of 43 titles created 11 months ago a list of 38 titles created 6 months ago Search for \" True Grit \" on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Won 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 7 nominations. See more awards » Videos Marshal Rooster Cogburn unwillingly teams up with Eula Goodnight to track down the killers of her father. Director: Stuart Millar A senator, who became famous for killing a notorious outlaw, returns for the funeral of an old friend and tells the truth about his deed. Director: John Ford Ranch owner Katie Elder's four sons determine to avenge the murder of their father and the swindling of their mother. Director: Henry Hathaway A dying gunfighter spends his last days looking for a way to die with a minimum of pain and a maximum of dignity. Director: Don Siegel A Civil War veteran embarks on a journey to rescue his two nieces from an Indian tribe. Director: John Ford 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X Cole Thornton, a gunfighter for hire, joins forces with an old friend, Sheriff J.P. Hara. Together with an old Indian fighter and a gambler, they help a rancher and his family fight a rival rancher that is trying to steal their water. Director: Howard Hawks A small-town sheriff in the American West enlists the help of a cripple, a drunk, and a young gunfighter in his efforts to hold in jail the brother of the local bad guy. Director: Howard Hawks A tough U.S. Marshal helps a stubborn teenager track down her father's murderer. Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen Stars: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Hailee Steinfeld After the Civil War, Cord McNally searches for the traitor whose perfidy caused the defeat of McNally's unit and the loss of a close friend. Director: Howard Hawks In 1909, when John Fain's gang kidnaps Big Jake McCandles' grandson and hold him for ransom, Big Jake sets out to rescue the boy. Directors: George Sherman, John Wayne Stars: John Wayne, Richard Boone, Maureen O'Hara When his cattle drivers abandon him for the gold fields, rancher Wil Andersen is forced to take on a collection of young boys as his drivers in order to get his herd to market in time to ... See full summary » Director: Mark Rydell Wealthy rancher G.W. McLintock uses his power and influence in the territory to keep the peace between farmers, ranchers, land-grabbers, Indians and corrupt government officials. Director: Andrew V. McLaglen Edit Storyline The murder of her father sends a teenage tomboy, Mattie Ross, (Kim Darby), on a mission of \"justice\", which involves avenging her father's death. She recruits a tough old marshal, \"Rooster\" Cogburn (John Wayne), because he has \"grit\", and a reputation of getting the job done. The two are joined by a Texas Ranger, La Boeuf, (Glen Campbell), who is looking for the same man (Jeff Corey) for a separate murder in Texas. Their odyssey takes them from Fort Smith, Arkansas, deep into the Indian Territory (present day Oklahoma) to find their man. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net> [edited] A Brand New Brand Of American Frontier Story See more » Genres: 21 June 1969 (Japan) See more » Also Known As: Temple de acero See more » Filming Locations: Did You Know? Trivia Jim Burk doubled for John Wayne in the final jumping fence stunt at the end. See more » Goofs Rooster mentions that he lived for some years in Cairo, Illinois, but he mispronounces the name of the town. The local pronunciation is KAY-row." ]

[ "'True Grit' memories from Kim Darby and Glen Campbell - latimes 'True Grit' memories from Kim Darby and Glen Campbell The actors recall working on the original film with John Wayne. January 04, 2011 |By Susan King, Los Angeles Times Most remakes of classic films are shadows of the originals. But Joel and Ethan Coen's version of the western \"True Grit\" — with Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn, newcomer Hailee Steinfeld as the plucky Mattie Ross and Matt Damon as Texas Ranger LaBoeuf — has won over critics, audiences and even Kim Darby, who played the resolute Mattie in the 1969 original for which John Wayne won his only Oscar as the irascible Cogburn. \"It's a wonderful movie,\" said Darby, now 63. \"It's top drawer.'\" And so, she said, is Steinfeld. \"She's just extraordinary in the film,\" Darby said. \"I said to her agent, 'Be sure you're careful what she does next. The next thing is what is so important.'\" (Darby's post \"Grit\" movies — including 1969's \"Generation\" and 1970's \"Norwood\" — didn't exactly set the box office on fire.) Darby was especially impressed with Steinfeld's skills on horseback, including riding her black pony across a river. \"God bless her that she did the whole thing,\" said Darby, who admitted she probably was on a horse for only five minutes in the original. \"I am really afraid of horses,\" she said. \"I had a stunt double. She was about 65. They made a mask of my face out of clay and she would wear that and it would match my profile.\" Most of the major players from the original — including Wayne, Dennis Hopper, Jeff Corey and director Henry Hathaway — have died. But a few in addition to Darby are still around, including Robert Duvall (who played the outlaw gang leader \"Lucky\" Ned Pepper) and singing star Glen Campbell (who made his film debut as LaBoeuf). For the 1969 \"True Grit,\" which like the 2010 film was adapted from Charles Portis' novel, producer Hal Wallis originally wanted Mia Farrow to play Mattie. But she supposedly turned it down because her \"Secret Ceremony\" costar Robert Mitchum warned her that Hathaway was a difficult director to work with. Wallis then saw Darby on an episode of the TV drama \"Run for Your Life\" in which she played an unwed mother and thought she had the pluck and vulnerability for the Mattie character. Though Steinfeld was just 13 when she played the role of 14-year-old Mattie in the new version, Darby was 21 and the mother of a newborn daughter, Heather, with her first husband, actor James Stacy. During the filming of the movie, she began divorce proceedings against Stacy. \"The first 10 days of the movie I would love to do over again,\" said Darby, who lives in Studio City and has had some minor roles in recent years but has primarily focused on teaching acting over the last two decades. \"I think I was more concentrated on my child because she was such an infant.\" She fondly recalls working with Wayne. \"He was there on the set before anyone else and knew every line perfectly,\" Darby said. After the production finished filming, Darby remembered, there was a photo shoot at Paramount Pictures with the stars who were working at the studio at the time, \"which were John Wayne, Barbra Streisand, Clint Eastwood, Goldie Hawn.… Robert Evans was in the middle. I was sitting on the curb a ways away watching. The Duke stepped out of the picture and he said, 'Hey, kid.' He put out his arms and lifted me up and brought me over and put me in the center of the picture. How wonderful is that?\" She did, though, have a bit of a problem with Hathaway, who was 71 when he directed the film. \"He was an old prop man and he usually focused on the prop man and he would just yell at him no matter what he did,\" Darby said. Although they had gotten along well when she first met him at the studio, Hathaway yelled at her on the first day of shooting. \"It got me so off guard,\" she said. \"I just got up and went back to my dressing room.\" Eventually, the two had a heart-to-heart talk in the dressing room. \"I said, 'Henry, I'll do anything you want, just don't yell at me again.' After that day, we went along", "Oscars 2011: full list of winners | Film | The Guardian Oscars 2011: full list of winners A full list of winners and nominees for the Oscars 2011 It's not the winning... the nominees for the best actor Oscar 2011: Javier Bardem (Biutiful), James Franco (127 Hours) Colin Firth (The King's Speech),Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), Jeff Bridges (True Grit) Sunday 27 February 2011 20.47 EST First published on Sunday 27 February 2011 20.47 EST Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) James Franco (127 Hours) Performance by an actress in a leading role WINNER: Natalie Portman (Black Swan) Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right) Art direction WINNER: Alice in Wonderland - Robert Stromberg (production design), Karen O'Hara (set decoration) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 - Stuart Craig (production design), Stephenie McMillan (set decoration) Inception - Guy Hendrix Dyas (production design), Larry Dias and Doug Mowat (set decoration) The King's Speech - Eve Stewart (production design), Judy Farr (set decoration) True Grit - Jess Gonchor (production design), Nancy Haigh (set decoration) Achievement in cinematography Danny Cohen (The King's Speech) Jeff Cronenweth (The Social Network) Roger Deakins (True Grit) Performance by an actress in a supporting role WINNER: Melissa Leo (The Fighter) Amy Adams (The Fighter) Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech) Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) WINNER: The Lost Thing (Nick Batzias, Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann) Day & Night (Teddy Newton) The Gruffalo (Jakob Schuh and Max Lang) Let's Pollute (Geefwee Boedoe) Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary) (Bastien Dubois) Best animated feature film of the year WINNER: The Social Network - Aaron Sorkin 127 Hours - Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy Toy Story 3 - Michael Arndt (screenplay); John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich (story) True Grit - Joel Coen and Ethan Coen Winter's Bone - Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini Original screenplay The Kids Are All Right - Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg Best foreign language film of the year WINNER: In a Better World (Denmark) Biutiful (Mexico) WINNER: Christian Bale (The Fighter) John Hawkes (Winter's Bone) Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right) Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech) Achievement in music written for motion pictures (original score) WINNER: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Social Network) John Powell (How to Train Your Dragon) Hans Zimmer (Inception) Alexandre Desplat (The King's Speech) AR Rahman (127 Hours) WINNER: Inception (Lora Hirschberg, Gary A Rizzo and Ed Novick) The King's Speech (Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley) Salt (Jeffrey J Haboush, Greg P Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin) The Social Network (Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten) True Grit (Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F Kurland) Achievement in sound editing Toy Story 3 (Tom Myers and Michael Silvers) Tron: Legacy (Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague) True Grit (Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey) Unstoppable (Mark P Stoeckinger) Edouard F Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng ( The Way Back ) Achievement in costume design Jenny Beavan (The King's Speech) Sandy Powell (The Tempest) WINNER: Strangers No More (Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon) Killing in the Name (Nominees to be determined) Poster Girl (Nominees to be determined) Sun Come Up (Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger) The Warriors of Qiugang (Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon) Best live action short film WINNER: God of Love (Luke Matheny) The Confession (Tanel Toom) Wish 143 (Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite) Best documentary feature Exit Through the Gift Shop (Banksy and Jaimie D'Cruz) Gasland (Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic) Restrepo (Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger) Waste Land (Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley) Achievement in visual effects WINNER: Inception (Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb) Alice in Wonderland (Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christi", "Is Jeff Bridges' Rooster Cogburn Art Imitating Life? - ABC News ABC News Is Jeff Bridges' Cogburn in 'True Grit' a Case of Art Imitating Life? By Luchina Fisher WATCH Is Natalie Portman the 'Other Woman'? 0 Shares Email Jeff Bridges, who currently stars as the drunken U.S. marshal Rooster Cogburn in \"True Grit,\" has made a career out of playing drunks and stoners. His performances have been so convincing -- his stoner, The Dude, in \"The Big Lebowski\" has become the stuff of legend and he won last year's best actor Academy Award for his washed-up country singer in \"Crazy Heart\" -- that at least one interviewer questioned whether he's actually acting. Recalling Bridges' heartfelt, if somewhat rambling Oscar night speech in which he thanked his mom and dad for \"turning me on to such a groovy profession,\" MTV host Josh Horowitz recently asked the actor if he was high at last year's ceremony. Bridges threw his head back and laughed nearly half a minute before saying, \"No, man, no. No I wasn't high. No man. Oh God. No, no, no.\" WHAT TO KNOW Then, turning the tables on Horowitz, Bridges asked, \"Are you high now? You are high. Of course!\" It's the kind of laid-back response you would expect from Bridges. The actor is not alone in playing roles seemingly close to real life. ABCNews.com rounded up a few other actors whose art seemed to imitate their lives this year. Courteney Cox The former \"Friends\" star surprised star watchers with her announcement that she and husband, David Arquette , were separating after 11 years. Now, Cox, 46, who plays a 40-something single mom re-entering the dating scene in \"Cougar Town,\" could be a cougar on the prowl in real life, too. Reports have tied her to her co-star, Brian Van Holt, 40, with eonline.com reporting recently that the pair was \"inseparable\" at the show's holiday party. Natalie Portman In her upcoming new movie, \"The Other Woman,\" Portman breaks up a marriage. In real life, she recently became engaged to choreographer Benjamin Millepied , and is expecting her first child. But websites have suggested that Portman is the reason Millepied split from his live-in girlfriend, a dancer in the American Ballet Theater. Julia Roberts While promoting her movie \"Eat Pray Love\" last summer, Julia Roberts revealed that she's chanted at a Hindu temple like her film character, Liz. Roberts told Elle magazine that she and her family now worship as Hindus and go together to a temple to \"chant and pray and celebrate. I'm definitely a practicing Hindu.\" Charlie Sheen", "El Dorado Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb 60 out of 78 people found the following review useful: \"Ride Baldy Ride, to the end of the rainbow.\" from Buffalo, New York 5 February 2006 Unless you count their joint appearance in The Longest Day, El Dorado deserves its place in Hollywood history for being the only co-starring effort of John Wayne and Robert Mitchum. Besides being good friends Wayne and Mitchum were both known for being able to drink just about anyone else in the film business under the table and still report to work in the morning, lines letter perfect. But Mitchum was not allowed in the Wayne home because Pilar Wayne never forgave him for ruining their honeymoon when Mitchum backed out of Blood Alley and Wayne had to star as well as produce it. I also think that the Duke was leery about Mitchum stealing too many scenes which he does when they are on the screen together. In this tighter and faster remake of Rio Bravo, Wayne is his usual stand up hero, rough and tough, but who lives by a code. Mitchum is the flawed one. During an interlude of several months in the film, Mitchum becomes enamored of an unseen woman, loses her, and becomes a drunk. Which leads me to one of the funniest scenes ever in a Wayne film. When Christopher George and fellow gunmen are hired by villain Ed Asner to run R.G. Armstrong and his family off their ranch, Wayne has to sober up Sheriff Mitchum and fast. Every time I watch El Dorado, I get hysterical every time I watch James Caan pour a homemade remedy down Mitchum's throat with Wayne and Arthur Hunnicutt holding him down. And the reactions afterwards, absolutely priceless. This is where Mitchum steals the movie. As in many a Howard Hawks film, there is a theme of professionalism that runs through it. Whether it's Cary Grant and his fellow pilots flying over treacherous terrain in South America, Humphrey Bogart with his charter boat business in the Caribbean, or Wayne and Mitchum going up against fellow professional Christopher George, it's doing the job and doing it well for it's own reward. The final gunfight is also a classic. Let's just say that Mitchum and Wayne are not at their best, but they make up for it with some help from interested friends. This is one of the best films, in the top 10 for both these guys and shouldn't be missed. Was the above review useful to you? 53 out of 66 people found the following review useful: One of the Great American Westerns... from United States 6 August 2006 every once and a while me and my father will buy a classic western no matter how cheesy or weird it may look, today he came home with this movie El Dorado, at first i was expecting not too much due to how many westerns that were made, though i should have thought better whenever i saw that it starred two great film actors John Wayne and Robert Mitchum. i may be young(16) but i know good actors when i watch them on screen these two played beautifully off each other and so did another great actor James Caan all the characters were played to perfection, even though anyone can play an alcoholic sheriff with a broken-heart Mitchum really made the role shine, of course John Wayne did wonderful as The Hired Gun, but my favorite role was that of Mississipi played by James Caan, in my opinion he did an astonishing job in this role and the scenes with him and Wayne were glorious. Now some older ladies and gents may find it hard to follow the recommendation of a 16 year old but it is seriously one of my favorites of the ones me and my father have seen in a lil side note the action scenes were done really well and there was also a slight editing issue during one of the scenes I'm sure you'll notice(but you must take into consideration the time when the movie was made) thank you and you really must see this movie that could never be done today due to the fight between stars in leading roles. Was the above review useful to you? 35 out of 44 people found the following review useful: A Pleasant Surprise from United States 24 October 2006 This was a pretty solid western, one I enjoyed more than I thought", "The Searchers | British Invasion Bands The Searchers The Searchers, 1965 The Searchers were on the front lines of the British Invasion. John McNally and Mike Pender founded the band as a skiffle group in Liverpool in the late 50s, taking its name from the 1956 cowboy film starring John Wayne. They were joined by bass player/singer Tony Jackson and drummer Chris Curtis. The Searchers’ earlier history parallels that of the Beatles and many other of Liverpool’s homegrown bands. They Searchers played at the popular local venues, the Iron Door and The Cavern, performing as many as three shows each night. Like the Beatles, the Searchers traveled to Hamburg in 1962 and performed at the Star-Club in the St. Pauli district. Back in Liverpool, the Searchers signed on with Pye Records with Tony Hatch as producer. Hatch played piano on some recordings and wrote “Sugar and Spice” — the band’s second number one record — under the name Fred Nightingale; a secret he kept from the band at the time. Their first UK #1 record, “Sweets for my Sweet,” was released in 1963. “Sugar and Spice”, the Searchers’ second single, reached #2 on the charts. In 1964, the Searchers released a Leiber and Stoller song that was a hit five tears earlier for a group called the Clovers. “Love Potion Number Nine” became the Searchers’ top-selling record in the US. After scoring with “Needles and Pins” (a song co-written by Sonny Bono and Jack Nitzsche) bassist Tony Jackson left the band and was replaced by Frank Allen, who’s still with the Searchers today. The Searchers toured with the Rolling Stones in the Far East in 1966, but their string of hit songs began to fade. Musical tastes were beginning to change (the Beatles had recorded Rubber Soul and Revolver), but the Searchers stayed with their original sound and their popularity began to wane. They continued to record for Liberty Records and RCA and had a minor US hit in 1971 with “Desdemona”. The Searchers continued to tour through the 1970s and in 1979, they signed with Sire Records. Two albums were released: The Searchers and Play for Today (retitled Love’s Melodies outside the UK). While both recordings won critical acclaim, neither one was a hit. Sire dropped the Searchers, and in 1981, they signed to PRT Records (an offshoot of Pye, their original label) and began recording an album. Soon after the PRT release, Mike Pender left the group and now tours as Mike Pender’s Searchers. In 1988, the Searchers were signed by Coconut Records and released the “Hungry Hearts” album. It featured new versions of “Needles and Pins” and “Sweets For My Sweet” While the album was not a major hit, it did keep the group in the public eye. In the summer of 1989, saw the Searchers played to their biggest audiences ever – more than 75,000 people at Wembley Stadium. In 1998 they headlined a major nationwide UK tour with The Swinging Blue Jeans and Helen Shapiro; returned briefly to the US, to play at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut and gave their regular fans a private show at the fourth Searchers Appreciation Society Convention. The 21st century Searchers In 2003, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Searchers’ first number-one hit, they headlined another very successful “Solid Silver 60s Tour”, along with Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, Wayne Fontana, the Dakotas and Barry Ryan. The Searchers today include founding member John McNally (lead guitar, 12-string guitar, vocals), Frank Allen (bass, vocals ), Spencer James (lead vocals, synthesiser guitar) and Scott Ottaway (drums and percussion) Where are They Now? Almost 50 years after they began, the Searchers continue to tour, including electric performances with an acoustic set. To confuse matters, former lead singer Mike Pender also tours, with his own band, Mike Pender’s Searchers, performing old Searchers’ hits in addition to some new material. Pender, who lives in Manchester, England, took part in British Invasion tours of the US in 2014 and 2015. Later in 2015, he’ll be playing in Bangkok, the Netherlands, the Channel Islands, Scandinavia and Germany. “", "John Wayne: one last shot before the final farewell - Telegraph Classic Movies John Wayne: one last shot before the final farewell In 1976, battling the cancer that would kill him, John Wayne stepped in front of the camera for one final face-off. The result was 'The Shootist’, a rich and elegiac western and, says Philip Horne, a fitting swansong for Hollywood’s most courageous gunslinger. Image 1 of 2 His last stand: John Wayne in a scene from 'The Shootist' (1976), made when he was terminally ill with cancer. John Wayne in The Shootist Photo: PARAMOUNT/ALLSTAR By Philip Horne 5:51PM BST 20 Sep 2010 During the making of The Shootist (1976), Don Siegel’s rich, elegiac western about an ageing gunfighter dying of “a cancer”, its star John Wayne became too ill to film. The actor had had a lung removed twelve years earlier and was now struggling with the stomach cancer that would eventually lead to his death in 1979. A few days later, when Wayne bravely returned to the set, he picked a quarrel with the director, who had carried on filming a gunfight scene in his absence, over the way his character was shown killing a villain. He forced Siegel to redo the scene, declaring: “Whatever the cause, I would never shoot anyone in the back. It’s unthinkable for my image… I spent many years in this business building up my image.” He certainly did – but he wasn’t the only one. The 6ft 4in Marion Morrison was a former USC American football player with a few bit parts to his rather girlie name, when he was spotted carrying an armchair across the Fox Studios lot by legendary director Raoul Walsh (one-eyed, but sharp-eyed). Walsh cast him in The Big Trail (1930) – a western, the genre Wayne would above all be associated with – and renamed him after Revolutionary War general “Mad Anthony Wayne”. But it was director John Ford who turned Wayne into an all-time star, by casting him as the Ringo Kid, in Stagecoach (1939), which is perhaps the definitive western (though based on a Maupassant novel). Wayne’s character makes his first appearance standing on the trail, firing into the air to stop the stagecoach and, as the camera whips in to a breathless close-up, he announces that: “You might need me and this Winchester, Curly!” In his dark placket-front shirt, light army-style braces, bandana and broad white hat, Ringo is a dazzling vision of male beauty and heroism. Wayne was already 32, with 78 films behind him – but the freshness of this “Kid” is unforgettable. Related Articles John Wayne's eye patch up for auction 28 Sep 2011 The Shootist opens with a montage of its hero’s past exploits – taken from Red River (Howard Hawks, 1948), Hondo (John Farrow, 1953), Rio Bravo and El Dorado (Hawks, 1959 and 1966). It’s clear this is a summation of Wayne’s career as well as that of his character in The Shootist, JB Books. Younger film-watchers may not be so aware of the Wayne legend, or of his films – it was against the heroic Wayne, in a sense, that the spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone (and then Eastwood) were angled; so too were the Seventies anti-westerns of Peckinpah. Wayne’s fame is probably not dissociable, in fact, from the Cold War era – from anxieties about communism (his quite reactionary politics could be ugly) and gender (it’s often clear that his characters, men’s men, are ill at ease with women). But no one who sees a good John Wayne film (and there are many) will forget his complex, dignified presence. He was large, physically powerful, with a rolling gait, increasingly craggy as time went on – but always a careful watcher of others and a man of few words. He had indomitable courage and a basically decent heart, though also a quick temper and a capacity for black, violent rages. The great Wayne films directed by John Ford don’t figure in The Shootist montage – they’re too distinctive and different in tone. It was Hawks (at least according to Hawks) who discovered that Wayne could actually act, making him the ruthless Thomas Dunson of Red River – and in that auteur’s view: “If you try to make a western with somebody besides", "Mia Farrow - Biography - IMDb Mia Farrow Jump to: Overview (3) | Mini Bio (1) | Spouse (2) | Trivia (58) | Personal Quotes (15) Overview (3) 5' 4¼\" (1.63 m) Mini Bio (1) Mia Farrow was born in Los Angeles, California, to director John Farrow and actress and Tarzan-girl Maureen O'Sullivan . Her father was Australian-born (of English descent) and her mother was Irish-born (of Irish, Scottish, and English ancestry). Farrow debuted at the movies in 1959 in very small roles. She was noticed for the first time in the film Rosemary's Baby (1968) by Roman Polanski . She showed her talent also on TV and at the theatre, but her final breakthrough was when she met Woody Allen and became his Muse after the film A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982). After that, Woody Allen wrote many other roles for her. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Volker Boehm Spouse (2) Auditoned for the role of Liesl in The Sound of Music (1965). Hit #111 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop charts with \"Lullaby from Rosemary's Baby\" in August of 1968. The first American actress to be accepted as a member of London's prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company. Her godparents were gossip columnist Louella Parsons and famed director George Cukor . April 2002 - refused to co-operate with request that clips from some of her performances in Woody Allen films could be used for upcoming Turner Classic Movies tribute to the director, her ex-lover since infamous break-up in 1991. Mia and her family live in huge rent-controlled apartment building right next door to Manhattan's legendary Dakota apartment house, which starred as the devilish locale in Rosemary's Baby (1968). Dakota is also the building where her friend, John Lennon , lived and in front of which he was shot to death. Her mother attended private school with fellow actress Vivien Leigh , and Leigh gave Farrow's career a push when she made her off-Broadway debut playing Cecily in a New York revival of \"The Importance of Being Earnest\". Leigh put out personal phone calls to make sure that agents and casting directors saw the show. She is a UNICEF Special Representative. Daughter Mallone attends Bard College, class of 2007. Was one of the bridesmaids when Liza Minnelli married David Gest in a lavish ceremony on March 16, 2002. Her father was born in Australia, and had English ancestry. Her mother was born in Ireland, and had Irish, as well as Scottish and English, ancestry. Was the voice of the Unicorn/Amalthia in the 1982 animated version of The Last Unicorn (1982) and will be portraying the Molly Grue character in the up coming live action remake set for 2006. Contracted Polio at the age of nine. Returned to the New York stage in September 2005 to appear off-Broadway in the play, \"Fran's Bed.\" Mia Farrow's performance was widely praised by NY critics. Her former step-children, Frank Sinatra Jr. (b. 1944), and Nancy Sinatra (b. 1940) were older than her. Elder brother Michael (born 1939) perished in a 1958 plane crash while taking flying lessons. Father died when she was 17. Is, to the day, 2 years younger than Joe Pesci . Was featured on People's first published issue, March 4, 1974. Was listed as a potential nominee on the 2007 Razzie Award nominating ballot. She was suggested in the Worst Supporting Actress category for her roles in the films Arthur and the Invisibles (2006) and The Omen (2006), however, she failed to receive a nomination. Had she gotten the nomination, it would have been her first in 24 years. She was previously nominated for Worst Actress for her performance in A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982), at the 1983 Razzie Awards. In February of 2007 - as a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador - she toured the Central African Republic and Chad for a week each. Her goal was to bring worldwide attention to those impoverished African countries. Turned down the role of Mattie Ross in the 1969 now classic True Grit (1969) opposite John Wayne , a decision she now cites as the worst mistake she has made in her career. Mia has 15 children. She has three biological children with André Previn : twin sons Matthew Phine", "Other Voices « Movie City News Oscar 2004: Flashback to Oscar’s Memorable Speeches Tuesday, February 15th, 2005 Suppose You won the Oscar! What would You say? How would you grab your 45 seconds–unless you are Warren Beatty or Julia Roberts and get to talk much longer–in the spotlight? The Oscar speeches are often the show’s most memorable–and most hilarious–moments, perhaps because they still maintain some aura of suspense and spontaneity, if not sensibility. Over the years, the speeches have shown great variability in length, substance (or lack of), and originality. The “Thank You” is the only customary note in the speech, but various people and objects have been thanked for different reasons. Maureen Stapleton (Red) was the first to outdo them all, when she thanked “everybody I ever met in my entire life,” a sentiment that was echoed last week by no other than the estimable Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby), my choice for the Supporting Actor, when he accepted the SAG Award last week. Oscar can do strange things to the contenders, as Lili Zanuck, producer of the 1989 Oscar-winning Driving Miss Daisy, said: “I hope I’m as religious the rest of the year as I’ve been the last two months.” Here is a sample of Oscar speeches that capture the flavor of their winners’ personality and their times. The Long and the Short of It The all-time record (over 5 minutes) still belongs to Greer Garson, Mrs. Miniver (one of the worst films to ever win Best Picture), who thanked everyone, from the Academy to “the doctor who brought me into the world.” Shortly after the ceremonies, Garson’s speech became a joke in Hollywood, imitated to death at parties. The stately British lady, Louis B. Mayer’s discovery and fave actress, never spoke in public again! The shortest speech was given by Joe Pesci’s (GoodFellas), who simply said, “It’s my privilege. Thank you.” “I wrote a long movie and I’m going to make a long speech,” quipped John Briley, winner of Original Screenplay for Gandhi. And he did. So did Beatrice Straight, whose speech was almost as long as her part in Network, practically three scenes! It’s All in the Timing “It just happened that this year Mrs. March and I adopted a child and Mr. and Mrs. Beery adopted a child. And here we are, both getting awards for the best male performance of the year.” Fredric March (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde), who shared the 1931/2 Best Actor with Wallace Beery (The Champ) in one of those rare occasions of ties; the other being Streisand (Funny Girl) and Katharine Hepburn (The Lion in Winter), in 1968. The Long, Long Way to Oscar “It sure is a wonderful world when a tired crooner like me can walk away with this hunk of crockery.” Bing Crosby, one of the least deserving Best Actors, winning for Going My Way. “It took me as long to win this as it took to win the West.” James Webb, Original Screenplay, How the West Was Won. “I thought some day I might win an award for lasting so long! But I never thought I would get this particular award.” A tearful John Wayne, True Grit, accepting his first Oscar from no other than Streisand. Tears, But No Time to Cry “I’m happy enough to cry, but I can’t take the time to do so. A taxi is waiting outside with the engine running.” Claudette Colbert, Best Actress for It Happened One Night, while rushing to the train station. Oscar Pregnancies “I may have the baby right here out of excitement.” Eva Marie Saint (On the Waterfront). “It was a long walk, I didn’t think I would make it. As wonderful as From Here to Eternitywas, what’s even more wonderful is Eternity to Here.” Donna Reed (From Here to Eternity). Remember, for that matter, when the very pregnant Meryl Streep (Sophie’s Choice) kneeled down to her knees to look for her thank you note that somehow got knocked to the ground. The Role’s the Thing “I accept this very gratefully for keeping my mouth shut. I think I’ll do it again,” Jane Wyman (Johnny Belinda), for playing a deaf mute. “I’d like to thank Mrs. Christy Brown. Anybody who gives birth 22 times deserves one of these.” Brenda Fricker (“My Left Foot”). Mixed Nuts", "MC5: A True Testimonial (Unreleased documentary 2002) [DVD9] RESTORED / AvaxHome MC5: A True Testimonial (Unreleased documentary 2002) DVD9 NTSC | English DD 2.0 Stereo | 121+ minutes | Cover | ~ 7,75 GB The MC5 Movie you may never see / The Original studio authoring 2003 MC5: A True Testimonial, also written as MC5 ☆ A True Testimonial, is a 2002 feature-length documentary film about the MC5, a Detroit-based rock band of the 1960s and early 1970s. The film was produced by Laurel Legler and directed by David C. Thomas; the couple spent more than seven years working on the project. The release on the video has been held up after many, MANY legal problems, and as of 2012, MC5: A True Testimonial has not been officially released on DVD. Although the MC5 are considered very influential today, they were relatively obscure in their time. To make the film, Thomas collected photographs and film clips of varying quality, including U.S. government surveillance footage of the MC5's performance at the protests that took place outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. He interviewed the surviving members of the band and people closely associated with it. In the editing room, Thomas matched the band's recordings to the silent footage he had collected. MC5: A True Testimonial made its premiere on August 22, 2002, at the Chicago Underground Film Festival. Three weeks later it made its international premiere on September 11 at the Toronto International Film Festival. In November of that year, the film was awarded an \"Honorable Mention\" as a debut feature at the Raindance Film Festival. During 2003 and early 2004, the film was shown at film festivals around the world. Critical reception was overwhelmingly positive. The New York Times described the film as \"riveting\"; The Boston Globe said it was \"everything a rockumentary should be and usually isn't\"; and The Washington Post called it \"one of the best movies of the summer\". Wayne Kramer, the MC5's guitarist, said it was a \"wonderful film\" and John Sinclair, the band's one-time manager, said Thomas had done \"a fine job\". In 2007, Time Out London ranked it #48 on a list of the \"50 Greatest Music Films Ever\". Though they would later become associated with the nascent stirrings of punk rock, during their brief career, the MC5 were better known for their radical lifestyle than their music. David C. Thomas' digital video documentary, MC5: A TRUE TESTIMONIAL, takes an impressive look at the band's turbulent life and times. Formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan in 1964 as a high school garage band, they were later inspired by the same industrial bleakness of nearby Detroit that spawned their spiritual brothers The Stooges. Guitarists Fred \"Sonic\" Smith (who later married Patti Smith) and Wayne Kramer piled on the distortion, creating a ferocious and unparalleled guitar-fueled din. Along with their rabble-rousing manager, John Sinclair, the band took inspiration from the Black Panther Party, forming the White Panther Party, a mock political organization based on unabashed love of drugs, sex, and guns. This invited harassment by local and federal law enforcement agencies. Revealing interviews with surviving members Kramer (who is the most insightful), bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson, as well as a videotaped 1988 interview with the late vocalist Rob Tyner, paint a portrait of a band whose lifestyle created obstacles every step of the way. Cut in a rapid-fire style, the film is a heady, kaleidoscopic swirl of stills, talking-head snippets, and concert footage. While the late '60s were an era which produced a large number of eclectic and influential rock & roll bands, few were as revolutionary in both their music and there message as the MC5. Formed in late 1964 by five high-school buddies from suburban Detroit, the MC5 – vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Fred \"Sonic\" Smith and Wayne Kramer, bassist Michael Davis, and drummer Dennis Thompson – started out as a fairly typical Midwestern garage band, but as the group embraced the passion of blues and R&B, the sonic wanderlus", "The Alamo | film by Wayne [1960] | Britannica.com film by Wayne [1960] The Alamo, American epic film , released in 1960, that was John Wayne ’s dream project about the Battle of the Alamo (1836). A scene from The Alamo (1960), directed by John Wayne. © 1960 United Artists with Batjac Productions and The Alamo Company Frontier legend Davy Crockett (played by Wayne) and his men arrive in San Antonio , Texas, and volunteer to help defend the Alamo, a hopelessly outgunned mission-turned-fort that is about to be assaulted by Gen. Antonio López de Santa Anna ’s Mexican army. The post is commanded by Col. William Travis ( Laurence Harvey ), a courageous but overly strict officer whose methods clash with those of the folksy Crockett and his fellow legendary frontiersman Jim Bowie ( Richard Widmark ). Travis hopes to hold the Alamo long enough for Sam Houston ( Richard Boone ) to send additional troops. When word arrives that the reinforcements have been massacred en route, Travis gives the volunteers permission to leave the fortress, as they would face certain death against overwhelming odds. To a man, they opt to stay. Moved by their courage, Travis mounts an aggressive plan to forestall the inevitable defeat. The Alamo defenders repel the first attack but cannot hold off the second assault. Travis dies in battle. Crockett is killed by a lance, but before he dies, he manages to ignite the ammunition depot in a spectacular explosion, and the wounded Bowie dies fighting from his hospital bed. Wayne had long been interested in bringing the Battle of the Alamo to the big screen, and he was involved in most aspects of the filmmaking. In addition to starring in the movie, he served as director and producer and also provided some of the financing. Although the script was heavy-handed at times—with grizzled mountain men emoting about freedom and patriotism—the film was largely entertaining, especially the final battle, which ranks among cinema’s great action sequences. Praise was also extended to Dimitri Tiomkin’s score. At the time of its release, The Alamo received mixed reviews and had limited success at the box office. Some of the negative reception was blamed on an overly aggressive marketing campaign—one that only increased in intensity after the film received seven Academy Award nominations, including a nod for best picture. The backlash mounted after Oscar nominee Chill Wills implied that voting for anyone else would be anti-American. In the end, the film won two Academy Awards, for sound and cinematography. Production notes and credits Studios: Batjac Productions and The Alamo Company Director and producer: John Wayne Writer: James Edward Grant John Wayne (Col. Davy Crockett) Richard Widmark (Jim Bowie) Richard Boone (Gen. Sam Huston) Chill Wills (Beekeeper)", "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb 122 out of 160 people found the following review useful: The passing of the old ways from Mountain Home, Idaho 30 August 2004 Other reviewers, aside from seeing this as the end of the classic western, saw the plot as myth granting to one man that which was rightfully another's. I disagree. I see TMWSLV as a tale of a man stepping aside for the sake of a better man and a better world, at great personal cost. I view Tom as someone who has lived a cynical life--kill it before it kills you. With the advent of Ransom he recognizes that there is a better way, and that Ransom, by defying evil from a position of weakness, is far braver than Tom, who has merely defied evil from a position of strength. Additionally, Ransom brings about an answer to the question \"must the sword rule forever?\" with a resounding \"no,\" a denial that at first seems foolish to Tom, but who then realizes that things really should be Ransom's way. And so Tom, knowing that one of them is the better man, allows that better man to receive the fame attendant to heroism; and in fact Ransom, for daring what Tom never did dare, is the true hero of the tale. Like all honest men must, Tom steps aside for the better man, knowing what it will cost him to do what is right. An earlier reviewer said that the depiction of the politics was a parody; in fact, the politics of the early portion of the republics was even more lively (read: pugnacious) than is depicted in the film. Was the above review useful to you? 78 out of 89 people found the following review useful: \"This is the west, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend\". from United Kingdom 2 August 2007 \"This is the west, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend\". - Maxwell Scott, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance In John Ford's most mournful tale, the legendary director asks the question \"How did this present come to be? Just how did an inferior race of men whose only weapon was that of law and books defeat the old gunslingers of the great West? Just what exactly happened to the Western heroes portrayed by John Wayne when law and order came to town? How did the wilderness turn into a garden? In The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, John Ford depicts a world where everyone has got everything they wanted, but nobody seems happy with it… sound familiar to anyone? Senator Ransom Stoddard (James Stewart) arrives to Shinbone on a train with his wife Hallie (Vera Miles) to visit the funeral of an old friend named Tom Doniphon (John Wayne, remarkably the film opens where this iconic star is dead). The newspaper men have never heard of him, so why would such a powerful political figure visit the town to attend this funeral of a \"nobody\"? Through the use of a flashback, Stoddard tells us the tale of how he came to the town as a young lawyer but was immediately attacked by the psychotic villain Liberty Valance (terrifyingly played by Lee Marvin) who teaches him \"Western law\". The rest of the film tells the tale of how the man of books eventually defeated the race of the gunslinger and what sacrifices had to be made for that to happen. In truth, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is more of a melodrama than a Western. Gone are the vibrant landscapes of Ford's landmark movie The Searchers six years earlier, which was so proudly promoted as being in VISTAVISION WIDESCREEN COLOR and instead the film has given way to a bleak, claustrophobic black and white tale, with so many enclosed sets and not one shot of Monument Valley. There's a lack of a real bar scene, lack of shots of the landscape, lack of horses, lack of gunfights. It's a psychological Western, probably unlike anything ever filmed until maybe Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven. Why is this movie so good then? In basic terms, it's about the sadness of progression and without giving way too much away the film tells a remarkable tale which truly does examine what Ford's view of the West as promoted in his earlier work truly meant. It's a tragic and pessimistic movie but it's a rewarding one, with hug", "BBC SPORT | Football | Gerrard named player of the year Gerrard named player of the year It is the first time Gerrard has won the prestigous award Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has claimed the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award. It is the first time the 25-year-old has been named player of the year by his peers, although he was Young Player of the Year in 2001. Gerrard, who a day earlier helped Liverpool win their FA Cup semi-final, said: \"I am still in shock. \"To go through to another FA Cup final and win this special award in the same weekend is fantastic for me.\" Wayne Rooney, the 20-year-old Manchester United striker, won the PFA Young Player of the Year award for the second successive season. PFA PLAYER OF THE YEAR 1996: Les Ferdinand (Newcastle) 2000: Roy Keane (Man Utd) 2001: Teddy Sheringham (Man Utd) 2002: Ruud van Nistelrooy (Man Utd) 2003: Thierry Henry (Arsenal) 2005: John Terry (Chelsea) 2006: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) Rooney had been a contender for the senior player of the year prize - along with Gerrard, Arsenal striker Thierry Henry and the Chelsea trio Joe Cole, Frank Lampard and John Terry, who won last year. Gerrard was third in last season's vote but then went on to guide the Reds to Champions League victory against AC Milan in Istanbul. Players receive two votes and Gerrard revealed that he had voted for Henry and England team-mate Rooney. Manchester United star Rooney said he was pleased to again pick up the young player prize. \"To win it twice on the run is a great honour and I am delighted with the award,\" Rooney said. He beat off competition from Charlton striker Darren Bent, team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo, Tottenham's Aaron Lennon, Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas and West Ham defender Anton Ferdinand. Rooney added: \"I voted for Fabregas, but it was close between him and Darren Bent.\" PFA YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR 1996: Robbie Fowler (Liverpool) 2005: Wayne Rooney (Manchester Utd) 2006: Wayne Rooney (Manchester Utd) It was no surprise that champions Chelsea had the most players named in the Premiership Team of the Year in the shape of John Terry, William Gallas, Joe Cole and Frank Lampard. Newcastle's Shay Given was picked in goal while Wigan full-back Pascal Chimbonda was also included after a solid season for Paul Jewell's side. But Wigan star Chimbonda fears it has come too late to land him a place in France's World Cup squad. He said: \"I have not given up hope. The window is still open, but the manager tends to look at the bigger players at the bigger clubs. \"Maybe he did not think Wigan would do as well as they have, so in that respect it will hardly be a surprise if I don't make it. \"But it's such a big honour. To make it into the PFA team means it has been a fantastic season, with a lot of pleasure derived from the fact the team have stayed up. \"To do so well has been a massive surprise. I was expecting a battle against relegation, so the way the season has gone, it has been far beyond my expectations.\" Player of the Year: Young Player of the Year: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) Premiership Team of the Year: Shay Given (Newcastle), Pascal Chimbonda (Wigan), John Terry (Chelsea), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), William Gallas (Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Thierry Henry (Arsenal), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United). Championship Team of the Year: Marcus Hahnemann (Reading), Gary Kelly (Leeds), Ibrahima Sonko (Reading), Joleon Lescott (Wolves), Nicky Shorey (Reading), Steve Sidwell (Reading), Ashley Young (Watford), Phil Jagielka (Sheffield United), Jason Koumas (Cardiff), Marlon King (Watford), Kevin Doyle (Reading) League One Team of the Year: Darryl Flahavan (Southend), Greg Halford (Colchester), Sam Sodje (Brentford), Adam Barrett (Southend), Gareth Roberts (Tranmere), Neil Danns (Colchester), Andy Robinson (Swansea), Kevin Maher (Southend) Michael McIndoe (Doncaster), Lee Trundle (Swansea), Billy Sharp (Scunthorpe). League Two Team of the Year: Joe Hart (Shrewsbury), Da", "Film History Milestones - 1928 Event and Significance 1928 RKO (Radio-Keith-Orpheum) Pictures, evolving originally from the Mutual Film Corporation (1912), was created in the merger of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), the Film Booking Office (FBO) and Keith-Albee-Orpheum, a major Vaudeville corporation. It was established as a subsidiary of RCA and joined the ranks of the major Hollywood studios. 1928 Director Roy William Neill's The Viking (1928) was the first feature-length Technicolor film that featured a soundtrack, and the first film made in Technicolor's Process 3. 1928 By 1928, Hollywood's major film studios had signed an agreement with AT&T/Western Electric's licensing division (ERPI, or Electrical Research Products, Inc.) to use their audio technologies to produce films with sound. They proceeded with the conversion of production facilities and theaters for sound film. This led to an explosion in the popularity of sound in cinema. 1928 The first 'Mickey Mouse' short animated film, Plane Crazy (1928), was debuted on May 15, 1928. The character of an animated mouse (future Mickey Mouse) was modified from Disney's earlier character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, which was introduced in 1927. 1928 The first all-talking cartoon short, Paul Terry's Dinner Time (1928) with synchronized sound was premiered, preceding Disney's Steamboat Willie (1928) by about a month. It was made after Warner Bros.' success with The Jazz Singer (1927) . 1928 Walt Disney also introduced the first popular animated cartoons with synchronized sound later in this year: Steamboat Willie (on July 29, 1928, in limited release) and Galloping Gaucho (on August 2, 1928). Steamboat Willie - Mickey's first sound cartoon, was then re-released on November 18, 1928 with sound and premiered at the 79th Street Colony Theatre in New York - it was Disney's first cartoon with a post-produced synchronized soundtrack (of music, dialogue, and sound effects) and was considered Mickey Mouse's (and Minnie's) screen debut performance and birthdate. It was the first sound cartoon that was a major hit. Walt Disney provided the voice for Mickey until his death. 1928 The Best Picture-nominated western film In Old Arizona (1928), made by directors Raoul Walsh and Irving Cummings, was released. It was the first full-length talkie film to be shot outdoors (on location) and not in a studio, as well as the first sound western film. 1928 The gangster melodrama The Lights of New York (1928) was released by Warner Brothers as the first 100% all-talking feature film, as a result of the phenomenal success of The Jazz Singer (1927) with just a few minutes of sound. This first Warner Bros. gangster film was unexpectedly successful, grossing over $2 million. 1928 Warner Brothers' second 'all-talking' picture was The Terror (1928) - director Roy Del Ruth's adaptation of Edgar Wallace's play regarding a haunted house terrorized by a homicidal asylum escapee. The film's many ads capitalized on the new feature of sound (creaking doors, howling winds, organ music), heard with the Vitaphone sound-on-disc process: \"It will thrill you! Grip you! Set you into tremors of awe. HEAR this creepy tale of mystery - the baffling story of a detective's great triumph. With voices and shadows that will rack your nerves and make you like it. Come, hear them talk in this Vitaphone production of the play that has gripped London for over 3 years.\" 1928 Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer's startling and influential The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) used minimal sets, extremely oblique and other unusual camera angles, and excruciatingly huge close-ups to create a virtually new visual language soulfully expressive of the martyr's (Maria Falconetti) suffering psychology. 1928 Future star John Wayne (a former prop man) has often been credited as making his debu", "Cheers (TV Series 1982–1993) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error The regulars of the Boston bar Cheers share their experiences and lives with each other while drinking or working at the bar where everybody knows your name. Creators: Frasier and Lilith announce that they are moving in together and as the instigators of the relationship, they invite Sam and Diane over as their first dinner guests. Just prior to Sam and Diane's ... 8.6 Woody embarks on his new life as City Councilman. Norm embarks on his new life as civil servant as Woody pulled some strings to get him an accounting job at City Hall. And Rebecca and Sam embark on ... 8.6 Diane thinks that Frasier is masking romantic feelings for his colleague, Dr. Lilith Sternin, so she launches a plan to fan the flames of love. Meanwhile, Norm and Cliff reluctantly join Woody for a ... 8.5 a list of 32 titles created 21 Jun 2013 a list of 30 titles created 30 Sep 2013 a list of 27 titles created 06 Oct 2013 a list of 37 titles created 10 months ago a list of 39 titles created 3 months ago Search for \" Cheers \" on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Won 6 Golden Globes. Another 71 wins & 180 nominations. See more awards » Photos Dr. Frasier Crane moves back to his hometown of Seattle where he lives with his father and works as a radio psychiatrist. Stars: Kelsey Grammer, Jane Leeves, David Hyde Pierce Light television comedy featuring Paul and Jaime Buchman as a recently married couple in New York City. They point out the gentle humor of domesticity and in the everyday situations of life. Stars: Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt, John Pankow The staff of a New York City taxicab company go about their job while they dream of greater things. Stars: Judd Hirsch, Jeff Conaway, Danny DeVito Al Bundy is a misanthropic women's shoe salesman with a miserable life. He hates his job, his wife is lazy, his son is dysfunctional (especially with women), and his daughter is dim-witted and promiscuous. Stars: Ed O'Neill, Christina Applegate, Katey Sagal In this sitcom, Charlie, who takes Mike Flaherty's place in later years, is the Deputy-Mayor of New York City, and his team of half-wits must constantly save the Mayor from embarrassment and the media. Stars: Michael J. Fox, Charlie Sheen, Heather Locklear Will and Grace live together in an apartment in New York. He's a gay lawyer, she's a straight interior designer. Stars: Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Megan Mullally An eccentric fun-loving judge presides over an urban night court and all the silliness going on there. Stars: Harry Anderson, John Larroquette, Richard Moll Four previously married women live together in Miami, sharing their various experiences together and enjoying themselves despite hard times. Stars: Bea Arthur, Betty White, Rue McClanahan The staff of an army hospital in the Korean war find that laughter is the best way to deal with their situation. Stars: Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, Loretta Swit 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.3/10 X A free spirited yoga instructor finds true love in a conservative lawyer and they got married on the first date. Though they are polar opposites; her need of stability is fulfilled with him, his need of optimism is fulfilled with her. Stars: Jenna Elfman, Thomas Gibson, Joel Murray Hot-tempered journalist Maya Gallo got herself fired from yet another job when she made an anchorwoman cry on the air with some gag copy on the teleprompter. Unable to find a job anywhere ... See full summary » Stars: Laura San Giacomo, Enrico Colantoni, George Segal The misadventures of a tough female television journalist and her friends. Stars: Candice Bergen, Grant Shaud, Robert Pastorelli Edit Storyline The lives of the disparate group of employees and patrons at a", "IMDb: Most Popular Males Who Died Of \"cancer\" Most Popular Males Who Died Of \"cancer\" 1-50 of 7,871 names. Sort by: STARmeter▲ | A-Z | Height | Birth Date | Death Date 1. Peter Cushing Actor, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope Peter Wilton Cushing was born on May 26, 1913 in Kenley, Surrey, England, to Nellie Maria (King) and George Edward Cushing, a quantity surveyor. He and his older brother David were raised first in Dulwich Village, a south London suburb, and then later back in Surrey. At an early age, Cushing was attracted to acting... 2. Alan Rickman Actor, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Alan Rickman was born on a council estate in Acton, West London, to Margaret Doreen Rose (Bartlett) and Bernard Rickman, who worked at a factory. He had English, Irish, and Welsh ancestry. Alan had an older brother David, a younger brother Michael and a younger sister Sheila. When Alan was 8 years old... 3. Alec Guinness Actor, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope Alec Guinness was an English actor. After an early career on the stage, he was featured in several of the Ealing Comedies, including The Ladykillers and Kind Hearts and Coronets in which he played eight different characters. He is also known for his six collaborations with David Lean: Herbert Pocket in Great Expectations (1946)... 4. Yul Brynner Actor, The Magnificent Seven Exotic leading man of American films, famed as much for his completely bald head as for his performances, Yul Brynner masked much of his life in mystery and outright lies designed to tease people he considered gullible. It was not until the publication of the books \"Yul: The Man Who Would Be King\" and \"Empire and Odyssey\" by his son... 5. Patrick Swayze Actor, Ghost Patrick Wayne Swayze was born on August 18, 1952 in Houston, Texas, to Patsy Swayze (née Yvonne Helen Karnes), a choreographer, and Jesse Wayne Swayze, a chemical plant engineer draftsman. His mother owned a dance school in Houston, where Patrick was also a student. His father passed away in 1982... 6. Paul Newman Actor, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Paul Newman won numerous awards, including an Academy Award for his performance in the The Color of Money , a BAFTA Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Cannes Film Festival Award, an Emmy Award, and many honorary awards. Despite being colorblind, he won several national championships as a driver in Sports Car Club of America road racing... 7. Edward Herrmann Actor, Gilmore Girls 8. Steve McQueen Actor, The Great Escape Steve McQueen was an American actor. Called \"The King of Cool\", his \"anti-hero\" persona, developed at the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination for his role in The Sand Pebbles. His other popular films include The Cincinnati Kid... 9. Jim Varney Actor, Toy Story James Albert Varney, Jr. was born in Lexington, Kentucky, to Nancy Louise (Howard) and James Albert Varney, Sr. He became interested in theater as a teenager, winning state titles in drama competitions while a student at Lafayette High School in Lexington, Kentucky. At age 15 he played Ebeneezer Scrooge in a local children's theater production of \"A Christmas Carol\"... 10. Roger Rees Actor, The Prestige Like a number of British actors of the same generation ( John Hurt and Alan Rickman , to name two), Roger Rees originally trained for the visual arts. He was born on May 5 1944 in Aberystwyth, Wales, and acted in church and Boy Scouts stage productions while growing up in South London, but studied painting and lithography at the Slade School of Art... 11. John Wayne Actor, The Searchers John Wayne was born Marion Robert Morrison in Iowa, to Mary Alberta (Brown) and Clyde Leonard Morrison, a pharmacist. He was of English, Ulster-Scots, and Irish ancestry. Clyde developed a lung condition that required him to move his family from Iowa to the warmer climate of southern California, where they tried ranching in the Mojave Desert... 12. Robert Mitchum Actor, The Night of the Hunter Robert Mitchum was an und", "Katy Perry and John Mayer dating: Pictured together on dinner date | Daily Mail Online comments He's dated stars including Jennifer Aniston, Taylor Swift and Jessica Simpson. And now it seems that rumours John Mayer has found himself a new celebrity girlfriend in Katy Perry are true. The pair were pictured enjoying a date night together at Pace restaurant in Los Angeles before moving on to the Chateau Marmont Hotel to continue their evening. It's true then? Katy Perry and John Mayer, who are reported to be dating, were pictured together for the first time enjoying an evening out at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles last night What's so funny? The new couple were seen sharing a joke as they called it an evening after their meal The look of love: John was seen gazing lovingly at his new girlfriend as they headed home from the evening The pictures of John and Katy appear to confirm the reports that the pair have started dating, after they were first seen grabbing pizza together last month. Katy and John were then spotted enjoying a party together at Soho House on July 19th, where the I Kissed A Girl singer was apparently 'all over' her long-haired beau. Us Weekly magazine reported at the time that the couple were 'affectionate, holding hands and cuddling.' Date night: The pair apparently spent three hours enjoying each other's company over dinner Dressed to impress: Katy wore a cute white lace dress for the evening out It's not the first time the couple have been romantically linked, as they were first said to be dating back in 2009 when Katy apparently 'made it her mission' to get closer to the Gravity singer. The new relationship between the pair comes after Katy's divorce from British comedian Russell Brand was made official last month. And in a recent interview with Elle magazine, Katy admitted that despite her divorce, she still believes in love. Keeping her head down: Katy attempted to make a quiet exit from the restaurant, but failed miserably Asked what she wants from her love life, Katy said: 'I'm a woman who likes to be courted, strongly. Never say never, I guess you'd say. I'll let love take the lead on that.' Since her split from Brand, Katy has been linked to male model Baptiste Giabiconi and Florence And The Machine guitarist Rob Ackroyd. Meanwhile, Brand is now dating Isabella Brewster, the sister of Dallas actress Jordana, after the pair met at his yoga class. John is no stranger to being in the limelight thanks to his celebrity relationships. As well as enjoying long-term relationships with Minka Kelly, Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Aniston, John has also dated Jennifer Love Hewitt and Taylor Swift. However, his relationship with Taylor didn't end too well as the teenager later penned a song about their brief romance, entitled Dear John. And John later said he was 'humiliated' by the song, telling Rolling Stone magazine: 'It made me feel terrible. Because I didn't deserve it. I'm pretty good at taking accountability now, and I never did anything to deserve that. 'It was a really lousy thing for her to do.' Former loves: John is no stranger to dating famous faces, and has previously been in relationships with Jennifer Aniston and Jessica Simpson As they were: Katy's divorce from Russell was finalised last month New romance: Brand is now dating Isabella Brewster, the sister of Dallas actress Jordana", "Billy Elliot - The Musical (Original Cast Recording) by Billy Elliot & Elton John on Apple Music Billy Elliot 15 Songs iTunes Review Billy Elliot, a 2000 film adapted as a 2008 Tony award-winning Broadway musical with the help of writer Lee Hall, director Stephen Daldry and musical legend Elton John, features an original cast recording that’s a striking collection of musical theater. It pulls together the story of an 11-year old British boy from a working class family who discovers he prefers ballet over boxing and especially over a predestined future as a coalminer. The cast handles the shifting emotional tides, such as the swelling, epic opener, “The Stars Look Down,” the jazzy stage number (“Shine”), the confrontational, rock-based instrumental “Angry Dance,” and the mercurial mood piece “Grandma’s Song” with equal grace and ease. Dialogue knits its way through the melodies. (Elton John fans should be forewarned that this is John immersing himself in the conventions of musical theater — very successfully so — and not his usual singer-songwriter fare.) Customer Reviews by fshepinc A fan of the film, I haven't yet seen the musical version, but the cast album is a treasure -lively, emotional, and just plain fun. Reviews were mixed on Elton John's score, but in my opinion it's a complete success: tuneful and always appropriate. Lee Hall's lyrics (he wrote the original film) are the best I've heard in a British musical in years. This recording will have you alternately reaching for the Kleenix and tapping your toes. What more could you ask for? If you can't buy the whole thing at once, start with Electricity, The Letter, Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher, Expressing Yourself, and Grandma's Song. You'll be back for the rest... A beautiful musical from a beautiful mind!! by DaviesDC Elton John has really found a new genre that he also excels in... Musical Theatre!! I loved this show and the soundtrack brings very excellent representation of what you see on stage. The true magic of John's talent is that he has captured the essence of the original movie that so many of us fell in love with. I don't think there is one song on this album that I don't like. Truly a touching musical and a must have for any Elton John fan or musical theatre buff. 5 stars!! Excellent by MavNF This is a testament to how good this is album/show is: I bought the recording/saw the show when I was in London last year, and then when I came down to school this semester I forgot the CD at home...and it's so good I just bought it again on iTunes. My iPod isn't complete without it. SEE THIS SHOW. I thought I'd hate it before seeing it. By the end I was in tears (NEVER happened to me before at a show). If you can't make it to England, at least buy this album. Top Albums and Songs by Billy Elliot 1.", "Wayne Sleep: His legacy, a new project and dancing with Diana | Daily Mail Online Wayne Sleep: His legacy, a new project and dancing with Diana comments Ballet star WAYNE SLEEP has performed with everyone from Nureyev to Princess Diana – but his latest venture, turning amateurs into dancers for a production of Swan Lake, may be his boldest move yet. He tells Liz Jones about his incredible career, his famous friends and why he ‘married for money’ Princess Diana dancing with Wayne at the Royal Opera House in 1985 Wayne Sleep is hunkered down in a big coat, sitting on the wall overlooking the Thames, just across the road from his cottage, which is such a bright pink it might as well be wearing a tutu. He never sits for long. He’s now standing up, demonstrating what happened when he was doing another shoot in this spot, and the photographer wanted swans in the background. ‘So I was up by the bridge, throwing bread, saying, “C’mon! Move it!”’ And he’s gesturing how, through sheer force of will, he persuaded the swans, real ones, to do as they were told. 'I feel Diana every time I laugh. She was funnier than people thought' It’s both ironic and apt, given his latest TV venture: to turn several…not ugly ducklings, exactly, but nonprofessional, largely overweight amateurs into dancers for a 22-minute performance of scenes from Swan Lake: ‘My God, did we carve up Tchaikovsky – don’t listen too hard! It’s a good job he’s dead!’ Describing these dancers, he has professional ballet’s uncompromising eye: ‘I would say “fat” to start with. I said, “These people are big, they’re wide!” But, by God, did I get a bad response from the girls [in the show], so I said: “Let’s clear up this situation. You are in this show because you’re big.”’ Wayne today with YOU's Liz Jones The working title for the three-part programme is Big Ballet, which to me brings to mind Disney elephants in tutus. Do we have to democratise absolutely everything? Not everyone can be a jockey, a model, a painter or a writer. For the programme, 500 applicants were whittled down to 16 women and two men, aged from 18 to 52, and who range in size from a 12 to a 20, to be coached by Wayne and dancer Monica Loughman, with insight from the former creative director of the Royal Opera House Deborah Bull, now director of Cultural Partnerships at King’s College London. Wayne today outside his Thames-side home ‘At first, I didn’t want to do it, because I didn’t want it to be a mockery, and for people to laugh. They [the participants] had all been dancers, but had to give up because they put on weight aged nine or ten, or [later] had a baby or were injured. Who has the right to tell a child they can’t go to a dance class?’ Like Wayne, who at 5ft 2in was told he was too small to be a dancer, they are overcoming the odds. Did they succeed? Communication was a problem. ‘I was telling them off a lot. They’re quite tough, these girls: they have to be, with the abuse they got from me! I said to one dancer, “Look, you in the corner, you’ve got to do all the steps and travel across the room, don’t jump across to the corner on the first step, you’ll be in the car park”, but she never got it. Even on the day of the performance I said, “I don’t know what’s wrong with you!”’ Can big people ever do ballet, really? ‘Well, mind you, [dancer] Isadora Duncan was big! Enormous! I’m not saying the dancers in the programme would get in a ballet company, because they’re far too big. They don’t wear tutus: they cost £2,000 each to make – especially on them! It took me ages to get them to look in the mirror: as a dancer, it’s not narcissism, you are looking to improve. But the girl who danced the swan, she was so pretty, her feeling for the part…well, you can’t make people do that. I’d say, “Swans are enormous birds – be big, you’re not big enough!” The traffic warden, she had lovely legs.’ Was the finale a success? ‘The performance, in Bradford, got a standing ovation. I cried, I had to run away from the camera.’ With Freddie Mercury and Elton John at the Live Aid concert, 1985 We go back to the pretty h", "David Essex Biography | OLDIES.com David Essex Biography Overview Biography Songs Similar Artists DVDs CDs Vinyl David Albert Cook, 23 July 1947, Plaistow, London, England. Originally a drummer in the semi-professional Everons, Essex subsequently turned to singing during the mid-60s, and recorded a series of unsuccessful singles for a variety of labels. On the advice of his influential manager, Derek Bowman, he switched to acting and after a series of minor roles gained his big break upon winning the lead part in the stage musical Godspell. This was followed by the authentic 50s-inspired film Thatll Be The Day and its sequel Stardust. The former reactivated Essexs recording career and the song he composed for the film, ‘Rock On, was a transatlantic Top 10 hit in 1973. It was in Britain, however, that Essex enjoyed several years as a pin-up teen-idol. During the mid-70s, he registered two UK number 1s, ‘Gonna Make You A Star and ‘Hold Me Close, plus the Top 10 hits ‘Lamplight, ‘Stardust and ‘Rollin Stone. After parting with producer Jeff Wayne, Essex continued to chart, though with noticeably diminishing returns. As his teen appeal waned, his serious acting commitments increased, most notably with the role of Che Guevara in Evita. The musical also provided another Top 5 hit with 1978s acerbic ‘Oh, What A Circus. His lead part in 1980s Silver Dream Racer resulted in a UK Top 5 hit of the same title. Thereafter, Essex took on a straight non-singing part in Childe Byron. The 1982 Christmas hit, ‘A Winters Tale (number 2), kept his chart career alive, as did the equally successful ‘Tahiti. The latter anticipated one of his biggest projects to date, an elaborate musical, Mutiny! (based on Mutiny On The Bounty). In 1993, after neglecting his showbusiness career while he spent two and a half years in the African region as an ambassador for Voluntary Service Overseas, Essex embarked on a UK concert tour, and issued Cover Shot, a collection of mostly 60s songs. In the same year he played the part of Tony Lumpkin in Oliver Goldsmiths comedy, She Stoops To Conquer, in Londons West End. In 1994 he continued to tour, and released a new album produced by Jeff Wayne. It included a duet with Catherine Zeta Jones on ‘True Love Ways, and the VSO-influenced ‘Africa, an old Toto number. Despite pursuing two careers, Essex has managed to achieve consistent success on record, in films and stage. He was awarded an OBE in the 1999 New Year Honours list. Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze. Filter Results", "Live Aid founder Bob Geldof was the lead singer of what Irish punk band? A. The Clash B. U2 C. The Ramones D. The Boomtown Rats You have new items in your feed. Click to view. Question and answer Live Aid founder Bob Geldof was the lead singer of what Irish punk band? A. The Clash B. U2 C. The Ramones D. The Boomtown Rats Bob Geldof was leader singer of D. The Boomtown Rats Live Aid founder Bob Geldof was the lead singer of what Irish punk band? A. The Clash B. U2 C. The Ramones D. The Boomtown Rats New answers Log in or sign up first. Questions asked by the same visitor What was the first video ever played on MTV? A. \"Money For Nothing\" B. \"Thriller\" C. \"I Can See For Miles\" D. \"Video Killed The Radio Star\" Weegy: D. \"Video Killed The Radio Star\" On August 1, 1981 the first video ever played on MTV was by the group \"The Buggles\" it was appropriately titled \"Video Killed The Radio Star\". [ You can find more information here: ] User: The success of MTV, and the popularity of music videos in the 1980s, meant that artists had to pay more attention to their image. This had a profound effect on the music industry, and is an example of which kind of trend? A. artistic B. social C. technological D. visual Weegy: This had a profound effect on the music industry, and is an example of VISUAL TREND User: In America, the New Wave movement began in which city? A. New York B. Los Angeles C. Athens D. Pittsburgh Weegy: New Wave movement began in A. New York User: Which of the following is not an example of an American new wave group? A. Blondie B. Television C. Talking Heads D. Journey Weegy: D. Journey is not an example of an American new wave group User: U2 formed in which of the following cities? A. London B. Dublin C. Belfast D. Manchester Weegy: U2 formed in Dublin. User: What is the real name of U2's lead singer, Bono? A. David Evans B. Paul Evans C. Paul Hewson D. David Bonovich Weegy: Bono's real name is Paul Hewson. User: Which of the following is considered U2's breakthrough album? A. War B. October C. The Joshua Tree D. The Unforgettable Fire Weegy: The Joshua Tree is considered U2's breakthrough album. User: Which of the following is the best-selling album of all time? A. The Joshua Tree B. Off the Wall C. Thriller D. Bad Weegy: Michael Jackson's Thriller, with 51 - 65 million copies sold worldwide User: Madonna left Michigan for New York to pursue a career as a singer. A. true B. false Weegy: Madonna left Michigan for New York to pursue a career as a singer. ... (More) Question Asked 3/9/2014 10:25:01 AM 0 Answers/Comments", "Batman: The Movie (1966) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error The Dynamic Duo faces four supervillains who plan to hold the world for ransom with the help of a secret invention that instantly dehydrates people. Director: Bob Kane (character created by: Batman), Lorenzo Semple Jr. Stars: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 23 titles created 11 Apr 2011 a list of 25 titles created 01 Aug 2012 a list of 21 titles created 17 Aug 2012 a list of 24 titles created 25 Nov 2012 a list of 33 titles created 18 Nov 2014 Title: Batman: The Movie (1966) 6.5/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. The Caped Crusader battles evildoers in Gotham City in a bombastic 1960s parody of the comic book hero's exploits. Stars: Adam West, Burt Ward, Alan Napier The Dynamic Duo battles crime in Gotham City. Stars: Casey Kasem, Ted Knight, Olan Soule Directors: Eric Radomski, Bruce Timm, and 4 more credits » Stars: Kevin Conroy, Dana Delany, Hart Bochner The Man of Steel fights crime with help from his friends at the Daily Planet. Stars: George Reeves, Noel Neill, John Hamilton Edit Storyline The arch-villains of the United Underworld - the Joker, the Penguin, the Riddler and the Catwoman - combine forces to dispose of Batman and Robin as they launch their fantastic plot to control the entire world. From his submarine, Penguin and his cohorts hijack a yacht containing a dehydrator, which can extract all moisture from humans and reduce them to particles of dust. The evildoers turn the nine Security Council members in the United World Building into nine vials of multicolored crystals! Batman and Robin track the villains in their Batboat and use Batcharge missiles to force the submarine to surface. Written by Aaron Handy III <ah07@gnofn.org> See All (103) » Taglines: FOR THE FIRST TIME ON THE MOTION PICTURE SCREEN IN COLOR! Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin together with all their fantastic derring-do and their dastardly villains, too! See more » Genres: 26 October 1966 (Italy) See more » Also Known As: Batman: The Movie See more » Filming Locations: Did You Know? Trivia In Spain wasn't a theatrical release until 1979, 13 years later. Also was a re-release in 2015 only in Barcelona (Phenomena) for 2 days in subtitled version. See more » Goofs As the Batcopter approaches a yacht, Robin takes a device to get a bearing on the vessel, in the interior copter scenes. But in exterior shots during the same sequence, Robin is obviously not holding the device. See more » Quotes [first lines] Narrator : This yacht is bringing a revolutionary scientific invention to Gotham City. On a peaceful afternoon motor ride, millionaire Bruce Wayne and his youthful ward Dick Grayson have been summoned back to Wayne Manor by an urgent but anonymous call for help; the invention *and* its custodian are reported in grave danger aboard the yacht! Never ones to shirk responsibility, Bruce and Dick, with characteristic speed and resolve, descend promptly into The Batcave, and then, as they have done... The film ends with THE END, then it suddenly changes to THE LIVING END.....? See more » Connections (Australia) – See all my reviews A wise man once said \"The 60s Batman movie is the greatest ever.\" I should know, because I was that wise man. OK, it might not be the greatest movie, but it is one of the awesomest movies ever. Only in 'Batman' could intelligent writers come up with some of the most illogical situations and cheesiest dialog committed to screen. A Yacht disappears in Gotham Harbour (\"How can a yacht simply disappear... unless, it was never really there!\"). On board was a 'superdehydrator', a machine that can extract the moisture from any living being, and in of the most logical displays of logic ever, Batman and friends logically come to the (correct) c", "Your SEO optimized title Growing Miniature Daffodils From the miniatures daffodils, Tete a Tete is the best known. But there are other dwarf varieties that are easy to care for. When and how deep to plant and how to care for these small bulbs are some of the questions answered on this page. Daffodil Tete a Tete Dwarf and miniature daffodils are very charming, easy to place and grow extremely well in pots and rock gardens. And they look extremely in place when planted in large drifts among trees and in grass, flowering year after year without any real care. That is how they grow in the wild, in meadows and shrub-land of the Pyrenees in Spain and France. These small growing wild species have been the parents of all the daffodils we know so well. And our modern hybrids are still very close to these original spring flowering bulbs. Several of the species are well worthy to be grown in pots, the cold greenhouse and in the rockery or scree garden. Link→ Magnolia Stellata WHEN TO PLANT MINIATURE DAFFODILS There are two main and ideal times to plant dwarf narcissi: one is around mid September and the other in spring when we can buy these small dafs in pots. HOW DEEP TO PLANT We plant daffodils twice as deep as the size of the bulb. WHICH SOIL AND ASPECT DO MINIATURE DAFFODILS PREFER Dwarf daffodils prefer a moist soil that drains well. We can add grit when preparing the soil for planting. Mix also a handful of fish blood bone with the ground to give the plants a good start. GROWING MINIATURE DAFFODILS IN POTS Miniature daffodils are ideal for pots but mix some grit with the compost They will flower again, year after year if the bulbs are given some fertilizer after and before flowering. WHICH VARIETIES TO GROW If we take twenty five centimetres as the upper limit and any size under there as being 'miniature and dwarf' we have a tremendous choice. Best growing garden varieties: Tete a Tete AGM: multi-headed yellow flowers Jack Snipe AGM: with creamy white petals and a primrose cup Rip van Winkle: golden yellow double flowers Daffodil Rip van Wnkle Minnow AGM: multi-headed white flowers Oxford Gold: deep golden yellow flowers Toto AGM: multi-headed double white Tracey AGM: white perianth with a white trumpet February Gold AGM: clear yellow perianth, deep golden yellow trumpet Best growing wild species: bulbucodium Golden Bells; pure yellow, wide open flowers with star-like perianth cordubensis: fragrant deep golden yellow flowers obvallaris AGM: one of the most attractive miniature daffodils pseudonarcissus Lobularis: a dwarf daffodil from France romieux Julia Jane: flowers from February VARIETIES TO GROW FOR NATURALIZING Tete a Tete", "‎The Green Berets (1968) directed by John Wayne • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd I should have just watched this for 2 hours. Its reputation for being awful stretches before it like a motorway of poo, and justifiably so. I'd heard how this was a shameless propaganda piece many times but I never normally let that sort of thing bother me, so I was just hoping that I would get some decent action scenes out of it. But no. The thing about The Green Berets is that it's ridiculously boring bearing in mind what kind of film it is. Considering its anti-Viet Cong stance, I was expecting to be treated to John Wayne and the boys gunning down hundreds of VC and maybe coming out… 1 It's been over 4 years since my one and only viewing of John Wayne's commie -bashing propaganda film from 1968. A film so anti-communist that he even got support from the US Military when he asked for their assistance, this was Wayne airing his own views on the conflict in his typical abrasive manner. The Green Berets doesn't look quite like your average Vietnam War film.The jungle doesn't look like jungle, and that's because it isn't. This wasn't filmed in South East Asia but in Georgia. Fort Benning to be exact. That's the most obvious problem with the film, alongside a rather slanted view of how things were really progressing for the Yanks over there. There's plenty of action, and… 1 We all know about those wonderful anti-war films made about America’s participation in the Vietnam War. Classics such as: Apocalypse Now, Deer Hunter and Platoon. But during the most brutal period of the Vietnam war itself, Hollywood icon John Wayne made ”The Green Berets” a Pro-Vietnam war film that were suppose to boost the moral of the American soldiers and ease the harsh public opinion opposing the war. Although it did great at the box-office, it was heavily panned by critics who thought it was a disgrace and presented a false black-and-white reality about the war, far away from the real grotesque images from television. Col. Mike Kirby (John Wayne) ensembles an A-Team of Green Berets, specially handpicked. Together with… I should have just watched this for 2 hours. Its reputation for being awful stretches before it like a motorway of poo, and justifiably so. I'd heard how this was a shameless propaganda piece many times but I never normally let that sort of thing bother me, so I was just hoping that I would get some decent action scenes out of it. But no. The thing about The Green Berets is that it's ridiculously boring bearing in mind what kind of film it is. Considering its anti-Viet Cong stance, I was expecting to be treated to John Wayne and the boys gunning down hundreds of VC and maybe coming out… Review by Richard Doyle ★★ This is often knocked for being a propaganda film. It certainly is. It's decidedly on the side of American intervention in Vietnam and makes no bones about it. I don't think that's automatically a bad thing. Many films made on the other side of this issue are propaganda films in exactly the same sense and they aren't criticized for being so. I don't agree with this film's politics, but I don't have to agree with a film's agenda to be entertained by it (see just about every film Chuck Norris ever made). This is also a ridiculously old fashioned film. It feels like a film made during WWII, and by 1968, that made it a relic. Even films that were… 1 \"A little trick we learned from Charlie, but we don't dip 'em in the same stuff he does.\" The pinnacle of absurd war propaganda, nationalistic racism and unironic hyper-masculinity. In related thoughts: This is quite possibly the worst film ever made, not just because it is thematically, ideologically and morally disgusting, not just because the acting, writing and presentation is so unpleasant, but also because it's just so fucking boring. I can barely even focus on this film, my attention keeps wandering because there is nothing going on that is worth watching in the slightest. But hey, there is literally no plot apart from \"Durr hurr commies are bad and John Wayne is a tuff heroic patriot 'murrkan", "Dragnet (TV Series 1951–1959) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error Sgt. Joe Friday and his partners methodically investigate crimes in Los Angeles. Creator: a list of 24 titles created 06 Nov 2010 a list of 23 titles created 14 Sep 2011 a list of 23 titles created 09 Apr 2013 a list of 46 titles created 28 May 2013 a list of 34 titles created 3 months ago Search for \" Dragnet \" on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Won 5 Primetime Emmys. Another 4 wins & 12 nominations. See more awards » Photos Police Detective Sgt. Joe Friday and his partners investigate crimes in Los Angeles. Stars: Jack Webb, Harry Morgan, Don Ross Two regular police officers patrol Los Angeles. Stars: Martin Milner, Kent McCord, Shaaron Claridge The misadventures of a nun who can fly and her convent and neighbours. Stars: Sally Field, Marge Redmond, Madeleine Sherwood The classic prime time variety show most famous for its vaudeville acts and rock music performances. Stars: Ed Sullivan, Johnny Wayne, Frank Shuster The misadventures of a bumbling Marine named Gomer Pyle. Stars: Jim Nabors, Frank Sutton, Ronnie Schell The misadventures of the family staff of The Shady Rest Hotel and their neighbors of Hooterville. Stars: Edgar Buchanan, Linda Henning, Bea Benaderet The misadventures of a struggling rock band. Stars: Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork Ann Marie is a struggling actress living in New York City. In between trying to find jobs acting and modeling she has time for her boyfriend, Don Hollinger, and her dad, Lew Marie. Stars: Marlo Thomas, Ted Bessell, Lew Parker The exploits of milk-swilling, geriatric private eye Barnaby Jones. Stars: Buddy Ebsen, Lee Meriwether, Mark Shera The original rapid fire sketch comedy show. Stars: Dan Rowan, Dick Martin, Ruth Buzzi Dean Martin hosts with several different celebrities that have several sketches of improv that breaks down comedy, race, and sex all at of the same time. Stars: Dean Martin, Sandahl Bergman, Dom DeLuise One of the many variety shows available in the 1970s (along with Sonny and Cher, Captain and Tennille, Donny and Marie, etc). Hosted by black comic Flip Wilson, this show featured skits, ... See full summary » Stars: Flip Wilson, Tim Conway, George Carlin Edit Storyline \"The story you are about to see is true\", \"Just the facts, ma'am\", \"We were working the day watch\" - phrases which became so popular as to inspire much parody - set the realistic tone of this early police drama. The show emphasized careful police work and the interweaving of policemen's professional and personal lives. Written by Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu> 16 December 1951 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Did You Know? Trivia Much of the series was shot at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, as 'Jack Webb' agreed to finance the construction of live-action sets for Disney's production company in exchange for its use. See more » Quotes [first lines] Announcer : Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. The origin of police dramas. Remembering the one and only \"Dragnet\" on its 65th anniversary 14 November 2016 | by raysond (Chapel Hill,North Carolina) – See all my reviews As we commemorate the 65th anniversary of one of the greatest police dramas of all time it is no doubt that \"Dragnet\" is one of the most famous and influential police procedural dramas in television history. \"Dragnet\" broke ground as innovative and original and from the show's first episode it became a huge hit with a cult following that still is prevalent to this day. This was a series that gave audience members a realistic portrayal of the police officers and detectives who put their lives on the line everyday for the", "What would the world's greatest music legends have looked like if they lived to fade away? | Daily Mail Online comments Some of the greatest talents in modern music were cut down in their prime, leaving fans to guess what sort of heart-stopping guitar riffs Jimi Hendrix may have come up with had he lived past 27, or how John Lennon would have continued to shape rock & roll as we know it had he not been gunned down at age 40. While there's no way to know the genius rock anthems that could have been, thanks to these 12 age-progressed portraits commissioned by Sachs Media we can at least see what our idols might look like today. John Lennon, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Keith Moon, Elvis Presley, Mama Cass Elliot, Kurt Cobain, Dennis Wilson, Bobby Darin, and Karen Carpenter have all gotten the treatment and the results make for a fascinating trip into a future denied by fate. The project was made possible by Michigan-based group Phojoe using state-of-the-art specialized technology, the same that is used to create the age-progressed photos used in the search for missing persons. 'Through this series of images, we hope to honor them and evoke some of the magic they brought to millions of their fans,' said Sachs Media's CEO Ron Sachs, who commissioned the project, 'even as we ponder what wonderful new contributions they still could have made.' Break on through FROM the other side: No, Jon Voight hasn't given up shaving. This is the Lizard King himself - The Doors frontman Jim Morrison - if he'd lived to see the new millennium. Jim would surely be sporting that full head of hair and intense gaze had he not died of heart failure in a Paris bathtub in 1971 at the age of 27, after years of hard living and drug and alcohol abuse. If Morrison were alive today, he would be preparing to turn 70 years old on December 8 Aging in Vain: The man who brought the Caribbean musical genre of reggae to the world, Bob Marley, would today be 68 had he not died tragically from cancer in 1981 at the age of 36. Marley sold an astounding 20 million albums over the course of his career, an unheard of feat for a musician who came from a nation as impoverished as Jamaica. Marley was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 Born Naomi Cohen in Baltimore in 1941, Cass Elliot - AKA Mama Cass - became an overnight success when she formed the Mamas And The Papas in 1965. Cass's soulful crooning was as much a part of the band's recipe for success as their signature harmonies. Cass embarked on a solo career after the group split in 1971 and in 1974 she was found dead at 32 from a heart attack in a London flat owned by singer Harry Nilsson. Cass would have celebrated her 72nd birthday in September Smells like 40-something spirit: : Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain joined a dubious club when he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 1994. Dead at the age of 27, he'll forever be listed alongside legends Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and Jimi Hendrix who also died tragically at that same age (Amy Winehouse recently joined the 27 Club). Today, Cobain would be 46 and apparently still sporting plaid flannel shirts Bobby Darin found international success after his goofy song Splish Splash became a worldwide hit. The New York native was hugely popular in the 1960s and even starred in feature films alongside Rock Hudson, Gregory Peck, Tony Curtis and Pat Boone. He even helped catapult another singer, Wayne Newton, to stardom. After years of heart problems, Darin died of heart failure at just 37 years old. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. Today, Darin would be a ripe old 77 Yesterday once more: Karen Carpenter's hypnotic voice and drumming skills helped catapult her to stardom alongside her brother Richard as the group The Carpenters in the 1970s. Behind the fame, Richard battled a pill addiction and Karen was starving herself and taking laxatives in an attempt to stay thin. The years of starvation eventually caught up to Carpenter in 1983 when she succumbed to heart failure at the age of 32. Today, she would be 6", "Radio Rewind - Radio 2 People - Brian Matthew 'Round Midnight' EARLY DAYS Born in Coventry on September 17th 1928, Brian Matthew was the son of musical parents. His mother was a professional singer and his father a conductor of the Coventry Silver Band. Brian started his radio career in 1946 whilst in the Army on BFN Germany reading the news, introducing records and acting. He joined RADA in 1949 and appeared with the Old Vic Company, where he met his wife to be, Pamela Wickington, whom he married in 1951. From 1952 to 1953 he was heard as a presenter on Radio Netherlands Worldwide, based in Hilversum. Coming back to England, he became a milkman in Coventry for a while, until the BBC approached him to become an announcer; he began with them on 25th July 1955 and was announcer and producer for six years. LIGHT PROGRAMME His first major break was presenting a new show, Saturday Skiffle Club on the Light Programme from 1 June 1957. Skiffle music was quite popular at the time and is made with acoustic guitars, a washboard and home made instruments. This 30-minute Saturday morning show was aimed at teenagers and featured two or three singers with a skiffle group. Songs covered blues, ballads, work and country songs. Guest acts included Chas McDevitt with Shirley Douglas, The Vipers, Lonnie Donegan and George Melly. With falling popularity of skiffle music, the show was renamed Saturday Club from 4th October 1958 and extended to two hours. Live acts were heard featuring up-and-coming talent. Saturday Club soon became a prestigious radio show. The theme tune was Humphrey Lyttleton's Saturday Jump . Acts included Adam Faith, Clinton Ford, Jim Dale, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Craig Douglas, Bert Weedon , Acker Bilk. Lonnie Donegan, the Everly Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, Chris Montez, Tommy Roe, the Beatles, Frank Ifield, and Kathy Kirby. Later editions included the Wayne Fontana, the Searchers, Jimi Hendrix, Manfred Mann and the Who. Brian introduced the acts and chatted with them each Saturday until the 23rd September 1967, three months before the show was scrapped. From 1959, Brian Matthew was also heard on a new Sunday mid-morning Light Programme pop show called Easy Beat. Originally produced and compered by Brian, like Saturday Club, the show was recorded at the BBC Playhouse Theatre just off Trafalgar Square in front of a live audience. Regularly featured were Kenny Ball s Jazzmen, resident Johnny Howard Band, Laura Lee, Tony Steven, Danny Street, guest artistes such as Bert Weedon, Cilla Black, the Beatles and BBC top tunes. The show ran until 1967. RADIO TWO In 1973 Brian Matthew was heard on Radio 1 presenting My Top Twelve. This was a new series where guest music stars were invited to select twelve of their favourite music tracks to make up an imaginary album and chat with Brian about their career. Guests included Brian Ferry, Ringo Starr, Keith Emerson, Rod Stewart, Joni Mitchell and Neil Diamond. During the early 1970's Brian was heard regularly on weekday evenings on 2 with an easy listening music show After Seven. He became the host of BBC Radio 2's arts magazine show Round Midnight show from Jan 1978 to Spring of 1990 in which he presented music and interviews with personalities from the world of arts including Sir George Solti, James Cameron, Henry Mancini, Peter Schaufuss and John Fowles. Since April 1990 Brian Matthew has hosted the popular SOTS (Sounds of the Sixties) show on Radio 2, playing record requests for 1960's records. The theme tune is the Shadows' Foot Tapper. In his spare time Brian likes to sail and he has his own yacht called \"Round Midnight\". He is married with a son and lives in Kent. Brian presented a special show on Radio 2 on Saturday 4th October 2008 celebrating fifty years since the launch of Saturday Club. He mentioned highlights and happy memories during the making of the show as well as playing some of the original performances.", "The Move The Move vocal, lead guitar, bass, cello, oboe Ace Kefford vocal, bass guitar (left 1968) Trevor Burton vocal, guitar, bass (left 1969) Bev Bevan vocal, bass guitar (joined 1969 - left 1971) Jeff Lynne vocal, guitar, keyboards (joined 1970) Richard Tandy guitar, bass, keyboards (joined 1971) Bill Hunt keyboards (joined 1971) One of the most successful pop groups to come out of Birmingham during the 1960s in terms of British chart success, The Move were difficult to categorize musically as their style ranged from pop to psychedelic, blues, progressive, 1950s style rock 'n' roll and even country and western! Above all, it was Roy Wood's talent as a highly original songwriter that propelled the band on an extended chart run. Many songs that Roy Wood composed for The Move were considered by some to be drug inspired but in reality, some of his early lyrics were written while a student at Moseley School of Art. Despite the group's controversial reputation and almost constant inner turmoil, The Move laid the foundations of what was to become one of the biggest and most successful rock bands of the 1970s. The Move was formed in December of 1965 by guitarist Roy Wood from Mike Sheridan and The Nightriders , vocalist Carl Wayne, Chris 'Ace' Kefford (bass guitar), and Bev Bevan (drums) from The Vikings and guitarist Trevor Burton from The Mayfair Set . A band from London called \"Davy Jones and The Lower Third\" were performing one evening in Birmingham at the trendy Cedar Club on Constitution Hill. Their vocalist Davy Jones (later known as David Bowie) suggested to Trevor Burton and Ace Kefford that they should form their own group. Ace Kefford recalled; \"Trev and I were there one night and Davy Jones and The Lower Third was on. They were like The Who with target jumpers, hipster trousers, doing stuff like 'Heatwave' and 'Needle In A Haystack'. Chatting afterwards, David put the notion in our heads of forming our own band. We approached Roy Wood who was already singing that sort of stuff with The Nightriders. I had a similar spot in The Vikings doing 'Jump Back' and 'Every Little Bit Hurts', trying to copy Stevie Winwood like everyone else.\" The original plan formulated by Trevor Burton, Ace Kefford, and Roy Wood was to start a band consisting of Birmingham's supposedly best musicians and create a look and sound similar to 'The Who'. The Cedar Club hosted late night jam sessions and it was there where the line-up first got together on stage. Veteran Brum vocalist Carl Wayne was invited to be the front-man and Bev Bevan was chosen as drummer after future Led Zeppelin star John Bonham turned them down (see Carl Wayne and The Vikings ). \"It felt different instantly. From the first rehearsals we knew we had something special.\" Bev Bevan remembers; \"I knew the band had something special when Jasper Carrott came to see us. Up to that time he'd always been my harshest critic, slamming the groups I'd been in as 'a load of rubbish'. After he'd seen The Move he said: That's the best of the lot so far, I think you're going to make it.\" Trevor Burton recalled; \"It felt different instantly. From the first rehearsals we knew we had something special.\" Under the initial leadership of Carl Wayne (who was a few years older than the others), The Move played their debut gig at the Belfry Hotel in Stourbridge. The new group was well received and other successful gigs soon followed. Material performed on stage by The Move at this time included many covers of American west coast groups such as 'The Byrds' and 'Moby Grape' as well as various Motown and rock 'n' roll classics. Although Carl Wayne handled most of the lead vocals, all the band members shared harmonies and each were allowed at least one lead vocal per show. Following further bookings in the Birmingham area, former Moody Blues manager Tony Secunda saw them and offered his services. Tony Secunda was one of the more controversial pop managers of the 1960s and his tactics were likely a big influence on future Sex Pistols' manager Malcolm McLaren. The group soon found out that Tony Secund", "David Bowie dead at 69: Singer, actor, songwriter dies of cancer Email a friend MUSIC lovers around the world have shared their grief over the unexpected death of David Bowie overnight, who reportedly suffered from six heart attacks in his final year. Fans have created makeshift shrines to the iconic singer outside his New York apartment building, while others have gathered to lay flowers beside a mural of the music legend in Brixton, the south London neighbourhood where the singer was born in 1947. Grief ... Fans gathered to lay floral tributes to the singer near a mural by Australian street artist Jimmy C, in Brixton, South London. Picture: AP Photo/Tim IrelandSource:AP Fish-and-chip shop owner Roland Lowery, 59, came with his 21-year-old daughter, a lifelong Bowie fan. Lowery said he first heard Bowie when he was 15 years old. “I was going out with a girl then and she was mad on this strange-looking fellow, and I thought, ‘Oh, yeah I’ll go along”’ to a concert, Lowery said. “I was just blown away with what he did.” AUSSIE FAN: David Bowie’s passion for our country Sing it out ... Fans in full voice near the David Bowie mural in Brixton. Picture: AP Photo/Tim IrelandSource:AP He said Bowie would be remembered for “the way he influenced people to just get up in the morning and put on what you want to put on and be who you want to be.” “We are mourning in a way, but it is more a celebration of his life.” SHOCKED: Celebrity tributes flow for David Bowie Bowie died two days after his 69th birthday. He had only released his 25th album, Blackstar, on Friday January eight. Tribute ... Crowds gathered in Brixton to pay tribute to the legend, David Bowie. Picture: AFP Photo/Niklas Halle’nSource:AFP His publicist revealed the surprise news that the reclusive musician had lost his battle with cancer. The statement read “David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with cancer. While many of you will share in this loss, we ask that you respect the family’s privacy during their time of grief.” But it has also been revealed by his biographer, Wendy Leigh, that he suffered from six heart attacks during his cancer fight — but fought back from each of them, The Mirror reports . “He didn’t just battle cancer if that’s not enough — he had six heart attacks in recent years,” she told BBC News . Leigh also said that she believed the star had “orchestrated the timing of his own death”. “David made sure he died on a Monday morning so that people in England, the England he loved, found out first. “David was close to the edge, but I truly believe he art-directed his life and his death.” Many fans hoped Bowie’s social media had been hacked when news of his death first broke or that the musical chameleon was pulling off an elaborate stunt. Alas, his film director son Duncan Jones tweeted a photo of he and his father with the caption “very sorry and sad to say it’s true. I’ll be offline for a while. Love to all.” Sad news ... Duncan Jones — son of David Bowie tweets: “Sorry and sad to say it's true. I'll be offline for a while. Love to all.”Source:Twitter His wife Iman posted a cryptic tweeted on January 11 which hinted at the nearing end. — Iman Abdulmajid (@The_Real_IMAN) January 10, 2016 On January 9 she posted this. — Iman Abdulmajid (@The_Real_IMAN) January 9, 2016 On January 8, Bowie’s 69th birthday, Iman shared a poignant image of a smiling and besuited Bowie standing in a doorway, in what would turn out to be the star’s final photo. Bowie's final shot The secrecy Bowie thrived on meant he kept his illness private, with the singer rarely spotted in public over the last decade. While rumours of illness had surrounded him over the past few years, the respect Bowie earned meant that those in his inner sanctum kept even his return to making music quiet, let alone any news of his health. Reflecting ... A fan pays her respects outside a house, believed to be the childhood home of British singer David Bowie, following the announcement of Bowie's death. Picture: AFP Photo/Chris RatcliffeSource:AFP T" ]

[ "VERONA, Va. (WHSV) -- The Factory Antique Mall in Verona is now officially the largest in the country at 120,000 square feet. Some of its antiques have been used as props on the television series Turn, as well as the Academy Award-winning film Lincoln.." ]

[ "Spend the day the old fashioned way at one of the largest antique malls in America! Our 110,000 sq. ft. showroom is packed with thousands of antiques and new inventory arrives daily. Maumee Antique Mall is the one-stop shop for decorating and collecting.", "Welcome to Ohio Valley Antique Mall! Ohio Valley Antique Mall is Cincinnati’s Largest Multi-Dealer Antique Mall! We have over 550 dealers located throughout our 85,000 sq. ft. facility, complete with our in-store Cafe and Customer Lounge. We offer all kinds of antiques, collectibles, books, furniture, vintage clothing, accessories and more.", "Colorado’s Largest Antique Mall With over 300 independent dealers housed in one location, American Classics Marketplace is the best antique mall to find bargains and high quality antiques in Colorado Springs.", "The Hillsboro Antique Mall was the first antique mall to bring the Mega-Antique Mall concept to South Florida in 1997. Since then, Hillsboro Antique Mall is still the largest antique mall in South Florida. We are proud to provide antique lovers and collectors with the largest selection in town.", "About Missouri Antique Malls. Our success story began in 1992 with the opening of South County Antique Mall, one of the first and largest antique malls in the country. Since then we’ve grown to six locations which includes: St. Charles Antique Mall, Warson Woods Antique Gallery, St. Mary Antique Mall, Antique Treasures and St. Clair Antique mall. With 20 years in business our antique malls are uncompromising in our standards of quality in everything we do.", "Largest Antique Mall in Michigan. By Antique Shops Michigan. See More About: Largest Antique Mall in Michigan. Tweet. This entry was written by one of our contributers and submitted to our resource section. The author's views below are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of Antique Shops.", "Jeffrey’s Antique Gallery Northwest Ohio’s Largest Antique Mall. favorite places, ohio jeffrey's, ohio antiques more, jeffrey's antique, antique shopping, mall findlay, gallery findlay, places spaces, cincinnati ohio, northwest ohio shops, antique malls. Jeffrey's Antique Gallery, Findlay OH.", "Antique Malls. Town Square Antique Mall. 236 South Peterson Avenue, Douglas, GA 31533. 912-383-8875, Over 8,000 square feet of inventory awaits you at this large antique mall that features over 40 dealers offers a wide range of antiques, glassware, pottery, advertising... more info map.", "Trail 2 takes you north out of Richmond along US 27 to Portland. The hub of Antique Alley Trail 1 is Historic Centerville, home to Webb’s Antique Mall , Indiana’s largest destination for antique shoppers. With 85,000 square feet of antiques at your disposal, you’ll wile away hours browsing and hunting for that special something.", "Antique Mall Hours: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm . 350 Booths - Largest Antique Mall - Flea Market in Kentucky. Take the Bowling Green, KY Exit 22 off of I-65, turn beside White Castle, 1 mile on the left. Furniture-Architectural-Quilts-Linens-Signs-Jewelry-Pottery-Coins-Dolls-Books-Collectibles . Customer Comments: I always find treasures here", "Potomac Mills Mall. Potomac Mills is Virginia's largest outlet mall and features an indoor shopping experience with over 200 stores, including Bloomingdale's-The Outlet Store, Neiman Marcus Last Call, Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH, Nordstrom Rack, buy buy BABY, and That! and Nike Factory Store.", "Exit 76 Antique Mall and our sister mall, the Bloomington Antique Mall, are prominently featured in the Holiday 2014 edition of travelIN Magazine! (Pages 15-20; there's also an Exit 76 advertisement on page 9, and a Bloomington Antique Mall ad on page 23.", "Established in 1988 in an 1860's Historic building in the central business district of downtown Jackson, Michigan. The Jackson Antique Mall Inc. is one of Mid-Michigan's largest collectible & antique malls representing quality dealers. Bos co-owner worked diligently to restore and refurbish this Civil War Era building.", "1 Elephant's Trunk Antiques was the Schannep's first antique store, opened in 1990. Tucson's largest antique mall (at the time) , The American Antique Mall, was established in 1993 through the invitation of other dealers to join the Schanneps. In 1993, only a couple of other smaller local antique malls and stores were in operation.", "Barrett Street Antique Mall, next to our Auction center, includes a 28,000 square foot, indoor, climate-controlled building with a large outside lot with garden, patio, and outdoor decorations. The antique mall is conveniently located off Lynnhaven Parkway (exit 19B) off I-264. The Antique Mall is open to the public daily everyday of the year except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Barrett Street Antique Mall houses a 120+ dealers including: An in-house jeweler and clock store, both of whom offer sales and repair services.", "St. Mary Antique Mall is located in Southeast Missouri. We are approximately 1 hour south of St. Louis down I-55. We are one of the largest antique malls in the State of Missouri with over 600 vendors and we’re known for our wide variety of merchandise from fine antiques and primitives to everyday household items and furniture.", "Located in Pompano Beach, at the Festival Marketplace... *Take 27th Ave. to entrance:Hillsboro Antique Mall. 2900 W. Sample Rd.Pompano Beach, FL, 33097. Welcome to Hillsboro Antique Mall and Cafe... Café The Hillsboro Antique mall was the first antique mall to bring The-Mega Antique mall concept To South florida in. 1997", "She has been part of the Georgetown, Kentucky community all her life with a rich ancestry, being the direct descendant of one of the founders of Lexington, Kentucky. She has owned and operated The Georgetown Antique Mall for over 40 years, one of the largest Antique Malls in Kentucky.", "Home of the Robertson family, stars of the hit A&E show Duck Dynasty, Monroe-West Monroe is the place to Shop, Eat, and Discover. SHOP at Pecanland Mall, the largest shopping mall in North Louisiana, and famous Antique Alley, with classic antique shops and trendy boutique stores.", "The Crazy Daisy Antique Mall - EST. 2007. A 20,000 square foot antique and collectible mall located in the Butchertown area of Louisville, KY., just east of Downtown nestled between the NuLu/Frankfort Avenue corridor, The Daisy offers a large selection of all things collectible, vintage, and antique with over 80 Dealers and 150 booths to choose from our inventory is ever-evolving.", "Shopping in Manassas, Virginia. Share. Potomac Mills is one of the world's largest outlet shopping malls with more than 220 discount stores, numerous dining options and an 18 screen movie theater.", "Chantilly / Virginia / United States of America. DC Big Flea Market is the Mid-Atlantic's largest indoor antiques and collectibles flea market, displaying anything from fine antiques to vintage clothing and handbags. This 2 days flea market is being organized by D'Amore Promotions.", "The Braggin Bull Antique & Collectible Mall is situated in Vienna, Georgia right off I-75, past the Huddle House. We specialize in antiques, collectibles, furniture, garden accessories, architectural accents and unique artisans. Each of our dealers is professional and highly respected.", "See more of Virginia Beach Antique Mall by logging into Facebook. Message this Page, learn about upcoming events and more. If you don't have a Facebook account, you can create one to see more of this Page.", "From King of Prussia the largest shopping mall on the East Coast, to outlet malls, chic boutiques, antique stores and farmers markets, pack an extra bag for some Pennsylvania shopping.", "Nautical Coast Antiques and Nautical Decor added 5 new photos. · October 11, 2017 · Refurbished furniture in my booth, S1, at the Va Beach Antique Mall, 3900 Bonney Rd. Va Beach.", "Specialty Shopping in Lafayette, Louisiana. Antique Malls. Reflections of Olde Antique Mall. 700 West Congress Street, Lafayette, LA 70501. 337-593-8593, An antique mall, housing 30 dealers, specializing in vintage and estate jewelry, furniture, glassware, pottery, paintings, primitives, and collectibles.", "Forbes Travel Guide Inspector. From multi-level malls and shopping centers, to neighborhood boutiques and antique shops packed with charm, Northern Virginia is a retail melting pot for shoppers, making it easy to stumble upon something you’re sure to love.", "Douglas Antique Malls. Here is a list of antique malls and stores in the Douglas area. If you're wanting to view additional information about a particular mall, click the More Details button. If you’re an antique mall or store in the Douglas area and you're not listed on this page, click here to add your store. 1. (912) 383-8875.", "The country's hippest discounter, Target, was founded in Minneapolis in 1962. And Mall of America is the largest indoor mall in the U.S. Add to that several outlet malls, antique shops, charming local boutiques and urban shopping districts, including Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis and Grand Avenue in St. Paul.", "Tysons Galleria. Tysons Galleria is a three-level super-regional mall owned by General Growth Properties located at 2001 International Drive, McLean, Virginia, in Tysons Corner. It is the second-largest mall in McLean/Tysons Corner, and one of the largest in the Washington metropolitan area. Contents.", "Larry's Old Time Trade Days and Antique Mall is located in Winnie Texas at Exit 829 on Interstate 10. This is the largest flea market in South East Texas. Larry's Trade Days started in Beaumont, Texas and then moved to Winnie in 1991." ]

[ "The .NET controls you mention are still shipped and configured the same way. \n\nSince the error is about the tag 'tridion:ComponentLink' not being recognized, I would suggest you check the relevant web.config file on your site and ensure that the 'tridion' prefix is configured correctly:\n\n&lt;pages&gt;\n &lt;controls&gt;\n &lt;add tagPrefix=\"tridion\" namespace=\"Tridion.ContentDelivery.Web.UI\" assembly=\"Tridion.ContentDelivery\"/&gt;\n &lt;/controls&gt;\n&lt;/pages&gt;" ]

[ "The shortest possible SmartTarget promotions implementation with JSP tags is as follows. This indeed looks a lot like the TCDL tags.\n\nsource\n\n&lt;smarttarget:query siteEditTagName=\"span\" publication=\"tcm:0-72-1\"&gt; \n &lt;smarttarget:promotions region=\"Homepage Banners\" maxItems=\"1\"&gt; \n &lt;smarttarget:itemTemplate&gt; \n &lt;smarttarget:promotionalItems&gt; \n &lt;smarttarget:itemTemplate&gt;\n &lt;span&gt;\n &lt;!-- Start Promotion: { \"PromotionID\": \"${item.promotionID}\", \"RegionID\" : \"${item.region}\"} --&gt;\n &lt;tridion:ComponentPresentation pageURI=\"tcm:72-6212-64\" componentURI=\"${item.componentUri}\" templateURI=\"${item.templateUri}\"/&gt; \n &lt;!-- End Promotion --&gt;\n &lt;/span&gt;\n &lt;/smarttarget:itemTemplate&gt; \n &lt;/smarttarget:promotionalItems&gt; \n &lt;/smarttarget:itemTemplate&gt; \n &lt;/smarttarget:promotions&gt; \n&lt;/smarttarget:query&gt; \n\n\nHere are some other examples, all are showing the same thing: one SmartTarget region which queries for promotions, Eperience Manager Markup and three fallback component presentations.\n\n\nFull JSP example: https://gist.github.com/83e45c851b63481e39bb This the\nTCDL source: https://gist.github.com/3b5c48c3a5ea5d5e12b8 The\nDreamweaver source: https://gist.github.com/6053b09d0ccbd31e058b And\nThe same thing in .NET controls instead of JSP tags \nhttps://gist.github.com/70d569023e78081c3b57\n\n\nThe &lt;tcdl:region&gt; tag in the Dreamweaver TBB creates the TCDL source. The TCDL tags create the JSP tags. The JSP tags creates the HTML output with XPM markup (example).", "About 8 to 10 years ago there was more RCX-compatible sensors makers on the web. Today, I don't think we'll find them unless we dig into the Internet Archive. \n\nIt looks like Techno-Stuff is still making some RCX-compatible components. Also, Mindsensors was making RCX-compatible components also but I couldn't find links to them through their website main page (It might be discontinued). You can probably still buy some through eBay. Here are two of their RCX compatible products:\n\n\nUltraSonic Proximity Detector v2\nMotor powered Sharp GP2D12 infrared distance sensor interface", "The core benefit of using Lightning Web component Open source is you can use outside salesforce platform. You can use it along with third party lib or other components in your web application.\n\nWith Lightning web component on the salesforce platform you get below benefits\n\n\nLightning base components are available and can reduce your development time as they offer declarative components. Note these base components are not available for open source\nLightning design system is baked into the base components\nLightning components build on the platform use locker services to establish great security\nAll third party lib need to be served from static resource which provides security benefits\nUsing data from the platform is lot easier as these provide excellent support for working with apex and lightning data service\n\n\nIf you are building a salesforce app for salesforce platform use lightning web component and leverage all benefits it provides.\n\nWhile if you are planning to build an app that should reside outside salesforce , salesforce web components open source is a great choice.Note that you wont have access to base components that salesforce provides and to get data from salesforce you will use salesforce REST API. \n\nThere is a great Trailhead Trail for the Lightning Web components open.\n\nNOTE- Converting lightning web component built using open source lightning web component to salesforce specific lightning web component is relatively straight forward as well and this Trailhead module covers in detail.", "You have two options: - Either empApi or Using Apex. The way you want is not supported in Lightning Web Component.\n\nThe empApi component provides access to methods for subscribing to a streaming channel and listening to event messages.\nThe empApi component uses a shared CometD-based Streaming API\nconnection, enabling you to run multiple streaming apps in the\nbrowser for one user. The connection is not shared across user\nsessions.\nIn Apex, either you can use EventBus.publish to publish platform events or you can consume the API\n\nAlso, Check Emp API Lightning Web Component", "Olá, ao criar os links para os resources é uma boa prática utilizar o contexto da aplicação. Você pode usar jstl para inputar o contexto dinamicamente, então você pode escrever este link da seguinte maneira:\n\n &lt;link href=\"&lt;c:url value='resources/css/bootstrap/bootstrap.css'/&gt;\" rel=\"stylesheet\" media=\"screen\"&gt;\n\n\nPara que a tag &lt; c:url /> funcione você precisa importar a biblioteca core do jstl. \n\n&lt;%@ taglib uri=\"http://java.sun.com/jsp/jstl/core\" prefix=\"c\" %&gt;", "This depends on the cameras and their video feeds:\n\nOption 1: If all camera feeds are accessible directly from the client PC’s web browser.\n\nThis is the case, for example, if the client PC is inside your company’s network, and all cameras are inside the same network, and all the camera’s locations on the map are known, and all their URLs are known, etc.\nFor this case, you could associate the location on the map with the correct camera, and when the user clicks the map location, display the video using the corresponding camera’s URL.\nThis will only work if the cameras are broadcasting using a web-friendly video format, which many IP cameras support these days.\n\nOption 2: If the camera feeds are accessible to a central web server, but not directly to the client PCs. Or if the IP camera feeds are not all web-friendly.\n\nIf that’s the case, you will need a way to re-stream the video from the IP cameras to the client PC through the server.\nFor the first option, you can create your own code to associate the locations on the map with the different IP camera URLs. I think you could use the &lt;img&gt; and &lt;map&gt; HTML tags for this.\nFor the second option, you will need a server-side component that can receive from the IP cameras and re-stream the video from the server to the client PC browser. The company I work for has such components in the LEADTOOLS multimedia SDK and streaming module. The exact component you’ll need depends in your configuration and use case, so I recommend downloading the free evaluation edition and contacting the LEAD support team with full details about what you’re trying to do. Support is free during the evaluation period.", "The lightning-record-*-form components and LWC wire services - lightning/uiRecordApi are based on Lightning Data Service.\n\nIf a page is composed of components showing the same record, all\ncomponents show the same version of the record. Records loaded in\nLightning Data Service are cached and shared across components.\nComponents accessing the same record see significant performance\nimprovements, because a record is loaded once, no matter how many\ncomponents are using it.\nIf Lightning Data Service detects a change to a record or any data or\nmetadata it supports, then all components using a relevant @wire\nreceive the new value. The detection is triggered if:\n\nA Lightning web component mutates the record\nThe LDS cache entry expires and then a Lightning web component’s @wire triggers a read. The cache entry and the Lightning web component must be in the same\nbrowser and app (for example Lightning Experience) for the same user\n\nTo create and update data, use JavaScript functions exposed in the\nlightning/uiRecordApi module.\nLightning Data Service does a lot of work to make code perform well.\n\nLoads record data progressively.\nCaches results on the client.\nInvalidates cache entries when dependent Salesforce data and metadata\nchanges.\nOptimizes server calls by bulkifying and deduping requests.\n\n\nOf the above documentation, the highlighted points are very important for your question in context. So, you will see the changes ONLY if you trigger the change from your machine.\nSolution:\nYou can use Change Data Capture or Platform events to notify when record updated in database and subscribe for changes through lightning:empApi", "The spec you posted says the TV has composite in (i.e., your yellow connector from the Nintendo).\nThe manual at that web site shows composite video going to the leftmost phono socket, labelled Video/Y. That is, one socket does double-duty for component and composite.\nThe relevant part of the diagram is here.\n\n\nAs to whether it'll work with your Nintendo, user Logarr has said:\nAny display device that accepts composite video, whether through a double duty green component video port or a dedicated yellow composite port will support the N64. The range of resolutions supported by those ports is an established standard, and the N64 falls within that range.", "IE makes use of a Web Datasheet Component (I believe via an ActiveX control), but Chrome uses \"extensions\" which are not supported at the moment. Refer to this article: \nhttp://veroniquepalmer.wordpress.com/2012/02/06/sharepoint-2010-compatibility-with-google-chrome/", "You're on the right track. There isn't a more native way to \"embed\" PDFs on a web page than publishing the PDF, rendering the markup, and giving editors a way to manage the PDFs. From the editor perspective they can insert images or links, which can be PDFs, but there is no \"embed\" option.\n\nThere are a few ways to \"embed\" PDFs in markup. After confirming which behavior (and markup) you want on the website, you'll want to confirm the best content model for the editors. It doesn't have to be an Embedded Schema.\n\nContent editors could:\n\n\nPlace PDFs directly on a Page (as a Component Presentation)\nPublish the Multimedia Components dynamically (from a folder)\nLink to the PDFs from a Component and then publish the Component or Page\n\n\nYour template for the PDF or the Component linking to it (or view, if using an MVC approach) will render the \"embedding\" markup. You'll also publish the PDF either indirectly using AddBinary or directly with its own (dynamic) Component Template. The details @BartKoopman mentions will help get you specific answers, but you'll likely parse the markup in your Output (in a Template Building Block) to detect and add such PDFs.\n\nIf you make the PDFs fully \"dynamic\" and have editors directly publish them, you might use GetBinary as well in delivery, depending on where you want to render your markup.", "Importing LWC component or static resource from another namespace is currently not supported as of today.\nThe locker service prevents this today. There is work in progress to support this in the future with safe harbor\nThere is an idea in the below link\nhttps://trailblazer.salesforce.com/ideaView?id=0873A000000CaKLQA0\nThere is also a comment from PM on this on the below answer\nNot being able to reference packaged custom LWCs from other LWCs outside the package\nThe alternative is to work with aura component or iframe VF page inside LWC", "It returns undefined, because it is not supported. As stated in the documentation you linked: \n\n\n If the Web Share API is unsupported, then this method will be undefined.", "You can definitely use Link Vault to serve files that are above web root. There are a few different ways to construct a download link with Link Vault. Link Vault expects the path supplied to be relative to the web root so any one of these would work :\n\n{exp:link_vault:download_link directory='../../files/' file_name='file.zip' }\n{exp:link_vault:download_link file_path='../../files/file.zip' }\n\n\nIf the file does happen to be below web root, you can even use :\n\n{exp:link_vault:download_link file_path='http://example.com/images/cat.jpg' }\n\n\nThe link that is generated gets encrypted so your files are safe and hackers can't just modify the parameters to go searching through your files (abbreviated example) :\n\nhttp://example.com?ACT=50&amp;file=eomDdQoswRC%2FqjxKLXR2Te0hebW7dtx%2B\n\n\nWe're always available in the support forum if you need help.", "In the end, I switched the Windows machine to Norton Family in order so that I could install Qustodio on the smartphone.\n\nQustodio is more bug-free. But Norton Family has a public support forum, tirelessly monitored by a company employee, where even non-paying users can post bug reports (and I have posted one).\n\nQustodio, like most Web filters on Android 4.0+, includes a loophole which makes it useless for me. There are two ways to close the loophole.\n\n\nYou can install a special browser. But these browsers probably all use the system WebView component. And, on my aging Android OS, the system WebView component probably includes security holes which hackers can exploit.\nOr there's another way, which I plan to do. Spoiler alert: If you follow this link, you can read both how to exploit the loophole (it takes only seconds to do so) and how (on a rooted phone) you can close the loophole.\n\n\nI don't have a data plan; so, for now, I've mostly been using MAC filtering on my local router in order to prevent myself from connecting to the Internet using the cellphone at all.", "I think there are as many navigation solutions as there are Tridion implementers :)\n\nMy favorite approach (which is usually tweaked to match any customer-specific requirements):\n\n\nUse Structure Groups for hierarchy\nHave a way to identify that a given page is the \"index\" page for an SG\nHave a way to identify that a page or Structure Group should show in navigation\nPublish the structure as (tree) xml. Typically you'll only need to publish this file when pages are published for the first time to a target, and can be easily handled in a Custom Resolver\nUse an XSLT on the delivery side to transform this into a &lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt; for the page\n\n\nIdentifying that a page is the index page can be done by checking the page file name (\"index\" or \"default\" or \"whatever\"), and identifying if the page/SG should be in navigation I tend to do with the \"000 name\" convention. This doubles as giving me an ordering attribute as well. If page or SG starts with numbers (RegexPattern = @\"^[\\d]* \";) then it should be in navigation.\n\nI then use a page template + page to publish this as an XML list to the delivery side. Will not paste code in here for this, as my current \"standard\" navigation template is 300+ lines (I also tend to include page/SG metadata as attributes in the XML and some other \"magic\" stuff).\n\nOn the delivery side, the page currently being shown needs to load the navigation as follows:\n\n\n\n&lt;c:import var=\"navigationXml\" url=\"/system/navigation.xml\" /&gt;\n&lt;c:import var=\"navigationXsl\" url=\"/system/nav.xslt\" /&gt;\n&lt;x:transform doc=\"${navigationXml}\" xslt=\"${navigationXsl}\" &gt;\n &lt;x:param name=\"pageUri\"&gt;tcm:28-2806-64&lt;/x:param&gt;\n &lt;x:param name=\"publicationUri\"&gt;tcm:0-28-1&lt;/x:param&gt;\n&lt;/x:transform&gt;\n\n\nc and x in the above code refers to the following taglibs:\n\n&lt;%@ taglib prefix=\"c\" uri=\"http://java.sun.com/jsp/jstl/core\" %&gt;\n&lt;%@ taglib prefix=\"x\" uri=\"http://java.sun.com/jsp/jstl/xml\" %&gt;\n\n\nI disagree with your statement:\n\n\n If a user removes a page, they need to be aware that the navigation should be republished- this could be quite serious)\n\n\nThis won't be an issue at all if you use Dynamic Linking for your navigation. In my preferred approach, I use a template like this in the XSLT:\n\n\n\n&lt;xsl:template name=\"PageLink\"&gt;\n &lt;xsl:param name=\"linkText\" /&gt;\n &lt;xsl:param name=\"target\" /&gt;\n &lt;xsl:param name=\"publicationUri\" /&gt;\n &lt;xsl:variable name=\"pagelinkFactory\" select=\"java:com.tridion.linking.PageLink.new($publicationUri)\" /&gt;\n &lt;xsl:variable name=\"pagelink\" select=\"java:getLink($pagelinkFactory, $target)\" /&gt;\n &lt;xsl:choose&gt;\n &lt;xsl:when test=\"java:isResolved($pagelink)\"&gt;\n &lt;li&gt;\n &lt;xsl:element name=\"a\"&gt;\n &lt;xsl:variable name=\"url\" select=\"java:getURL($pagelink)\" /&gt;\n &lt;xsl:attribute name=\"href\"&gt;\n &lt;xsl:value-of select=\"$url\" /&gt;\n &lt;/xsl:attribute&gt;\n &lt;xsl:value-of select=\"$linkText\"/&gt;\n &lt;/xsl:element&gt;\n &lt;/li&gt;\n &lt;/xsl:when&gt;\n &lt;xsl:otherwise&gt;\n &lt;!-- You may want to remove this comment from your production servers --&gt;\n &lt;!-- Leave it in DEV and QA to assist tracking page link resolving --&gt;\n &lt;xsl:comment&gt;Link to page &lt;xsl:value-of select=\"$target\"/&gt; was not resolved&lt;/xsl:comment&gt;\n &lt;/xsl:otherwise&gt;\n &lt;/xsl:choose&gt;\n&lt;/xsl:template&gt;\n\n\nYou can do a similar approach in .NET using an extension object for the linking part.\n\nWhen using a solution like this only pages that are currently published will show in the navigation, and when coupled with cache the impact is minimal.", "It's not officially supported, but I can tell you that it does work :)\n\nThere are some circumstances with scaling the system to multiple instances that can run into trouble based on the way that the instances share file-system resources (Lucene doesn't like that) but if you have Solr - which you should on any scale-out model anyway - it should be ok.\n\nWe've run 7.2, 7.5, and 8 on Web Apps for ages without any specific issues that we're aware of. Just be aware, since it is not officially supported, if you run into an issue and you contact support about it, they may not be willing to fix it.\n\nFWIW, since your Sitecore licenses probably only entitle you to a fixed number of CD servers, there's little advantage to using Web Apps anyway. They are almost exactly the same price as VMs.", "Try looking at this: How to store username and password to API in wordpress option DB?\n\ntl;dr:\n\n\nuse OAuth, if the web service supports it, or if the web server is run by yoursefl\nStore the data encrypted in the database, using as encryption wordpress installation-wide unique keys, ad you can see in the link.", "Have a look at plantuml(http://plantuml.com/) and their web server for some tests (http://www.plantuml.com/plantuml/uml)\n\n\n PlantUML is a component that allows to quickly write :\n\nSequence diagram\nUsecase diagram\nClass diagram\nActivity diagram (here is the legacy syntax)\nComponent diagram\nState diagram\nObject diagram\nDeployment diagram \nTiming diagram \n\n \n The following non-UML diagrams are also supported:\n\nWireframe graphical interface\nArchimate diagram\nSpecification and Description Language (SDL)\nDitaa diagram\nGantt diagram \nMindMap diagram \nWork Breakdown Structure diagram \nMathematic with AsciiMath or JLaTeXMath notation", "Plantuml is an UML drawing tool (based on an input file). From the website:\n\n\n PlantUML is a component that allows to quickly write :\n\nSequence diagram\nUsecase diagram\nClass diagram\nActivity diagram (here is the legacy syntax)\nComponent diagram\nState diagram\nObject diagram\nDeployment diagram \nTiming diagram \n\n \n The following non-UML diagrams are also supported:\n\nWireframe graphical interface\nArchimate diagram\nSpecification and Description Language (SDL)\nDitaa diagram\nGantt diagram \nMindMap diagram \nWork Breakdown Structure diagram \nMathematic with AsciiMath or JLaTeXMath notation\n\n\n\nSee http://plantuml.com/\n\nFurthermore there is a web based implementation: http://www.plantuml.com/plantuml/uml/SyfFKj2rKt3CoKnELR1Io4ZDoSa70000\n\nand there is also a forum: http://forum.plantuml.net/questions", "This can be found in the PMBOK and on the PMI web site. Details may change so I will provide the link.\n\nhttps://www.pmi.org/certifications/process\n\nThere are spreadsheet tools on the web to help collate your experience to help with the application process.\n\nAt the time of writing, you need to have the hours in a project within the last 8 years. You do not need to have been a PM, just performed something that falls into one of the knowledge domains.", "The support folks at Workflow replied in an email\n\n\n Those applewebdata:// URLs are likely local references to the image files that have been downloaded with Get Contents of URL that are now stored in the currently-running workflow. With Get Contents of Web Page, the input page converts the HTML to Rich Text and maintains the web links to each of the images.\n\n\nThe \"solution\" is to use the Get Contents of Web Page action, then.", "An open-source boardgame engine, could be what you are looking for:\n\nVassal Engine\nhttp://www.vassalengine.org/\n\nIt provides counters, cards, board and does not enforce any rules, it provides solely \"component handling\". You need to create your own module (a container which holds all components as images and text) and then you should be able to send that module to other players or designers to test your prototype. \n\nYou can even play together if the game is multiplayer and not solely solitaire. Play by Forum (PBF), Play by Email (PBEM), Peer-to-Peer (P2P) playing is supported.\n\nHere is a direct link to the user guide to evaluate the features: \nhttp://www.vassalengine.org/mediawiki/images/8/8c/Userguide.pdf\n\nIf you want to get started, you follow these tutorials: \nhttp://www.vassalengine.org/wiki/Tutorials\n\nEspecially: \nhttp://www.vassalengine.org/wiki/Card_Game_Tutorial \nhttp://www.vassalengine.org/wiki/Board_Game_Tutorial\n\nWhile VASSAL certainly is powerful, the initial steps for simple games are quite simple. Yet after a while, the options like automated game setup will be a blessing for you and your playtesters. The game logs will be important to evaluate the game, i.e. find too weak or too powerful strategies.\n\nFAQ for module creation:\nhttp://www.vassalengine.org/wiki/Creating_Modules", "I think that http://www.godaddy.com/hosting/web-hosting.aspx?ci=9009#details is a good source for what Godaddy is currently hosting. However, I am fairly certain that they do not allow for URL Rewrite. I know they didn't 2 months ago.\n\nAlso, GoDaddy just turned on .NET 4.0 and MVC 2 support. It usually takes them 8+ months after release for them to upgrade their servers. I also believe they are stilling running SQL Server 2005.\n\nAlso, any host running IIS7 should be able to support PHP as IIS7 and above support PHP (earlier versions could but I don't know).\n\nMicrosoft has a page about many of the hosters out there that support their technology. Checkout http://www.microsoft.com/web/hosting/home for an list of hosts and you an see how people reviewed all of them.", "Keep the activation email free of graphics, as users quickly want to click on the activation link and already interested in your product. Give them a link to click on, and an additional url that they can copy and paste into a web browser if the link doesn't work. \n\nClick here to activate your account &nbsp;&rarr;\n\nIts always a good idea to give the users a visual cue. Also include your support email/ phone to sort out any activation issues.", "You need to use a different web browser. The paid web browser iCab lets you change the user agent string. \n\nWhether or not your access to the website is blocked because of the namespace issue mentioned by poster grg is beyond the scope of my answer.\n\nIt is not uncommon for education sites to have Windows dependencies built in the site. You may try some of these browsers to get around Windows dependencies.\n\nPuffin\n\n\"Puffin Web Browser is a wicked fast Mobile Flash Browser. Once users experience the thrilling speed of Puffin, regular mobile Internet feels like torture. Puffin Free is the free version of the Puffin family and supports Adobe Flash over cloud during \"off-peak hours\" from 8AM to 4PM (subject to change without prior notice)\"\nFree:\nhttps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/puffin-web-browser-free/id472937654?mt=8\nPaid:\nhttps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/puffin-web-browser/id406239138?mt=8\n\nVirtualBrowser for Firefox with Flash-browser, Java Player and Add-ons - iPhone Edition\nhttps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/virtualbrowser-for-firefox/id609289360?mt=8\n\nPhoton Flash Player for iPad - Flash Video &amp; Games plus Private Web Browser\nhttps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/photon-flash-player-for-ipad/id430200224?mt=8\n\n\"java for iPad is now a reality!\nIf you were ever wondering how to use java for iPad, now you can! With the Virtual-Browser for Firefox App, java for iPad is possible with one simple app download! Virtual-Browser for Firefox App opens up a wide variety of apps and games – like java for iPad – that you can use from your iPad\"\nhttp://www.virtualfirefox.com/java-for-ipad\n\nBy Splashtop Inc.\nFlash Video Web Browser – Full Chrome, IE, Firefox, Safari Compatible\nhttps://itunes.apple.com/us/app/flash-video-web-browser-full/id431331485?mt=8\n\niPad web browsers set to IE:\nhttp://www.macsinlaw.com/make-your-iphone-ipad-surf-like-internet-explorer-or-fi refox/", "Translation an item requires it to be localized. SDL Tridion 2013-SP1 does not support localizing an item before it has reached V1.\n\nA common workaround is to create a workflow that check if it is a new item in the first step. If it is, it completes the workflow (creating a v1) and starts the workflow once more.\n\nSDL Web 8 supports localizing items (and sending them for translation) before they reach V1. Do notice that localizing an item before it reach V1 will still create a V1 item in the child publication (unless the child item enters workflow as well).", "x264 supports both 8-bit and 10-bit outputs, and you don't have to do anything special.\n\nffmpeg\n\nIf using ffmpeg you can see what pixel formats and bit depths are supported by libx264:\n\n$ ffmpeg -h encoder=libx264\n [...]\n Supported pixel formats: yuv420p yuvj420p yuv422p yuvj422p yuv444p yuvj444p nv12 nv16 nv21 yuv420p10le yuv422p10le yuv444p10le nv20le\n\n\n10-bit pixel formats are: yuv420p10le, yuv422p10le, yuv444p10le.\n\nx264\n\nYou can also check x264 for supported bit depths:\n\n$ x264 --help\n [...]\n Output bit depth: 8/10\n\n\nPreviously you had to compile x264 with --bit-depth=10, and then link your ffmpeg to either an 8-bit or 10-bit libx264, but that is now unnecessary. See Unify 8-bit and 10-bit CLI and libraries for more info.", "Try window.moment();.\nFrom Exploring Salesforce Lightning Web Components: Part 4:\n\nSimilar to code within a Lighting Web Component, loaded scripts do not\nhave access to the global window object; each has access to only a\nlocal component window object.\n\nthough I haven't found official documentation in the subject.", "You don't say what kind of component you have that's sending your live chat feed from your web site. We don't know if you have an Aura Component on the web site or some other kind of standard web application page. That said, it appears to me the component on the web site end is HTML encoding special characters before it sends it to your .NET Application. If it is, either you need to decode it before you display it, or change what it does before it sends it to your .NET App.", "yes, starting from Summer '19 it is possible to add LWC to VF page via lightning out. Read documentation\n\nAdding a Lightning web component to a Visualforce page is a three-step process.\n\n\nAdd the Lightning Web Components for Visualforce JavaScript library to your Visualforce page using the &lt;apex:includeLightning/&gt; component.\nCreate and reference a standalone Aura app that declares your component dependencies.\nWrite a JavaScript function that creates the component on the page using $Lightning.createComponent().\n\n\nUse the &lt;namespace:camelCaseComponentName&gt; naming convention to reference a Lightning web component in a Visualforce page.\n\nYou can find some examples on google, for example this one and example from documentation", "I don't think so. I think RemovePublishStates was added in Web 8 to support backup/restoration and subsequent synchronisation between the CM and broker databases. 2013 SP1's API just allows you to decommission entire targets, so it's probably option 1 for you in this case.", "The most important factor in your decision should be \"don't make the user think.\"\n\nThe ellipsis is standard for truncating, but if you also intend to use it for a link, you'll want to use some sort of visual link convention (an underline, a link colour that you're using throughout, or something to that effect.), but it must be both obvious to the user that this is an interactive component to the site, and large enough to use.\n\nI don't think a \"read more\" link is a bad idea if you want to keep the ellipsis as plain text.\n\nAnother idea (to keep it short and sweet) might be an ellipses with a plus icon like this in place of the read more link: http://fortawesome.github.io/Font-Awesome/icon/plus-circle/ \n\nhttp://blog.htc.ca/2013/09/03/web-design-conventions/" ]

[ "What's it like to be a young musician at the Spoleto Festival? We'll find out from violinist Robert McDuffie, and we'll also hear him--and a few friends-- playing Purcell's (PURSE-uhl) Sonata in F. (NPR)" ]

[ "Disney’s reimagined live-action version of “The Lion King” is now in theaters.  The film, inspired by the original 1994 animated film and Broadway musical, is the story of the lion cub Simba, whose Uncle Scar conspires to kill Simba and his father to take over the lion pride. The new version uses a combination of live-action filmmaking techniques and computer-generated imagery to retell the story with some very convincing looking animals.  It features a couple of very talented young actors playing the young Simba and the young Nala: JD McCrary and Shahadi Wright Joseph. Prior to “The Lion King,” McCrary performed at the 2018 Grammy Awards with Childish Gambino, the musical moniker for Donald Glover, who also stars in this film as the adult Simba. And Joseph &#8212; who also played young Nala on Broadway &#8212; was one of the stars of Jordan Peele’s latest horror flick, “Us,” in which she played two versions of the same character.   Both actors, who had never done voice work before “The Lion King,” tell Here & Now’s Eric Westervelt it was an interesting experience playing young Simba and young Nala because they were acting in a black-box theater. “It&#8217;s like a little room where you kind of get to interact with your co-worker and you can feel what it&#8217;s actually like to be young Nala and young Simba, and that brought our relationship to life,” Joseph says. The actors weren’t born when the original version of the film debuted in 1994, but they both watched the movie before stepping into their roles. “I wanted to feel prepared for it,” McCrary says. “I wanted to practice just to make sure that I know the character, that I know who Simba is, his family, I know what the movie&#8217;s about. I wanted to watch it just to refresh my memory.” “Yeah, definitely story-wise just to refresh your memory and to kind of get the idea of the characters and how you can change that,” Joseph adds.  The two actors have achieved so much success at such a young age, and they say they have their families to thank for keeping them grounded.  “It&#8217;s really just the way that I&#8217;ve been raised, and the way that I&#8217;ve been growing up with my parents and just my whole family,” Joseph says. “But there isn&#8217;t like any like trick to stay grounded. I feel like you kind of just have to be humble, or you&#8217;re not, you know?”  “As she said, there&#8217;s no real trick to it,” McCrary says. “If it&#8217;s there, it&#8217;s there.”  Emiko Tamagawa produced and edited this interview for broadcast with Todd Mundt. This article was originally published on WBUR.org.", "Tonight is the season finale of NBC&#8217;s hit singing competition, &#8220;The Voice.&#8221; That means it&#8217;s been about a year since Michelle Chamuel came in second, after her breakout run on the fourth season of the show. Chamuel was a huge fan favorite, with her big black-framed glasses that inspired the hashtag #foureyesontheprize. In the past year, she&#8217;s been very busy making music: a full-length solo album &#8220;All I Want,&#8221; an EP &#8220;The Drift&#8221; and a new pop single &#8220;Go Down Singing&#8221; &#8212; and she&#8217;s currently working on another album. Michelle Chamuel discusses her music and life after &#8220;The Voice&#8221; with Here & Now&#8217;s Robin Young. Interview Highlights: Michelle Chamuel On coming in second &#8220;For me, it was a really happy moment. I feel like it worked out wonderfully. Coming in second is just, I mean &#8212; it&#8217;s funny, because people are like, &#8216;Oh, you didn&#8217;t get first,&#8217; you know? And I&#8217;m like, &#8216;But I got second! That&#8217;s amazing! Like, I&#8217;m super pumped!&#8217;&#8221; On staying true to herself &#8220;No matter where you are &#8212; whether you just won the lottery, or met the person of your dreams, or you&#8217;re on stage and people are being supportive, and you&#8217;re learning and you have the best coach ever &#8212; whatever it is, you&#8217;re still you, and whatever work you&#8217;ve done to be comfortable with yourself, you know, you&#8217;re not really going to advance beyond that point unless you put in that work. There&#8217;s no magic fix. So, definitely still grappling with all of those things, and even after going &#8212; people are like, &#8216;Wow, what does it feel like? Is it, like, you know, a dream?&#8217; And it&#8217;s like, it&#8217;s amazing, but at the same time, it&#8217;s similar to going to school or something. To some people, that&#8217;s, like a big dream &#8212; like, wow, you went to college, that&#8217;s incredible &#8212; you know, and it&#8217;s like, people have different opportunities, and I think it&#8217;s just &#8212; you&#8217;re always you, with your own insecurities.&#8221; On working with her coach, Usher &#8220;He&#8217;s the ultimate coach, at least for me. I think people have different styles, but he is someone that values hard work, dedication, authenticity, individuality &#8212; like, the things that worked really well for me, and he reinforced all those things. And he&#8217;s so creative and in the moment, and very respectful and wise. I mean, just in general, when you&#8217;re with someone who&#8217;s coaching you with values, it&#8217;s a great fit.&#8221; &#8220;I just felt this pull towards Usher as far as like, &#8216;Okay, I feel like I need to go here in order to find what I&#8217;m looking for.&#8217;&#8221; Guest\n\nMichelle Chamuel, musician, singer and songwriter from Amherst, Mass. She tweets @MichelleChamuel.\n ROBIN YOUNG, HOST: It's HERE AND NOW. Tonight is the season finale of NBC's \"The Voice,\" the hit singing competition, which made us wonder, how is Michelle Chamuel doing? She was a huge fan-favorite last year in sneakers, blazers, big black framed glasses. She inspired the hashtag #foureyesontheprize, kind of nerdy-cool. Then she'd sing. Here's her audition. (SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, \"THE VOICE\") MICHELLE CHAMUEL: (Singing) I kissed a girl and I liked it. The taste of her cherry Chap Stick. YOUNG: Michelle came in second, and since then she's been forging an independent career. She has a new single, \"Go Down Singing.\" And Michelle Chamuel joins us from the New England Public Radio Studios in Amherst, Massachusetts, where she lives. Welcome. CHAMUEL: Oh, thank you so much, Robin. It's amazing to be here. YOUNG: No, no, this is a thrill for me. Didn't you get my vote? CHAMUEL: Oh yes. It rang extra because of Robin, and I was like, yes. YOUNG: Well, for people who don't know, this is a show where the judges select the contestants, and then ultimately listeners across the country do it's live. Are you watching this season now? CHAMUEL: I'm keeping up as much as I can. I've been watching all the performances on YouTube, but I actually don't have TV. YOUNG: What? That's right. CHAMUEL: Yeah. YOUNG: You would say this last season, that maybe not having a TV and reminded of what a huge star you had become was easier. I don't know. When you came in second, with all that was riding on number one, what was that moment like? CHAMUEL: For me it was a really happy moment. I feel like it worked out wonderfully. Coming in second is just - I mean, it's funny because are like, ah, you didn't get first, you know. And I'm like, but I got second. That's amazing. Like, I'm super pumped. YOUNG: Let's listen to a little of the new single. It's called \"Go Down Singing.\" (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, \"GO DOWN SINGING\") CHAMUEL: (Singing) You can tell me what's right. You can say that I'm wrong. You can tell me I'm weak, so you can think that you're strong. But", "Jack Bryson&#8217;s two sons were on the train platform on New Year&#8217;s Day in 2009 when Oscar Grant III was shot by a transit police officer in Oakland, Calif. A lot of people are getting educated about what happened, but to these young men it’s like a nightmare all over again.&ndash;Jack Bryson That act, captured on videos by BART riders, sparked outrage around the country and spurred first-time director Ryan Coogler to make the feature film &#8220;Fruitvale Station.&#8221; It also motivated Bryson to become a spokesman on behalf of the &#8220;New Year&#8217;s Movement for Oscar Grant,&#8221; as well as a community activist. It&#8217;s hard for Bryson&#8217;s sons, who were childhood friends of Oscar Grant, to watch the movie. &#8220;A lot of people are getting educated about what happened, but to these young men it&#8217;s like a nightmare all over again,&#8221; Bryson told Here & Now. &#8220;My younger son he goes to watch its like he gets to see Oscar again, that&#8217;s how close it is to him. It&#8217;s like he gets to spend the day with Oscar.&#8221; Bryson has seen the movie four times. &#8220;I go to keep an eye on my sons and then some of the young men that were on the platform with them too. You can&#8217;t forget about Michael Greer, Carlos Reyes, Johntue Caldwell, Chris, Sofina, Jameel and Mario &#8212; all the people that were with Oscar Grant that night. I go, just as a father. Making sure they&#8217;re cool emotionally, because each time they break down.&#8221; He has mixed feelings on whether justice was served after Oscar Grant was killed. &#8220;Most police officers that kill black or brown young men, after they&#8217;re found not guilty or found that the reason they killed them was reasonable, then they go back into the community and the family has to see that police officer every day,&#8221; he said. &#8220;In this case, Johannes Mehserle did not get his job back, and he did do some jail time. On the other hand, if you have a video and it shows that it&#8217;s flat out murder, then he deserved murder.&#8221; Of Bryson&#8217;s many fond memories of Oscar Grant, one stands out. After Grant had his own child, he told Bryson he finally understood something. &#8220;He said &#8216;Man I see what you were doing. You want to protect your child.&#8217; And that touched me, that touched me. You said he wasn&#8217;t a saint, but he was to me, he was, and he was a good dude. It&#8217;s hard to look &#8212; I mean I see Oscar&#8217;s mother, we&#8217;re cool, she&#8217;s very nice to me. But how can you look at a mother when your sons and the other young men were there and her son was the one that didn&#8217;t make it, and our sons made it home? You live with that guilt too.&#8221; \nGuest\n\nJack Bryson, community activist in Oakland, Calif. whose two sons were with Oscar Grant III when he was shot.\n ROBIN YOUNG, HOST: Well, a story now about a young black man tragically shot and killed. It's not Trayvon Martin, it's Oscar Grant III. It's a story difficult to hear and very familiar to listeners in the San Francisco area, but if you haven't heard it, early New Year's Day 2009, Oscar and friends were on a BART, Bay Area Rapid Transit train, going home to Oakland, when he got into a fight with a white acquaintance. Someone called 911. When the train pulled into the Fruitvale Station, waiting transit police pulled the black young men off the train, sat them against a wall. The young men and the watching crowd voice protest, take cell phone videos. Two transit police officers tackle Oscar to cuff him when one suddenly pulls out his gun and shoots Oscar Grant III to death. (SOUNDBITE OF SHOUTING AND GUNSHOT) YOUNG: The cell phone videos launched riots, prompted first-time filmmaker Ryan Coogler to make the new feature film \"Fruitvale Station,\" and propelled our next guest to become an activist. Jack Bryson's sons were with their friend Oscar Grant on the BART platform when he was shot. Afterwards they asked their dad: What are you going to do about this? Well, he became the spokesman for the New Year's Movement for Oscar Grant. He joins us from KQED in San Francisco. And I want to start, Jack, with an apology because I'm imagining that was difficult to hear. JACK BRYSON: Oh, yeah, but it has to be told. YOUNG: Yeah, well, as hard as the video is, what was it like to see the film, which reenacts that scene? BRYSON: It's mixed emotions. You know, me and my son were talking, Jackie, it was hard for him to watch the movie, and when he watched it, I went outside, and he had left the movies because he said all it did was open it back up for him. And he had like an anxiety attack while the movie was starting. So he walked outside. His T-shirt was wet. He was kind of shaken. And what he was saying is like, you know, a lot of people are enjoying the movie, which is cool, a lot of people are getting educated about what happened, but to these young men and to the families, it's like a nightmare all over again. M", "A pair of hip-hop collaborators have dreamed up a new project to help get people through the coronavirus pandemic.  “Jazz Is Dead 001” brings together musicians Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad with some of their jazz heroes. The album features a host of greats from vibraphonist and producer Roy Ayers to saxophonist Gary Bartz.  Over the past year, Younge and Muhammad recorded the album of new songs using the original instruments and analog recording techniques that were used in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Younge says the project was inspired by conversations about the common phrase, “jazz is dead.” “I guess the bigger question when you hear &#8216;jazz is dead&#8217; is who gets to say what matters?” he says. “And you know, for us, we look at it as like those people that protect the art as pioneers in its progression. And that&#8217;s what we&#8217;re trying to do with &#8216;Jazz Is Dead.&#8217; ” Muhammad says the album captures the “relentlessness of existing and the ability to vibrate and unite” during these uncertain times.  “We&#8217;re more connected, I think now, than in any period at least in the past 100 years,” he says. “But it&#8217;s not a connection that has always, I think, had true depth and true consideration. And so we&#8217;re now really considering one another.” Interview Highlights  On working with Roy Ayers  Younge: “Well, for people like myself and Ali, music matters to us way more than it should to the average person. So, I mean, when you&#8217;re in the presence of somebody like that, you know, it&#8217;s like being in the presence of a god here on Earth. He&#8217;s done so much for music. He&#8217;s meant so much to our lives with music that just being in the studio with him, not even working, just being in the studio with him was just magical.” On the source of their inspiration for the album  Muhammad: “My introduction to jazz was through my grandmother, and she was a big Duke Ellington fan, a big Ella Fitzgerald fan, and I didn&#8217;t want any parts of that &#8230; I think because I was born in 1970 and the main source of my, I guess, my era was not Duke Ellington. However, when you hear groups like Earth, Wind & Fire or even Kool & The Gang who fuzed jazz into what has been coined R&B, it kind of opens up the palette and the love affair grew. And so the exploration went beyond just sampling to me picking up instruments to really just get my own idea of what these greats were doing. It&#8217;s just been a nonstop journey. So here we land with Jazz Is Dead. And this compilation just based off of that, continued being inquisitive about the process, being inquisitive about the communication of music and what it means to make freedom music.” Younge: “Let&#8217;s just back up. What&#8217;s the first real recognized musical art form of America? It&#8217;s jazz. OK. So what is the ideology of that? Well, it&#8217;s black America&#8217;s voice. Jazz encompassed the struggles of black America, and we used our instruments as our voice. So when you lock into the fundamental tone, the addition of harmonics is what makes this fundamental tone different. So we&#8217;re using the same instruments, but we&#8217;re adding our own harmonics. We&#8217;re adding our struggles. We&#8217;re adding our perspectives that were blacklisted in the world. And this was our way to finally speak out. You see what I&#8217;m saying? So that is the foundation of jazz. And it&#8217;s just really a human thing. You don&#8217;t got to be black, you know? It&#8217;s a human thing. But it came from that black struggle.” On the song “Conexão” featuring bossa nova luminary João Donato Younge: “Well, ‘Jazz Is Dead’ is not just a label, it&#8217;s a concert programming series that we&#8217;ve had. So we host these concerts with jazz legends and up-and-coming jazz artists, and we bring them to Los Angeles, do these crazy concerts, and at the same time, unbeknownst to the people that are going to these concerts, we&#8217;re recording albums with these people. So with João, we brought him here from Brazil, and part of bringing him out here was not only to have him play his beautiful music for the people, but to say, &#8216;Hey, let&#8217;s record a full album with you to analog tape like you used to do in the &#8217;60s and &#8217;70s, and let&#8217;s use these original instruments as well. And let&#8217;s continue those conversations that you were starting back then, but make it more modern.&#8217; ” On how this music highlights these uncertain times  Muhammad: “I think when musicians get into a room together, there&#8217;s a lot of consideration. And we certainly hope that putting out the ‘Jazz Is Dead 001’ album out right now will give people some comfort and have a moment to reflect, to wonder, you know, what&#8217;s next, to maybe lose your mind for a moment and then to find yourself. And to me, like one of the really good examples of that is the song &#8216;Distant Mode&#8217; with Gary Bartz. It, to me, really highlig", "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets officially with President Trump for the first time Wednesday in Washington. Netanyahu has high hopes for his country&#8217;s relationship with the U.S. under a Trump presidency. So what&#8217;s the relationship likely to look like? And where are things most likely to get complicated? Here & Now&#8216;s Robin Young talks with Dov Waxman (@dovwaxman), professor of political science, international affairs and Israel studies at Northeastern University, and co-director of the school&#8217;s Middle East Center.", "This weekend, we&#8217;ll all be able to look back on what you could call some ancient history in hip-hop. The new film &#8220;Straight Outta Compton&#8221; tells the story of five friends who shot out of that California city like a rocket. But it also serves as a reminder about the true-to-life tales that N.W.A. sang about, of police mistreatment, distrust and life in the inner city. Here & Now&#8217;s Robin Young is joined by hip-hop historian Bakari Kitwana to discuss N.W.A. [Youtube] Interview Highlights: Bakari Kitwana On the tone of the U.S. at the time of N.W.A.&#8217;s rise to popularity &#8220;One of the important phenomenons that&#8217;s going on in the country was the crack cocaine explosion and the war on drugs, and so you have the police kind of beginning to move into this paramilitary style of policing, and really targeting black and brown neighborhoods. That contributes to the rise of incarceration in this country. In 1970, only 200,000 people are incarcerated in this entire country; by 2000, over 2 million folks are incarcerated. And a lot of this had to do with this shift that often violated people&#8217;s constitutional rights and in many ways began to lay the foundation for a continuation of what we&#8217;re seeing today.&#8221; On the lasting impact of N.W.A.&#8217;s music &#8220;I think that what we&#8217;re seeing today, with the &#8216;black lives matter&#8217; protests &#8212; specifically coming out of Ferguson, with the Mike Brown rebellion, before it was labeled &#8216;black lives matter&#8217; &#8212; we&#8217;re seeing this style of policing and this kind of violation of basic rights for folks that&#8217;s really off the mainstream. And N.W.A. brought it into a mainstream conversation. I think the same thing is happening today, and you&#8217;re getting artists like Kendrick Lamar articulating this in their music.&#8221; On what N.W.A. represented for young people in the 1980s &#8220;For a generation of young people who were oftentimes locked out of presentation of their own voice, groups like N.W.A. and hip-hop articulate those voices, even though it was so shocking that a lot of the older folks didn&#8217;t really hear the politics of it until it was too late. A few years later, after N.W.A., we have the LA riots. When you&#8217;re young and that&#8217;s happening, you&#8217;re getting all the things that are beautiful and all the things that are ugly. With N.W.A., that&#8217;s what we got.&#8221; Guest\n\nBakari Kitwana, hip-hop historian. He tweets @therealbakari.\n\nRelated:Biopic 'Straight Outta Compton' Tells The Epic Story Of Hip-Hop And N.W.A", "NPR Music&#8217;s writer and editor Stephen Thompson brings Here & Now a new song each week to jazz up our play lists. This week it&#8217;s a song from the upcoming album from Los Campesinos!. The album is called “No Blues” and the song is “What Death Leaves Behind.” Thompson says the punctuation in the band&#8217;s name isn&#8217;t just casual. &#8220;The exclamation point at the end of the band&#8217;s name belongs there, because everything about Los Campesinos!&#8217;s music is clamoring to be heard at the same time,” Thompson told Here & Now. “The accents can be a little thick, and they tend to stuff hundreds of words into each song, so a lyric sheet does come in handy with its music &#8212; but the words are always smart and evocative, so it&#8217;s worth puzzling them out.&#8221; While the exclamation point is a good indicator of the band&#8217;s sound, don&#8217;t be fooled by the Spanish-sounding name; the Welsh band has a modern English indie pop sound. \nGuest\n\nStephen Thompson, editor and reviewer for NPR Music. He tweets @idislikestephen.\n JEREMY HOBSON, HOST: NPR music writer and editor Stephen Thompson brings us a new song each week. He sat down with Robin Young to share what he is listening to. ROBIN YOUNG, HOST: Stephen, what have you got this week? STEPHEN THOMPSON, BYLINE: Well, I've got a lovable UK band called Los Campesinos! - with an exclamation point after the name. The exclamation point at the end of the band's name belongs there because everything about Los Campesinos!'s music is clamoring to be heard at the exact same time. So they're sung in very thick accents and they tend to stuff hundreds of words into each song, so a lyric sheet comes in handy. But the words are always smart and evocative, so it's worth puzzling them out. This is a brand-new song from the band called \"What Death Leaves Behind.\" (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, \"WHAT DEATH LEAVES BEHIND\") GARETH CAMPESINOS: (Singing) I was the first match struck at the first cremation. You are my shallow grave. I'll tend you as a sexton. If you're the casket door that's being slammed upon me, I'll be a plague cross painted on your naked body. Well, summer sighed and summoned up hail. Dirty in dish rack drips the holy grail. May be heartslob but I want 'em to know, cut and shut us a like a portmanteau. YOUNG: OK. So I heard may be a heartslob but I want them to know, cut and shut us like a portmanteau. (LAUGHTER) THOMPSON: Yeah. There's so much blurted out in any given line of a Los Campesinos!'s song. They don't always read smoothly when you pull them out of context. The line you mentioned, may be a heartslob, but I want them to know. It's a heartslob. Cut and shut us like a portmanteau. So you break that apart and you have this new word that the singer, Gareth Campesinos, has created, heartslob. And that's a combination of two words two make a new word, which is called a portmanteau. And by the time you realize what he's done, the band is long since sailed on to the chorus. So it's a really fun song like all their songs. It's a really fun song to unpack. It can sound like a complete shambles at first, but the band really knows what it's doing. YOUNG: I love the word heartslob. That's actually going to be one I'm going to use know. And I love somebody who can use portmanteau, but they do sort of have - we've talked about this in other bands. They have sort of a throwback sound. I found myself thinking who do they sound like. THOMPSON: Oh, you know, I'm not even entirely - I'm not even sure where I would draw a comparison. To me they really don't sound like anybody else just in terms of - their songs are these big, brash, loud vocabulary lessons in a way that to me I just find myself stopping a lot and studying their songs. At the same time, they're very cheerful sounding or like people are singing in unison. So there's this gigantic party of words going on. YOUNG: And I was thrown too; you are throwing these songs at us. We're hearing it for the first time. I thought it was going to be sort of with a Mexican lilt. THOMPSON: Yeah. I mean, well, because of the band's name. YOUNG: Right. THOMPSON: Yeah. They are full of surprises. They're from - they're based in Wales now. So they're much more rooted in UK pop music and rock music than anything with that look(ph) to it. YOUNG: OK. Well, Stephen Thompson's song of the week for us, \"What Death Leaves Behind,\" from Los Campesinos!. It's on the new album \"No Blues.\" It comes out October 29. You can download it for free on the band's SoundCloud page. And what do you think it sounds like? I'm wondering - now I'm thinking maybe Talking Heads or kind of a tiny bit of Talking Heads there. I'm not sure. And what do you think of it? We always want to know. NPR music writer and editor Stephen Thompson is just offering it up. Stephen, thanks so much. THOMPSON: Thank you. HOBSON: Well, from a new song to an older one. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, \"ALL APOLOGIES\") KURT COBAIN: (Singing) What else should I be, all ap", "A debate over the debt ceiling &#8212; the country&#8217;s borrowing limit &#8212; is just around the corner, with a deadline coming this fall. Here & Now&#8216;s Robin Young speaks with Michael Regan (@Reganonymous) of Bloomberg News about what is likely to happen, and what will happen if the limit is not increased.", "Ticket scalpers have done it for years, but now so-called &#8220;toy bots&#8221; have bought up some of the season&#8217;s hottest toys and are getting ready to mark up the price to sell on third-party sites like eBay and Amazon. Here & Now&#8216;s Robin Young speaks with MSNBC&#8217;s Ali Velshi (@AliVelshi) about what consumers can do to protect themselves.", "On the second day of Chinese President Xi Jinping&#8217;s visit with President Trump, Here & Now&#8216;s Robin Young speaks with Jasmine Shao, a Chinese student at Amherst College in Massachusetts, about what she&#8217;d like to hear from the two leaders. Shao says the environment is a big concern for her, and what the two leaders will commit to in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.", "The Nasdaq reached 6,000 for the first time ever on Tuesday. The market index includes many of the biggest tech companies in the country, and the record comes after strong performances from companies like Apple and Facebook recently. Here & Now&#8216;s Robin Young speaks with CNN&#8217;s Maggie Lake (@maggielake) about what&#8217;s happening.", "Finneas O’Connell has produced all of his sister Billie Eilish’s music, including the No. 1 hit on the Billboard charts earlier this year, “Bad Guy.”  The 22-year-old musician started writing songs when he was 12. Finneas is also an actor — he starred as Alistair on the television series, “Glee” — and he recently produced Selena Gomez’s first No. 1 song on Billboard Hot 100, “Lose You To Love Me.” Now, he’s fresh off his first solo tour for his new album, “Blood Harmony.”  “It&#8217;s been nerve wracking,” O’Connell, who goes by the stage name FINNEAS, says of stepping out on his own. He says there’s a big difference between performing by himself and playing with Eilish because he is front and center.  “I think Billie and I&#8217;ve played enough shows that they&#8217;re really fun, but they don&#8217;t make me nervous anymore,” he says. “And I carry a less heavy burden every night than she does. People don&#8217;t come to see a Billie Eilish show to come to see me. They come to see her. So I just try not to screw up too much on my instruments.”  He says that in writing his first solo album, it was important for the music to sound differently than the work he produced for his sister. “Part of the thing that might separate mine is that I grew up playing piano and guitar, and she plays a little bit of piano and guitar, but I definitely like always written sitting at those instruments,” Finneas says. “And so on pretty much every song of mine that&#8217;s like a center point is kind of me sitting at a piano playing music, or standing and holding a guitar.” Watch on YouTube. Interview Highlights On the song, “Let’s Fall in Love for the Night”  “This is a song I wrote while I was in Japan last August, and I was just sitting in hotel rooms. And Japan is a really amazing place, but I have never felt more like a beginner in my life. I just didn&#8217;t know how to do anything in Japan. I didn&#8217;t know how to get anywhere. I didn&#8217;t know how to ask for directions. I would like get back to my hotel room at the end of each day and just like give a great sigh of like just resting for a second, cause it was just all day, like looking every direction, trying to figure out my bearings. And I was just writing the song about this like fantasy date that I had never been on. … I was living in the future hoping I might see you sooner. … It&#8217;s just like I fantasize about stuff that hasn&#8217;t happened all the time.” On living with synesthesia “Well, the whole idea behind synesthesia is that it&#8217;s essentially innate. So like for me, &#8216;Let&#8217;s Fall in Love for the Night&#8217; is orange. It&#8217;s like a kind of a rusty orange. It&#8217;s like an autumn leaf orange. And I don&#8217;t have any idea why, and I didn&#8217;t choose it. But it is that way. And people have kind of, in my opinion, like glorified synesthesia into like some superpower, which I don&#8217;t feel that it&#8217;s that way. But it&#8217;s definitely like a fun place to jump off from, you know, if you&#8217;re like, &#8216;Where do I start with this?&#8217; And you&#8217;re like, &#8216;Well, how does it make me feel?&#8217; You know, a lot of like what I do as a producer is like sound design and stuff. So like sometimes I&#8217;m writing a song and it’s just the mood that it&#8217;s evoking to me is like a rainy day. And I&#8217;m like, &#8216;Well, let&#8217;s try some rain in the background, see how that makes me feel.&#8217; And it&#8217;s just like ways to inspire myself. But yeah, &#8230; there are some people who are like debilitated by their synesthesia. They&#8217;ll like see the word Lenovo, and they&#8217;ll like taste like wasabi. Like it&#8217;s really crazy. Synesthesia is intense.” On his success in music at such a young age  “I think, you know, when I turned 21 or when I turned 20 or even 18, like the joke I would make, I&#8217;d be like, &#8216;Yeah, everything I do is just a little less impressive now.&#8217; And I think ultimately when you&#8217;re young for your category of profession, the thing you really don&#8217;t want to be is good for your age. I think you want to just be good. And that&#8217;s always been my favorite part about Billie is I think it&#8217;s so secondary that she happens to be very young. &#8230; She&#8217;s 17. But continually people are surprised to find out how young she is, which to me is like such a mark of the success of the art, because it&#8217;s very easy to admire a child prodigy pianist for being so young and so brilliant and so good. But like, I don&#8217;t know if that&#8217;s the pianist that you&#8217;d want to see concert wise in their 30s when there&#8217;s other incredible 30-year-old pianists.” On living a fully adult life as a 22-year-old  “I really always wanted to be an adult. I didn&#8217;t really like being an adolescent at all. I&#8217;m not a control freak in that like I boss everybody around, but like a control freak and like, I like knowing exactly what I get to ", "Airbnb, the online market for home and room rentals may be worth $10 billion. The five-year-old start up lets people rent their rooms and homes directly to travelers, and it&#8217;s already one of Silicon Valley&#8217;s big success stories. The company is now reportedly in talks with investors for a new round of financing based on a valuation of about $10 billion. That sum puts it above hotel groups like the Hyatt and the Wyndham, and the high price reflects what investors believe is the company&#8217;s potential to disrupt the hotel industry. Airbnb&#8217;s growth is part of what is called &#8220;the sharing economy&#8221; &#8212; web-based businesses that allow people to trade goods and services directly with each other. But like those companies, Airbnb&#8217;s growth has come with legal and other problems. Hotel chains say that the service disadvantages them because the transactions aren&#8217;t subject to the same taxes. Landlords have clamped down on renters who rent out room or space through Airbnb, and New York&#8217;s attorney general has issued a subpoena for information on the company&#8217;s 15,000 hosts in the state. Guest\n\nMarty Schenker, senior executive editor at Bloomberg News. He tweets @mschenker.\n ROBIN YOUNG, HOST: From NPR and WBUR Boston, I'm Robin Young. It's HERE AND NOW. Airbnb, the online room and home rental site, may be worth more than the Hyatt hotel chain. Airbnb, the online platform which only started six years ago, connects people who want to rent rooms, houses, islands, with people who have them. And the company is now reportedly in talks with investors for a new round of financing based on a valuation of about $10 billion. That's more than hotel groups like the Hyatt and the Wyndham. So what justifies that value? And haven't we been hearing about regulators looking into this business? Bloomberg News executive editor Marty Schenker is here. And Marty, start with the talks - investors and Airbnb hashing out how much the company is worth. How did they come up with 10 billion? MARTY SCHENKER: Well, it's just a mathematical calculation based on how much they're going to sell to the public versus how much of the ownership that goes with it. So it's a theoretical number, but they think this business has a lot of potential. YOUNG: Yeah. Well, they've got something like half a million sites. They've got millions of people - I think five million or so last year - who took advantage. But still, Hyatt and Wyndham hotels have thousands of hotels, you know, that they own. So who are we talking about when we talk about investors? SCHENKER: Well, we're talking about venture capitalists. These are people who actually have a large pool of funds and scour the universe for the next huge idea and help them grow it by investing and getting a stake. YOUNG: Yeah. Well, this is... SCHENKER: These are people like Sequoia Capital, TPG, and even Ashton Kutcher is an early investor in this. YOUNG: Oh, boy. Well, so they think it's the next big thing. But there have been some problems. I mean, hotel owners think the business gets an unfair leg up. The president of a New York hotel chain, Apple Core, told the Wall Street Journal these people are scofflaws. They don't have to pay to taxes and fees the way hotels do. And, in fact, local governments stand to lose tax revenues. So is there a push back here? SCHENKER: There certainly is, and this is very reminiscent of Uber, the on-demand taxi service that has become so widespread around the world. And there have been concerns about regulation of that business. And so people like the attorney general of New York have subpoenaed their records, and they're fighting that. So there will be some pushback, and the tax issue is something that will need to be addressed at some point. YOUNG: When you say fighting for the records, you mean Airbnb, to find out who these hosts are. SCHENKER: That's correct, and just what kind of revenue they generate and where they might have a taxable event that, of course, all municipal governments are interested in. YOUNG: Well, you know, it's interesting that it is so successful. It's - a lot of people here have used it, you know, especially traveling in New York. It's interesting because there's a certain trust factor, and we know there have been problems. There was one huge party - $86,000 in damage in one of these rented homes. And Airb2b - bnb, rather, had to, you know, take out insurance policies for hosts. SCHENKER: That's right. And as in any nascent business, there are going to be problems that are going to be addressed. And the investors just are assuming with grown-up management and more controls they'll be able to grow this business as quickly as they have in the past. I mean, don't forget that Google went public in 2004 at $85, and it's at $1,200 today. So that's the kind of valuations that have raised people's attention. YOUNG: Yeah. Well, some of these, you know, startups quickly deflate. Your sense of what's going to ", "Conservative columnist George Will says today’s GOP has strayed far from its conservative roots. Indeed, he recently said &#8220;young people have made up their mind about the Republican Party, that it’s kind of the dumb party.” He explains where the party has been and what&#8217;s at stake in a new book, &#8220;The Conservative Sensibility.&#8221; Here&#8217;s a piece of the National Review&#8217;s analysis of the book: The conservative intellectual movement is engaged in a debate over nothing less than the foundation of our regime, the nature of liberalism, the virtues of the market, the role of the state, and the value of freedom. Some conservatives, especially young ones, have turned their attention away from the free choices of individuals to the institutions — family, community, religion, and nation — that provide authoritative guidance for those choices and shape personal characters. Will, who dedicates this book to Barry Goldwater, reminds us of what the conservative mainstream looked like for much of the 20th century, and what it might look like again. “The proper question for conservatives is, What do you seek to conserve?” Will asks. “The proper answer is concise but deceptively simple: We seek to conserve the American Founding.” Whereas Burke and European conservatives defended throne and altar, American conservatism ought to protect the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and the principles that inform them. Will has worked in journalism and commentary for about 50 years. He shares with us what he&#8217;s learned and where he thinks the country is headed next. For more, visit https://the1a.org. &copy; 2019 WAMU 88.5 &#8211; American University Radio.", "Each week, NPR Music writer and editor Stephen Thompson brings us a new song. This week it&#8217;s an new take on an old hit. On Shearwater&#8217;s new album &#8220;Fellow Travelers,&#8221; the Austin-born and Brooklyn-based band covers the songs of bands with whom they&#8217;ve played on the road. From that album, we hear Shearwater&#8217;s cover of &#8220;Natural One&#8221; &#8212; originally by the group The Folk Implosion. Thompson says he appreciates Shearwater&#8217;s ability to reinterpret a song while staying true to the original. &#8220;I&#8217;m a huge fan of the way Shearwater makes music that&#8217;s both cavernous and delicate, and the singer, Jonathan Meiburg, has this huge, haunting voice. But when he dives into the songs on a new album of covers, he does a great job making the source material sound both like his band and like the artists he&#8217;s covering,&#8221; he tells Here & Now&#8217;s Robin Young. \nMore song recommendations from Stephen Thompson\nNPR: First Listen: Shearwater, &#8216;Fellow Travelers&#8217;\n\nGuest\n\nStephen Thompson, editor and reviewer for NPR music. He tweets @idislikestephen.\n ROBIN YOUNG, HOST: So what does NPR music writer and editor Stephen Thompson have for us today? Every week a new song, and Stephen, what have you got this week? STEPHEN THOMPSON, BYLINE: All right, I've got a band that I love and have loved for years called Shearwater doing a cover of a song that I also love, a song called \"Natural One\" by the group Folk Implosion. Shearwater has a new album, mostly of covers, and I'm a huge fan of the way Shearwater makes music that is both cavernous and delicate. The singer, Jonathan Meiburg, has this huge, haunting voice. But when he dives into the song on this new collection, he does a great job making the source material sound both like his band and like the artists he's covering. So \"Natural One\" is a pretty familiar hit song from the '90s. A lot of people will recognize the tune instantly. But it still really pops in Shearwater's hands. YOUNG: OK, let's hear \"Natural One\" sung by Shearwater, but it's a cover of the hit in the '90s from Folk Implosion. THOMPSON: Folk Implosion. YOUNG: OK. THOMPSON: It's a lot to unpack. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, \"NATURAL ONE\") SHEARWATER: (Singing) (Unintelligible). YOUNG: Stephen, I like it, but if it's an album of covers, and the covers are of a lot of indie bands, do you have to know those indie bands to appreciate Shearwater's covers? THOMPSON: I don't think so. I mean, this is probably the most familiar tune on the record. There's also like a Coldplay song. I feel like the songs stand alone as Shearwater songs. The album, it's called \"Fellow Travelers,\" and it's actually kind of a neat concept that it's built around. All of the artists that it covers are bands with whom Shearwater has toured at some point. So to a certain extent, yeah, it's throwing little tributes out to the band's friends, but it also makes sense that there would be a kinship there, a natural similarity between Shearwater and the songs that it's covering here. And yet Shearwater has toured with a lot of bands that sound absolutely nothing alike. I mentioned that the band has opened for Coldplay, and so they cover Coldplay, but they also tackle a song by this incredibly weird and arty and intense band called JuJu(ph). So the whole record as a whole does a neat job of capturing how versatile Shearwater is and how flexible Jonathan Meiburg's voice can be while still paying tribute to a bunch of great songs and bands, a lot of which people won't have heard and will hear for the first time almost as Shearwater songs. So I never get tired of \"Natural One\" no matter who's performing it, but this particular version is, I think, especially great. YOUNG: OK, I'd love to hear from fans of Folk Implosion to see if they have that same opinion. And by the way, Shearwater, where are they from? THOMPSON: They're based now in Brooklyn. They for a long time were based in Austin, Texas. YOUNG: Well, that is the trail, isn't it? THOMPSON: Exactly, it so often is. YOUNG: \"Natural One\" from Shearwater on the brand new album \"Fellow Travelers,\" an album of covers. NPR music writer and editor Stephen Thompson, thanks as always. THOMPSON: Thank you, Robin. YOUNG: It's HERE AND NOW.", "Last year, police were less likely to successfully close rape investigations, according to FBI statistics provided to The Associated Press. That puts what&#8217;s known as the rape &#8220;clearance rate&#8221; at its lowest level since the 1960s. Here & Now&#8216;s Robin Young talks with AP reporter Mike Sisak (@mikesisak).", "The tech community is no fan of Donald Trump. His position on immigration and attacks against giants like Apple and Amazon have put him at odds with Silicon Valley. Now, they&#8217;re preparing for what could be a tense relationship with a Trump administration. Here & Now&#8216;s Robin Young gets the latest from Recode&#8217;s Peter Kafka (@pkafka).", "Trevor Noah thinks we should all be young readers. The comedian and &#8220;Daily Show&#8221; host&#8217;s new book &#8220;It&#8217;s Trevor Noah: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood&#8221; — a young adult adaptation of his 2016 autobiography — isn&#8217;t watered down for younger bookworms. Noah says besides tweaking some of the language and simplifying some of the stories told in the original, his memoir for young adults is largely the same. &#8220;All I changed in the book was just how I described certain concepts, but I didn&#8217;t try to talk down to younger readers because I didn&#8217;t like being talked down to when I was young,&#8221; he tells Here & Now&#8216;s Jeremy Hobson. Noah&#8217;s young adult book aims to provide American kids with an intimate view of what it was like growing up in apartheid South Africa — and to present a deeply personal perspective of how racism shaped the way he saw himself. He says he hopes American kids reading the book will understand that racism is &#8220;an all-too-common idea or a common theme that happens all around the world.&#8221; &#8220;I think sometimes it&#8217;s nice to have perspective on these issues, just so that you understand that it&#8217;s not a unique problem that one country deals with, but rather an idea that society as a whole deals with across borders,&#8221; Noah says. His childhood during and after apartheid South Africa shows how as a kid, Noah was grappling with coming to terms with who he was and who he wanted to become. Born to a black South African mother and a white European father, Noah says he felt defined by the government — &#8220;it was interesting being in a country where the law defined me as one race&#8221; — and by how others labeled him. Noah says his book serves as a lesson to young readers: There&#8217;s liberation in defining who you are on your own terms. &#8220;For so long people wanted to define me as whatever they wanted to define me as. I think that clarity for me came from understanding my existence and then looking at the world around me,&#8221; he says. Interview Highlights On why he thinks American kids should know about apartheid &#8220;One thing I enjoyed when I was growing up in South Africa was in our schools, we learned about world history, so we learned about American history. We learned about French history. We learned about what happened in Russia. We learned about Europe. We learned about Africa. We learned about South Africa. And so for me, I think learning about history gives you some context. It gives you an idea of what the world was like. It also gives you an idea of where the world has gone to in comparison to the past. And so for me, if you read stories from South Africa, if you read about apartheid, you come to realize that racism or oppression aren't unique ideas to America.&#8221; On racism in America today &#8220;I think it&#8217;s unfortunately part of the fabric of the country. South Africa and America have very similar histories in that fundamentally, the beginnings of the countries as we know them, came from a place and a time when people had certain views about people of a different skin color. And so that has traveled through time and that has translated into laws and policies that have affected black people in America [and] black people in South Africa. So for me, what&#8217;s always interesting is seeing what similarities there are, but then also noticing what differences there are. &#8220;For me, the big difference in the past, you know, we have the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and that&#8217;s, in many ways, quelled any ideas that [apartheid] never happened or it wasn&#8217;t as bad as it was laid out to be or was presented as. I think that does something for a nation. It puts you in a place where you can&#8217;t be gaslighted at anymore, whereas in America, it does feel like this conversation about is there racism, as opposed to how do you begin moving forward as a nation to get rid of the racism that has in many ways defined how people react with one another across racial barriers in the U.S.&#8221; On whether racism in the U.S. has gotten worse over time &#8220;I think some people will think it&#8217;s gotten worse and I&#8217;m careful to jump to that assumption. I think we&#8217;ve gotten more access to information and so, you know, sometimes the curves of facts versus information can go against each other. I definitely think America has gotten better over time. For anybody to say that 2019&#8217;s racism is as bad as 1960&#8217;s racism, I think it is being a little disingenuous. &#8220;I do think however, social media, camera phones, etc., have given us so much more access to these stories. Now you can watch a video of someone being berated by their boss and their bosses using the N-word in the office. You&#8217;d see an unarmed person being shot by a police officer. You would never see that before. It was a story where the police could present the facts ", "Last week might have felt like a grand finale, with decisions on same-sex marriage and the Affordable Care Act, but this morning the Supreme Court announced three more decisions, relating to capital punishment, power plant emissions and congressional redistricting. NPR&#8217;s Ron Elving joins Here & Now&#8217;s Robin Young to discuss what what they all mean. Guest\n\nRon Elving, senior Washington editor and correspondent at NPR. He tweets @NPRrelving.", "Only 16 percent of eligible voters under the age of 30 cast ballots in the 2014 midterm elections. This year, public figures from Taylor Swift to Barack Obama have taken to social media to mobilize young people. But some experts say the long-term solution to low youth turnout is better civics education. Here & Now&#8216;s Peter O&#8217;Dowd speaks with Nathan Bowling (@nate_bowling), who teaches government and human geography at Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Washington, and hosts the Nerd Farmer Podcast (@nerdfarmpod) on civics, education and culture. It turns out that only nine states and the District of Columbia require civics education in public high schools. Bowling says that is partly driven by the emphasis on standardized testing. “So essentially a lot of civics classes have been pushed to the side in order to offer students additional support in math and reading,” he says. “And not that math and reading aren&#8217;t important, but our civics and our democracy [matter] a lot.” Interview Highlights On why voter turnout among young people is historically low “Well, I think it&#8217;s kind of a two-sided problem. On one side, people turn out to vote when they have something either to gain or something to lose. And politics in America today doesn&#8217;t have a lot to offer young people right now. On the other side of the equation, you have a situation where states that know that young people tend to be liberal voters are actually making it harder for them to vote. So I think about like Iowa made it basically impossible for college students who were in Iowa to vote as Iowa residents, and instead made them vote for their home states. And so it&#8217;s a kind of two-sided thing like we&#8217;re not offering students and young people a lot politically, and then we&#8217;re making it more difficult for them to vote in many states.” On why older people score highest on U.S. citizenship questions “I think that civics is kind of like language. So like I have traveled in Latin America and learned Spanish several times. As I don&#8217;t use my Spanish, my Spanish skills deteriorate. And I think civics is the same way. If you learn civics in high school, and then aren&#8217;t engaged politically, your muscles atrophy. But older folks have more to risk in every election. There&#8217;s a reason why they turn out to vote like basically Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are on the ballot in every election, and they know that, and they show up.” On celebrities encouraging young people to vote “Honestly like registering to vote is only half the battle. You also have to go to the polls. So Oregon has gotten rid of voter registration; you&#8217;re just automatically registered to vote. And here in Washington state, you can register online via Facebook, and then we vote 100 percent by mail. And for me when I&#8217;m talking to my students, like I berate them. Like we vote by mail, there&#8217;s no excuse. And so for me in my classroom like we vote shame, and my students don&#8217;t like need a celebrity to do that.” On how he gets his students engaged in civics “One aspect of politics that I think that we do injustice with is we pay too much attention to national politics and to the presidency. And so we spend a lot of my time in my classroom talking about the importance of state government and all the things state governments can do, and like all the powers that come through the 10th Amendment. And one of the things my students walk out of my classroom understanding each year is that Congress actually has far more power than most Americans think they do. And essentially everything that Donald Trump is doing right now, if you like it, then you should maintain a Republican Congress, and if you dislike it, you should try to overturn Congress.” On if he thinks young people are engaged in politics despite not voting “I think this generation that is coming up today is tremendously engaged in politics and cares about what&#8217;s happening. I think they&#8217;re also very skeptical, if not cynical, about our national politics. And with your Parkland example you bring up, I think that&#8217;s actually demonstrative of what I was talking about earlier about state politics. The national conversation about gun control policy is basically dead, and it doesn&#8217;t matter what happens. There&#8217;ll be no national movement. There is room for movement at the state level. And if you look at the Parkland shooting, those kids went to the Florida Capitol, not the national Capitol. And so refocusing some of that energy on state politics, I think is a way to re-engage students into politics.”", "Johnny Clegg&#8216;s song &#8220;Asimbonanga&#8221; resurfaced after the death of Nelson Mandela last year, being widely shared online. The song was an anti-apartheid anthem, calling for the release of Mandela when he was jailed. Mandela would later join him on stage for the performance of the song. Clegg is currently on tour and out with a new album of acoustic songs. He joins Here & Now&#8217;s Robin Young in the studio to talk about his country, post-Mandela. \nJohnny Clegg tour dates\n\n\nInterview Highlights: Johnny Clegg On what South Africa looks and feels like to him today &#8220;It’s been a roller coaster in a way because in 20 years we&#8217;ve seen the release of Mandela, the unbanning of the ANC [African National Congress], a completely new constitution. But apart from that, we&#8217;ve moved so quickly from the heady days of the release of Mandela and the unbanning of the ANC to a time now where we are moving to darker and much more muddy waters where our president is accused of corruption, which doesn&#8217;t bode well for the future &#8212; if it continues.&#8221; On the power of music and how its role has changed for him &#8220;The problem is is that music no longer is a platform. Today, if there’s a protest, it&#8217;s on Facebook, it&#8217;s on Twitter, it&#8217;s on the news and you move on. And so what this has done is it&#8217;s taken issues and made them into consumable passing moments. &#8230; When I was 15, I discovered Zulu street guitar music. These tribal organic musicians have taken a Western instrument and they&#8217;d Africanized it, changing the strings around, changing the tuning. My instincts said this is a new genre and I want to learn it.&#8221; On how traveling and moving as a child helped him become more accepting &#8220;I was an outsider. I went to five schools in three different countries in five years, and one of those countries was non-racial &#8212; it was Zambia. It was quite a shock for me to move from a whites-only school into a nonracial schooling system where there were more black teachers than whites and there were more black kids than whites. So when I came back to South Africa, I was far more open to sounds, people, cultures than my contemporaries who had only just grown up in a whites-only South Africa.&#8221; On his view of death and how he&#8217;s coped with losing many loved ones to violence &#8220;The thing is that Africa&#8217;s got a very, very pragmatic and practical idea about life and death. People die. That’s a given. We’re not gonna make a fuss about it – what we’re gonna make a fuss about is making that guy a good ancestor or that woman a great ancestor and letting the passage go through and to look after the people who feel like there’s a hole where that person used to be. So people didn’t dwell on the issue of death in it of itself. They dwelt on the political aspect or the reason why the person was killed or died or whatever it is. So it’s a much tougher environment and I was hardened by that in a way &#8212; you know, I started to understand that people are dropping like flies, they&#8217;re all over, I have to keep going, I have to keep doing what I’ve got to do.&#8221; Guest\n\nJohnny Clegg, musician and anthropologist from South Africa. He tweets @JohnnyCleggReal.\n ROBIN YOUNG, HOST: It's HERE AND NOW. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, \"ASIMBONANGA,\") JOHNNY CLEGG: (Singing in foreign language) YOUNG: \"Asimbonanga,\" in Zulu, we haven't seen him. The 1987 anti-apartheid anthem by white South African musician Johnny Clegg and his interracial band Savuka demanding that Nelson Mandela be released from jail. That message and his wild dancing stage shows made Johnny an international superstar. He was also jailed. He's out now with a new collection of acoustic songs and joins us in the studio. Welcome. CLEGG: Hello. YOUNG: How are you? CLEGG: I'm fine, thank you. YOUNG: Well, actually I asked you how are you because your country is so changed, Nelson Mandela having passed. What is South Africa feel like? CLEGG: It's been a roller coaster in a way, because in 20 years we've seen the release of Mandela, the unbanning of the ANC, a completely new constitution. But apart from that, we've moved so quickly from the heady days of the release of Mandela, the unbanning of the ANC, to a time now where we are moving to darker and much more muddy waters where our president is accused of corruption, which doesn't bode well for the future if it continues. YOUNG: Well, so as that shakes out, it seems like you still have to work to do as a musicians. CLEGG: Yeah. The problem is is that music no longer is a platform. Today, if there's a protest, it's on Facebook, it's on Twitter, it's on the news and you move on. And so what this has done is it's taken issues and made them into consumable passing moments. YOUNG: So funny, I would not have thought of that, that social media is the new protest song. CLEGG: Yep. YOUNG: Well, but you still have the songs. CLEGG: Yeah. YOUNG: So I'd lo", "For many freshmen around the country, college orientation this year will include more than learning to manage a meal plan or figuring out when to declare a major. It could also mean sitting through lectures about sexual behavior on campus, sexual assault and affirmative consent. Some also will require students to fill out honor code forms agreeing to behave in a sexually appropriate manner. Among the schools that have incorporated sexual assault and consent awareness into their freshman curricula in recent years are Elon University, George Washington University, Indiana University, Rutgers and Stanford. Cindy Pierce is a New Hampshire-based sex educator, the author of the soon-to-be-released book &#8220;Sexploitation&#8221; and a popular speaker on campuses around the country. And while some argue that the programs are overkill, since students today have access to more information than any generation that preceded them, Pierce argues that it&#8217;s exactly because there&#8217;s so much information out there that today&#8217;s students need more guidance. Pierce joins Here & Now&#8217;s Robin Young from the studios of Dartmouth University in New Hampshire to discuss her work. Interview Highlights: Cindy Pierce On how to effectively teach young adults about consent “This is really about reorienting people, because teaching people that &#8216;no means no&#8217; hasn’t worked. We all know young women who have not reported being sexually assaulted, and we all know women who have been sexually assaulted, who have gone through the process. &#8220;So instead of a checklist, instead of thinking of that as a checklist, it’s not that unreasonable to ask people to say, ‘Is this OK? Do you like this?’ And the question is ‘Do you know this person well enough? Are you connected in a way well enough not through text? Did you meet through text, is that how you interact?’ And now the reality is there’s no app to get you through the face-to-face naked place, so you’ve gotta communicate and you’ve gotta communicate clearly.” On male involvement in the consent movement “This is what&#8217;s shifting. I almost gave up speaking on some campuses, because I felt like there wasn’t a lot of change. But here at Dartmouth, these young men came to me, and asked me to speak at an event, and I thought, you know what? This is the first time that young men have come to me and said ‘come and speak.’ Because I think that there’s a lot of fear that they’re gonna be scolded and blamed and that we’re gonna wag our finger and, you know, that has traditionally been the case.” On porn and sexual education “I want educated viewers, I want viewers aware of what’s real, what’s not real, so my feeling is when I talk to young guys about porn they have so many questions, because it’s not working. When they try to convert what they’re learning into a sexual encounter, it’s not working. And they’re confused about female pleasure. They ask, &#8216;So women really like to be raped, is that true? So women really like to be tied up?’ They ask you that straight up. They’re looking for answers and the first place they go is porn. I tell young women: be the GPS, guide them in, but once again, so many women say ‘If he asked, I’d tell him everything,’ and the guy said, ‘I don’t want to ask, because I think I’m supposed to know.&#8217; And there’s the biggest problem: not being comfortable not knowing. I think around sexuality that’s the key: asking questions, getting help…I think not knowing being able to fail and stumble, I think that’s something we need to instill.” Guest\n\nCindy Pierce, a New Hampshire-based social sexuality educator and comic storyteller and author of &#8220;Sexploitation: Helping Kids Develop Healthy Sexuality in a Porn-Driven World.&#8221; She tweets @cpdoorbell.", "President Trump is almost through his first 100 days in office. That largely symbolic marker comes on Saturday. And while he&#8217;s hit some roadblocks when it comes to high-profile issues like immigration and health care, Trump has taken aggressive steps toward fulfilling campaign promises he made on energy and the environment. Here & Now&#8216;s Robin Young talks with Leigh Paterson (@Sclaterpee), a reporter with Here & Now contributor Inside Energy, about what Trump has done so far and what&#8217;s next on his agenda.", "The fans of two NFL teams will be celebrating Sunday night. Their teams will be headed to Super Bowl XLVIII. Sunday afternoon, the New England Patriots play the Broncos in Denver in the AFC championship game. Then that evening, the Seattle Seahawks will host the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC title contest. The winners will tackle each other on Sunday Feb. 2 at MetLife Stadium. That stadium doesn&#8217;t have a roof and it&#8217;s in New Jersey where it&#8217;s winter. It&#8217;s the first time a Super Bowl has been played outside in an area where cold and messy weather could affect it. NPR sports correspondent Mike Pesca joins Here & Now&#8217;s Robin Young with his prognostications for the games. Guest\n\nMike Pesca, correspondent for NPR. He tweets @pescami.\n ROBIN YOUNG, HOST: From NPR and WBUR Boston, I'm Robin Young. It's HERE AND NOW. And if you're not a football fan, by Sunday night, you'll be able to tell which teams are going to the Super Bowl because their fans will be keeping you awake. Sunday afternoon, the Denver Broncos host the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game. Sunday evening, the San Francisco 49ers meet the Seahawks in Seattle in the NFC title game. The winners will play in Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday, February 2. NPR's chief prognosticator, Mike Pesca, has a look. Mike, welcome. MIKE PESCA, BYLINE: Hello. YOUNG: And start with the Broncos/Patriots quarterbacks, are old rivals, Tom Brady for the Pats, Peyton Manning, Broncos. Brady has had the better in previous matchups, but Peyton is more popular. So what do you see here? PESCA: Yeah. But, I guess, except among Brazilian supermodels. YOUNG: That's right. PESCA: I think that, yeah, they played earlier this season, and that was a game where the Broncos dominated the first half and the Patriots had an amazing comeback. Throw the game out? I say throw the game out because that first game, there were seven turnovers. It was in wind. It was in rain. None of those. The weather won't be a huge factor. And also, the teams are so much different. I mean, football's such a brutal sport that you lose players to injury. And Rob Gronkowski, the tight end of the New England Patriots, he's (unintelligible). The Patriots are just such a different team. The Patriots are now a running team. YOUNG: Yeah. What happened? PESCA: It's not that Brady - yeah. Well, it's that they're smart. It's that they know what their strengths are. They know what the other team is expecting. And if you can run the ball in football, you should run the ball because it's much less risky than passing the ball. So it will be, of course, a matchup of wits between the coaches but also the coaches on the field, Brady and Peyton. Sometimes, I feel like we're talking about a game between the New England Bradys and the Denver Peytons, right? It's not just them. But, of course, how they play will have the biggest effect of anyone playing in that game. YOUNG: And really, polls do show that our quarterback who we like quite a bit here in Massachusetts, Brady, is really low in the polls when it comes - Peyton is way up there for likeability. PESCA: Yeah. YOUNG: But let's go to the quarterbacks in the NFC... PESCA: You, if - I would say this, if you want a great quarterback on your team, you kind of want to not to be likeable because everyone likes the guy that you can beat. No one likes the guy you can't beat. So un-likeability is kind of OK for a quarterback. YOUNG: OK. All right. I'll take it. PESCA: Yeah. OK. YOUNG: Quarterbacks in the NFC championship game, you say if Brady and Manning represent the old guard, then Russell Wilson of the Seahawks... PESCA: Mm-hmm. YOUNG: ...and Colin Kaepernick of the 49ers represent the new - two of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL? PESCA: Yes. Yes, and they run and they are versatile. And sometimes, they run so that they can throw the ball. And sometimes, they run just so that they can run. And they create offense. They create such headaches for the defense. Now, this is an interesting game. Because in football, I think what we do is - there are - in fact, there are infinite factors to what goes into a football game. But when we - if you want to talk prognostication, we tend to just light on one. And I'll give you an example. In the first week of the postseason, the fact was the New Orleans Saints were bad on the road. That's all you needed to know. They were going to lose in Philadelphia. Well they didn't lose in Philadelphia because there are another - there are a number of other aspects. And I think, going into this game, everyone is just saying, well, Seattle is so strong at home. You know, Seattle is a good team, but what a home field advantage. I would like to point out that for this home field advantage, in the last four weeks of the regular season, Seattle lost a game at home, and they also lost the game to the San Francisco 49ers. Someone saying Seattle is certainly going to win, what about those facts? I mean, I know they ", "2017 is expected to be a down year for landlords of luxury apartments in many cities across the country. After years of skyrocketing rents in cities like New York, many landlords are now being forced to charge less. Here & Now&#8216;s Robin Young speaks with Jason Bellini (@jasonbellini) of the Wall Street Journal about what&#8217;s behind the shift in the market for luxury apartments.", "If you&#8217;re like many Americans, you struggle with reading IRS documents and scratch your head when looking for information on the Department of Labor&#8217;s webpage. Well, there happens to be a law that requires federal agencies to use language that&#8217;s simple to read. It&#8217;s called the Plain Writing Act, and it went into effect in 2011. For the second year, the Center for Plain Language is grading how well 20 federal agencies communicated with the public and complied with the act. The Social Security Administration is at the head of the class with two A&#8217;s. The Treasury Department and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are at the bottom with F&#8217;s and D&#8217;s. Congressman Bruce Braley of Iowa, who authored the Plain Writing Act, joins Here & Now&#8217;s Robin Young to discuss the results. \n2013 report card results\n\nGuest\n\nBruce Braley, U.S. Representative for Iowa&#8217;s 1st Congressional District and author of the Plain Writing Act.\n ROBIN YOUNG, HOST: From NPR and WBUR Boston, I'm Robin Young. It's HERE AND NOW. The Telegraph newspaper writes that the word selfie was first used in 2002 by a drunk Australian who posted a picture of his split lip and wrote, sorry for the focus. It was a selfie. Well, today, the Oxford Dictionary named selfie word of the year. And Capitol Hill language is also in the spotlight today. The nonprofit Center for Plain Language released their report card, grading 20 federal agencies on how well they communicate with the public and comply with the Plain Writing Act. Yes, there is an act. Congressman Bruce Braley of Iowa wrote it. He's author of the 2010 Plain Writing Act. And, Congressman, I'm looking at the report card that came from the Center for Plain Language. Let's give props to the Social Security agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. REPRESENTATIVE BRUCE BRALEY: Yeah. The report card is broken into two components. One is how each agency is complying with the Plain Writing Act, and the other is how their writing actually appears and whether it's easy to understand by the intended user. And the Social Security Administration had an \"A\" in both compliance and how they actually write. We've got a long way to go if you look at the report card. YOUNG: Well, I was just going to note, as we said, USDA also an A with compliance, B in writing. But, oosh(ph), if you go over the Housing and Urban Development, an F in compliance, a D in writing. What is bad writing? Can you call up an example of something that could be said in a far clearer way? BRALEY: Sure. It's gobbly goop written in language so incomprehensible that the intended user has no idea what's expected of them. YOUNG: Everyone knows what you are talking about. But we asked... BRALEY: Yeah. YOUNG: ...the Center for Plain Language for an example of poor communication. And this, they gave us from the Treasury Department. Let's see how they scored. Oh, terrible, also an F and a D. So here's a sentence that they gave us from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: (Reading) We are taking steps to improve processing time for certificates of label approval, COLAs, without compromising our mandates under the Federal Alcohol Administration Act, FAA Act. BRALEY: It was disjointed. You have no idea what the point of that sentence was. It was not written in clear language with active verbs, which is how people understand things more effectively. YOUNG: Well, here's the sentence that the center offered as an alternative. UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: (Reading) We're trying to reduce the time it takes to review and approve your labels. BRALEY: Yeah, that's right. People can understand that. YOUNG: Congressman Braley, this helps the consumers, but how much, as a legislator, does this help you? I can't imagine what it's like for you to have to wade through all of this. BRALEY: Well, one of the reasons I have been such a big fan of plain language is it has enormous benefits to everyone. And my next big priority is the plain regulations act because it's the federal regulation that small businesses and individuals who depend upon these agencies just get bogged down and because of the minutia and gobbledygook that the regulations are written in. And it just requires changing how the people who draft those regulations think about who's going to be reading and relying upon. YOUNG: That's Iowa Congressman Bruce Braley, author of the Plain Writing Act. The nonprofit Center Plain Language released their report card of the federal agencies' ability to comply with that act. We'll post it at hereandnow.org. Congressman, thank you. BRALEY: You're welcome.", "Hundreds of fake mobile apps have appeared in Apple&#8217;s app store over the last few weeks, some pretending to be from stores like Nordstrom, Foot Locker, Zappos and more. Many have been made by Chinese developers, and can put consumers&#8217; credit card information at risk. Here & Now&#8216;s Robin Young speaks with Recode&#8217;s Ina Fried about what consumers can do to protect themselves, and what Apple is doing to stop the apps from getting out there. Guest Ina Fried, senior editor of mobile for Recode. She tweets @inafried.", "Inauguration Day is less than a month away. President-elect Joe Biden will take the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2021. But his inauguration won&#8217;t look like those of the past because of the pandemic. Host Robin Young speaks with Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, about the history of Inauguration Day and what this year could look like. CSPAN&#8217;s report on former President Truman&#8217;s inauguration in 1949, the first to be televised. This article was originally published on WBUR.org.", "Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh faces multiple allegations of sexual misconduct. Whether the allegations are true or not, they have sparked a national conversation about sexual consent and how young people understand it. Here & Now&#8216;s Jeremy Hobson talks with Farrah Khan (@farrahsafiakhan), a consent educator at Consent Comes First, a sexual violence prevention organization in Toronto. &#8220;Too often we&#8217;re taught that sex is something that is a conquest, and we really need to talk about it as a collaboration,&#8221; Khan says. Interview Highlights On what consent means &#8220;Consent is not something that you sign on a contract and it&#8217;s done, but it&#8217;s actually an ongoing conversation: Does this feel good? Does this not feel good? Do you want to do this? Do you not want to do this? And listening to your partner, not just talking over them or convincing them, but listening to them.&#8221; On the allegations against Kavanaugh from Christine Blasey Ford &#8220;What we know about sexual violence is that, when there&#8217;s an absence of a yes, when someone does not feel safe or comfortable to be able to say no, that is a form of sexual violence. People have to consent throughout. And with sexual violence, what we know is that sexual violence isn&#8217;t something that is the guy behind the bush, or the guy in the alley. It&#8217;s someone we usually are in relationship with, either as a friend, a classmate, a coach, a parent, a teacher. We have to push back on these rape culture myths that kind of teach us that, it&#8217;s that stranger. It&#8217;s not. It&#8217;s somebody we know, and that&#8217;s what makes the conversation harder.&#8221; On what she tells young people about how to deal with consent when either or both parties are somewhat inebriated &#8220;It&#8217;s one of the biggest conversations that comes up. We know that 50 percent of sexual assaults include alcohol. We&#8217;re not saying that you can&#8217;t have sex when you&#8217;ve been drinking. The thing is, can you consent to something? Consent is something that is freely given, it&#8217;s informed, it&#8217;s reversible, it&#8217;s enthusiastic and it&#8217;s specific. The challenge is, when you&#8217;ve been drinking, how do you know that someone&#8217;s consenting to what you want to do, and are you communicating that with them? We know that drinking can cloud and not allow people to give their full consent. But drinking isn&#8217;t an excuse for your actions. You have to be accountable. So when people commit sexual violence, like the conversation in this case, we have to hold them accountable. Drinking or not, they&#8217;re still accountable for their actions.&#8221; On what the discussion around Kavanaugh shows about the state of sex education &#8220;There&#8217;s such a pushback on sex education, this idea of clutching pearls and saying, &#8216;Oh no, we&#8217;ll teach them in the home,&#8217; when we know that so many young people are not learning sex ed from the home. They&#8217;re learning it from the media, they&#8217;re learning from the porn that they&#8217;re consuming or the conversations that they&#8217;re seeing online. &#8220;We need to have comprehensive sexual health education. It&#8217;s not just about teaching people that rape is bad. They know that already. What it actually is teaching is how to have communication with your partner, how to tell somebody, &#8216;Yeah that feels really good,&#8217; or, &#8216;No, that doesn&#8217;t.&#8217; We&#8217;re pushing back on this idea that young men are always up for sex, and that they don&#8217;t have also the right to say no. So I think comprehensive sexual health education is the key and cornerstone to actually addressing sexual violence.&#8221;", "View slideshow\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t \n\t $(document).ready(function() {\n\t $(\"a[rel=gallery-1]\").fancybox({\n\t prevEffect\t: 'none',\n\t nextEffect\t: 'none',\n\t maxWidth : '85%',\n\t maxHeight : '85%',\n\t helpers\t: {\n\t title : {\n\t type: 'inside'\n\t }\n\t }\n\t });\n\t });\n\t For over 30 years, Jan Brett has published best selling, beautifully illustrated children&#8217;s books. For the last decade and half or so, she&#8217;s raised ornamental chickens. For her latest book, &#8220;Cinders: A Chicken Cinderella,&#8221; Jan draws on both loves, with a version of the Grimm tale set in a chicken house in 18th century Russia. As Brett tells Here & Now&#8217;s Robin Young, she finds much inspiration in watching chickens. &#8220;They really are like a troop of actors &#8230; and they&#8217;re always moving and making little expressions,&#8221; Brett said. &#8220;I said to my husband, I&#8217;ve learned everything I need to know about men just watching my roosters.&#8221; Brett also did detailed historical research in Russia for the setting of &#8220;Cinders,&#8221; exploring and incorporating the architecture and the fashions into her book. \nSee five images from Jan Brett&#8217;s new book below. See photos of the real-life chickens &#8212; including one with Robin Young &#8212; in the slideshow above. And to see a video of the chickens arriving at WBUR, visit Here & Now&#8217;s Facebook page.\n\nGuest\n\nJan Brett, author and illustrator whose latest book is &#8220;Cinders: A Chicken Cinderella.&#8221;\n ROBIN YOUNG, HOST: It's HERE AND NOW. Jan Brett combines several passions in her best-selling children's books. Of course, there's her love of art, her exquisite detailed artwork, her love of travel to do research, and her chickens. Jan and her husband, Joe, a bassist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, share their two-acre Norwell, Mass., home with dozens of prize-winning ornamental birds. They've starred her books and perhaps... (SOUNDBITE OF ROOSTER CROWING) YOUNG: And there's one now. (LAUGHTER) YOUNG: And perhaps never more so than in her new book \"Cinders: A Chicken Cinderella,\" the Grimm classic set in 18th century Russia. Jan, were we just hearing from the prince? (LAUGHTER) JAN BRETT: (Laughter) No. This is one of the musicians who plays the balalaika. YOUNG: This is a rooster in your lap that just said hello to us. BRETT: Yeah. YOUNG: Describe this fellow. BRETT: OK. It's a white-crested polish. So his body looks like a normal chicken. It's black with a beetle-green sheen is what they say. And then it has a beautiful crest, which almost looks like rock star hair, which is pure white. Very... YOUNG: It's gorgeous. BRETT: Now, don't go. Don't go. YOUNG: He's leaving. Oopsie. BRETT: On the table, please. YOUNG: Well... BRETT: And then he's, you know, got the red wattle that a rooster would have, and he's got a nice little face under all of that. If you picture the crest being like hair, it's way down past his shoulders. YOUNG: He's all this black-sheen body and then this white shock of hair. It's like an '80s hair band that I can't quite picture right now, but this big white plumage. And then a little black face with the feathers coming out of it. BRETT: Yeah. But - it's supposed to be butterfly-shaped. YOUNG: But meanwhile, also in your lap, you have the star. BRETT: Cinders, yes. YOUNG: Cinders. BRETT: So she is a silver phoenix pullet, which is - means it's a girl under the age of one. She's had babies and lays an egg, and we eat the eggs. They are delicious. I think that might be one of the trends that everyone has seen. People have a few chickens in their backyard, and they have these delicious eggs. And then, of course, the manure, used in your organic garden, which is very good in your garden. YOUNG: But you have dozens. And they are these ornamental - and our colleague Candy has pretty much fallen in love with another one here who looks like a small poodle. (LAUGHTER) YOUNG: Who is Candy holding over here? BRETT: Now that is Tanya, and she is the fairy godmother. What could make a more beautiful fairy godmother? She looks like she's just a ball of fluff. YOUNG: As you say, she becomes - in your new rewriting of \"Cinderella,\" she becomes the fairy godmother. Little Cinders in your lap becomes Cinderella. BRETT: Yeah. YOUNG: How did this all start for you, your love for your chickens? BRETT: Well, my editor has chickens as well. And after we get over all of the talk about the books, she often will ask me questions - I've had chickens for 15 years now - and just say, don't you ever have a problem with some of them being a little bit too bossy to the others and pecking, you know, everyone hears about the pecking order, correct? An", "Playwright Christopher Durang&#8216;s Tony Award-winning comedy &#8220;Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike&#8221; is currently being performed in 27 regional theaters across the U.S. Here & Now&#8217;s Robin Young sat down with Durang in front of an audience at Boston&#8217;s Huntington Theater, after a performance of the show. While &#8220;Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike&#8221; references Chekov works like &#8220;The Cherry Orchard&#8221; and &#8220;The Seagull,&#8221; in our wide ranging conversation Durang says it&#8217;s not about Chekov, it&#8217;s ultimately about siblings who resent each other, ultimately remembering what they liked about each other. \nMore information on the Huntington Theater production\n\nGuest\n\nChristopher Durang, playwright. His play, &#8220;Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike&#8221; won the Tony Award for Best Play in 2013.", "How will the Republican National Convention in Cleveland be remembered? Here & Now&#8216;s Robin Young speaks with Jill Lepore, a professor of history at Harvard and staff writer for the New Yorker, who is at the RNC this week. Hear more of Here & Now&#8216;s coverage from the Republican National Convention. Follow the Here & Now Election Road Trip on Tumblr. Interview Highlights: Jill Lepore On the crowds outside the convention &#8220;It&#8217;s actually, there have been times when I&#8217;ve been out there sort of counting. It&#8217;s a ratio of journalists to protesters is 10 to 1. Which is, you know, an incredible relief for people. There&#8217;s been, though, I think a kind of really interesting set of spontaneous moments. I mean maybe they&#8217;re a little but staged. On my way over here this morning I crossed through Public Square, this beautiful plaza where many of the protesters have been gathering… It was the public square and it&#8217;s been this very exciting place for free speech because it hasn&#8217;t resulted in violence. This morning when I walking across I stopped for a cup of coffee, they have ping pong table out there, and there was a ping pong contest between the Indiana state troopers and this bunch of young black men&#8230; There are these lovely moments in a week that&#8217;s been not the loveliest.&#8221; Array On the tone of the convention rhetoric &#8220;Each speech is like one Armageddon after the next. There&#8217;s this incredible sense of foreboding, and people came here to Cleveland after weeks of really very agonizing national and international news, I think kind of battered, really deeply concerned, saddened by what was going on in the country and around the world. The greeting from the podium &#8212; this isn&#8217;t from floor with the delegates &#8212; but the speeches, they&#8217;re not that different from the guys marching down the street with the signs that read ‘repent, repent.’ I mean there&#8217;s just this sense of the coming catastrophe. It&#8217;s a strange choice of a political narrative. It&#8217;s always been the case that conservatism is sort of backward looking, right, ‘the golden age lies in the past.’ So returning to the greatness that America once was… That&#8217;s not a novel thing. But this is different than that. It’s making the argument contingent on accepting the idea that the present is catastrophic.&#8221; On comparisons between Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump &#8220;[Ronald Reagan] really packaged a kind of nostalgia for the era in which he was a movie star, he&#8217;s actually repacking himself, looking back at the ‘40s Reagan, that young, beautiful, handsome man. But he&#8217;s nevertheless ushering in a new day, a new beginning, ‘Morning in America.’ I mean so much of his political rhetoric was forward looking. So there was a hinge between, &#8216;The past was great, but the future is going to be even better.&#8217; Somehow the Trump campaign, the messaging coming off of that campaign, it has not yet made that turn, and this kind of feeling of kind of sourness and grimness kind of pervades the place.&#8221; On how young voters are reacting to the convention &#8220;It&#8217;s a tough sell for young people. I&#8217;ve been really struck. I spent most of my time in the Public Square because it&#8217;s beautiful, it’s an incredibly beautiful park, talking to especially younger people who were there. Not so much in big groups, but singly or in twos, a couple University of Cincinnati students I sat down with yesterday. And they&#8217;re not that&#8230; they&#8217;re really concerned about things going on in the world, they&#8217;re not happy with either of the major party candidates. Across the spectrum, I haven&#8217;t found young people who are excited about either of the major party candidates.&#8221; On what archivists are collecting in Cleveland &#8220;I stopped at the historical society and I said, &#8216;What are you guys collecting?&#8217; They have this incredible memorabilia from 1924 and 1936, the last two conventions (in Cleveland). You know, they have these ponchos, and they&#8217;re like, ‘We don&#8217;t know what to collect, they&#8217;re no paper tickets this time around.’&#8221; Guest Jill Lepore, professor of history at Harvard University and a staff writer at The New Yorker." ]

[ "But the World Health Organization says all the cases can be traced to the south-east of Guinea, where the outbreak began, and it should not be considered an epidemic.\nBBC correspondents in the region explain the effects of the outbreak of the virus, which kills between 25% and 90% of its victims.\nThe traditional handshake is no longer a part of salutations in Guinea as people are now really terrified of being infected with Ebola.\nAn infected person, who may not show symptoms for up to 21 days, can pass on the disease through direct contact.\n\"I no longer go out of the house just so that I do not have cause to shake people's hands,\" Mohamed Barry, a 65-year-old retired civil servant, said.\nThe outbreak originated in the southern Forest Region where Geuckedou is thought to be the hardest hit town with more than half of the cases of infection and deaths.\nBats, a local delicacy in the south, are thought be carriers of the virus. Their sale and consumption has been banned by the health ministry along with other bushmeat.\nMany health workers - including at least three doctors - were amongst the first victims.\n\"Most doctors at first treated the infected patients for malaria - hence medical staff treating these patients also got infected,\" Dr Sakoba Keita, from the health ministry, said.\nThe capital, Conakry, is the latest place to be hit, with one reported death - but it is here that the situation is most worrying as two million people live in in the city.\nThe disease has no known cure and no vaccine, so the main advice to people from health officials is to keep one's environment clean and wash hands regularly.\nAll homes now have bowls or buckets filled with disinfectant at their entrance for both inhabitants and visitors to wash their hands.\nThe outbreak is also affecting business. Senegal, for example, has closed its land borders with Guinea until further notice, and hundreds of people and their merchandise are stranded in vehicles on the Guinean side.\n\"Our goods are about to perish,\" one businessman told a local radio station on Tuesday.\nThe border is one of Guinea's busiest when it comes to cross-border trade - it shares borders with six countries in total.\nSome flights have been affected as well: Air Mauritania has refused to fly Guinean passengers in transit in Dakar to Conakry on the grounds of the Ebola outbreak.\nThe large number of international medical experts from across the world who are now on the ground are giving people some assurance that the disease will be contained.\nBut funeral corteges are also getting smaller and smaller as a result of a fear of infection by someone who has had contact with a corpse.\n\"I don't go to any funeral now whether it is an Ebola-related death or not or whether it is my relation that has died or not,\" says schoolteacher Mariam Mansare.\nWhen fears about Ebola first started last week, people dismissed it as a way for health officials to solicit funds in the name of a threat. It was not taken at all seriously.\nHowever with the disclosure that four people have died in Liberia, it is now a subject of public discussion in teashops and marketplaces, as well as in the media.\nThe health ministry has issued guidelines, which include washing hands with soap as often as possible in a day and avoiding fast food bought on the streets.\nSome shopping centres in the capital, Monrovia, have made it compulsory for the supermarket employees to wear gloves.\nSchools initially closed, but have been ordered to reopen so as not to cause panic.\nLiberia's Health Minister Walter Gwenigale raised a laugh on Monday at a press conference when he warned people to stop having sex because the virus was spread via bodily fluids.\n\"I see some people smiling but we have to tell you all the facts so that you don't get contaminated,\" he said.\nBut news of the Ebola outbreak has not yet affected night life in the capital, as the city's clubs remain open till dawn.\nEbola is obviously part of people's conversations but there has not been a change in people's behaviour, perhaps as there have been no report of cases here.\nOf course, the government has communicated over the issue and over the weekend it displayed special medical suits that health workers would have to use to handle any suspected case.\nWeekly markets near Guinea's border have been suspended to prevent the spread of the disease, and the border has been shut.\nIn most countries of the region, like in Ivory Coast, the government has advised people not to consume bush meat but it is not been banned and I am told that you can still see it on sale on the side of the road outside the main city Abidjan.\nIn Sierra Leone, where there are five suspected cases of Ebola, travel restrictions are in place. Travellers have to fill out a questionnaire and indicate if they have suffered from a fever, vomiting or diarrhoea in the last two weeks.\nThe authorities have also banned relatives from bringing corpses into Sierra Leone from Guinea for burial." ]

[ "WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said it was neither an epidemic, nor unprecedented.\nBut medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has said its spread makes it very difficult to control.\nThe WHO says 83 people in Guinea have died in suspected cases of Ebola, which is spread by close contact and kills between 25% and 90% of its victims.\nIt has now spread to neighbouring Liberia, as well as Guinea's capital, Conakry, which has a population of two million people.\nBy Alhassan SillahBBC, Conakry, Guinea\nThe traditional handshake is no longer a part of salutations in Guinea as people are really terrified of being infected with Ebola. \"I no longer go out of the house just so that I do not have to shake people's hands,\" retired civil servant Mohamed Barry says.\nThe disease originated in the southern Forest Region where bats, a local delicacy, are thought be carriers of the virus. Their sale and consumption has been banned.\nThe situation is most worrying in Conakry, where about two million people live. All homes now have bowls or buckets filled with disinfectant at their entrance for both inhabitants and visitors to wash their hands.\nThe outbreak is also affecting business. Senegal has closed its land borders, leaving many stranded. \"Our goods are about to perish,\" one businessman said.\nFuneral corteges, too, are getting smaller because of fear of infection. \"I don't go to any funeral now whether it is an Ebola-related death or not, or whether it is my relation that has died,\" teacher Mariam Mansare says.\nBBC correspondents witness effects\nLiberia has recorded a total of seven suspected and confirmed cases, including four deaths.\nOutbreaks of Ebola occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests, the WHO says.\n\"We need to be very careful about how we characterise something which is up to now an outbreak with sporadic cases,\" Mr Hartl told reporters in Geneva, Switzerland.\nThe WHO says the epidemiology of this outbreak is the same as previous outbreaks and remains localised, the BBC's Imogen Foulkes reports from Geneva.\nThe organisation adds that cases in Conakry and Liberia can be traced to the south-east of Guinea where the outbreak began.\nOn Monday, MSF described the outbreak as \"unprecedented\".\n\"We are facing an epidemic of a magnitude never before seen in terms of the distribution of cases,\" said Mariano Lugli, a co-ordinator in Guinea for the medical charity.\n\"This geographical spread is worrisome because it will greatly complicate the tasks of the organisations working to control the epidemic.\"\nThe outbreak of Ebola had centred around Guinea's remote south-eastern region of Nzerekore but it took the authorities six weeks to identify the disease.\nGuinea has so far confirmed 122 cases of Ebola since January.\nLiberia's Health Minister, Walter Gwenigale, on Monday warned people to stop having sex because the virus was spread via bodily fluids.\nThis was in addition to existing advice to stop shaking hands and kissing.\nSierra Leone has also reported five suspected cases, none of which have yet been confirmed, while Senegal, which also borders Guinea, has closed its land border.\nSaudi Arabia suspended visas for Muslim pilgrims from Guinea and Liberia on Tuesday, in a sign of the growing unease about the outbreak\nThe \"preventive\" measure came at the request of the Saudi health ministry \"due to the danger of the disease and its highly contagious\" nature, state news agency SPA reported.\nThe tropical virus leads to haemorrhagic fever, causing muscle pain, weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, organ failure and unstoppable bleeding.", "The move comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) said the spread of the virus in West Africa was an international health emergency.\nWHO says 961 people have died from Ebola in West Africa this year, two of them in Nigeria.\nThe total number of cases stands at 1,779, the UN health agency said.\nIn a statement, President Jonathan called on Nigerians to report any suspected Ebola cases to the nearest medical authorities.\nHe also urged the public not to spread \"false information about Ebola which can lead to mass hysteria\".\nNigeria became the fourth West African country involved in the outbreak when a dual US-Liberian citizen infected with Ebola arrived in Lagos after flying from Liberia via Togo on 20 July.\nHe died five days later and eight people who came into contact with him were also later diagnosed with Ebola. One of them, a nurse, died on Tuesday.\nNigeria's state oil company said on Friday it had shut down one of its clinics in Lagos following a suspected case.\nUS health authorities said on Friday they were sending extra personnel and resources to Nigeria.\n\"We are starting to ramp up our staffing in Lagos,\" US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesman Tom Skinner told AFP news agency.\n\"We are really concerned about Lagos and the potential for spread there, given the fact that Lagos - and Nigeria for that matter - has never seen Ebola.\"\nInternational companies are also taking protective measures and the world's largest steelmaker, ArcelorMittal, says it has begun evacuating some workers at its iron ore mines in Liberia.\nGuinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia have already declared varying levels of emergency over the spread of the virus.\nWHO said on Friday that 68 new cases and 29 deaths were reported over the course of two days this week.\nThey included 26 new cases in Sierra Leone and 38 in Liberia, but no new cases in Guinea, where the outbreak began.\nThe agency said a co-ordinated response was essential to reverse the spread of the virus.\n\"The possible consequences of further international spread are particularly serious in view of the virulence of the virus,\" WHO said after a meeting on Friday.\nThe Ebola virus was first discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976. Experts say this outbreak is unusual because it started in Guinea, which has never before been affected, and is spreading to urban areas.\nTwo US citizens infected with Ebola while working in West Africa are currently being treated at a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.\nDr Kent Brantly said in a statement on Friday that he was getting better every day. The husband of aid worker Nancy Writebol said she also appears to be improving.\nBoth have been treated with an experimental drug.", "The government had previously denied they were missing, saying all patients had been moved to another facility.\nThe Ebola outbreak, which has spread from Guinea to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, has killed at least 1,145.\nThe World Health Organization (WHO) has called for exit screenings on all travellers from affected countries.\nIt wants checks at airports, sea ports and major land crossings.\nSeveral airlines have already stopped flying to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.\nCameroon has closed its land, sea and air borders with Nigeria, reports say.\nThe Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the world's deadliest to date. The disease has no known cure.\nMeanwhile, the UN's chief co-ordinator in Sierra Leone, David McLachlan-Karr, told the BBC that Ebola had spread to 12 out of 13 of the country's districts.\n\"While Sierra Leone was the last affected of the three Mano River countries [Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone] to have confirmed [cases] of Ebola, now it's the country with the most cases,\" he said.\nThere have been at least 810 cases of Ebola reported in Sierra Leone, including 348 deaths, according to WHO figures.\nThe attack on the quarantine centre in Liberia, in Monrovia's densely populated West Point township, took place on Saturday evening.\nThere are conflicting reports over what sparked the riot, in which medical supplies were stolen.\nAssistant Health Minister Tolbert Nyenswah said the protesters were unhappy that patients were being taken there from other parts of the capital.\nOther reports suggested the protesters had believed Ebola was a hoax and wanted to force the centre to close.\nA senior police officer, speaking to the BBC on condition of anonymity, said blood-stained mattresses, bedding and medical equipment had been taken from the centre, potentially furthering the spread of the virus.\nOn Monday, Liberia's Information Minister Lewis Brown told the BBC that 17 of 37 inmates from the quarantine centre had gone \"back into their communities\".\nHe said the authorities were now trying to track them down but said he was confident they would return.\n\"Most of the people that went into this holding facility came there voluntarily,\" he told the BBC.\n\"So our impression is that they still want to be [there], but they were forcibly removed by vandals and looters, not because they wanted to leave; so we are sure that they will return.\"\nHe said the attack on the quarantine centre was Liberia's \"greatest setback\" since the Ebola outbreak began.\nLindis Hurum, from medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), says there is an urgent need for a massive public awareness campaign in Liberia.\n\"Some people don't believe that it exists. Definitely, as the situation is getting worse and more people are getting sick, more people also start to believe it,\" she told the BBC.\n\"But they don't necessarily understand or know how they should prevent it.\"\nMSF says the Ebola outbreak has had a terrible impact on Liberia's entire healthcare system, which it says is more or less falling apart.\nMany health facilities have closed, with patients as well as medical staff, too scared to turn up for fear of catching the disease.\nThe Ebola epidemic began in Guinea in February, before spreading to other West African countries.\nThe death toll of 1,145 was announced on Friday after the WHO said 76 new deaths had been reported in the two days to 13 August. There have been 2,127 cases reported in total.", "Conventional methods to control the outbreak were \"not having an adequate impact\", the UN's health agency added.\nAt least 2,100 people infected with Ebola have died so far in the West African states of Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria this year.\nThe WHO says 79 health workers have been killed by the virus.\nOrganisations combating the outbreak needed to scale-up efforts \"three-to-four fold\", the WHO said.\nIt highlighted Liberia's Montserrado county, where 1,000 beds were needed for infected Ebola patients but only 240 were available, leading to people being turned away from treatment centres.\nTransmission of the virus in Liberia was \"already intense\", and taxis being used to transport infected patients appeared to be \"a hot source of potential virus transmission\", the WHO said.\n11,315\nDeaths - probable, confirmed and suspected\n(Includes one in the US and six in Mali)\n4,809 Liberia\n3,955 Sierra Leone\n2,536 Guinea\n8 Nigeria\n\"As soon as a new Ebola treatment facility is opened, it immediately fills to overflowing with patients, pointing to a large but previously invisible caseload,\" it added.\n\"When patients are turned away... they have no choice but to return to their communities and homes, where they inevitably infect others.\"\nThe international response to the crisis has been stepped up, with the UK and US both promising to open new treatment centres in West Africa.\nThe British military said it would build a 50-bed centre near Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, while the US announced that it would send a 25-bed field hospital to Liberia at a cost of $22 million.\nThree countries - Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia - are at the heart of the Ebola outbreak, but Liberia is suffering the most by far. Why this is the case is not completely understood. Finding the answer will be a critical part of tackling the outbreak.\nVariations in burial practice - which can include touching the body and eating a meal near it - are being investigated.\nThere are also questions about trust in the authorities and how the risk of Ebola is being communicated. Riots erupted in the West Point slum, with some reports suggesting protesters believed Ebola was a hoax.\nAnother aspect is the state of the healthcare system, which was left in ruin by the civil war. Liberia had one doctor per 100,000 people before Ebola killed several staff.\nThe response has also been lacking. In the capital Monrovia there are 240 beds, but experts say they need more than 1,000. Patients without a bed have no choice but to go back home, where they may spread the virus.\nThe Ebola disease spreads between humans by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments.\nConventional means of controlling the outbreak, which include avoiding close physical contact with those infected and wearing personal protective equipment, were not working well in Liberia, the WHO said.\nHowever, they appeared to be more effective in \"areas of limited transmission\" such as Nigeria and Senegal, it added.\nLocal communities, especially those in rural areas, had been able to slow the transmission when they put in place their own protective measures, the WHO statement said.\nAlso on Monday, the African Union urged its member states to lift travel bans imposed to contain the virus, saying that the bans could hurt the region's economy.\n\"We must be careful not to introduce measures that may have more... social and economic impact than the disease itself,\" commission chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said in quotes carried by AFP news agency.\nThe current outbreak has mortality rate of about 55%.\nLiberia has the highest number of reported cases and deaths, with more than 1,000 casualties so far.\nHundreds have also died of the virus in Guinea and Sierra Leone.\nThere have been at least eight deaths in Nigeria. One case has also been confirmed in Senegal but there have been no deaths so far.", "Until now, the 66 confirmed deaths have only been in rural areas, although there have been suspected cases, which have since proved negative, in the capital.\nThere have also been suspected cases in neighbouring West African states Liberia and Sierra Leone.\nEbola is spread by close contact and kills between 25% and 90% of victims.\nEarlier this week, the health ministry banned the sale and consumption of bats, in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus. Fruit bats, which are a delicacy in the worst affected south-eastern region, are thought to be carriers of the disease.\nHealth Minister Remy Lamah said the virus appeared to have been transmitted by an man who showed symptoms of haemorrhagic fever after visiting Dinguiraye in central Guinea, far from the identified outbreaks of Ebola in the remote south-east.\nFour of the man's brothers, who attended his funeral in the central town of Dabola, started to show the same symptoms and were tested for Ebola on their return to Conakry.\nThe four have been placed in an isolation ward and the dead man's family have also been quarantined, the minister said.\nThe spread of the disease to Conakry, a city of some two million people, marks an escalation in the Ebola outbreak in Guinea - one of the poorest nations on earth, despite rich deposits of bauxite and iron ore.\nDiscovered in 1976 after an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, then Zaire, Ebola causes a severe haemorrhagic fever where victims suffer vomiting, diarrhoea and both internal and external bleeding.\nScientists have yet to develop an effective drug or vaccine to fight it.\nPart of the problem is that the deadly virus is rare and its victims are often poor people living in rural areas of Africa without well-functioning health systems. But there is also little incentive for major pharmaceutical companies to invest in medical solutions when there is little chance of a return, analysts say.\nHowever, many health officials believe the virus could be better controlled with good basic hygiene and the eradication of dangerous bush meat consumption. The US government also funds some research, partly out of concern the virus could be used for bioterrorism.\n\"Ebola virus is one of the deadliest killers known,\" said Ben Neuman, a virologist at Britain's University of Reading.\n\"If this virus spread between people more easily, it would probably be more deadly than the black plague. Fortunately, up to this point, it has not,\" he added.\nOutbreaks of Ebola occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests, the World Health Organization says.", "Screening centres are also being set up at the few major entry points that will remain open, such as the main airport.\nMeanwhile, Nigeria largest's airline, Arik Air, has suspended all flights to Liberia and Sierra Leone after a man with Ebola flew to Nigeria last week.\nThe virus has killed at least 660 people in West Africa since February.\nThe outbreak began in southern Guinea and spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone. It is the world's deadliest so far.\nNigeria has put all its entry points on red alert after confirming that a Liberian man died of Ebola after arriving at Lagos airport on Tuesday.\nLatest WHO update on West Africa outbreak\nEbola kills up to 90% of those infected, but patients have a better chance of survival if they receive early treatment.\nIt spreads through contact with an infected person's bodily fluids.\nArik Air said it took the decision to halt flights as a precautionary measure and called for all inbound flights to Nigeria from Ebola-affected countries to be suspended.\n\"We feel especially compelled to take the business decision to immediately suspend flight services into the two Ebola affected countries due to our interest in the well-being of Nigerians,\" the airline, which operates routes across West Africa, said in a statement.\nIn a statement on Sunday night, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said the special Ebola task force she was heading would ensure that \"communities that are seriously affected will be quarantined and travels in and out of such communities restricted\".\nThe BBC's Jonathan Paye-Layleh in the capital, Monrovia, says her new orders include strict observation at the international airport of all outgoing and incoming passengers, who are now liable for inspection and testing.\nAll government facilities and public places are to install public access for washing of hands and all hotels, restaurants, and film centres are to play five-minute information clips on Ebola awareness and prevention.\nOver the weekend prominent Liberian doctor Samuel Brisbane died after a three-week battle with the virus.\nTwo US aid workers are also being treated for Ebola in Liberia, including Dr Kent Brantly, who was the medical director at one of the country's two treatment centres run by the group the Samaritan's Purse.\nThe other American, Nancy Writebol, works for the Serving in Mission (SIM) as part of the same team.\n\"It's been a shock to everyone on our team to have two of our players get pounded with the disease,\" Ken Isaacs, from the Samaritan's Purse in the US, told the Associated Press news agency.\nPresident Johnson Sirleaf urged people to co-operate with health workers and Ebola awareness campaigners.\nLast month she warned that anyone caught hiding suspected Ebola patients would be prosecuted.\nExperts say the disease creates fear within communities and sick people are often stigmatised.\nLiberian Senator Peter Coleman, a doctor and former health minister, told the BBC authorities needed to approach religious leaders to spread the message about Ebola as \"people don't seem to believe anything the government now says\".", "Bats, a local delicacy, appeared to be the \"main agents\" for the Ebola outbreak in the south, Rene Lamah said.\nSixty-two people have now been killed by the virus in Guinea, with suspected cases reported in neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone.\nEbola is spread by close contact. There is no known cure or vaccine.\nIt kills between 25% and 90% of victims, depending on the strain of the virus, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).\nSymptoms include internal and external bleeding, diarrhoea and vomiting.\nIt is the first time Ebola has struck Guinea, with recent outbreaks thousands of miles away, in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.\nMr Lamah announced the ban on the sale and consumption of bats during a tour of Forest Region, the epicentre of the epidemic, reports the BBC's Alhassan Sillah from the capital, Conakry.\nPeople who eat the animals often boil them into a sort of spicy pepper soup, our correspondent says. The soup is sold in village stores where people gather to drink alcohol.\nOther ways of preparing the bats to eat include drying them over a fire.\nCertain species of bat found in West and Central Africa are thought to be the natural reservoir of Ebola, although they do not show any symptoms.\nHealth officials reported one more death on Tuesday, bringing the number of people killed by Ebola to 62, our correspondent adds.\nThe charity Medecins Sans Frontieres has set up two quarantine sites in southern Guinea to try to contain the outbreak, the Associated Press news agency reports.\nHealth authorities are receiving help from the WHO while messages are being broadcast on national television to reassure people.\nSierra Leone's health ministry said it was investigating two suspected cases of Ebola.\n\"We still do not have any confirmed cases of Ebola in the country,\" its chief medical officer Brima Kargbo told AFP.\nSource: WHO\n\"What we do have are suspected cases, which our health teams are investigating and taking blood samples from people who had come in contact with those suspected to have the virus,\" he added.\nMr Kargbo said one suspected case involved a 14-year-old boy buried in a Sierra Leonean village after he apparently died across the border in Guinea two weeks ago, AFP reports.\nThe other patient was still alive in the northern border district of Kambia, he added.\nFive people are reported to have died in Liberia after crossing from southern Guinea for treatment, Liberia's Health Minister Walter Gwenigale told journalists on Monday.\nHowever, it is not clear whether they had Ebola.\nOutbreaks of Ebola occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests, the World Health Organization says.", "The charity said a lockdown would force people underground, destroy trust between doctors and the public and ultimately help spread the disease.\nSierra Leone officials say the measure, due to begin on 19 September, will let health workers isolate new cases.\nAbout 2,100 people in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea have so far died.\nMSF, whose staff are helping to tackle the outbreak, said in a statement that quarantines and lockdowns \"end up driving people underground and jeopardising the trust between people and health providers\".\n\"This leads to the concealment of potential cases and ends up spreading the disease further,\" the group said.\n10,314\nDeaths - probable, confirmed and suspected\n(Includes one in the US and six in Mali)\n4,296 Liberia\n3,742 Sierra Leone\n2,261 Guinea\n8 Nigeria\nInformation Minister Alpha Kanu admits the lockdown is an extraordinary measure that will cause huge inconvenience, but he says it is needed to stem the spread of a disease which has killed over about 500 of his people.\nDespite criticism from MSF, Mr Kanu insists that the measure \"will minimise the spread of the virus\", and he is urging people to stock up on food, telling them: \"We did it during the war.\"\nNever since the rebel invasion of Freetown in 1999 have I seen fear on the faces of people like in recent times. Even so, many people feel three days is too long to be asked to stay indoors. Many others feel three days is too short to achieve the government's aim of restricting the virus.\nSierra Leonean officials earlier said more than 20,000 people would be deployed to make sure residents stayed indoors.\nHealth ministry spokesman Sidie Yahya Tunis told the BBC he did not expect the public to object.\n\"You follow or else you'll be breaking the law. If you disobey then you are disobeying the president,\" he said.\nThe BBC's West Africa correspondent Thomas Fessy says the Sierra Leone population's willingness to obey will be key for the plan to succeed.\nA forcible implementation is likely to raise human rights issues and could potentially spark violent demonstrations, he says.\nLast month, Liberia sealed off a large slum in the capital, Monrovia, for more than a week in an attempt to contain the virus.\nThe disease infects humans through close contact with infected animals, including chimpanzees, fruit bats and forest antelope.\nIt then spreads between humans by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments.\nOfficials in Nigeria have meanwhile decided to reopen schools in the country from 22 September. They were closed as a precaution to prevent the spread of the virus.\nSeparately, a US doctor infected with Ebola is being treated in a Nebraska hospital after evacuation from Liberia.\nRick Sacra, 51, was described as sick but stable. He is the third American aid worker infected. The other two recovered after treatment in Atlanta.\nOn Friday, the WHO announced that the blood of patients who recovered from Ebola should be used to treat others.\nPeople produce antibodies in the blood in an attempt to fight off an Ebola infection. The antibodies may be able to help a sick patient's immune system if they are transferred.\nHowever, large scale data on the effectiveness of the therapy is lacking.", "The World Health Organization (WHO) says travel bans do not work.\nAlso on Friday, the WHO said 142 new cases of the disease had been reported since 19 August, as well as 77 deaths.\nIt said the crisis would take \"several months\" to combat. The current Ebola outbreak has killed at least 1,350 people - more than any other.\nMeanwhile in Liberia, a boy of 16 shot during a protest about a quarantine has died.\nShakie Kamara was one of three people injured on Wednesday, when security forces fired on a crowd protesting against blockades around the West Point slum.\nIn other developments:\nRead more from the WHO\nSenegal's Health Minister Dr Awa Marie Colle Seck told the BBC the travel ban would not affect humanitarian flights, and that the WHO was \"learning, like everybody [else]\".\nSenegal also banned flights and ships from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone - the three worst-hit countries - however, Dr Seck said humanitarian flights would not be affected.\nSenegal's capital, Dakar, is a regional hub for West Africa and many doctors and medical supplies arriving from Europe or the US would pass through there before going to the affected countries.\nDr Seck told the BBC that the countries surrounding those affected were a \"sentinel for the world\" and had a duty to stop the virus spreading further.\nBut WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told the BBC's Newsday programme that the borders in the region were porous, so any ban would be \"impossible to enforce\".\nMr Hartl said what was needed was more doctors and officials to help trace those infected with Ebola, and more mobile laboratories.\nOn Thursday, a Russian transport plane carrying a mobile lab and team of specialist medics such as virologists and epidemiologists flew to Guinea's capital Conakry. The lab can test more than 100 samples daily.\nSenegal first closed its border with Guinea in March when the outbreak started.\nIt was reopened in May after the situation in Guinea seemed to have stabilised but there has been a recent increase in the number of cases in the country.\nCameroon, Ivory Coast, Kenya and South Africa have also imposed travel bans.\nEbola has no known cure but some affected people have recovered after being given an experimental drug, ZMapp, however, supplies are now exhausted.\nOn Thursday, two US doctors were discharged from hospital after being given the drug, while three Liberian medics are also recovering well.\n11,314\nDeaths - probable, confirmed and suspected\n(Includes one in the US and six in Mali)\n4,808 Liberia\n3,955 Sierra Leone\n2,536 Guinea\n8 Nigeria", "Bernice Dahn, a deputy health minister, said she had no symptoms but wanted to take every precaution.\nThe World Health Organisation (WHO) says more than 3,000 people have died from Ebola in West Africa.\nLiberia has been the worst hit by the disease, accounting for 1,830 deaths - 150 in the last two days alone.\nHealth workers have been particularly vulnerable to the virus, which is spread by the infected bodily fluids of patients.\nHealth organisations recommend isolating people for at least 21 days, which is the maximum incubation period for the virus.\nMs Dahn told the BBC on Saturday that she herself had decided to go into quarantine and wanted to abide by that rule.\nShe said she had not come into contact with any other infected people, apart from the office assistant who died this week, but wanted to take every precaution.\nMs Dahn, who represented Liberia at international Ebola conferences, has also instructed her staff to stay at home for the same time period.\nThe WHO highlighted the risk of infection for health workers trying to stem the outbreak in its latest report released on Friday,\nIt said 375 workers are known to have been infected, and that 211 have so far died from the virus in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.\nThe deaths and sickness have made it even more difficult for the already weak healthcare systems in the affected countries to cope with the outbreak.\nThere is a severe shortage of hospital beds, especially in Liberia.\nThe latest WHO figures indicate that more than 6,500 people are believed to have been infected in the region in the world's most deadly Ebola outbreak.\nOn Friday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) pledged to send $130m in emergency aid to the countries worst hit by the virus: Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.\nSome 600 people have died in Sierra Leone and a similar number in Guinea, where the outbreak was first confirmed in March.\nSenegal, which has also been affected by the virus, is due to receive a flight carrying aid workers from one of the three worst affected countries, Guinea, for the first time on Saturday, AP news agency reports.\nThe airport in Dakar has set up a terminal specifically for humanitarian flights where thorough health checks will be conducted, the agency quotes World Food Program spokesman Alexis Masciarelli as saying.\nSpeaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week, US President Obama called for more urgent action in the response to the outbreak.\n\"There is still a significant gap between where we are and where we need to be,\" he said.\nEbola virus: Busting the myths", "The new academic year was due to start on Monday.\nBut the education minister ordered the closures to allow staff to be trained on how to handle suspected Ebola cases.\nFive people have died of Ebola in Nigeria. The West Africa outbreak has centred on Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, killing more than 1,400 people.\nIt is the largest ever outbreak and has infected an estimated 2,615 people. About half of those infected have died.\n\"The postponement of the schools' resumption by the federal government is a good move but the extension is too long. I can't imagine my two kids wasting six more weeks at home. Two to three weeks would have been enough for all that.\"\nMixed reaction to Nigeria schools closure\nIt spread to Nigeria - Africa's most populous country - in July, when a man infected with Ebola flew from Liberia to Lagos.\nThe head of the African Development Bank (AFDB), Donald Kaberuka, has called on airline companies to restart their services to the worst-affected countries.\nSeveral African countries and airlines have banned flights to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone despite World Health Organization (WHO) advice that travel bans do not work.\nAir France has now announced it is suspending flights to Sierra Leone from Thursday, following a request by the French government.\nThe virus is not airborne and is spread between humans through direct contact with infected bodily fluids.\n\"It is very important that as you combat Ebola, we also continue to ensure that ordinary economic activity is not disputed,\" Mr Kaberuka told BBC Africa on a visit to Sierra Leone.\nThe Nigerian government says it hopes its efforts to contain the virus are working, as there is only one confirmed case of Ebola remaining.\n\"All state ministries of education are to immediately organise and ensure that at least two staff in each school, both private and public, are trained by appropriate health workers,\" said Education Minister Ibrahim Shekarau.\nMr Kaberuka said the AFDB had signed an agreement with the WHO to quickly release $60m (£36m) of funds to help with the immediate fight against Ebola.\nHe described the situation as \"cataclysmic\" as many health workers were being infected with Ebola.\n\"It is decimating the health sector,\" he said.\n\"There are many other diseases right now not being attended to because Ebola has overstretched the capacity of the health sector.\"\nOn Tuesday, the WHO said the \"unprecedented\" number of doctors and nurses infected was due to a shortage of protective equipment and staff.\nOnly one or two doctors are available for 100,000 patients in some of the affected countries.\nThe bank chief said after the Ebola emergency was over, it was important that these countries health systems were strengthened, which the AFDB could do through budget support.\nMeanwhile, a WHO epidemiologist from Senegal who contracted Ebola while working in Sierra Leone has been flown to Hamburg in Germany for treatment.\nHe had been working at an Ebola testing centre in Kailahun, one of the worst-affected districts in eastern Sierra Leone which is currently under blockade.\nThe WHO says the laboratory in Kailahun has been temporarily closed.\nThere have been 392 Ebola deaths in Sierra Leone, according to the latest UN figures released on 22 August.", "In fact, the epidemic killed five times more than all other known Ebola outbreaks combined.\nMore than 21 months on from the first confirmed case recorded on 23 March 2014, 11,315 people have been reported as having died from the disease in six countries; Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, the US and Mali.\nThe total number of reported cases is about 28,637.\nBut on 13 January, 2016, the World Health Organisation declared the last of the countries affected, Liberia, to be Ebola-free.\n11,315\nDeaths - probable, confirmed and suspected\n(Includes one in the US and six in Mali)\n4,809 Liberia\n3,955 Sierra Leone\n2,536 Guinea\n8 Nigeria\nThe World Health Organization (WHO) admits the figures are underestimates, given the difficulty collecting the data.\nThere needs to be 42 days without any new cases for a country to be declared Ebola-free.\nThe outbreaks in Nigeria and Senegal were declared officially over by the WHO in October 2014. Sierra Leone and Guinea both had much larger outbreaks and it took a little longer. Sierra Leone was declared Ebola-free on 7 November 2015, Guinea followed in December.\nLiberia has been the worst-hit, with more than 4,800 dead and 10,672 becoming infected. The WHO said that at the peak of transmission, during August and September 2014, Liberia was reporting between 300 and 400 new cases every week.\nThe epidemic seemed to abate and the outbreak in Liberia was declared over on 9 May 2015 - only to re-emerge seven weeks later when a 17-year-old man died from the disease and more cases were reported. The same happened in September, which is why the latest declaration of Liberia being Ebola-free, while welcome, should be treated with caution, say correspondents.\nThe WHO has warned that West Africa may see flare-ups of the virus.\nResearchers from the New England Journal of Medicine traced the outbreak to a two-year-old toddler, who died in December 2013 in Meliandou, a small village in south-eastern Guinea.\nIn March, hospital staff alerted Guinea's Ministry of Health and then medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). They reported a mysterious disease in the south-eastern regions of Gueckedou, Macenta, Nzerekore, and Kissidougou.\nIt caused fever, diarrhoea and vomiting. It also had a high death rate. Of the first 86 cases, 59 people died.\nThe WHO later confirmed the disease as Ebola.\n\"Biggest health challenge since Aids\"\nHow not to catch Ebola\nWhy is Ebola so dangerous?\nEbola diary\nTracing the outbreak\nFull special report\nThe Gueckedou prefecture in Guinea, where the outbreak started, is a major regional trading centre and, by the end of March, Ebola had crossed the border into Liberia. It was confirmed in Sierra Leone in May.\nIn June, MSF described the Ebola outbreak as out of control.\nNigeria had its first case of the disease in July and, in the same month, two leading doctors died from Ebola in Liberia and Sierra Leone.\nIn August, the United Nations health agency declared an \"international public health emergency\", saying that a co-ordinated response was essential to halt the spread of the virus.\nSenegal reported its first case of Ebola on 29 August. A young man from Guinea had travelled to Senegal despite having been infected with the virus, officials said.\nBy September, WHO director general Margaret Chan said the number of patients was \"moving far faster than the capacity to manage them\".\nDirector of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US, Thomas Frieden, said in October that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa was unlike anything since the emergence of HIV/Aids. But Senegal managed to halt transmissions by mid October.\nAuthorities in Mali confirmed the death of the country's first Ebola patient, a two-year-old girl, on 25 October. The girl had travelled hundreds of kilometres by bus from Guinea through Mali showing symptoms of the disease, the WHO said.\nAn infected Islamic preacher from Guinea, who was initially diagnosed with a kidney problem, was treated at a clinic in Bamako. The preacher died a few days after entering the country.\nTwo health workers who cared for the preacher also died after contracting the virus. In total, Mali recorded six deaths from Ebola. By January 2015 however, the country was declared ebola-free.\n*In all but three cases the patient was infected with Ebola while in West Africa. Infection outside Africa has been restricted to health workers in Madrid and in Dallas. DR Congo also reported a separate outbreak of an unrelated strain of Ebola.\nThe first case of the deadly virus diagnosed on US soil was announced on 1 October. Thomas Eric Duncan, 42, who contracted the virus in Liberia before travelling to the US, died on 8 October.\nHe had not displayed symptoms of the disease until 24 September, five days after his arrival. Other people with whom he came into contact are being monitored for symptoms.\nTwo medical workers in Dallas, Texas, who treated Duncan tested positive for Ebola since his death but have both recovered. The second death on US soil was surgeon Martin Salia, from Sierra Leone. He was flown back to the United States in November and treated for Ebola at a hospital in Nebraska. But Dr Salia, who had US residency and was married to an American, died a short time later.\nSpanish nurse Teresa Romero was the first person to contract the virus outside West Africa. She was part of a team of about 30 staff at the Carlos II hospital in Madrid looking after two missionaries who returned from Liberia and Sierra Leone after becoming infected.\nGermany, Norway, France, Italy, Switzerland and the UK have all treated patients who contracted the virus in West Africa.\nEbola was first identified in 1976 and occurs in regions of sub-Saharan Africa. There are normally fewer than 500 cases reported each year, and no cases were reported at all between 1979 and 1994.\nIn August 2014, the WHO confirmed a separate outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo. By the beginning of October there had been 70 cases reported and 43 deaths.\nHowever, the outbreak in DR Congo was a different strain of the virus and unrelated to the epidemic in West Africa, which now dwarfs all previous outbreaks.", "Eight families have already been paid the $10,000 (£6,200) lump sum, Dr Saccoba Keita told the BBC.\nThe families of 42 victims, including doctors, nurses, drivers and porters, had been identified to receive compensation, he said.\nThe outbreak began in Guinea and so far has killed more than 900 people there.\nAccording to the latest report from the World Health Organization (WHO), transmission of the virus in Guinea \"remains intense\".\nIn total more than 4,800 people have died of Ebola, mainly in Guinea and the neighbouring countries of Liberia and Sierra Leone.\nMeanwhile, an international team of scientists has been set up to determine the effectiveness of using the blood of Ebola survivors as a treatment.\nGuinea's President Alpha Conde had promised to pay compensation for those who had died \"in active service\" helping Ebola patients a month ago.\nThe BBC's Alhassan Sillah in Guinea says those to be compensated also include the families of the eight-member team attacked and killed in September while trying to spread awareness about Ebola in the southern village of Wome.\nThe wife of one doctor who died of the virus in April told the BBC that while she was grateful for the money, she would rather have her husband back.\n\"Yes it a good thing,\" said the woman, whose husband was working at a hospital in Conakry on the coast of Guinea when he contracted Ebola.\n\"But personally, if I had a choice, I'd rather be with my husband.\n\"That's a lot of money, but when I think about why I received it, honestly, it's painful.\"\nHow not to catch Ebola:\nEbola basics\nHow Ebola attacks\nWhat virus has hit - in maps\nUncertainty over figures\nThe WHO says 443 health workers have contracted Ebola in this outbreak, of whom 244 have died.\nFollowing the third meeting of the WHO's emergency committee to assess the efforts so far to contain and control the outbreak, the world health body said it continued to be a \"public health emergency of international concern\".\nThe situation in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone \"remains of great concern\", it added.\nWHO assistant director general Keiji Fukuda also said he was \"reasonably confident\" that Ebola had not spread into neighbouring countries despite the porous nature of borders in the region, reports the Reuters news agency.\n\"It remains a concern... [but] right now I think we are not seeing it,\" he said.\nEbola virus: Busting the myths\nHave you been affected by the issues raised in this story? You can email your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk", "ZMapp was first given earlier this month to two US aid workers, who were flown home for treatment from Liberia.\nEbola has no cure but the World Health Organization (WHO) has ruled that untested drugs can be used in light of the scale of outbreak in West Africa.\nSince the beginning of the year, 1,229 people have died of the virus.\nIt is transmitted by direct contact with the body fluids of an infected person. Initial flu-like symptoms can lead to external haemorrhaging from areas such as eyes and gums, and internal bleeding which can cause organ failure.\nThe outbreak began in Guinea and has since spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.\nHealth officials in Guinea say the country has suffered a setback in its fight against the epidemic, seeing a resurgence of cases in the town of Macenta.\nThe BBC's Alhassan Sillah in Guinea says the town had not had any cases for two months, and the authorities had dismantled all Ebola facilities in that area.\nFighting the myths and fear surrounding Ebola is as tough as fighting the disease itself. They range from the bizarre to the ridiculous: Some see it as the culmination of some bio warfare gone awry; others say it is a cannibalistic ritual.\nIn the latest flashpoint - some people in Lunsar, about 120km (74 miles) east of the capital, Freetown, say the new cases are not Ebola patients at all. In fact, they insist that witches are flying around the country in aircraft and one of these crashed causing casualties.\nAll this, and the notion that an Ebola patient cannot recover, have led many sick people to stay at home, hoping they have something else. This is despite the fact that about 30% of patients have recovered.\nThe authorities have been encouraging those who become ill to report to hospitals for testing and treatment, if needed. But as the messengers are distrusted, the message is not getting through.\nThe health authorities believe that Guineans returning from neighbouring Liberia are carrying the virus.\nIn Liberia, Information Minister Lewis Brown said the government only received a small number of ZMapp doses and gave them to one Nigerian and two Liberian doctors who had caught Ebola whilst helping save the lives of other victims of the virus.\nTwo US missionaries who received doses of the medicine are also reportedly recovering, but a 75-year-old Spanish priest who contracted Ebola in Liberia died in Spain last week despite being given the drug.\nThe US pharmaceutical company that makes the drug says it has for now run out of it, so the only way to stop the current outbreak is to isolate the victims and those who have come into contact with them.\nMr Brown also said 17 suspected Ebola patients who went missing after a health centre in the capital was attacked have been found.\nIn Nigeria, which has had four fatal Ebola cases, health officials say five people have now recovered from the virus and have been discharged from hospital in Lagos. Another three are still being treated.\nSince the outbreak spread to Nigeria in July, when a person infected with Ebola flew from Liberia to Lagos, several airlines have stopped flights to the worst-affected countries.\nKenya's ban on people from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone entering the East African nation comes into force on Wednesday - and Cameroon has closed its land, sea and air borders with Nigeria.", "The spread of the disease means the funds needed to fight the outbreak have increased ten-fold in the past month, the UN's Ebola co-ordinator said.\nEbola has killed 2,461 people this year, about half of those infected, the World Health Organization said.\nThere has been criticism of the slow international response to the epidemic.\nThe outbreak began in Guinea before spreading to its neighbours Sierra Leone and Liberia.\nNigeria and Senegal have reported some cases, but seem to have contained the transmission of the virus.\n\"We requested about $100m a month ago and now it is $1bn, so our ask has gone up 10 times in a month,\" the UN's Ebola co-ordinator, David Nabarro, told a briefing in Geneva.\n\"Because of the way the outbreak is advancing, the level of surge we need to do is unprecedented, it is massive.\"\nAt the same briefing, World Health Organization (WHO) deputy head Bruce Aylward announced the latest Ebola case figures.\nThe virus has infected at least 4,985 people so far, with about half of those infected dying.\n\"Quite frankly, ladies and gentlemen, this health crisis we're facing is unparalleled in modern times. We don't know where the numbers are going on this,\" he said.\n11,315\nDeaths - probable, confirmed and suspected\n(Includes one in the US and six in Mali)\n4,809 Liberia\n3,955 Sierra Leone\n2,536 Guinea\n8 Nigeria\nWhen the WHO had said it needed the capacity to manage 20,000 cases two weeks ago \"that seemed like a lot\", Dr Aylward said.\n\"That does not seem like a lot today,\" he added.\nUS President Barack Obama is expected to announce plans to send 3,000 American troops to Liberia, one of countries worst affected by the outbreak, to help fight the virus.\nOfficials say the troops will build 17 health care centres, each with 100 beds, deliver health care kits to hundreds of thousands of homes and help train 500 health workers a week.\nMedical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) called on other countries to follow the US lead as the response to outbreak continued to fall \"dangerously behind\".\nAt the Ebola briefing, MSF president Joanne Liu said there needed to be \"co-ordinated response, organised and executed under clear chain of command\".\n\"The window of opportunity to contain this outbreak is closing,\" she said. \"We need more countries to stand up, we need greater deployment, and we need it now.\"\nSick people in the Liberian capital were banging on the doors of MSF Ebola care centres desperate for a safe place in which to be isolated, she said.\n\"Tragically, our teams must turn them away; we simply do not have enough capacity for them,\" Dr Liu said.\n\"Highly infectious people are forced to return home, only to infect others and continue the spread of this deadly virus. All for a lack of international response.\"\nEarlier on Tuesday, the WHO welcomed China's pledge to send a mobile laboratory team to Sierra Leone, which will include epidemiologists, clinicians and nurses.\n\"The most urgent immediate need in the Ebola response is for more medical staff,\" WHO head Margaret Chan said in the statement.\n'Biological war': A week on the Ebola frontline\nEbola: Mapping the outbreak\nHow bad can it get?", "Health Minister Felix Numbi told the BBC that tests on two people had confirmed the disease in Equateur province, where 13 had already died.\nBut he said the deaths occurred in an isolated area and the disease seemed a different strain to West Africa's.\nDr Numbi said a quarantine zone was being set up to contain the disease.\nThe cases are the first reported outside West Africa since the outbreak there began.\nSo far 1,427 people have died from the virus.\nThe speed and extent of the outbreak has been \"unprecedented\", the World Health Organization (WHO) says.\nAn estimated 2,615 people in West Africa have been infected with Ebola since March.\nThere is no known cure but some affected people have recovered after being given an experimental drug, ZMapp. However, supplies are now exhausted.\nAlso on Sunday, a British health worker infected with Ebola in Sierra Leone was flown back to the UK on an RAF jet. It is the first confirmed case of a Briton contracting the virus during the current outbreak.\nSeveral people died in the past month after contracting an unidentified fever in the Equateur region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.\nDr Numbi said a quarantine zone would be set up in a 100-km (62-mile) radius in Boende where the cases had been registered.\nHe said this marked the seventh outbreak in DR Congo. The virus was first identified here in 1976 near the Ebola River.\nMr Numbi added that further tests were being carried out.\nOn Saturday, Sierra Leone parliament passed a new law making it a criminal offence to hide Ebola patients.\nIf approved by the president, those caught face up to two years in prison.\nThe move came after the Ivory Coast closed its land borders to prevent the spread of Ebola on to its territory.\nThe country has already imposed a ban on flights to and from Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.\nGabon, Senegal, Cameroon and South Africa have taken similar measures.\nThe WHO says travel bans do not work, and that what is needed is more doctors and officials to help trace those infected with Ebola, as well as more mobile laboratories.\nLast week, two US doctors were discharged from a hospital in Liberia after being given the ZMapp drug, while three Liberian medics are also recovering well.\nEbola is spread between humans through direct contact with infected body fluids. It is one of the world's deadliest diseases, with up to 90% of cases resulting in death.", "The \"end of active transmission\" was declared, after 42 days without a new case in Liberia.\nIt joins Guinea and Sierra Leone, which earned the status last year.\nHowever, the WHO warned that West Africa may see flare-ups of the virus. It has killed more than 11,000 people since December 2013.\nLatest updates on Ebola declaration\nHow Ebola changed the world\nMapping Ebola\nA country is considered free of human-to-human transmission once two 21-day incubation periods have passed since the last known case tested negative for a second time.\nThe WHO said, in a statement, that \"all known chains of transmission have been stopped in West Africa\", with no cases reported for at least 42 days in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, the three states hardest-hit by the outbreak.\n\"So much was needed and so much was accomplished by national authorities, heroic health workers, civil society, local and international organizations and generous partners,\" said WHO chief Margaret Chan.\nAnalysis: Anne Soy, BBC Africa health correspondent\nIt is a huge relief that the most devastating outbreak of Ebola is over. Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea now face the mammoth task of recovery.\nThe outbreak affected virtually every sector in these three countries. It exposed their weak health systems, which collapsed under the pressure of the epidemic.\nYet these countries are also badly affected by other deadly diseases, like malaria and tuberculosis, which were mostly ignored during the outbreak.\nMore than 17,000 Ebola survivors are dealing with a wide range of complications and social stigma. They include orphans with an uncertain future.\nThe economies of the three countries were also adversely affected. Sierra Leone was one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, with double digit growth figures. But Ebola sank it into severe recession.\nThe road to complete recovery will be long and treacherous. It will no doubt continue to test the resilience of the three countries.\nDeadliest outbreak\nTimeline: How we lost control of the Ebola virus\nThe end of active transmission of Ebola has been declared twice before in Liberia - only for the infection to re-emerge.\nWHO said it anticipated \"more flare-ups\", and Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea \"remain at high risk of additional small outbreaks\" of Ebola.\n\"Evidence shows that the virus disappears relatively quickly from survivors, but can remain in the semen of a small number of male survivors for as long as one year, and in rare instances, be transmitted to intimate partners,\" it added.\nDr Chan described the next three months as \"the most critical\" for the three West African nations, which accounted for almost all of the deaths from the outbreak.\n\"By the end of this year, we expect that all survivors will have cleared the virus from their bodies,\" she was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.\n11,315\nDeaths - probable, confirmed and suspected\n(Includes one in the US and six in Mali)\n4,809 Liberia\n3,955 Sierra Leone\n2,536 Guinea\n8 Nigeria\nMedical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said, in a statement, that the end of the \"devastating and unprecedented epidemic\" was a day of celebration and relief.\n\"We must all learn from this experience to improve how we respond to future epidemics and to neglected diseases,\" it added.\nMSF was the first to warn of the danger Ebola posed when cases were reported in 2013, while the WHO downplayed the threat.", "Announcing the move ahead of the appeal being broadcast on Thursday, International Development Secretary Justine Greening said doing so will help the money go \"twice as far\".\nThe \"unprecedented\" outbreak \"requires a huge global response\", she said.\nIt is the first time the DEC has sought funds over a disease outbreak.\nThe DEC - a group of 13 UK aid charities - said the public appeal for money is \"a sign of how serious the situation has become\".\nEbola has killed almost 5,000 people and infected more than 10,000 in West Africa since the start of the year.\nDEC appeals are due to be made via all the main UK broadcasters.\nMs Greening said the UK government would match the first £5m of donations \"pound-for-pound\".\n\"The British people have always shown immense generosity in situations like these, with hundreds of our health workers having already volunteered their services,\" she added.\nIn its 50-year history, the DEC has launched appeals for humanitarian disasters caused by floods, famines, earthquakes, typhoons and conflicts, but not previously for a disease outbreak.\nAnnouncing the appeal, DEC chief executive Saleh Saeed said the \"explosive nature of the disease\" had caused a \"humanitarian catastrophe\".\n\"That has compelled the DEC to respond and help by ensuring that we are able to support people to stop the spread of Ebola before it becomes a major global catastrophe,\" he said.\nHe added that member agencies faced a shortfall of £69m to carry out their work in West Africa.\nOf the 13 DEC charities, 11 are currently supporting work or planning to respond to the Ebola crisis in West Africa, with the majority of work focused on stopping the spread of the disease and providing support to those affected.\nThe committee says £25 can provide cleaning kits including bleach, soap and a bucket for three families at risk from Ebola.\nBasic protective clothing for three volunteers supporting people under quarantine can be provided for £50 and £100 can buy training for a community on how to keep itself safe from Ebola.\nIt comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) says there could be 5,000-10,000 new cases of the deadly virus every week in the worst affected countries by December. Infection rates continue to grow in Guinea and Sierra Leone.\nHowever, there has been a decline in the spread of Ebola in Liberia - the country hardest hit in the outbreak - the WHO's Bruce Aylward said.\nThe new number of cases globally was 13,703, he said, adding the death toll, to be published later on Wednesday, would probably pass 5,000.\nMr Saeed also warned of other risks in West Africa as health workers focus on fighting Ebola.\nHe said: \"The health service in West Africa was virtually on the edge of collapse already. Now with the Ebola outbreak, unfortunately it means that other patients are not getting the care they need, whether it be pregnant ladies or those who have contracted HIV/Aids or malaria.\"\nIn the US, two medical workers in Dallas, Texas, who treated a patient - who later died - tested positive for Ebola but have been released from hospital after treatment.\nSpanish nurse Teresa Romero was the first person to contract the virus outside West Africa. She was part of a team of about 30 staff at the Carlos II hospital in Madrid looking after two missionaries who returned from Liberia and Sierra Leone after becoming infected.\nGermany, Norway and France and the UK have all treated patients who contracted the virus in West Africa.\nEbola special report\nTo make a donation to the DEC Ebola Crisis Appeal visit www.dec.org.uk", "There is no question that it has had some major successes: it has ensured that millions of children worldwide are free from the danger of polio, the crippling virus is now endemic in just three countries.\nIt runs huge programmes aimed at combating HIV/Aids, malaria and tuberculosis, and its Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is ensuring that countries are banning smoking in public places and clamping down on tobacco advertising.\nBut when it comes to a sudden new health threat, or a danger in an unexpected region, many say the WHO does not really deliver.\nThe 2009 swine flu pandemic is, it is claimed, a case in point.\nWhen the first cases of a new flu virus were reported in Mexico City, the WHO had already been preparing for a global influenza pandemic with many experts suggesting it could be as devastating as the post-World War One Spanish flu.\nThere were reasons for the fears. Medical historians knew that a serious flu pandemic could be expected once in a generation.\nFurthermore the H1N1 \"bird flu\" virus did have a high mortality rate, although it had not shown much ability to spread from human to human.\nSo by 2009 the WHO had a huge \"pandemic preparedness\" plan, and when swine flu appeared, it swung into action.\nA global pandemic was declared and pharmaceutical companies fast-tracked billions of doses of a new vaccine.\nMany countries diverted their public health budgets in order to buy a dose for every single member of the population.\nThe problem was, swine flu was not the major global health threat the WHO had been preparing for.\n\"What we experienced in Mexico City was a very mild flu which did not kill more than usual,\" said German epidemiologist Wolfgang Wodarg in 2010.\n\"(It) even killed less people than usual, it was suddenly used... as a pandemic and I asked myself why does WHO do such a nonsense?\"\nBut the voices raising doubts went largely unheard. The WHO's pandemic preparedness had been long in the planning and, once up and running, seemed unstoppable.\nAnd the very planning that went into preparing for an influenza pandemic seems have to worked against the WHO during West Africa's Ebola outbreak.\nAlthough a flu pandemic was expected, Ebola was most definitely not expected in Liberia, Guinea or Sierra Leone. The virus had never been seen in West Africa before.\nSo when the first cases were reported in March there was no big WHO machine ready to roll. As it turns out, West Africa's Ebola outbreak actually began in Guinea last December and seems to have gone almost unnoticed for three months.\n\"Nobody knew that this disease called Ebola would be possible in such parts of Africa,\" said Dr Isabelle Nuttall, the WHO's Director of Global Capacities, Alert and Response.\n\"The speed of reaction was initially determined by the fact that the disease was not known to occur in this part of Africa.\"\nBut even if the WHO did not expect Ebola in West Africa, it did receive information, and warnings, from medical experts on the ground.\nMedical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on 31 March that Guinea was facing \"an epidemic of a magnitude never before seen in terms of the distribution of cases in the country\".\nThe organisation warned that the geographic spread of the cases indicated the epidemic would be very difficult to contain.\nBut just one day later, on 1 April, the WHO's senior communications officer, Gregory Hartl, suggested that MSF was scaremongering.\n\"We need to be very careful about how we characterise something which is up until now an outbreak with sporadic cases,\" he said.\n\"What we are dealing with is an outbreak of limited geographic area and only a few chains of transmission.\"\nFor the following three months, the WHO continued with that interpretation. Meanwhile media attempting to report the obviously spreading epidemic faced major hurdles.\nThe WHO's regional headquarters in Africa issued irregular online statements as to new cases and death tolls, which were often not confirmed by WHO headquarters in Geneva for several days.\nCalls to communications officers went unanswered, their voicemail boxes were full.\nOnly in June did the WHO call a meeting of its Global Outbreak Alert committee, and only then, it seems, did WHO Director General Margaret Chan take a long hard look at the situation, telling Bloomberg's news agency last week that she was \"very unhappy\" at what she had discovered.\nDespite her dissatisfaction, it still took the WHO until August to declare Ebola to be a health emergency.\nToday, although Nigeria has just been declared Ebola free, the epidemic is still raging in Guinea, where it began, and in Liberia and Sierra Leone.\nThe WHO admits there is no sign it is even close to being brought under control and almost 10 months after it first began this outbreak has claimed at least 4,500 lives - more than three times the death toll from all previous outbreaks put together.\nAn embarrassing internal WHO document, leaked to the Associated Press last week, indicates senior WHO officials know mistakes have been made, suggesting \"nearly everyone involved in the outbreak response failed to see some fairly plain writing on the wall\".\nThe WHO has refused to comment on the document, but some suggest the financial cutbacks that the WHO, like all United Nations agencies, is facing, may be part of the problem.\nHowever, others argue that money shortages should not cause a failure to listen to clear warnings and should not have caused months of delay in recognising the extent of the Ebola epidemic.\nThe WHO says it will investigate its handling of the crisis but not until the outbreak is over.\nWhat is clear is that the organisation's structure, designed decades ago to support carefully planned, long-term public health campaigns, will need a major re-examination and there will be calls for more flexibility and transparency when facing the next sudden health crisis.", "The world was looking to the US, Mr Obama said, but added that the outbreak required a \"global response\".\nThe measures announced included ordering 3,000 US troops to the region and building new healthcare facilities.\nEbola has killed 2,461 people this year, about half of those infected, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.\nThe announcement came as UN officials called the outbreak a health crisis \"unparalleled in modern times\".\nThe funds needed to fight the outbreak have increased 10-fold in the past month and $1bn (£614m) was needed to fight the outbreak, the UN's Ebola co-ordinator said.\nMr Obama said that among other measures, the US would:\nMr Obama called on other countries to step up their response, as a worsening outbreak would lead to \"profound political, economic and security implications for all of us\".\nEbola only spreads in close contact, and there is no cure and no vaccine. The outbreak began in Guinea last December before spreading to its neighbours Sierra Leone and Liberia.\nMr Obama said the outbreak had reached epidemic proportions in West Africa, as the disease \"completely overwhelmed\" hospitals and clinics and people were \"literally dying on the streets\".\nMr Obama announced the sort of help that the WHO, Medecins Sans Frontieres and others have been calling for for many weeks.\nThe promise of 3,000 American troops to help build treatment centres and train thousands of medical staff in Liberia will be a crucial boost to fighting this epidemic, though much more is needed.\nThe health systems of the three worst-affected countries are among the weakest in the world and can't deal with this massive outbreak alone.\nSeveral months into this crisis, there are still very few isolation and treatment centres. It means that when infected, people who pluck up the courage to get help are often turned away from medical facilities because there simply isn't room or enough medical staff to treat them.\nThat means they end up going home and infecting others.\nMeanwhile in Guinea, a team of health officials was attacked on Tuesday in a village they were visiting to raise awareness of the illness.\nPeople in Wamey, in the south of the country, threw stones at the team, which included WHO and Red Cross representatives. At least 10 officials were hurt, and several who escaped into the bush are still missing.\nThis is not the first such incident. There have been many reports of people in the region saying they do not believe Ebola exists, or not co-operating with health authorities, fearing that a diagnosis means certain death.\nIn Sierra Leone, people are preparing for a three-day lockdown ordered by the government in an attempt to stop the spread of Ebola.\nThe BBC's Umaru Fofana in the capital Freetown says many residents are stocking up on food.\nA number of aid agencies, including MSF, have criticised the lockdown, saying it would not help contain the virus.\nAlso on Tuesday, Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, told a US congressional committee that 10 volunteers in a study on an Ebola vaccine had shown no ill effects from an early stage trial.\nEarlier, the WHO welcomed China's pledge to send a mobile laboratory team to Sierra Leone.\nEbola: Mapping the outbreak\nHow bad can it get?\n'Biological war': A week on the Ebola frontline", "There were 2,800 US troops in West Africa at the height of the epidemic.\nLiberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has told the BBC she is \"very optimistic that Ebola can be beaten\".\nShe warned, however, that \"there is a danger of the disease coming back\", and said Liberia needs \"a health system that can work\".\nPresident Obama's announcement of a near-total withdrawal of US troops from Liberia follows the news that the number of new Ebola cases has risen for the second consecutive week, ending a period of encouraging declines.\nThe World Health Organization (WHO) says Sierra Leone has registered 76 of the 144 new cases, while Guinea has registered 65 and Liberia three.\nPresident Sirleaf told BBC World Service's Newshour that although there had been a \"delay\" in other countries offering help to fight the virus, when assistance did arrive, \"it came so fully and so effectively\".\n\"We can say that success is also owed to the international community,\" she added.\n\"At one point I was saddened that the response was so slow and at that point ineffective, but I can't be angry, we have to take responsibility.\"\nShe said the poor state of Liberia's healthcare system had exacerbated the problem of trying to contain the spread of the virus initially, and called on the world to \"work with us\" in improving the system.\n\"Our resources are scarce, we did not have enough trained medical personnel, we did not have enough facilities in the hospitals and clinics, but under the circumstances we did what we could,\" she said.\nThe president said co-operation with Liberia's neighbours was required to contain the virus, due to the country's \"porous borders that are very long [and] unprotected\".\nLast week, the country had just a handful of confirmed Ebola cases, down from about 300 a week in August and September 2014.\nAnnouncing the pullout of US troops, in the presence of six of the eight US survivors of the deadly virus, Mr Obama said the move represented the transition into \"the next phase of the fight\".\nMr Obama said that as the military contingent in Liberia was reduced, his government was \"expanding our civilian response\".\nThe president said around 10,000 \"civilian responders\" would stay in West Africa to fight the virus.\n\"Every case is an ember that if not contained can light a new fire. So we're shifting our focus from fighting the epidemic to now extinguishing it,\" he said.\nAround 1,500 US soldiers have already returned from the region, with all troops leaving West Africa forced to undergo a 21-day quarantine period in order to minimise the risk of contagion.\n11,315\nDeaths - probable, confirmed and suspected\n(Includes one in the US and six in Mali)\n4,809 Liberia\n3,955 Sierra Leone\n2,536 Guinea\n8 Nigeria\nAlmost 23,000 people have been infected with Ebola since its outbreak in Guinea in December 2013, and more than 9,000 people have died.\nThe WHO has said that the increase in new cases highlights the \"considerable challenges\" that must still be overcome to end the outbreak.\n\"Despite improvements in case finding and management, burial practices, and community engagement, the decline in case incidence has stalled,\" the UN health agency said in a statement.", "Dr Kent Brantly, 33, thanked supporters for their prayers at a news conference in Atlanta. Nancy Writebol, 59, was discharged on Tuesday.\nThe two were brought to the US for treatment three weeks ago.\nThe outbreak has killed more than 1,300 people in West Africa, with many of the deaths occurring in Liberia.\n\"Today is a miraculous day,\" said Dr Brantly, who appeared healthy if pallid as he addressed reporters on Thursday at Emory University hospital.\n\"I am thrilled to be alive, to be well, and to be reunited with my family. As a medical missionary, I never imagined myself in this position.\"\nHe said Ebola \"was not on the radar\" when he and his family moved to Liberia in October.\nAfter his family returned to the US as the Ebola outbreak tore through West Africa, he continued to treat Ebola patients and woke up on 23 July feeling \"under the weather\".\nDr Brantly said he lay in bed for nine days, getting progressively sicker and weaker. On 1 August, he was flown to Atlanta for treatment at Emory.\nEmory infectious disease specialist Dr Bruce Ribner said after rigorous treatment and testing officials were confident Dr Brantly had recovered \"and he can return to his family, his community and his life without public health concerns\".\nThe group for which he was working in Liberia, Samaritan's Purse, said they were celebrating his recovery.\n\"Today I join all of our Samaritan's Purse team around the world in giving thanks to God as we celebrate Dr Kent Brantly's recovery from Ebola and release from the hospital,\" Franklin Graham said in a statement.\nNancy Writebol's husband David said in a statement that she was free of the virus but was significantly weakened.\nThe family decided to leave the hospital privately in order to allow her to rest and recuperate.\nMeanwhile, South Africa on Thursday said non-citizens arriving from Ebola-affected areas of West Africa - the countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone - would not be allowed into the country.\nAnd police in Liberia's capital, Monrovia, fired live rounds and tear gas during protests after a quarantine was imposed to contain the spread of the deadly virus.\nResidents of the capital's West Point slum area said the barbed wire blockade stops them buying food and working.\nThere is no cure for Ebola, one of the deadliest diseases known to humans, with a fatality rate in this outbreak of 50-60%.\nBut both Dr Brantly and Mrs Writebol received an experimental treatment known as ZMapp.\nThe drug, which has only been made in extremely limited quantities, had never been tested on humans and it remains unclear if it is responsible for their recovery.\nZMapp was also given to a Spanish priest, who died, and three Liberian health workers, who are showing signs of improvement.", "WHO officials said a co-ordinated response was essential to stop and reverse the spread of the virus.\nIn Nigeria, one of the latest countries to be affected, President Goodluck Jonathan has declared a national state of emergency.\nMore than 960 people have died from Ebola in West Africa this year, two of them in Nigeria, the WHO says.\nThere were 68 new cases and 29 deaths reported over the course of two days this week, the United Nations health agency revealed on Friday.\nIt brings the total number of cases to 1,779.\nThere were 26 new cases in Sierra Leone and 38 in Liberia, but no new cases in Guinea, where the outbreak began.\nThe WHO said the outbreak was an \"extraordinary event\".\n\"The possible consequences of further international spread are particularly serious in view of the virulence of the virus,\" it said after the meeting.\nWHO director-general Dr Margaret Chan appealed for help for the countries hit by the \"most complex outbreak in the four decades of this disease\".\nShe said there would be no general ban on international travel or trade.\nA fifth year medical student in Guinea tells the BBC French Service about how she is being shunned since recovering from Ebola which she caught whilst working as an intern at a clinic in March:\nWe are stigmatised - you know when they look at us like that, even in my own family people are rejecting me. I live with my uncle - my parents are in the village. In the house I eat alone. I feel lonely.\nWhen I felt better, I started going back to medical school. Many distanced themselves from me. Four of us used to sit together, but I ended up sitting by myself.\nThe treatment centre gave me a certificate showing I had been healed. I showed it to my teachers as I'd missed some assessments while sick. But I haven't done the two exams. The head of department told me to stay at home and get treated. I can't even get an internship.\nHowever, states should be prepared to detect, investigate and manage Ebola cases, including at airports, she said.\nStates of emergency are in place in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.\nOther WHO recommendations include:\nThe decision by the WHO to declare Ebola a public health emergency is, by its own definition, an \"extraordinary event\" which marks \"a public health risk to other states through the international spread of disease\".\nThe WHO has declared emergencies only twice in recent years - swine flu in 2009 and polio in May. Although the recommendations stop short of international flight and trade restrictions, they have symbolic significance. The measures are designed to \"galvanise the attention of leaders of countries at a top level,\" says director-general Dr Margaret Chan.\nAccording to Dr Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, the recommendations will help provide global leadership. While Ebola continues to pose a very serious health threat for people in West Africa, it remains \"very unlikely that the outbreak will turn into a global pandemic\", he says.\nKeiji Fukuda, the WHO's head of health security, said that with the right steps and measures to deal with infected people, Ebola's spread could be stopped.\n\"This is not a mysterious disease. This is an infectious disease that can be contained,\" he said. \"It is not a virus that is spread through the air.\"\nProf David Heymann of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said the recommendations were \"comprehensive and evidence-based\".\nProf Tom Solomon, of the UK's NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections, welcomed the emphasis on outbreak control in local areas, including the use of full personal protective equipment (gowns, masks, gloves and goggles) with proper training.", "Brownie Samukai told the UN Security Council that the international response to the crisis was \"less than robust\".\nThe World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that thousands more cases could occur in Liberia, which has been worst hit by the West Africa outbreak.\nSome 2,288 people have died from Ebola in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.\nThe WHO says half of these deaths occurred in the three weeks running up to 6 September.\nIn Nigeria, eight people have died out of a total 21 cases.\nIn Senegal, the only person to have been diagnosed with Ebola last month has recovered, a health official has said.\nThe patient, a Guinean student, tested negative after receiving treatment, the official said.\nSource: WHO\nMr Samukai warned on Tuesday that the disease was \"devouring everything in its path\" in Liberia.\nThe country's weak health system was already overwhelmed by the number of cases, he said.\nMr Samukai told UN Security Council members that Liberia lacked \"infrastructure, logistical capacity, professional expertise and financial resources to effectively address this disease\".\n\"Liberia is facing a serious threat to its national existence. The deadly Ebola virus has caused a disruption of the normal functioning of our state,\" he said.\nSeparately on Tuesday, the UN's envoy in Liberia said that at least 160 Liberian health workers had contracted the disease and half of them had died.\nKarin Landgren described the outbreak as a \"latter-day plague\" that was growing exponentially.\nShe added that health workers were operating without proper protective equipment, training or pay, in comments to the UN Security Council.\n\"Liberians are facing their gravest threat since their war,\" Ms Landgren said.\n\"I don't think anybody can say right now that the international response to the Ebola outbreak is sufficient,\" US ambassador to the UN Samantha Power said after the Security Council briefing.\nEbola spreads between humans by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments.\nUnlike other West African nations affected by the outbreak, efforts to contain the virus in Liberia were not working well, the WHO has said.\nThe reason for this remains unclear; however, experts say it could be linked to burial practices, which can include touching the body and eating a meal near it.\nThere are also not enough beds to treat Ebola patients, particularly in the capital Monrovia, with many people told to go back home, where they may spread the virus.\nThe WHO is calling on organisations combating the outbreak in Liberia to scale up efforts \"three-to-four fold\" to control the outbreak.\nThe US says it will help the African Union mobilise 100 African health workers to the region and contribute an additional $10m (£6.2m) in funds to deal with the outbreak.\nThe announcement comes as a fourth US aid worker infected with the deadly virus was transported to a hospital in Atlanta for treatment. The identity of the aid worker has not yet been revealed.\nTwo other aid workers who were treated at the same hospital have since recovered from an Ebola infection.\nUN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says he will hold a meeting on the international response to the Ebola crisis on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly this month.", "Dr Rick Sacra, 51, a family doctor from Massachusetts, worked at the same hospital as the two other infected Americans, who are now recovering.\nOne of them, Nancy Writebol, said resources at the hospital were insufficient to protect workers.\nThe outbreak has killed more than 1,900 people and infected at least 3,500 in five West African countries.\nThere have been 3,500 confirmed or probable cases in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.\n\"The outbreaks are racing ahead of the control efforts in these countries,\" WHO chief Margaret Chan said.\nNancy Writebol, who was flown to Atlanta for treatment last month, told the Associated Press news agency charities alone cannot handle the response to the disease.\nMrs Writebol and her husband David said about 250 employees at the hospital where she and Dr Sacra worked used thousands of disposable protective suits each week, but it was not enough to protect those doing the initial screenings for Ebola in an emergency room.\n\"We don't have enough personal protective safety equipment to adequately be able to safely diagnose if a patient has Ebola,\" David Writebol said, adding Ebola has \"overwhelmed the supply chain\".\nNurses in Liberia's largest hospital are on strike, refusing to return to work until they are issued with protective equipment.\nDr Sacra, 51, was not treating those infected with Ebola, but delivering babies and treating other patients. He had flown to Liberia shortly after Mrs Writebol and another aid worker were infected.\nHis plane landed early on Friday morning at a Nebraska Air Force base, arriving at hospital 40 minutes later by ambulance.\nHe will be treated at a 10-bed special isolation unit at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, the largest of four such units in the US.\nDr Sacra went into isolation after his temperature rose, but was well enough on Wednesday to be sending emails, a spokesperson for his aid organisation, SIM, said.\nDoctors at the Nebraska hospital said he was able to board the plane to the US under his own power.\nEbola is only spread through close contact but there is no cure for the infection. The fatality rate for this outbreak has been almost 50%, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).\nThe director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has called for the international community to step up its response, specifically a $490m (£298m) appeal from the WHO.\nThe US Agency for International Development (USAID) which has directed the US response, has airlifted medical emergency supplies, including chlorine and gloves, to Liberia.\n\"The window of opportunity to stop Ebola from spreading widely throughout Africa and becoming a global threat for years to come is closing, but it is not yet closed,\" Dr Tom Frieden, who recently returned from West Africa, said in a statement\n\"If the world takes the immediate steps - which are direct requests from the frontlines of the outbreak and the presidents of each country - we can still turn this around.\"\nHis comments echo similar criticism by medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres, who have said world leaders' response has been \"lethally inadequate\".", "It is a direct response to the biggest ever Ebola outbreak which has infected more than 27,000 people in West Africa.\nThere are also plans to improve disease surveillance and invest more money in drug development.\nExperts said such measures would have prevented the Ebola outbreak reaching an unprecedented scale.\nGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel holds the presidency of the G7 group of leading nations. Leaders will meet at a summit in Germany on Sunday.\nIn a newspaper column this week, she said: \"We will be discussing how we can be better prepared for such epidemics, how we can prevent them, or at least respond better and faster if they do break out.\n\"The establishment of a worldwide taskforce with a sensible overall concept and adequate funding is undoubtedly a goal for the medium term, but we should be looking at it even now.\"\nShe has taken advice from Bill Gates, pharmaceutical companies and global health experts.\nDocuments seen by BBC News include proposals for a global taskforce of 10,000 medics and scientists termed \"White Coats\" .\nIt would work like an army reserve with people doing their normal jobs, but being ready to be deployed at short notice.\nIt also calls for an autonomous group within the World Health Organization to take responsibility for all outbreaks.\n11,315\nDeaths - probable, confirmed and suspected\n(Includes one in the US and six in Mali)\n4,809 Liberia\n3,955 Sierra Leone\n2,536 Guinea\n8 Nigeria\nThere are also proposals to dramatically increase disease surveillance in poor and middle-income countries to prevent outbreaks going unnoticed.\nThree disease testing centres would be set up in each target country, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, with an annual cost of up to £9.7m ($15m).\nThere are further plans to invest up to £65m ($100m) each year to research drugs, tests and vaccines for other threats.\nThis is expected to focus on up to 10 diseases including, Mers-coronavirus, Lassa fever and new strains of flu.\nDr Jeremy Farrar, the director of the Wellcome Trust and one of Ms Merkel's advisors, told the BBC: \"We shouldn't underestimate the costs of these events.\n\"Ebola will be somewhere between five and ten billion dollars, Sars ten years ago will have cost similar amounts.\n\"These are significant costs, the amount of money we would have to spend in order to do the research, to have the surveillance systems in place, and the capacity to respond, would be a fraction of that.\"\nJonathan Ball, prof of virology at the University of Nottingham, commented: \"Where the current Ebola epidemic is concerned the global response was inexcusably tardy and the delayed response undoubtedly fuelled the explosive increases in cases towards the end of last year.\n\"Disease surveillance and diagnosis are crucial in identifying outbreaks as soon as they start, and can have a massive impact on controlling infection outbreaks.\n\"These would have prevented the unprecedented spread of Ebola witnessed in West Africa.\n\"It is difficult to predict where the next virus outbreak will come from, nor what it will be, but preparedness will enable the global community to respond in a timely way and hopefully stamp anything out before it takes a hold - so these are sensible measures.\"", "Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed admitted the UN had made mistakes in handling the crisis early on, sometimes acting \"arrogantly\".\nA year after the outbreak was officially declared, the virus has killed more than 10,000 people.\nThe medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres says a \"global coalition of inaction\" led to tragic consequences.\nLooking back over the year, the charity suggests its early calls for help were ignored by local governments and the World Health Organization.\nMost deaths occurred in the worst-affected countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.\nThe head of the UN Ebola response mission told the BBC, when the virus first struck, \"there was probably a lack of knowledge and there was a certain degree of arrogance, but I think we are learning lessons.\n\"We have been running away from giving any specific date, but I am pretty sure myself that it will be gone by the summer.\"\nThe first person to succumb to the disease during this outbreak is thought to have been a toddler in a remote part of Guinea. He died in December 2013.\nThree months later the WHO officially announced an outbreak. And it was a further five months before the organisation declared it a public health emergency of international concern. At this point more than 1,000 people had lost their lives.\nHenry Gray, MSF emergency coordinator, told the BBC: \"We were well aware this was something different in March and April last year and we did try to bring this to the attention of the WHO but also governments within the countries affected.\n\"And of course it was frustrating that we weren't heard and that has probably led to the scale of the epidemic we see today.\"\nThe charity says it should also have used more of its own resources earlier in the crisis.\n11,315\nDeaths - probable, confirmed and suspected\n(Includes one in the US and six in Mali)\n4,809 Liberia\n3,955 Sierra Leone\n2,536 Guinea\n8 Nigeria\nThe analysis, which includes dozens of interviews with MSF staff, says by the end of August 2014 treatment centres in Liberia where overwhelmed.\nIn January 2015 at a rare emergency meeting, the WHO admitted it was too late to respond.\nDr Margaret Chan, director general, said: \"The world, including WHO, was too slow to see what was unfolding before us.\"\nBut the organisation says it made it clear from the start \"this was a very serious situation\".\nThere are now proposals to build-up a rapid response team to react more swiftly to future threats.\nCase numbers are falling but MSF says the outbreak is not yet over. Overall cases have not declined significantly since January, the charity warns.\nLiberia recorded its first case in more than two weeks on Friday, dashing hopes the country would soon be declared virus-free.\nIn Guinea, cases are rising again after a dip at the beginning of the year.\nSome patients in Sierra Leone are are not on lists of known Ebola contacts, suggesting chains of spread are going undetected.\nDr Derek Gatherer, at Lancaster University, said: \"In retrospect, it is now apparent that the delay from December to March was crucial in the dissemination of the virus to several locations in eastern Guinea and then onto the capital, Conakry, which remains one of the few areas with active transmission.\"\nBut until zero cases are recorded in all three worst-affected countries for a period of at least six weeks, the outbreak will not be officially declared over.", "Britain's donations of more than £100m in the summer of 2014 helped to set up nearly 3,000 hospital beds.\nThis vital provision, researchers estimate, prevented 56,000 Ebola cases.\nBut a further 12,500 cases could have been averted if the beds been available even a month earlier, they calculate.\nThe UK government insists that it did act swiftly and says the international community as a whole could have done more.\nIt's not the first time the government's response to Ebola has come under scrutiny.\nIn February, the Public Accounts Committee said funds had not been released quickly enough to deal with the crisis.\nIn the months following the Ebola outbreak, the World Health Organization was also heavily criticised for being slow to act.\nThe work from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, published in the journal PNAS, details how much of an impact a delay in international aid may have had.\nResearchers used a mathematical model to estimate how many cases of Ebola were averted thanks to foreign aid efforts that set up treatment centres where patients with the infectious virus could be quarantined and cared for.\nFrom September 2014 onwards, more than 2,700 treatment beds were introduced in Ebola holding centres, community care centres and treatment units to support the overwhelmed health system in Sierra Leone.\nThe researchers calculate that these beds prevented some 56,600 cases of Ebola.\nHad they been installed a month earlier, tens of thousands more would have been avoided.\nWith Ebola killing more than half of those it infects, thousands more lives would also have been saved.\nThe Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the world's deadliest to date.\n11,312\nDeaths - probable, confirmed and suspected\n(Includes one in the US and six in Mali)\n4,808 Liberia\n3,955 Sierra Leone\n2,534 Guinea\n8 Nigeria\nThe three West African countries at the heart of the Ebola epidemic have recorded their first week with no new cases since the outbreak began in March 2014.\nBut experts agree there is no room for complacency - experience shows that the disease could easily break out again.\nTo date, the UK has committed £427m to defeating Ebola.\nA spokeswoman for the Department for International Development said: \"Britain has been at the forefront of the international response to Ebola in Sierra Leone.\n\"By deploying NHS medics and military personnel and building treatment centres across the country, our swift action helped save countless lives and contain the spread of the disease.\"", "\"The economy has been deflated by 30% because of Ebola,\" Sierra Leone's Agriculture Minister Joseph Sam Sesay told the BBC.\nHe said President Ernest Bai Koroma revealed this staggering and depressing news to ministers at a special cabinet meeting. \"The agricultural sector is the most impacted in terms of Ebola because the majority of the people of Sierra Leone - about 66% - are farmers,\" he said.\nTwelve out of 13 districts in Sierra Leone are now affected by Ebola, although the epicentres are in the Eastern Province near the borders with Liberia and Guinea.\nRoad blocks manned by police and military are preventing the movement of farmers and labourers as well as the supply of goods.\n\"We are definitely expecting a devastating effect not only on labour availability and capacity but we are also talking about farms being abandoned by people running away from the epicentres and going to areas that don't have the disease,\" Mr Sesay added.\nHowever, the chief co-ordinator for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), David McLachlan-Karr, thinks that the road blocks are absolutely crucial to containing the outbreak.\n\"A robust response to quarantining epicentres of the disease is absolutely necessary,\" he told the BBC. But he admits agriculture in Sierra Leone has been brought to its knees.\n\"We are now coming into the planting season which means a lot of agriculture is not happening, so down the line that will create food shortages and pressures on food prices. We are starting to see a rise in inflation and pressure on the national currency as well as a shortage of foreign exchange,\" he said.\nThe UNDP has appealed for $18m (£11m) to bolster Sierra Leone's health system while the World Food Programme says the total cost of its emergency operations in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia is $70m.\nIn Guinea and Liberia the economic predictions may be less catastrophic but they are still worrying. The World Bank said it was expecting GDP growth in Guinea to fall from 4.5% to 3.5%.\nThe Liberian economy had been expected to grow by 5.9% this year but the country's Finance Minister, Amara Konneh, said this was no longer realistic due to a slowdown in the transport and services sectors and the departure of foreign workers because of Ebola.\nThe world's largest steelmaker ArcelorMittal has seen work disrupted on its iron ore mine expansion project in Yekepa in Liberia, after contractors declared \"force majeure\" and moved people out of the country.\nSimandou, in the forests of eastern Guinea, is Africa's largest iron ore mine and infrastructure project. Vale, the world's biggest iron ore producer, was involved in Simandou until April. It evacuated six international members of staff and put the rest of the workforce in the area on leave.\nRio Tinto, the world's third largest mining company, which owns a share in Simandou, has donated $100,000 to the World Health Organization's work in the area and is also making sanitation equipment available to local people there.\nA smaller British company, London Mining, has moved out some its non-essential expatriate staff from Sierra Leone, where mining has accounted for much of the country's recent growth. According to the International Monetary Fund, Sierra Leone's output grew by 20% last year; excluding iron ore mining, it grew by 5.5%.\nBut like Rio Tinto, London Mining has also donated money towards tackling the spread of Ebola, and educating local communities about the virus.\nIn Sierra Leone, commercial banks have reduced their hours of business by two hours to reduce contact with clients and the country's tourism industry has taken a severe knock - some hotels are empty and are laying off staff.\nThe closure of borders in West Africa and the suspension of flights are also having a detrimental effect on trade, severely limiting the ability of countries to export and import goods.\nRecent examples are the closure of Cameroon's lengthy border with Nigeria and the announcement by Kenya Airways that it is suspending flights to and from Sierra Leone and Liberia.\nAll three West African nations are already poor countries, but the Ebola outbreak could make them even poorer. Sierra Leone and Liberia have both emerged from horrific civil wars and managed to rebuild their economies.\nLiberia has been trying to revive its mining sector which before the civil war accounted for more than half its export earnings. But now there are fears that all the good work that has been achieved since those conflicts could be destroyed. There are also concerns that widespread poverty could force people to resort to criminality.\nMeanwhile some international investors are nervously watching the Ebola outbreak unfold. Dianna Games, chief executive of Johannesburg-based consultants Africa@Work, says fears about the virus could damage Africa's economic revival of recent years.\n\"Ebola has made a dent in the Africa Rising narrative,\" she told the BBC. \"The stereotypes of Africa as a place of poverty and disease have started to re-emerge again.\"\nShe thinks Nigeria is the only affected country that has the health system and infrastructure to deal with Ebola. At the moment there have only been 12 confirmed cases, all of which were linked to the death of one man from Liberia in July.\nIn the long run, Ms Games believes history will view the 2014 Ebola outbreak as a temporary blip rather than a permanent U-turn in the continent's fortunes.\n\"The fundamentals pushing this Africa Renaissance are still there,\" she said.", "President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf told the BBC that Liberia had \"crossed the Rubicon\" and would be celebrating a concerted effort to stem the disease.\nMore than 4,700 deaths from Ebola have been recorded in Liberia, more than in any other affected country.\nNeighbouring Guinea and Sierra Leone continue to fight the outbreak.\nIt has claimed over 11,000 lives across the region since last year.\nThe WHO regards a country Ebola-free after a 42-day period without a new case - twice the maximum incubation period.\nThe last confirmed death in Liberia was on 27 March. On Saturday the World Health Organization said in a statement: \"The outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Liberia is over.\"\nPresident Sirleaf told the BBC: \"We will celebrate our communities which have taken responsibility and participated in fighting this unknown enemy and finally we've crossed the Rubicon. Liberia indeed is a happy nation.\"\nOfficials say Ebola was eventually conquered in Liberia through a collective effort. Care centres and hand-washing stations were set up to try to halt the disease, which spreads through contact with sick people.\nBillboards went up with slogans such as \"Ebola is real\", \"Wash your hands and don't touch\" and \"Don't be the next victim\".\n\"It has been a terrible time in the history of our country,\" Monrovia resident Emmanuel Tokao wrote on a BBC Facebook page. \"I'm firstly grateful to God, who I believe brought us back to normality.\"\nAt the height of the outbreak, he said, \"ambulances would either come for a dead body or sick person. It reminded me of the war days\".\nLiberia lost around 250,000 lives in a civil war ending in 2005.\nThe BBC's Jonathan Paye-Layleh in Monrovia says the president gave a sense of how traumatised the outbreak remains after the outbreak.\nIn an address to the nation on Saturday, she said: \"Even today if you hear an ambulance siren you shake a little bit.\"\nAlthough Liberia has now been declared Ebola-free, correspondents say the outbreak will have a long-term impact on Liberia's fragile economy.\nThe current outbreak is the deadliest in history. It initially centred on Guinea's remote south-eastern region of Nzerekore in early 2014, and later spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone.\nThe WHO is warning against complacency. Its statement warns that there is \"a high risk that infected people may cross into Liberia over the region's exceptionally porous borders\".", "The experiments by the US National Institutes of Health showed immunity could last at least 10 months.\nHuman trials of the vaccine started this week in the US and will extend to the UK and Africa.\nThe World Health Organization says more than 2,000 people have now died in the outbreak in West Africa.\nSeveral experimental treatments are now being considered to help contain the spread of Ebola.\nThis includes a vaccine being developed by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline.\nIt uses a genetically modified chimp virus containing components of two species of Ebola - Zaire, which is currently circulating in West Africa, and the common Sudan species.\nThe viral vaccine does not replicate inside the body, but it is hoped the immune system will react to the Ebola component of the vaccine and develop immunity.\n11,312\nDeaths - probable, confirmed and suspected\n(Includes one in the US and six in Mali)\n4,808 Liberia\n3,955 Sierra Leone\n2,534 Guinea\n8 Nigeria\nAnimal research, on which the decision to begin human trials was based, has now been published in the journal Nature Medicine.\nIt shows four crab-eating macaques all survived what would have been a fatal dose of Ebola virus five weeks later.\nHowever, only half survived an infection 10 months after immunisation.\nDr Anthony Fauci, the director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the BBC: \"The good part of this vaccine is that at five weeks or earlier you get full protection.\n\"The sobering news is the durability isn't great, but if you give a boost, a second shot, you make it really durable.\"\n\"We knew this worked in the monkey months ago and based on this paper we started human trials.\"\nFor now this is the best evidence available on how successful such a vaccine would be in people.\nThe first patient, a 39-year-old woman, was given the vaccine last week as human trials got under way.\nThere will also be separate trials of the vaccine against just the Zaire Ebola species.\nThese will take place in the US, the University of Oxford in the UK as well as in Mali and Gambia.\nPeople will be given just the initial jab, not a follow-up booster, in the trials.\nThe WHO said safety data would be ready by November 2014 and, if the vaccine proved safe, it would be used in West Africa immediately.\nHealthcare workers and other frontline staff would be prioritised for vaccination.\nThe number of doses currently available is between 400 - if a lot of vaccine is needed for immunity - and 4,000 if smaller amounts are sufficient.\nAs with all experimental therapies, the WHO has warned hopes of a vaccine must not detract from the proven methods of infection control which have defeated all previous outbreaks.\nProf Jonathan Ball, a virologist at the University of Nottingham, said: \"This is really encouraging data.\n\"The degree of protection seen with the chimpanzee adenovirus alone - which will be used in one of the human clinical trials planned for the UK, Mali and the Gambia - was still pretty impressive, especially when the animals received Ebola virus within a few weeks of vaccination.\n\"This is important as it would keep the dosing regimen simple and could still provide good protection in the sort of outbreak that we are seeing in Western Africa at the moment.\"", "The outbreak, which has killed some 4,000 people in West Africa, has led to a \"crisis for international peace and security\", WHO head Margaret Chan said.\nShe also warned of the cost of panic \"spreading faster than the virus\".\nMeanwhile, medics have largely ignored a strike call in Liberia, the centre of the deadliest-ever Ebola outbreak.\nNurses and medical assistants had been urged to strike over danger money and conditions. However, most were working as normal on Monday, the BBC's Jonathan Paye-Layleh in Monrovia said.\nA union official said the government had coerced workers - but the government said it had simply asked them to be reasonable.\nIn a speech delivered on her behalf at a conference in the Philippines, Ms Chan said Ebola was a historic risk.\n\"I have never seen a health event threaten the very survival of societies and governments in already very poor countries,\" she said. \"I have never seen an infectious disease contribute so strongly to potential state failure.\"\nShe warned of the economic impact of \"rumours and panic spreading faster than the virus\", citing a World Bank estimate that 90% of the cost of the outbreak would arise from \"irrational attempts of the public to avoid infection\".\nMs Chan also criticised pharmaceutical firms for not focusing on Ebola, condemning a \"profit-driven industry [that] does not invest in products for markets that cannot pay\".\nAt the scene: Mark Doyle, BBC international development correspondent, Accra, Ghana\nIn a corner of a UN compound at Accra airport, the UN's newest agency is having its first warehouse put up.\nIn a nearby office block, a multinational team of UN workers are finding desks and setting up phone lines for the regional headquarters of the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER). The operation is so new that pieces of paper Sellotaped to walls and doors serve as nameplates.\nBut the question on many minds is why it has taken the UN so long to set up UNMEER. Medical aid agencies working on the front lines in the fight against Ebola, such as Medecins Sans Frontieres, have been sounding the alarm since the beginning of the year.\nBut UNMEER officials say they didn't realise until recently that the disease was out of control.\nThe latest outbreak has killed at least 4,033 people in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria since it was identified in March.\nHealth workers are among those most at risk of catching the disease. Ninety-five have died from the virus in Liberia.\nLiberia's National Health Workers Association had called for a strike to demand an increase in the fee paid to those treating Ebola cases.\nThe union is seeking a risk fee of $700 (£434) a month. It is currently less than $500, on top of basic salaries of between $200 and $300.\nThe association also wants more protective equipment and insurance for workers.\nSource: WHO\nNote: figures have occasionally been revised down as suspected or probable cases are found to be unrelated to Ebola. They do not include one death in the US recorded on 8 October.\nHow not to catch Ebola:\nWhy Ebola is so dangerous\nHow Ebola attacks\nEbola: Mapping the outbreak\nOn Monday, the association's secretary-general, George Williams, said the government had put some health workers under \"duress\" and persuaded them to work.\nThe government says the scale of the epidemic means it now cannot afford the risk fee originally agreed. It warned that a strike could also harm patients.\nInformation Minister Lewis Brown said the government had asked health workers to be reasonable. \"We are working with them the best way we possibly can,\" he said.\nSix months after the epidemic began in West Africa, there are still only about a quarter of the treatment beds required to tackle it.\nFood is now in short supply as markets are disrupted in some parts of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.\nIn other developments:\nSurgical cap\nGoggles\nMedical mask\nScrubs\nOveralls\nApron\nDouble gloves\nBoots\nRespirator\nThe cap forms part of a protective hood covering the head and neck. It offers medical workers an added layer of protection, ensuring that they cannot touch any part of their face whilst in the treatment centre.\nGoggles, or eye visors, are used to provide cover to the eyes, protecting them from splashes. The goggles are sprayed with an anti-fogging solution before being worn. On October 21, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced stringent new guidelines for healthcare personnel who may be dealing with Ebola patients. In the new guidelines, health workers are advised to use a single use disposable full face shield as goggles may not provide complete skin coverage.\nCovers the mouth to protect from sprays of blood or body fluids from patients. When wearing a respirator, the medical worker must tear this outer mask to allow the respirator through.\nA respirator is worn to protect the wearer from a patient's coughs. According to guidelines from the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), the respirator should be put on second, right after donning the overalls.\nA surgical scrub suit, durable hospital clothing that absorbs liquid and is easily cleaned, is worn as a baselayer underneath the overalls. It is normally tucked into rubber boots to ensure no skin is exposed.\nThe overalls are placed on top of the scrubs. These suits are similar to hazardous material (hazmat) suits worn in toxic environments. The team member supervising the process should check that the equipment is not damaged.\nA minimum two sets of gloves are required, covering the suit cuff. When putting on the gloves, care must be taken to ensure that no skin is exposed and that they are worn in such a way that any fluid on the sleeve will run off the suit and glove. Medical workers must change gloves between patients, performing thorough hand hygiene before donning a new pair. Heavy duty gloves are used whenever workers need to handle infectious waste.\nA waterproof apron is placed on top of the overalls as a final layer of protective clothing.\nEbola health workers typically wear rubber boots, with the scrubs tucked into the footwear. If boots are unavailable, workers must wear closed, puncture and fluid-resistant shoes." ]

[ "A symbol can be an object, shape, sign, or character used to represent something else. A flag is a symbol of a country. English teachers never tire of talking about symbols in literature. A pink ribbon is a symbol of breast-cancer awareness, and a yellow ribbon is a symbol of support for U.S. troops. In literature, authors use many symbols. A character doing even a small thing, like eating a cheeseburger, might symbolize something larger about that character." ]

[ "What does a # / Hashtag / pound sign actually mean in Social Media? The pound sign or hashtag is visually represented by the symbol ‘#’, and by placing the symbol in front of a word (or series of words) on a social network, it will turn that word into a metadata tag.", "Trademark, copyright or patent? What is a trademark or service mark? A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design, or a combination of words, phrases, symbols or designs, that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others.", "the word you are thinking of is joules (symbolized by J), but that's not what force is measured in.", "And now we know by this symbolism what is meant by masonic labor, which, too, is itself but another form of the same symbol. The search for the Word--to find divine Truth--this, and this only, is a mason's work, and the WORD is his reward.", "What is the definition of symbolic interaction theory? Quick Answer. The symbolic interaction theory, also called symbolic interactionism, is defined by Dictionary Reference as a theory that human interaction and communication are aided by words, gestures and symbols with conventionalized meanings.", "A visual acuity test shows how well you can see a word or symbol from a certain distance. Learn what to expect and what the results mean. A visual acuity test shows how well you can see a word or symbol from a certain distance.", "Let me clear up a common misconception. When most people say writing in code, what they really mean is writing using a cipher. A code is when a symbol, word, or phrase is used to stand for a different word, phrase, or sentence. A cipher is were each letter in a word is represented with a different letter or symbol.", "The copyright symbol is exactly what it sounds like, either the famous ©, a (c) or the word “Copyright”. However, most prefer to use the symbol because it is both smaller and more recognizeable.", "what is the symbol for foot and inch what does 5 4 means for example does the stands for foot and inches why do people write 5 4 what are the ways to write foot and inches without writing the words and just using symbols like this and 2 following", "Signal Word Definition & Compliance. Another change worthy of note is the clarification of the Safety Alert Symbol; use and respective colors and the incorporation of the ISO 3864-1 version. In the last revision, 2002, it only supplied a explanation of what the symbol should be and what it meant.", "A definition is a statement of what a word means. A definition is a statement expressing the essential nature of something Can also be a statement of the meaning of a word or word group or a sign or symbol as 'dictionary definition s'.", "Definition of Connotation vs. Denotation. Words can have several meanings. The literal meanings, the denotation, are direct, realistic, and often found in the dictionary. What the word suggests or implies, the connotation, is symbolic, culturally constructed, and often influences the interpretation of poetry or literature.efinition of Connotation vs. Denotation. Words can have several meanings. The literal meanings, the denotation, are direct, realistic, and often found in the dictionary. What the word suggests or implies, the connotation, is symbolic, culturally constructed, and often influences the interpretation of poetry or literature.", "Incoming search terms: partial eta squared symbol in word. eta squared in word. partial eta squared symbol. eta squared symbol in word. insert partial n2 into word. insert eta squared in word. word partial eta squared. how to insert partial eta squared symbol.", "Introduction to Runes - What the runes are. Origins of the Runes - Where the runes came from. Meanings of the Rune Symbols - The Elder Futhark explained. Write in Runes - A javascript will transliterate names or words into rune symbols.", "process of expressing mental processes and ideas in symbolic way, by use of words or sound. In this process, you can represent the mental state by using words symbols, sounds symbols.rocess of expressing mental processes and ideas in symbolic way, by use of words or sound. In this process, you can represent the mental state by using words symbols, sounds symbols.", "The pound sign or hashtag is visually represented by the symbol ‘ # ’, and by placing the symbol in front of a word (or series of words) on a social network, it will turn that word into a metadata tag.he pound sign or hashtag is visually represented by the symbol ‘ # ’, and by placing the symbol in front of a word (or series of words) on a social network, it will turn that word into a metadata tag.", "Definition of hashtag for English Language Learners. : a word or phrase that starts with the symbol # and that briefly indicates what a message (such as a tweet) is about.", "These shapes are known as flowchart symbols. There are dozens of symbols that can be used in a flowchart. If you're new to flowcharting, it's important to know what they represent before using them. Just as word usage conveys a certain message, flowchart symbols also have specific meaning.", "3.1a Chemical Symbols and Formula. For any reaction, what you start with are called the reactants, and what you form are called the products. So any chemical equation shows in some way the overall chemical change of ... REACTANTS ==> PRODUCTS, which can be written in words or symbols/formulae.", "Hi, I am Sherri's 'cyber friend' nurse. The symbol you are referring to is a symbol that Drs. use for the word 'change'. In other words, The medication was (triangle) changed, to such and such. It is a medical symbol for that word.", "This is not to be mistaken for a simile which uses words including, like and as i.e. Busy as a bee, It was like magic.. There is also symbolism such as the concept of the devil being a symbol of evil and prayer being a symbol of good. As far as what the tone is: ask how it makes you feel to read this.", "food (animals thrived in and surrounding river), irrigation for crops, protection (could not cross desert), transportation, paper from papyrus. What is the name of ancient Egyptian form of writing and what the symbols represent. Egyptian writing is called hieroglyphs and the symbols represented ideas, sounds or words.", "Here are a couple of games that work great with this theme and help your guests mingle together throughout the entire evening! Get a list of the different nautical symbols. Spell words with the symbols, and have people figure out what the words are. Give out prizes to the person who gets the most right.", "Join Date: Dec 2000. Posts: 39. What is the correct spelling of Boriqua. Just to let you know the word boricua is not even in the dictionary, the right word is borinqueno, (I don't have the symbol for above the n in my keyboard) it means from Puerto Rico.oin Date: Dec 2000. Posts: 39. What is the correct spelling of Boriqua. Just to let you know the word boricua is not even in the dictionary, the right word is borinqueno, (I don't have the symbol for above the n in my keyboard) it means from Puerto Rico.", "This fire and sun symbol has a pedigree extending back 3,000 years, and in India it means exactly the opposite of what the symbol represents to most Westerners. In fact, the Sanskrit word svasti, from svastika, is a blessing and affirmation of life.", "Reading fluency refers to the ability to read quickly, smoothly, easily, and with expression. To read fluently, a reader must understand how the symbols on the page (the letters) are related to the sounds of the language, how those sounds are blended together to form words, what the words mean, and what the words together in a sentence mean.", "What symbol on a regulatory marker is used to warn of a rock or other submerged hazard? kgb answers » History & Politics » Laws & Regulations » What symbol on a regulatory marker is used to warn of a rock or other submerged hazard? A vertical open-faced diamond symbol to mean DANGER. Nature of danger maybe indicated by words such as: Hazard Area, Shallow Area, Rock, or Dam..", "Noun. 1. phonogram-any written symbol standing for a sound or syllable or morpheme or word. printed symbol, written symbol-a written or printed symbol.Translations.oun. 1. phonogram-any written symbol standing for a sound or syllable or morpheme or word. printed symbol, written symbol-a written or printed symbol. Translations.", "Words can have several meanings. The literal meanings, the denotation, are direct, realistic, and often found in the dictionary. What the word suggests or implies, the connotation, is symbolic, culturally constructed, and often influences the interpretation of poetry or literature.", "Chai is a Hebrew word and symbol that means life, and Jews often wear the symbol as an amulet on a necklace. Chai is a Hebrew word and symbol that means life, and Jews often wear the symbol as an amulet on a necklace.", ";_; Buzzword Catch Phrase confused De Crevecoeur does emoticon emoticons emotion expression expressions Face FACEBOOK faces Franklin Freneau hashtag help Idiom Jefferson love me mean meaning None Paine please quote Quotes sayings Slang symbol symbols talk term text texting Text symbols tongue Twitter what what does // mean what does this mean word ☪", "Why learn medical terminology? During the course of our day to day work we come across many words, terms and symbols. These words, terms and symbols make up what is called medical terminology. Today’s medical terms have their basis in either Latin or Greek so not all of the terms/words will make sense. For example, NPO stands for Nil Per Os or" ]

[ "A new book from Donald Trump's first wife pulls back the curtain on a tumultuous period of the president's life, including the messy divorce that was splashed across New York's tabloids for weeks.\nIvana Trump, who was married to the real estate magnate from 1977 to 1992, writes in \"Raising Trump\" that she knew her marriage was over soon after a day in December 1989.\n\"This young blonde woman approached me out of the blue and said 'I'm Marla and I love your husband. Do you?'\" writes Ivana Trump. \"I said 'Get lost. I love my husband.' It was unladylike but I was in shock.\"\nTrump's public affair with Marla Maples spawned the infamous \"Best Sex I've Ever Had\" headline in the New York Post in 1990. After divorcing his first wife, Trump married Maples in 1993.\n\"Raising Trump\" is set to be released next week. The Associated Press purchased an early copy.\nIn the book, Ivana writes glowingly about her marriage to Trump and her prominent role at the Trump Organization. But then she unburdens herself about the heartache that Trump's affair with Maples caused her and the couple's three children, Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric. Donald Jr. didn't speak to his father for a year after the split.\n\"I can only shake my head at how it insane it was,\" Ivana Trump writes. \"I couldn't turn on the television without hearing my name.\"\nBut she and the president have returned to far warmer terms. She writes that they speak about once a week and that she encourages him to keep using Twitter.\nShe said in a CBS News interview this week that she was offered the post of ambassador to the Czech Republic, her native country, but turned it down because she already has \"a perfect life.\" The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the ambassadorship post.\nMuch of the book is spent recounting Ivana Trump's childhood in Europe, her burgeoning modeling career in New York and Trump's courtship. She writes that, at their first meeting, Trump secured her and friends a table at a hot Manhattan restaurant, paid the check and chauffeured her back to her hotel in a giant Cadillac.\n\"My instincts told me that Donald was smart and funny — an all-America good guy,\" Ivana Trump writes.\nHer children also contribute passages to the book, and Ivana Trump muses that her former husband may not be the only Trump to call the White House home.\n\"Maybe in fifteen years, she could run for president?\" she writes about her daughter, Ivanka, before musing about her own possible title. \"First Lady? Holds no appeal for me personally. First Mother? That could work.\"\nCheck out the latest movie reviews from Michael Phillips and the Chicago Tribune." ]

[ "Rosie O’Donnell called Donald Trump “mentally unstable” and warned Americans that they were running out of time to stop him from being president.\nAccording to the Daily Mail, the 54-year-old also shared a link to a CNN article on Twitter. The article that the comedian shared was written by Harry Hurt III, the author of Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump. The writer had revealed that he was walked out of the Trump International Golf Club on Friday in West Palm Beach after he introduced himself to Mr. Trump at the practice range. Hurt called the president-elect’s behavior “inappropriate,” adding that he received a “tongue lashing from the future president” on Saturday.\nHurt’s bombshell book was written 23 years ago. The publishing company, W.W. Norton, Starling, Lawrence, called the contentious book “too dangerous” to reprint. Hurt wanted to reprint the book when Trump won the Republican Party nomination for president. He said the lawyer of the publishing house had called it too much of a risk.\n“Starling informed me that Norton’s current in-house lawyer whose name I do not know, had deemed the book too ‘dangerous to reissue’. It’s chickens**t, since the book has been out for 23 years, and no one has ever threatened to sue me…So that’s kind of bulls**t.”\nInside the book, Trump’s former wife Ivana alleged that she was raped by the businessman billionaire. She had revealed this in a sworn deposition during their divorce, adding that she did not mean it in the “criminal” sense. Despite Hurt’s opinion that he had not being sued, the book did encounter legal challenges when Trump demanded a sit-down with the author with his attorney back in 1993.\nIt was a meeting that did not end well. Trump had been angry over the allegations and pulled out a tape recorder from his suit, declaring that he had been recording the entire conversation. According to Hurt, Trump’s lawyer was shocked at his actions and even more baffled that he had done it without telling him.\nRosie O’Donnell calls Donald Trump mentally unstable – and says there is only three weeks to stop him pic.twitter.com/hOAGRwzf5e — FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) January 2, 2017\n“They got angrier and angrier. Donald jumped up and pulled a tape recorder out of the pocket of his suit and declared ‘I’ve got all this on tape.'”\nWhen Hurt’s publishers refused to print the book, Hurt bought the rights and started selling it as an Amazon Kindle book. The book went on sale around the same time that Trump bagged the presidential nomination of the Republican Party.\nThe book was a hotcake, selling around $115 per copy. Used copies were a rarity, and someone who offered his own copy for sale was asking $1,872.21 for it. The 64-year-old author spent close to three years writing the biography about Donald Trump. The conclusion of the book was that the 70-year-old politician was morally and intellectually unfit to be president of the United States.\nHARRY HURT WRITES A HIT JOB PIECE ABOUT TRUMP AND THINKS HE IS GOING TO BE WELCOME WITH OPEN ARMS TO GOLF..GTFOH ???????? https://t.co/Y6sqlnNx8V — JerseyGirl D ???? (@JerseyGirlD2) January 2, 2017\n“I know of no other previous president who as a developer enthusiastically sought and lavishly compensated mob associated concrete pouring contractors for his buildings, who bankrupted four casinos, who deliberately induced bankers to lend him money on real estate projects that were destined to go bankrupt because he knew they were ‘too big to fail,’ and who has an ex-wife who swore he raped her.”\nIn the book, Hurt exposed the deepest recesses of the Trump business empire. According to him, the 70-year-old politician is not a misogynist but hardly treats women well either. He said Mr. Trump promoted women with one hand and pulled them down with the other. He gave a classic example using his ex-wife Ivana in his book, Lost Tycoon.\nDonald Trump biographer Harry Hurt III says Trump booted him from his golf course last week https://t.co/fsZVetnafu https://t.co/KjbIwoXmgM — CNN (@CNN) January 2, 2017\n“He had her running Trump Castle in Atlantic City, then the Plaza Hotel in New York City. By almost all accounts, Ivana performed very well in both jobs. But Donald was still critical of her personally, declaring that her emphasis on work made her perform poorly as a wife.”\nThe O’Donnell-Trump feud started as far back as 2006 when the comedian was a host on The View. Their decade-long conflict was still in full swing all through 2016. During the November presidential debates, Trump called her a “fat pig,” “slob,” and “total degenerate.” O’Donnell hit back, calling him an “orange anus” and even insinuated at one point that his youngest son, Barron, had autism.\n[Featured Image by Evan Agostini/AP Images]", "A writer who slammed Donald Trump in a biography more than 20 years ago claims he was kicked off a golf course by the president-elect last week because he was still upset at his treatment in the book.\nHarry Hurt III, who wrote the 1993 book, 'Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump,' detailed his fiery Florida run-in with Trump on Friday.\nHurt accused Trump of booting him and his party - including billionaire Republican mega-donor David Koch - from the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach after he wandered over to congratulate him on the election win.\nHarry Hurt III (right), who wrote the 1993 book, 'Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump,' says Donald Trump kicked him off the golf course last week\n'I went up out of courtesy and out of respect for the office of president of the United States,' he told CNN.\n'The last time I had seen him was the Saturday before Easter in 2015 at the same golf course with my friend David Koch. We were chatting on the putting green, it was the first time I'd worn knickers and made a joke about it, and Donald laughed and he said, \"I hope you enjoy the golf course.\"\n'I went up to him in the spirit of the United States of America and said, 'Congratulations, sir'. And then he launched into a diatribe that I had been rough on him, he used an expletive to describe the content of my book.\n'I looked him in the eye and I said, \"it's all true\", and he said, \"not in the way you said it, I can't believe why you are here.\"\nHurt accused Trump of booting him and his party from the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach after he wandered over to congratulate him on the election win\nIn kicking Hurt off his course (Trump is pictured at the Trump International Golf Club on November 14, 2007), Trump also sent mega-Republican donor David Koch packing - as he was playing in the author's group\n'I said, \"well I came with David Koch,\" and he said: \"I think it's inappropriate for you to play here and I want you to leave.\"'\nHurt's joke during their previous on-course meeting was a reference to the bright attire he wears on the course. During his CNN interview, he was wearing an all-pink outfit.\nHurt's book (pictured) included an allegation that Trump had raped his ex-wife Ivana\nHe went on to say Koch was 'appalled' by the incident, before taking a shot at Trump's course. Hurt said after they received the boot, his group instead played a 'much better golf course' at Emerald Dunes.\nThe incident took place after Trump ditched his press pool to travel to the course on Friday.\nA member of Trump's transition team confirmed the incident, adding Trump said to Hurt, 'you're out of here,' Politico reports.\nThe president-elect's fury at Hurt could be linked to the fact the author's book included an allegation that Trump had raped his ex-wife Ivana - based off comments she made.\nIvana has since recanted her claim, which she made in documents during divorce proceedings from the Donald.\nShe has said that while she did feel 'violated' during the marriage, she did not mean for her words to be taken literally.", "Trump's one-two punch hits birth control, LGBT rights\nWASHINGTON (AP) — In a one-two punch elating religious conservatives, President Donald Trump's administration is allowing more employers to opt out of no-cost birth control for workers and issuing sweeping religious-freedom directions that could override many anti-discrimination protections for LGBT people and others.\nAt a time when Trump finds himself embattled on many fronts, the two directives — issued almost simultaneously on Friday — demonstrated the president's eagerness to retain the loyalty of social conservatives who make up a key part of his base. Leaders of that constituency were exultant.\n\"President Trump is demonstrating his commitment to undoing the anti-faith policies of the previous administration and restoring true religious freedom,\" said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council.\nLiberal advocacy groups, including those supporting LGBT and reproductive rights, were outraged.\n\"The Trump administration is saying to employers, 'If you want to discriminate, we have your back,'\" said Fatima Goss Graves, president of National Women's Law Center.\n___\nStymied police seek help in uncovering Vegas gunman's motive\nLAS VEGAS (AP) — After five days of scouring the life of Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock and chasing 1,000 leads, investigators confessed Friday they still don't know what drove him to mass murder, and they announced plans to put up billboards appealing for the public's help.\nIn their effort to find any hint of his motive, investigators were looking into whether he was with a prostitute days before the shooting, scrutinizing cruises he took and trying to make sense of a cryptic note with numbers jotted on it found in his hotel room, a federal official said.\nSo far, examinations of Paddock's politics, finances, any possible radicalization and his social behaviour — typical investigative avenues that have helped uncover the motive in past shootings — have turned up little.\n\"We still do not have a clear motive or reason why,\" Clark County Undersheriff Kevin McMahill said. \"We have looked at literally everything.\"\nThe FBI announced that billboards would go up around the city asking anyone with information to phone 800-CALL-FBI.\n___\nUS states declare emergency ahead of Tropical Storm Nate\nMEXICO CITY (AP) — Tropical Storm Nate gained force as it sped past Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula late Friday after drenching Central America in rain that was blamed for at least 21 deaths. Forecasters said it was likely to reach the U.S. Gulf Coast as a hurricane over the weekend.\nLouisiana and Mississippi officials declared states of state of emergency and Louisiana ordered some people to evacuate coastal areas and barrier islands ahead of its expected landfall Saturday night or early Sunday. Evacuations began at some offshore oil platforms in the Gulf.\nMississippi's government said it would open 11 evacuation shelters in areas away from the immediate coast, with buses available for people who can't drive.\nThe U.S. National Hurricane Center warned that Nate could raise sea levels by 4 to 7 feet (1.2 to 2.1 metres ) from Morgan City, Louisiana, to the Alabama-Florida border. It had already had caused deadly flooding in much of Central America.\nThe centre added metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain to its latest hurricane warning.\n___\nWeinstein on 'indefinite leave' during harassment inquiry\nNEW YORK (AP) — Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is on indefinite leave from the company he co-founded while an internal investigation into numerous sexual harassment allegations against him is completed, The Weinstein Co.'s board of directors announced Friday.\n\"We strongly endorse Harvey Weinstein's already announced decision to take an indefinite leave of absence from the Company, commencing today,\" the board said in a statement. \"As Harvey has said, it is important for him to get the professional help for the problems he has acknowledged. Next steps will depend on Harvey's therapeutic process, the outcome of the board's independent investigation and Harvey's own personal decisions.\"\nThe announcement came a day after The New York Times reported that the co-chairman of the Weinstein Co. has over the years reached at least eight legal settlements with women over alleged harassment.\nAttorney John Kiernan of the firm Debevoise & Plimpton LLP was named the head of the investigation. The Weinstein Co. board did not give a time frame for when the investigation would be completed.\n\"We believe it is important to learn the full truth regarding the article's very serious accusations, in the interests of the Company, its shareholders and its employees,\" the company said. The statement was signed by four board members: co-chairman Bob Weinstein, who is Harvey Weinstein's brother, Tarak Ben Ammar, Lance Maerov and Richard Koenigsberg.\n___\nExtra special: Indians edge Yankees 9-8 in 13, take 2-0 lead\nCLEVELAND (AP) — They've won this season in almost every way imaginable: comebacks, walk-offs, blowouts, nail-biters.\nNo. 104 for the Cleveland Indians topped them all.\nYan Gomes singled home Austin Jackson from second base with none out in the 13th inning as Cleveland rallied from five runs down to stun the New York Yankees 9-8 on Friday and snatch a 2-0 lead in the AL Division Series.\nDespite an atrocious start by ace Corey Kluber, losing slugger Edwin Encarnacion with a severely sprained ankle in the first and facing the possibility of playing their final game at home, the Indians, with some help from a call that went their way, continued a charmed season growing more and more special by the day.\n\"The tendency of this team is to never give up,\" Kluber said. \"Even when we were down 8-3, we didn't believe the game was over. We never feel like we're out of a game.\"\n___\nAP-NORC Poll: Just 24 per cent say US heading right direction\nWASHINGTON (AP) — Just 24 per cent of Americans believe the country is heading in the right direction after a tumultuous stretch for President Donald Trump that included the threat of war with North Korea, stormy complaints about hurricane relief and Trump's equivocating about white supremacists. That's a 10-point drop since June, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.\nThe decline in optimism about the nation's trajectory is particularly pronounced among Republicans. In June, 60 per cent of Republicans said the country was headed in the right direction; now it's just 44 per cent .\nThe broader picture for the president is grim, too. Nearly 70 per cent of Americans say Trump isn't level-headed, and majorities say he's not honest or a strong leader. More than 60 per cent disapprove of how he is handling race relations, foreign policy and immigration, among other issues.\nOverall, 67 per cent of Americans disapprove of the job Trump is doing in office, including about one-third of Republicans.\nTracy Huelsman, a 40-year-old from Louisville, Kentucky, is among them. A self-described moderate Republican, Huelsman said she's particularly concerned about the \"divisiveness\" she feels the president promotes on social media.\n___\nAnalysis: Nobel says to Korea nuke players: We are watching\nBANGKOK (AP) — They couldn't award it to Kim Jong Un or Donald Trump. That much was certain.\nBut the granting of the Nobel Peace Prize to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons opened itself to a clear interpretation across Asia: When it comes to the nuclear-saturated war of words on the Korean Peninsula, attention must be paid and treaties must be signed. And it must be done in a preventative way, at top speed, before something happens that can't be undone.\nLooming in the background of the award announcement Friday was the sometimes scalding, sometimes tepid, never silent geopolitical scuffle this year between the young leader of the third-generation Pyongyang regime and the always voluble president of the United States.\nEven the Nobel committee's language keyed in on that. It sounded like a plaintive cry to push parties to the negotiating table — to fix something that's already cracked before it's completely, irreversibly shattered.\nThe head of the group listed an assortment of the world's nuclear nations when she spoke after the win. But it was easy to find significance in the two she mentioned before all others — North Korea and the United States.\n___\nIn Pacific, rising tensions evoke troubling nuclear legacy\nWELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — As a young boy growing up on Bikini Atoll, Alson Kelen spent idyllic days playing on the beach and fishing.\nHis grandfather built canoes and his father tended the land. With fewer than 150 people on the remote Pacific island it was a close community, he says, with few signs of the former U.S. nuclear testing program other than the concrete bunkers he was told to avoid and the sunken ships in the lagoon.\nBut in 1978, when Kelen was 10, officials evacuated everybody. It turned out they'd been premature in declaring the Marshall Islands atoll safe again for humans. Radiation levels were still dangerously high.\nMore than 70 years after the first tests, the atoll remains contaminated today. It's part of a troubling nuclear legacy that continues to affect islands and people across the Pacific long after the U.S., Britain and France stopped their testing programs there.\nAs nuclear tensions rise in the Asia-Pacific region, Kelen and others are reflecting on that legacy anew.\n___\nIn book, Ivana Trump relives divorce from future president\nNEW YORK (AP) — A new book from Donald Trump's first wife pulls back the curtain on a tumultuous period of the president's life, including the messy divorce that was splashed across New York's tabloids for weeks.\nIvana Trump, who was married to the real estate magnate from 1977 to 1992, writes in \"Raising Trump\" that she knew her marriage was over soon after a day in December 1989.\n\"This young blonde woman approached me out of the blue and said 'I'm Marla and I love your husband. Do you?'\" writes Ivana Trump. \"I said 'Get lost. I love my husband.' It was unladylike but I was in shock.\"\nTrump's public affair with Marla Maples spawned the infamous \"Best Sex I've Ever Had\" headline in the New York Post in 1990. After divorcing his first wife, Trump married Maples in 1993.\n\"Raising Trump\" is set to be released next week. The Associated Press purchased an early copy.\n___\nUS back on track for World Cup, Pulisic leads rout of Panama\nORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Christian Pulisic burst up the field, scoring with a brilliant touch to complete an 11-second, breakneck, field-length attack just eight minutes in.\nThen his cross found Jozy Altidore's right foot like an arrow striking a bull's-eye , leading to a two-goal lead in the 19th minute.\nExhale, U.S. fans.\nAltidore converted a penalty kick with a chip in the 43rd after Bobby Wood was fouled, Wood added a goal in the 63rd and the United States routed Panama 4-0 on Friday night to put the Americans back on track to reach next year's World Cup.", "Stormy Daniels’ lawyer may transition from suing President Trump to challenging his seat in the Oval Office. Michael Avenatti could run for president in 2020 — but only if no one else seems qualified to take on Trump. The attorney apparently wants to see Trump out of office so badly that he's willing to take matters into his own hands.\n\"IF (big) he seeks re-election, I will run, but only if I think that there is no other candidate in the race that has a REAL chance at beating him,\" Avenatti tweeted on Wednesday after someone asked when he would announce a 2020 run. \"We can't relive 2016. I love this country, our values and our people too much to sit by while they are destroyed.\"\nAvenatti is currently battling the president in court on behalf of Daniels, the adult film star who claims she had an affair with Trump in 2006. Based on Avenatti's tweets, he thinks he could be the nontraditional political candidate the Democrats need to beat Trump.\n\"To those that claim that only a traditional politician with 'experience' can beat Trump, go back & look at the results from 2016,\" Avenatti tweeted on Wednesday. \"He beat all 15 of those candidates that he faced (crushed many). If we go down the same path and are not smart, don't be surprised with the result.\"\nAvenatti has previously tweeted that whoever challenges Trump in 2020 better be \"a take no prisoners street fighter\" who is prepared for a brutal campaign. \"It will be a cage match like no other in modern times,\" he wrote, adding, \"The future of the republic may depend on it.\"\nThe attorney's disdain for the president has been crystal clear since he began representing Daniels. He has criticized the Trump administration's policy of separating families at the border and said other women claim to have had affairs with Trump. As for his lawsuit against Trump, he has claimed that the president's team is \"making this up as they go along.\"\nHe's certainly made a name for himself this year, constantly appearing on cable news and using social media to draw attention to his case. He has the cash to run for office, too: Avenatti is worth roughly $20 million, according to The Squander. Throughout his legal career, he's won more than $1 billion for his clients.\nDespite the fact that they disagree on just about everything, Avenatti and Trump both have an affinity for a luxury lifestyle. The attorney's monthly expenses run about $40,000, including payments on a Ferrari and a Mercedes, and a private plane and pilot, according to his divorce documents obtained by Heavy. His and his ex-wife's Newport Beach home reportedly cost $100,000 a month in 2017, coupled with a $14,000 payment every month for their Los Angeles apartment.\nHis wealth hasn't mad him sympathetic to Trump, though. And his recent comment about a possible 2020 run shows that he's changed his mind about entering politics — within a matter of days.\n\"I am extremely flattered by the suggestions that I attempt to become AG or run for the House or Senate but I have ZERO interest in those jobs. None,\" he tweeted over the weekend. \"I don’t want to become a career politician. We have too many as it is.\"\nHe added that he's only interested in \"exposing the truth about Mr. Trump’s conduct and fighting like hell for the principles that matter so the American people can decide what happens next.\"\nSo either the presidency is uniquely appealing to Avenatti because it's the highest political office in the nation, or he simply wants to make sure Trump doesn't serve a second term.", "Vanessa Trump is divorcing the president's eldest son because he 'treats her like a second-class citizen', sources have said in new explosive claims.\nDonald Trump Jr's wife and the mother of his five children is kept on a budget so tight that she has to ask her mom for help, according to Page Six.\n'He gives her very little help and has been keeping her on a tight budget,' one friend told the site.\n'She doesn't live a lavish life and can very rarely pick up a check at dinner.'\nVanessa Trump is divorcing Donald Trump Jr because he 'treats her like a second-class citizen', sources have said in new explosive claims\nDonald Trump Jr's wife and the mother of his five children is kept on a budget that is so tight she has to ask her mom for help, sources have told Page Six\nAnother source said Trump Jr was 'never generous' with money, often leaving Vanessa to ask her own mother to help pay 'for her personal needs'.\nVanessa's spokesperson has since denied the claims, calling them 'simply not true'.\n'Don and Vanessa have tremendous respect for each other and always have,' they said.\n'The notion that she has had to rely on her family for assistance is absolutely false and utterly ridiculous.'\nSources also told Page Six that Don Jr and Vanessa have had problems even before they wed in 2005, and that Trump's presidency has only made things worse.\n'She was interviewing divorce lawyers before [Trump's presidency],' one source claimed.\nAnother source said Trump Jr was 'never generous' with money, often leaving Vanessa to ask her own mother to help pay 'for her personal needs'\nA friend also claimed that Vanessa had been interviewing divorce lawyers, but initially planned to wait until after Donald Trump's term was over\n'No one thought he'd win. He won and she decided to stay until his term is over. But she just couldn't stand it anymore.'\nThe friends also said Vanessa was angered that Don Jr made himself appear like 'Mr Dad' on social media by constantly posting pictures with their children.\n'She hates that he posts stuff online, pictures of their kids and how he paints the picture of him as a perfect father,' they said. 'It's not the truth.'\n'When he's not away on business trips, he's hunting and fishing.'\nVanessa's spokesperson said the couple's recent decisions have 'nothing to do with politics' and added that it is 'untrue' that she is unhappy with Don Jr posting pictures of their children.\n'In fact, Vanessa is usually the first to \"like\" the posts that he shares. Don is a wonderful and very involved father,' they said.\nIt was with his children that Don Jr found solace this weekend, decompressing at Mar-a-Lago after Vanessa filed for divorce last Thursday.\nDon Jr appeared to be trying to distract himself from the end of his 12-year marriage by indulging in one of his favorite past times - sport fishing.\nDonald Trump Jr was seen without his wedding ring on Friday in New York City, the day after Vanessa filed for divorce\nVanessa, 40, also did not wear her wedding ring as she headed out in New York City on Friday (above with daughter Chloe and son Spencer)\nOn Saturday, the 40-year-old posted a picture showing off a massive Cobia he reeled in while out on a fishing excursion with his eldest son Donnie.\nLater, he posted videos of his kids rough-housing on Mar-a-Lago's croquet lawn, and his youngest, Chloe, practicing her golf swing in a Mickey Mouse hat.\n'She's going to be a great player one day...also as cute as it gets,' the proud dad wrote.\nWhile it will be some time before the divorce is finalized, Don Jr already appears to be getting in shape for singledom.\nOn Sunday, he posted a sweaty picture after a Cross Fit workout in the grueling Florida heat.\n'Brutal workout today in the #florida humidity,' Don Jr captioned the photo.\nDon Jr, the president's oldest child, has been spending a lot of time with his children since he and his estranged wife Vanessa announced they were planning to divorce.\nOn Friday, the president's son had been in Mar-a-Lago for the Republican Party of Palm Beach County's Lincoln Day Dinner in Palm Beach, Florida.\nDonald Trump Jr distracted himself from his divorce this weekend with a Cross Fit workout (left) and some sport fishing (right)\nAnd over the weekend, Don Jr posted this clip of his youngest daughter Chloe practicing her golf swing\nBut before he went to mingle with the crowd, Don Jr, posted a selfie of himself with his daughter Kai.\nHe captioned it: 'Date night with Kai. Great father daughter time. #weekend #fatherdaughter #daughter #datenight.'\nThat same day, he and Vanessa were both photographed without their wedding rings.\nDon Jr was seen holding a folder full of papers and cigars as he ducked out of work early, leaving Trump Tower in Manhattan shortly after noon, sans band.\nThe mother-of-five, 40, was also sans ring as she was spotted heading off on the school run with her two youngest children Chloe and Spencer.\nVanessa and the kids attempted to sneak out the back entrance of their Manhattan apartment building around 8am on Friday, with three Secret Service agents closely flanking the family members.\nMeanwhile, court papers reveal that Vanessa has hired herself a criminal defense lawyer to handle her split from Don Jr.\nDavid Feureisen of the firm Bartels & Feureisen will be handling the split for Vanessa, who opted for a lawyer based in White Plains, which is close to the family's residence upstate.\nDonald Trump Jr posted this photo of himself out shark fishing with his nine-year-old son Donald John III on Saturday, the day after attending a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago\nThere is little else in the filing at this time, and the lawyer for Don Jr is not revealed in the one document that has been submitted thus far that can be viewed on the court docket.\nDon Jr acknowledged his split from wife Vanessa for the first time on Thursday evening in an Instagram post.\n'No matter what is going on bedtime cuddling with the smurf puts a Yuge smile on my face. #bedtime#daddysgirl #cuddle,' wrote Don Jr.\nHe included that remark alongside a photo of himself lying in bed with his daughter Chloe, the youngest of his five children.\nJust a few hours earlier, a source told DailyMail.com that Vanessa had filed divorce papers in Manhattan Supreme Court after 12 years of marriage.\nThat source added that Vanessa listed the divorce as uncontested, meaning that she is not asking for full custody of the children at this time and that Donald Jr does not object to the filing.\n'After 12 years of marriage, we have decided to go our separate ways,' the pair said in a joint statement.\nDon Jr, posted a selfie of himself with his daughter Kai. He captioned it: 'Date night with Kai. Great father daughter time. #weekend #fatherdaughter #daughter #datenight'\n'We will always have tremendous respect for each other and our families. We have five beautiful children together and they remain our top priority. We ask for your privacy during this time.'\nPage Six reported shortly before the pair filed for divorce that Don Jr's behavior on social media had caused problems in his relationship with Vanessa.\nRecently, Don Jr liked tweets which made controversial and false statements about the victims of the Parkland shooting, including one that suggested there was a link between anti-depressants and the murderers responsible for mass casualty attacks.\nHe also liked a tweet that said 17-year-old David Hogg, one of the young students who is leading the call for gun reform, was just 'running cover' for his father, a former FBI agent.\nVanessa responded to that report by liking a number of tweets posted by her estranged husband and other members of his family.\nThis will be the first time that a child of the president has entered into divorce proceedings while their father held office.\nSome are also now wondering if Vanessa could be called to testify against her estranged husband should he be indicted in the Russia probe.\n'In theory, Vanessa could talk about what Donald Trump Jr. knew about the Russia investigation if spousal privilege doesn’t apply, but that would take the divorce into a dark place,' said Joshua Forman, a celebrity divorce attorney at Partner at Chemtob, Moss & Forman.\nTrump, Jr. waves to guests before the start of the dinner at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach Friday\n'However, she may have signed a prenuptial agreement with a confidentiality clause and would thus be precluded from speaking during or after marriage.'\nHe went on to explain: 'If there isn’t a confidentiality clause and there isn’t a prenup in place, then once the divorce is complete, she could if allowable by the law in the jurisdiction she is called to testify in be compelled to testify.'\nVanessa and Don Jr have been spotted together less and less in recent months, and spent almost no time with one another over the holidays at Mar-a-Lago.\nDon Jr posted a number of videos to social media during the two weeks that the pair were in Palm Beach which showed him with the couple's children but never Vanessa.\nVanessa was also absent from one of the family dinners and did not attend the annual New Year's Eve gala, with Don Jr. instead taking his son Donnie.\nIt was also his birthday that night.\nThe couple had been introduced multiple times before going on their first date, with President Trump responsible for two of those introductions.\nVanessa said in a 2006 interview that he twice introduced her to his son at a fashion show in 2003, and she finally agreed to a date when they met a third time at a mutual friend's party.\nVanessa said that she referred to Donald Jr as 'the one with retarded dad' at the time.\nDon Jr proposed to Vanessa, who was a model and actress at the time, with a $100,000 engagement ring back in 2004.\nVanessa Trump is seen outside her Manhattan apartment building on Thursday before filing divorce papers in a Manhattan court\nThe family was last seen together in February when they all celebrated Don III's birthday in Palm Beach (above)\nThe proposal was captured by the multiple photographers alerted to the fact that Don Jr would be proposing in front of the same jewelry store from which he obtained the ring for a heavily discounted price.\nThey were married at Mar-a-Lago in November 2005, though those plans were almost derailed due to Hurricane Wilma, which forced the couple to move the wedding from the club's lawn to a more sheltered space by the pool due to the damage done by high winds.\nThose nuptials took a backseat in the press however to the fact that the wedding marked one of the rare occasions when Donald and his new wife Melania came face-to-face with his ex Ivana.\nPrior to marrying Don Jr, Vanessa had been linked to Leonardo DiCaprio and had a small role in the film Something's Gotta Give.\nVanessa was very much in the spotlight prior to the couple's wedding, but once the couple began to have children shifted her focus to raising their sons and daughters.\nShe gave birth to all five of the couple's children in a span of just seven years.", "President Trump may have brought one of his favorite tools for dealing with staff in the business world with him into the White House: confidentiality agreements.\nAs a businessman, Trump routinely required employees to sign agreements promising not to reveal secrets of the Trump Organization. He did the same during his presidential campaign and the post-election transition period. And according to the Washington Post, Trump has imposed the same confidentiality requirements on some senior members of the White House staff.\nThe administration took issue with the Post's story, which cited a draft version of a nondisclosure agreement that included a $10 million penalty for violators.\nThat potential fine, at least, isn't correct, the White House said.\n\"While nondisclosure agreements are commonplace and common practice for previous administrations, I can say the report that staff were required or asked to sign $10 million nondisclosure agreements is not true,\" White House spokesman Hogan Gidley told reporters traveling on Air Force One. \"But past that, I can't get into security and obviously I can't get into that any further. \"\nGidley added that he had not personally been asked to sign an agreement.\n\"I've never seen one. I've never been asked to sign one. And I have never signed one,\" he said.\nAlthough nondisclosure agreements may be routinely used in the business world, critics say they have no place in the West Wing, where employees don't work for shareholders, but for the people of the United States.\n\"Public employees can't be gagged by private agreements,\" Ben Wizner of the ACLU's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project said in a statement. \"These so-called NDAs are unconstitutional and unenforceable.\"\nTrump has a long history of using nondisclosure agreements to protect secrets and discourage disparaging comments.\nIn 2013, he successfully sued a Miss Universe contestant for $5 million after she complained publicly that the beauty pageant was rigged. Two decades earlier, Trump sued his ex-wife Ivana for allegedly violating the confidentiality agreement surrounding their divorce. That case was ultimately settled.\nStephanie Clifford, an adult film actress who performs under the name Stormy Daniels, collected $130,000 in 2016 in exchange for her silence concerning an affair she allegedly had with Trump. Clifford's attorney has argued the agreement is nonbinding, but Trump's lawyer disagrees. Attorney Michael Cohen has argued that Clifford could need to pay at least $20 million in damages if she violates the agreement.\nAs he campaigned for president, Trump said he imagined requiring White House staffers to pledge their secrecy.\n\"When people are chosen by a man to go into government at high levels, and then they leave government and they write a book about a man and say a lot of things that were really guarded and personal — I don't like that,\" Trump told the Washington Post in 2016.\nReporter Bob Woodward asked Trump if he thought such agreements were \"airtight.\"\n\"I think they're extremely airtight,\" Trump said. \"Let's put it this way: it's so airtight that I've never had ... you know, I've never had a problem with this sort of thing.\"\nWoodward suggested it might be different in Washington.\n\"The taxpayers are paying the other people in the federal government,\" he said.\nFederal employees and contractors who work with classified information are routinely asked to sign nondisclosure agreements. There's even a standardized government form for it: Form 312.\nBut they're not always effective. A former Navy SEAL who took part in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden published a best-selling book about the operation. Threats of legal action by the Department of Defense only boosted readers' interest.\nCourts have sometimes refused to enforce nondisclosure agreements, especially in cases where the information sheds light on corporate behavior that might pose a threat to public health or safety.\n\"The idea was, this isn't something that a company should be able to — by contract — hide from the general public,\" said law professor Jodi Short of the University of California's Hastings College of the Law.\nShe added that nondisclosure agreements are generally governed by state law, so the rules can vary. But general principles of contract law dictate that employees can't be coerced into signing. And they must receive something of value in return for their silence, like the $130,000 paid to Clifford.\nA judge might be unwilling to nullify a nondisclosure agreement simply to satisfy public curiosity, Short said, if no broader health or safety issue were involved. But the power of such agreements to compel silence is limited.\n\"You don't get put in jail for breaking a contract,\" Short said. \"All you have to do is pay damages. If you have enough money to pay damages, then nobody can stop you.\"", "Getty Images CIA Director Mike Pompeo is reportedly being considered to replace Rex Tillerson as secretary of state.\nAdvisers to President Donald Trump are floating the idea of replacing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo, Axios reported Friday.\n“We’re told that Trump is quite comfortable with Pompeo,” the story says. The same piece says that Trump’s relationship with Tillerson is “broken beyond repair,” according to unnamed insiders. Earlier this week, Tillerson insisted he and Trump are on the same page on foreign policy, but did not deny calling the president a “moron” at a Pentagon meeting in July.\nDone with Pelosi: Rep. Linda Sanchez of California says it’s time for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and two top lieutenants to prepare to step down and make way for the next generation of lawmakers. The Washington Post says the comments by Sanchez, the fifth-ranking House Democrat, are the most explicit by a senior congressional Democrat about Pelosi’s political future. Pelosi faced a stronger-than-anticipated challenge to her leadership post last fall after Democrats failed to take back the House.\n“I do think it’s time to pass a torch to a new generation of leaders, and I want to be a part of that transition,” Sanchez said in an interview. She also said House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland and House Assistant Minority Leader James Clyburn of South Carolina should prepare to step down.\nDemocrats to give away Weinstein donations: The New York Times reports congressional Democrats began to give away some of the thousands of dollars in campaign contributions they have received from Harvey Weinstein, moving to distance themselves from the Hollywood producer after revelations he reached at least eight settlements with women accusing him of sexual harassment. Sens. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts each said they would transfer money to charity in amounts equal to donations they’d received from Weinstein. The donations ranged from $5,600 to $5,000. Other Democratic lawmakers were expected to follow suit Friday, the Times said.\nSee: As Harvey Weinstein is accused of ‘decades’ of sexual harassment, why such lawsuits haven’t fallen since the 1990s.\nWho encouraged Trump’s Twitter habit? President Trump’s first wife, Ivana, tells CBS in an interview airing Sunday that it was she who encouraged her ex-husband to use Twitter to bypass the media.\n“I said, ‘I think you should tweet. It’s a new way, a new technology,’” she said in a “CBS Sunday Morning” interview scheduled to air this weekend. Politico has more on Trump’s ex-wife, who said, “And if you want to get your words across rightly, without telling the New York Times, which is going to twist every single word of yours, this is how you get your message out.”\nOthers, meanwhile, are urging Trump to ease up. “Now is the time for President Trump to stop his insulting tweets,” Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, wrote in an op-ed for El Nuevo Dia. His piece was about aiding Puerto Rico.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron pledged on Tuesday to try to resolve U.S.-European differences on Iran but Trump gave no clear signal about whether he would carry out a threat to abandon an international nuclear deal with Tehran.\nAfter lengthy talks at the White House, Macron told a joint news conference with Trump that they had discussed “a new deal” that would strengthen the 2015 accord along the lines Trump wants, such as by addressing Iran’s expansion in the Middle East and its ballistic missile program.\nBut with a deadline on U.S. economic sanctions against Iran looming next month, it was unclear whether the two allies made substantial progress on the future of the nuclear deal, which the West sees as vital to preventing Iran from building a nuclear bomb.\nTrump continued his hostile rhetoric toward the nuclear deal, calling it terrible, ridiculous and insane and threatening Iran with repercussions should it restart its nuclear program.\n“If Iran threatens us in any way, they will pay a price like few countries have ever paid,” Trump said.\nTrump has until May 12 to decide whether to keep the United States in the agreement and is under strong European pressure to remain in it, with Macron saying that while imperfect it holds the best chance of containing Tehran.\nThe two leaders also discuss Syria with Macron urging Trump to keep U.S. forces there for the time being as bulwark against Iran and to ensure the defeat of Islamic State militants.\nTrump did not promise to leave the troops in Syria but made clear they would not be withdrawn imminently.\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron reaches out to U.S. President Donald Trump as he speaks during their joint news conference at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 24, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst\n“We want to come home. We’ll be coming home. But we want to leave a strong and lasting footprint,” Trump said.\nIran has said it will ramp up its nuclear program if the deal collapses and a senior Iranian official said on Tuesday that Tehran might quit a treaty designed to stop the spread of nuclear weapons if Trump scraps the agreement.\nUnder the deal, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear ambitions in return for relief from economic sanctions. Tehran says its nuclear program is only for peaceful means.\nTrump said he and Macron could have an agreement soon on the Iran deal. “We could have at least an agreement among ourselves very quickly. I think we’re fairly close to understanding each other.”\nTrump called the Iran agreement, struck between Iran and world powers, a “terrible deal” that was “insane” and “ridiculous” because it did not deal with ballistic missiles or Iran’s involvement in conflicts such as those in Yemen or Syria.\nSlideshow (19 Images)\nA U.S. withdrawal from the Iran agreement would raise tensions in an already volatile region, possibly prompting an arms race involving Saudi Arabia. Iran says its nuclear program is aimed only at peaceful purposes.\nPulling out of the Iran agreement would also raise questions over how Trump could coerce North Korea into giving up its nuclear weapons. Trump is trying to arrange a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in late May or early June.", "Sworn To Secrecy: Trump's History Of Using Nondisclosure Agreements\nEnlarge this image toggle caption Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images\nPresident Trump may have brought one of his favorite tools for dealing with staff in the business world with him into the White House: confidentiality agreements.\nAs a businessman, Trump routinely required employees to sign agreements promising not to reveal secrets of the Trump Organization. He did the same during his presidential campaign and the post-election transition period. And according to the Washington Post, Trump has imposed the same confidentiality requirements on some senior members of the White House staff.\nThe administration took issue with the Post's story, which cited a draft version of a nondisclosure agreement that included a $10 million penalty for violators.\nThat potential fine, at least, isn't correct, the White House said.\n\"While nondisclosure agreements are commonplace and common practice for previous administrations, I can say the report that staff were required or asked to sign $10 million nondisclosure agreements is not true,\" White House spokesman Hogan Gidley told reporters traveling on Air Force One. \"But past that, I can't get into security and obviously I can't get into that any further. \"\nGidley added that he had not personally been asked to sign an agreement.\n\"I've never seen one. I've never been asked to sign one. And I have never signed one,\" he said.\nAlthough nondisclosure agreements may be routinely used in the business world, critics say they have no place in the West Wing, where employees don't work for shareholders, but for the people of the United States.\n\"Public employees can't be gagged by private agreements,\" Ben Wizner of the ACLU's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project said in a statement. \"These so-called NDAs are unconstitutional and unenforceable.\"\nTrump has a long history of using nondisclosure agreements to protect secrets and discourage disparaging comments.\nIn 2013, he successfully sued a Miss Universe contestant for $5 million after she complained publicly that the beauty pageant was rigged. Two decades earlier, Trump sued his ex-wife Ivana for allegedly violating the confidentiality agreement surrounding their divorce. That case was ultimately settled.\nStephanie Clifford, an adult film actress who performs under the name Stormy Daniels, collected $130,000 in 2016 in exchange for her silence concerning an affair she allegedly had with Trump. Clifford's attorney has argued the agreement is nonbinding, but Trump's lawyer disagrees. Attorney Michael Cohen has argued that Clifford could need to pay at least $20 million in damages if she violates the agreement.\nAs he campaigned for president, Trump said he imagined requiring White House staffers to pledge their secrecy.\n\"When people are chosen by a man to go into government at high levels, and then they leave government and they write a book about a man and say a lot of things that were really guarded and personal — I don't like that,\" Trump told the Washington Post in 2016.\nReporter Bob Woodward asked Trump if he thought such agreements were \"airtight.\"\n\"I think they're extremely airtight,\" Trump said. \"Let's put it this way: it's so airtight that I've never had ... you know, I've never had a problem with this sort of thing.\"\nWoodward suggested it might be different in Washington.\n\"The taxpayers are paying the other people in the federal government,\" he said.\nFederal employees and contractors who work with classified information are routinely asked to sign nondisclosure agreements. There's even a standardized government form for it: Form 312.\nBut they're not always effective. A former Navy SEAL who took part in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden published a best-selling book about the operation. Threats of legal action by the Department of Defense only boosted readers' interest.\nCourts have sometimes refused to enforce nondisclosure agreements, especially in cases where the information sheds light on corporate behavior that might pose a threat to public health or safety.\n\"The idea was, this isn't something that a company should be able to — by contract — hide from the general public,\" said law professor Jodi Short of the University of California's Hastings College of the Law.\nShe added that nondisclosure agreements are generally governed by state law, so the rules can vary. But general principles of contract law dictate that employees can't be coerced into signing. And they must receive something of value in return for their silence, like the $130,000 paid to Clifford.\nA judge might be unwilling to nullify a nondisclosure agreement simply to satisfy public curiosity, Short said, if no broader health or safety issue were involved. But the power of such agreements to compel silence is limited.\n\"You don't get put in jail for breaking a contract,\" Short said. \"All you have to do is pay damages. If you have enough money to pay damages, then nobody can stop you.\"", "U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron pledged on Tuesday to try to resolve U.S.-European differences on Iran but Trump gave no clear signal about whether he would carry out a threat to abandon an international nuclear deal with Tehran.\nAfter lengthy talks at the White House, Macron told a joint news conference with Trump that they had discussed “a new deal” that would strengthen the 2015 accord along the lines Trump wants, such as by addressing Iran’s expansion in the Middle East and its ballistic missile program.\nBut with a deadline on U.S. economic sanctions against Iran looming next month, it was unclear whether the two allies made substantial progress on the future of the nuclear deal, which the West sees as vital to preventing Iran from building a nuclear bomb.\nTrump continued his hostile rhetoric toward the nuclear deal, calling it terrible, ridiculous and insane and threatening Iran with repercussions should it restart its nuclear program.\n“If Iran threatens us in any way, they will pay a price like few countries have ever paid,” Trump said.\nTrump has until May 12 to decide whether to keep the United States in the agreement and is under strong European pressure to remain in it, with Macron saying that while imperfect it holds the best chance of containing Tehran.\nThe two leaders also discuss Syria with Macron urging Trump to keep U.S. forces there for the time being as bulwark against Iran and to ensure the defeat of Islamic State militants.\nTrump did not promise to leave the troops in Syria but made clear they would not be withdrawn imminently.\n“We want to come home. We’ll be coming home. But we want to leave a strong and lasting footprint,” Trump said.\nIran has said it will ramp up its nuclear program if the deal collapses and a senior Iranian official said on Tuesday that Tehran might quit a treaty designed to stop the spread of nuclear weapons if Trump scraps the agreement.\nUnder the deal, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear ambitions in return for relief from economic sanctions. Tehran says its nuclear program is only for peaceful means.\nTrump said he and Macron could have an agreement soon on the Iran deal. “We could have at least an agreement among ourselves very quickly. I think we’re fairly close to understanding each other.”\nTrump called the Iran agreement, struck between Iran and world powers, a “terrible deal” that was “insane” and “ridiculous” because it did not deal with ballistic missiles or Iran’s involvement in conflicts such as those in Yemen or Syria.\nA U.S. withdrawal from the Iran agreement would raise tensions in an already volatile region, possibly prompting an arms race involving Saudi Arabia. Iran says its nuclear program is aimed only at peaceful purposes.\nPulling out of the Iran agreement would also raise questions over how Trump could coerce North Korea into giving up its nuclear weapons. Trump is trying to arrange a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in late May or early June.\nBanner/Thumbnail Credit: REUTERS, Jonathan Ernst", "Trump on Charlottesville: We Have to Respect and Ideally Love Each Other\nDavid Webb: White Nationalists and Radical Leftists Both Attacking Trump\nA Newsweek piece published last week attacked First Lady Melania Trump and first daughter Ivanka Trump for wearing high heels.\nIn the piece, which was titled \"Melania, Ivanka, and Ivana Trump Wear High Heels, a Symbol of Everything That Is Beautiful and Horrifying About Them,\" author Nina Burleigh wrote that high heels are out of fashion, but the Trump women still wear them.\nShe said that's because the they are primarily concerned with appearing attractive to men, not wearing comfortable footwear.\n“Historically, the Trumpian women’s shoe of choice was invented not for women but for aristocratic men, men who would never have to work, and who didn’t have to walk much but were carried in litters or carriages,” Burleigh wrote. “Paintings of Louis XIV, the Sun King, show him sporting red-soled heels, posing with one foot forward and pointed out— much like Ivana and Ivanka Trump in countless photographs over the years.”\nDershowitz: Trump Has 'More Credibility' Than Obama With North Korea\nDiamond and Silk: We Don't Like White Nationalists or Antifa\nLikewise, a recent piece in Forbes said that Melania Trump is fashionable, but she's unlikely to become a fashion icon like Michelle Obama.\n\"Becoming an icon is about more than just a pretty face and an international platform,\" author Rachelle Bergstein wrote, arguing that the current first lady sticks to a \"classic style\" while the former first lady \"captured the zeitgeist in fashion.\"\n\"Trump is gorgeous like an actress at the Oscars, with a dash of Real Housewife thrown in. She’s polished, but she’s not inspiring,\" Bergstein wrote.\nOn \"Fox & Friends,\" Steve Kurtz said the Trump women are \"fair game\" because of their association to President Trump.\n\"I think the general rule with first ladies is that they're off limits,\" Kurtz said. \"They're not elected, they're not setting public policy. You just leave them alone.\"\nHe said that has apparently changed and the rules are being rewritten for the Trump presidency.\n\"If Michelle Obama and Melania switched clothes ... I think they would still like Michelle's clothes and call her a fashion icon,\" Kurtz said. \"And they wouldn't really go for what Melania's wearing these days or anything. It doesn't really matter what.\"\nWatch more above.\nHerman Cain: John McCain Is the 'Biggest Bozo' in the Senate\nHuckabee: White Nationalist Riots Are 'Evil, Sinful, Disgusting Behavior'\nScott Baio: If Rosie O'Donnell Likes Kim Jong Un She Should Move to North Korea", "US president Donald Trump and French president Emmanuel Macron pledged on Tuesday to try to resolve US-European differences on Iran, but Trump gave no clear signal about whether he would carry out a threat to abandon an international nuclear deal with Tehran.\nAfter lengthy talks at the White House, Macron told a joint news conference with Trump that the two had discussed “a new deal” that would strengthen the 2015 Iran accord along Trump’s lines, such as by addressing Iran’s expansion in the Middle East and its ballistic missile programme.\nBut with a deadline on the US’s decision on whether to remain in the deal looming next month, it was unclear whether the two allies made substantial progress on the future of the agreement, which the West sees as vital to preventing Iran from building a nuclear bomb.\nTrump continued his hostile rhetoric toward the nuclear deal, calling it terrible, ridiculous and insane and threatening Iran with repercussions should it restart its nuclear programme.\n“If Iran threatens us in any way, they will pay a price like few countries have ever paid,” Trump said.\nTrump has until May 12th to decide whether to keep the US in the agreement and is under strong European pressure to remain in it, with Macron saying that, while imperfect, it holds the best chance of containing Tehran.\nThe two leaders also discussed Syria, with Macron urging Trump to keep US forces there for the time being as a bulwark against Iran and to ensure the defeat of Islamic State militants.\nTrump did not promise to leave the troops in Syria, but made clear they would not be withdrawn imminently.\n“We want to come home. We’ll be coming home. But we want to leave a strong and lasting footprint,” Trump said.\nIran threat\nIran has said it will ramp up its nuclear programme if the deal collapses and a senior Iranian official said on Tuesday that Tehran might quit a treaty designed to stop the spread of nuclear weapons if Trump scraps the agreement.\nUnder the deal, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear ambitions in return for relief from economic sanctions.\nUS president Donald Trump and French president Emmanuel Macron hold a joint press conference at the White House in Washington, DC. Photograph: Ludovic Marin/AFP/Getty Images\nTrump said he and Macron could have an agreement soon on the Iran deal. “We could have at least an agreement among ourselves very quickly. I think we’re fairly close to understanding each other.”\nTrump said the Iran agreement, struck between Iran and world powers, was a “terrible deal” that was “insane” and “ridiculous” because it did not deal with ballistic missiles or Iran’s involvement in conflicts such as those in Yemen and Syria.\nA US withdrawal from the Iran agreement would raise tensions in an already volatile Middle East, possibly prompting an arms race involving Saudi Arabia. Iran says its nuclear programme is aimed only at peaceful purposes.\nPulling out of the Iran agreement would also raise questions over how Trump could coerce North Korea into giving up its nuclear weapons.\nTrump is trying to arrange a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in late May or early June. – Reuters", "US President Donald Trump today brushed off what he said was \"dandruff\" from the coat of the visiting French counterpart Emanuel Macron.\nWhen Trump was spotted by reporters brushing something off Macron's suit coat, he said it was dandruff.\n\"We have a very special relationship, in fact I'll get that little piece of dandruff off,\" he said.\n\"We have to make him perfect -- he is perfect,\" Trump said.\nMacron is in the US for a three-day visit to the capital, which kicked off yesterday.\nAlso read Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron dine at historic Mount Vernon in Virginia\nTrump on Macron: “We have a very special relationship, in fact I’ll get that little piece of dandruff off…we have to make him perfect, he is perfect.” https://t.co/GGsfve3KYB pic.twitter.com/vzV2Dech86 — Dan Linden (@DanLinden) April 24, 2018\nU.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron pledged on Tuesday to try to resolve U.S.-European differences on Iran but Trump gave no clear signal about whether he would carry out a threat to abandon an international nuclear deal with Tehran.\nAfter lengthy talks at the White House, Macron told a joint news conference with Trump that they had discussed \"a new deal\" that would strengthen the 2015 accord along the lines Trump wants, such as by addressing Iran's expansion in the Middle East and its ballistic missile program.\nBut with a deadline on U.S. economic sanctions against Iran looming next month, it was unclear whether the two allies made substantial progress on the future of the nuclear deal, which the West sees as vital to preventing Iran from building a nuclear bomb.\nTrump continued his hostile rhetoric toward the nuclear deal, calling it terrible, ridiculous and insane and threatening Iran with repercussions should it restart its nuclear program.\n\"If Iran threatens us in any way, they will pay a price like few countries have ever paid,\" Trump said.\nTrump has until May 12 to decide whether to keep the United States in the agreement and is under strong European pressure to remain in it, with Macron saying that while imperfect it holds the best chance of containing Tehran.\nThe two leaders also discuss Syria with Macron urging Trump to keep U.S. forces there for the time being as bulwark against Iran and to ensure the defeat of Islamic State militants.\nTrump did not promise to leave the troops in Syria but made clear they would not be withdrawn imminently.\n\"We want to come home. We'll be coming home. But we want to leave a strong and lasting footprint,\" Trump said.\nIran has said it will ramp up its nuclear program if the deal collapses and a senior Iranian official said on Tuesday that Tehran might quit a treaty designed to stop the spread of nuclear weapons if Trump scraps the agreement.\nUnder the deal, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear ambitions in return for relief from economic sanctions. Tehran says its nuclear program is only for peaceful means.\nTrump said he and Macron could have an agreement soon on the Iran deal. \"We could have at least an agreement among ourselves very quickly. I think we're fairly close to understanding each other.\"\nTrump called the Iran agreement, struck between Iran and world powers, a \"terrible deal\" that was \"insane\" and \"ridiculous\" because it did not deal with ballistic missiles or Iran's involvement in conflicts such as those in Yemen or Syria.\nA U.S. withdrawal from the Iran agreement would raise tensions in an already volatile region, possibly prompting an arms race involving Saudi Arabia. Iran says its nuclear program is aimed only at peaceful purposes.\nPulling out of the Iran agreement would also raise questions over how Trump could coerce North Korea into giving up its nuclear weapons. Trump is trying to arrange a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in late May or early June.", "President Trump's eternally blonde bouffant was looking a bit more like a grey garden on Monday as he returned to Washington DC.\nThe Commander-in-Chief was photographed making his way across the South Lawn from Marine One to the Oval Office early in the morning, with a large patch of white roots clearly visible in his champagne-colored coif.\nThere was no change however to the styling of President Trump's hair, who combed over his dome with some of the lengthy locks on the side of his head, then folded up and tucked away the rest with an origami-like precision that gave them the appearance of a paper crane.\nWhite walker: President Trump was seen with some lengthy white roots on Monday morning (above)\nWhite house and hair: The white roots were close to two inches long, suggesting that President Trump has not dyed his hair in some time\nGo for the gold: Trump began dying his hair blond at the turn of the century, and has gone lighter as his skin gets darker (above in December with is normal blond locks)\nThe emergence of these colorless tresses and their assault on the very specific hue of Trump-Tower gold that is favored by The Donald comes on the same day he had to cancel plans to visit his New York City home for the first time since his inauguration and instead return early to the White House.\nIt has now been 17 years since President Trump first went blond at the turn of the century, and he has gone lighter and lighter recently as his skin gets darker and darker.\nIt is a no fuss process too, with the First Lady reportedly in charge of freshening up and coloring her husband's locks.\nIn a 2004 interview with Playboy, President Trump stated that only Melania trims his hair, a claim that a former hairdresser who worked with the businessman was quick to confirm in an interview last year.\n'He does it himself. It is real and it is his hair – he doesn’t have plugs,' Amy Lasch told the Mirror.\n'When I looked at the back of his hair I could tell it was not a hairdresser cutting it. It was scary. It was just cut in a straight line.'\nLasch had worked with President Trump in the early and mid-aughts on the set of 'The Apprentice.'\nCarefully crafted: Trump used some of his long locks to cover the dome of his head and folded the rest up like an origami paper crane on the side of his head (above)\nChampagne chignon: President Trump's hair looked blonde from the front, with the white hidden away (above)\nGrey garden: The side part however revealed a large swath of white hair (above)\n'The color was so inconsistent. It was not done correctly. They just colored the top and did not color what was ­underneath properly,' added Lasch.\n'It was someone in his inner-circle who was cutting and coloring his hair. His wife or maybe his daughter.'\nThat task was likely not required of previous wives Ivana Trump and Marla Maples, who were married to Trump during his brunette years.\nPresident Trump previously stated that he would likely let his hair go if he was elected, due to the demanding nature of the position.\nIn one of his first speeches after announcing his candidacy back in June 2015, he said that he would maintain his hair differently if he made it to the Oval Office while fielding questions from an audience in Iowa.\n'I would probably comb my hair back. Why? Because this thing is too hard to comb,' said the then-longshot in the 17-candidate Republican primary.\n'I wouldn't have time, because if I were in the White House, I'd be working my a** off.'", "In today’s film news roundup, “Detective Pikachu” gets a release date, T.C. Boyle’s “The Relive Box” is being turned into a movie, and Dimitri Thivaios is cast in “Rise of the Living Dead.”\nRELEASE DATE\nLegendary Entertainment’s live-action “Detective Pikachu” has been set for a May 10, 2019, release.\nThe film, based on the Pokémon franchise, will star Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith (“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”), and Kathryn Newton (“Big Little Lies”). Rob Letterman will direct.\nUniversal Pictures will handle distribution outside Japan. Toho will distribute in Japan, as it has done in its partnership with Legendary on the blockbuster monster reboot “Godzilla.”\nPROJECT UNVEILED\nCondé Nast Entertainment is developing the feature film “The Relive Box,” based on T.C. Boyle’s short story in the New Yorker about a tech device that allows you to relive your past.\nDaniel Arsham is making his feature directorial debut and Chai Hecht (“Unorthodox”) is writing the screenplay based on the short story written by Boyle. Dawn Ostroff and Jeremy Steckler of CNE will produce. Hunter Ryan and David Ryan will produce and finance the film through their company, Lost Lodge Productions.\nBoyle’s story explores modern-day society’s reliance on technology in this story about a single father morally challenged by tech’s endless possibilities and the opportunity to change his life. The premise is set in the not-too-distant future, where one of the founders of America’s largest tech company becomes addicted to a prototype of the company’s newest product — a device that lets you relive your past. His growing obsession threatens his relationship with his teenage daughter\nArsham said, “In my visual art practice, I have often explored ways to manipulate time. To compress it, to stretch it, and to dislocate audiences from this particular moment in time. I look forward to bringing these notions to life with ‘The Relive Box.'”\nBoyle has published 26 novels and more than 100 short stories since the 1970s. “The Relive Box” is the title story of a new collection published in October 2017 by the Ecco imprint of HarperCollins.\nCondé Nast Entertainment, Arsham, Hecht, and Boyle are all represented by CAA. Hecht is also repped by Madhouse Entertainment and attorney David Fox of Myman Greenspan. Boyle is also represented by Georges Borchardt.\nCASTING\nDimitri Thivaios from the electronic duo Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike has become the first actor cast for George C. Romero’s film “Rise of the Living Dead,” the prequel to his father’s horror film, “Night of the Living Dead.”\nThivaios made the announcement on his Facebook page. He was cast alongside his brother Like Mike in the upcoming “Gangsta: The Movie” by Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah.\nThivaios took a voiceover role for the Belgian version of Disney’s “Big Hero 6” and will reprise his role in the 2018 follow-up TV series.", "POLITIFACT EXPOSED:\nYou see how this works? PolitiFact’s main mission is to “fact check”–i.e., contest–anything that President Trump says. They know they have a credibility problem, since they have been convicted of liberal bias more times than anyone can count. So they seek to burnish their non-partisan credentials by adding a Democrat and a Republican to their team. The Democrat was the more or less insane hyper-partisan Alan Grayson, while the “Republican” was “a prominent…critic of U.S. President Donald Trump.” This is what PolitiFact calls objectivity: it employs both Democrat and “Republican” critics of Donald Trump.", "US President Donald Trump pilloried the Iran nuclear deal as \"insane\" Tuesday and threatened \"problems\" if Tehran restarts controversial programs, exposing a deep rift with European allies.\nHosting French President Emmanuel Macron in the Oval Office, Trump punctured a carefully choreographed display of trans-Atlantic camaraderie with an angry tirade against the three-year old nuclear accord.\nThe US leader groused that the agreement -- inked by the United States, Iran, Europe, Russia and China -- does nothing to tackle Tehran's ballistic missiles program or support for militant groups across the Middle East.\n\"People know my views on the Iran deal. It was a terrible deal. It should have never ever been made,\" Trump railed. \"It's insane. It's ridiculous.\"\nThe agreement, still backed by Europe, gave Iran massive sanctions relief and the guarantee of a civilian nuclear program in return for curbs on programs that could be used to develop a nuke.\nIt did not tackle western complains about Iran's ballistic missile programs or support for militant groups across the Middle East.\nTrump faces a May 12 deadline to decide on the fate of the accord and is demanding changes that European capitals believe would represent a legal breach.\nIran, meanwhile, has warned it will ramp up enrichment activities if Trump walks away from the accord, prompting Trump to issue a blunt warning.\n\"They're not going to be restarting anything. If they restart it, they're going to have big problems, bigger than they ever had before. And you can mark it down,\" he said.\nMacron is visiting Washington, in part, to convince Trump not to walk away from the deal and scuttle years-worth of hard won diplomatic gains.\n\"The Iran deal is an important issue but we have to take a far broader picture which is security in the overall region,\" he said Tuesday at the White House.\n\"What we want to do is to contain Iran and its presence in the region.\"\nFor months American and European officials have been working behind the scenes to trying to find a compromise over Trump's demands to change the agreement.\nOfficials have toyed with the idea of a separate joint declaration: promising to tackle non-nuclear issues, while searching for a tougher successor agreement.\nThe challenge, they say, is to find a solution that allows the mercurial US president to claim a public victory, while keeping the deal intact.\nMore hawkish American officials accuse Europeans -- particularly Germany -- of putting business interests ahead of security, and of opposing a tougher stance against Iran to safeguard investments in the Islamic Republic.", "A Dutch model has died in mysterious circumstances in Malaysia amid reports she plunged from a 20th floor apartment after a party.\nIvana Smit, 18, was found dead on a sixth floor balcony of the Persiaran Capsquare block in Kuala Lumpur's Jalan Dang Wangi district and was not wearing any clothes.\nPolice insist there were 'no criminal elements' to the young model's death, but her devastated family has demanded an investigation.\nDutch model Ivana Smit has died in mysterious circumstances in Malaysia amid reports she plunged from a 20th floor apartment\nIvana Smit, 18, was found dead on a sixth floor balcony of the Persiaran Capsquare block in Kuala Lumpur's Jalan Dang Wangi district and was not wearing any clothes\nPolice insist there were 'no criminal elements' to the young model's death, but her devastated family has demanded an investigation\nThe model's body was found at the Persiaran Capsquare block in Kuala Lumpur's Jalan Dang Wangi district\nThe teenager, who had worked in fashion shows for Chanel and other brands, had been partying but reportedly returned to the flat at 5am last Thursday.\nBut several hours later her dead body was found naked after allegedly falling from the balcony and landing on the sixth floor of the block.\nPolice said there were 'no criminal elements' to the death but Ivana's devastated father along with his wife and son have now arrived in the country and contacted Interpol to demand a full probe into the incident.\nIvana's grandfather Fredrik Smit, who has lived in Penang, Malaysia, for over two decades and raised Ivana as a child there, said today: 'We cannot believe she fell from level 20 and the body was found at level 6.\nThe teenager, who had worked in fashion shows for Chanel and other brands, had been partying but returned to the flat at 5am last Thursday\n'She was found there naked. Where are her shoes and underwear?\nHe added: 'We believe there is a criminal element in Ivana's death. Of course we don't believe the story from the police because they can't give us photographs or a report from the scene. Ivana's father has contacted the Dutch ambassador and Interpol.'\nIvana's father Marcel Smit claims Ivana sent her boyfriend a message and selfie at 7.25am before she was found dead around seven hours later last Thursday afternoon at around 2 or 3pm.\nHe told Dutch media: 'At about 10am she would have fallen from the balcony at 20 floors high. How is that possible? It is strange that she was not found until 3pm.\n'She is tall, 1.81 meters, but the barrier is also 1.20 meters. Only when you bend over, do you fall off. She did not fall and did not jump either.'\nIvana's father Marcel Smit claims Ivana sent her boyfriend a message and selfie at 7.25am before she was found dead around seven hours later last Thursday afternoon at around 2 or 3pm\nIvana (pictured) had first moved to Malaysia 13 years ago and lived with her grandfather Fredrik\nMarcel claims that police want to 'close the case quickly' and that neighbours heard 'shouts and an argument'.\nAccording to Ivana's family, alcohol and ecstasy have allegedly been found in the blood of his daughter.\nThe model's uncle Fred Agenjo said: 'Those are not drugs that you're going to sleep on.\n'There are so many questions. Her clothes have been found, but her shoes and underwear are not.\n'The police do not look at her mobile phone. The police do not want to say whether the drugs were taken when they were alive. We want a full investigation.'\nIvana had first moved to Malaysia 13 years ago and lived with her grandfather Fredrik.\nShe was the second runner-up in Malaysia Supermodel Search 2014 and a leading model in the country.\nDang Wangi police chief Assistant Commissioner Shaharuddin Abdullah said the case was 'sudden death' and appealed for more information from witnesses.\nHe said: 'Our investigations so far and the post-mortem report show no elements of foul play.'", "In his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, President Donald Trump called the Iran nuclear deal \"insane\" and \"ridiculous.\" He's threatened to pull out of the agreement in the past, calling it an \"embarrassment.\" Critics argue the Iran nuclear deal was a diplomatic debacle -- Iran has a history of noncompliance and no one is convinced the deal actually prevents a nuclear Iran. But many world leaders, including Macron, believe the deal is necessary to avoid proliferation and maintain a hard line in any future talks with North Korea. What do you think?\nPERSPECTIVES\nDuring his meeting with French President Macron, Trump blasted the Iran nuclear deal and also threatened Tehran would have \"big problems -- bigger than they've ever had before\" if it chose to restart its nuclear program.\n\"It was insane. Ridiculous. It should have never been made,\" Trump said, warning Iran: \"If they restart their nuclear program, they will have bigger problems than they've ever had before.\"\nMany are hoping Macron will be able to dissuade Trump from dissolving the Iran deal during his visit, but Trump's latest comments aren't promising.\nMacron interjected that the nuclear deal \"is an important issue,\" adding: \"But we have to take it as part of the broader picture, which is security in the overall region.\"\nAfter giving a speech at the U.N. that was deeply critical of the agreement, experts worried Trump would withdraw from the deal without considering the serious repercussions.\nZack Beauchamp outlines in Vox the potential outcomes that could come about if Trump chose to sabotage the Iran Nuclear Deal. Beauchamp believes the deal would only put the U.S. in a weaker position to monitor Iran's nuclear proliferation. Beauchamp also points out that, thus far, Iran has complied with the terms of the deal, so punishing a country for honoring their side of the deal would be unwise.\nThe president himself has not publicly offered a detailed policy case for decertification beyond general calls to renegotiate the deal's terms, nor are there any reports of him doing so privately. Experts don't see any signs that he's particularly well-versed in the arguments.\nDecertification does not formally end the Iran deal -- but it creates serious threats to its continued existence... What's certain is that decertification would create a crisis in US-Iranian relations, as it would be the first concrete step the Trump administration has taken towards attempting to renegotiate or cancel the nuclear agreement.\nBut Trump is not alone in his criticism of the Iran deal. When the agreement was first reached in 2015, Republicans tried to kill the deal, and 47 Republican senators actually sent a letter to Iranian leadership in an attempt to undercut Iran's negotiations with the Obama administration.\nSince Trump took office, many conservatives have urged him to abandon the deal. Jonathan S. Tobin of the National Review encouraged the president to \"ignore experts\" and trust his \"instincts\" when it comes to foreign policy, arguing the Iran deal does nothing to actually prevent the possibility of a nuclear Iran.\nTrump should ignore their arguments and those inside the administration who are echoing them. It's wise to have some skepticism about experts' opinions; their consensus can have little to do with achieving the goals they're tasked with accomplishing. But the problem is not only that the deal was a bad one. It's also that plenty of experts place more value on diplomacy per se -- getting a piece of paper signed and then defending its value -- than on the conviction that diplomacy will stop Iran from getting a bomb.\nThe Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Digital, Inc. property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say.", "March 30 Gold prices held steady on Thursday, supported by uncertainties on the impact of Britain's departure from the European Union, U.S. policy under President Donald Trump and French elections, but at the same time capped by a stronger dollar. FUNDAMENTALS * Spot gold was down 0.1 percent at $1,251.22 per ounce, as of 0059 GMT. U.S. gold futures eased 0.2 percent to $1,250.9. * The dollar index was up 0.1 percent at 100.07. * The dollar hovered near a one-week high against a basket of currencies on Thursday, buoyed by a weaker euro which sagged as prospects of the European Central Bank stepping away from monetary easing faded. * Prime Minister Theresa May formally began Brexit - Britain's divorce from the European Union - on Wednesday, declaring there was no turning back and ushering in a tortuous exit process that will test the bloc's cohesion and pitch her country into the unknown. * The U.S. Federal Reserve will raise interest rates at least twice this year, and possibly up to four times - although that would require an improvement in fundamentals, Chicago Fed President Charles Evans said on Wednesday * With the U.S. economy having now \"largely attained\" a full recovery from recession, the Fed can raise interest rates three or more times this year, a centrist Fed policymaker said on Wednesday. * Wall Street has tempered its expectations for sweeping U.S. tax cuts in the wake of President Donald Trump's stinging healthcare defeat, a move that could push investors to embrace cheaper global stocks after the heady U.S. rally of recent months. * Former Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Wednesday he would vote for Emmanuel Macron in France's presidential election, becoming the biggest Socialist Party name to turn his back on its official candidate and support the centrist instead. * El Salvador's Congress on Wednesday approved a law prohibiting all metal mining projects in a bid to protect the poor Central American country's environment and natural resources. * The decoupling of a pipeline at Barrick Gold Corp's Veladero mine in Argentina on Tuesday posed no threat to the environment, the company said in a statement on Wednesday while local authorities investigated the incident. The rupture of the pipe carrying gold and silver solution was reported to the mining ministry of San Juan province late on Tuesday. * Polyus , Russia's largest gold producer, may hold a secondary share offering in Moscow in the near future, Yuri Soloviev, first deputy president of VTB bank, said on Wednesday. DATA AHEAD GMT0900 Euro zone Business climate Mar0900 Euro zone Consumer confidence Mar1200 Germany Consumer prices Mar1230 U.S. GDP Final Q41230 U.S. Weekly jobless claims (Reporting by Arpan Varghese in BENGALURU; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)", "US President Donald Trump faces a May 12 deadline to decide on the fate of the Iran accord\nUS President Donald Trump pilloried the Iran nuclear deal as \"insane\" Tuesday and threatened \"problems\" if Tehran restarts controversial programs, exposing a deep rift with European allies.\nHosting French President Emmanuel Macron in the Oval Office, Trump punctured a carefully choreographed display of trans-Atlantic camaraderie with an angry tirade against the three-year old nuclear accord.\nThe US leader groused that the agreement -- inked by the United States, Iran, Europe, Russia and China -- does nothing to tackle Tehran's ballistic missiles program or support for militant groups across the Middle East.\n\"People know my views on the Iran deal. It was a terrible deal. It should have never ever been made,\" Trump railed. \"It's insane. It's ridiculous.\"\nThe agreement, still backed by Europe, gave Iran massive sanctions relief and the guarantee of a civilian nuclear program in return for curbs on programs that could be used to develop a nuke.\nIt did not tackle western complains about Iran's ballistic missile programs or support for militant groups across the Middle East.\nTrump faces a May 12 deadline to decide on the fate of the accord and is demanding changes that European capitals believe would represent a legal breach.\nIran, meanwhile, has warned it will ramp up enrichment activities if Trump walks away from the accord, prompting Trump to issue a blunt warning.\n\"They're not going to be restarting anything. If they restart it, they're going to have big problems, bigger than they ever had before. And you can mark it down,\" he said.\nMacron is visiting Washington, in part, to convince Trump not to walk away from the deal and scuttle years-worth of hard won diplomatic gains.\n\"The Iran deal is an important issue but we have to take a far broader picture which is security in the overall region,\" he said Tuesday at the White House.\n\"What we want to do is to contain Iran and its presence in the region.\"\nFor months American and European officials have been working behind the scenes to trying to find a compromise over Trump's demands to change the agreement.\nOfficials have toyed with the idea of a separate joint declaration: promising to tackle non-nuclear issues, while searching for a tougher successor agreement.\nThe challenge, they say, is to find a solution that allows the mercurial US president to claim a public victory, while keeping the deal intact.\nMore hawkish American officials accuse Europeans -- particularly Germany -- of putting business interests ahead of security, and of opposing a tougher stance against Iran to safeguard investments in the Islamic Republic.", "SHANGHAI (AP) — The Chinese government has granted preliminary approval for nine Donald Trump trademarks it had previously rejected, in whole or in part, The Associated Press found, a turn that is likely to fuel further allegations that Beijing may be giving the president’s family business special treatment.\nTrump’s decision to retain ownership of his global branding empire has sparked criticism over perceived conflicts of interest and three lawsuits, including one filed Wednesday by nearly 200 Democrats in Congress, which allege violations of a constitutional prohibition against accepting gifts from foreign governments. Trademarks lie at the heart of these complaints because they are granted by foreign states and can be enormously valuable — whether they are intended as groundwork for future business activity or defensive measures to protect a brand from squatters.\nPublicly available records do not indicate why the nine applications were initially rejected, or why the trademarks were then granted provisional approval eight to 15 weeks later.\n“The speed with which these appeals were decided is mind-blowing,” said Matthew Dresden, an intellectual property attorney at Harris Bricken in Seattle. “I have never seen any decisions made that quickly. That suggests special treatment. But that’s just procedural. Substantively, it’s impossible to say whether any of this is unusual.”\nChina’s Trademark Office did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.\nThe new provisional approvals further shore up the president’s brand in China, conferring potential rights to the use of Chinese versions of his name for beauty salon services, socks, human resources consulting and advertising, among other things, and the Trump brand, in English, for jewelry and watch repair. If there are no objections, the marks will be formally registered after 90 days.\nChina has also granted formal approval for dozens of Trump trademarks in the last few weeks, bring to 39 the total number of official registrations China has given the Trump family business since President Trump took office, according to records from China’s Trademark Office. Those marks include branded spa and massage services, golf clubs, hotels, insurance, finance and real estate companies, restaurants, bars, and a trademark class that covers bodyguards, social escorts, and concierge services, according to Chinese records.\nYou Yunting, a partner at DeBund Law Offices in Shanghai, said it’s not unusual for trademark rejections to be overturned on appeal. China’s Trademark Office database contained no indication Trump’s lawyers had appealed the trademark rejections, but said it can take months for such actions to be publicly noted. If the initial denial was only partial, some elements of the applications can move forward without an appeal, in which case reversals can be swift.\n“Considering the political element, the authorities are definitely not going to admit special treatment, but the possibility cannot be excluded,” You said. “Even if the Trademark Office helped Trump, it would be very difficult to find the wrongdoing on the surface.”\nChina has defended its handling of trademarks belonging to the president and his daughter, Ivanka Trump, who has also been expanding her collection of Chinese trademarks , as fair and in line with Chinese law.\nIvanka Trump’s brand has won provisional approval for at least seven new trademarks since she took on an official role at the White House.\nThe Trump Organization now has at least 125 trademarks in China formally or provisionally approved, according to Chinese public records. Just four were invalidated, back in 2013. Three more have been rejected, with appeals pending, and one application is dead, according to China’s Trademark Office database.\nThree applications were subsequently split so the number of individual trademark decisions is slightly higher than the number of applications in Chinese records.\nTrump Organization lawyer Alan Garten said the company has made aggressive efforts to defend its brand in China, “a haven for trademark infringement,” and has made no effort to use Donald Trump’s political career to influence Chinese trademark officials.\n“The Company has not authorized anyone to discuss and is not aware of anyone having discussed Donald J. Trump’s status as either a presidential candidate, President-elect or President of the United States with any representative of the Chinese government in charge of or with the authority to grant trademarks,” Garten wrote in a June 9 letter to eight Democratic senators who have raised conflict-of-interest questions about the president’s ongoing China trademarking activity.\nThe data Garten gave to Congress in that letter, however, is at odds with public records in China.\nGarten wrote that the company had filed 117 trademark applications in China and said that while some trademarks had been granted provisional approval none have been formally registered since 2015.\nBut China trademark records indicate that from Feb. 14 through June 7, 39 trademarks were registered. In addition, the public database lists a total of 126 trademark applications made by Donald J. Trump and four applications in the name of his company, DTTM Operations LLC.\nGarten said in an email that ownership of 122 Chinese trademarks had been transferred to DTTM Operations in January. He cautioned that China’s trademark database can be unreliable. He added that the 117 count does not include trademarks Donald Trump applied for more than a decade ago using the name of his ex-wife, Ivana Trump, as a brand. And he said it also excludes trademarks for the Trump Organization’s new Scion brand of hotels.\n“That database is not frequently updated and is widely known to contain a multitude of inaccuracies,” he said in an email.\n(Copyright (c) 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)", "Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email\nA successful teenage model fell to her death in the nude after allegedly plunging off the balcony of a 20th floor apartment while at a party.\nDutch national Ivana Smit, 18, has been a well-known model in Malaysia for the past five years after she moved to the country with relatives when she was five-years-old.\nShe had reportedly been partying and had visited the 20th floor apartment of a man and his wife at 5am last Thursday.\nBut several hours later Ivana's dead body was found naked after she fell - landing on another balcony on the sixth floor of the block of apartments in the Jalan Dang Wangi district of the city.\nPolice said there were \"no criminal elements\" to the death but Ivana’s devastated father along with his wife and son have now arrived in the country and contacted Interpol to demand an investigation\nIvana’s grandfather Hendrik Smit, who has lived in Penang, Malaysia, for over two decades and raised Ivana as a child there, said today: \"We cannot believe she fell from level 20 and the body was found at level 6.\n(Image: Viral Press)\n(Image: Viral Press)\n\"She was found there naked. Where are her shoes and underwear? We believe there is a criminal element in Ivana’s death.\n\"Of course we don't believe the story from the police because they can't give us photographs or a report from the scene. Ivana’s father has contacted the Dutch ambassador and Interpol.\"\nIvana’s father Marcel Smit claims Ivana, who had worked in fashion shows for Chanel and other brands, sent her boyfriend a message and selfie at 7.25am before she was found dead around seven hours later last Thursday afternoon at around 2pm or 3 pm.\nHe told Dutch media: \"At about 10am she would have fallen from the balcony at 20 floors high. How is that possible? It is strange that she was not found until 3pm.\n\"She is tall, 1.81 metres, but the barrier [on the balcony] is also 1.2 metres. Only when you bend over, do you fall off. She did not fall and did not jump either.\"\n(Image: Viral Press)\n(Image: Viral Press)\nAccording to Ivana’s family, alcohol and ecstasy were allegedly been found in her blood.\nThe model’s uncle Fred Agenjo said: \"Those are not drugs that you're going to sleep on.\n\"There are so many questions. Her clothes have been found, but her shoes and underwear are not.\n\"The police do not look at her mobile phone. The police do not want to say whether the drugs were taken when she was alive. We want a full investigation.\"\n(Image: Viral Press)\n(Image: Viral Press)\nIvana had first moved to Malaysia 13 years ago and lived with her grandfather Fredrik. She was the second runner-up in Malaysia Supermodel Search 2014 and a leading model in the country.\nDang Wangi police chief Assistant Commissioner Shaharuddin Abdullah said the case was \"sudden death\" and appealed for more information from witnesses.\nHe said: \"Our investigations so far and the post-mortem report show no elements of foul play.\"", "President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Iran against threatening the United States ahead of his planned decision on the Iran nuclear deal in May, suggesting to reporters he would be open to attacking the country.\n“If Iran threatens us in any way, they will pay a price like few countries have ever paid,” Trump said in a joint press conference Tuesday with French President Emmanuel Macron.\nThe ominous remark came as Macron lobbied Trump to remain in the landmark 2015 agreement, which Trump has trashed as “one of the most incompetent ever made.”\nTrump continued U.S. participation in the accord in January, but promised to “withdraw from the deal immediately” if what he described as “flaws” in the agreement weren’t fixed.\n“This is a last chance,” Trump said at the time. “In the absence of such an agreement, the United States will not again waive sanctions in order to stay in the Iran nuclear deal.”\nAccording to CNN, Trump appears poised to pull the U.S. out of the deal — something Iran has promised would come with “severe consequences.”\nBut Macron — who is in Washington, D.C., for three days as the guest of the first official state visit of Trump’s presidency — is urging him to remain in and build on the deal. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to do the same when she visits D.C. on Friday. British Prime Minister Theresa May will also push Trump to stay in the agreement before his mid-May deadline.\n“It’s going to be tough”\nPresident Donald Trump leads French President Emmanuel Macron to the Oval Office during a state visit Tuesday. Pool/Getty Images\nIt’s not clear if Trump will listen, though.\n“I think it’s going to be tough,” William Hartung, director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy, said in a phone interview with Mic on Tuesday. “We’re probably in the most difficult spot we’ve been in [for the future of the deal].”\nTrump in January called for the deal to allow “immediate inspections” by the U.S.; to “ensure that Iran never even comes close to possessing a nuclear weapon”; to ensure the deal lasts “forever”; and to stipulate that both nuclear testing and long-range missile testing be “subject to severe sanctions.”\nBut Iran has said it will “make no measure beyond its [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] commitments and will make no changes in the nuclear deal neither now nor in the future.”\nMeanwhile, according to Hartung, Trump’s hiring of John Bolton as national security adviser and nomination of Mike Pompeo as secretary of state has further jeopardized the deal’s future.\n“Given Pompeo and Bolton, it makes it very difficult” to picture Trump remaining in the deal, Hartung said. “I think Bolton is almost allergic to any form of arms control, and Pompeo has been a hawk on Iran.”\nStill, Macron has a unique chemistry with Trump, who demonstrated a strong affinity for the French president during their appearances at the White House on Tuesday.\n“I like him a lot,” Trump said at the White House press conference Tuesday. “I think a lot of good things are going to come out of our meeting.”\nIn his remarks, Macron said he and Trump had “very frank discussions” on Iran and expressed interest in working toward “a new deal” to address the country’s nuclear program.\n“This is the only way to bring about stability,” he said in French.\nUnder the current deal, which was struck by former President Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in 2015, the U.S. agreed to lift sanctions preventing Iran from accessing tens of billions of dollars in assets held in foreign banks in exchange for the country reducing its number of uranium enrichment centrifuges and shrinking its uranium stockpile by 98%.\nMacron indicated Tuesday that the terms of the accord could be strengthened under a “new deal,” but has said the 2015 agreement is currently the best way to contain Iran.\n“For nuclear, what do you have as a better option?” Macron said Sunday on Fox News, which Trump watches religiously. “I don’t see it. What is the what-if scenario or your plan B? I don’t have any plan B for nuclear against Iran.”\nIran, for its part, has said it would consider “resuming at a much greater speed our nuclear activities” if the U.S. left the deal.\n“Obviously the rest of the world cannot ask us to unilaterally and one-sidedly implement a deal that has already been broken,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told CBS News on Sunday.\nThough Hartung believes such warnings are Iran’s attempts to pressure the U.S. to stay, Trump pulling out would be a “senseless” move that could make it “easier for Iran to get a nuclear weapon.”\nTrump suggested Tuesday it would be possible to strike a deal.\n“We could have at least an agreement among ourselves very quickly,” Trump said. “I think we’re fairly close to understanding each other.”\nBut he also trashed the current deal as “insane” and said it “should have never been made.”\n“Nobody knows what I’m going to do on the 12th, although Mr. President, you have a pretty good idea,” Trump said during his joint press conference with Macron. “But we’ll see.”", "BENGALURU (Reuters) - Gold edged up early on Thursday from a near three-week low hit in the previous session, as Asian stocks fell on a report that U.S. President Donald Trump is being investigated for possible obstruction of justice.\nFUNDAMENTALS\n* Spot gold rose 0.2 percent to $1,263.70 per ounce by 0107 GMT.\n* U.S. gold futures for August delivery fell 0.8 percent to $1,265.90 per ounce.\n* Spot gold hit a session low of $1,256.65 on Wednesday, its weakest since May 26 after the U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the second time in three months.\n* U.S. stock futures dipped and Asian shares were on the defensive on Thursday with MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan dipping 0.3 percent. [MKTS/GLOB]\n* Trump is being investigated by special counsel Robert Mueller for possible obstruction of justice, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday, citing unidentified officials.\n* The Fed raised interest rates on Wednesday for the second time in three months and said it would begin cutting its holdings of bonds and other securities this year, signalling its confidence in a growing U.S. economy and strengthening job market.\n* However, U.S. consumer prices unexpectedly fell in May and retail sales recorded their biggest drop in 16 months, suggesting a softening in domestic demand that could limit the Fed's ability to continue raising interest rates this year.\n* Wall Street's top banks brought forward their expectations for when they think the Fed will begin reducing its $4.5 trillion bond portfolio to as early September, and see balance sheet reduction as more of a priority than another interest rate rise, a Reuters poll showed.\n* British Prime Minister Theresa May edged closer to clinching a deal to stay in power with the support of Northern Irish kingmakers on Wednesday, but faced a battle over Brexit just days before divorce talks are due to begin.\n* CME raised palladium futures NYMEX (PA) initial margins for speculators by 12.5 percent to $4,950 per contract from $4,400, effective after close of business on Thursday.\n* Holdings in SPDR Gold Trust , the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, fell 1.40 percent to 854.87 tonnes on Wednesday. [GOL/ETF]\n(Reporting by Nithin Prasad in Bengaluru; Editing by Richard Pullin)", "LONDON, March 28 Stocks recovered while the dollar rose off four-month lows on Tuesday as anxiety over Donald Trump's setback on healthcare reform gave way to tentative hopes for the U.S. president's planned stimulus policies.\nHopes that the Trump administration will now prioritize tax reforms coupled with still-robust economic data and corporate earnings forecasts spurred some investors to look past creeping doubts about Trump’s ability to deliver on campaign promises.\nEurope's STOXX 600 rose 0.4 percent helped by financials and pharmaceutical stocks.\nThe dollar index against a basket of major currencies edged up 0.1 percent to 99.252, after plumbing a trough of 98.858 overnight, its lowest level since Nov. 11.\n\"Risky asset markets have rebounded from yesterday’s opening low, supporting our view of the current market setback as a risk pause and not a turning point towards generally lower risk valuations,\" analysts at Morgan Stanley said in a note to clients.\nThe Trump administration's failure to undo Obamacare raised concern among investors that planned tax reforms face a rockier road though Congress. The White House said it would take the lead in crafting legislation to overhaul the tax code, adding: \"We're going to work with Congress on this.\"\nMorgan Stanley said that given some of the savings that were to come from replacing Obamacare would be lost, the upcoming tax reform may turn out to be a smaller package or result in a higher fiscal deficit.\nU.S. stock futures were up 0.1 percent.\nThe dollar steadied after its worst week since Trump’s election after talk of more rises in Federal Reserve interest rates this year.\n\"Clearly we shouldn't forget we are going to see at least two more hikes by the Fed this year and that there is still the potential for the next one to be pulled forward to June,\" said CIBC strategist Jeremy Stretch.\nSterling edged up a notch, trading within a narrow range as Britain prepared to start formal divorce proceedings with the European Union on Wednesday.\nIn emerging markets, the South African rand and government bonds extended losses after Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan was ordered home by the president, triggering speculation of an imminent cabinet reshuffle.\nRecent weakness in the dollar underpinned crude oil prices though persistent worries about oversupply kept gains in check.\nPrices for front-month Brent crude futures, the international benchmark for oil, were up 0.6 percent. In the United States, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 0.7 percent. (Additional reporting by Patrick Graham; editing by Richard Lough)" ]

[ "New Mexico's Governor is Republican Susana Martinez. The next election will be held in 2014." ]

[ "Susana Martinez-Governor of the State of New Mexico. In 2010, Susana Martinez was elected governor of the State of New Mexico. She became New Mexico’s first female governor and the first Hispanic female elected governor in the history of the United States. She was named by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the world in 2013, one of only two governors who made the list.", "New Mexico Colleges and Universities: New Mexico Department of Education : New Mexico Governor (Gov. Susana Martinez) New Mexico State Government Web Site: New Mexico State Symbols", "President of the SenateWhen the New Mexico State Legislature is in regular, special, or extraordinary session, Lieutenant Governor Sanchez presides over the State Senate.Lieutenant Governor Sanchez has presided over all Legislative Sessions since assuming office in 2011.resident of the SenateWhen the New Mexico State Legislature is in regular, special, or extraordinary session, Lieutenant Governor Sanchez presides over the State Senate.Lieutenant Governor Sanchez has presided over all Legislative Sessions since assuming office in 2011.", "In 1850, New Mexico was organized as a Territory and the Governor was appointed by the President of the United States. The office of Governor of the State of New Mexico was created in 1912 when New Mexico was officially admitted to the United States as the 47th state.", "New Mexico's Governor, Susana Martinez, is a big fan of nurse practitioners so the state has scope of practice laws to match. NPs practicing in New Mexico may practice and prescribe independently of physician oversight.", "-- Sarah Bufkin. Susana Martinez, a Republican, was elected in 2010, becoming the first female governor of New Mexico and first female Hispanic governor in the United States. Her name was also floated as a potential running mate to Mitt Romney in 2012, but she was ultimately passed over for the job.- Sarah Bufkin. Susana Martinez, a Republican, was elected in 2010, becoming the first female governor of New Mexico and first female Hispanic governor in the United States. Her name was also floated as a potential running mate to Mitt Romney in 2012, but she was ultimately passed over for the job.", "1 Gary Johnson, Governor of New Mexico 1995–2003; Republican presidential candidate and nominee for the Libertarian Party in 2012 (Running as Libertarian).", "She was sworn in as Governor of New Mexico on January 1, 2011, making her the first Latina governor in United States history. Prior to being elected Governor, Martinez was the District Attorney for the Third Judicial District in Doña Ana County in Southern New Mexico, a position she held for 14 years. Martinez was first elected to that office in 1996 and was re-elected three times, running unopposed for the office in 2008.", "New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez said Wednesday that she plans a new push to repeal the state law allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses. Martinez, who has tried to get the law repealed twice before, described it as dangerous in a post on her official Facebook page.e are encouraged that a compromise can be worked out by the legislators and the governor, said Allen Sanchez, executive director of the New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops, a group that has fought the governor's attempts to repeal the law. JUST WATCHED. Driver's licenses for illegal immigrants.", "Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate for president might just fit the bill nicely. But Gary Johnson's record as governor of New Mexico is getting mixed reviews among right wingers. Can he convince conservatives he's their candidate?", "The Office of Governor Susana Martinez is located on the 4th floor of the New Mexico State Capitol in Room 400, and the phone number is (505) 476-2200.", "As Lieutenant Governor, Sanchez presides over the New Mexico State Senate, serves as the State’s Ombudsman, and sits on several boards and commissions.", "This article is about the 2012 and 2016 Libertarian Party presidential nominee and former Governor of New Mexico. For other people with the same name, see Gary Johnson (disambiguation).", "WILLIAM C. MCDONALD, the first governor of New Mexico, was born in Jordanville, New York on July 25, 1858. His education was attained at Cazenovia Seminary in New York. He wen … t on to study law, and in 1880 was admitted to the Kansas bar.", "March 15 (Bloomberg) -- New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez, a Republican selected by national party leaders to court Hispanics, is on the verge of losing a high-profile fight to stop illegal immigrants from getting driver’s licenses in her state.ore than 100,000 driver’s licenses have been issued in New Mexico to immigrants since the law passed in 2003, according to the state Taxation and Revenue Department.", "Albuquerque, NM — What better way to spend this past Earth Day than by being honored by New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez. ICAST and its program ResourceSmart were recognized as the winner of this year's Governor's Environmental Excellence Award for Resource Stewardship.", "Gary Johnson's Record As Governor Of New Mexico Is Getting Mixed Reviews. Faced with Donald Trump as the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party, die hard conservatives who've grown weary of Trump's full-on racist brand of populist nationalism are shopping for an alternative candidate.", "The New Mexico Real Estate Commission is comprised of five members appointed by the Governor. Four of the members are licensed New Mexico real estate brokers, and one is a non-broker public member appointed to bring a consumer perspective to the Commission.", "New Mexico state song[edit] Lordsburg is the birthplace of the official New Mexico State song, O Fair New Mexico. It was written by Lordsburg resident Elizabeth Garrett, the blind daughter of famed sheriff Pat Garrett. In 1917, Governor Washington Ellsworth Lindsey signed the legislation making it the official state song.", "The current Lieutenant Governor of New York is Robert Duffy. Duffy assumed office as Lieutenant Governor of New York on January 1, 2011. who is the lieutenant governor of New … York State.uffy assumed office as Lieutenant Governor of New York on January 1, 2011. who is the lieutenant governor of New … York State.", "Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson is running for president on the Libertarian Party line. (John Raoux / AP) Voters are so disenchanted with major-party presidential candidates that many are taking a serious look at Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson. Johnson, 63, was twice elected governor of New Mexico as a Republican, serving from 1995 to 2003.", "Johnson served as governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 as a Republican. He's since switched affiliation to the Libertarians and was nominated as the party's candidate for president in 2012, when he received more than 1.2 million votes, or about 1 percent of the popular vote, according to Ballotpedia.", "In 1853, Mexican officials evicted Americans from their property in the disputed Mesilla Valley. When the U.S. Government did not act, Governor William Lane of New Mexico declared the Mesilla Valley part of the U.S. territory of New Mexico.", "Antonio de Mendoza, the first viceroy of New Spain, which included Mexico. Coronado. became governor of New Galicia province, northwest of Mexico City, in 1538. In 1539, Marcos de Niza, a Spanish missionary priest, returned to New Spain from.", "Prior to being elected governor, Martinez was a prosecutor for 25 years. She was the elected District Attorney for the Third Judicial District in Doña Ana County in Southern New Mexico, a position she held for 14 years.", "new mexico is one of the four corner states bordering at the same point with colorado utah and arizona the palace of governors in santa fe built in 1610 is one of the oldest public buildings in america more than 25000 anasazi sites have been identified in new mexico by archeologists", "Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) is an American businessman, author, politician, and the Libertarian Party nominee for President of the United States in the 2016 election. He served as the 29th Governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 as a member of the Republican Party.", "Former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, 63, has been nominated as the Libertarian candidate in the United States presidential race. Johnson beat five other candidates to win 55.8% of the vote during the Libertarian National Convention.", "MUST WATCH. Driver's licenses for illegal immigrants 03:36. Martinez, the first Latina governor in the United States, promoted the repeal of the 2003 law during her campaign for governor. In 2011, she said the law had turned New Mexico into a magnet for people from other states seeking a license.e are encouraged that a compromise can be worked out by the legislators and the governor, said Allen Sanchez, executive director of the New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops, a group that has fought the governor's attempts to repeal the law. JUST WATCHED. Driver's licenses for illegal immigrants.", "Who is the governor of New York in 2016? Andrew Cuomo is the governor of NewYork State in 2016. Cuomo has served as the Governor of New YorkState since January 1, 2011.", "He was a Mexican who played a major role in Texas Independence. He was a representative, or governor of the states of Yucatan and Estado de Mexico before coming to Texas. He drafted the 1824 constitution of Mexico which Santa Anna threw out, and he abolished slavery in Mexico.", "Carrier to relocate Indianapolis manufacturing operations to Mexico, 1,400 jobs affected. Carrier to relocate Indianapolis manufacturing operations to Mexico, 1,400 jobs affected. Governor, Senators review Carrier's plan to move to Mexico. Governor, Senators review Carrier's plan to move to Mexico." ]

[ "PHOENIX — Arizona’s largest utility is fiercely opposing a push to mandate increased use of renewable energy in the sun-drenched state, setting up a political fight over a measure funded by a California billionaire.\nClean Energy for a Healthy Arizona aims to ask voters whether they want the state Constitution to require half of Arizona’s electricity come from renewable sources like wind and solar by 2030. The group plans to file more than 225,000 signatures Thursday get the question on the November ballot.\nBillionaire philanthropist Tom Steyer is financing the initiative through his NextGen Climate Action group, which supported similar efforts in Nevada and Michigan. But only the Arizona measure spawned a political battle, with the Republican-controlled Legislature passing a rule to help insulate utilities and the parent company of the state’s largest electricity provider bankrolling opposition messaging.\nSteyer, known for climate advocacy as well as his push to impeach President Donald Trump, says he’s backing the proposal because of the benefits it will bring to Arizona.\n“It actually will lead to lower costs and save a lot of money for consumers,” Steyer said. “It leads to clean air and a lot better health outcomes for Arizonans, and it should create literally tens of thousands of jobs in the state of Arizona. So it’s hard to understand why these people are fighting it.”\nSupporters of the initiative say Arizona hasn’t taken advantage of its role as the sunniest state in the nation to develop more solar energy, saying it derives just 6 per cent of its energy from solar.\nArizona Public Service Co. says the proposed constitutional amendment will cause customers’ utility rates to skyrocket and harm reliability.\nIts parent company, Pinnacle West Capital Corp., funneled $1.18 million to Arizonans for Affordable Energy to oppose the initiative in the first three months of the year. Multiple chambers of commerce, Tucson Electric Power and Chicanos Por La Causa also oppose it.\n“Everyone supports renewable energy,” said Matthew Benson, spokesman for the utility-funded opposition initiative. “The question is whether we are going to have an Arizona plan that is created and implemented by Arizona leaders and officials, or whether we’re going to have a plan crammed down our throats by a political activist from California.”\nCampaign finance records show Steyer’s group gave $750,000 in cash and more than $200,000 in goods and services to the renewable energy campaign.\nOpponents have used the #StopSteyer hashtag in the run-up to Thursday’s deadline for petition signatures. Legislative Republicans also cast him as an “out-of-state billionaire” when they passed a law that limits the cost of not complying with renewable energy mandates.\nSteyer disagrees that he’s dictating policy. The National Resources Defence Council, Mi Familia Vota, and various in-state health and climate groups have endorsed the initiative as a way to bring more renewable energy to Arizona.\n“When concentrated corporate interests put themselves and their bottom line ahead of the people, I don’t like that,” Steyer said. “And that’s what I suspect is happening here. And I think the people of Arizona should be asked what they think, and that’s what we’re trying to enable.”\nArizona is one of three states where the billionaire’s NextGen Climate Action group pushed ballot initiatives for higher renewable energy standards. Nevada’s measure hasn’t drawn the same uproar, and the effort in Michigan ended after two utilities decided to increase investments in renewable energy.\nBenson says Arizona is different partly because of the numbers — the Michigan initiative had a 30 per cent renewable mandate compared with 50 per cent in Arizona. The Arizona Corporation Commission already requires electric utilities to generate 15 per cent of their energy from renewable sources by 2025.\nAPS also warned that the initiative’s higher renewable standard would force its nuclear power plant to close. Nuclear wouldn’t count toward the 50 per cent mandate, and APS says its Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station is the largest electricity producer in the U.S.\nJeff Burke, APS director of resources planning, says customers would see 6 to 14 per cent increases on their bills if the company is forced to ratchet up renewable use ahead of schedule.\n“We continue to add renewables to our system, but they have to make sense,” Burke said. “It’s not really about a target, it’s about what makes sense for our customers’ usage and what makes rates affordable and what keeps our system reliable.”\nThirty-two states with renewable standards didn’t have, on average, a correlated rate increase, according to Wesley Hersche, an associate director of research with Arizona State University’s Global Security Initiative.\n“These issues involve a complex interaction of factors, and we should be careful not to oversimplify things,” Hersche wrote in April. “But renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind, and battery storage have become so cheap recently that this finding is not all that surprising.”" ]

[ "Every week, the Shepherd Express will serve as a clearinghouse for any and all activities in the greater Milwaukee area that peacefully push back against discriminatory, reactionary or authoritarian actions and policies of the Trump administration and other activities that seek to thwart social justice. We will publicize and promote actions, demonstrations, planning meetings, teach-ins, party-building meetings, drinking/discussion get-togethers or any other actions that are directed toward fighting back to preserve our liberal democratic system.\nSaturday, May 20\nPeace Action Wisconsin: Stand for Peace, noon-1 p.m. @ Corner of Capitol Drive and Oakland Avenue\nEvery Saturday, from noon-1 p.m., concerned citizens join with Peace Action Wisconsin to protest war. Signs will be provided for those who need them. Protesters are encouraged to stick around for conversation and coffee afterwards.\nLaughing Liberally, 8 p.m. @ ComedySportz Milwaukee (420 S. First St.)\nLaughing Liberally Milwaukee is a progressive political comedy show hosted by comedian, satirist and talk radio host Matthew Filipowicz. Performers include: Chastity Washington, Bob Rok, Amanda Cohen, Jihan Batuman, Kaitlin McCarthy and sketch comedy group, The Accountants Of Homeland Security. The show will also include an interview with Alan Schultz, an activist and advocate with Ex Prisoners Organizing and the Milwaukee’s IWW Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee.\nTuesday, May 23\nClose MSDF Picket, noon-1:30 p.m. @ Milwaukee County Courthouse (901 N. Ninth St.)\nThis protest, organized by the Milwaukee Branch of the Industrial Workers of the World and Ex Prisoners Organizing, aims to shut down the Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility. “The facility was built and is run using funds that should be used for diversionary programs to keep people out of jail, instead it’s being used to keep them on supervision under arbitrary and vindictive probation and parole officers,” says the event’s Facebook page.\nWednesday, May 24\nRefuel the Resistance, 5-8 p.m. @ Bounce Milwaukee (2801 S. Fifth Court)\nEvery Wednesday, Bounce Milwaukee offers a space to organize, as well as a free drink to anyone who brings evidence of resistance in the past week, including protest signs, an email to an elected official or a selfie at the capital.\nMilwaukee Talks Green—Renewable Energy Solar Solutions, 6:30-8 p.m. @ Outpost Natural Foods Co-op, (2826 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.)\nThis month’s Milwaukee Talks Green is focused on renewable energy and solar solutions. Participants will learn how Wisconsin compares to other states in solar energy use and how they might be able to afford solar themselves. The event is free and open to the public.\nTo submit to this column, please send a brief description of your action, including date and time, to savingourdemocracy@shepex.com. Together, we can fight to minimize the damage that this administration has planned for our great country.", "OXFORD, England, April 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Winning effective action on climate change will require treating the problem less as an environmental or human rights crisis and more as a sensible economic shift, the former Maldives president said Thursday.\n“While it remains an ethical or human rights issue, it’s not so easy to have it in your political manifesto,” Mohamed Nasheed said, pointing to climate change’s political divisiveness in the United States.\nBut any politician, he said, can win votes by promising more jobs and a stronger economy – something eminently achievable if the world transitions to cleaner and more sustainable energy, a move that also would bring environmental and social benefits.\nThe world needs to package the benefits of a low-carbon transition in way “that political parties can embrace”, said Nasheed, speaking at the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship in Oxford.\nSome populist politicians are already persuaded on the economic benefits of stepping up climate action, said Samir Saran, vice president of the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation, which works on policy responses to problems facing India.\nIndia’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for instance, aims to put in place 175 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2022 – approaching the entire electrical generating capacity of Germany today, Saran said.\nThe aim is not primarily to fight climate change, but to develop the country – and cut poverty – in the quickest, most effective and most sustainable way, he said.\nIndia, by developing without large amounts of fossil fuels, “will be the first country in the world to create a new model of growth that will be exportable to the whole world”, Saran predicted – a point of national pride and a potential route to economic success.\nREJECT CLEAN ENERGY, REJECT LEADERSHIP?\nNasheed, who was ousted from the Maldives presidency in a 2012 coup, said he didn’t believe that the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, whose administration is trying to reverse action on climate change and promote dirty fuels such as coal, would have any significant impact on countries like China and India as they push ahead on clean energy.\n“If you are unable to embrace the new technology, embrace the future, you cannot be the future leader” of the world, he warned Trump.\n“The United States wants to relinquish their world leadership. They can do that,” said Nasheed, who now lives in exile in Britain. ”But it’s not going to stop the rest of the world. And it’s not even going to stop the United States from transforming.”\nIn particular, when it comes to coal, “you can love coal as much as you want” but it won’t become a dominant fuel again in the United States because the economics don’t make sense, he said.\nHowever, Sharon Burke, an assistant secretary of defense under former President Barack Obama, warned that climate change has become such a politically divisive issue in the United States that turning it back into an economic issue – regardless of how much sense it makes – will be hugely challenging.\n“I’m not sure how we chart our way back to that, and I’m not sure we can because of the money and the vested interests involved in the dialogue,” said Burke, now an international security adviser with New America, a Washington-based political think tank.\nMeanwhile, “you can’t over estimate how destructive this President could be to this agenda” of moving to clean energy and protecting climate stability, she warned.\nBANKERS A BARRIER\nSaran, however, said he thought the more serious obstacle to rapid expansion of clean energy was foot dragging by the world’s bankers.\n“There’s one major actor still not signed on to the Paris climate deal, and unless we bring them on, energy leapfrogging will be more difficult,” he said.\nBanks are not directing enough money to India’s huge-scale clean energy push, for instance, Nasheed and Saran said, for a big range of reasons, from the quick pace of technological change to worries about risk in developing countries, vested interests and just greater comfort in lending to things they’re already familiar with.\nThat was in evidence Thursday, as the Green Climate Fund - which aims to help poorer countries develop cleanly and adapt to climate impacts – agreed to provide cash for a large hydropower dam in Tajikistan but balked at spending $100 million to help farmers and herders in Ethiopia become more resilient to drought.\n“Bankers are really familiar with concrete and steel, so every workable solution is concrete and steel,” Nasheed said.\nSaran said banks need to realise that moving money for clean energy and climate resilience is good business.\n“We need the bankers to sign up to this deal,” he said. “Unless we can change the way big funds and bank banks (behave), we might fall short of what we really need to be doing – which is much more.”\n(Reporting by Laurie Goering @lauriegoering; editing by Astrid Zweynert :; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate change, resilience, women's rights, trafficking and property rights. Visit news.trust.org/climate)", "* Italy renews attempt to form a government\n* HP Inc, Salesforce.com gain on strong results\n* Energy, bank stocks lead S&P gainers\n* Indexes up: Dow 0.47 pct, S&P 0.55 pct, Nasdaq 0.47 pct (Updates to open)\nBy Medha Singh\nMay 8 (Reuters) - Wall Street rose on Wednesday, with gains in energy and banking stocks fueling the recovery from a steep selloff driven by Italy’s political crisis.\nA renewed attempt to form a coalition government in Rome by the two anti-establishment parties, the 5-Star Movement and League, raised hopes that Europe’s third largest economy could avoid a new election.\nA surprise breakthrough to form a hung government would ease uncertainty, but still usher in a coalition planning to ramp up spending in the heavily indebted nation and push for changes to European Union and euro-zone fiscal rules.\n“It’s a rebound from yesterday on hopes that there may be some agreement on forming a government. But these kind of perceptions are going to bounce back and forth,” said Scott Brown, chief economist at Raymond James in St. Petersburg.\n“Markets are a little bit fragile because it’s a holiday week. That could lead to some sharp moves either way.”\nAt 10:04 a.m. EDT the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 115.15 points, or 0.47 percent, at 24,476.60, the S&P 500 was up 14.72 points, or 0.55 percent, at 2,704.58 and the Nasdaq Composite was up 34.00 points, or 0.46 percent, at 7,430.60.\nThe S&P 500 and the Dow on Tuesday posted their first 1 percent drop in May as investors scurried for safety assets such as U.S. bonds on fears of political instability in Italy.\nOn Wednesday, 10 of the 11 major S&P sectors rose, led by a 1.5 percent gain in energy index.\nBank stocks, which were the worst hit on Tuesday, recovered with the S&P financial index rising 1.1 percent. The Federal Reserve is set to consider a proposal to modify the “Volcker Rule” at 3:00 p.m. ET.\nThe proposal, which marks another step by Trump administration regulators to ease banking rules, is aimed at preventing lenders from making market bets while accepting taxpayer-insured deposits.\nThe S&P technology gained 0.4 percent, boosted by a 2.1 percent jump in shares of cloud-based business software maker Salesforce.com that reported quarterly profit above estimates and lifted full-year forecast.\nHP Inc rose 2.6 percent after posting quarterly revenue above estimates and raising full-year profit forecasts.\nInvestors also kept a wary eye on the developments around tariffs and trade. In an unexpected change in tone, the United States said late on Tuesday it could still impose tariffs on $50 billion of imports from China unless it addressed the issue of theft of American intellectual property.\nChina said on Wednesday it was ready to fight back if Washington was looking for a trade war, days ahead of a planned visit by U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.\nAdvancing issues outnumbered decliners for a 4.32-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and for a 3.64-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.\nThe S&P index recorded 15 new 52-week highs and one new low, while the Nasdaq recorded 124 new highs and 10 new lows. (Reporting by Medha Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)", "With the world’s second-biggest proven reserves of oil, Saudi Arabia seems an unlikely aspirant to the nuclear-energy club. Yet the largest oil exporter plans to build at least 16 nuclear reactors over the next 25 years at a cost of more than $80 billion. The Saudis see atomic energy as a way to ease their dependence on finite fossil fuels. But they are also driven by competition with their rival Iran, which has multiple nuclear facilities. Whatever the motivation, the turn to nuclear power by Saudi Arabia, and several other countries in Middle East, raises the risk of a nuclear arms race in the most unstable part of the world.\n1. What’s the security risk?\nMost nuclear reactors are fueled with enriched uranium, which means countries that want nuclear power must either import the stuff or have their own enrichment capability. Saudi Arabia is insisting on the latter, which could be worrisome, given that highly enriched uranium can be used to build nuclear weapons. Another type of reactor is powered by raw uranium, which Saudi Arabia possesses, but that type produces plutonium, another fuel for nuclear arms.\n2. Why does Saudi Arabia want nuclear power now?\nMuch of the government’s plan for the future, called Vision 2030, is based on diversifying the Saudi economy to prepare for the day when oil and natural gas wells run dry. At the same time, electricity demand in the country has risen by as much as 9 percent a year since 2000, compared with less than 1 percent in developed countries such as the U.S., according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Water desalination is a large draw on power in Saudi Arabia.\n3. Why nuclear power instead of just renewables?\nSolar energy would seem like a good option for Saudi Arabia, and the kingdom has plans to develop 9.5 gigawatts of solar and other renewables by 2023. The abundance of sunshine there would make solar much cheaper than nuclear power. Under recent contracts awarded in the region, electricity from solar power costs about $30 per megawatt hour, less than half the costs of nuclear power, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. On the other hand, solar power requires either battery installations, to store energy, or alternative power sources, for when the sun isn’t shining. And solar doesn’t have the prestige of nuclear power, which demonstrates a certain level of scientific achievement.\n4. Does Saudi Arabia want nuclear weapons?\nIn an interview with the U.S. television network CBS aired in mid-March, Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince who effectively runs the country for his father King Salman, said, “Saudi Arabia doesn’t want to own a nuclear bomb. But without a doubt, if Iran develops a nuclear bomb, we will follow suit as soon as possible.”\n5. Is Iran developing a nuclear bomb?\nThough Iran has consistently denied any interest in pursuing atomic weapons, its uranium-enrichment practices contributed to deep mistrust in the past. In a 2015 deal with world powers -- including the U.S. under President Donald Trump’s predecessor -- Iran agreed, in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions, to decommission its plutonium-producing reactor and to limit its refining of uranium to no more than the level needed to fuel power plants. The Saudis have embraced Trump’s efforts to upend that agreement. The president argues that the Iranians can’t be trusted to abide by the deal and that, in any case, they will be free to pursue nuclear weapons when it expires after 15 years.\n6. What’s the problem between Iran and Saudi Arabia?\nThe two are vying for dominance in the Middle East. Their forces and proxies are arrayed against each other in the civil wars in Syria and Yemen. Each purports to lead the Islamic world, Saudi Arabia because of its role as the custodian of the holy places Mecca and Medina, Iran because of its Islamic revolution of 1979. The majority of Saudis follow the dominant Sunni branch of Islam, while most Iranians are Shiites. The rivalry has intensified with the rise of Prince Mohammed, who is particularly hawkish when it comes to Iran.\n7. What happens next?\nThe Trump administration, eager to revive the torpid American nuclear industry, is pushing Saudi Arabia to consider U.S. companies -- such as Westinghouse Electric Co. and Exelon Corp. -- for its nuclear contracts instead of competitors from Russia, China and other countries. But the U.S. is reluctant to offer the Saudis deals without a prohibition on any uranium enrichment or fuel reprocessing in-country. The United Arab Emirates, a Saudi ally, agreed to that so-called \"gold standard\" a decade ago to facilitate the inclusion of some U.S. parts in its four Korean-built reactors, the first of which is expected to go online this year.\n8. What do the Saudis say?\nThey note that, unlike the U.A.E., Saudi Arabia has large uranium deposits and wants to be self-sufficient in the preparation of nuclear fuel. Saudis point out that Iran is permitted under the 2015 accord to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes and say they want the same right.\n9. Who else in the region is going nuclear?\nThe U.A.E. is set to become the first Arab nation with utility-scale nuclear power when it starts operating its plants, estimated to cost $25 billion. While the U.A.E. is a major oil producer, it relies on imported gas to generate much of its electricity. Egypt, the most populous Arab nation, has signed a $30 billion deal with Russia’s Rosatom to build four nuclear plants. And Jordan, which has negligible energy resources, has signed construction deals with Rosatom and U.S.-based X-Energy in a program that could cost as much as $12 billion, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. While no Arab nation is known to have a nuclear arsenal, Israel, which began operating a plutonium-production reactor in 1963, possesses enough material for between 100 and 170 atomic weapons, according to an estimate by the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Israel has never acknowledged having nuclear arms.\nThe Reference Shelf", "The climate crisis is the most significant issue facing humanity. Natural disasters are already displacing entire communities. More intense droughts are leading to unprecedented levels of food insecurity and hunger across the globe. This summer saw hurricanes, floods and fires affect hundreds of millions of people from India to Niger, Haiti to Houston. The UK is also vulnerable to climate impacts, with more destructive storms, prolonged floods, and heatwaves becoming the norm.\nOur climate reality is increasingly unpredictable and daunting. However, it is also opening the space to collectively reimagine a different future for the UK. Fossil fuels helped ignite the first industrial revolution, but we now know that their continued use will threaten our very existence. Within the UK we have the skills, ingenuity and people to drive the next energy revolution, powered by renewables. For us to make this change a success, our politics must have environmental sustainability and social justice at its core.\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest Rebecca Long-Bailey: ‘Our politics must have environmental sustainability and social justice at its core.’ Photograph: Rebecca Long-Bailey\nThis is why climate change is at the heart of Labour’s industrial strategy. At the last election, Labour pledged that 60% of the UK’s energy will come from low carbon or renewable sources by 2030 to help us meet the challenge of tackling climate change. Labour plans to achieve this mission by transforming our energy system by taking parts back into public control and exploring how we can ensure greater local control of energy generation and supply. We want to cultivate strengths in growing markets for green tech, invest in renewable energy infrastructure, reduce demand for heat, and maintain Britain’s climate commitments.\nTwo years ago, representatives from 196 countries met in Paris and committed to limiting global temperature rises to “well below” 2C above pre-industrial levels, with the aspirational target below 1.5C. The UK ratified the landmark Paris agreement the following year, promising to “continue our leadership on climate action”.\nDespite its green rhetoric, the government’s record is not good. Its Clean Growth Strategy even admitted that the measures it recommended would not fulfil either the fourth or fifth carbon budgets. These budgets are restrictions on the total amount of greenhouse gases than can be emitted in a five-year period by the UK and are legally binding; for example the fourth carbon budget covers the period 2023-27, and the fifth covers 2028-2032.\nWhy my council pension fund is divesting £1.2bn from fossil fuels Read more\nWe should be over-performing on our carbon budgets, not underperforming. The most recent autumn budget even threatened the future of new renewable generation by not admitting any more new low carbon electricity levies until 2025, on current forecasts, while at the same time giving tax breaks to oil and gas firms. The implications of the new levy regime could be catastrophic. Without alternative funding, it may spell the end of much low carbon development in the UK. With the success offshore, this is the moment to be seizing the opportunity to develop other forms of renewable energy. The Tories continue to push fracking despite its unpopularity across the country. The result of Tory policy not only undermines our climate change obligations but means many suffer from the effects of air pollution and fuel poverty.\nI’m joining 100 other MPs, across parties, to call on our pension fund to remove its investments in fossil fuels\nThat’s why I’m joining 100 other MPs, across parties, to call on our pension fund to remove its investments in fossil fuels. Our words in Paris must be matched by our actions in parliament – our constituents expect nothing less. This starts, but by no means finishes, with where we invest millions of pounds through our pensions. But we need to open up this conversation beyond parliament to ensure a just transition to a green economy.\nThis campaign is the fastest growing divestment movement of all time, which has seen more than $5tn of assets divested across more than 800 institutions. Campaigning for our universities, workplaces, unions, and pension funds to divest is one important way we can help to build a more sustainable society. Parliament must play its part.", "Germany’s solar industry has crashed and burned after the government drastically cut its subsidies.\nThis chart tells the story of the industry’s catastrophic collapse:\nAs Pierre Gosselin reports at No Tricks Zone:\nIn 2012 over 7000 megawatts of new solar capacity were added. But in 2012 the boom ended abruptly as new laws on feed-in rates were enacted in order to keep the solar energy supply from going out of control. In 2017, only 600 megawatts of new capacity were expected to be added. That’s a 90% drop!\nAnd the reason for this is no mystery, as the next chart shows:\nIn 2007 solar operators in Germany were guaranteed feed-in tariffs of 49.2 euro-cents per KWh (kilowatt hour); today they are just 12.7 euro-cents per KWh.\nAs Warren Buffett once said of his wind energy investments: “They don’t make sense without the tax credit.” It’s just the same with solar, especially in a country like Germany which sees so little sunshine.\nIn December 2017, for example, Germany experienced a total of just ten hours of sunshine in the whole month. So while theoretically its installed solar capacity – a huge 40 gigawatts – is almost enough to power half the country at lunchtime on a sunny day, most of the time it is next to useless.\nGermany’s great transition from fossil fuel power to renewables – its Energiewende – will cost the economy an estimated 520 billion Euros ($635 billion) by 2020. This is roughly equal to 25,000 Euros ($30,500) per family of four.\nThe collapse of solar industry in Germany puts into perspective EPA chief Scott Pruitt’s recent comments on renewables.\n“It’s not the job of this agency, or any job in the federal government, to use regulatory power to favor of one sector of the economy over another. And what you saw with the past administration is just that — an attitude that says fossil fuel … is something that should be diminished in favor of, what, renewables. That doesn’t mean renewables shouldn’t be a part of our electricity-generation mix. It should be. But to use regulatory power to favor renewables at the expense natural gas, oil and coal is just something that’s not within the regulatory powers of this agency. And so we’re fixing that.’\nPruitt may well wish to pay lip-service to the notion that renewables “should” be part of America’s “electricity-generation mix.” In reality, however, he knows that is only going to happen with government subsidies.\nAs soon as those solar subsidies are taken away, here’s what happens to solar jobs.\nThat’s the real cost of “clean” energy.", "By Rania El Gamal, Reem Shamseddine and Katie Paul\nRIYADH, April 17 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia aims to produce 10 percent of its power from renewable sources in the next six years as it pushes ahead with a multi-billion-dollar plan to diversify its energy mix and free up more crude oil for export.\nThe drive by the world's top oil exporter will see the kingdom developing 30 solar and wind projects by 2023 to boost its electricity generation and reduce crude oil burning.\nSaudi Arabia is targeting 9.5 gigawatt (GW) of renewable energy by 2023. The renewables initiative involves investment estimated between $30 billion and $50 billion.\nSaudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih kicked off the massive renewable programme in Riyadh on Monday by announcing the beginning of the bidding process for a 300 megawatt (MW) solar power project, which is expected to come online by 2018-2019.\n\"The energy mix to produce electricity will change, today the kingdom uses large quantities of oil liquids, including crude, fuel oil and diesel,\" Falih said.\n\"So the percentage of renewable energy by 2023 (will be) 10 percent of total installed capacity in the kingdom.\"\nUnder an economic reform programme launched last year, known as Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia is seeking to use non-oil means to generate much of its additional future energy needs to avoid running down oil resources and diversify its economy.\nENERGY REFORM PUSH\nThe kingdom is restructuring its energy sector as part of Vision 2030 and a focus on renewable projects is a pillar of this transformation as it would help develop the private sector and create thousands of jobs.\n\"Since the restructuring of the energy sector ... one of our key priorities is to engage with the private sector,\" Falih said, adding he was confident the programme would be delivered.\nSaudi Arabia has short-listed 27 companies for its solar power project and 24 firms for its wind project, the energy ministry said last week.\nFrance's EDF Energies Nouvelles, Japanese companies Marubeni Corp and Mitsui & Co and Saudi Acwa Power are among the firms which have qualified to bid for the 300 MW solar PV project in Sakaka, the al-Jouf Province in the north of the kingdom.\nAbu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar), GE, Marubeni Corporation, Mitsui & Co., JGC Corp, SNC Lavalin Arabia and Iberdrola Renovables Energia are among those qualified to bid for the 400 MW wind farm project in Midyan in the northwest.\nThe kingdom also plans to launch a second bidding round for 400 MW of wind power at a project in Domat al-Jandal in al-Jouf Province by the fourth quarter of this year, which will be followed by 620 MW of solar power, Turki Shehri, head of the renewable energy project development office at the energy ministry told reporters on Monday.\n\"This will come in stages. It (wind power project) will come in the fourth quarter of this year with Domat al-Jandal, and then the 620 MW (solar) will come immediately after that in phases,\" he said.\nThe projects will be tendered on a build, operate and own basis, meaning the companies which win the projects will retain ownership for 20 years for the solar plants and 25 years for the wind, Shehri said.\nState oil giant Saudi Aramco would be interested in investing in the second bidding round for renewable projects as it aims to play a major role in the sector, Abdulaziz al-Judaimi, senior vice president for downstream at Aramco said.\nAramco, which is preparing to list up to 5 percent of its shares by next year, has created a department for renewables within the company to develop wind and solar projects.\nThe kingdom has a long-term goal of increasing the use of gas for domestic power generation, thus reducing oil burning at home and freeing up more crude for export.\nThis could help increase Aramco's valuation as it generates more revenue from exports than selling oil at lower domestic prices - Saudi Arabia is the world's fifth-biggest oil consumer despite being only the 20th biggest economy.\nThe OPEC heavyweight burned an average of 700,000 bpd of oil for electricity to keep the population cool in the hottest months from May to August.\nThe expansion into renewables will help the kingdom to save 18 million barrels of oil equivalent being consumed for electricity generation by 2020, Shehri said. (Editing by David Evans)\nRead the original article on Reuters. Copyright 2017. Follow Reuters on Twitter.", "BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraq's Shiite militias announced on Monday they will participate in the next major battle against the Islamic State group after the Iraqi forces' victory in Mosul last month.\nThe Shite militias did not fight in the urban part of Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, but were key in clearing far-flung villages of IS and capturing supply lines in the desert west of Mosul toward Iraq's border with Syria.\nThe spokesman for the government-sanctioned umbrella - known as the Popular Mobilization Forces or PMF and mostly made up of Shiite militias - says the participation of the militiamen is \"essential\" in the upcoming fight for the town of Tal Afar, west of Mosul. About 150 kilometers (93 miles) east of the Syrian border, Tal Afar was once home to both Shiites and Sunni ethnic Turkmen.\n\"Today we want to speak loud and clear that (the PMF) are actively involved in Tal Afar military operations and will participate in all areas where operations are taking place,\" Ahmed al-Asadi told reporters in Baghdad.\nIn past fights against IS in Iraq, including the battles for the cities of Tikrit and Fallujah, the Shiite militias were accused of sectarian killings and other abuses against minority Sunnis. They acknowledge some abuses may have occurred but say those responsible have been disciplined.\nMonday's announcement may increase tensions between Iraq and neighboring Turkey.\nTurkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has repeatedly warned that military operations in and around Mosul should not lead to any demographic changes on the ground, reflecting concerns that once territory is liberated from IS, Iraqi Kurdish or Shiite forces may push out Sunni Arabs or ethnic Turkmen.", "U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, a Democrat from Boulder, hopes to bring big ideas and effective leadership to Colorado if he wins the wide-open race for governor in 2018.\nPolis announced his campaign Sunday and kicked off his candidacy Monday with a four-stop tour that began in Pueblo, included Colorado Springs and Denver, and ended in Boulder.\nHe spoke with the Business Journal Wednesday from Washington, D.C.\n“I think the people of Colorado want a governor who has experience in business and in government, a proven political leader who knows how to get things done,” Polis said.\nPolis said he will push for improvement in renewable energy, education and jobs.\nPolis has represented Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District, a Democratic stronghold, since 2009. Last year, Polis beat Republican challenger Nicholas Morse by more than 18 percentage points.\n“I’m honored to represent Colorado in Congress but frankly, I think there’s a better opportunity at the state level to make more of a difference,” he said. “I want to develop an economy that works for everybody, I want to increase our use of renewable energy, and I want to expand the opportunity for education.”\nPolis says he has a plan to achieve 100 percent renewable energy by 2040, and another plan to provide free full-day kindergarten and preschool in every community in Colorado.\n“This campaign will be about a vision of what we can accomplish for Colorado’s future,” he said. “It’ll be about big ideas.”\nAccording to his website, Polis is a member of the House Education and Workforce Committee, founder of two charter school networks and former Chairman of the Colorado State Board of Education.\nGov. John Hickenlooper, also a Democrat, is term-limited and the race to succeed him is shaping up to be one of Colorado’s wildest elections in years. Another Democrat who has served alongside Polis in the U.S. House of Representatives, Ed Perlmutter, is also a candidate for governor.\nPolis made his campaign stop in Colorado Springs at Save-A-Lot, an employee-owned grocery store at 3333 N. Academy Blvd.\n“I wanted the people of Colorado Springs to know I support employee-owned businesses, and that it’ll work not just for technology companies and breweries but also a grocery store,” he said.\nColorado House Bill 1214, passed recently by the state Legislature, encourages employee ownership of existing small businesses.\n“It’s important to help workers share in the success of small businesses,” he said.", "When TransCanada Corp. decided to pull the plug on the Energy East pipeline this week, it set off a noisy and worrisome east-versus-west political spat.\nThe scarier response was the total silence over the death of the $15.7-billion project from CEOs at Canada's largest utilities.\nNo one in the energy industry is speaking out this week, but know that what Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre celebrated as a \"victory\" for opponents of Energy East and Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall decried as \"a very bad day for the west\" was seen by Canadian executives as yet another reason to look south at U.S. expansion, rather than get their heads kicked in pushing plans to build infrastructure in Canada.\nStory continues below advertisement\nThe failure of Energy East is latest in a series of domestic setbacks for Canadian utilities, and this isn't just about troubled pipeline proposals. In contrast, when the same companies push U.S. projects, all they do is win.\nThe north/south dynamic was summed up in a CIBC World Markets report published three days before the Energy East decision. The investment bank pointed out that Canadian regulators are turning the screws on the returns that utilities are allowed to earn, while U.S. counterparts are happy to sign off on new projects with healthy profit margins. CIBC analysts said: \"The divergent environments for regulated utilities between Canada and the U.S. affirm our view that U.S. franchises can be relatively attractive acquisitions targets for Canadian companies.\"\nN.B. Premier puts Energy East cancellation down to ‘market conditions’ (The Canadian Press)\nSpecifically, CIBC pointed out that Ontario regulators recently hammered Hydro One Ltd., the province's largest electrical utility, by eliminating tax breaks and slashing capital spending requests. The investment bank said the decision \"highlights the ongoing challenges Canadian utility companies face domestically.\"\nAt the same time, Florida regulators signed off on Emera Inc.'s plan to spend $1.1-billion on six solar energy projects that are expected to earn the Halifax-based utility a return of between 9.25 per cent and 11.25 per cent. Florida enticed a private sector investor into paying for the state's move from coal to renewable energy, while Emera got assets that generate dependable cash flow.\nCanadian governments of all stripes talk about the crying need for infrastructure renewal, to ensure the country's economic competitiveness. Domestic utilities are the natural source of capital for many of these projects.\nYet, Canada's largest utilities are choosing to invest outside the country, dropping more than $100-billion over the past two years on major U.S. acquisitions. Hydro One, for example, is in the midst of a $4.4-billion takeover of an electrical and natural gas company based in Spokane, Wash., while TransCanada spent $10.2-billion (U.S.) in 2016 to buy natural gas pipelines that stretch from New York to the Gulf of Mexico, and Emera dropped $6.5-billion in 2015 on an electric utility that keeps the lights on in Florida and New Mexico.\nThe public debate over pipeline projects will continue to rage, with Kinder Morgan Inc.'s planned Trans Mountain expansion in British Columbia looming as the next battleground. So too will the long-simmering political disputes over the rights and needs of eastern and western provinces within Canadian federation. But leaders of Canada's largest utilities are signalling they've made up their minds on where they want to operate, and effectively voted with their wallets. Across the board, domestic utilities are committing massive amounts of capital to build infrastructure in the United States, due to a perceived lack of opportunity in their home markets.\nStory continues below advertisement\nStory continues below advertisement\nWhile no CEO is willing to say so in public, what's playing out around the Energy East and Trans Mountain projects will serve to justify that view.", "ISIL claims responsibility for suicide car bomb attack that also wounded dozens as violence in capital intensifies.\nA suicide car bomb driven by ISIL fighters killed at least 39 people and wounded 57 in an attack on a busy square in Baghdad's sprawling Sadr City district.\nThe bomber driving a pickup truck struck an outdoor fruit and vegetable market, hitting daily labourers and a police checkpoint, a police officer said.\nThe Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) took responsibility for the blast via its Amaq website, claiming the \"martyrdom operation\" had killed around 40 people.\nBaghdad has been the focus of renewed violence over the past few weeks.\nISIL also claimed an attack in central Baghdad that killed at least 27 people on Saturday.\nUS-backed Iraqi forces are currently fighting to push ISIL fighters from the northern city of Mosul, the armed group's last major stronghold in the country, but are facing fierce resistance.\nREAD MORE: Francois Hollande in Iraq to review war on ISIL\nSince the offensive began on October 17, Iraqi forces have retaken a quarter of the city in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.\nAs clashes continued in and around Mosul, ISIL - which took the city in 2014 - also targeted on Monday military positions away from the main battlefield.\nFighters attacked an army barracks near Baiji, 180km north of Baghdad, killing four soldiers and wounding 12 people, including Sunni tribal fighters, army and police sources said.\nThey seized weapons there and launched mortars at nearby Shirqat, forcing security forces to impose a curfew and close schools and offices in the town, according to local officials and security sources.\nShirqat mayor Ali Dodah said ISIL seized three checkpoints on the main road linking Baiji to Shirqat following the attacks. Shelling in Shirqat had killed at least two children, he told Reuters news agency by phone.\nIn a separate incident, gunmen broke into a village near Udhaim, 90km north of Baghdad, where they killed nine Sunni tribal fighters with shots to the head, police and medical sources said.\nAt least three pro-government Shia militia were also killed and seven wounded when fighters attacked their position near Udhaim with mortar rounds and machine guns, police sources said.\nPrime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said ISIL would be driven out of the country by April.", "If recent trends continue for another two years, the global share of electricity from renewables excluding hydropower will overtake nuclear for the first time. Even 20 years ago, this nuclear decline would have greatly surprised many people – particularly now that reducing carbon emissions is at the top of the political agenda.\nOn one level this is a story about changes in relative costs. The costs of solar and wind have plunged while nuclear has become almost astoundingly expensive. But this raises the question of why this came about. As I argue in my new book, Low Carbon Politics, it helps to dip into cultural theory.\nCulture wars\nThe seminal text in this field, Risk and Culture (1982), by the British anthropologist Mary Douglas and American political scientist Aaron Wildavsky, argues the behaviour of individuals and institutions can be explained by four different biases:\nIndividualists: people biased towards outcomes that result from competitive arrangements; Hierarchists: those who prefer ordered decisions being made by leaders and followed by others; Egalitarians: people who favour equality and grassroots decision-making and pursue a common cause; Fatalists: those who see decision-making as capricious and feel unable to influence outcomes.\nThe first three categories help explain different actors in the electricity industry. For governments and centralised monopolies often owned by the state, read hierarchists. For green campaigning organisations, read egalitarians, while free-market-minded private companies fit the individualist bias.\nThe priorities of these groups have not greatly changed in recent years. Hierarchists tend to favour nuclear power, since big power stations make for more straightforward grid planning, and nuclear power complements nuclear weapons capabilities considered important for national security.\nEgalitarians like Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth usually oppose new nuclear power plant and favour renewables. Traditionally they have worried about radioactive environmental damage and nuclear proliferation. Individualists, meanwhile, favour whichever technologies reduce costs.\nThese cultural realities lie behind the problems experienced by nuclear power. To compound green opposition, many of nuclear power’s strongest supporters are conservative hierarchists who are either sceptical about the need to reduce carbon emissions or treat it as a low priority. Hence they are often unable or unwilling to mobilise climate change arguments to support nuclear, which has made it harder to persuade egalitarians to get on board.\nThis has had several consequences. Green groups won subsidies for renewable technologies by persuading more liberal hierarchists that they had to address climate change – witness the big push by Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth for the feed-in tariffs that drove solar uptake in the late 2000s, for example. In turn, both wind and solar have been optimised and their costs have come down.\nNuclear largely missed out on these carbon-reducing subsidies. Worse, greens groups persuaded governments as far back as the 1970s that safety standards around nuclear power stations needed to improve. This more than anything drove up costs.\nAs for the individualists, they used to be generally unconvinced by renewable energy and sceptical of environmental opposition to nuclear. But as relative costs have changed, they have increasingly switched positions.\nThe hierarchists are still able to use monopoly electricity organisations to support nuclear power, but individualists are increasingly pressuring them to make these markets more competitive so that they can invest in renewables more easily. In effect, we are now seeing an egalitarian-individualist alliance against the conservative hierarchists.\nBoth sides of the pond\nDonald Trump’s administration in the US, for example, has sought subsidies to keep existing coal and nuclear power stations running. This is both out of concern for national security and to support traditional centralised industrial corporations – classic hierarchist thinking.\nYet this has played out badly with individualist corporations pushing renewables. Trump’s plans have even been rejected by some of his own appointments on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.\nIn similarly hierarchist fashion, electricity supply monopolies in Georgia and South Carolina started building new nuclear power stations after regulatory agencies allowed them to collect mandatory payments from electricity consumers to cover costs at the same time.\nYet even hierarchists cannot ignore economic reality entirely. The South Carolina project has been abandoned and the Georgia project only survives through a very large federal loan bailout.\nContrast this with casino complexes in Nevada like MGM Resorts not only installing their own solar photovoltaic arrays but paying many millions of dollars to opt out from the local monopoly electricity supplier. They have campaigned successfully to win a state referendum supporting electricity liberalisation.\nThe UK, meanwhile, is an example of how different biases can compete. Policy has traditionally been formed in hierarchical style, with big companies producing policy proposals which go out to wider consultation. It’s a cultural bias that favours nuclear power, but this conflicts with a key priority dating back to Thatcher that technological winners are chosen by the market.\nThis has led policymakers in Whitehall to favour both renewables and nuclear, but the private electricity companies have mostly refused to invest in nuclear, seeing it as too risky and expensive. The only companies prepared to plug the gap have been more hierarchists – EDF, which is majority-owned by France, and Chinese state nuclear corporations.\nEven then, getting Hinkley C in south-west England underway – the first new nuclear plant since the 1990s – required an extensive commitment by the UK treasury to underwrite bank loans. There is also an embarrassingly high price to be paid for the electricity over a very long 35-year period. Such has been the bad publicity that it’s hard to imagine a politician agreeing to more plant on such terms.\nWhere does this reality leave hierarchists? Increasingly having to explain prohibitive nuclear costs to their electorates – at least in democracies. The alternative, as renewable energy becomes the new orthodoxy, is to embrace it.\nIn Australia, for example, a big utility company called AGL is trying to seduce homeowners to agree to link their solar panels to the company’s systems to centralise power dispatch in a so-called a “virtual power plant”.\nWhen the facts change, to misquote John Maynard Keynes, you can always change your mind.", "Iraq's Shi'ite militias announced on Monday they will participate in the next major battle against the Islamic State group after the Iraqi forces' victory in Mosul last month.\nThe Shi'ite militias did not fight in the urban part of Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, but were key in clearing far-flung villages of IS and capturing supply lines in the desert west of Mosul toward Iraq's border with Syria.\nThe spokesman for the government-sanctioned umbrella — known as the Popular Mobilization Forces or PMF and mostly made up of Shi'ite militias — says the participation of the militiamen is \"essential\" in the upcoming fight for the town of Tal Afar, west of Mosul. About 150 kilometers (93 miles) east of the Syrian border, Tal Afar was once home to both Shiites and Sunni ethnic Turkmen.\n\"Today we want to speak loud and clear that [the PMF] are actively involved in Tal Afar military operations and will participate in all areas where operations are taking place,\" Ahmed al-Asadi told reporters in Baghdad.\nIn past fights against IS in Iraq, including the battles for the cities of Tikrit and Fallujah, the Shi'ite militias were accused of sectarian killings and other abuses against minority Sunnis. They acknowledge some abuses may have occurred but say those responsible have been disciplined.\nMonday's announcement may increase tensions between Iraq and neighboring Turkey.\nTurkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has repeatedly warned that military operations in and around Mosul should not lead to any demographic changes on the ground, reflecting concerns that once territory is liberated from IS, Iraqi Kurdish or Shi'ite forces may push out Sunni Arabs or ethnic Turkmen.", "Like Russian efforts to hack U.S. elections, the North Carolina legislature’s attacks on our state’s democracy have been broad and brazen.\nThe Rev. William J. Barber II, taking his moral movement beyond N.C., reminded us last week on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” that our state’s racist election tampering was more of a threat than Russian operatives. The observation was sobering.\nAnd his warning unheeded, at least by too many members of the General Assembly.\nJust a few days later, the N.C. legislature pushed back against the executive and judicial branches to prop up its racially gerrymandered districts. Despite three pronouncements in as many weeks from the U.S. Supreme Court that North Carolina’s legislative and congressional districts were designed to pack and crack the political power of black voters, GOP lawmakers boldly batted efforts by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s call for a special session to redraw these discriminatory districts.\nSenate leader Phil Berger responded to the notion of a special session with the audacious claim that the governor’s call to fix the unconstitutionally drawn districts was “unconstitutional.”\nBut the political hacking hasn’t stopped there. In fact, it seems to have just started.\nThe GOP supermajority, crafted from these unconstitutionally racist legislative districts, have spent months threatening to revive portions of a 2013 voter-suppression law that even the U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider earlier this year.\nN.C. GOP chairman Robin Hayes has doubled down on his commitment to voter suppression, championing President Donald Trump’s desires for lawmakers to “try again” with voter ID, a political-slogan-turned-weaponized tactic that has targeted African-Americans with “surgical precision,” and has proven to suppress votes.\nEven former Gov. Pat McCrory – a political figure known to have challenged hundreds of innocent eligible voters, despite no chance of a political victory – re-emerged from obscurity during the annual N.C. Republican Party convention earlier this month in Wilmington to call for a reanimation of this suppressive legislation.\nIt should therefore come as no surprise that the Civitas Institute’s Conservative Leadership Conference Friday and Saturday in Raleigh will feature some of the country’s best-known architects of voter-suppression legislation. Like a bad case of déjà vu, Art Pope’s minions will likely cap off weeks of propaganda defending racist gerrymandering by providing a prelude to a parade of barriers that will face voters in the final days of this long legislative session.\nBut extremists in the General Assembly apparently feel that the hacking of our democracy need not end in the voting booth. Rather, they are looking to blunt our state’s last line of defense against their unconstitutional tactics: the executive and judicial branches.\nHigh-profile figures like former Court of Appeals Judge Doug McCullough, who stepped down rather than letting legislative leaders steal his seat, say some Republican lawmakers are so motivated to hack the courts that they offered to give big raises to judges who didn’t oppose their judicial coup, and threatened funding to organizations who opposed it.\nSix years into nonstop attacks on our democracy, I see many North Carolinians with a renewed sense of purpose and energy, pulling back the General Assembly’s curtain and pushing back against these craven takeovers. Through this work – from individual constituent calls to packed district meetings – the public has emerged as a fourth branch for meaningful checks and balances.\nAs Barber told The New York Times recently : “If we’re going to change the country … It’s not from D.C. down. It’s from the states up.” And, as the his Moral Movement has shown, change comes to states not from the legislatures down, but from the people up.\nOur state’s ability to push back against this political hacking of our system will be defined by its people. North Carolinians fighting these bills were born decades ago, not yesterday.", "Nothing reflects the shift going on in the local energy sector these days than the evolution of the Petroleum Services Association of Canada.\nFounded during the height of federal-provincial energy wars in 1981, the organization was created to reflect the views of service, supply and manufacturing firms in the oil and gas sector.\nBut 2017 is a vastly different energy era.\nCarbon pricing is coming in across the country, there’s a push for more renewable power and a realignment is unfolding within the oil and gas industry itself.\nFollowing the oil sector downturn and loss of some members, PSAC decided last year to make some changes. It is now allowing companies that work in clean technology and provide services to renewable energy developers to join their group.\nA name change is also being explored.\nThese moves represent an attempt to attract more members. But it also reflects a transformation by some existing members who are now offering different services to improve energy efficiency and environmental performance.\n“We want the public to know that we as an industry association, supporting responsible Canadian energy, recognize the winds of change,” says PSAC chief executive Mark Salkeld.\n“Our members are changing. We are not stuck in the mud, old roughnecks that are going to stick by our ways come hell or high water. No, we are forward thinking and recognize that Canada needs to have everything” in its energy mix.\nPreviously, regular association members had to be based in Canada and get at least half of their revenue from the oilfield services business.\nBut the change, approved last November, now has PSAC talking with groups and firms representing geothermal, solar and wind power.\nSalkeld points to members like Alberta-based Cleantek Industries Inc. as one of the reasons for the adjustment, as oilfield service companies continue to evolve.\nThe business, with operations just outside Calgary, employs about 60 people and is growing. Founded in 2009 as Horizon Oilfield Solutions, it rebranded last year as Cleantek to reflect its business.\nThe firm started out designing and manufacturing wastewater dehydrators for the oil and gas sector. It has since developed hybrid solar light towers used in the energy sector, as well as on construction sites and in remote areas.\n“We only expanded into the construction (sector) in a large way when the downturn started,” says Kristine McPhail, company director of marketing and corporate operations.\n“We were like ‘OK, we need to diversify.’ You can’t be tied to the drill bit when the drill bit is disappearing.”\nQuestor Technology Inc., a Calgary-based company that manufactures gas incinerator systems, turning waste heat into electricity, isn’t a PSAC member — but will contemplate it, says CEO Audrey Mascarenhas.\n“In the past, because it was very focused on traditional oilfield services, we didn’t really see a place for us,” she says.\n“But certainly, as things start to change and regulation comes in that starts to define how our industry has to change…it’s certainly an opportunity and something we would consider.”\nAll of this talk reflects the fact global energy development is undergoing a transformation.\nOil and gas will continue to be needed for decades; hydrocarbon fuels will be required to meet increased energy demand over the next 50 years, according to Suncor Energy’s Climate Report issued Monday.\nYet there’s also a push to decarbonize. Companies in the oil and gas industry are striving to become more efficient, reduce their inputs and lower emissions.\n“There is a coherent path to the future that includes both traditional and new sources of energy,” Suncor CEO Steve Williams said in the report.\n“In a world of rising energy demand, it is not a choice between one or the other; we will need many forms of energy.”\nThere are also business opportunities ahead with the expansion of the clean technology sector, not only for groups like PSAC, but for energy jurisdictions such as Calgary and Alberta.\nThe International Energy Agency says renewable energy capacity will increase by more than 40 per cent by 2021.\nAlberta wants to add 5,000 megawatts of renewable energy into the province by 2030, attracting more than $10 billion in investment into wind, solar and hydro.\nA report last month by Clean Energy Canada says global investment in renewable power hit $348 billion last year, including $2 billion in Canada.\nThat’s far lower than the oil and gas industry’s $29 billion of capital spending in Alberta last year, but still significant.\n“It really is a conversation not about oil and gas or coal power, but about energy,” Mascarenhas says.\n“The reality is we need oil and gas and fossil fuels. Our global energy demand can’t be met solely on renewables, so there’s an opportunity (here) on how do we become more sustainable in our oil and gas production.”\nFor PSAC, the shift means the hopeful addition of new members, a broader mandate and possibly a new name.\nFor Alberta, it reflects a strategic shift in thinking across an industry firmly in transition.\nChris Varcoe is a Calgary Herald columnist.\ncvarcoe@calgaryherald.com", "I won’t even begin to lay out the complicated case Sundance has assembled. Far better for you to read the entire post (it’s long) and try to listen to the audio recording. They are a bit rough and hard to follow, so I am copying a transcript (with comments) that has been prepared of the key moments in the audio recording by Sheila Coombs of Knowterrorists, an “antiwar” site:\nI have transcribed Kerry’s statement from the recording which I have listened to in full as Kerry talks to Syrian dissidents and ex-pats who, like those of Iraqi and Libya before them, are prepared to do deals with the devil to get the regime change they desire.\nOne can hear John Kerry endeavouring to placate these people by discussing how he has promoted the use of force in Syria: “For us politically where you have a Congress who will not authorise our use of force. Congress will not pass that and so we’re trying to help the best way we can, but we finally decided the best thing we can do is try to find a way with a political solution where the opposition is part of the government and you can have an election.” (I suppose this will be like the election they set up just after they destroyed Libya and the BBC and Al Jazeera went into overdrive touting it as ‘democracy’ having been achieved in Libya – oh yeah, that worked really well didn’t it?)\nHe also says: “I think you’re looking at three people, four people in the administration who have all argued for use of force, and I lost the argument. I’ve argued for use of force. I stood up. I’m the guy who stood up and announced we’re going to attack Assad because of the weapons, and then you know things evolved into a different process.” He’s referring to the diplomatic process.\nCrucially he lets slip that “Russia is invited in by the legitimate regime”\n(N.B.Russia also went to the UN for a resolution to undertake action in Syria – that’s UN Resolution 2249)\nHe responds to their frustrations by saying “Look, I get it, a lot of us wish there was an enforcement mechanism right now, a lot of us have been fighting for one, but we don’t have one in that sense so we’re trying to persue diplomacy, and I understand the frustration, you have nobody more frustrated about it than we are.”\nHe sees the problem as being – I quote: “A lot of Americans don’t believe we should be sending young Americans to die in another country – that’s the problem”\nHe states: “Al Nusra and DAESH both make it hard because you have this extreme element out there and unfortunately some of the opposition is already kind of chosen to work with them”. He admits this but has sent TOW missiles and in April this year sent 3,000 tons of weapons during a ceasefire to the ‘opposition’ – a list is detailed in Janes Military Index.\nHe wanted no Syrian or Russian planes to fly, but US planes could fly despite having killed 62 Syrian Arab Army soldiers as they were defending Deir Ezzor from DAESH. He said the deal the US wanted was “Seven days consecutive of calm before we talk about focussing on DAESH and and Nusra”.\nThe Syrians push Kerry for more action. They state categorically that the Russians or Syrians hit the aid convoy in Aleppo despite no evidence of this and the convoy emanting from a government held area. They are annoyed that the Russians are targetting the so called ‘Syria Civil Defence Force’ aka The White Helmets, who were first on the scene, who put out a video immediately and who are well known to be working with Al Nursa and ISIS in Syria. The White Helmets’ leader Raed Saleh was been barred from the US for his ‘links to extremism’ and yet USAID has given them $23 million. The White Helmets operate only in rebel held areas – hmmm.\nOne Syrian guy is then pushing Kerry to get the US to attack Hezbollah fighters whereupon Kerry admits that “Hezbollah is not attacking the US.” This Syrian guy is annoyed that Russia is only attacking the Sunni extremists, (mostly foreign fighters as the Syrian army is made up of a majority of Sunnis). It is the mostly foreign Whabbaist Sunni extremists who are being targeted by the Syrian Army and Russia, but this guy is trying to persuade Kerry to attack Hezbollah and Iranian forces who are also combatting the Sunni Whahabbist extremist jihadis. To appease this guy Kerry states that Hezbollah is – quote “Targetted by the opposition we are arming and training”\nHe says to one woman pushing him – “I think we’ve been putting an extraordinary amount of arms in – haven’t we?” -to an aid who confirms this and that there are weapons entering Syria from other sources. Kerry states “Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia – huge amount of weapons.” All of these are US allies.", "By Medha Singh\nMay 8 (Reuters) - Wall Street rose on Wednesday, with gains in energy and banking stocks fueling the recovery from a steep selloff driven by Italy's political crisis.\nA renewed attempt to form a coalition government in Rome by the two anti-establishment parties, the 5-Star Movement and League, raised hopes that Europe's third largest economy could avoid a new election.\nA surprise breakthrough to form a hung government would ease uncertainty, but still usher in a coalition planning to ramp up spending in the heavily indebted nation and push for changes to European Union and euro-zone fiscal rules.\n\"It's a rebound from yesterday on hopes that there may be some agreement on forming a government. But these kind of perceptions are going to bounce back and forth,\" said Scott Brown, chief economist at Raymond James in St. Petersburg.\n\"Markets are a little bit fragile because it's a holiday week. That could lead to some sharp moves either way.\"\nAt 10:04 a.m. EDT the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 115.15 points, or 0.47 percent, at 24,476.60, the S&P 500 was up 14.72 points, or 0.55 percent, at 2,704.58 and the Nasdaq Composite was up 34.00 points, or 0.46 percent, at 7,430.60.\nThe S&P 500 and the Dow on Tuesday posted their first 1 percent drop in May as investors scurried for safety assets such as U.S. bonds on fears of political instability in Italy.\nOn Wednesday, 10 of the 11 major S&P sectors rose, led by a 1.5 percent gain in energy index.\nBank stocks, which were the worst hit on Tuesday, recovered with the S&P financial index rising 1.1 percent. The Federal Reserve is set to consider a proposal to modify the \"Volcker Rule\" at 3:00 p.m. ET.\nThe proposal, which marks another step by Trump administration regulators to ease banking rules, is aimed at preventing lenders from making market bets while accepting taxpayer-insured deposits.\nThe S&P technology gained 0.4 percent, boosted by a 2.1 percent jump in shares of cloud-based business software maker Salesforce.com that reported quarterly profit above estimates and lifted full-year forecast.\nHP Inc rose 2.6 percent after posting quarterly revenue above estimates and raising full-year profit forecasts.\nInvestors also kept a wary eye on the developments around tariffs and trade. In an unexpected change in tone, the United States said late on Tuesday it could still impose tariffs on $50 billion of imports from China unless it addressed the issue of theft of American intellectual property.\nChina said on Wednesday it was ready to fight back if Washington was looking for a trade war, days ahead of a planned visit by U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.\nAdvancing issues outnumbered decliners for a 4.32-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and for a 3.64-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.\nThe S&P index recorded 15 new 52-week highs and one new low, while the Nasdaq recorded 124 new highs and 10 new lows. (Reporting by Medha Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)", "Since 2015, Gov. Cuomo has been hyping his scheme to remake the state’s electric grid so that by 2030 half of the state’s electricity will come from renewable sources.\nBut Cuomo’s ambition — to prove his renewable-energy bona fides and thus position himself as a viable Democratic candidate for the White House in two years — is colliding headlong with reality.\nIndeed, two events Monday, one in Albany and the other in the upstate town of Somerset, showed just how difficult and expensive his plan has become and how New York ratepayers will be stuck with the bill.\nIn Albany, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority released its “offshore-wind master plan.” The agency said it was “charting a course to 2,400 megawatts” of offshore capacity to be installed by 2030. That much capacity (roughly twice as much as now exists in all of Denmark) will require installing hundreds of platforms over more than 300 square miles of ocean in some of the most navigated, and heavily fished, waters on the Eastern Seaboard.\nIt will also be enormously expensive. According to the latest data from the Energy Information Administration, by 2022 producing a megawatt hour of electricity from offshore wind will cost a whopping $145.90.\nOffshore wind promoters claim costs are declining. Maybe so. But according to the New York Independent System Operator, the average cost of wholesale electricity in the state last year was $36.56. Thus, Cuomo’s presidential ambitions will require New York consumers to pay roughly four times as much for offshore electricity as they currently pay for juice from conventional generators.\nsee also Cuomo doesn't want offshore drilling in New York Gov. Cuomo on Monday asked the US Department of the...\nWhy is the governor pushing so hard for offshore wind? The answer’s simple: The rural backlash against Big Wind is growing daily.\nJust a few hours after NYSERDA released its plan, the Somerset town board unanimously banned industrial wind turbines. The town (population: 2,700) is actively opposing the proposed 200-megawatt Lighthouse Wind project, which, if built, would be one of the largest onshore-wind facilities in the Northeast.\nWednesday, Dan Engert, the supervisor in Somerset, told me his “citizens are overwhelmingly opposed” to having wind projects built near their homes and that Somerset will protect “the health, safety and rural character of our town.”\nNumerous other small communities are fighting the encroachment of Big Wind. In the Thousand Islands region, towns like Cape Vincent and Clayton have been fending off wind projects for years. Last May, the town of Clayton approved an amendment to its zoning ordinance that bans all commercial wind projects.\nLast September, the Fort Drum Regional Liaison Organization announced its opposition to eight proposed onshore-wind projects due to the deleterious effect those projects could have on radar systems and military aviation. The move by the Watertown-based group, which is dedicated to assuring Fort Drum’s future, will likely derail more than 1,000 megawatts of proposed wind-generation capacity.\nThe onshore backlash has left Cuomo with no choice but to move his renewable-energy obsession offshore. Last year, in his State of the State Address, Cuomo touted the fact that all of the proposed wind turbines will be so far offshore that “Not even Superman standing on Montauk Point” will be able to see them. The Man of Steel may not be able to see them, but plenty of fishermen will, and they are none too happy at the prospect of having hundreds of offshore platforms obstruct their fishing.\nTo protect their interests, fishermen and fishmongers from New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Massachusetts have filed a federal lawsuit to block an offshore wind lease won by Norwegian oil company Statoil ASA, at the site of one of the best squid and scallop fisheries on the Eastern Seaboard. That lawsuit is still pending.\nIn short, Cuomo’s push for offshore wind shows how desperate he is to show his pals at the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club how much he loves renewable energy. Never mind that New York’s electricity prices are already 40 percent higher than the US average or that his offshore scheme will send those rates even higher.\nAs Dan Engert asked me Wednesday, “Who is looking out for the ratepayers? That’s the question that should be put to the governor.”\nRobert Bryce is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.", "Apr 10, 2017 - 11:00\nSwitzerland's five nuclear power plants produce about a third of the country's electricity. (Keystone)\nThe Swiss must decide if they are ready give up nuclear energy and rely more on renewables, as part of a vote on May 21 on the government’s future energy strategy.\nIn 2011, a few weeks after the nuclear accident in Fukushima, the Swiss cabinet called for an end to the country’s reliance on nuclear power. From this decision came the government’s Energy Strategy (ES) 2050external link – a vast undertaking that forms the basis for a major upheaval of the Swiss energy system.\nAs well as the gradual closure of five nuclear plants across the country, which will be deactivated at the end of their life cycles, ES 2050 targets the promotion of renewable energy sources and increased energy efficiency. The cabinet’s objective is to guarantee a secure energy supply, and decrease dependence on imported fossil fuels.\nAlthough the cabinet’s initial objectives were downsized, the first package of ES 2050 measures were accepted by parliament, with the ambitions of the political left prevailing over the fears and reluctance of the right.\nThe new federal law on energy, adopted after two years of debate, anchors the ban on constructing new nuclear plants and sets benchmark values for the promotion of “new” renewable energy sources (wind, biomass, etc.). It also provides support for the hydroelectric sector – one of the pillars of the Swiss energy system, which is currently under pressure – as well as reduced energy consumption by buildings, motor vehicles and electrical appliances.\nOpposed from the start to this energy shift, the conservative right Swiss People’s Party successfully launched a referendum against the new law. Supported by Switzerland’s Energy Alliance and several economic and industry umbrella associations, the People’s Party collected 68,000 signatures (surpassing the 50,000 required). Thus on May 21, it will fall to the electorate to decide Switzerland’s future energy policy.\nQuitting nuclear: an opportunity for Switzerland\n“The energy sector is undergoing a total transformation at a global scale, supported by low prices and the development of new technologies,” declared energy minister Doris Leuthard at the launch of the ES 2050 campaign. She emphasised that with this revision of the law, the cabinet and parliament want to guarantee a secure future supply of energy, while protecting the climate and creating jobs.\n“It is a great opportunity for our country,” echoed Stefan Batzli, director of the Agency for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, one of ES 2050’s supporters.\n“Our energy infrastructure is continually ageing and is subject to dysfunction, as we saw with the Beznau 1 reactor, which was stopped two years ago. We must therefore modernise. Over the next 10-20 years, we will still use nuclear power, so that’s an interval of time that will allow us to replace the atom with renewable energy sources. It is not a revolution, but a process already in motion,” Batzli told swissinfo.ch.\nDuring the parliamentary debates, Adèle Thorens Goumaz, co-president of Switzerland’s Green Party, said: “Companies and individuals want to participate in the transition to secure and clean local supply of energy.\" This is evidenced, she added, by the long waiting list of projects that have applied for financial support via a government tariff, which guarantees producers of electricity from renewable sources a price that corresponds to their production costs.\nTo finance renewable energy, households will be called upon to pay more for electricity. The grid surcharge to encourage electricity production from renewable energy will go from 1.5 to 2.3 cents per kilowatt hour. For a family of four, that would translate to an annual electricity bill increase of about CHF 40 ($40), according to Leuthard. It’s an estimate that does not convince opponents of ES 2050 at all, who speak of a “flagrant lie aimed at deceiving the people”.\nWhat if the sun isn’t shining?\nAlbert Rösti, president of the People’s Party and of a pro nuclear energy group, thinks that halving energy consumption would be “extremely costly”.\n“It would mean for example having to replace all existing heating oil systems, which are currently used in one out of every two buildings in Switzerland. It would also mean reducing by half the number of kilometres travelled by motor vehicles, and imposing drastic measures in the realms of real estate and business,” says Rösti.\nAccording to a committee opposed to ES 2050, the energy shift would cost some CHF 200 billion, which is CHF 3,200 annually for each family of four in the country – an estimate that Leuthard calls “erroneous”.\nBut going beyond figures, opponents of ES 2050 are especially worried about securing the country’s energy future. They fear that renewable energy will not permit reliable, affordable energy production in sufficient quantities. “We will have to import more electricity, especially in winter, and we will be even more dependent on other countries,” says Rösti, who wants to maintain the nuclear option.\n“What will we do when the sun isn’t shining or when there is no wind?” asks the head of Switzerland’s Radical Party, Christian Wasserfallen, who is among the most vehement detractors of ES 2050. Instead of subsidising renewable energy and introducing regulations and bans in the energy sector, he believes the electricity market should be totally liberalised.\nNuclear exit at the top of the polls\nAs was already the case in November 2016, energy politics in Switzerland will be decided by vote. Six months ago, the electorate rejected (by 54.2%) a popular initiative that called for banning the construction of new nuclear plants, and limiting the lifespan of existing ones to 45 years.\nInterestingly, an analysis of the vote revealed that three voters in four favoured a Switzerland without nuclear power. On May 21, it will become clear if this majority also supports the plan proposed by the cabinet and parliament.\nOne strategy, two phases ES 2050 is divided into two phases. The first package of measures provides for the step-by-step closure of nuclear power plants, the development of renewable energy, and increased energy efficiency. This is the package on which the people will vote on May 21.\nThe second phase includes the introduction of climate and electricity taxes levied on fuels and fossil fuels, as well as on electricity consumption. But following the refusal to bring the matter before the House of Representatives last March 8th, the project already seems doomed to fail.\nSign up for our free newsletter and get the top stories delivered to your inbox.", "U.S. President Donald Trump speaks between Vice President Mike Pence (L) and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt prior to signing an executive order on ''energy independence,'' eliminating Obama-era climate change regulations, during an event at the Environmental Protection... REUTERS/Carlos Barria\nWASHINGTON The website of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA.gov, is getting a makeover to reflect the views of President Donald Trump and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, the agency said on Friday.\n“As EPA renews its commitment to human health and clean air, land and water, our website needs to reflect the views of the leadership of the agency,” it said in a statement.\nTrump, a climate change doubter, campaigned on a pledge to boost the U.S. oil and gas drilling and coal mining industries by slashing regulation. He also promised to pull Washington out of a global pact to fight climate change.\nThe first page to be updated is one that reflects Trump’s executive order on energy independence, which calls for a review of the Clean Power Plan put into place by his predecessor, President Barack Obama, the statement said.\n\"Language associated with the Clean Power Plan, written by the last administration, is out of date,\" it said. \"Similarly, content related to climate and regulation is also being reviewed.\"\nThe Clean Power Plan aimed to sharply reduce carbon dioxide emissions from electrical power generation over 25 years, focusing on reductions from coal-burning power plants and increasing the use of renewable energy and energy conservation.\n“We want to eliminate confusion by removing outdated language first and making room to discuss how we’re protecting the environment and human health by partnering with states and working within the law,” J.P. Freire, associate administrator for public affairs at the agency, said in the statement.\nThe website changes will comply with agency ethics and legal guidance, including proper archiving, so a snapshot of the Obama administration’s website would remain available from the main page, the statement said.\nIn January, EPA sources told Reuters that administration officials had asked the agency to take down the climate change page on its website, and that EPA staff had pushed back in an effort to convince the administration to preserve it. [L1N1FF00N]\nThe page includes links to scientific research, emissions data from industrial plants and a multi-agency report that describes trends related to the causes and effects of climate change.\nPruitt led 14 lawsuits against the agency when he was Oklahoma's attorney general. Last month he said he was not convinced that carbon dioxide from human activity is the main driver of climate change, a position widely embraced by scientists.\n(This version of the story has been refiled to change Snapshot, not screenshot, in ninth paragraph)\n(Reporting by Eric Walsh and Valerie Volcovici; Editing by Bill Trott)", "WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The Iraqi people are suffering from a deteriorating economy and fear of renewed fighting on the 15th anniversary of the US invasion despite a successful campaign against the Islamic State (Daesh)*, Iraqi exiles driven from the country to escape the terrorist group told Sputnik.\nOn March 20, 2003, President George W. Bush announced the launch of Operation Iraqi Freedom, aimed at overthrowing longtime leader Saddam Hussein, which Washington accused of developing, storing and planning to use weapons of mass destruction. Within months, no weapons of mass destruction were found and the invasion morphed into an occupation, with the United States setting up a parliamentary-style democracy as the nation descended into a sectarian war pitting Sunni against Shia Muslims, with both targeting US forces.\nA UK-based Opinion Research Business (ORB) poll estimated that up to 1 million civilians had been killed, by extrapolating from a survey showing that 20 percent of Iraqi households had lost at least one member as a result of the fighting.\nAhmed Amin, 37, an engineer now employed at a state-run manufacturing company in Baghdad, survived the initial Islamic State takeover of Anbar province and its major cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, by fleeing to Turkey, where he remained for two years. After returning to Iraq in late 2017, with Anbar liberated, his bitterness becomes obvious when asked about US involvement in his nation for the past 15 years.\n\"This is a frivolous question because everything in Iraq is a proof the Saddam’s rule was more stable and people enjoyed security, and this answer can be heard also from current Iraqi politicians who once supported the US invasion,\" Amin told Sputnik.\nAhead of parliamentary elections next month, the United States faces growing pressure to reduce its politically sensitive presence in Iraq, which the US Defense Department characterizes as a reorganization of the international coalition that supported Iraqi forces with airstrikes to retake territory ruled by the Islamic State.\n© AP Photo/ Tim Ireland Iraqi Teen Found Guilty Over 2017 London Tube Bomb Attack\nAmin said he expects Iranian-backed Shia militias to increase control in urban neighborhoods amid continued attacks by the Islamic State and other militant Sunni Islamist groups following the April 12 elections, with little change in his country.\n\"The upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections will be merely a vote of support for incumbent Prime Minister [Haider] al-Abadi,\" Amin said. \"Iran has the most parties on the ground that are willing to serve its agenda.\"\nJenna D., who asked that her last name be withheld to protect her extended family in Baghdad, Fallujah and Ramadi, fled to Jordan in 2007 and entered the United States as a refugee the following year. After gaining US citizenship, she visited Iraq in 2014, 2015, 2017 and returned to the United States this month after spending two-weeks with her immediate family in Baghdad.\n\"I don’t tell people I’m coming to Iraq, only my family, to limit my visibility,\" Jenna told Sputnik. She described pervasive corruption that was absent under Saddam Hussein’s rule.\n\"Everybody is asking for a bribe, a tip. Lots of friends, cousins, nephews have applied for jobs to find people demanding thousands of dollars, $10,000, up to $20,000 in return,\" she said.\nWhile visiting a sick sibling in a hospital, she confronted a man in a white coat who was smoking a cigarette in a hospital hallway lined with no-smoking signs, only to be told by her brother to stop. \"He might hurt you,\" the brother said.\nJenna described the hospital as filled with second-hand smoke. She also said the streets of Baghdad are filled with trash piled so high that some roads had become impassible.\n© AP Photo/ Karim Kadim Terrorist Ideology Should Be Eradicated After Daesh Military Defeat - Iraqi PM\nShe compared her arrival at Baghdad's international airport as \"like landing in a hole in the desert. There were no high buildings, no control tower\" she said.\nAirport security, she added, resembled a military base with a barrier well beyond the airport that requires passengers to take taxis from the compound entrance to the main terminal building.\nIn February 2009, President Barack Obama announced an 18-month plan to draw down US troops to a force of 50,000 that would train Iraqi security forces and provide intelligence. But by December 2011, all US troops were gone due to pressure from the Iraqi government. By then, the country had changed, according to Mohammed Dulaimy, who grew up in Fallujah and where his family resided at the time.\n\"The whole mindset of the majority of society was that there were only ‘holy fighters’ and their enemies,\" Dulaimy explained. Criminals had simply rebranded themselves as jihadists.\nWhen completing his studies in early 2014, the Islamic State onslaught had begun with immediate success in Fallujah, where the local population initially welcomed the Islamic State for ending persecution of Sunnis by the Shia-dominated government.\n\"People didn’t believe the United States when they warned about al-Qaeda, [terrorist leader Abu Musab] Zarqawi. This is what Islamic State brought to the table,\" he said. \"Suddenly people saw their worst fears, that everything they were told might be true,\" he said.\nDulaimy’s family described in telephone conversations being saved at one point by Islamic State fighters, who fired on advancing Iraqi helicopters that had begun firing on refugee convoys fleeing the city. His family eventually settled in Kurdistan.\n\"Life has become more difficult,\" according Abdullah Al Ani, 36, an Iraqi Ph.D.-candidate in the United Kingdom. \"The streets are unsafe, the economy is deteriorating badly, and the government is unreliable. It doesn’t respond to anybody needs. Previously, Iraq was a safe, wealthy nation throughout the 1980s despite an eight-year-long war with Iran.\"\nBut Iraqis interviewed by Sputnik fear that renewed fighting will return to the streets of Baghdad and other cities, with Iraq's predominantly Shia military forces and allied Iranian-backed Shia militia allies battling the next incarnation of the Islamic State.\nBy the end of 2017, Iraqi forces backed by airstrikes from a US-led coalition had retaken nearly all Iraq territory from the Islamic State, with Iraqi politicians now pressing for a reduction of the American military presence as the April 12 date for Iraqi's election approaches. Negotiations between the United States and Iraq on a long-term US military presence are reportedly underway. Sectarian warfare in Iraq reached its most intense phase from 2004 to 2008, with US deaths topping 3,000, more than 23,000 wounded and Iraqi civilian fatalities estimated at more than 50,000.\n*Terrorist organization, banned in Russia", "ISLAMABAD, May 3 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - With much of the world pouring investments into renewable and clean energy, Pakistan is drawing criticism for welcoming Chinese investment in coal-fired power plants as part of a plan to boost urgently needed generating capacity.\nOfficials at the Water and Power Ministry have said Chinese companies and their partners are expected to spend around $15 billion over the next 15 years to build close to a dozen coal power plants of varying sizes around the country.\nMohammed Younus Dagha, the former federal secretary for water and power, who became commerce secretary at the end of March, emphasised that the coal plants are part of a larger plan.\nThat is the $54 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which includes spending of about $33 billion on a total of 19 energy projects, including coal-fired and renewable power plants, transmission lines, and other infrastructure.\n“Hefty investment under the CPEC project has held out hopes of significantly spiking domestic power generation (by) around 6,000 megawatts by the end of 2018,” Dagha said.\nCombined, the projects will eventually generate 16,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity, which the government says is urgently needed.\nAbout three-quarters of the newly generated power will come from coal-powered plants, and the government insists that these will be fitted with the latest technology to reduce pollution and climate-changing emissions.\nBut environmentalists and energy experts have lambasted the plans for coal-fired plants as a waste of money that will badly damage the environment and tarnish Pakistan’s image as one of the lowest-carbon emitters.\n“Such plants would only accelerate the rising trajectory of the country’s carbon emissions, (accelerating) environmental degradation that costs billions of rupees to the national exchequer annually,” said Syed Jawad Hussain Shahzad, an energy expert at the Comsats Institute of Information Technology in Islamabad.\nENERGY SHORTFALLS\nPakistan has long needed more power than it can produce, with the energy deficit currently around 4,000 MW. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), average energy demand in the country is around 19,000 MW, against generation of around 15,000 MW.\nDemand soars beyond 20,000 MW during peak summer months of May to July, when air conditioning systems place an extra burden on the national power grid, often causing power cuts.\nThe IEA forecasts that total electricity demand will rise to more than 49,000 MW by 2025 as the country’s population increases.\nOnly 67 percent of Pakistan’s approximately 190 million people have access to electricity, according to the World Bank.\nTo improve access and keep pace with economic growth, the country needs to invest between 3.7 percent and 5.5 percent of its GDP each year in increasing electrical production, the bank said in a report on South Asian infrastructure published in 2013. Part of the motivation for building coal-powered plants lies in the availability of the fuel within Pakistan.\nThe federal minister for planning, development and reform, Ahsan Iqbal, said that the sprawling desert region of Tharparkar in southern Pakistan, home to some of the world’s largest coal reserves, cannot be left unexploited.\n“Pakistan must tap these unutilised vast underground reserves of 175 billion tonnes of coal, adequate to meet the country’s energy needs for several decades, for powering the country’s economic wheel, creating new jobs, and fighting spiking unemployment and poverty,” Iqbal said.\nPakistan currently ranks 135th in the list of global emitters of carbon on a per capita basis, accounting for less than 1 percent of total global carbon emissions, according to World Bank data.\nAccording to the report submitted by Pakistan to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change last year, the country’s emissions in 2015 stood at 405 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2 eq.).\nHowever, emissions are increasing at a rate of 3.9 percent (16 MTCO2 eq.) annually.\nIqbal touts the green credentials of the planned coal power plants, which will use the latest “supercritical” emission-reducing technology that is used in China itself and elsewhere.\n“The latest coal power plants (will) be as clean as gas-based power generation,” Iqbal insisted. “(They) require less coal per megawatt-hour, leading to lower emissions, including carbon dioxide and mercury, higher efficiency and lower fuel costs per megawatt.”\nRISKS OF WORSENING CLIMATE CHANGE\nNevertheless, independent renewable energy experts say the government's love affair with coal power plants is a huge worry.\n“No sane person would want electricity from dirty energy sources, even though supercritical technology is used,\" said Malik Amin Aslam, a former state minister for the environment who serves as global vice-president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.\n\"These plants, not being completely free of carbon emissions, will still harm the public health and the country’s environment,” he said.\nPakistan is considered one of the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, from worsening floods and scalding summer temperatures to erratic rainfall that can kill crops.\nChina’s ambassador to Pakistan, Sun Weidong, stressed that coal power is only part of the projects China is supporting through its investment in CPEC.\n“We are equally helping Pakistan to bring more and more renewable energy sources into its energy mix by tapping its massive wind and solar energy potential,” Sun said.\nPlanned renewable energy projects under CPEC include a solar park, four wind farms and three hydro plants that together would generate around 3,900 MW, at a cost of about $7.5 billion\nAccording to the Pakistan Alternative Energy Development Board, Pakistan has the potential to generate annually 2.9 million MW of clean energy from solar, 340,000 MW from wind and 100,000 MW from hydropower.\n“We really fail to fathom the government’s inclination towards environmentally damaging coal power plants while the country can generate millions of megawatts of solar, wind and hydro electricity,” said Mir Ahmad Shah, executive secretary of the Pakistan Renewable and Alternative Energy Association.\n“Even countries like Saudi Arabia – rich in oil resources – are gradually switching over to clean energy sources,” Shah said.\n(Reporting by Saleem Shaikh and Sughra Tunio; editing by James Baer and Laurie Goering :; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate change, resilience, women's rights, trafficking and property rights. Visit news.trust.org/climate)", "Wall Street rose on Wednesday, with gains in energy and banking stocks fueling the recovery from a steep selloff driven by Italy’s political crisis.\nA renewed attempt to form a coalition government in Rome by the two anti-establishment parties, the 5-Star Movement and League, raised hopes that Europe’s third-largest economy could avoid a new election.\nA surprise breakthrough to form a hung government would ease uncertainty, but still usher in a coalition planning to ramp up spending in the heavily indebted nation and push for changes to European Union and euro-zone fiscal rules.\n“It’s a rebound from yesterday on hopes that there may be some agreement on forming a government. But these kind of perceptions are going to bounce back and forth,” said Scott Brown, chief economist at Raymond James in St. Petersburg.\n“Markets are a little bit fragile because it’s a holiday week. That could lead to some sharp moves either way.”\nAt 10:04 a.m. EDT, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 115.15 points, or 0.47 percent, at 24,476.60, the S&P 500 was up 14.72 points, or 0.55 percent, at 2,704.58 and the Nasdaq Composite was up 34.00 points, or 0.46 percent, at 7,430.60.\nThe S&P 500 and the Dow on Tuesday posted their first 1 percent drop in May as investors scurried for safety assets such as US bonds on fears of political instability in Italy.\nOn Wednesday, 10 of the 11 major S&P sectors rose, led by a 1.5 percent gain in energy index .SPNY.\nBank stocks, which were the worst hit Tuesday, recovered with the S&P financial index rising 1.1 percent. The Federal Reserve is set to consider a proposal to modify the “Volcker Rule” at 3 p.m. ET.\nThe proposal, which marks another step by Trump administration regulators to ease banking rules, is aimed at preventing lenders from making market bets while accepting taxpayer-insured deposits.\nThe S&P technology gained 0.4 percent, boosted by a 2.1 percent jump in shares of cloud-based business software maker Salesforce.com that reported quarterly profit above estimates and lifted full-year forecast.\nHP rose 2.6 percent after posting quarterly revenue above estimates and raising full-year profit forecasts.\nInvestors also kept a wary eye on the developments around tariffs and trade. In an unexpected change in tone, the United States said late Tuesday it could still impose tariffs on $50 billion of imports from China unless it addressed the issue of theft of American intellectual property.\nChina said Wednesday it was ready to fight back if Washington was looking for a trade war, days ahead of a planned visit by US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.\nAdvancing issues outnumbered decliners for a 4.32-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and for a 3.64-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.\nThe S&P index recorded 15 new 52-week highs and one new low, while the Nasdaq recorded 124 new highs and 10 new lows.", "Who’ll be the next governor of California? It’s a complete and utter mystery.\nInsurance Commissioner Gavin Newsom? Antonio Villagarosa? Kamala Harris?\nActually, none of the above.\nNewsom is California’s lieutenant governor, not insurance commissioner. The former mayor of Los Angeles spells his name Villaraigosa. And unlike those two, Harris is not even running for governor; indeed, she’s just starting to warm the U.S. Senate seat she won in November.\nThe fight to succeed Democrat Jerry Brown is likely to be the most wide-open and unpredictable California governor’s race since at least 1998, when the overwhelming underdog Gray Davis surged to victory in the final weeks of the Democratic primary and took the office in a November landslide.\nOne would hardly know it, though, talking to voters who haven’t the foggiest notion who’s pursuing the job.\nIn more than three dozen interviews throughout the Bay Area and its fringes, fewer than a handful could properly identify Newsom, who formally announced his candidacy in early 2015.\nThe number just about matched those who named Villaraigosa, incorrectly, or cited Harris as a candidate. She may be pleased to know both were fans, in case the freshman Democrat changes her mind about the governor thing.\nIt's the best place in the world and the hardest place in the world. — Cathy Turney, a real estate broker in Concord\nAs for the other formally declared Democratic candidates, Treasurer John Chiang and former state schools chief Delaine Eastin, or the sole Republican seriously running, venture capitalist John Cox: Voters had not a clue.\nWhich is not to suggest the average Californian is ignorant or apathetic. State politics has never been a consuming interest in California; it’s more like baseball or football, drawing attention for a few months during the season, then receding into the background for all save the most passionate fans.\nAll of which underscores the disconnect between your average Californian and the political insiders, obsessed as they are over the fight for chairmanship of the state Democratic Party, or the litmus test imposed by liberals pushing a Sacramento-run universal healthcare plan.\nMark Z. Barabak/Los Angeles Times Jim Knoll, a retired cosmetics salesman in San Francisco, said the next governor should stay on the path set by Jerry Brown. Jim Knoll, a retired cosmetics salesman in San Francisco, said the next governor should stay on the path set by Jerry Brown. (Mark Z. Barabak/Los Angeles Times)\nThere is plenty that will happen in the next 17 months to shape the mood of voters. But for now, at least, candidates aren’t facing the angry electorate that thrust the GOP into the majority in Sacramento in 1994, or grudgingly reelected Davis in 2002, only to pitch him from office less than a year later in an unprecedented recall.\n“Things are going pretty well,” Democrat Jim Knoll, a 71-year-old retired sales manager, said on a sunny morning in San Francisco's West Portal district, one of the more buttoned-down neighborhoods in the city. “The next governor needs to keep things on track.”\n(Barring some epic shift, Brown’s successor will almost certainly be a Democrat and more likely than not the one who runs best in the Bay Area, which tends to have outsized influence in state elections.)\nThere were gripes, naturally.\nSome grumbled that voters had no say in a gas-tax hike to pay for road and transit fixes. Or marveled that housing prices have gone from ridiculous to on-another-planet insane. Or lamented how “rush hour” has become a quaint notion in an age of 24/7 traffic tie-ups.\nThere was middling support, at best, for two of Brown’s pet projects, a plan to build two giant tunnels to ship Northern California water south and a bullet train between San Francisco and Southern California.\n“That’s all about him leaving his legacy,” scoffed Republican Doug Thompson, 75, a retired healthcare executive, as he hefted groceries into the back of his SUV in upscale Alamo. “Use that money to fix the schools and improve infrastructure.”\nFor the most part, though, the prevailing sentiment was one of relative contentment; it seems very likely the incumbent would win a third term, if the law didn’t keep Brown from running again.\nTo that end, most hoped the next governor would largely continue in his steps, especially when it comes to fighting the Trump administration's aggressive immigration stance and efforts to undermine the state’s tough environmental regulations.\n“It’s important they stand up for the moral values — not just market values — that Trump seems to be throwing completely out the window,” said Democrat Mary Burns, 67, who retired from the public relations industry and now writes mystery novels set in West Portal.\nMary Burns, a mystery writer in San Francisco's West Portal neighborhood, wants California's next governor to take a strong moral stand against President Trump. Mary Burns, a mystery writer in San Francisco's West Portal neighborhood, wants California's next governor to take a strong moral stand against President Trump.\nThere was decidedly less enthusiasm for the brio mustered by former Democratic Chairman John Burton, who flipped President Trump the double-bird at a recent state party convention and led a crowd chant of the f-bomb.\nDon’t stoop to Trump’s level, most said, or engage in a tweet-for-tat back-and-forth with the petulant president.\n“Forget about the little fights. Focus on the big things he’s screwing up,” said Larry Venner, 65, a renewable energy analyst and “reluctant Democrat,” as he paused outside the library in Tracy, where the Bay Area starts giving way to the Central Valley. “Stay away from symbolic fights that don’t mean anything.”\nThe single-payer healthcare proposal that enthralls liberal activists drew a far more tepid response. While many praised the notion of free quality medical care for all, they questioned who would pay the enormous cost, estimated at $330 billion to $400 billion annually.\nHigh taxes are already a burden, many said, and what guarantees that raising them even higher would produce better healthcare, as the politicians promise?\n“The money you send to Sacramento just seems to go into this general grinding machine and disappear,” said Democrat James de Avellar, a 67-year-old retired truck driver in Tracy.\nMark Z. Barabak/Los Angeles Times James de Avellar, a retired truck driver in Tracy, said tax dollars sent to Sacramento just seem to disappear into a \"grinding machine.\" James de Avellar, a retired truck driver in Tracy, said tax dollars sent to Sacramento just seem to disappear into a \"grinding machine.\" (Mark Z. Barabak/Los Angeles Times)\nIf there was a rough prescription for the next governor, it seemed to be: Don’t attempt anything drastic. Focus on what’s achievable. Fix the roads. Make public schools better. Do something to improve public transit and make housing more affordable.\nLiving in California has always involved trade-offs: natural beauty vs. natural disaster. Pricey living vs. priceless amenities.\n“It’s the best place in the world and the hardest place in the world,” said Cathy Turney a real estate broker and Democrat of a certain age (“call me a mature adult”) as she headed to a lunch date in Concord’s historic Todos Santos Plaza.", "* Shell wants Dutch to target 20 GW offshore wind by 2030\n* Shell pursuing green projects after investor, policy pressures\n* Shell also advocates use of gas to complement renewables\nBy Karolin Schaps\nLONDON, April 13 Anglo-Dutch oil major Royal Dutch Shell said it has urged the Dutch government to come up with bolder offshore wind targets and quadruple the goal for installed capacity to 20 gigawatts (GW) by 2030.\nEurope's biggest oil company, which has traditionally invested little in green energy sources, is ramping up renewable energy investments to $1 billion a year by the end of the decade after pressure from shareholders to do so and as it sees governments turning to less carbon intensive and more flexible fuels.\nSome of its recent activities in renewable energy include winning a contract, as part of a consortium, to build a wind farm off the coast of the Netherlands and bidding for an offshore wind licence in the United States.\nIn the Netherlands, where it is by far the largest listed company, it is lobbying the government to raise its long-term offshore wind target to give investors clarity on priorities further out.\n\"We need to lower the costs of development, but we would also want the Dutch government to come up with the policy for a further rollout of 10-15 GW in capacity for the period until 2030,\" said a spokeswoman for Shell in the Netherlands.\nThe Netherlands is lagging other European countries in renewable energy investments and was ordered by a district court in The Hague in 2015 to cut carbon emissions by 25 percent within five years after losing a court case brought by environmental campaigners.\nThe government has since launched a programme to speed up renewable energy projects, including tenders to build 4.5 GW of offshore wind farm capacity and more beyond that.\nAs part of a group of the Netherlands' largest companies, Shell has called on policymakers making up the next Dutch government to adopt a comprehensive climate law that will help the country meet targets set out in the 2015 Paris climate accord.\nShell said in its sustainability report published on Wednesday that it is \"helping\" policymakers in the Netherlands to find an energy mix that allows reducing greenhouse gas emissions.\nThe oil major, which operates the Netherlands' largest operating gas field in Groningen jointly with Exxon Mobil, is also pushing for the use of gas to complement erratic renewable energy production.\nThe Dutch government has capped the amount of gas that can be produced from the Groningen field because of related earthquakes and wants to continue winding down output as part of its emissions-cutting plans.\n\"The largest contribution Shell can make to reducing emissions globally in the near term is to continue to grow the role of natural gas,\" Shell Chief Executive Ben van Beurden said at an industry event last month. (Editing by Susan Fenton)", "Apr 24, 2018\nThe challenge in moving to a fully \"green\" economy now concerns harder-to-abate sectors such as trucking, shipping and aviation, steel, cement, and chemicals. To make the same rapid progress there that has been made in renewable-energy technologies requires the same type of forward-looking policies.\nLONDON – When you buy your next automobile, would you pay $100 extra to ensure that the steel in it was made without producing carbon dioxide emissions?\nExclusive insights. Every week. For less than $1. Learn More\nMy guess is that most readers will say yes. Most people in most countries, including the United States, accept the overwhelming scientific evidence that human-induced greenhouse-gas emissions are causing potentially harmful climate change. Most people with decent incomes are willing to pay some price to achieve the zero-carbon economy needed to reduce the risks posed by climate change. And there is growing evidence that the total costs of that transition will be far less than the 1-2% of GDP suggested by Nicholas Stern in his seminal 2006 report The Economics of Climate Change. But, despite low costs, change will not happen fast enough without forceful new policies.\nRenewable electricity costs have fallen faster than all but the most extreme optimists believed possible only a few years ago. In favorable sunny locations, such as northern Chile, electricity auctions are being won by solar power at prices that have plummeted 90% in ten years. Even in less sunny Germany, reductions of 80% have been achieved. Wind costs have fallen some 70%, and battery costs around 80%, since 2010.\nAs the Energy Transition Commission set out in its April 2017 report Better Energy-Greater Prosperity, power systems that are 85-90% dependent on intermittent renewables will be able by the 2030s to produce power at an all-in cost – including storage and any flexible back-up required – below that of fossil fuels. For power supply, Stern’s estimate that the cost of going green will be very small has proved too pessimistic – the cost will actually be negative.\nThese dramatic cost reductions did not happen in a vacuum. They are the result of deliberate and initially expensive public policy. Public expenditures over several decades supported basic research into photovoltaic technology, and large subsidies for initial deployment, particularly in Germany, enabled the solar industry to reach sufficient size for learning-curve and economy-of-scale effects to kick in.\nContrary to simplistic economic models, the pace of innovation and cost reduction is not an exogenous given; it is strongly determined by governments’ long-term objectives. On the cost curves economists use to rank carbon-reduction technologies, solar PV was, a mere ten years ago, one of the most expensive options. On the latest cost curves, however, it shows up as one of the cheapest. Strong policy support drove it there.\nAt the higher end of most published cost curves, we now find actions to decarbonize economic sectors where electrification seems impossible, difficult, or expensive. Emissions from the chemical reaction of cement production would remain even if the heat input were electrified: and installing carbon capture and storage (CCS) will add significant additional cost. Battery-powered flight may be possible over short distances, but for many decades – and perhaps forever – international aviation will require the energy density of a liquid hydrocarbon, and delivering that density with biofuels or by synthesizing hydrogen and air-captured CO 2 will probably always be more expensive than deriving it from oil.\nLikewise, steel production can be decarbonized by applying CCS or using hydrogen produced by electrolysis as the reduction agent, rather than coking coal. But unless low-carbon electricity costs fall much further, the hydrogen route will remain more expensive than today’s technology. And, by definition, adding CCS at the back of the process adds cost.\nBut not that much more cost. Estimates suggest that with already achievable renewable electricity costs, steel produced via hydrogen-based direct reduction might cost an additional $100 per ton – in turn adding $100 to the cost of a one-ton car. And these costs could fall significantly if, as is likely, hydrogen emerges as a major route to decarbonization across many sectors – including aviation (via synfuels), shipping (by using ammonia derived from green hydrogen instead of heavy fuel oil), and long-distance trucking (where hydrogen fuel cells may play a significant role).\nLarge-scale development of a hydrogen economy could drive the cost of electrolyzers onto a downward path similar to that observed with solar panels and batteries. And the cost of CCS could also fall significantly if government policies supported large-scale deployment.\nThe challenge is to replicate the stunning success we have seen in renewable power and batteries in the “harder to abate” sectors such as trucking, shipping and aviation, steel, cement, and chemicals. That will require a mix of carbon pricing, regulation, and government support for research and initial deployment.\nSome of the policies require international coordination, but some could be pursued by countries acting alone. A requirement that all cars sold in either Europe or China had to meet a certified “green steel” standard, with the share of steel sourced from zero-carbon production increasing gradually toward 100% over the next few decades, would provide a strong stimulus toward steel decarbonization. If several major countries could agree on such a standard, or on the imposition of a significant carbon price, progress would occur even faster.\nThe technologies to decarbonize even the harder-to-abate sectors are now available, and the estimated costs are not daunting. If strong policies were introduced, the technological innovations and learning-curve effects unleashed would probably, as with renewable energy, prove the initial cost estimates to be pessimistic. If you are willing to pay $100 extra for your green car today, within a few decades the cost will probably be lower, but only if public policy forces the pace.", "French President Francois Hollande arrived in Baghdad Monday to meet the French forces helping Iraq in the fight against ISIS and to hold talks with top officials.\nIraqi forces completely collapsed when ISIS extremists took over second city Mosul in June 2014 and swept across much of the country's Sunni Arab heartland.\nHollande was scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who hails from the main Shiite political bloc, President Fuad Masum, a Kurd, and Parliament Speaker Salim al-Juburi, one of the country's most prominent Sunni politicians.\nThe French president began his trip with a visit to a base near Baghdad where French forces are training Iraq's elite Counter-Terrorism Service, the force that has spearheaded most major anti-ISIS operations in Iraq since 2014 .\n...", "A car bomb attack in a busy square in Baghdad has killed at least 17 people.\nThe blast happened in the sprawling Sadr City district this morning and also wounded more than 40 people.\nMany of the victims were daily labourers waiting for jobs at an intersection.\nA car bomb attack in a busy square in Baghdad has killed at least 17 people. It comes days after another bomb blast in the Iraqi capital, pictured\nPictures posted on social media shortly after the explosion showed a huge plume of black smoke billowing into the sky and seriously injured people being evacuated.\nThere has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, but ISIS regularly targets civilian areas in the heavily fortified capital, even after losing most of the northern and western territory it seized in 2014.\nThe attack also comes as ISIS rained down on Iraqi military positions north of the capital and killed 16 pro-government fighters dead.\nMeanwhile, three bombs killed 29 people across Baghdad on Saturday, and an attack near the southern city of Najaf on Sunday left seven policemen dead.\nU.S.-backed Iraqi forces are currently fighting to push ISIS, the Sunni Muslim militant group, from the northern city of Mosul, the fighters' last major stronghold in the country, but are facing fierce resistance.\nThe recapture of Mosul would probably spell the end for the jihadi's self-styled caliphate, but the militants would still be capable of fighting a guerrilla-style insurgency in Iraq, and plotting or inspiring attacks on the West.\nU.S.-backed Iraqi forces are currently fighting to push ISIS, the Sunni Muslim militant group, from the northern city of Mosul, pictured\nSince the offensive began on October 17, elite forces have retaken a quarter of Mosul in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.\nPrime Minister Haider al-Abadi has said the group would be driven out of the country by April.\nAs clashes continued in and around Mosul on Monday, ISIS also targeted military positions away from the main battlefield.\nMilitants attacked an army barracks near Baiji, north of Baghdad, killing four soldiers and wounding 12 people, including Sunni tribal fighters, army and police sources said.\nSince the offensive began on October 17, elite forces have retaken a quarter of Mosul in the biggest ground operation in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein (file picture)\nThey seized weapons there and launched mortars at nearby Shirqat, forcing security forces to impose a curfew and close schools and offices in the town, according to local officials and security sources.\nShirqat mayor Ali Dodah said ISIS seized three checkpoints on the main road linking Baiji to Shirqat following the attacks. Shelling in Shirqat had killed at least two children, he told Reuters by phone.\nIn a separate incident, gunmen broke into a village near Udhaim, where they executed nine Sunni tribal fighters with shots to the head, police and medical sources said.", "FILE PHOTO: Electrical power pylons of high-tension electricity power lines are seen at sunset in Cambligneul near Arras, France, February 15, 2017. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo\nPARIS Utilities in the European Union may have to offer more flexible prices from 2020 to encourage consumers to use more electricity when supplies are abundant and cheap, according to proposed new rules, a top EU official said.\nMost European utilities sell at fixed prices, regardless of price swings on wholesale markets, which makes sense when most power comes from coal and nuclear plants that are always on.\nBut the surge in intermittent renewable energy, like solar and wind generation, has led to intraday price swings that demand a flexible approach to encourage usage on sunny and windy days when power is plentiful, the European Commission says.\nThe challenge will be to encourage utilities to adopt a more flexible price structure and to expand the rollout of smart meters in Europe. These meters could be linked up to mobile phone apps or other displays to show power price changes through the day and indicate when using appliances would cost less.\n\"We want to give consumers incentives to consume more when energy is cheap, therefore member states will have to introduce dynamic pricing besides other billing systems so that consumers have a choice,\" Klaus-Dieter Borchardt, director Internal Energy Market at the European Commission, told Reuters.\nA package of power market reforms drawn up by the Commission late last year includes a provision for all EU states to ensure their utilities offer so-called \"dynamic pricing\" to reflect changes in supply.\nBorchardt said the legislation outlined by the Commission was likely to be approved by the European Parliament this year or next, and would then come into force on Jan. 1, 2020.\nVariable pricing could cut power bills for an EU household by up to 400 euros a year, Borchardt said, as consumers turn on appliances on sunny or windy days or when offices and factories are shut at weekends.\nFlexible pricing contracts are already offered in Spain and Nordic states, such as Finland, Sweden, Norway and Estonia, said Commission official Anna Colucci. \"We would like to offer it to all consumers in Europe,\" she said.\nIn Estonia, almost 70 percent of suppliers offered a flexible price contract and 20-25 percent of consumers used them, she said. Estonian supplier Eesti Energia allows clients to link contracts to wholesale prices and track hourly prices.\nIn Norway, about 90 percent of customers of Hafslund, the main supplier in Oslo, buy power at spot-indexed prices, a company spokesman said. Government statistics show spot price-contracts tended to offer cheaper prices in the past decade.\nA vital step toward introducing dynamic power pricing will be installing smart meters in households. By 2020, about 17 EU states will be rolling out smart meter programs, Colucci said.\nSome utilities may prove reluctant to offer a pricing model that gives customers more flexibility but means companies face less predictable earnings.\nBut Borchardt said they would have to adapt. \"They can't stop it. There is no real opposition in parliament and in member states\" to introducing such a system, he said.\nIndustrial clients have long benefited from more variable power pricing deals, encouraging them to time their usage.\nJean-Marc Ollagnier, group chief executive of Accenture Resources, said utilities had to offer significant price variations to encourage households to change their habits.\nHe said some household usage remained inflexible, such as in the evening when lights come on and meals are cooked, but said the rise of intermittent renewable power still strengthened the business case for offering more flexible pricing formulas.\n(Additional reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis in Oslo; Editing by Edmund Blair)", "A blackout in South Australia that has intensified a political brawl over energy policy was caused by three factors: demand for power was higher than forecast, wind generation was lower than forecast and several thermal generators were unable to step into the breach, according to the energy market operator.\nAs the partisan conflict about energy continued in Canberra on Wednesday, the Australian Energy Market Operator issued a report detailing the sequence that led to the blackout in South Australia last week – the third such outage in recent months.\nAemo said load shedding became the only option available when it became clear a gas plant at Pelican Point was not available to respond to the surge in demand as local temperatures in SA soared last week.\nScott Morrison brings coal to question time: what fresh idiocy is this? | Katharine Murphy Read more\nThe market operator said it directed load shedding of 100MW to preserve the security of the electricity grid but, for reasons it still can’t explain, the local network operator shed three times that amount – 300MW.\n“At 1803hrs, Aemo directed ElectraNet to shed 100MW of load,” the report says. “By 1830hrs, it was apparent that there had been a demand reduction of about 300MW,and spare capacity was available on generating units in South Australia and on the Heywood interconnector.\n“At 1830 hrs, Aemo requested ElectraNet to restore 100MW of load over the next 10 minutes. By 1840hrs, Aemo had determined that sufficient generation and interconnector capacity was available to restore all load and it instructed ElectraNet accordingly.”\nThe market operator said it was still in the process of determining why more load was shed than the 100MW directed.\nAs Aemo executives testified last Friday during an appearance before a Senate committee, the operator got its forecasts wrong on the day of the blackout and “errors in the temperature forecasts led to errors in the demand forecast”.\nThe confluence of factors on the day, and the incorrect forecast that contributed to the necessity for load shedding, will reignite criticism about the performance of the market operator.\nWhile it is clear the cause of the most recent blackout is multifactorial, the Turnbull government will also likely seize on the fall off in wind power to highlight the intermittency problems associated with renewable technologies.\nSeparately in Sydney, Australia’s chief scientist, Alan Finkel, held a public consultation that is part of the energy review he is running for the Turnbull government and states and territories through the Coag energy council.\nSpeaking to reporters, Finkel, dismissed the notion that recent problems with the stability of the energy market represented a crisis and he issued a clear warning against blaming any single factor.\n“I don’t think that we’ve learnt that there is a single obvious problem that someone should go chasing down,” Finkel said on Wednesday. “If there was, Aemo would be chasing it down.”\nHe said Aemo had learned from every demand management exercise during extreme weather events.\nFinkel spoke before a public meeting on the independent review of the national electricity market in Sydney, one of a series of consultations designed to inform his final blueprint.\nFinkel’s preliminary report, circulated in December, warned that policy uncertainty around renewable energy was hurting investment in the industry.\nLast week, a coalition of business, energy, climate, and welfare groups issued a joint statement warning that a decade of partisan politics and finger-pointing had destroyed investor confidence in Australia’s energy sector.\nFinkel said recent investment in renewables had increased, despite investors expressing concern over continued policy uncertainty.\n“Interestingly, what we’ve seen in the last six months, or the last few months anyway, is a bit of a resurgence in investment in wind and solar, and yet there’s no doubt that every investor group that we’ve spoken to has said that the policy uncertainty is making it much less likely that they would invest,” Finkel said.\n“Where they are investing, it’s through wind and solar supported by the [renewable energy target], and of course the signals, the actual signals, are quite strong for investment. But investors have been indicating that the long-term uncertainty worries them.\n“But what they say and what they do are not necessarily the same thing, and we are seeing investors coming back into the market for renewables.”", "Take it straight from a major fossil fuel supplier: The world's energy mix is changing, and it's shifting toward lower-carbon fuels.\nBP, the British oil and gas giant, said global efforts to slash greenhouse gas emissions and boost efficiency are having a tangible effect on global energy markets, with two main narratives playing out: the decline of coal, and the rapid rise of wind and solar power.\nThis week, BP released its Statistical Review of World Energy on 2016 data. For 66 years, this annual report has served as an energy industry statistical bible of sorts, painting the broad picture of global energy development.\nIn an opening letter, BP CEO Bob Dudley stressed the need to \"keep our focus and efforts on reducing carbon emissions.\"\nHe also voiced support for the Paris Climate Agreement, an international pact that commits nearly all countries to fighting global warming. This puts BP in opposition to President Donald Trump, who on June 1 announced he would withdraw the U.S. from the agreement.\nHere are some of the biggest takeaways from BP's annual report:\nRenewable energy is the \"leading light of the energy transition\"\nImage: BP statistical review of world energy\nRenewable power generation grew by 14.1 percent last year, according to BP, which doesn't include hydropower in this group. While that's slightly below the 10-year average, it's the still the largest annual addition yet.\nSolar power in particular jumped 29.6 percent, while wind power grew by 15.6 percent.\nRenewables' share of the global energy mix is still fairly small — about 3.2 percent — but last year's strong growth meant that solar, wind, and other sources accounted for nearly one-third of the increase in energy supplies.\nImage: BP statistical review of world energy\nChina was the biggest force in this sector. The world's most populous country and top greenhouse gas emitter contributed more than 40 percent of global renewable energy growth in 2016, which helped it surpass the United States as the largest renewable power producer.\nThe U.S. isn't likely to reclaim the top spot anytime soon. China is vowing to invest $361 billion in renewables by 2020, yet the Trump administration is doubling down on fossil fuel production, all while criticizing China for not doing enough to control its emissions.\nCoal's fortunes have taken \"a decisive break from the past\"\nImage: BP Statistical Review of World Energy\nAs these charts show, coal has hardly disappeared, and it won't anytime soon. But the coal industry is facing pressure from many sides that are contributing to its long-term decline, BP said.\nNatural gas and, to a lesser extent, renewables are replacing coal in the power sector as both become more widely available and cost-competitive. Stronger government limits on carbon emissions in many countries, as well as air and water pollution rules, are also fueling the broader shift away from coal.\nHowever, the biggest near-term factor is, once again, China.\nThe country last year said it would cancel or postpone plans for 200 coal power plants, and it restricted the number of days that coal mines can operate. The measures are meant to not only reduce toxic urban air pollution and carbon emissions, but also shrink excess capacity in China's coal sector.\nImage: BP Statistical Review of World Energy\nIn 2016, Chinese coal production fell by 7.9 percent — a record drop — while coal consumption declined for the third consecutive year, falling 1.6 percent. Coal prices shot up in response, by 60 percent for thermal coal (the kind used in power plants).\nAs China is the world's largest coal user, these dynamics spilled over into the global market. Higher global coal prices further depressed coal demand in the power sector, to the benefit of natural gas and renewables.\nGlobal coal consumption slipped by 1.7 percent while production fell by a \"whopping\" 6.2 percent, BP said. In the U.K., coal supply and demand plummeted to levels not seen since the start of the Industrial Revolution, nearly 200 years ago.\nCarbon emissions, and energy demand, are essentially flat\nImage: BP statistical review of world energy\nWe're becoming more efficient in using energy. Global energy markets saw weak growth for the third consecutive year, with energy demand notching up by just 1 percent in 2016. BP credited the \"relentless drive to improve energy efficiency\" for the deceleration.\nRelatively slow economic growth was another factor, including a slowdown in industrial production. All this meant that carbon emissions were essentially flat in 2016, BP said. It's the third consecutive year in which carbon emissions have barely budged from the previous year.\nBP's economists said it's unclear whether the past three years signal a \"decisive break from the past\" that means we're on track to limit global warming — or if the flat emissions are largely driven by cyclical factors that could unwind over time, putting our climate at an even higher risk.", "For the past month, Veronica Benitez spent most afternoons looking at paperwork. She was volunteering for Living United for Change in Arizona, or LUCHA. In a crowded office space downtown, she'd sit in front of three computers with immigrants who were brought into the United States illegally as children, known as Dreamers.\nThe 21-year-old combed through paperwork with them, making sure all the T's were crossed and the I's were dotted. They were filling out forms to reapply for The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, better known as DACA, which protected from deportation almost 800,000 young adult unauthorized immigrants like her while permitting them to work legally in the U.S.\nMost of these Dreamers were filling out their forms in a rush. When President Donald Trump announced on September 5 that DACA would end and left it to Congress to find a solution in six months, he gave immigrants whose DACA permits expired by March 5 one month to reapply for two more years of protection under DACA.\nThursday was the deadline.\nBut as Benitez worked with dozens of Dreamers at LUCHA's clinic, she knew she herself couldn't be helped.\nHer current DACA permit expires on March 30 — just 25 days after Trump's deadline.\nUntil Congress makes a move, her future is in limbo.\nThat's why she wanted to make the most of this final week, assisting Dreamers who could be helped.\nBenitez was on a 15-minute break last month when she heard the news that DACA would officially be rescinded.\nVeronica Benitez couldn't reapply for DACA after Trump rescinded it, but that didn't stop her from helping others renew their permits. Courtesy of Veronica Benitez\nShe has lived in this country since she was 3, brought here from Mexico by her parents. The sole reason she'd been able to land a job at a call center was because of DACA. It allowed her to help her family. It gave her purpose.\n“DACA changed my life a lot,” Benitez says. “Before I was scared to go out and I was sad that I couldn’t get a job. … [With DACA] I was able to work, to volunteer, and could help my family financially.”\nBut with Trump’s announcement, she was overcome with anxiety.\nBenitez is fairly certain that her permit expired on March 30 — only 25 days past the deadline. But then she thought: What if I'm wrong? What if it expires March 3?\nShe had a sliver of hope. She considered this as the hours dragged by at work.\nWhen she finally returned home, she ran into her mother’s bedroom. Her DACA paperwork was under the bed in a box.\nPapers rustled and the words stung when she read them: March 30.\nShe’d missed the deadline by less than a month. If Congress doesn’t pass legislation to protect Dreamers by this spring, Benitez could lose her job or even face deportation from the land in which she has lived the past 18 years.\nAlthough Benitez couldn’t renew DACA, that didn’t stop her from trying to help others who could.\nThe Monday after Trump’s DACA announcement, LUCHA and the Arizona Center for Empowerment, or ACE, set up the clinic for DACA recipients who were eligible to renew.\nAldo Gonzales, the immigration services coordinator for ACE, said volunteers like Benitez and pro bono lawyers helped DACA recipients fill out their paperwork for most of September.\nWhen the clinic opened the Monday after the DACA announcement, a rush of about 20 immigrants came in for help. Though the number of applicants coming to the clinic slowed as the month inched on, they wanted to keep it open until the final second.\nAs Dreamers came carrying folders and bags full of papers and permits, Benitez helped them fill out applications.\n\"It gave me comfort,\" she says. \"Knowing that I couldn’t [renew], but I could help others to do it.\"\nVolunteers ensured immigrants didn’t fill out sections of the DACA application that were only for first-timers. They scrutinized each form, so that no one missed a question, and would recommend a lawyer if the applicant had received a parking ticket or misdemeanor since their last DACA application.\nGonzales says if an application is filled out incorrectly and sent to the government, the paperwork could be returned — but likely not in time for the October 5 deadline. That's why everyone in the clinic had to be on their best game.\nDACA renewal packets had to be turned into the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS.\nBetween September 5, when the president announced the end of DACA, and October 4, 54,000 people submitted renewal requests, according to Maria Elena Upson, a public affairs officer for USCIS. More than 150,000 DACA recipients were eligible to apply for the renewal and 58,000 had applied before September 5.\nBut, like Benitez, some applicants who sought out the clinic were beyond help. Some would come in not knowing about the March 5 deadline.\nBenitez knew how they felt. As she sat in LUCHA’s office day after day, she felt let down all over again when someone came in who was in her situation.\n“There was a bad feeling when unfortunately they couldn’t renew,” Benitez says. “I understood those sad feelings … but it then was a great feeling to tell them and get them excited to fight back and pressure politics to do something better.”\nShe has tried to remain optimistic. She wants to stand with LUCHA and fight for a clean Dream Act. The original DREAM Act — Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors — was introduced in 2001. The legislation aimed to give undocumented children a path to citizenship, but it stalled in Congress. A current version of the Dream Act was introduced in July by Senators Dick Durbin of Illinois and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.\nDuring that 15-minute work break when she learned DACA was suspended, Benitez said the thing that got her through was a text from her father.\n“It’s going to be okay,” he wrote. “Better things are coming your way.”\nBenitez took this to heart. The way she sees it, good things come to those who do good." ]

[ "I don't know of any large scale examples but in the quantum world, there is something called [pair production](_URL_0_). This is where a photon of sufficient energy can form a particle and it's antiparticle (for example an electron and a positron)" ]

[ "The terms \"matter\" and \"antimatter\" here are a bit misleading, because what we call \"matter\" in this context is just *ordinary* matter. Antimatter comprises the complementary antiparticles of ordinary matter, but antimatter is itself a form of matter. So converting energy into matter could mean converting it into antimatter just as easily as converting it into ordinary matter. This is especially demonstrated in the process of pair production, where a high-energy photon (a gamma ray) interacts with a nucleus, spontaneously converting into a particle and its anti-particle counterpart, the classic example being an electron and a positron (the anti-electron). Typically these pairs will, due to their opposite electrical charges, pull each-other together once more and annihilate, forming a gamma ray once again.", "> By definition temperature is the average kinetic energy in a system. It isn't. Temperature is defined based on how the entropy of a system changes with changes in its energy. For gases and some (but not all) other systems this is linked to the average kinetic energy of objects but this is not the definition of temperature. Black holes have energy and they have entropy that depends on the energy, therefore they have a temperature. For the properties of a black hole it doesn't matter what is inside. Singularity or not - all that matters is what is outside, because things inside cannot escape anyway. > How does the black hole absorb this matter and become bigger? Nothing can escape, but falling in is easy. Gravity even helps you with it. The matter that falls doesn't survive as matter but its energy stays - the black hole grows. This has nothing to do with the temperature of a black hole.", "Yes. Mass is kg, energy is kg m^2 / s^2. To go from one to the other, it's fairly obvious that you need a factor of m^2 / s^2. What's not so obvious is that the mass-energy relation uses velocity squared (c^2). Velocity squared is one way of producing the correct units; for example, the kinetic energy formula: K = 1/2 mv^2. This was known long before Einstein. However, you can also get m^2 / s^2 by using Acceleration*Displacement. This is seen in the gravitational potential energy formula: U = mgh. So yes, the fact that you needed m^2 / s^2 has been known for a long time. The fact that c^2 is the specific conversion factor between mass and energy was Einstein's achievement.", "The high energy part is what's important, regardless of whether it acts as a particle or a wave. The process behind the damage is pretty simple; the radiation has lots of energy, electrons in matter absorb that energy and become excited - rising in orbitals getting further away from their nucleus until eventually they just leave and the atom becomes ionised, leaving a highly reactive ion, and a highly reactive (and very energetic) electron. Both of these can then go on to damage other structures (like, say, DNA) as well as disrupting the structure of the matter they came from.", "You might have heard about Einstein's equation, E=mc^2 , What it says is that mass can be converted into energy and vice versa. Lets take you for example, you are matter, you can move, but you cannot move at the speed of light because as you move faster and faster, your *mass* increases (not your weight) and when you travel at the speed of light, your mass becomes infinite(well, technically), and you need an infinite amount of energy to move. And in the same logic, the less mass you have, the easier it is to move you. If you did not know already, light travels in small packets called photons. They have no mass (technically). So they can be thought of as pure energy. The purest form of energy you can imagine. So what happens when you have no mass? You travel very fast. And the fastest speed you can travel is the speed of light which is 299 792 458 m / s. Just to recap: no mass=light speed", "First off, they don't **produce** energy, they carry energy that is transferred upon impact. Every change in velocity requires energy, regardless if you want to be faster or slower, so smashing into something roughly releases as much energy as it takes to accelerate the thing in the first place. Assuming we're in space, then the relative velocity is used. So it doesn't matter if brick a is flying at 0m/s and brick b at 100m/s, or if brick a is at -100m/s and brick b at 0m/s. the Difference in velocity is still 100m/s. The only difference is the observer who measures it. The way they react upon impact is determined by the mass of both objects, and the relative velocity. Objects with more mass will require more energy to move, while objects with smaller mass accelerate faster. It's the basic F=m*a. Mass times acceleration equals the Force.", "It depends on how interstellar we're talking. Heading to our nearest neighbor stars wouldn't require thinking about dark matter or dark energy at all. On the other hand, if we want to head across the galaxy, dark matter becomes important. Dark matter was first noticed because stars in the galaxy move too fast to be held together without it, and likewise, it only becomes important on galactic distance scales (~tens of thousands of lightyears). Dark energy is even more negligible, as it only becomes important on *cosmological* distance scales---billions of light years.", "Here's the ELI5 explanation, to serve as an appetizer for the rest of the posts here. Everything is just 1's and 0's, but it matters which glasses you put on. Now the computer, who is trying to execute those 1's and 0's, has these cool glasses that makes \"1001000\" appear as something it should do. Notepad on the other hand, has these cool sunglasses that applies a filter that turns a sequence of eight 1's and 0's into a readable character on the screen. E.g. '1001000' becomes 'H'. The cool part is that you can invent a new pair of glasses with a different filter. Another, more complex, example would be a ZIP-file. In this case the ZIP-program first puts on a set of glasses and reads the first part of the file. This part describes which set of glasses it should use for the rest of the file in order to un-zip the content.", "I love all the fancy math in this thread, but what happened here actually is a PRINTING mistake probably resulting from a PDF encoding error. The ASCII values for the larger font are indexed with a off-by-one error. If you take every glyph that's in the large font and increment the character ID, the 0's become 1's, the 2's become 3's, and the asterisk becomes a plus sign. [In other words, the worksheet should have been printed like this.](_URL_0_)", "There's not such thing as pure energy. It's just not a concept. Matter and anti-matter typically produce high energy photons when they meet. The reverse can happen, for example a gamma ray can interact with a nucleus and produce an electron-positron pair.", "In a super crazy simple world where every variable was controlled other than energy in + energy out, then no, it would not matter, same overall result. In the real world, it matters a lot. Try putting your down jacket over your raincoat on a wet day. There are 100s of examples like this one where order and other factors matter.", "Your line of thinking seems to be accurate. As mass and energy are now known to be equivalent, physicists speak of a conservation of mass-energy. The black hole in your example will have a 1.5kg increase in mass-energy. If you'd like to think of that as the black hole's rest mass increasing by 1kg and its kinetic energy energy increasing by .5kg * c^2, that's fine. What matters is that its total effect on local geometry will increase by that of the rock's.", "It's not really a neurological thing, it mostly has to do with what your tongue is used to saying. It's physical. People who grew up speaking more complex languages will generally not have as much trouble with tongue twisters (or copying accents for example). It's a matter of what you're physically used to, and you can practice it out to become better at them.", "In heavy elements like gold, the electrostatic attraction of the nucleus drags electrons so close that their velocity becomes a substantial fraction of the speed of light. (In an orbit, radius and speed are proportional at constant momentum.) This means that relativistic effects become significant. This causes the 5*d* and 6*s* orbitals to contract. When they contract like this, the energy difference between the two orbitals also changes. The corresponding energy gap in a silver atom is equivalent to the energy carried by light in the ultraviolet spectrum. But in gold, it shrinks into the visible part. So electrons absorb visible light at a certain frequency as they transition from the lower energy state to the higher energy orbital. The visible spectrum minus this absorbed light is what we perceive as golf.", "> S(sled) + S(light) = C That's not the formula to use in relativity. Do this instead: S(sled) + S(light) ----------------------------- = C 1 + S(sled) * S(light) / C^2 But if you plug in `S(light) = C`, you'll notice that this is trivially true no matter what `S(sled)` is. Which means that no matter how fast the sled is moving, the light always moves at `C` and also the sled sees the light moving at `C`. Also, try applying this same formula to the car moving 70 mph and the ball thrown forward. You get 70 mph + 70 mph ------------------------- = 139.9999999999985 mph 1 + 70 mph * 70 mph / C^2 which any measuring device on Earth would record as 140 mph.", "There's plenty of [low-energy \"exotic\" states of matter](_URL_3_), like [Bose-Einstein Condensates](_URL_2_) and [Superfluids](_URL_0_). This next bit is just me speculating, but perhaps the reason you *perceive* there being a dearth of low-energy states compared to high-energy states is that most of the visible matter in the universe is at comparatively high energies. It is relatively easy for the universe to create pockets of high-energy matter. For example, stars are made up of plasmas and degenerate matter. By comparison, it would be difficult to naturally achieve a low-energy state in the universe because of the extremely low density of space and the ever-present 3-Kelvin [Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation](_URL_1_).", "It isn't really right to say that matter can't be destroyed. Better is to say that mass/energy can't be destroyed. However, mass can be converted to energy (as happens when antimatter annihilates matter) and the opposite can also occur (there are fewer commonly known examples of this, but shortly after the Big Bang is when matter started to form from all the mass/energy released).", "100% of what we can see is not 100% of what there is. There are things that we can't see. The universe is made of three things: ordinary matter and particles; dark matter; and dark energy. Ordinary matter and particles are about 5% of everything. Dark matter makes up about 27%. Dark energy makes up about 68%. These latter two -- dark matter and dark energy -- are things whose existence we can establish via the motion of ordinary matter (as these exert a gravitational influence on ordinary matter), but which we cannot directly observe. Thus, all the stars and galaxies and planets and what not we see make up just 5% of all that there is. You can read more on [this page](_URL_0_) from NASA.", "Neutrinos are an example of dark matter because they do not interact with light. But the total energy of the neutrinos in the universe is very small, so they are only a very small fraction of the dark matter that exists. Also, we know that dark matter is \"cold\" and clumps together due to gravity based on many kinds of evidence. Because neutrinos are always \"hot\" (their thermal energy is much larger than their mass-energy), most dark matter can't be made of neutrinos. So most dark matter cannot be neutrinos- which is why people will say that neutrinos are not the source of dark matter.", "There is a fixed amount of mass-energy - matter can become energy and energy can become matter, but none can be created or destroyed. The observable universe is not infinite, and since we can't \"see\" anything past the edge of the observable universe (there has not been enough time in all of history for light to get from there to here), that doesn't really matter. Just like the question of parallel universes or what happened before the big bang, it simply isn't in the domain of things that Science has the ability to know about. We do know that the density of the observable universe, when you look at it from a large enough scale, seems to be uniform. We don't know and don't care if it continues to be uniform past that horizon - anything out there is far far away, and thanks to the expansion of the universe, it is getting farther away at a rate faster than the speed of light - it cannot possibly have any impact on us, so we simply will never know.", "Anti-matter: less common particles that have the opposite charge of their regular partners. For example, the electron has the positron. Sometimes anti-matter refers specifically to atoms of anti-particles. Dark matter: The stuff that contributes to the mass of galaxies. Exact details currently unknown. Dark energy: Basically a term used to describe that the universe has a certain energy density that drives its expansion.", "Just to use the most simple thermodynamics example: If two blocks of matter are firstly isolated and at another temperature (the number of energy packets in each of the blocks is not equal). If these are now thermally connected, energy (heat) can flow from one to another. If I now give you that all possible arrangements of the energy packets are equally likely, we can understand what will happen. The state where all energy will be in one of the blocks will be possible for example, but is highly unlikely, because there is only one possible arrangement in which this can happen. However if we look at the number of arrangements if the energy is devided 50/50, we get a huge number of possibilities, thus more likely. This happens in all the systems, because we will go to the most probable state.", "A photon has to be created in a physical process within the system S. This process has to obey conservation of energy. Thus the difference in energy of the system S before the process and the energy of S after the process is equal to the energy the photon carries.", "As atomic number increases, [relativistic effects](_URL_0_) become important, acting to lower the energy of s-orbitals. This makes the Aufbau principle and Madelung's Rule unreliable predictors of electronic configuration. Ru(IV) is a *d*^4 system.", "When matter has thermal energy (all matter does, as far as we know), it emmits electromagnetic energy. The frequency of this energy is dependent upon the amount of thermal energy the matter possesses. So, objects that glow blue would be hotter than an object that glows red due to heat. However, depending on what is burning, I think the color of a flame is more depedent on the chemical make-up of the fuel.", "Fusion/fission *do not* make energy out of matter. What is actually happening is that *bound energy* has *mass*, which is a very important distinction to make. So splitting atoms doesn't convert matter to energy any more than setting something on fire, or releasing a spring.", "Gravity makes it thermodynamically favorable for there to be planets. In chemistry (as an example) there are two opposing things which make a reaction happen or not happen spontaneously. Those two things are enthalpy and entropy. The equation for Gibb's free energy goes as follows G = H -T*S, whereas H is the enthalpy change, T is temperature, and S is the entropy change. Whereas in chemical reactions, the H is due to electric forces and whatnot, in your example the energy change is due to gravity. Kind of a coarse analogy, but I hope it is illuminating.", "Yes. The basic idea of general relativity is that matter and energy tell spacetime how to curve, and curved spacetime tells matter and energy how to move. For example, gravity deflects light, and we see [this in space](_URL_0_) where nearby clusters of galaxies (the yellow blobs) distort more distant objects into arcs.", "The 'fireball' from the explosion is from the surrounding matter which has been vaporised by the energy released from the fission. The nuclear fission releases ~~most of it's~~ energy in gammas and x-rays (and kinetic fission fragments and neutrinos and neutrons). This energy get absorbed by the surrounding matter (rock, air, bomb casing, fission fragments etc) and they become superheated into plasmas ~~(a candle flame is a plasma)~~ which then rapidly expand (shockwave) and also re-radiate their energy all over the EM spectrum (heat, light).", "The actual black hole itself does not emit X-rays, or any other light. However, black holes have accretion disks, made of material falling towards the black hole. These accretion disks can become very hot, because the gravitational potential energy get converted to kinetic energy and then to heat as matter falls towards the black hole. Once matter becomes sufficiently hot, it is possible to produce X-ray emission. This emission comes from a small region just outside the black hole, where the gravitational forces are strong enough to accelerate matter enough to reach these temperatures but not enough to prevent light from escaping.", "Matter cannot be created or destroyed, and conservation of mass are both not fundamental conservation laws. They are good enough when studying chemical interactions but don't hold true in all cases, for example the examples you gave. Energy and momentum are still conserved in these interactions.", "More accurately, matter is just another form of energy. So you can convert certain kinds of matter into other kinds of energy, or you can convert other kinds of energy into matter, but the total amount of energy stays the same." ]

[ "The greatest drain is almost always the screen, as powering the backlight for your tablet's large display uses a lot of energy. Step 2: Turn the screen brightness level down. Adjusting the brightness level of your tablet’s screen can save a lot of battery power. To do this, open Settings – Display - Brightness. A pop-up window will display a slider which you can use to change the brightness level. If the slider isn’t visible untick the box marked Automatic Brightness." ]

[ "How To Charge Tablet-LG G Pad. Learn how to charge tablet on your LG G Pad. A rechargeable Li-ion battery is used to power your tablet. A USB adapter, which is included with your tablet, is used to charge the battery. Before using your tablet for the first time, make sure the battery is fully charged.", "After a while, you can get a digital copy of the DVD and play it on Windows 10 laptop to save battery. The display screen can use a ton of power. To saving battery on Windows 10 laptop, you should dim the brightness down. This method can also be used to extend the battery life of Windows 10 tablets and phones.", "Dock 100% Tablet 100% When docked, the dock battery is used primarilly to power the system. The dock battery will also charge the tablet if the tablet battery is below 90%, and it will recharge it back to 100% if enough dock battery remains and then stop charging the tablet.", "can the battery be replaced on an samsung galaxy tablet. can you replace the battery on a samsung galaxy tab 4. do you need to replace a battery in a samsung tablet. how do you change the battery in a samsung galaxy tablet.", "can tablet batteries be replaced. 1 can the battery be replaced on an samsung galaxy tablet. 2 can you replace the battery on a samsung galaxy tab 4. 3 do you need to replace a battery in a samsung tablet. how do you change the battery in a samsung galaxy 1 tablet. how to replace battery fir samsung ce0168 tablet. how to replace samsung tablet battery.", "Hi everyone! In this video I'm going to tell you how to replace your chinese tablet's battery to really improve it's battery life.LINKS: Battery that I've bought: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/3-7V-8... Some info on battery replacement, using protection boards and connecting 2 batteries: http://www.slatedroid.com/topic/34016...i everyone! In this video I'm going to tell you how to replace your chinese tablet's battery to really improve it's battery life.", "This application show your battery percentage in a clear elegant display. you can display your battery charge any time, it's addictive! battery percentage on status bar. check the percentage of remaining battery. Battery level indicator. Battery indicator light. for phone and tablet. Save battery life.", "GirishRane replied on June 4, 2013. GI. GI. All I see is a battery icon in windows 8 Rt metro interface but it's not easy to estimate remaining battery life with a small icon like that. Every other tablets tell you how many hours are left or how many percent is left.I. All I see is a battery icon in windows 8 Rt metro interface but it's not easy to estimate remaining battery life with a small icon like that. Every other tablets tell you how many hours are left or how many percent is left.", "How to check your battery usage in Windows 10 (Laptop/Tablet). This will allow you to see what applications and processes are the most draining on your battery life.", "Not to mention how they help save our planet! Let's find out how rechargeable batteries work. The function of rechargeable batteries Batteries have two electrodes; an anode, which is the negative end and a cathode, which is the positive end.Together, the anode and the cathode are called the electrodes.ot to mention how they help save our planet! Let's find out how rechargeable batteries work. The function of rechargeable batteries Batteries have two electrodes; an anode, which is the negative end and a cathode, which is the positive end.", "Lenovo’s line of tablets promotes portability, reliability and best of all, long battery life. The Yoga line of tablets provides the longest battery life possible from a tablet. Breaking the mold in tablet design, Yoga Tablets are the first to feature a kickstand that wraps around a cylindrical-shaped base.", "How to see remaining battery life in hours or percent? All I see is a battery icon in windows 8 Rt metro interface but it's not easy to estimate remaining battery life with a small icon like that. Every other tablets tell you how many hours are left or how many percent is left. I have been searching for 2 days for a setting option and find nothing. This OS is far from intuitive and I wonder if I am not better to return the tablet, thing like that should be easy to set. 138 people had this question.", "Why DU Battery Saver (Battery Booster & Battery Charger) is a MUST-HAVE app? Monitor all apps that drain power while not in use and remind user about high consumption apps. Indicates how much battery power will be extended if you use 1tap saving.", "Smartphone batteries, and those fit for using with a tablet, can be different. The former are usually small, and feature a USB output for fuelling the 5V battery of a phone, or almost any low-power device. But not a tablet. Tablet batteries require a 2.1 amp-rated USB output if a recharge of their 12V batteries is to be successful.", "Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9 / 3HT7G Tablet and E Reader Batteries. Read any good books lately? If the battery in your Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9 / 3HT7G tablet is dead, the answer might be no. Batteries Plus Bulbs offer only the highest performing, top-quality tablet and e-reader batteries around. Take a look at all of the options available for Amazon battery replacements. No filters available.", "If the battery in your Samsung tablet is dead, the answer might be no. Batteries Plus Bulbs offer only the highest performing, top-quality tablet and e-reader batteries around. Take a look at all of the options available for Samsung battery replacements.", "For your information, this is not how to save battery so that you can run your laptop or notebook for longer periods, but by doing this you can extend your battery lifespan, keeping the battery healthy for few years.", "Which Tablet Has the Longest Battery Life? [Infographic] Which.co.uk has published two infographics comparing the battery life of 10-inch and 7-inch tablets. Each time we test a tablet we check the battery life for web browsing over wi-fi, over 3G (if relevant) and for video playback.", "If you want to use a battery save, note that it will replace your current saved games, so it would be wise to back up your current battery save file. Then, simply copy the new battery save file to the proper directory, and give it the same name as your ROM.Save states are a little more complicated.f you want to use a battery save, note that it will replace your current saved games, so it would be wise to back up your current battery save file. Then, simply copy the new battery save file to the proper directory, and give it the same name as your ROM. Save states are a little more complicated.", "There's no difference in the quality of the charge, or the life of your battery. An iPhone charger, like any other smartphone, tablet, or laptop charger, isn't really a charger at all. It's just a power supply. The charger is in the phone itself -- that's the circuit that decides how to charge the battery, and that's the part that affects battery life. About the only difference between these chargers is how much current they can supply.", "I need to restart it. The best way would be to remove the battery but i cant seem to crack open the backlid to remove the battery. How do i remove the battery to restart my phone on galaxy tab 3. A. First off, the Galaxy Tab 3 is a tablet, not a phone.Its isnot very easy to pop off the back cover and remove the battery as i do not suggest that.Instead, Hold the power button and the volume up button for 10 to 20 seconds. need to restart it. The best way would be to remove the battery but i cant seem to crack open the backlid to remove the battery. How do i remove the battery to restart my phone on galaxy tab 3. A. First off, the Galaxy Tab 3 is a tablet, not a phone.", "If the tablet has 95% charge when it is docked, the tablet battery will not be recharged. If the tablet is being used, then the dock powers the tablet, balancing the charge rate with a direct bias to ensure that the dock will eventually drop to 3-5% with the tablet at around 90%.", "This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Buy batteries at http://www.jjgames.com/product/14325 A step-by-step video showing how to replace the save battery on a Gameboy or Gameboy Color game. If you can no longer save your progress in games, most likely the battery is dead and this will fix it.", "1 65% - how long does it take to fully charge an iphone after the battery has fully died? 2 46% - How long fully charge galaxy note battery last for....(number of hours)? 3 64% - Do you know how long it should take to fully charge s samsung note tablet?", "During a storm, you may use a laptop or tablet inside as long as the device is not plugged into a wall outlet. Make sure you save any files you are using before the battery is depleted. Also, stay away from windows and doors while using your laptop or tablet to avoid static electricity damage and lightning strikes.", "Main menu. Best tablet battery life 2015 - 23 tablets tested. If you're going on a long journey, your tablet is likely to be your only source of entertainment. In these times of media consumption and gaming need, your tablet becomes your most important device so decent battery life is a must-have.", "A step by step demonstration of the procedure for replacing the battery in your.... Hi. Kindly follow the steps on below`s link to replace the battery for you samsung tablet. This video provides a step by step demonstration of the procedure for replacing the battery in your Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet.", "CNET Labs takes up the challenge to find out. Battery life is an important, yet often overlooked feature. Editor's note: This list is updated regularly. Battery life testing is one of the last evaluations we subject tablets to at CNET Labs, but by no means is it the least valued. How long you can use your tablet is nearly as important as what it is you do while using it.", "Battery grime can cause current leak and shorten the life of your battery. Keeping your battery connections clean can not only help your battery live longer but can also save you money. Read below to learn how to clean a variety of battery terminals.", "Search tags for this page. 1 asus transformer book no internet, secured. 2 asus transformer won't connect to wifi. 3 how to connect to wifi when says saved, secured. my tablet connects to wifi but phone just says 1 saved. my tablet says save and secure can not connect to internet.", "A tutorial showing how to make a portable, AA battery powered USB charger that is quick, easy and cheap to build. Works with any USB powered device including iPhone, tablets etc.Link to Project Enclosure: http://www.radioshack.com/product/ind... Leave a comment if you have any questions! tutorial showing how to make a portable, AA battery powered USB charger that is quick, easy and cheap to build. Works with any USB powered device including iPhone, tablets etc.", "AH means Amp Hours. It is the max amount of saved current in a battery. No matter how many volts are in the battery (Usually 6 in a car) the amp hours stay the same for a battery of that size. I hope that answers your question. Source(s): 2 years Industrial Battery Tech." ]

[ "ONEOK (NYSE: OKE) is one of the few energy sector companies that seem to be enjoying benefits of doing the right thing in a tough environment. For starters, it provides great midstream exposure without the hassles of MLP investment. ONEOK completed the acquisition of ONEOK Partners—the MLP—on June 30, 2017. While it did not change ONEOK’s status—it was available as an option to investors previously as well—what it did was simplified the company’s structure. The transaction significantly lowers company’s cost of funding both due to improvements in credit metrics as well as greater access to broader equity markets.\nIn July, Moody’s upgraded ONEOK’s senior unsecured notes rating to Baa3 from Ba1. This helps in securing funds at a lower cost than earlier. Moody’s Vice President John Thieroff provided the following reasoning for the upgrade –\n“The acquisition simplifies OKE's organizational structure and eliminates OKS's burdensome distribution, providing a greater level of stability to OKE's cash flow.”\nAccording to the Moody’s ratings press release,\n“The acquisition of 100% ownership of OKS simplifies OKE's organizational structure, provides broader access to capital markets and reduces OKE's cost of capital. The elimination of incentive distribution rights (IDRs) at OKS and considerable tax deferrals achieved at OKE through the transaction should allow OKE to maintain dividend coverage in excess of 1.2x, even when considering OKE's aggressive dividend growth target of 10% annually based on the midpoint of management's guidance. Moody's believes the dividend program will provide OKE better flexibility than OKS previously had, given the increasing burden IDRs represented to future growth.”\nFee-based earnings\nONEOK’s second important successfully implemented effort is restructuring its percent-of-proceeds contracts with a fee component to include a higher fee rate. These contracts were predominant in OKE’s natural gas gathering and processing operations.\nSource: investor presentation\nThe right chart in the slide above shows the transition from commodity-exposed to fee-based over the years.\nMoody’s made a note –\n“Emerging from the 2015 collapse in natural gas and NGL prices, OKE's substantially restructured natural gas processing contracts are now 80% fee-based and position the company to better weather commodity price volatility. As a result, G&P fee-based earnings in 2017 are estimated to increase to over 75% of the G&P total, up from 33% in 2014, when contracts were heavily percentage-of-proceeds based. OKE's total fee-based earnings are expected to approximate 90% in 2017, up from 66% in 2014, stabilizing OKE's cash flow and dividend profile.”\nGeographical presence\nAnother positive for ONEOK is its asset footprint. ONEOK’s integrated assets in growing plays, including the STACK and SCOOP areas and the Williston and Permian basins, provides it with a distinct advantage. Moreover, the company has numerous growth projects under various stages of construction/development.\nSource: investor presentation\nThe company has invested nearly $9 billion over the last 10 years in capital projects and acquisitions. These have provided it with strong volumes and earnings growth over the years.\nSource: investor presentation\nMoreover, the company expects strong volume growth for 2017 as well, as shown in the charts below.\nSource: investor presentation\nSource: investor presentation\nDividends\nONEOK’s current yield of 5.6% is attractive considering the strength of its cash flows as well as its growth prospects. This is one of the premium yield that is generally associated with MLPs, without the associated hassles of MLP investment. OKE expects annual dividend growth rate of 9% to 11% annually from 2018 through 2021 while maintaining a dividend coverage ratio of at least 1.2 times. With a forward EV/EBITDA of ~14x, OKE looks slightly overvalued relative to its peers, though. Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI) and Targa Resources Corp. (NYSE: TRGP) each currently have an EV/EBITDA of ~11.5x, though OKE stands far better in terms of yield than KMI. Overall, price-appreciation may not be a big contributor in OKE’s total returns in the near-term. The best strategy for this one would be to accumulate on dips." ]

[ "Nothing reflects the shift going on in the local energy sector these days than the evolution of the Petroleum Services Association of Canada.\nFounded during the height of federal-provincial energy wars in 1981, the organization was created to reflect the views of service, supply and manufacturing firms in the oil and gas sector.\nBut 2017 is a vastly different energy era.\nCarbon pricing is coming in across the country, there’s a push for more renewable power and a realignment is unfolding within the oil and gas industry itself.\nFollowing the oil sector downturn and loss of some members, PSAC decided last year to make some changes. It is now allowing companies that work in clean technology and provide services to renewable energy developers to join their group.\nA name change is also being explored.\nThese moves represent an attempt to attract more members. But it also reflects a transformation by some existing members who are now offering different services to improve energy efficiency and environmental performance.\n“We want the public to know that we as an industry association, supporting responsible Canadian energy, recognize the winds of change,” says PSAC chief executive Mark Salkeld.\n“Our members are changing. We are not stuck in the mud, old roughnecks that are going to stick by our ways come hell or high water. No, we are forward thinking and recognize that Canada needs to have everything” in its energy mix.\nPreviously, regular association members had to be based in Canada and get at least half of their revenue from the oilfield services business.\nBut the change, approved last November, now has PSAC talking with groups and firms representing geothermal, solar and wind power.\nSalkeld points to members like Alberta-based Cleantek Industries Inc. as one of the reasons for the adjustment, as oilfield service companies continue to evolve.\nThe business, with operations just outside Calgary, employs about 60 people and is growing. Founded in 2009 as Horizon Oilfield Solutions, it rebranded last year as Cleantek to reflect its business.\nThe firm started out designing and manufacturing wastewater dehydrators for the oil and gas sector. It has since developed hybrid solar light towers used in the energy sector, as well as on construction sites and in remote areas.\n“We only expanded into the construction (sector) in a large way when the downturn started,” says Kristine McPhail, company director of marketing and corporate operations.\n“We were like ‘OK, we need to diversify.’ You can’t be tied to the drill bit when the drill bit is disappearing.”\nQuestor Technology Inc., a Calgary-based company that manufactures gas incinerator systems, turning waste heat into electricity, isn’t a PSAC member — but will contemplate it, says CEO Audrey Mascarenhas.\n“In the past, because it was very focused on traditional oilfield services, we didn’t really see a place for us,” she says.\n“But certainly, as things start to change and regulation comes in that starts to define how our industry has to change…it’s certainly an opportunity and something we would consider.”\nAll of this talk reflects the fact global energy development is undergoing a transformation.\nOil and gas will continue to be needed for decades; hydrocarbon fuels will be required to meet increased energy demand over the next 50 years, according to Suncor Energy’s Climate Report issued Monday.\nYet there’s also a push to decarbonize. Companies in the oil and gas industry are striving to become more efficient, reduce their inputs and lower emissions.\n“There is a coherent path to the future that includes both traditional and new sources of energy,” Suncor CEO Steve Williams said in the report.\n“In a world of rising energy demand, it is not a choice between one or the other; we will need many forms of energy.”\nThere are also business opportunities ahead with the expansion of the clean technology sector, not only for groups like PSAC, but for energy jurisdictions such as Calgary and Alberta.\nThe International Energy Agency says renewable energy capacity will increase by more than 40 per cent by 2021.\nAlberta wants to add 5,000 megawatts of renewable energy into the province by 2030, attracting more than $10 billion in investment into wind, solar and hydro.\nA report last month by Clean Energy Canada says global investment in renewable power hit $348 billion last year, including $2 billion in Canada.\nThat’s far lower than the oil and gas industry’s $29 billion of capital spending in Alberta last year, but still significant.\n“It really is a conversation not about oil and gas or coal power, but about energy,” Mascarenhas says.\n“The reality is we need oil and gas and fossil fuels. Our global energy demand can’t be met solely on renewables, so there’s an opportunity (here) on how do we become more sustainable in our oil and gas production.”\nFor PSAC, the shift means the hopeful addition of new members, a broader mandate and possibly a new name.\nFor Alberta, it reflects a strategic shift in thinking across an industry firmly in transition.\nChris Varcoe is a Calgary Herald columnist.\ncvarcoe@calgaryherald.com", "The Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi has made a visit to the headquarters of the French organization of employers in the capital Paris. He also joined a discussion session with the heads of major French companies. The Office of the Iraqi Prime Minister issued a statement that Al-Abadi described the progress of Iraq in various sectors and unbeatable victories achieved by the Iraqi armed forces. He also expressed about heroic defense of Iraqi unity and improved security situation in the country. He pointed out that operations of Iraqi security forces for the liberation were intended to achieve stability in the country. He further indicated that Iraqi government has started the reconstruction campaign for entire Iraqi provinces, especially in the liberated areas occupied by the militants of ISIS and Daesh organization. He added that it has been considered our success for opening the reconstruction process in the country. He said that that efficient and attractive plan of Iraqi government has opened new doors for investment.\nAl-Abadi further added that there are a lot of opportunities for French companies seeking to invest their valuable money in various fields, including energy, oil, housing, agriculture, reconstruction of infrastructure, communications, basic services, construction of roads, environment and various other sectors available in the country for foreign investors. Most economic experts believe that it would provide a large number of job opportunities for Iraqi people. The heads of French companies have shown their willingness to work in Iraq and participate in the reconstruction process in the country. There are at least 25 major French companies expressed their desire to work according to the terms and condition of their companies. The heads of these companies also presented their several proposals and inquiries regarding investment opportunities for the labor market in Iraq. The Iraqi Prime Minister and ministers in his delegation discussed and answered to those proposals.", "A titan of global investing thinks Canada is still a good place to do business.\n“For a number of reasons, it’s a very attractive place in which to invest,” David Rubenstein, co-founder and co-CEO of The Carlyle Group, told BNN in an interview on Wednesday.\n“We found it to be attractive, because the rule of law is very good here, quality of workers is very good, financing is available, exit opportunities are available and, generally, you have very good companies. It’s a place we’d like to deploy more capital and obviously as well, the currency is relatively cheap compared to the [U.S.] dollar compared to where it was years ago.”\nRubenstein also poured some cold water on fear about runway home prices in Canada.\n“Canada's housing market is not in an over-abundant situation,” he said from the Economic Forum of the Americas’ conference in Montreal. “Obviously, from time to time we might have some over-abundance but generally you find Canada is a place where people from outside Canada want to buy houses ... I think the housing market is not really in trouble in Canada.”\nRubenstein isn’t buying into the idea of the so-called Great White Short trade, stating he thinks the risks posed to Canada by possible Trump administration policies won’t be as great as some might predict and that stateside energy deregulation will keep the economy strong.\n“There's no doubt that there was some concern about whether NAFTA would be renegotiated in ways that might not help Canada,” he said. “I don't really think there will be any real adverse effects for Canada with any renegotiation that might occur.”\n“I think that the plus on the Canadian side is that energy prices are likely to go up,” he said. “I think over the next year or so as more deregulatory actions are taken with respect to energy in the United States, I think that will have an impact that is positive for Canada.”\nCarlyle’s NGP subsidiary has long been an investor in Canada’s energy sector, according to Rubenstein, and he sees that investment continuing considering where he sees energy prices in the long-term.\n“The price of oil and gas will slowly go up. I doubt we’re going back to US$100 a barrel for oil any time soon, but I do think the price will be set relatively soon about US$50 a barrel, or go above that slowly.", "Gulfport Energy Corp (NASDAQ:GPOR) is ranked as a Sell using the Portfolio Grader analytical stock evaluator. With unique fundamental and quantitative analytical, this analytical tool researches nearly 5,000 stocks weekly. The current Portfolio Grader recommendation on the shares has been in place for the last month. Gulfport Energy Corp's Sell recommendation is a result of an analytical process that is proprietary and produced conclusions that were below average in 6 areas: an economic sector rated below average in attractiveness, an industry group ranked below average in attractiveness, a ranking in its sector group that is in the bottom quarter, ranking in the company's industry group that is in the bottom quarter, analytical scoring that is below average, and a numerical calculation of risk/reward that is unattractive.\nGPOR is a constituent of the 134 company Oil & Gas Production GICS industry group, which is a segment of the 187 company GICS Energy Minerals sector. GPOR has a market value of $2.3 billion which is in the top half of its industry group The current Portfolio Grader ranking for GPOR puts it 114 among the 134 companies in this industry group, a spot that is well below-average.\nPortfolio Grader currently ranks the Energy Minerals sector number 18 among the 20 sectors in its universe putting it in the bottom quartile of all the GICS sectors. The Oil & Gas Production industry group is ranked 102 among the 129 industry groups within the GICS sectors, placing it well below-average in terms of the Proprietary Quantitative Score scoring system.\nThe scores the company has realized are average or below-average scores in 7 of the 8 fundamental metrics used by Portfolio Grader in the ranking of company stocks.\nGPOR's operational scores provide mixed results with a ranking for sales growth that is well above the industry average but rankings for operating margin and earnings growth are below average. Scores for visibility of earnings are a source of great concern with a ranking for earnings revisions, earnings surprises and earnings momentum that are worse than average. GPOR's grades for return on equity and cash flow are worse than its industry group average. These fundamental scores give Gulfport Energy a position in the bottom quartile of the industry group.\nThe Proprietary Quantitative Score is used by Portfolio Grader to view GPOR's shares from the aspect of risk/reward. This exclusive scoring system evaluates the relative value of the company's shares based on the recent $9.78 share price of the shares relative to its peers, the market and risk associated with its industry and sector groups. Using this risk/reward calculation, GPOR currently scores well below-average in its industry group compared to its peers.\nThe Proprietary Portfolio Grader stock ranking system assesses roughly 5,000 companies every week based on a number of fundamental and quantitative measures. Stocks are given a letter grade based on their results, with A being 'strong buy' and F being 'strong sell'. Explore the tool here.\nCommentary provided by UpTick Data Technologies.", "Oil and gas production in the North Sea is forecast to grow by 5% in 2018, however low levels of drilling mean the outlook for future years is \"much more uncertain\".\nThe industry body Oil and Gas UK published its latest Business Outlook report, showing production in 2018 could rise to the equivalent of 620 million to 640 million barrels of oil, up from 517 million in 2014.\nRising oil prices meant revenues from the sector increased from £16 billion to £21 billion last year, making this the first year since 2013 that the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) generated enough cash from sales to cover expenditure.\nBut the report highlighted a \"serious concern\" about the lack of drilling in the North Sea , with 94 wells started in 2017, the lowest number since 1973.\n\"Development drilling has fallen by around 45% in just two years, which is a particularly worrying trend for the future health of the basin,\" the report warned.\nWhile Oil and Gas UK said a 5% increase in production was expected in 2018, it stressed the future outlook for the sector was \"heavily dependent on new fields coming onstream as planned and continued effective management of production efficiency on existing assets\".\nThe report went on: \"The production outlook for the basin is much more uncertain post-2019. The lack of new project approvals and the recent low level of development drilling in the last few years, means it is likely that the UKCS will return to a position of production decline during the early 2020s.\"\nWhile the number of jobs supported by the industry fell from 315,000 in 2016 to 300,000 last year, the 4% drop was the lowest for three years \"suggesting that companies are beginning to stabilise after tumultuous periods of restructure\".\nAnd a survey of Oil and Gas UK members found more than half (56%) of companies expect to expand their workforce in 2018, with just 6% anticipating further staff cuts.\nIn 2017 the UKCS produced the equivalent of 598 million barrels of oil - the same amount as it had in 2016.\nA small increase in production had been anticipated but the \"unexpected closure of the Forties Pipeline System due to a technical issue in the last few weeks of the year\" led to a dip in production in December.\nOil and Gas UK chief executive Deirdre Michie said: \"Our sector is leaner, more efficient and more optimistic than it has been in recent years and 2018 looks set to be a better year.\"\nThe downturn in the sector has made the UK oil industry \"better equipped to tackle the ongoing challenge of maximising production for the longer term and boosting profitability in the supply chain but without increasing overall project costs or damaging competitiveness\", she added.\nWhile Ms Michie insisted the UKCS was \"one of the most attractive mature basins in the world in which to do business\", she also stated that many parts of the supply chain \"are still struggling with the impact of the downturn and have yet to benefit from any upturn in activity\".\nShe said: \"It's vital that we keep driving fresh thinking, innovative approaches and efficiency efforts.\n\"The short-term outlook for our sector is more positive with new projects and new entrants bringing new life to the basin, but there are undoubtedly longer-term challenges.\n\"We need more exploration if we are to get close to recovering the up to nine billion barrels of yet-to-find hydrocarbons on the UKCS, matched by a continuing focus on improving recovery from existing fields.\n\"The investment decisions we make today are key to how much we produce in the years to come.\n\"Oil and gas remain a vital part of the UK economy and will form most of our primary energy needs for many years to come.\n\"As we move to a lower-carbon economy, the UK needs to meet as much of its domestic demand for oil and gas from indigenous resources as possible.\n\"This will ensure security of supply, generate revenue for the Exchequer, support the supply chain and sustain hundreds of thousands of highly-skilled UK jobs.\n\"The energy market is changing but we will remain relevant for many decades to come.\"\nA spokesman for the Department of Business and Energy said: \"We welcome the industry's confidence at the prospect of new investment decisions for developments in the North Sea. This Government's commitment to the sector has directly contributed to making the North Sea globally competitive and more attractive to new investment opportunities.\n\"The oil and gas sector will continue to play a significant role for the UK's economic and energy security in 2018, supporting more than 300,000 jobs and providing the UK with 46% of its gas supply needs.\n\"We are also working with the sector to build on the £2.3 billion worth of UK government support through our modern Industrial Strategy.\"\nScotland's energy minister Paul Wheelhouse said: \"The oil and gas sector remains a key component of our energy system and our economy.\n\"These figures, particularly in growth in investment and a further 5% increase forecast for production in 2018, are therefore very welcome.\n\"While this will boost the supply chain, companies are still finding conditions tough at this time, so we will continue to press UK ministers to exercise their reserve powers to do more to stimulate exploration and attract fresh investment.\"", "Zimbabwe needs to improve its investment climate to attract international capital through issuing fixed income instruments whose proceeds would be channelled towards financing climate-friendly projects such as renewable energy, pollution prevention and conservation.\nSpeaking at Zimbabwe's green investment catalysts round-table in Victoria Falls last week, several speakers concurred that the country had potential to attract \"green capital\", but this could only be achieved if the Government implemented the necessary reforms.\n\"Capital flows to stable markets and we need policy consistency with other markets,\" Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe head of resource mobilisation Willing Zvirevo said.\n\"The major obstacles that we face is an unstable macroeconomic environment and issues to do with policy inconsistency, but we are hoping that under the new dispensation, some of these issues will be addressed immediately.\" Zimbabwe is a signatory to the Paris climate change accord agreed in 2015, which seeks to reduce and hold the global average temperature below 2 degrees celsius.\nAt the forum, Zimbabwe submitted a conditional 33 percent energy sector per capita greenhouse gas emission reduction target. The submission was conditional on the means of implementation namely technology development and transfer, relevant training and financial support. The country needs about $90 billion to meet its climate goals. Of this, $55 billion is targeted at clean energy. Studies have shown that Zimbabwe is emitting an estimated 26 000 giga grammes of carbon dioxide, equivalent to 0,05 of the global emissions.\nLaunched by multilateral institutions such as the World Bank and European Investment Bank, the green bond market was originally viewed as niche. But not so now.\nIn the first half of 2017, about $55 billion worth of bonds labelled green notes were issued, an increase of 38 percent year-on-year from the $40 billion issued in the first six months of 2016. The Climate Bond Initiative estimates that the total amount of green bonds issued in 2017 could reach $150 billion.\nDeveloped and developing countries face rising financial challenges from climate change and green bonds have been viewed as perfect tools to finance railways, roads, airports, buildings, energy and water infrastructure, while at the same time achieving positive returns for the environment and society. All the projects financed from green bonds have positive, climate-friendly spillovers, mitigating the downside risks of traditional fixed income instruments.\nSince green bonds have a high degree of transparency, investors can also quantify the benefits of investing in them using accessible metrics. Zimbabwe Microfinance Fund operations director John Banda said the country's \"Arab spring\", which ended former President Mugabe's 37- year rule should provide an opportunity to create an enabling and conducive environment to attract domestic and international capital.\nSteward Bank chief executive Lance Mambondiani said the current environment was not enabling for purposes of raising long term to funds green projects. He also said the country's rating was also key if Zimbabwe was going to attract takers for the green bonds.", "Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), the organiser of the 20th Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition (WETEX) 2018, has announced that it will one the largest specialised exhibitions in the world.\nWETEX is held under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance, and President of DEWA.\nWETEX 2018 will be held from 23rd-25th October 2018 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The exhibition will coincide with the third Dubai Solar Show, under the umbrella of the fifth Green Week.\nWETEX has developed rapidly since its launch in 1999 as an exhibition of water management technologies. The energy sector was added in 2001. In 2004, DEWA expanded the sector to include environmental and waste management, green buildings, and carbon dioxide reduction solutions in 2008. In 2012, oil, gas and coal were added to the exhibition's fossil fuels sector. This was followed by the addition of the Dubai Solar Show, in 2016, as the biggest solar exhibition in the region.\n\"The exhibition translates the vision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to achieve a balance between development and the environment, and to consolidate economic, social and environmental sustainability. WETEX is a leading global platform that highlights the interrelationship between sustainability and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the impact of disruptive technologies, digital transformation, Artificial Intelligence and Research & Development (R&D) for the production of clean energy and water. This supports Dubai's transformation into a global hub for clean energy and green economy,\" said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, and Founder and Chairman of WETEX.\n\"WETEX promotes constructive partnerships and builds strong public-private investment relationships to develop and diversify clean energy production sectors as well as water and energy conservation, environmental protection, waste management, green building, and cutting-edge solutions to reduce carbon emissions,\" added Al Tayer.\nThe exhibition offers a unique opportunity for investors and sponsors to establish and develop commercial relations and promote business opportunities by holding one-on-one meetings with representatives of major corporations and decision makers from all around the world in one location.\nWETEX focuses on reviewing advanced technologies related to the water, energy and environment. It brings together the best experts, specialists, solution providers, investors, government decision makers, potential business partners and consumers from the public and private sectors.", "After a four-year downturn in the oil and gas master limited partnership (MLP) sector, marked by a roughly 47% decline in market value, we believe sentiment toward the sector may be turning. With dividend yields approaching 8% – along with increasing free cash flow and a robust U.S. production outlook – MLPs could be an attractive option for yield-hungry, value-oriented investors seeking assets less susceptible to the impact of rising interest rates.\nFactors behind 2017’s pessimism are largely behind us\nDespite post-election optimism that the new U.S. administration would usher in a friendlier regulatory environment and that robust global growth would boost commodity prices (spot crude was up 12% in 2017), 2017 proved tough for MLP investors. The benchmark Alerian MLP Index underperformed the S&P 500 by 28%. Against a weak energy sector backdrop (the S&P 500 Energy Index lagged the broader index by 23%), dividend cuts that aimed to make MLPs self-funded entities ended up spooking the sector’s core retail investor base, while tighter access to equity capital markets led to a supply/demand imbalance. Fears that tax reform regulation would hurt the MLP model took sentiment to new lows, and years of underperformance meant MLPs were prime candidates to be harvested for tax loss sales, creating technical pressure in the final quarter of 2017.\nA stronger foundation for 2018\nWhile some of these concerns linger, we see several reasons for optimism this year, including projected growth in EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) from project completions and improved underlying fundamentals. Dividend cuts and deleveraging efforts over the past 12 to 18 months have helped MLPs evolve into stronger franchises with higher dividend coverage ratios (exceeding 1.2x on average), lower leverage (4.0x on average) and less reliance on capital markets. These painful but necessary actions should make MLPs more attractive to discerning investors.\nTax reform: a net positive for unit holders, neutral for operations\nFrom the perspective of after-tax returns to MLP unit holders, tax reform should clearly be a positive. MLPs are already highly tax-efficient, with about 80% of distributions deferred until units are sold. For the remaining 20% taxed in the current year, the ability to apply the pass-through tax rate (of about 29.6%) versus the roughly 37% marginal tax rate further increases the overall after-tax attractiveness of owning MLP units.\nEBITDA for some individual companies, particularly those that transport natural gas, could see some erosion at upcoming rate case hearings, typically every five years (similar to utilities). However, the impact may be negligible, as a large share of pipeline volume is negotiated directly with shippers. In addition, many pipelines are under-earning a fair return, which limits the impact of rate case hearings.\nFinally, the lowering of the corporate tax rate to 21% from 35%, along with the ability to utilize accelerated capex depreciation, may motivate many MLPs to reorganize into C corporation structures to reach a wider institutional shareholder base. Such “simplification” transactions have generally been positive for both debt and equity investors, as they better align the interests of management with equity holders and open the enterprise to a wider potential investor base.\nRisks we’re watching\nWhile MLPs generally are not dependent on commodity prices, the sector has shown heightened volatility related to price changes over the past four years. A drop in long-term oil price expectations materially below $50 could bring the sustainability of underlying volumes back into question, especially for oil-focused MLPs. Moreover, the sector’s high cost of capital combined with anemic demand from the core investor base has challenged equity capital market access, which is critical to funding future growth.\nAdditionally, the midstream sector’s attractive cash flows have not gone unnoticed by private equity and infrastructure funds, which may have lower return requirements than publicly traded MLPs and have deployed capital into the sector aggressively over the past 18 to 24 months. This not only creates a risk of deteriorating returns on growth capital projects, but also may lead to overcapacity, which could dent long-term returns for existing assets.\nWe also acknowledge that tax reform could have a bigger impact on base business EBITDA than we expect. And as an income-oriented asset class, the MLP sector can be vulnerable to higher interest rates, even though the data suggest otherwise (MLP returns have been negatively correlated to higher rates on a five- and 10-year basis).\nFinally, while many MLPs have taken proactive steps to adjust to the new environment, for others, coverage ratios remain low, the cost of capital is too high and leverage remains elevated. These few “bad apples” may continue to bring negative headlines to the sector, leading to a wide dispersion of returns and valuations – though this can potentially be an advantage for actively managed investment strategies.\nKey takeaways\nWe see the tide turning for the MLP sector after a frustrating 2017. The commodity environment is stabilizing, U.S. production growth trends are strong (see chart), MLP dividend cuts are likely nearing an end and balance sheets have improved. With the sector trading at a significant discount to historical valuations, we think MLPs could offer total return potential in the mid-teens, with support from a roughly 8% dividend yield and upside potential from multiple expansion. While this investment opportunity isn’t without risks, we believe MLPs may offer one of the most attractive risk-adjusted returns in the market today.\nLearn more in “Oil and Gas MLPs: Time to Take a Fresh Look?”\nJohn Devir is a portfolio manager for the firm’s long/short equity strategies, and Danny Seth is a global equity analyst for long/short equity strategies. Both are regular contributors to PIMCO Blog.\nMore from PIMCO:\nCyclical Outlook: Peak Growth\nAccess our global economic outlook for 2018 and how investors should prepare for the opportunities and risks ahead.\nSmart Charts in Focus\nPIMCO’s top minds present key charts they are watching on pressing market, economic and policy issues.\nAll investments contain risk and may lose value. Investing in MLPs involves risks that differ from equities, including limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the partnership. MLPs are a partnership organised in the US and are subject to certain tax risks. Conflicts of interest may arise amongst common unit holders, subordinated unit holders and the general partner or managing member. MLPs may be affected by macro-economic and other factors affecting the stock market in general, expectations of interest rates, investor sentiment towards MLPs or the energy sector, changes in a particular issuer’s financial condition, or unfavorable or unanticipated poor performance of a particular issuer. MLP cash distributions are not guaranteed and depend on each partnership’s ability to generate adequate cash flow. There is no guarantee that these investment strategies will work under all market conditions or are suitable for all investors and each investor should evaluate their ability to invest long-term, especially during periods of downturn in the market. Investors should consult their investment professional prior to making an investment decision.\nReturn estimations are for illustrative purposes only and are not a prediction or a projection of return. Return estimations are an estimate of what investments may earn on average over the long term. Actual returns may be higher or lower than those shown and may vary substantially over shorter time periods.\nPIMCO does not provide legal or tax advice. Please consult your tax and/or legal counsel for specific tax or legal questions and concerns. The discussion herein is general in nature and is provided for informational purposes only. There is no guarantee as to its accuracy or completeness. Any tax statements contained herein are not intended or written to be used, and cannot be relied upon or used for the purpose of avoiding penalties imposed by the Internal Revenue Service or state and local tax authorities. Individuals should consult their own legal and tax counsel as to matters discussed herein and before entering into any estate planning, trust, investment, retirement, or insurance arrangement.\nThis material contains the opinions of the manager and such opinions are subject to change without notice. This material has been distributed for informational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security, strategy or investment product. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but not guaranteed. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission. PIMCO is a trademark of Allianz Asset Management of America L.P. in the United States and throughout the world. ©2018, PIMCO.", "QEP Resources Inc's (NYSE:QEP) current Strong Sell recommendation is the result of an analytical score that is below average, a ranking in the company's sector group that is in the bottom eighth, a ranking in its industry group that is in the bottom eighth, and a numerical calculation of risk/reward that is among the least attractive. The company's recommendation is further impacted by being in an industry group and sector that are ranked below average in attractiveness. Portfolio Grader currently ranks QEP as a Strong Sell. This analytical tool evaluates stocks with fundamental and quantitative metric based. This represents no change from the previous week and is the same ranking QEP has had from Portfolio Grader for 3 months.\nAs one of the 187 companies in the GICS Energy Minerals sector the company is a member of the 134 company Oil & Gas Production GICS industry group within this sector. QEP's market value is $2.5 billion which places it in the top half of its industry group The stock's current Portfolio Grader ranking places it 127 among the 134 companies in this industry group, a position that is well below-average.\nPortfolio Grader currently ranks the Energy Minerals sector number 18 among the 20 sectors in its universe putting it in the bottom quartile of all the GICS sectors. The Oil & Gas Production industry group is ranked 102 among the 129 industry groups within the GICS sectors, placing it well below-average in terms of the Proprietary Quantitative Score scoring system.\nQEP Resources has achieved below-average scores in 4 of the 8 fundamental areas analyzed by Portfolio Grader in the ranking of company stocks.\nThe company's operational scores are below the industry norms for sales growth, operating margin, and earnings growth. Scores for visibility of earnings are mixed, with a ranking for earnings revisions and earnings surprises that are significantly better than average, while the score for earnings momentum is much worse than average. QEP's grades for cash flow and return on equity are worse than its industry group average. Based on these fundamental scores, QEP Resources places in the third quartile of the industry group.\nQuantitatively, Portfolio Grader uses the Proprietary Quantitative Score to measure QEP's shares from the perspective of risk/reward. This proprietary scoring approach assesses the relative value of the company's shares based on the recent $9.52 share price of the shares relative to its peers, the market and risk associated with its industry and sector groups. Considering this risk/reward calculation, QEP currently scores well below-average in its industry group compared to its peers.\nThe Proprietary Portfolio Grader stock ranking system assesses roughly 5,000 companies every week based on a number of fundamental and quantitative measures. Stocks are given a letter grade based on their results, with A being 'strong buy' and F being 'strong sell'. Explore the tool here.\nCommentary provided by UpTick Data Technologies.", "Oil and gas production in the North Sea is forecast to grow by 5% in 2018, however low levels of drilling mean the outlook for future years is “much more uncertain”.\nThe industry body Oil and Gas UK published its latest Business Outlook report, showing production in 2018 could rise to the equivalent of 620 million to 640 million barrels of oil, up from 517 million in 2014.\nRising oil prices meant revenues from the sector increased from £16 billion to £21 billion last year, making this the first year since 2013 that the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) generated enough cash from sales to cover expenditure.\nBut the report highlighted a “serious concern” about the lack of drilling in the North Sea , with 94 wells started in 2017, the lowest number since 1973.\n“Development drilling has fallen by around 45% in just two years, which is a particularly worrying trend for the future health of the basin,” the report warned.\nWhile Oil and Gas UK said a 5% increase in production was expected in 2018, it stressed the future outlook for the sector was “heavily dependent on new fields coming onstream as planned and continued effective management of production efficiency on existing assets”.\nThe report went on: “The production outlook for the basin is much more uncertain post-2019. The lack of new project approvals and the recent low level of development drilling in the last few years, means it is likely that the UKCS will return to a position of production decline during the early 2020s.”\nWhile the number of jobs supported by the industry fell from 315,000 in 2016 to 300,000 last year, the 4% drop was the lowest for three years “suggesting that companies are beginning to stabilise after tumultuous periods of restructure”.\nOil and Gas UK chief executive Deirdre Michie with former prime minister David Cameron. (Andrew Milligan/PA)\nAnd a survey of Oil and Gas UK members found more than half (56%) of companies expect to expand their workforce in 2018, with just 6% anticipating further staff cuts.\nIn 2017 the UKCS produced the equivalent of 598 million barrels of oil – the same amount as it had in 2016.\nA small increase in production had been anticipated but the “unexpected closure of the Forties Pipeline System due to a technical issue in the last few weeks of the year” led to a dip in production in December.\nOil and Gas UK chief executive Deirdre Michie said: “Our sector is leaner, more efficient and more optimistic than it has been in recent years and 2018 looks set to be a better year.”\nThe downturn in the sector has made the UK oil industry “better equipped to tackle the ongoing challenge of maximising production for the longer term and boosting profitability in the supply chain but without increasing overall project costs or damaging competitiveness”, she added.\nWhile Ms Michie insisted the UKCS was “one of the most attractive mature basins in the world in which to do business”, she also stated that many parts of the supply chain “are still struggling with the impact of the downturn and have yet to benefit from any upturn in activity”.\nShe said: “It’s vital that we keep driving fresh thinking, innovative approaches and efficiency efforts.\n“The short-term outlook for our sector is more positive with new projects and new entrants bringing new life to the basin, but there are undoubtedly longer-term challenges.\n“We need more exploration if we are to get close to recovering the up to nine billion barrels of yet-to-find hydrocarbons on the UKCS, matched by a continuing focus on improving recovery from existing fields.\n“The investment decisions we make today are key to how much we produce in the years to come.\n“Oil and gas remain a vital part of the UK economy and will form most of our primary energy needs for many years to come.\n“As we move to a lower-carbon economy, the UK needs to meet as much of its domestic demand for oil and gas from indigenous resources as possible.\n“This will ensure security of supply, generate revenue for the Exchequer, support the supply chain and sustain hundreds of thousands of highly-skilled UK jobs.\n“The energy market is changing but we will remain relevant for many decades to come.”\nA spokesman for the Department of Business and Energy said: “We welcome the industry’s confidence at the prospect of new investment decisions for developments in the North Sea. This government’s commitment to the sector has directly contributed to making the North Sea globally competitive and more attractive to new investment opportunities.\n“The oil and gas sector will continue to play a significant role for the UK’s economic and energy security in 2018, supporting more than 300,000 jobs and providing the UK with 46% of its gas supply needs.\n“We are also working with the sector to build on the £2.3 billion worth of UK government support through our modern Industrial Strategy.”", "Iran's oil minister has given French energy giant Total sixty days to get a sanctions waiver from Washington or its major stake in a multi-billion-dollar gas project will be given to a Chinese oil firm.\n\"Total has 60 days to negotiate with the U.S. government,\" said Bijan Zanganeh, according to the oil ministry's Shana news agency. He added that the French government is also free to lobby the U.S. government on Total's behalf during those 60 days.\nTotal was the only Western firm to finalize an investment deal in Iran's energy sector after sanctions were lifted under the 2015 nuclear agreement in January 2016 in exchange for curbs on Iran's nuclear activities.\nTotal signed an agreement in July to become the lead partner in a $4.8 billion project to develop the South Pars 11 gas field, along with the China National Petroleum Corporation and Iran's Petropars.\nThe Total deal was repeatedly hailed by Tehran for demonstrating the success of the 2015 nuclear agreement at spurring investment in Iran's flagging economy.\nBut after Washington announced earlier this month that it is withdrawing from the nuclear deal and will reinstitute U.S. sanctions against Iran by November 4, Total said it would abandon the gas project unless it gets an exemption from the U.S. sanctions.\nTotal's CEO Patrick Pouyanne last week said \"it's quite unlikely\" that ithe company will obtain an exemption, though it is negotiating with the U.S. Treasury.\nZanganeh said that if the French firm fails to win a waiver, its Chinese partner CNPC \"will replace Total in this project.\"\nThat move would give the Chinese oil giant an 80 percent interest in the gas project, up from 30 percent today.\nEven before Washington pulled out of the nuclear deal, Iran had struggled to attract investment into its energy sector, despite having some of the world's largest known reserves of oil and natural gas.\nThe only other announced project was a $742 million deal with Russian state-owned firm Zarubezhneft to boost production at two oil fields in the western province of Ilam.\nHardliners in Iran have opposed foreign investment in the energy sector despite the government saying billions of dollars in outside investment is needed for Iran's large but aging oil fields to fully realize their potential.\n\"Iran failed to attract much energy investment, even when conditions were at their most favorable,\" wrote the U.S. Center on Global Energy Policy in a recent briefing note.\n\"The country was far too slow in unveiling its new Iran Petroleum Contract, and when it did, potential investors complained that the terms were unattractive.\"\nWith reporting by AFP and Reuters", "Fifty local private sector members will next month head to Casablanca in Morocco to explore trade and investment opportunities in the north African country. Geoffrey Kamanzi, the Private Sector Federation director for trade facilitation and negotiations, said business leaders from the energy, finance, transport and logistics, information and communication technology, construction and real estate sectors, among others, will make the trip.\nStart the conversation, or Read more at AllAfrica.com.", "Today, affiliates of Venado Oil and Gas, LLC (\"Venado”) and KKR announced that they have closed on an acquisition of operated assets located in the Eagle Ford oil window of South Texas. The assets acquired by Venado and KKR include current oil production from 22 producing wells and significant future resource development potential across approximately 23,000 net acres immediately adjacent to existing operated assets held by Venado and KKR in Atascosa and Frio counties. During the second quarter of 2018, the assets produced approximately 4,500 net barrels of oil equivalent per day (74% oil, 11% natural gas and 15% NGLs).\nThis press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180703005458/en/\nVenado CEO Scott Garrick stated, \"These assets are a natural addition to our existing operated assets and considerably increase our future drilling inventory. This acquisition is a continuation of our strategy begun in late 2016 to consolidate proven assets in the Eagle Ford. This is a prime example of the Venado and KKR partnership using our extensive experience in the Eagle Ford to capture additional high-quality assets, where we have identified multiple opportunities to enhance long-term value for our stakeholders.”\nDavid Rockecharlie, Member and Head of Energy Real Assets for KKR, commented, \"This investment marks our third asset acquisition in partnership with the Venado team in less than eighteen months, underlining our commitment to capitalizing on the attractive market opportunity we see in the U.S. oil and gas sector at this point in the cycle. We continue to employ our differentiated strategy, which seeks to generate strong investment returns and free cash flow through superior technical and operational execution, as well as disciplined financial and risk management.”\nAs of the closing date, the Venado and KKR partnership manages an asset position comprising approximately 136,000 net acres producing approximately 43,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day from the Eagle Ford trend of South Texas.\nThe Venado and KKR asset partnership is principally funded by KKR’s Energy Income and Growth Fund I (\"EIGF”). KKR manages a portfolio of oil and gas assets in numerous unconventional and conventional resource areas across the United States and has made thirteen investments in the Eagle Ford to date.\nAbout Venado Oil and Gas\nVenado Oil & Gas is a private company focused on the acquisition and exploitation of upstream oil and gas assets. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, its primary objective is to build and operate a portfolio of producing oil and gas wells and drilling locations in the Eagle Ford Shale. For additional information about Venado Oil & Gas, please visit www.vogllc.com.\nAbout KKR\nKKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic manager partnerships that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.\nView source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180703005458/en/", "The exhibition market in Europe is expected to generate revenues of over $20 billion by 2023 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of more than 5% during the forecast period.\nThe exhibition market in Europe by type is segmented into B2B, B2C, and mixed exhibitions. B2B exhibition formats dominated the market in 2017 and are estimated to grow at a CAGR of more than 5% during the forecast period. The growth of digital communities and the popularity of keynotes and breakout sessions at trade shows are attributing to the growth of this market segment in Europe. The introduction of hybrid formats is integrated with entertainment elements to sync with changing audiences and revolutionizing the physical space will help organizers increase the attendance in these events in the B2B sector.\nThe industry type segment in the exhibition market in Europe is classified into AFF & energy, automotive & transportation, consumer goods & retail, hospitality, industrial, and other. The consumer goods and retail industry occupied the largest market share in 2017 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 5% during the forecast period. Consumer technologies contribute the maximum revenues in this segment in the European market.\nThe innovations on the show floor, use of data analytics to target consumers, and the diversity and flexibility of products and solutions exhibited are some of the factors attributing to the growth of the market in Europe. The technological transformation across Western Europe will boost the demand and create lucrative opportunities for vendors in the European market. The advancement in retail disruption, restructuring, and innovative technologies will transform the European market during the forecast period.\nThe shifting focus from product demos to conversations and enhancing consumer experiences will encourage exhibitors to launch new ideas to attract more consumers in these trades shows in the European market. Technological innovations and launch of new products and services will boost the demand in the European market. The UK, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy are the largest revenues generators in the exhibition market in Europe.\nThe transformation of the market with the inclusion of multifunctional characteristics and diversification of business sectors is providing new opportunities for companies to exhibit and attributing to the revenues in the European market. The implementation of European commissioned-funded initiative called on European SMEs for a one-to-one with international trading partners resulted in the organization of several trade fairs in Europe during 2017.\nKey Topics Covered:\n1 Research Methodology\n2 Research Objectives\n3 Research Process\n4 Report Coverage\n4.1 Market Definitions\n4.2 Base Year\n4.3 Scope of Study\n5 Report Assumptions & Caveats\n5.1 Key Caveats\n5.2 Inclusions\n5.3 Exclusions\n5.4 Currency Conversion\n5.5 Market Derivation\n6 Market at a Glance\n7 Introduction\n7.1 Overview\n7.2 Macro Economic Factors Driving Market\n7.2.1 Economic Development\n7.3 General Profile of Attendees and Exhibitors\n7.3.1 Exhibitors and Attendees Span Multiple Sectors\n7.3.2 High Percentage of Decision Makers at Tradeshows\n7.3.3 Employees from Varied Organizational Sizes\n7.3.4 Preferred Activity\n7.4 The Impact of Demographics\n8 Market Dynamics\n8.1 Market Growth Enablers\n8.1.1 Increasing Number of Venues and Expansion of Capacity\n8.1.2 Growing Vendors' Needs to Demonstrate Product & Service Portfolio\n8.1.3 Exhibition Emerging as a Tool of Promotion for Elusive Industries\n8.1.4 Digital Technologies Making Inroads in Tradeshows\n8.1.5 YOY Impact of Market Growth Enablers\n8.2 Market Growth Restraints\n8.2.1 Political Turbulences in Key Markets\n8.2.2 Lack of Innovation and Diversity\n8.2.3 Operational Issues\n8.2.4 Low Exhibitor Advocacy\n8.2.5 YOY Impact of Market Growth Restraints\n8.3 Market Opportunities & Trends\n8.3.1 Increasing Focus on Exhibition Safety and Security\n8.3.2 Growing Adoption of Big Data\n8.3.3 Changing Dynamics - Redesigning of Exhibition Models\n8.3.4 YOY Impact of Market Opportunities & Trends\n9 Global Exhibition Market\n9.1 Market Overview\n9.1.1 Historic Market\n9.1.2 Market Size & Forecast\n10 Exhibition Market in Europe\n10.1 Market Overview\n10.1.1 Historical Market\n10.1.2 Market Size & Forecast\n10.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis\n11 Exhibition Market in Europe by Exhibition Type\n11.1 Market Overview\n11.2 B2B Exhibitions\n11.3 Mixed (Both B2B & B2C) Exhibitions\n11.4 B2C Exhibitions\n12 Exhibition Market in Europe by Industry Type\n12.1 Market Overview\n12.2 Exhibition market in Europe by Consumer Goods & Retail Sector\n12.3 Exhibition Market in Europe by Hospitality Sector\n12.4 Exhibition Market in Europe by AFF & Energy Sector\n12.5 Exhibition Market In Europe by Automotive & transportation Sector\n12.6 Exhibition Market in Europe by Industrial Sector\n12.7 Exhibition Market in Europe by Other Sectors\n13 Exhibition Market in Europe by Revenue Stream\n13.1 Market Overview\n13.2 Exhibitor fees\n13.3 Services\n13.4 Sponsorship Fees\n13.5 Public Admission Charges\n14 Key Countries\n15 Competitive Landscape\n15.1 market overview\n15.2 Effects of Digitization\n15.3 Market Structure and Mapping of Competition\n15.3.1 Herfindahl-Hirschman Index\n15.4 Market Vendor Share Analysis\n15.4.1 Overview\n16 Key Company profiles\nComexposium\nMesse Berlin Group\nNrnbergMesse\nTarsus Group\nPennWell Corporation\nViparis\nMesse Munchen\nMesse Dusseldorf\nKoelnmesse\nInforma Exhibitions\nHKTDC\nDeutsche Messe\nEmerald Expositions\nUBM\nRELX Group\nMesse Frankfurt\nMCH Group\nITE Group\nGL Events\nFiera Milano\nFor more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/lv7f2w/20_billion?w=5\nMedia Contact:\nResearch and Markets\nLaura Wood, Senior Manager\npress@researchandmarkets.com\nFor E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470\nFor U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630\nFor GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900\nU.S. Fax: 646-607-1907\nFax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716\nView original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/20-billion-exhibition-market-in-europe---industry-outlook-and-forecast-2018-2023-300635475.html\nSOURCE Research and Markets\nRelated Links\nhttp://www.researchandmarkets.com", "Though Ethiopia didn't cause climate change it is confronted by the threat the challenge poses. It should also recognize the opportunity that the change presents. Climate change is not a future possibility for Ethiopia but it is already a present reality.\nLike much of Africa, Ethiopia has become warmer over the past century and human induced climate change is projected to bring further warming over the next century at unprecedented rates. Climate models suggest that Ethiopia will see further warming in all seasons. It is likely that this warming will be associated with heat waves and higher evaporate-transpiration. The weather is likely to become more unpredictable in the coming years, with increased flooding and drought. This will impact on all aspects of Ethiopia's economy, and particularly on the health, transport, agriculture energy and industry sectors as well as natural resources.\nEthiopia has been effective in undertaking various activities to address the emerging threat. The country has made extensive efforts to implement its green economy plan through efficient use of finance. Ethiopia is set to build a Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) by 2025.While building its resilience, it also takes steps to ensure that the economy is green and sustainable. The CRGE Vision aims to provide Ethiopia with a common goal and road map for achieving a climate resilient green economy.\nThrough the leadership of the Prime Minister, Ethiopia is taking a leading role in both the regional and global response to climate change. Despite the burden of climate change, the country's adaptation to Climate Change and carbon emissions abatement initiatives and similar strategies has made a strong start, as a result the nation has come out to be a leading global player in building climate resilient economy. And it had demonstrated a strong commitment towards climate change mitigation and emission reduction.\nVarious evidences show that the country's agriculture, forestry, energy, industry and transport sectors are ripe for low carbon development, thus a huge possibility is there to seize the opportunities presented by low carbon technologies and attracting investment in green industries. There is an enormous potential for action on climate change to deliver multiple co-benefits for the well-being of the population and the country's economy. Climate change has the potential to hold back the vibrant economic progress, or reverse the gains made in the holistic transformation and could exacerbate social and economic problems.\nAt the same time, a changed climate may bring more rather than less rainfall, that bring benefits for more agricultural and livestock production and enable higher value crops to be grown, or more hydro-electric power to be generated. In addition, new financial support from industrialized countries for low carbon and climate resilient development, such as REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation), are likely to become available. Ethiopia can, therefore, benefit from charting a low carbon development path in an increasingly carbon constrained world.\nIn order to minimize the impacts and maximize the opportunities posed by climate change, Ethiopia must plan and implement appropriate actions. Building a climate resilient green economy is a long-term ambition, thus, a huge and urgent challenge for the country. This vision is just the first step in a journey. The next step is to broaden and deepen this response. Achieving the CRGE will not be easy. It will require a coordinated and sustained effort by all parts of the Ethiopian society - the government, civil society, academia and, most importantly, the public.\nThese far reaching implications of climate change require a robust and well coordinated response. The authority assigned to lead the task must provide the leadership needed to respond to this challenge. Every other sectoral agency, ministry and regional government will have a role to play in marshaling a coherent response to climate change. Therefore, it is imperative to put in place the right institutions, systems and plans to take forward the ambition outlined in the CRGE.\nWhether we like it or not, climate change is a challenge for all Ethiopians. Thus, CRGE must be a shared effort by all of us. We all have a part to play. If that is the case, we can be confident that we can build a climate resilient green economy that can withstand climate shocks that are imminent and yet to come.", "Established yarn processor, F Harding, is re-launching as Harding Yarns as part of a dynamic, strategic campaign to attract and boost the UK's manufacturing sector by supplying technical, industrial and cabled yarns to a whole range of businesses.\nHarding Yarns' processing facility\nContact\nMatthew Harding\n01260 253600\n***@f-harding.com Matthew Harding01260 253600\nEnd\n--The Harding link with yarn manufacturing dates back to 1949, when Frank Harding, the founder of the business, was winding silk for parachutes.Drawing on over 100 years of combined experience in the yarn industry, the Harding family still runs the business, but things have changed and are set to continue to do so.\"Yarns are an essential element in many different manufacturing areas, and we are positioning ourselves in the forefront when it comes to,\" Matthew Harding, spokesperson for Harding Yarns, states.It is for this reason that the company is rebranding itself and seeking to widen its customer base.\"We want our customers to appreciate the experience and heritage involved,\" Matthew explains, \"but we also want them to see how important yarn processing is to modern manufacturing, and how we can make a valuable contribution to Britain's many diverse manufacturers.\"Harding Yarns quite literally contributes to the fabric of the UK's manufacturing base. Industrial yarns are essential in making such varied items as slings, seat belts, tyres, cables, dental care products, carpets, protective apparel, hoses and ropes.\"We definitely see ourselves as an essential part of the pre-manufacturing process\" Matthew says, \"supplying the essential materials that give manufacturers the opportunity to turn their concepts into reality.\"Bringing together a formidable breadth and depth of technical expertise with state-of-the-art, Harding Yarns can offer expert assistance and practical support to suppliers and customers searching for yarn solutions for their business needs.\"We see ourselves as a,\" Matthew continues, \"Our worldwide network of contacts means we're able to quickly identify yarn supplies that match our customers' needs, at competitive prices. And with our advanced processing capacity, we can be sure to meet their production requirements.\"The role manufacturing plays - and can continue to develop - as part of the UK economy is often underestimated.\"There's a persistently pessimistic narrative about the decline of manufacturing in this country,\" Matthew observes. \"We want to help turn this around by focussing our efforts on the many dynamic manufacturers who are working in the UK.\"According to the BBC, at the start of 2017, economists assessed manufacturing as being on a strong footing, with the weaker pound boosting overseas orders and the purchasing managers' index (PMI) indicating expansion in this sector.\"It's time to seize the opportunity,\"Matthew states, \"and help manufacturing in the UK become something people no longer perceive as being past its prime, but instead an essential contributor to a growing economy.\"As the UK's manufacturers increasingly turn to digitalisation and new technologies to help streamline supply chains, Matthew Harding wants Harding Yarns to be the go-to supplier servicing their needs for the materials to enable them to grow.Harding Yarns is based in Langley, near Macclesfield. The company specialises in yarn processing, manufacturing technical, industrial and cable yarns to supply a range of sectors. These include: aerospace, medical, industrial, energy and manufacturing.To discover more about Harding Yarns and how they benefit a wide range of sectors, please visit http://www.yarnsprocessing.co.uk/", "Coal Minister Piyush Goyal today said India should strive for 50 per cent of its power generation capacity from renewable sources by 2030 on the back of technological advancements in solar and wind energy.\n“With technological advancements in solar power and large turbines in wind energy, the country should strive for 50 per cent generation capacity from renewable sources by 2030,” Goyal said while addressing the 7th Indian Energy Congress.\nHe further said India is the first major country which is fast transitioning into a new era of carbon-free energy for its citizens.\nThe minister also said the country is set to exceed the target of 175 GW in renewable energy and touch 200 GW by 2022 which “shows the seriousness India attaches to climate change and environment protection.”\nIndia, the seventh largest economy in the world, is poised for fast economic growth in the coming years and will rank as the second largest in not-so-distant future, he added.\nEarlier in the conference, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the power sector must adopt new technologies and innovate to cut transmission and distribution losses as energy consumption in the country is set to see a phenomenal rise in the coming years.\n“While the government has accorded top priority to the sector, industry leaders must ensure that all citizens across the country have access to electricity at affordable rates. This will require substantially increasing the share of renewable energies as well as improving energy efficiencies.\n“You cannot stop the technology?s aggressive landing. Digitalisation, Internet of Things, 3-D printing and artificial intelligence will soon mechanise the energy sector. Industry 4.0 will cause disruption the energy sector as well, like in healthcare and education,” said Pradhan.\nGurdeep Singh, Chairman and Managing Director of NTPC Ltd and Member Secretary of World Energy Council India, said the opportunities and challenges arising from Energy 4.0 and energy transition transcend long-established sector boundaries defined by coal, oil and gas sectors.\nDuring the conference, Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar invited suggestions from industry leaders as the think- tank embarks to prepare Indias integrated energy policy along with a national plan for the manufacturing sector to adopt new technologies like artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT).\n“This is an era of pro-sumers ? producers who are consumers as well ? and with Industry 4.0, manufacturing is witnessing the biggest disruption ever seen in history. The integration of conventional fuels and renewable energies will determine a whole panorama of future public services,” he said.", "Spectators are seen reflected in a British Petroleum sponsors building in Olympic Park at the London 2012 Paralympic Games September 6, 2012. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo\nTORONTO/CALGARY BP Plc (BP.L) is considering the sale of its stakes in three Canadian oil sands projects, people familiar with the matter told Reuters this week, as part of the British oil company's strategy of retreating from noncore businesses.\nBP's 50 percent stake in the Sunrise project near Fort McMurray in Alberta, where Husky Energy Inc (HSE.TO) owns the rest and is the operator, is the most valuable of the three assets. BP'S Sunrise stake is valued at about $810 million, based on recent transactions in the sector.\nIt also owns a 50 percent stake in Pike, operated by Devon Energy Corp (DVN.N), which is still awaiting a final investment decision, and is majority-owner of the Terre de Grace oil sands pilot project.\nA BP spokesman declined to comment. Sources declined to be named as the information is confidential.\nThe three projects are located in northeastern Alberta.\nBP has discussed with advisers the possibility of selling the stakes, though no final decision has been made, the people added.\nIf the sale proceeds, BP would deploy capital in more attractive regions, such as the Permian basin in the United States, where the rate of return tends to be higher, one of the people said.\nBP's planned move comes after other global energy majors, including ConocoPhillips (COP.N) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) have cut their exposure to Canada's oil sands operations, which are among the world's most expensive oil plays to develop.\nFaced with a lower oil price environment and challenging economics, which include high cost operations and carbon taxes, global players are increasingly put off by the oil sands.\nReuters reported last week that U.S. oil producer Chevron Corp (CVX.N) was exploring the sale of its 20 percent stake in Canada's Athabasca Oil Sands project, which could fetch about $2.5 billion.\nBP is focussing its operations in Egypt, Azerbaijan, the Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea and Trinidad in the coming years.\nHusky said in February that current production at the Sunrise project is about 36,000 barrels of oil per day. It is in the process of ramping up the project to full capacity of 60,000 bpd but progress has been slower than expected and the company is drilling extra wells to try to speed up production. Husky lowered the 2017 production forecast to 40,000-44,000 bpd from 60,000 bpd.\nWhile Husky is not keen to increase its exposure to the oil sands, it may consider buying BP's stake if the price is attractive, two sources said.\nHusky spokesman Mel Duvall declined to comment on whether the company had discussed buying BP's stake in Sunrise.\n\"We take a look at everything, but we have a number of organic growth opportunities,\" he added.\n($1 = 1.3475 Canadian dollars)\n(Reporting by John Tilak in Toronto and Nia Williams in Calgary; Additional reporting by Ron Bousso in London, Ethan Lou in Calgary, Alberta; and David French in New York; Editing by Denny Thomas and Matthew Lewis)", "Albertina Nakale\nWINDHOEK – Member of the National Council and Kabbe South Constituency Councillor, John Likando is puzzled that the budget vote only allocates a total amount of N$8 million to the Environmental Investment Fund of Namibia (EIF).\n“To my knowledge, this is extremely inadequate, the amount cannot even cover operational costs of an average state-owned enterprise. In some institutions, such an amount is the total salary of four executives.\nYou can do the mathematics, an institution utilising N$8 million to attract more than N$1 billion in one year, of which 40 per cent of that comes through grants, money that does not have a debt effect. Surely, we must be strategic so as these kinds of institutions are positioned strategically to attract bigger amounts in this time of need,’’ he argued.\nLikando made the remarks during the budget debate of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism where the EIF falls under.\nThe ministry has been allocated an amount of N$402 million for this financial year, of which N$337.8 million goes for operational budget and N$64.2 million has been set aside for developmental budget.\nLikando said the resources required to ensure a balanced development agenda that is both technologically and environmentally sound have been growing exponentially for Namibia.\nIn this regard, he says the EIF play a pivotal role in Namibia’s development.\nFurther, he noted the importance of the institution to a majority of Namibians and development agenda cannot be overemphasised, particularly since it does so by managing a shrinking annual budget.\nHe said it is important as government plan to ensure that a vehicle as important as the EIF is adequately and strategically capitalised.\nHe feels it only makes sense and good judgement from the National Council to recommend a budget increment to the EIF.\n“In a budgeting system that is tightening up because of the reasons that we are all familiar with, supporting State Owned Enterprises that attracts direct investments in the country should be a priority for Namibia. Imagine how much funding could the EIF attract if adequately capitalised.\n“Instead of bailing out institutions that do not bring back returns on investments, let us prioritise progressive ones and build on their success. This call goes beyond the Ministry of Environment and Tourism,” he recommended.\nThe EIF has been able to mobilise approximately N$1.1 billion from the international community to support the country of which currently is benefiting more than 132 thousand people, mainly rural farmers who depend on natural resources for their livelihood. This, Likando says is indeed commendable.\nJust last month, the EIF Namibia accessed N$120 million in grant funding from the Green Climate Fund to address climate adaptation and droughts in important sectors such as agriculture for the Kunene Region.\nThe EIF has done exceptionally well in accessing resources for the most vulnerable sectors to environmental degradation caused by climate change, as it continues bringing in financial resources for the country as per its originating mandate and roles identified in the fifth National Development Plan (NDP5), he stated.\nAs concerns for the environment grow, there is a shift globally and nationally towards green, climate resilient and low carbon development policies and pathways.\nHowever, he is hopeful that the allocated budget will bolster the opportunity to translate to a green, sustainable development pathway that prioritises climate change responses.\n“It is a well-known fact that Namibia is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change. We are now seeing the impacts that the changing climate is having on the very fabric of our society and economic development. Now more than ever, we need to build our resilience to climate change so that we ensure our water, energy and food security,” he noted.", "ISLAMABAD, Dec 11 (APP):SAARC President Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) Suraj Vaidya Monday underscored that Pakistan’s support for enhancement of trade, investment and business amongst the member countries of the SAARC region.\nTalking to media persons here today prior to his departure for Nepal on the last leg of week-long visit to Pakistan, he also appreciated the positive approach that Pakistan has been following to strengthen regional cooperation under the SAARC process.\nHe said that it was firm commitment of SAARC Chamber to continue all out efforts for further strengthening the role of SAARC in the region, says a press release issued here.\nHe said accompanied by VP SAARC Pak chapter Iftikhar Ali Malik, he held fruitful and result-oriented meeting with Federal Minister for Commerce and Textile Muhammad Pervaiz Malik, who assured of enhancing regional trade, Pakistan is playing proactive role in activating two most important regional organizations South Asian Association (SAARC) and Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).\nHe further said the minster told him that Pakistan is in process of consulting its stakeholders for preparing a separate shorter sensitive list for the least developed countries of SAARC.\nHe said that another meeting with Sartaj Aziz, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission of Pakistan who was also kind enough to share his life-long expertise in the field of planning of new development projects in the region. He said SAARC chamber will take full benefits of the experiences of Planning Commission to launch new industrial joint ventures and development-oriented projects.\nSuraj said that South Asia is mired in several crisis and conflicts at the moment due to various unresolved political and geographical factors and all these issues would be resolved effectively through strong regional connectivity and business to business contacts.He said law and order situation has been improved in Pakistan which is attracting foreign investment helpful enhancing trade activities in Pakistan that will lead regional trade cooperation among the member countries of South Asia.\nAppreciating the role of CPEC, he said South Asia could drive the benefits from China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as it is an energy deficient region which can use Central Asia’s huge gas and oil resources to help address its energy deficits.\nSurej Vaidya further said the economic corridor will connect China to the world and will have a significant impact on the China, Pakistan and regional economies as its role in bringing prosperity to the region cannot be ignored. “Social economic development is critical to convert challenges into opportunities in South Asia,” adding that the South Asia needs to connect with CPEC to derive benefits of the project which is spanned largely yielding investment and economic opportunities for South Asian nations which have potential and interest to gain from CPEC.\nVP SAARC Chamber Iftikhar Ali Malik who was also present on the occasion in replay to a question, emphasized the need for expediting the process of trade liberalization in South Asian region. He said that cooperation in member states will help in promotion of trade and improving quality of life of our people who accounted for 1/5th of the world’s population. He emphasized that intra regional trade is far below its potential.\nPakistan is looking at widening the ambit “so that we make these opportunities in our region a reality and improve the level of prosperity and economic development in this region”, he said.\nThere are other areas too that the SAARC countries should work on, such as formulating standards and working with different departments and states to improve ecosystem to boost services trade.\nMalik urged the governments of SAARC member countries to adopt policies helpful to push export sector in regional trade agreements, while looking at issues of competitiveness across sectors in the form of reforms and liberalisation and focusing on the trade policy.", "Deron Bilous says Alberta oil should be getting world prices\nAlberta Economic Development and Trade Minister Deron Bilous speaks at Red Deer and District Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Wednesday. Photo by PAUL COWLEY/Advocate staff\nThe federal government’s decision to spend $4.5 billion ensuring the Trans Mountain Pipeline gets built means Alberta will finally get a fair price for its oil, said Economic Development and Trade Minister Deron Bilous.\nAlberta has had to sell its oil to the U.S. at a discount that reached $30 a barrel, said Bilous, who spoke at the Red Deer and District Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Wednesday.\n“So, we’ve been essentially subsidizing the U.S. for a great many years to the tune of about $130 billion thus far.\n“I think it’s about time we started getting world-class prices for our world-class resources,” said the minister adding Alberta is one of the most responsible energy producers in the world.\n“Yesterday, was a very, very positive, significant step forward.”\nPremier Rachel Notley lobbied tirelessly for the project, pitching the message that what is good for Alberta’s economy is good for the whole country, he said.\nIf there is a silver lining to the dispute with B.C. it is that more Canadians are aware of how critical the country’s energy industry is.\nThe Trans Mountain deal is more good news in the province, which is coming off a year where it led the country in economic growth. Economists are pegging Alberta for the first or second position this year, citing infrastructure spending and pipeline approvals, he said.\nBilous said Alberta led the nation in economic growth last year and economists expect it to be in the number one or two position this year.\nManufacturing is on the rise, export numbers and housing starts are up and since last year 90,000 full-time jobs have been created, said the minister.\nBilous said the province is investing to take some of the volatility out of the energy sector and to diversify the economy.\nTax credits have been a choice mechanism for the province to generate more investment. Investor and capital tax credits have proven successful leveraging $62 million in credits into $1.2 billion in new investment, he said.\nThe 2018 budget also includes a digital media tax credit to keep tech talent in Alberta.\nBilous said the credit will “support the growth and expansion of the digital media industry, making it easier for existing companies to hire more employees and helping local entrepreneurs open new studios and attract investment from other jurisdictions.”\nBilous was asked about the competitive challenge posed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tax cuts.\nThe minister said Alberta remains one of Canada’s most competitive jurisdictions.\nTech companies are also taking a closer look at Canada because of U.S. government moves making it harder to attract foreign workers.\n“There is significant interest in companies coming to Canada.”\nThe friction between the U.S. and China on trade also offers opportunities in Canada. Bilous said he has been encouraging the federal government to pursue free trade with China, Canada’s second largest trading partner.\n“The relationship between the U.S. and China has cooled somewhat over the past six months. That provides a renewed interest on the China side with furthering and deepening the relationship with Canada.”\nAlberta has three trade offices in China to ferret out investment.\n“I think there are significant opportunities in China.”\nCanada and Alberta’s ongoing prosperity will also be helped by negotiating a good update to the North American Free Trade Agreement, he added.\npcowley@reddeeradvocate.com\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter", "Military veterans play an outsized role in the corn ethanol industry, but exactly what drives them to the field has become a bone of contention between ethanol proponents and oil and gas industry leaders.\nVeterans make up about 19 percent of the corn ethanol workforce, according to federal Energy Department figures — the largest percentage of veterans in any energy subsector of the U.S. economy.\nVeterans also comprise 18 percent of the woody biomass fuel/cellulosic biofuels sector, and many of those employees live and work in the Midwest, where the ethanol and biofuels industries have thrived.\nNo other part of the broader energy economy comes close to matching the veterans’ employment percentages in corn ethanol and cellulosic biofuels.\nBy comparison, veterans account for about 9.8 percent of the wind industry’s workforce and about 11 percent of the solar electrical generation employment rolls.\nIn addition, veterans make up about 9.8 percent of the natural gas production sector and 9.6 percent of the petroleum production industry, federal figures show. They also account for about 8.8 percent of the coal mining workforce and similar levels of employment in hydropower, nuclear and other corners of the broader energy world.\nWhile percentages don’t tell the full story — especially because of huge disparities in the total number of employees in corn ethanol versus oil and gas, for example — ethanol backers say the high percentage of veterans can be attributed to military men and women’s recognition of the geopolitical dangers of foreign oil.\n“This is an industry that is really about American national security,” said retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark, a former Democratic presidential candidate who now sits on the board of Growth Energy, a trade group that represents supporters and producers of ethanol.\n“Any of the veterans who fought in the Gulf War or the fight against terrorism understand that, at the bottom, this has been about the West’s thirst for oil,” Mr. Clark said when asked specifically why he believes veterans are attracted to the ethanol industry.\nOther ethanol champions make similar arguments and say veterans consider their industry to be the best hope of fully freeing the U.S. from foreign oil and achieving true domestic energy independence.\nBut oil and gas proponents see the situation differently, and some take issue with Mr. Clark’s argument.\nEthanol critics point out that while the percentage of veterans in the industry is impressive, it’s also misleading. Corn ethanol employs about 28,613 people nationwide, the Energy Department said, meaning just over 5,500 veterans have found work in the sector.\nThe petroleum fuel industry, by contrast, employs more than a half-million people. Of those, about 9.6 percent — or more than 50,000 workers — are veterans, according to federal figures.\nAs of the end of 2014, at least 185,000 veterans were employed across the entire oil, gas and petrochemical industry, according to Vets4Energy, a veterans group sponsored and funded by the American Petroleum Institute.\n“When you break that down the gas, oil, and petrochemical industry does a pretty good job employing veterans, too,” said retired Army Capt. James McCormick, now the national program director at Vets4Energy.\nMr. McCormick disputed the idea that ethanol is somehow more attractive to veterans from a national security perspective. He argues that huge upticks in domestic natural gas and oil production have put those industries on equal footing when it comes to promoting energy independence.\n“General Clark does not represent me, and he does not represent the majority of veterans,” said Mr. McCormick, adding that many ethanol proponents, such as Mr. Clark, are eager to shut down the entire oil and gas sector.\nMr. Clark acknowledged the mostly adversarial relationship between the two sides, even beyond the issue of veteran employment.\n“You’re dealing with ethanol as a potential adversary, or competitor, to the most powerful economic force on the planet, which is the petroleum industry. There’s never been anything like it,” the retired general said.\nWhatever drives veterans to a particular energy subsector, they have become a major asset to their employers, said Mark Borer, a senior vice president and general manager at POET, a South Dakota-based ethanol producer.\n“When we think about the skill sets the veterans gain — leadership skills, sense of responsibility, values, a drive to make a difference in the world — those align very well with POET,” said Mr. Borer, who served in the Navy for six years.", "Part Two\nLIKE gold and other minerals, the Philippines is rich in coal.\nAccording to the Department of Energy (DOE), the country’s in situ coal reserves as of December 2015 amount to 470 million metric tons (MT), or 19.7 percent, of the country’s total coal-resource potential of 2.39 billion MT.\nThe country’s energy-source mix, however, is slowly shifting to renewable energy (RE), with more and more companies venturing into RE-related development projects.According to Greenpeace Philippines climate and energy campaigner Reuben Muni, what is needed is the required boost from the DOE, which should be facilitated by the ongoing energy-mix policy review, which specifically aims to veer the Philippines away from coal addiction.\nAdvertisement\nThe coal industry is booming in the Philippines because of increased interest brought about by the huge demand for cheap, reliable energy source, according to Muni.\nUnderexplored areas\nTHE DOE reported that there are 30 coal-operating contracts in the development and production phase; 48 coal-operating contracts in the exploration phase; and 83 small-scale coal-mining operators as of July 2016.\nThe Coal and Nuclear Minerals Division (CNMD) is also continuously scouting for underexplored coal areas.\nIn May 2014 15 prospective coal areas in Mindanao and five companies submitted nine applications for seven of these areas. These areas are in the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga Sibugay. On May 18 that year all seven coal- operating contracts were awarded to companies after complying with the technical, legal and financial requirements of the DOE.\n“It is but very timely to invest in coal facilities, as the price of oil continues to rise, with coal being still the cheapest option with abundant supply worldwide,” according to the DOE, as posted in its official web site about coal and its investment opportunities.\nThe key investment opportunities in the coal sector for private companies include the setting up of coal-preparation plants to upgrade the quality of Philippine coal and\nmaking these acceptable to current coal users. Other investment opportunities involve the expansion of production volumes of higher-rank Philippine coals, which can be used without upgrading and/or blending with high-quality imported coal.\nOther investment opportunities include the introduction of clean-coal technologies (i.e., circulating fluidized bed combustion) to ensure utilization of Philippine coals with minimal adverse effects on the environment, and the putting up of mine-mouth power plants designed to utilize the abundant low-rank coals that have no alternative markets.\n‘Clean coal’\nREGARDED as the dirtiest of all fossil-fuel source of energy, advocates for coal as fuel are losing the climate and energy discourse. Hence, so-called clean coal and clean-coal technology have been introduced to attract more investment.\nHigher-rank coals are now an option for prospective investors. Purportedly, it can be used by current users without the need for any coal preparation or blending with imported coals.\nAccording to the DOE, high-rank coals exist. The agency pointed to the coal deposits being mined by the Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC) with its Taiwanese partner in Malangas in Zamboanga Sibugay, by the Ibalong Resources and Development Corp. in Southern Cebu and by the Rock Energy International Corp. on Batan Island.\nThe DOE said the coal deposits in Catanduanes Island have been contracted out to Monte Oro Resources and Energy Inc. for coal exploration, while the coal areas in General Nakar, Quezon, are waiting to be contracted. According to the DOE, “there are also two other coal fields of good quality”: the Integrated Little Baguio (ILB) and Lalat mines. The ILB mine is covered by the PNOC’s coal-operating contract. On the other hand, the Lalat area will be developed through a joint venture between PNOC and Filsystems Inc., the DOE said.\nAccording to the DOE, it is the downstream coal sector, particularly the utilization of coal for power generation, and cement- manufacturing companies that can introduce clean-coal technologies in existing and future power and cement plants to minimize adverse effects of coal on the environment and still be competitive, are definitely welcome.\nNo such thing\nThere is also what the DOE describes as clean-coal technology.\nCoal washing or preparation—a wet method of cleaning low-rank coal by separating coal from the wastes using specific gravity differences—reduces ash and sulfur contents of coal and increases its heating value.\nThere are other technologies, such as circulating fluidized bed combustion technology, flue gas desulfurizer and setting up mine-mouth power plants.\nHowever, Muni said there is no such thing as clean coal or clean-coal technology because “coal is coal”.\nEarly in February last year, Greenpeace warned that deaths due to stroke, heart and other cardiovascular diseases, and respiratory illnesses because of air pollution may go up from the current 960 annual premature deaths to 2,410 deaths per year, with the construction and operation of more coal-fired power plants in the country.\nA report, titled “Coal: A Public Health Crisis”, was released by Greenpeace along with environmental and public-health interest groups to warn the government and the public about the health impacts of existing coal-fired power plants and the plan to construct more in the future.\nThe report that cited diseases and deaths attributed to coal use in the Philippines said coal-fired power plants expose people to toxic pollution, resulting in hundreds of premature deaths every year.\nSunrise industry\nSOLAR, wind and, possibly, ocean current are ready to give coal its biggest challenge as energy source.\nIn fact, RE may soon become the next sunrise industry in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.\nSetting aside the impact of climate change or the climate-change scenario, looking from a purely economic point of view, Muni said there will come a time that the Philippines will be forced to shift to renewables.\n“Coal resources are already depleted,” he said. The technology itself,” Muni added. “The price of RE technology is dropping.”\nUnlike RE like solar, wind and ocean current, the potential energy supply that can be generated is limitless, he added.\nThe No. 1 country in terms of wind- and solar-power generation today is China, according to Muni, citing again the “Boom and Bust 2017—Tracking the Global Coal Plant Pipeline” report.\nThis year 47 new coal plants that were scheduled for construction in China were canceled. When you talk about China, the average power-generating capacity of coal-fired power plants is around 500 megawatts (MW), according to Muni. That means a 48-percent drop in preconstruction activities and a 62-percent diminution in construction stats, he added.\n“From a global point of view, the trend is clear,” Muni said. “There are regions in the world that the shift is apparent, like Southeast Asia. Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines are among them. [But] China is leading the way.”\nAccording to the Greenpeace official, it was the Europeans that earlier led the march to RE, with Germany as top dog.\n“[But] Asia is now making the shift,” Muni said. “China and India are leading the shift from fossil fuel to renewables.”\nTo be continued", "CURRENT energy cooperation between Australia and Japan is marked by their mutual strengths. Both countries take advantage of domestic energy resources, encourage energy efficiency, and are seeking to introduce energy market reforms.\nJapan and Australia have developed integrated policy frameworks for both energy security and market stability, and have spurred fresh investment into international energy assets. The two nations’ joint initiatives are also progressing in organisations such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum and the G20, which support the globalisation of clean energy technologies and enhance the capabilities of emerging Asian economies to implement best practices.\nAustralia and Japan are together playing a critical role in achieving global energy security and mitigating climate change with a wide range of new initiatives.\nSEE ALSO: South Australia and Tesla team up again for world’s largest ‘virtual power plant’\nToday, China, India, and the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) are among the most dynamic parts of the global economic system and are a rising force in international energy affairs. Their primary energy demand grew by over 70 percent in the last three decades and accounted for more than 60 percent of total global energy demand.\nThese countries are not only the most populous neighbours of Japan and Australia, but also middle-income nations which have already reached an energy-intensive phase of development. As their energy demand has grown, they have become a key part of global energy security and carbon emission mitigation dynamics and efforts.\nThis development poses a number of opportunities and risks for Australia and Japan. As a result, there are three broad areas where Canberra and Tokyo should seek greater energy cooperation.\nThe first area for cooperation relates to the supply of low carbon or intermediate energy resources. To cope with increased energy demand in the region, Australia and Japan aim to diversify their energy mix with the expanded use of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). The 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan and the commitment to Paris Agreement goals by 2030 provide a strong policy imperative for Japan and its neighbours to boost LNG trade.\nFor its part, Australia will soon become the world’s leading LNG exporter. Its annual export capacity is projected to rise from around 40 billion cubic metres in 2015 to over 100 billion cubic metres in 2030. However, other global suppliers such as Qatar will remain strong contenders for LNG market dominance.\nGreater regional trade, increased short-term export potential and greater operational flexibility are leading to a convergence of gas prices at the regional level. The governments of Australia and Japan must jointly make big decisions on LNG pricing, production and distribution infrastructure and export policies.\nSEE ALSO: Japan’s nuclear dilemma: The search for energy security post-Fukushima\nThe second area for cooperation is reducing the energy intensity of the transport sector, which will be the cause of most of the global carbon emissions in future. Japan has made hydrogen a symbol of its ability to pioneer new energy carriers, and wants to build an international hydrogen supply chain that extends from production to transportation and consumption. But transporting hydrogen to Japan and other parts of Asia is challenging.\nWith the advent of new technologies that can refine pure streams of hydrogen from renewables and coalmines, Australia can be the forerunner as a major exporter of hydrogen energy – beyond coal and gas. Australia’s government needs to consider how a portfolio of local innovations can complement Japan’s vision for a global hydrogen society.\nThe third area of cooperation is grid connectivity. Australia and Japan should pursue joint strategies to help reduce the impact of power supply disruptions and bring stability to clean energy integration into grids. The Asia Super Grid (ASG) is a multilateral energy trade strategy aiming to integrate the grids of Japan, Korea, China, Mongolia, ASEAN countries and India. Mongolia has major ambitions to mobilise its wind and solar resources to become the ASG’s energy hub and export up to 100 GW of renewable energy by 2030.\nWith the plunging costs of renewable energy production, Australia could become a contributor to the ASG, making it more attractive by mobilising its vast reservoir of desert solar and wind energy via a Subsea High-Voltage Direct Current. Having Australia on board will make an ASG based on 100 per cent renewable energy more attainable.\nAcross these three areas, Australia and Japan share much in common. The future of their energy cooperation will be characterised not only by their domestic needs and aspirations, but also by the growing energy demand of their Asian neighbours, the need to reduce the cost of supply, and the need to manage carbon emissions.\nSEE ALSO: Burma govt’s energy projects stalling peace efforts, groups claim\nThe emerging Asian countries will likely remain the main engine of economic growth and the centre of gravity for energy security in the coming decades. Cooperation between Australia and Japan therefore needs to ensure effective policy frameworks for LNG trade, support timely innovations in hydrogen infrastructure, and enhance the attractiveness of the Asia Super Grid.\nChina, India and Asean nations also face challenging energy policy choices. There is an imperative for the Asian countries to adjust their energy policies in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement.\nIn an era of changing energy demands and growing carbon constraints, Australia and Japan must work together effectively to reduce emissions in the region and enhance global energy security.\nBy Dr Anbumozhi Venkatachalam, Senior Economist at the Economic Research Institute for Asean and East Asia (ERIA), Indonesia. This article originally appeared on PolicyForum.net.", "By Maria Dubovikova\nRussian President Vladimir Putin hosted Saudi Arabia’s King Salman for talks at the Kremlin on Thursday, cementing a relationship that is pivotal for world oil prices and could decide the outcome of the conflict in Syria.\nPutin received the monarch in the gold-decorated St. Andrew Hall, one of the grandest spaces in the Kremlin, attended by soldiers in ceremonial dress and with an orchestra playing their countries’ national anthems.\n“I am sure that your visit will provide a good impulse for the development of relations between our two states,” Putin told King Salman as they sat alongside each other in the Kremlin’s lavishly decorated Green Parlor. “This is the first visit by a Saudi monarch in the history of our relations and that in itself is a landmark event,” Putin said.\nThe king invited Putin to visit his country — an offer the Russian leader accepted — and said they planned to keep cooperating to keep world oil prices stable.\nKing Salman told Putin that Iran must stop meddling in the Middle East, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported.\n“We emphasize that the security and stability of the Gulf region and the Middle East is an urgent necessity for achieving stability and security in Yemen,” the king said.\n“This would demand that Iran give up interference with the internal affairs of the region, to give up actions destabilizing the situation in this region.”\nSaudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir told journalists that “relations between Russia and Saudi Arabia have reached a historic moment.”\nKing Salman and President Putin signed a slew of arms and energy deals.\nSaudi Arabia signed preliminary agreements to buy Russia’s S-400 air defense systems and anti-tank guided missile systems and receive “cutting-edge technologies,” the state-owned Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) said.\nThese agreements are “expected to play a pivotal role in the growth and development of the military and military systems industry in Saudi Arabia,” SAMI said in a statement.\nThe leaders of the world’s largest energy exporters discussed an extension of an OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) agreement to cap oil output.\nThe two countries signed a series of multibillion-dollar investment deals including one to create a $1 billion fund to pursue energy projects.\nMoscow and Riyadh worked together to secure a deal between OPEC and other oil producers to cut output until the end of March 2018, helping support prices.\nSaudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said Saudi Arabia is “flexible” regarding Moscow’s suggestion to extend the pact until the end of next year.\nAgreements on global oil supply have helped oil markets to stabilize, Al-Falih said.\nHe said Saudi Arabia wants to develop ties with Russia further, particularly in the private sector.\n“I see huge opportunities for the business sector in both nations,” he said.\nRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said agreements came in the fields of “energy — not only traditional but also nuclear power — and also in cooperation in space exploration (and) agro-industry and infrastructure projects.”\nLater, speaking at a news briefing, Al-Jubeir said Saudi Arabia is working closely with Russia on uniting Syria’s opposition, adding that Moscow and Riyadh agreed on the need to preserve Syria’s territorial integrity and state institutions.\nAl-Jubeir also said that both Russia and Saudi Arabia believe in the principle of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs and in the principle of territorial integrity.\nFor his part, Lavrov focused on the common ground, saying the two leaders had agreed on the importance of fighting terrorism, and finding peaceful solutions to conflicts in the Middle East.\nLavrov said the meeting between the Saudi monarch and Putin saw a “particular focus on Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen.”\nSeparately, the Russian-Saudi Investment Forum concluded on Thursday in Moscow with announcements of joint business and investment projects.\nIbrahim Al-Omar, governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), said: “We’re working on improving the level of FDI (foreign direct investment) to the Kingdom by attracting more investments. We’re working to give the private sector a bigger share in the market.”\nThe energy minister said bilateral cooperation in the last two years has benefited the oil market by stabilizing prices.\n“It has breathed back life into OPEC, which found itself… unable to swing its production as supply was persistently high in 2014 and global inventories were steadily rising ahead of demand,” Al-Falih added.", "By JAMES ANYANZWA\nMore by this Author\nPrivate equity firms are more wary of currency risks than political risks in Africa.\nA survey by the African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (AVCA) shows that PE firms prefer investing in resilient businesses that can counter currency risks.\nThe resilient businesses include consumer staples, healthcare and energy.\nAccording to the survey, 69 per cent of the PE firms cited currency risk as the biggest challenge faced when investing in Africa, compared with 42 per cent who cited political risk. But they all agreed that political risk and currency volatility would continue to be a concern for all investors seeking to put money in Africa.\n“Looking beyond the impact of political risk on investment returns, currency risk has become increasingly important for investors in Africa, particularly against the backdrop of the collapse of commodity prices from 2014 onward,” says the report dated November 2017.\nAccording to the survey, currency and commodity price volatility are the factors that have had the largest impact on PE firms’ investments over the past three years, a period in which commodity prices, from oil, copper and iron ore, fell to their lowest level since the global financial crisis in 2008.\nProtection\nPE firms can however protect themselves from currency volatility by focusing on the quality of business operations, diversifying revenue streams, passing increased costs to consumers, hedging, buying insurance covers and reducing the need for hard currency by sourcing inputs locally.\nFor instance, since 2011, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) the US government’s development finance institution — provided insurance for investors against the risk of losses caused by expropriation, currency inconvertibility and political violence.\nThis year, investors bought $1 billion’s worth of sub-Saharan African risk insurance from the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency.\nOther PE firms prefer diversification and avoidance of risky locations as the main ways of managing political risk.\nThe report notes that despite the deteriorating investment climate in some African countries, the total value of PE deals reported on the continent in 2016 reached $3.8 billion, up from $2.5 billion in 2015.\nPolitical risks\nAlthough political uncertainty also continues to be a major issue for Africa-focused investors, the survey shows that the continent’s political situation is not uniform and is characterised by different types of political risks.\nFor instance, there are those risks relating to the political outlook of a country (that is its stability, prevalence of terrorism, and changes within the composition or policy focus of the government) and risks pertaining to individual sectors (such as regulatory changes or the interference of vested interests or political actors).\nOther political risks are those pertaining to individual companies or projects of national importance such as the unilateral renegotiation of existing contracts by new governments.\nAn example of this is the termination of the PE-backed Rift Valley Railways’ concession this year by the Kenya and Uganda governments due to its alleged failure to meet the terms of its contract.\nThe investors cited political unrest and macroeconomic stability as major factors deterring their investment in emerging markets generally and Africa specifically.\nHowever the report notes that Africa’s growing consumption and rapid rate of urbanisation continue to provide attractive investment opportunities for PE firms.\nThese opportunities are in the fast moving consumer goods, financials, real estate and energy sectors, which are relatively insulated from the economic headwinds created by the decline in commodity prices and local currencies.", "The Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) is urging government to speed up efforts to pass the Right to Information (RTI) Bill as promised in the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP’s) manifesto.\nThe passage of the Bill, ACEP explained, would enhance transparency in the operations of the oil and gas sector, which many experts believe are shrouded in secrecy.\nThe Deputy Executive Director of ACEP, Mr Benjamin Boakye, said currently, it was difficult to get information on contracts and how revenues were being used because there was no law compelling the state institutions to give out the information.\n“We urge the government of Ghana to consolidate the efforts of the past government through the passage of the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Act, 2016 (Act 917), by passing the Right to Information Bill to enhance transparency in the oil and gas sector as promised in their manifesto,” he said.\nHe added in an interview on February 9 that, “If you have a law that enables you to demand data from the state institutions, then they will be compelled to give the information. In the absence of that, it is difficult to get information contracts.”\nMr Boakye explained that it was very critical to get information on oil revenues and contracts that were being signed on behalf of the people, something that was currently difficult to get.\nDeveloping regulations\nThere are a number of regulations for the petroleum upstream sector developed by the previous government. The past government started developing regulations on the Petroleum Act. The Petroleum Commission led the development of Fiscal Metering Regulation, Health and Safety Regulation and Data Management Regulation.\nMr Boakye explained that it was, therefore, necessary for the new government to continue developing regulations for the sector to ensure that operations were guided accordingly.\n“We further entreat the government to continue the development of regulations for the upstream sector. The government should continue that process with urgency and also develop regulations on licensing and management of Public Register of Petroleum Agreements,” he said.\nReview non-performing contracts\nMr Boakye explained that there was the need for government to review non-performing contracts and prescribe sanctions where necessary.\n“We urge government to take a critical look at the non-performing agreements and where companies have failed to fulfil their work obligations, take steps to punish them or abrogate those contracts,” he said.\nOn how to attract investments into the growing oil and gas sector, he said government ought to put in place investment incentives and ensure that the process of awarding petroleum contracts were open and competitive.\n“The remedy into the future is to ensure that there is aggressive investment attraction drive through the application of the new Petroleum Act 2016, which set in motion the transparent process of awarding petroleum contracts through competitive bidding,” he said.", "Get business updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email\nA project which will see the North East pioneer new technology in the offshore wind tech sector is aiming to cement the UK’s reputation as world leaders in renewable energy.\nA five-year research and development agreement has been sealed between GE Renewable Energy and the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult, which will see the two work together to test and develop the next generation of offshore wind technologies at Blyth, Northumberland.\nAs well as the R&D activities, the agreement also includes a £6m investment from Innovate UK and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to install the world’s largest and most powerful grid emulation system at the Catapult’s National Renewable Energy Centre in Blyth.\nThe system allowed clients to simultaneously test mechanical and electrical systems, meaning the project partners, UK companies and researchers can assess the interaction between the next generation of large-scale wind turbines and the electrical distribution network in the most challenging environments.\nNews of the project comes less than a week after former Cabinet Minister Sir Michael Fallon’s far-reaching report into the offshore industry, which said the North East should be promoted as the UK’s leading centre for cutting-edge technologies in the sector.\n(Image: PA)\nSir Michael, a former Darlington MP who was an Energy Minister and most recently Defence Secretary, also produced a series of recommendations designed to get offshore wind to be central to the Government’s industrial strategy, highlighting the North East as a leader for new technologies in turbine and blade development, cabling and electricity storage.\nWelcoming news of the agreement, UK Government Energy & Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry said: “This collaboration is great news and highlights our world-class research and testing facilities.\n“Through our Industrial Strategy, we are making the UK a global leader in renewables, including offshore wind, with more support available than any other country in the world. With 22% of all investment in European wind projects coming to the UK, the offshore wind industry is exceptionally well placed to boost supplies of home grown clean energy whilst growing new jobs and opportunities.”\nGE’s recently announced that the Haliade-X 12 MW offshore wind turbine – the most powerful offshore turbine in the world to date with a 12 MW capacity, 220-metre rotor and a 107m blade – and its Haliade 150-6MW will undergo advanced tests in Blyth.\nThe demonstrations, designed to accurately replicate testing conditions for the blades to help boost their performance and reliability, will take place at ORE Catapult’s 15MW power train test facility in Blyth.\nThe collaboration will drive technology improvements that will also help to develop the UK supply chain and increase access to demonstration opportunities for small businesses.\nJohn Lavelle, president and CEO of GE’s Offshore Wind business, said: “This is an important agreement because it will enable us to prove Haliade-X in a faster way by putting it under controlled and extreme conditions.”\nORE Catapult chief executive Andrew Jamieson said: “This five-year collaborative programme with GE Renewable Energy is a testament to the Catapult’s world-class engineering, research and development capabilities across all aspects of wind turbine development and performance.\n“By working closely together in areas such as power trains, blades and electrical infrastructure, we look forward to helping GE to both enhance their existing portfolio and bring new products and services to the offshore wind market, while simultaneously generating significant economic growth opportunities in the UK.”\nCo-chair of the Offshore Wind Industry Council, Benj Sykes, said: “This is exactly the sort of collaboration that will ensure the UK continues to build on its global leadership in offshore wind energy.\n“This five-year research and development partnership will not only advance new technologies but also empower the UK supply chain including smaller SMEs to innovate and grow.\n“Cutting edge innovation is a cornerstone of the ambitious sector deal which the industry aims to agree with Government. It is truly driving our vision for 2030 of a globally leading supply chain, and generating a third of the country’s electricity from offshore wind.”", "A hedge fund run by the scion of New York real estate dynasty is returning money to outside investors amid poor performance, according to documents seen by Business Insider.\nThe fund is O-Cap Management, a small New York-based hedge fund managed by Michael Olshan.\nOlshan is the son of Morton Olshan, the chairman and founder of commercial real estate giant Olshan Properties, and is a former managing director at hedge fund Jana Partners.\nLaunched during the Great Recession, O-Cap's primary fund lost 17.7% after fees from September 2009 through the end of June this year. The S&P 500 was up 161% over the same period.\nO-Cap lost 4.3% in the second quarter this year and was down 8.03% year-to-date in 2017.\nMichael Olshan did not respond to calls and emails, and the fund's chief financial officer, Lloyd Jagai, hung up on a Business Insider reporter when reached by phone.\nIn a September letter to clients, O-Cap blamed its losses on poor market conditions, pointing to the rise of passive investment vehicles like ETFs, the disproportionate share of FAANG tech stocks in the S&P 500's gains, and an overall lack of public sector opportunities. The company was heavily exposed to energy, a bet that took a hit amid oil and gas industry turmoil, losing 8.45% in the first half of this year.\n\"We do not feel today’s market is rife with attractive buying opportunities in the core sectors in which we focus,\" Michael Olshan wrote in the client letter. \"In our opinion, market participants are taking on an increasing amount of risk for lower return expectations, and are doing so late in a cycle that has been characterized by strong reflation in asset prices and public equities.\"\n\"Today’s public equity markets can be defined by too much capital chasing a meager set of bargains,\" Olshan added. \"The result is increased risk taking for lower and lower return expectations.\"\nThe fund continues to manage money for Olshan and his family, and said it sees more opportunities in private company investments.\nO-Cap Management is a small fund. Documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission say the firm held $14.1 million in gross assets in its primary fund at the end of March, 56% of which belonged to management. Management owned 5% of the smaller fund, which had $5.8 million in assets.\nOlshan comes from a prestigious and successful New York business family, and O-Cap at one point had its sights set on raising as much as $1 billion, according to trade publication HFMWeek.\nMorton Olshan began buying real estate properties in the 1950s and amassed an enormous portfolio of properties in Manhattan and beyond. Today, Olshan Properties owns and manages \"14,000 units of multifamily, 10 million square feet of retail, 3 million square feet of office and 1,447 hotel rooms located across 11 states,\" according to the company's website.\nMorton Olshan became a minority owner of the New York Yankees in 2000 and remains a member of the club's board of directors. He also serves as a member of The President’s Council of the New York Public Library.\nAndrea Olshan, Morton's daughter and Michael's older sister, runs the family real estate business today.", "Our agricultural sector is under pressure like ­never before. Charged with meeting ever-growing demand, agriculture has had to diversify and adapt at an astonishing rate.\nTo achieve this, research and innovation must play a significant role in supporting the world’s most important industry. Countries successful in translating ­science excellence through to industrial application will not only secure food supply chains against climate change but also attract inward investment opportunities.\nVertical farming under LED lights\nThere is a prime example of this in Tayside in the Advanced Plant Growth Centre (APGC) being developed at the James Hutton Institute at Invergowrie, near Dundee. The investment required is £28 million and it is currently under consideration as part of the Tay Cities Deal – a partnership between local, ­Scottish and UK governments and the private, academic and voluntary sectors which seek to create a smarter, fairer and more prosperous Angus, Dundee, Fife and Perth & Kinross.\nWith a return on investment of £11.70 for every £1 invested and £463 million in economic added value, APGC will have a significant economic impact and an estimated 800 full-time equivalent jobs to the entire UK food and drink supply chain.\nWith cutting-edge research facilities, the centre will also boost Tayside’s already world-leading reputation in plant and crop science.\nOne of the main reasons for hosting this highly specialised and unique development is the Institute’s partnership with Intelligent Growth Solutions, a Scottish-based company developing vertical farming technology. Intelligent Growth Solutions’ almost-complete demonstration facility at our site will showcase the benefits of vertical farming. With a fully-controlled environment using highly-efficient LED lighting it will have the ability for automated control and harvesting.\nThe technology will be taken one step further by the APGC, providing even more opportunities for UK growers to produce out of season crops, enable novel research, and deliver new plant varieties quickly and economically. It will have the ability to develop crops to cope with climate change, resist pests and ­diseases and reduce the need for agro-chemicals and energy-wasting heated glasshouses, bring down post-harvest crop losses, and improve the quality and range of food and drink available.\nInvesting in these innovative solutions presents a huge opportunity to address some of the major challenges that we face.\nToday’s reality is that we live in a world with a growing population (estimated to reach 10 billion by 2050) increased demands on land use, climate change and, as a result, extreme weather conditions. The APGC, working with a range of industry stakeholders, national and international governments, as well as other academic research organisations, can begin to tackle some of these issues related to food security. The APGC will take advantage of new and emerging technologies to turn the most unlikely facility into an urban farm where fruit and veg can be grown without natural sunlight, very little water and be protected from extreme weather. Three-quarters of the world’s extremely poor populations base their livelihoods on agriculture. Improved crops developed at the APGC will make it possible for these people to move on from subsistence farming, creating jobs for young rural farmers, reducing conflict over natural resources and developing more resilient livelihoods.\nThe APGC will bring greater sustainability not only to Tayside but Scotland’s food and drink industry; its largest manufacturing sector with 47,000 people, equating to 19 per cent of all manufacturing jobs.\nBy combining its strengths in crops, soils and land use and environmental research, the James Hutton Institute makes a major contribution to the understanding of key global issues and developing effective technological and management solutions. APGC potentially offers a silver bullet against some of the increasing challenges facing agriculture and food production. For more information visit www.hutton.ac.uk.\nPhilip Gane is capital projects manager at the James Hutton Institute.", "Oman Oil Company SAOC (OOC), the energy investment arm of the Omani government, is exploring potential partnerships with local and international investors in the development of power and renewable energy schemes in the Sultanate.\nIsam al Zadjali (pictured), Chief Executive Officer of the wholly government owned enterprise, said the Company is currently in discussion with the State General Reserve Fund (SGRF), a sovereign wealth fund of the Sultanate of Oman, as a potential partner in such energy ventures. “We are talking to SGRF to see if we can join forces to invest in the country, be it in power or renewables. Our task is to figure out who is best in solar, wind, bio — you name it — anything out there, we will explore on the basis that we can attract industry leaders to come to Oman and set up shop here,” he noted.\nSpeaking at the annual media briefing hosted by the Ministry of Oil & Gas, Al Zadjali said the Company is eager to build on its investments in the power sector, which includes the Musandam Power Plant in partnership with LG International, and a couple of assets in South Korea and Pakistan.\n“We feel the playing field for power and renewables infrastructure is big enough for everyone to participate and deliver projects that are good for the country,” the CEO said.\nCommenting on developments in the midstream segment of the restructured Oman Oil Group’s business, Al Zadjali said that a major rebranding of Oman Gas Company (OGC), which heads the Energy Infrastructure Vertical of Oman Oil Co, is in the offing. As part of the rebrand, OGC — which is the principal transporter of natural gas across the country will also acquire a new mandate.\nOf late, Oman Oil Company has also decided to move away from its long-held precondition to be a majority shareholder in any partnership with a local or international investor, said the CEO. The goal, he said, is to attract reputable players that would add value through their investments in the Sultanate, create jobs for nationals, and support In-Country-Value (ICV) development.\nEvidence of this change in policy is seen in the upstream segment of the company’s business, he explained. “Initially, we wanted to become an operator in a block. But when you look around, you see there are many great operators, like Shell, Oxy, and more recently ENI. We want to complement their efforts. We want to bring in more operators into the country so that oil and gas can be produced more efficiently. If it requires a minority shareholding in the process, then we are all for it. We don’t want to be 100 per cent shareholders. As of last year, we are open to taking a minority interest in order to attract international oil companies (IOCs) to come here.”\nFurthermore, the Company is eager to work closely with the Ministry of Oil & Gas to achieve its new vision as a restructured entity. “We feel we could be the catalyst that can attract foreign investment into the country. We are very well positioned to do that,” he stated.\nShare on: WhatsApp", "Investors attracted by stable revenues and profit margins but facing cultural barriers\nTwitter Linkedin Facebook Add comment\nCultural barriers are deterring alternative business structures from seeking external investment from investors who are ready to wake up the ‘sleepy’ legal market and exploit opportunities for growth, new research has found.\nA study by the Legal Services Board into ABSs and investment in legal services since licences were first granted in 2011 revealed law firms’ abilities to boost profits were held back by low levels of external investment.\nAlthough two-thirds of ABS firms have already invested – mainly in new staff, increased marketing, and technology – or are planning to do so, only 12 per cent have used external finance.\n‘The investors we spoke to told us that they see opportunities for investment in the legal services market to improve efficiency, to fund innovation, and to increase productivity. External capital is, however, not yet used as much in the legal services sector as might have been expected,' said LSB chief executive Neil Buckley (pictured).\n‘The research shows that there are no significant regulatory barriers to investment in the legal services market. Nor does the cost of legal services regulation seem to be a barrier. Instead the key challenges are cultural – lawyers are reluctant to cede control of their businesses, preferring instead to rely on profits and reserves, or bank lending.’\nFew respondents to the super-regulator's survey regarded regulation and instability in the personal injury market as major barriers to further investment (6 and 1.5 per cent respectively), but 42 per cent agreed that keeping control was more important than growth, suggesting a reluctance to seek external investment.\nThe legal market has caught the attention of investors ‘driven by an impression that the legal sector was a “sleepy” market that was inefficient and therefore attractive for outside investment that can induce growth and deliver cost savings’.\nOne investment adviser said the market attracted investors because most firms have stable or higher year-on-year revenues, impressive profit margins, and the sector can potentially perform well when the economy contracts.\nAnother view on the lack of investment was that many firms do not present financial information in ways investors expect or have a weak grasp of the value of their businesses.\nAlthough the overall size of the market and the scale of businesses operating within it may limit opportunities for some investors, the LSB concluded that cultural norms, governance, and non-commercial financial management practices in some businesses were likely to be more important factors.\nThe oversight regulator suggested that the low level of external investment to date may be symbolic of weak competition in the market overall, which was inhibiting innovation and the potential for lower costs and prices. In the absence of strong competition, firms were more likely to take a risk-averse approach and avoid using external capital.\nMatthew Rogers is a reporter at Solicitors Journal\nmatthew.rogers@solicitorsjournal.co.uk | @lex_progress\nBusiness development & Strategy Regulation\nLegal Services Board alternative business structures ABSs External investment LSB" ]

[ "first make sure you don't drink any fluids right before you run, and you need to set your pace with your breathing. If you breathe in thru your nose simultaneously while stepping with your right (or left) foot, then exhale thru your mouth at the same time your stepping with the other foot, after a little practice you'll be pain free in no time, and you'll find yourself running farther distances too. after your run it's good to take a few swallows of sugar water. Just plain ole water with plain ole sugar. Good luck with that." ]

[ "24 ribs. 12 pairs of ribs. There are some in rare cases that have one more pair or one less pair. However 12 pair is the norm.\\n\\nAnd sorry all those creationist types out there. Men and women have equal number of ribs.", "Either above ground or below you have loss dependent on the length of travel. It is more efficient to run at higher voltages, that is why there are step up transformers at the beginning of long runs and step down transformers from the main lines to the house lines.\\n\\nSome loss occurs as a result of heat energy", "I've never taken it, but I know it is a component used in prescription drugs for relieving pain. It is commonly referred to as Anaprox or Naproxan, and although it is supposed to be an effective method of pain relief, the person taking it runs the risk of internal bleeding in their stomach (this is a rare side affect that only occurs when it is taken in excess, or without food).", "Run free virus and data miner scans and clean up the start menu as instructed below..\\n\\nClick: Start, Run, Type in mcconfig and then from the screen un check all you do not need at start up.", "Carl Yastremski 1967 triple crown winner - led league in average, home runs, and RIB's and led the Sox to their IMpossible Dream Year", "Rare hitter,\\nAlways defender,\\nHater of quick runs,\\nUltimate ball run getter of every over,\\nLoved by girls most of them dont know cricket.", "Inside-the-park home run\\nIn almost all cases nowadays, a home run involves hitting the ball over the outfield fence in fair territory. Very rarely, a batter can hit the ball in play and circle all the bases before the fielders can throw him out; this is called an inside-the-park home run, and typically requires that the batter be a quick runner, and that either the fielder misplay the ball in some way or that the ball is made difficult to play by caroming in unexpected ways, or by becoming difficult for a fielder to reach due to structural variances and peculiarities of different ballparks. If the misplay is labeled an error by the official scorer, however, the batter is not credited with a home run.\\n\\nIn baseball parlance, an inside-the-park home run is a play where a hitter scores a home run without hitting the ball out of play. Inside-the-park home runs are rare events, generally occurring only a handful of times during any given season. The play requires both a fast base runner and often some sort of fielding mishap by the defense, or a strange bounce in the outfield. If the fielder commits an error during the act, however, the play is not scored as a home run, but rather advancing on an error.\\n\\nAn inside-the-park grand slam is the same event but, like a grand slam, features the bases loaded for an inside-the-park home run. There have only been 40 inside-the-park grand slams in Major League Baseball since 1950 and only eight since 1990 (as of 2002). Honus Wagner had the most in MLB history with five.\\n\\nOf the 154,483 home runs hit from 1951 - 2000, 975 (about one in every 158) were inside the park. The percentage has dwindled over the years with the growing propensity of smaller parks.\\n\\nThe record for most inside-the-park home runs for a single season (12) was set by Sam Crawford in 1901. He is also the holder for most career inside-the-park home runs with 51. The career leader post-1950 is 13 by former Royals outfielder Willie Wilson.\\n\\nJimmy Sheckard completed a phenomenal feat in 1901, hitting inside-the-park grand slams in consecutive games on consecutive days with the Brooklyn Superbas (later the Brooklyn Dodgers). Sheckard is the only person in Major League Baseball history to do so.\\n\\nA rare event occurred on July 13, 1896, when Ed Delahanty of the Philadelphia Phillies hit two inside-the-park home runs (out of four home runs total) in one game against the Chicago Cubs. [1] Ed Konetchy did the same on August 5, 1912", "I know someone who has. The actual operation isn't painful as you are heavily drugged. Painkillers are given to you after the operation. The afternath is painful, but doesn't last long. I would take 2 weeks off of work. Do it though, because in the long run, you'll be thankful!", "For a Democrat to win the presidency, they must win a least one ( and possibly) two states that were red in 2004. I think she has way too many negatives and is too liberal to win just about any red state.\\n\\nVery rarely do you have a candidate who has that many people who feel strongly negative about them before they even run for national office.", "A rare few of us get paid to do it (I'm on the radio as well as running a movie theatre...two jobs where you HAVE to talk)...but the ones that say some people talk all the time because they don't know how to listen are correct, also.", "Powers that \"run together\" or occur at the same time.", "Try looking at it like this...\"you can run,so run\"A great many people cannot,and wish they could....do it for those who cannot..\"run for me\"..and thank you for doing it.", "Blood clots most often occur in legs. They do not hurt. They present as one sided swelling and redness of the leg. I think you may be overworried here. People do get blood clots but they are quite rare, especially at your age. There are medical conditions that run in families that can increase your risk, but if your family lacks such a history, I wouldn't spend my time worrying about a blood clot any more than you should worry about getting killed in a car accident. Both can happen, but are quite unlikely.", "Turf toe is a condition of pain at the base of the big toe, located at the ball of the foot. The condition is usually caused from either jamming the toe, or pushing off repeatedly when running or jumping. The most common complaint is pain at the base of the toe, but you may also have symptoms of stiffness and swelling.\\n\\nThe name turf toe comes from the fact that this injury is especially common among athletes who play on artificial turf. The hard surface of artificial turf, combined with running and jumping in football and soccer, make turf toe a frequent consequence of Astroturf play.", "You need a router that can act as a VPN 'endpoint.' Your router doesn't do that. See the link below for a list of Linksys routers that can be endpoints (and other related information).\\n\\nHowever, yif you are running Windows XP you should be able to have one PC connect to the company VPN and have all the other use that connection. They would connect through the PC that is running the VPN. Use Internet Connection Sharing to do this. See the second link below.", "Run a virus scan from one of the online guys, get a anti virus program and keep it up to date, run a virus scan. Does the PC seem slow, does it seem to do things on it's own, do you notice network activity when your not doing anything?", "Run the anti-virus scan from link 1 below. Then install the spyware software from link 2 and run it.. When done edit your post and let us know if you still have problems and what operating system your using...\\n\\nIf you are currently running some sort of antivirus software, turn it off first.", "Hi !!!\\n\\n\"Sciatica definition: To clarify medical terminology, the term sciatica (often misspelled as ciatica or siatica) is often used very broadly to describe any form of pain that radiates into the leg. However, this is not technically correct. True sciatica occurs when the sciatic nerve is pinched or irritated and the pain along the sciatic nerve is caused by this nerve (radicular pain). When the pain is referred to the leg from a joint problem (called referred pain), using the term sciatica is not technically correct. This type of referred pain (e.g. from arthritis or other joint problems) is quite common.\"\\n\\n\"Overview of sciatica causes and symptoms: Sciatica—pain along the large sciatic nerve that runs from the lower back down the back of each leg—is a relatively common form of low back pain and leg pain. This pain along the sciatic nerve can be caused when a root that helps form the sciatic nerve is pinched or irritated. \\n\\nSciatica is usually caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve from a herniated disc (also referred to as a ruptured disc, pinched nerve, slipped disk, etc.). The problem is often diagnosed as a \"radiculopathy\", meaning that a disc has protruded from its normal position in the vertebral column and is putting pressure on the radicular nerve (nerve root) in the lower back, which forms part of the sciatic nerve.\\n\\nSciatica occurs most frequently in people between 30 and 50 years of age. Often a particular event or injury does not cause sciatica, but rather it may develop as a result of general wear and tear on the structures of the lower spine. The vast majority of people who experience sciatica get better with time (usually a few weeks or months) and find pain relief with non-surgical treatments.\" \\n\\n\"One or more of the following sensations may occur as a result of sciatica:\\n\\n>Pain in the rear or leg that is worse when sitting\\n\\n>Burning or tingling down the leg\\n\\n>Weakness, numbness or difficulty moving the leg or foot\\n\\n>A constant pain on one side of the rear\\n\\n>A shooting pain that makes it difficult to stand up\\n\\n>Low back pain may be present along with the leg pain, but usually the low back pain is less severe than the leg pain\\n\\nYou can refer to the source link to find more about sciatica and treatment options.\\n\\nI hope this helps. You can find more information on www.webmd.com and www.mercksource.com. Take a look.\\n\\n\\n>>> Naveen Kumar", "It's a feeling I'm all to familiar with. I'm an oddball. I don't like to run with the pack. The pack I run with today might decide we're lemmings tomorrow. I've had a great deal of success at being myself, and as much as it pisses off the world, I'm not ****ing changing. I find that as much as I've heard that Christians are strangers and aliens in this land, just as much I'm finding it's the truth. I feel alone much of the time, and it's a rare thing for me to find someone who thinks and feels the way I do. Hope this helps, as I don't really know where you're coming from. From a psychological point of view, perhaps you simply need to find your center and connect with people who have more similar interests. Or perhaps you should do what I find myself doing much of the time...hanging out with my dog.", "1. Quarterback takes the snap and drops back.\\n2. Quarterback hands the ball off to the Running Back.\\n3. Running Back must sell that he is really trying to make a legitimate run to draw in the linebackers and safeties.\\n4. Wide Receiver must sell that a run will occur. He must fake a run block, then wander down field.\\n5. Running Back will stop before he makes it to the line of scrimmage, and then pitch the ball back to the Quarterback.\\n6. Quarterback then must scan to field to see if WR has broken awat from the pass coverage.\\n7. Pass is made for a big pickup.", "Run the positive wire from the two lights together, and tap off that connection to one side of the switch, from the other post on the switch, run to a fuse and then on to a positive connection ie: your battery. The other wire(negitive) wire from the lamps run to the ground, or frame of the vehicle.", "Actually, it depends WHEN the error occurred. \\n\\nIt IS possible for an earned run to score on a play that results in an error, but only under certain circumstances...\\n\\nIf, for example, there is a runner on third base, no outs, and the batter hits a ball in the hole at shortstop. The shortstop backhands the ball but his throw pulls the first baseman off the bag for an error (let's say we have a slow runner). The official scorer COULD rule that the runner would have scored even if the batter was out at first, therefore, that COULD be an earned run.\\n\\nThe definition of 'earned run' as explained in Wikipedia, appears below:\\n\\nEarned run\\nFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia\\n\\nIn baseball, an earned run is any run for which the pitcher is held accountable (i.e. the run did not score as a result of a fielding error or a passed ball). If a run is not earned, it is an unearned run. Even if a runner scores on a fielding error by the pitcher himself, it is an unearned run.\\n\\nEarned runs are specially denoted because of their use in calculating a pitcher's earned run average.\\n\\nIn determining earned runs, the official scorer must reconstruct the inning as it would have occurred without the errors (which include catcher's interference) and passed balls, with the benefit of the doubt always being given to the pitcher in determining which bases would have been reached by errorless play.\\n\\nA run is counted as unearned when:\\n\\n * The baserunner would have been out had an error not been committed.\\n * The run is scored after an error is committed that would have made the third out\\n * A baserunner scores on a play where an error was committed, and the inning ends before that runner would have had a chance to score. Example: A passed ball allows a runner to score. The batter at the plate then strikes out to end the inning. The run is unearned. If the batter had instead got a base hit, the run would be earned, since the runner would have scored on that play.\\n\\nIn most other cases, a run is scored as an earned run.", "In my experience, hepatic hemangiomas are just an incidental finding. But the experts say: Large hepatic hemangiomas do occur, can cause symptoms -- pain, nausea, or enlargement of the liver -- and even rupture (a rare event) causing severe pain and bleeding into the abdomen that can be an emergency. \\nhttp://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=9920\\n\\nHemangiomas may cause bleeding or interfere with organ function, depending on their location. Most cavernous hemangiomas do not show symptoms. In rare cases, a cavernous hemangioma may rupture. (The only symptom may be an enlarged liver.) http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000243.htm", "I love just about ALL of the songs from Xscape? \\n\\nIf I had to choose just one... I'd say \"Who can I Run to\"\\n\\nLady", "Can you provide a better description?\\nI'm not sure what \"windows live local\" is.\\nWhat version of Windows are you running?\\nWhat are you trying to do?\\nWhen did this start occuring?", "This one was a real pain to get rid of when my wife ran across it. The article I'm linking to at the bottom was a big help.\\n\\nYou will need to download the files they recommend, reboot in safe mode, run their tools and possibly (as I had to do) delete several dll's by hand (or rename them if you can't delete) then run ad-aware, spybot, windows startup inspector reboot in normal mode and run an online virus scanner (such as pandsoftware.com).\\n\\nVery frustrating but I think that just about did it.\\n\\nGood luck.", "no \\nUSAGE:\\nEtodolac is used to relieve pain from various conditions. It also reduces pain, swelling, and joint stiffness from arthritis. This medication is known as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).\\nWARNING:\\nThis drug may infrequently cause serious (rarely fatal) bleeding from the stomach or intestines. Also, related drugs rarely have caused blood clots to form, resulting in heart attacks and strokes. This medication might also rarely cause similar problems. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about the benefits and risks of treatment, as well as other possible medication choices.\\n\\nIf you notice any of the following rare but very serious side effects, stop taking etodolac and seek immediate medical attention: black stools, persistent stomach/abdominal pain, vomit that looks like coffee grounds, chest pain, weakness on one side of the body, sudden vision changes, slurred speech.", "you need 3 nic card network interface cards 2 in one that would be your server and 1 in the other and run a dsl cable tot he other machine from the second card tot he one card. then run the network set up wizerd on both machines and tell it how it will connect.\\n\\nyou can also do a router run a cable streat from your dsl modem to the router. and then branch off from there that that has more room for expansion if you ever get a 3rd computer", "It is possible to contract HPV from sexual contact with a person who has HPV even if it does not include intercourse. Transmission of the virus can occur through genital skin to genital skin contact, and rarely through oral sex.", "Symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI) may include:\\n\\nPain or burning when you urinate. \\nAn urge to urinate frequently but usually passing only small quantities of urine. \\nDribbling (inability to control urine release). \\nPain or a feeling of heaviness in your lower abdomen. \\nReddish or pinkish urine. \\nFoul-smelling urine. \\nCloudy urine. \\nPain in your back just below the rib cage, on one side of your body (flank pain). \\nFever and chills. \\nNausea and vomiting.", "Run, do not walk, away from this guy.", "I am not for it except in very rare cases. Since CA passed the \"medical marijuana\" law, who gets prescribed it is a complete joke. 20 year old males who have no real health problems have a \"recommendation\" from a doctor because they say they have \"back pain\". Even though they have no trouble breaking into houses and running from the cops. I have even run into a 15 year old who had his doctor's \"recommendation\" for marijuana to help his asthma!! \\n\\nIt is widely known that there are certain doctors who will, for a fee, just give you a prescription. They then tell you about a shop in town that sells \"medical marijuana\". It also happens to be the doctor's shop. It is a complete and total farce.\\n\\nThe other problem that came from that law is the belief that it entitles people to now sell marijuana. There was no provision in the law that allows this at all. \\n\\nAdditionally, the people who have the prescriptions think that it OK to drive after they have smoked the marijuana, which is another huge problem.\\n\\nIn short, in my years of law enforcement, I have seen very few cases where someone legitimately needed marijuana." ]

[ "New York (CNN) -- Security in Times Square will be the priority for New York Police Department this weekend as crowds pack the streets to herald the New Year. NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told CNN Thursday that he plans to strategically deploy thousands of resources, including 35 mounted horses, explosives-sniffing dogs, and uniformed as well as plainclothes officers on Saturday. Kelly said the precautions are essential to combating the serious terror threat the city continues face in a post-9/11 world. COBRA teams to handle chemical, biological and radiological threats will be pre-deployed to key locations, according to the commissioner. \"We operate under the assumption that we're at the top of the terrorist target list, and we've had 14 attempts at terrorist-type attacks.\" Kelly said. To that end, before event-goers enter Times Square they must pass through a comprehensive security checkpoint. These checkpoints will be erected at each of the 16 entrances to Times Square and will include metal and radiation detectors as well as bag searches. Backpacks and alcohol will not be permitted. Past the checkpoints, at least 500 cameras and numerous helicopters with infrared capacity will survey the 65 pens, constantly scanning for security threats and breaches, according Commissioner Kelly. For Kelly, coordination will be crucial, so the Joint Operations Center \"will be activated, where we have representatives from units throughout the department and federal, state and local agencies. So you can get face-to-face coordination, which is very important aspect of what we do.\" Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to watch the ball drop, according to Times Square's official website. Kelly said that the department will seek to ensure the security and safety of the public so they can enjoy the festivities. \"I think it's something you have to do at least once,\" he said. \"It's sort of a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It's a happy event. It's an exciting event.\"" ]

[ "New York (CNN) -- A New York Police Department helicopter made an emergency landing in the water off Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn Wednesday afternoon, according to NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne. Six people were aboard the aircraft. All got out safely but all six suffered minor back and neck injuries, according to Browne. \"They were flying during our coverage of the presidential visit and were on standby for that and the United Nations General Assembly,\" said Browne, referring to President Barack Obama, in New York to speak at the United Nations. Browne says the crew was coming in for a landing at the time of the crash. \"They had some time and they were coming in to top off their fuel. They were not out of fuel,\" he said. \"About 30 to 35 yards from the (landing) field, there was some kind of mechanical difficulty which caused them to make an emergency landing on the water, \" Browne said, adding that inflatable pontoons on the aircraft deployed around its skids. Police and private boats quickly approached the chopper. \"They (the crew) stepped off the chopper onto the boats. They were never in the water, \" Browne said. Browne says there was a pilot and co-pilot, a crew chief, a crew chief in training, and two scuba divers on the helicopter. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly met with the crew at a local hospital. None of the crew was admitted to Lutheran Medical Center. The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident. CNN's Rob Frehse contributed to this report.", "(CNN) -- Brown University was forced to cancel a speech by NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly on Tuesday after protesters shouted at him on stage about stop- and-frisk policies and racism, an online video shows. The video, just under a minute, was posted on 630WPRO.com. It depicts Kelly at the podium as audience members shout and interrupt him before he was to deliver a lecture. \"Racism is not for debate!\" one individual shouts in the video. When a university official asks the hecklers to hold their comments until the question-and-answer segment of the program, one protester loudly responds, \"We're asking that he stops stopping and frisking people!\" A federal judge ruled in August that the New York Police Department's stop-and-frisk policy be altered, finding that it violated the Constitution in part by unlawfully targeting blacks and Latinos. The city of New York has since filed for appeal. \"Shut him down!\" another activist yells in the video. Kelly remains at the podium during the ordeal but does not respond to any of the comments in the footage, which cuts off before he leaves the stage. After nearly 30 minutes of disruption by activist students and members of the community, school officials made the decision to close the lecture and clear the auditorium, according to a statement from Brown University, which is in Providence, Rhode Island. \"Loud shouting, persistent interruption and coordinated chants made it impossible for the lecture to take place,\" the statement said. \"The actions that led to the closing of this afternoon's lecture prevented any exchange of ideas and deprived the campus and the Providence community of an opportunity to hear and discuss important social issues,\" said Brown University President Christina H. Paxson. \"The conduct of disruptive members of the audience is indefensible and an affront both to civil democratic society and to the university's core values of dialog and the free exchange of views,\" Paxson said in the statement. Kelly was to deliver a lecture on \"Proactive Policing in America's Biggest City,\" with nearly an hour set aside for direct audience questions afterward, according to the statement. NYPD told CNN it had no comment.", "New York (CNN) -- Gotham's top cop on Tuesday said authorities are looking into the possibility that an Egyptian writer may have been responsible for an online posting that pictured a New York cityscape with the words \"Al Qaeda. Coming Soon Again in New York.\" \"The use of language indicated that,\" said New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. \"Its many different dialects in Arabic and our analysts thought that this was Egyptian in nature.\" He said that the graphic image, which surfaced Monday on a few jihadist Web forums and featured the words in the English, did not coincide with any specific online chatter about a potential threat and that it was unclear whether one or multiple individuals was responsible for the posting. \"The Internet is, as we used to say, is the new Afghanistan,\" Kelly told reporters. \"That's where training happens. That where radicalization happens. It's become a very valuable tool to the terrorists.\" Still, FBI spokesman J. Peter Donald said that while his agency was also investigating, \"there is no specific or credible threat to New York at this time.\" \"The NYPD Intelligence Division's cyberunit is investigating the origin and significance of the graphic,\" said police spokesman Paul Browne said earlier Tuesday. \"Until more is learned about their origin, we take all threats against New York City seriously.\" The posting comes just months after the 10 year anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington.", "(CNN) -- Recent security changes at New York City's Ellis Island and Liberty Island were under scrutiny Monday as summer started and tourists looked forward to the reopening of two of New York's historic landmarks. Sen. Chuck Schumer and New York City Police Department Commissioner Ray Kelly have asked the National Park Service to re-evaluate a recent change in its security procedures that will allow visitors to board ferries headed to the islands and go through a security screening after they arrive. \"The NYPD and the National Park Service have differences when it comes to ideas on how to protect visitors from a terrorist attack,\" Kelly told reporters Monday. \"Al Qaeda and its surrogates, those who share its jihadist goals, have continually called for attacks against America, in America.\" Kelly wrote a letter to Interior Secretary Sally Jewell asking her to revisit the decision and alerted Schumer to the potential security risks. \"It's sort of ridiculous. It's sort of saying we are going to screen people at airports after they get on the plane,\" Schumer, a New York Democrat, said. \"They've made a serious mistake here, and we are asking them to rethink it, to change it and simply go back to the old procedure.\" A park service representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Since 9/11, visitors have been screened at a lower Manhattan security checkpoint before boarding the daily ferries to the islands. Liberty Island, home to the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island, home to the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, sustained extensive damage in Superstorm Sandy and have been closed since the storm hit in October. Liberty Island is scheduled to reopen to the public on July 4, but Ellis Island will remain closed as it undergoes extensive repairs.", "Nearly nine out of 10 people \"stopped and frisked\" under a controversial New York Police Department policy in 2011 were African-American or Hispanic. The data comes from a report released by the NYPD Monday, which showed that of the 685,724 stops made by police that year, 53% of those questioned were black, 34% were Latino, 9% were white and 3% were Asian. The citywide population in 2011 was 23.4% black, 29.4% Hispanic, 12.9% Asian, and 34.3% non-Hispanic white, according to the report. N.Y. judge halts 'stop-and-frisk' tactic outside Bronx building . Brooklyn's 75th precinct, which includes East New York and Cypress Hills, had the most \"stop and frisk\" incidents with 31,100. Of those, 97% of the people involved were either black or Hispanic. The population in that precinct in 2011 was 53.5% black, 37.9% Hispanic, 5.1% Asian, and 3.5% white. The top reason for stop-and-frisks in 2011 was for suspicion of weapons possession, accounting for more than 25% of all stops. The much-criticized method, in which police stop, question and possibly search those they consider suspicious, is used to deter crime, the police department has said. But it has also brought on a slew of lawsuits by residents complaining of unlawful stops. Last year, amid mounting public pressure from advocacy groups, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly outlined new police policies in an effort to \"increase public confidence.\" New York police tout improving crime numbers to defend frisking policy . Under the policies, officers report all \"stop and frisk\" encounters at a local level, and are provided training curriculum and videos, Kelly said. There are also programs reaching out to the community, he said. Kelly said at the time that the department prohibits racial profiling and aims to ensure a \"greater level of scrutiny\" by having captains of precincts \"personally conducting an audit of the Stop, Question and Frisk report worksheets that have been prepared within his or her command.\" The NYPD report did not list how many of the stop-and-frisks resulted in arrests.", "The New York Police Department is expanding a gunfire-detection system that notifies officers in real time when and where shots are fired, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced. De Blasio said the NYPD will deploy the system, known as ShotSpotter, throughout precincts in Brooklyn and the Bronx. ShotSpotter utilizes antennas and acoustic detectors to pinpoint shooting locations. The crime center of a police headquarters immediately receives the information, which they can then send out to officers already near the area. On Monday Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the New York Police Department is expanding a gunfire-detection system that notifies officers in real time when and where shots are fired . ShotSpotter's data can also detail for police how many shooters were present and how many shots were fired at the location. Seven units will be deployed in Brooklyn and 10 in the Bronx. The NYPD plans to eventually incorporate ShotSpotter's alerts into mobile devices, which will allow information to be sent directly to officers' phones and tablets. The system has been tested by the NYPD since 2011. In December it registered the shots that killed police officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos in Brooklyn, according to ABC 7. On Monday shots were picked up within an hour of the the system's activation in the Bronx, according to NYPD deputy commissioner Jesse Tisch. Three shots were fired and they were not called in to 911, CBS New York reported. According to ShotSpotter's website, less than one in five shooting incidents are reported to 911. ShotSpotter utilizes antennas and acoustic detectors to pinpoint shooting locations. The crime center of a police headquarters immediately receives the information, which they then send out to officers in the area . When shootings are called in, the information given is often inaccurate, wasting valuable time and putting the safety of officers and the public at risk, the site said. During a press conference on Monday, de Blasio said ShotSpotter will 'transform the way the NYPD responds to gunshot activity in our neighborhoods.' 'ShotSpotter will help protect our residents, our communities and our police officers,' he said. Systems similar to ShotSpotter have already been employed in Newark, New Jersey, Atlantic City and Washington, according to Bloomberg News. ShotSpotter will be activated in Brooklyn next week.", "New York (CNN) -- At least a dozen employees of the New York Police Department were reprimanded following an investigation into comments deemed racist that were posted online about the city's West Indian Day Parade, the NYPD reported Thursday. The comments were posted on a Facebook group page last year called \"No More West Indian Detail,\" which has since been removed. The page was used by those protesting NYPD security at the West Indian Day Parade to vent their frustrations. The parade is an annual event in Brooklyn that celebrates West Indian history and culture, but has been a scene of violence in recent years. Some posts referred to the event as \"the unemployment parade,\" likening marchers to \"animals.\" The NYPD has not identified which posts of the hundred-plus comments were made by its employees. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly started an investigation into the comments in December 2011. Last year, two NYPD officers were injured by gunfire near the parade, while marchers accused police of using excessive force. From the archives: West Indians celebrate culture at annual parade .", "An NYPD Officer who was named the 'Cop of the Year' at his precinct in Queens two years ago, has been arrested for allegedly buying cocaine in Florida. Philip LeRoy, 28, was busted – along with two other men - just before midnight on Monday in Sunrise City, Florida. The trio were allegedly trying to buy 10 kilos of cocaine and LeRoy, the son of a former detective, had his off-duty gun on him at the time. NYPD officer Philip LeRoy, who was named the 'Cop of the Year' at his precinct in Queens two years ago, has been arrested for allegedly buying cocaine. He was busted on Monday night in Sunrise City, Florida . LeRoy's Facebook includes this 2012 photo of him stands next to a wall featuring the NYPD shield and the words 'The Greatest Detectives' LeRoy has been charged with felony weapons possession, cocaine trafficking and conspiracy to traffic cocaine, report the New York Post. The disgraced officer, who works in the 114th Precinct, is currently in jail awaiting formal charges - something which could take state prosecutors up to 21 days. Bail was set at $250,000 and he was suspended by the NYPD early on Tuesday. Two years ago, LeRoy was picked from more than 100 officers in his precinct to win its 'Cop of the Year' award. 'As a member of the anti-crime unit, P.O. Leroy has made more than two dozen arrests so far this year for things like robbery and gun possession,' said then-Police Commissioner Ray Kelly about LeRoy. The officer joined the NYPD in January 2009 and had racked up 188 arrests up until June 2012. LeRoy's Facebook profile includes photos of him posing with voluptuous women and showing off his six pack . The other two suspects arrested are Brian Espinal, left, and Richard Quintanilla, right. They are accused of negotiating the drug deal and have been charged with trafficking cocaine and conspiracy to traffic cocaine . LeRoy's Facebook profile includes photos of him posing with voluptuous women and showing off his six pack. In another photo he stands next to a wall featuring the NYPD shield and the words 'The Greatest Detectives.' The other two suspects arrested are Richard Quintanilla, 35, and Brian Espinal, 27. They are accused of negotiating the deal and have been charged with trafficking cocaine and conspiracy to traffic cocaine.", "Two prominent Muslim civil liberties groups called for Police Commissioner Ray Kelly to resign on Thursday because of his participation in a film that they say paints all Muslims as terrorists. \"Involvement with 'Third Jihad' sends a clear message that the NYPD's dealings with New York's diverse Muslim communities are based on bigotry and blanket suspicion,\" the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) stated in a press release. Muslim activists say \"The Third Jihad,\" a documentary about radical Islam, vilifies the American Muslim community and teaches police officers to suspect Muslims as terrorists. Muslim activists are also calling for Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne to resign, saying that he first denied and only later admitted that Kelly was interviewed for the film. \"They were not telling the truth about their involvement in the propaganda film against Muslims,\" said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), adding that New York \"deserves people they trust who do not discriminate against people.\" The film's producer, Ralphael Shore, released a written statement defending the film stating that the film accurately portrays radical Islam: . \"Those that have blasted the film are attempting to stifle an important debate about the internal state of the Muslim community in America, and whether politicized Islam and indoctrination pose tangible security threats,\" Shore said in the statement. According to documents obtained by New York University's Brennan Center for Justice, the film was screened during an NYPD terrorism training course that more than 1,000 police officers attended. In a statement released Wednesday night, Kelly acknowledged that he had been interviewed for the film five years ago by a filmmaker and, \"while it never became part of the Department's curriculum, and was not authorized for any training,\" the film had been screened \"for an extended period in 2010\" in a room where officers were on break from training. According to the statement, the screening stopped after an officer who was offended by it brought it to department officials' attention. \"I offer my apologies to members of the Muslim community, in particular, who would find the film inflammatory and its airing on Department property, though unauthorized, to be inappropriate,\" Kelly said. Awad said the police commissioner's apology was not enough. \"It's not personal, but from our standpoint, our trust in the police chief has been eroded,\" the CAIR leader said. \"He needs to resign.\"", "NEW YORK (CNN) -- New York City is on course to mark the fewest homicides since records have been kept, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly announced Wednesday. The city is expected to fall below 500 murders in 2007, the lowest level for any year since 1963, when comparable information on homicides was first collected, Bloomberg said at a news conference. \"At the end of 2002, for the first time in four decades, murders in New York City fell below 600, and we were able to hold them below 600 for the next four years,\" Bloomberg said. \"Today, with just five days of the year remaining, it appears that we have another historic achievement within our reach.\" Bloomberg said decreases in major felony crimes were recorded across every crime category and in all five boroughs in 2007, marking the seventeenth straight year in which crime has gone down. Since 2001, overall major felony crime has decreased 26 percent citywide, according to New York Police Department statistics. Watch how the city achieved success » . Declines in domestic violence-related homicides and transit crime particularly stand out, Bloomberg told reporters. Domestic violence-related murders dropped a record 36 percent this year, the mayor said. The decline coincides with an effort by NYPD that doubled visits of specially trained detectives to households where domestic violence had occurred, officials noted. Crime in the subway system in 2007 fell 13 percent below the record low numbers recorded last year, despite subway ridership that's at an all-time high. Officials name \"Operation Impact\" as the prime reason for the decline in crime. The NYPD effort focuses on problem people and places, Kelly said. It places significant numbers of uniformed officers in small areas of precincts, where crime rates are relatively high. Given the success of Operation Impact, the NYPD will assign all of this year's Police Academy graduates to the program, Kelly said. Officials also credited an improved police and community partnership for the overall decline in crime. \"We are not the same New York that we were in 1990, a year when more than 2,000 people were murdered,\" Bloomberg said. \"We're also not the same city we were in 2001, when many predicted that our crime-fighting gains would soon be a point of diminishing returns.\" E-mail to a friend .", "New York (CNN) -- After a sudden increase in shootings over the weekend, the New York Police Department has deployed more officers, NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said. More uniformed officers will be assigned to public housing developments citywide, and plainclothes officers will go to borough- and precinct-based anti-crime units during hours that are prone to shootings. As weekend temperatures topped 90 degrees Fahrenheit, New York City saw a sudden increase in shootings, with 26 people felled by bullets in 72 hours -- seven fatally. Three of the injured victims were younger than 16, Browne said. \"When we have hot temperatures, we see that the crime rate seems to go up,\" New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Monday. Investigators are also monitoring gangs for any signs of planned retribution based on shootings over the weekend, Browne said. Mobile and fixed camera-equipped observation towers will also be used near the sites of the recent shootings, Browne said in a statement. But even after the shootings in the 72-hour period from Friday through Sunday, Bloomberg emphasized that the year's homicides are down 24% from last year, for a total of 127 through Sunday, which is 40 less than the same period in 2012. \"One shooting is one too many, but last week we had the fewest shootings in a decade, including this weekend's shootings,\" Bloomberg said. In November 2012, New York City logged a record-breaking \"murder-free Monday,\" when there was not a single reported slaying, stabbing or shooting in any of the five boroughs, the New York Police Department said. \"It is unusual in a city of 8 million people, but we never read that much into one day,\" said Browne, who said it was the \"first time in memory\" that the city had such a lull in violent crime. At the close of 2012, Bloomberg called New York City the \"safest big city in America,\" giving the NYPD credit. \"The fact that the safest big city in America is safer than ever is a testament to the hard work and determination of the men and women who put their lives on the line for us every day -- and it also reflects our commitment to doing everything possible to stop gun violence,\" he said. CNN's Laura Ly contributed to this report.", "New York (CNN) -- A New York police officer getting her hair done over the weekend thwarted a would-be robber in a beauty salon, shooting the weapon from the gunman's hands, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said in awarding the officer a promotion. Kelly praised the actions of newly promoted Det. Feris Jones Tuesday, saying she \"showed the steely courage and professionalism that epitomizes the finest traditions of the New York City Police Department.\" \"Well done and congratulations,\" the commissioner said as he pinned a gold detective shield to Jones' uniform. Mayor Michael Bloomberg also expressed his gratitude at the news conference. \"This officer, like the other officers that are out there every day, really do take care of us,\" he said. Kelly said Jones was a customer in a salon Saturday when a man walked in with a gun. \"'This is no joke, this is a robbery. I will kill you,\"' Kelly quoted the gunman as saying. After the man ordered the customers and employees into the bathroom, Jones reemerged with her weapon drawn, identified herself as a police officer, and told the man not to move, Kelly said. The suspect fired four shots at Jones, narrowly missing her head with one, the commissioner recounted. She fired five shots back -- emptying her service revolver and marking the first time she'd ever fired her weapon in the line of duty -- and hit both of the man's hands, causing him to drop his 44-caliber gun. Her shots also knocked the handle off the door of the salon, briefly trapping the man as he tried to escape, Kelly said. He eventually broke the window in the door and fled on foot. \"She knew the gunman might shoot, and when he did, she was ready for him, demonstrating stunning marksmanship in the process,\" the commissioner said. \"To describe Officer Jones as cool under fire would be a gross understatement,\" he added. \"That's my personality. I don't fuss about much,\" Jones responded modestly, asking reporters to address her as \"Jonesy\" instead of Detective Jones. The new detective said she got her start in the department when her then-husband brought home an application for the force because he \"liked the coverage and medical benefits.\" The accused gunman was arrested Monday, police said. Winston Cox, 19, is charged with attempted murder, attempted aggravated robbery, and criminal possession of a weapon.", "The NYPD has replaced a deputy commissioner who proposed that his officers should be supplied with breath mints to prevent them from swearing and that protesters should be sprayed with baby oil so they could easier to remove. Michael Julian was appointed to the post by police chief Bill Bratton to reform the department following the controversial chokehold death of Staten Island man Eric Garner. He lasted just two months in the post before the decision was made to transfer him to a less controversial position. MIchael Julian, pictured, tried to introduce a number of controversial new training methods within the NYPD following the July 2014 death of Staten Island man Eric Garner who died as he was being arrested . Eric Garner, right, died after he was restrained in a chokehold on Staten Island in July 2014 . Julian was appointed to the NYPD by Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, pictured, after the Garner death . A source told the New York Post: 'He would come up with these wacky ideas. We would roll our eyes and move on.' Julian ordered 10,000 individually wrapped breath mints which were delivered to the NYPD headquarters building. The mints were due to be deployed to individual officers, who would then be instructed to unpeel the wrapper if they felt the urge to swear. Julian believed that by the time the officer had unwrapped the mint and placed it into his mouth, he would no longer want to curse. Earlier he had suggested that police should deploy baby oil in situations when protesters link arms and sit down. He claimed that the baby oil would prevent the protesters from hanging onto each other and officers with rubber gloves could remove them easily. It is understood that Julian was removed from his position as deputy commissioner for training following the gaffes and transferred to the personnel department. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered a review into training within the New York Police Department following the death of father-of-six Eric Garner. Mr Garner died after an NYPD officer placed him in a chokehold during an attempted arrest on Staten Island on July 17, 2014. Officers arrested Mr Garner, who they suspected of selling untaxed cigarettes illegally.", "New York (CNN) -- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is asking state legislators to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana that are in public view. Saying the aim was to avoid unnecessary misdemeanor charges against thousands of New Yorkers -- \"disproportionately black and Hispanic youth,\" according to a statement from the governor's office -- the legislation \"brings consistency and fairness\" to New York's marijuana laws. \"There is a blatant inconsistency. If you possess marijuana privately it is a violation, if you show it in public it's a crime. It's incongruous. It's inconsistent the way it has been enforced,\" Cuomo told reporters at a press conference in Albany on Monday. In 1977, New York's legislature reduced the penalty for possessing 25 grams or less of marijuana to a non-criminal violation carrying a fine of no more than $100 for first-time offenders -- as long as the marijuana was in private possession and not in public view. If the marijuana is out and viewable in public -- as it might be when someone is asked to empty his or her pockets during a so-called police \"stop and frisk\" -- it becomes a Class B misdemeanor. Selling and smoking or burning marijuana is still a crime, and Cuomo is not suggesting changing that. \"The statute as currently written unnecessarily subjects tens of thousands of people to criminal arrest and prosecution for very small quantities of marijuana,\" said New York State Assembly member Hakeem Jeffries. \"The overwhelming majority of people who have been arrested as a result of the way that the statute is currently written come from the black and Latino community,\" Jeffries said, adding that statistics and studies show that marijuana possession and use \"is far more racially diverse.\" According to data released by the governor's office, 2,000 arrests for small amounts of marijuana were made in 1990. In 2011, over 50,000 arrests were made. Fifty percent of those arrested were under 25 years old, and 82% were black or Latino. Less than 10% were ever convicted of a crime. \"The human costs to each defendant charged with a misdemeanor are serious,\" said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr., supporting Cuomo's proposal. \"The simple and fair change proposed by Gov. Cuomo will help us redirect significant resources to the most violent criminals and serious crime problems, and, frankly, it is the right thing to do.\" According to the governor's office, 94% of arrests for small amounts of marijuana in the state are in New York City, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the New York Police Department and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly have come under fire in recent years for the department's much-criticized \"stop and frisk\" policy. Bloomberg wants to ban large sodas . \"Overly punitive charges have a harmful effect on our justice system. They can ruin lives, waste taxpayer money on unneeded trials, and breed distrust between communities and law enforcement,\" said Gabriel Sayegh, New York state director for the Drug Policy Alliance. Last year Kelly issued a policy order directing officers to issue violations, rather than misdemeanors, for small amounts of marijuana discovered during street searches, and Monday, Bloomberg issued a statement in support of Cuomo's comments. \"The governor's proposal today is consistent with the commissioner's directive, and strikes the right balance by ensuring that the NYPD will continue to have the tools it needs to maintain public safety -- including making arrests for selling or smoking marijuana,\" he said. \"Thanks to the NYPD, our city has come a long way from the days when marijuana was routinely sold and smoked on our streets without repercussions.\" At the press conference Monday, Kelly said, \"I was asked to respond to criticism by some members of the (City) Council that the Police Department was making, quote, 'too many' arrests for small amounts of marijuana. And my response to them, was, 'Well, your option is to go to Albany and get the law changed' -- better that than having New York City police officers turn a blind eye to the law as it was written, and as it is still written.\"", "Details emerged today of the extraordinary lengths the NYPD is going to as they attempt to make lower Manhattan the safest business district in the world and protect it from a dirty bomb threat. New York City police are stepping up protection against the threat of a radioactive attack on the area as part of a $200million security upgrade. A command centre will monitor 2,000 mobile radiation detectors carried by officers each day around the city, which will send a wireless, real-time alert if there's a reading signalling a dirty bomb threat. View: New York police are stepping up protection against the threat of a radioactive attack as part of a $200million security upgrade. This photo is taken from the top of One World Trade Center looking south . High-security area: The radiation detection system is part of a $200million security initiative in lower Manhattan, which has been inspired by the so-called 'ring of steel' encircling the London business district . The system already is being tested under the watch of federal authorities in hopes it can be perfected and used elsewhere. ‘This is the first and only place you'll see it,’ an NYPD counterterrorism official said.‘It's been tested in the field. It works, and we're hoping to get (the wireless detectors) deployed in a few months.’ A dirty bomb has never been discovered in a U.S. terror plot, but they are a serious threat because they are easy to build and foreign terrorists are known to want to use them against U.S. cities. The radiation detection system is part of a $200million security initiative in lower Manhattan. It has been inspired by the so-called ‘ring of steel’ encircling the London business district in Britain. But this is certainly broader in scope and sophistication. Thwarting the threat: Police officers work in the operations centre of the Lower Manhattan Security Coordination Center on Thursday in New York . It will rely largely on 3,000 closed-circuit security cameras carpeting the roughly 1.7 square miles south of Canal Street, the subway system and parts of midtown Manhattan. So far, about 1,800 cameras are up and running, with the rest expected to come on line by the end of the year. Only 500 cameras were online at this time last year, reported the New York Post. Police began monitoring live feeds in 2008 from the cameras at a high-tech command centre in lower Manhattan - home to Wall Street, the new development at Ground Zero and other important sites. ‘We're talking about some of the most significant targets anywhere in the world,’ Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said. Changing landscape: One World Trade Center, left, rises up in the Manhattan skyline in this aerial photo . The NYPD is using a single, high-bandwidth fibre-optic network to connect all its cameras to a central computer system. It's . also pioneering ‘video analytic’ computer software designed to detect . threats, like unattended bags, and retrieve stored images based on . descriptions of terror or other criminal suspects. Security around the World Trade . Center site is a huge concern for New York police, who know terrorists . could try to launch another attack on the new building in an attempt to . insult the Americans. New system: NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly wants lower Manhattan to be the world's safest business district . Officials are desperate to avoid anything close to the tragic attacks of 9/11, when more than 2,000 people died in New York after a terrorist attack organised by Al Qaeda on the Twin Towers. Two months ago fears were raised over the new World Trade Center skyscraper's security after 'confidential' detailed plans of the building were posted online on an official city website. The secure schematics showed ground floor entrances and where the PATH rail tunnels will pass below, as well as mechanical rooms, ventilation shafts, exits, elevators and stairs. But the Port Authority said the documents were 'scrubbed' of sensitive information about One World Trade Center's electrical systems, plumbing, security and fire safety.", "NEW YORK (CNN) -- A pedestrian was struck twice by vehicles in Queens and dragged for 17 miles by the second vehicle before police found him dead in Brooklyn, New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told reporters Wednesday. Surveillance video shows a body in the middle of the street. The badly mangled body was discovered under a van after several passing motorists motioned the driver to pull over, Kelly said. Police had not identified the victim Wednesday evening, he said. The first driver called 911 to report he thought he had struck a pedestrian but did not see anyone. It turned out the second driver, in a van, had driven over the man, whose body became lodged under its chassis, according to police. Kelly said the van driver stopped at one point during the drive on New York City's highways and roads because he noticed the vehicle was not driving properly. But he failed to find anything unusual, Kelly said. Police are retracing the route the van drove in an attempt to find body parts, he said. No charges have been filed, Kelly told reporters Wednesday afternoon.", "By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 20:16 EST, 26 December 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 20:16 EST, 26 December 2013 . Having spent 40 years flitting between careers in law enforcement and journalism, Senior CBS News Correspondent John Miller is re-joining the NYPD to once again work with friend and mentor Bill Bratton. Miller, who has worked at CBS since 2011, will return to the Department in a high-level counter-terrorism role, he announced on WCBS on Thursday afternoon. Miller - who faced criticism for a recent 60 Minutes report that many thought was too soft on the NSA - served as the chief spokesperson for the NYPD from 1994-1995 after twenty years as a local journalist in New York City. He then moved to ABC News for seven years before leaving to join the Los Angeles Police Department, followed by a stint as Assistant Director for Public Affairs at the FBI. Journalist John Miller is leaving CBS after two years to work in a counter-terrorism role at the NYPD. Miller is seen here in october 2013 participating in the Secrets of Homeland Panel at the Sheraton TriBeCa Club Lounge in New York City . Miller will work underneath Bratton, the NYPD Commissioner. Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio will be sworn in on Jan. 1 and has already tapped Bratton to once again lead the department. Ray Kelly has served as police commissioner for the past 12 years under Mayor Michael Bloomberg. As both a law enforcement agent and reporter, Miller has built a reputation as having an expertise in terrorism, even interviewing Osama bin Laden via video link in 1998. At the time the interview didn't 'create many waves', however it was replayed constantly in the wake of 9/11. In 2003 Miller joined the LAPD, working under Bratton, who was chief at the time, as the head of the Counterterrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau. He oversaw the LAPD’S bomb squad, its major crimes division and its hazardous materials unit. It was at the LAPD where Miller launched a system that helps to identify potential terrorist targets, according to CBS. 'The message going out from al Qaeda central is not ‘we need you to come here and train up in our camps and be deployed in our operations,’ he said on Thursday, in discussing his new role. Breaking from news: John Miller announces live on CBS New York he is rejoining the NYPD . 'The message going out is not from al Qaeda as much as it’s al Qaeda-ism, which is do what you can do with the resources you have.' Miller said that while a terrorist attack similiar to September 11 is highly unlikely, al Qaeda are now focusing on low-cost, high-impact attacks, such as the Westgate shopping mall attack in Kenya, which killed 72 people. Since joining CBS News in 2011, Miller has covered major stories like the Times Square bomb plot, the Boston Marathon bombings and the Newtown school shooting, for which CBS will be awarded the prestigious duPont-Columbia award for breaking news coverage.", "NEW YORK (CNN) -- Authorities have identified the Twitter user accused of posting violent threats against the Longacre Theater, New York Police Comissioner Ray Kelly said Wednesday. Kelly said the user is not located in New York City, but police were preparing to interview the person. Kelly declined to offer details on the person's exact whereabouts, but did say reckless endangerment is one of the possible charges the alleged tweeter could face. Twitter initially had refused to disclose the user's personal information to police investigating the threats, but identified the individual after being served with a subpoena. \"We think in an instance like this, sort of common sense would dictate that we get that sort of information,\" Kelly said. \"Certainly this message referred to (the mass shooting in) Aurora. Referred to a specific location. This is the type of thing that a law enforcement agency needs to know.\" Twitter has not responded to multiple CNN requests for comment. Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne told CNN Tuesday, \"We take the threat seriously, especially in light of recent attacks in Wisconsin and Colorado.\" Authorities said the Twitter user posted a threat about an attack at the Longacre Theater in midtown Manhattan, where former boxing champion Mike Tyson, 46, is performing his one-man show, \"Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth,\" a Broadway production that centers on his well-publicized life. Additional information about the incident was not disclosed, but authorities have bolstered security at the theater and other public areas across New York after two deadly mass shootings in Colorado and Wisconsin. Authorities' quest this week for personal user information highlights a growing conundrum for companies in the Internet age, when privacy concerns are pitted against those of public safety.", "By . Ryan Gorman . PUBLISHED: . 09:20 EST, 3 November 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 09:23 EST, 3 November 2013 . The New York City marathon is back, and with it is a renewed focus on security. Taking lessons learned from the Boston Marathon bombings, authorities and marathon organizers have doubled down on the use of surveillance cameras, bomb sniffing dogs, scuba divers, and even counterterrorism agents. The heightened security, which includes almost 2,000 cameras, was announced during a Friday afternoon press conference held jointly by the New York Police Department and the New York Road Runners club. ‘This will be the best-protected race that they can enter,’ said police commissioner Ray Kelly. We're on it: New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly (left), and Mary Wittenberg (right), of the New York Road Runners, discuss security plans for the Sunday's New York City Marathon . The sweeping changes are part of an overhaul that doubled the marathon’s security budget to more than $1million, officials said. Of all the changes along the 26.2-mile route, the most important is the access officials will have to almost every inch of the race and spectators should the unthinkable happen. In addition to hundreds of strategically positioned temporary cameras, as well as the use of permanent cameras, officials have fingered over 1,400 private-sector cameras they can access. ‘We are well positioned to stop it and certainly apprehend someone who's engaged in it,’ Mr Kelly added while surrounded by giant monitors displaying different part of the course. Racers and spectators have been banned from wearing costumes that include masks, a tradition some have long partaken in, officials added. Cameras galore: Almost 2,000 cameras will give officials access to almost every foot of the 26.2 mile race, as displayed here above Friday's press conference . Extra eyes needed: Security footage of the Boston Marathon bombing was key to identifying the accused attackers . Found'em!: Boston officials were quickly able to make public this photo of brothers Dzhokhar (left) and (right)Tamarlan Tsarnaev to enlist the public's help to hunt them down . Boston officials were able to quickly identify and hunt down marathon bombing suspects Tamarlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the days after the attack, mainly a result of footage and spectator pictures made public. New York officials met with their Boston counterparts in the months leading up the New York Marathon to help plan security measures for Sunday’s event, the first in two years after last year's race was cancelled in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. ‘The safety and security of our runners and spectators has always been of highest priority and following the tragedy in Boston we’ve taken a deeper look at what can be done to enhance those plans,’ a race spokesperson said in a statement. No specific threats have been identified, but authorities are still pulling out all the stops to ensure safety for both spectators and the 45,000-plus athletes competing in Sunday’s race. The most surprising moment of the press conference came when a bomb sniffing black Labrador named Ray was brought in to demonstrate the effective of the 43 dogs deployed along the route. Safe and sound: Runners are screened by police officers as they arrive Sunday for the 2013 New York City Marathon . Eyes everywhere Police officers from the counterterrorism unit stand watch over runners who arrive at the Staten Island starting line . It took Ray only seconds to locate a person holding a small amount of black powder in the middle of the packed briefing. Security measures are not just limited to the ground, significant resources are being poured into the city’s waterways as well. Extra steps have included an unspecified number of scuba divers sweeping bridge supports for explosives, as well as police boat patrols and counterterror agents escorting runners taking the ferry to the Staten Island start line, said officials. Divers began sweeping various sites on Thursday, the commissioner noted. Extra helicopters have also been added to an always-robust airborne security presence as well, Mr Kelly noted. ‘We are well equipped and well deployed,’ said the commissioner. Other security measures will include more rigorous bag searches, extra security guards, plain clothes officers and number of other undisclosed actions, officials added. Even in the sky: Apolice helicopter patrols near the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge at the start of the race . Just one: Runners have been limited to only one bag, the clear plastic one provided by the NYRR club . Star of the show: Ray, a four-year-old Labrador Retriever, took only seconds to find a person holding a lure during a bomb sniffing demonstration in the crowded press briefing . The New York Fire Department is even on alert and has trained for ‘terrorist-type activity,’ an FDNY spokesperson added. ‘People will feel a nice added measure in a way that feels supportive and not stifling,’ race director Mary Wittenberg told USA Today. Despite the added hassle of passing through metal detectors, being limited to only one bag and various other restrictions, most runners were in favor of the added security. 'It will obviously cause some problems for us, but that doesn't matter,’ marathon veteran Runar Gundersen told CNN. ‘Security must come first, so I gladly accept delays... I think most runners do.’ Mr Gunderson will be running in his 35th New York City Marathon, CNN noted. Shalane Flanagan, running in New York for the first time, agreed. ‘I don't think it affects things in a negative way, I think it just makes people on their toes and appreciate when things run smoothly,’ she told USA Today. Friend of Ray: A total of 43 bomb sniffing dogs have been deployed along the race . Private eyes: In addition to an increased official police presence, private security guard numbers have also been upped along the race course, including the Central Park finish line pictured here . Best-laid plans: Officials and runners alike feel this is the safest race they can enter . Another runner, Kenyan Parliament member Wesley Korir, understands first-hand the importance of added security measures. The veteran runner finished fifth in this year’s Boston Marathon, and his home country is still suffering from the fallout of September’s Westgate Mall attack, which left more than 70 people dead. ‘It is not fun to come here and be checked when you're coming in,’ Mr Korir told USA Today, ‘but it is something that's a wakeup call that we live in a world that is going somewhere that we don't like.’ Likely speaking the minds of many, Mr Korir added that runners are not easily scared off. ‘They will never defeat us. They will never intimidate us. They are targeting the wrong group of people.’ More than 45,000 runners stand as proof – but should the worst happen, New York is ready.", "A tearful Catholic mother has apologised for her ‘lone wolf’ Muslim militant son who was arrested in New York when allegedly just one hour away from completing a homemade pipe bomb. Carmen Sosa, 56, mother of U.S. citizen Jose Pimentel, 27, who was born in the Dominican Republic and is a follower of late Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, said she is ‘disappointed’ with his actions. She said her son - arrested on Saturday at his apartment in Manhattan - started to change 10 years ago when he began reading the Koran and she brought him from his home upstate to the city. Scroll down for video . In court: U.S. citizen Jose Pimentel - who was born in the Dominican Republic and is a follower of late Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki - was arrested on Saturday at his apartment Manhattan, New York . Plot: Suspect Jose Pimentel had constructed three pipe bombs, and planned to test them by placing them in mailboxes, NYPD commissioner Ray Kelly said . ‘I want to apologise to the city of . New York,’ she told the New York Post and the Daily News. ‘I'm . disappointed with what my son was doing. I want to thank the police - I . think they handled it well.’ 'I want to apologise to the city of New York. I'm disappointed with what my son was doing. I want to thank the police - I think they handled it well' Carmen Sosa . The Al Qaeda sympathiser allegedly . wanted to kill American soldiers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq and . had already shaved match heads and drilled holes in pipes when . he was arrested. ‘I love him - I . didn't raise him that way,' Mrs Sosa, who works with homeless people who are mentally ill, added. 'He changed. I cannot sleep... I don't know him. He dropped out of school. He's had a lot of jobs but . he's not working now.’ Pimentel had converted to Islam and . became a radical, authorities claimed. ‘We had to act quickly because he . was in fact putting this bomb together,’ New York Police Commissioner . Ray Kelly said. Saying sorry: Carmen Sosa, 56, mother of 27-year-old Pimentel, said she is 'disappointed' with his actions . Terror bust: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg held a press conference Sunday night to announce the arrest of Jose Pimentel, who is seen in the photo on the right . Jose Pimentel, 27, is an American citizen and Islam convert originally from the Dominican Republic. He is believed to have been inspired by radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, and further influenced by his online terror magazine, Inspire. Pimentel spoke of changing his name to Osama Hussein in support of his two heroes, Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. The NYPD counter-terrorism unit had been following him since May 2009, when he began speaking about violent jihad. Pimentel turned his talk into action after the death of Awlaki on September 30 and began building a bomb, NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said. He faces several terrorism-related charges, including first-degree criminal possession of a weapon as a crime of terrorism. He admitted he ‘took active . steps to build the bomb, including shaving the match heads and drilling . holes in the pipes’ and was ‘one hour away from completing it’, court papers said. He was under surveillance since May . 2009 and considered New York police cars, a New Jersey police station . and U.S. post office among his potential targets, officials said. As a reader of the online magazine . ‘Inspire’ published by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, he read . instructions in an article ‘How to Build a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your . Mom,’ Commissioner Kelly said. ‘We think an event that really set him . off was the elimination of Anwar al-Awlaki,’ Mr Kelly said. ‘His . actions became a lot more intense after September 30.’ A U.S. drone strike killed U.S. citizen Awlaki in Yemen in late September, ending a two-year hunt for . the man U.S. intelligence called the ‘chief of external operations’ for . al Qaeda's Yemen branch. Commissioner Kelly said Pimentel . ‘talked about changing his name to Osama Hussein to celebrate his heroes . Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein’. A police informant recorded meetings . with Pimentel over several months and accompanied him as he bought . materials for the bomb - including a drill and a clock, the criminal . complaint said. In court: A bearded, bespectacled Jose Pimentel, right, with his attorney Joseph Zablocki, wore a black T-shirt and black drawstring trousers and smiled at times during the proceeding . Since 9/11, New York City has . considered itself a prime target and has developed extensive . intelligence and counterterrorism divisions that employ 1,000 officers . within the police department. 'We had to act quickly because he was in fact putting this bomb together' NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly . No suspects have yet been convicted . under New York state anti-terrorism laws passed after the attacks. Pimentel, who has not been charged in federal court, faces life in . prison if convicted. At Pimentel's arraignment after the . press conference, his lawyer Joseph Zablocki said his behaviour leading . up to the arrest was not that of a conspirator trying to conceal some . violent scheme. 'I don't believe that this case is . nearly as strong as the people believe,’ he said. ‘He [Pimentel] has . this very public online profile... This is not the way you go about . committing a terrorist attack.' Bomb plot: NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly shows a replica of one of the bombs allegedly built by terror suspect Jose Pimentel at a press conference Sunday night . Damage: During a news conference Sunday night, Mayor Michael Bloomberg showed this video of the bomb's potential damage . Pimentel, also known as Muhammad . Yusuf, was denied bail and remained in custody. The bearded, . bespectacled man wore a t-shirt and drawstring trousers. He smiled at . times during the proceeding. 'This is just another example of New York City because we are an iconic city... this is a city that people would want to take away our freedoms gravitate to and focus on' New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg . Mayor Michael Bloomberg called the Pimentel case the 14th plot against the city since 2001. Most of these have been deemed . ‘aspirational.’ But some, such as the failed May 2010 attempt to set off . a bomb in Times Square, were closer to being carried out. Mayor Bloomberg said: 'This is just . another example of New York City because we are an iconic city... this . is a city that people would want to take away our freedoms gravitate to . and focus on.' Counterterrorism officials say ‘lone . wolf’ militants are of great concern because they can become radicalised . online and prepare for an attack without leaving traces that might draw . attention. Thwarted attack: The alleged plot in New York City was targeting the NYPD, government officials and soldiers returning from the battlefield . March 2003: Lyman Faris was taken into custody after police learned he was plotting to destroy New York’s iconic Brooklyn Bridge. August 2004: Dhiren Barot was arrested in the U.K. for his role in several terror plots in the U.S., including one that targeted the New York Stock Exchange. August 2004: Shahawar Matin Siraj was one of several suspects who plotted to place a bomb in the Herald Square subway station in midtown Manhattan. July 2006: Assem Hammoud was arrested and accused of conspiring with foreign militants to destroy train tunnels connecting New York City with New Jersey. June 2007: Authorities uncovered a plot by four men to blow up jet fuel supply tanks at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The ringleader of the gang was Russell Defreitas, an ex-JFK employee. May 2009: James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams, and Laguerre Payen were arrested in a plot to blow up synagogues in New York City, as well as trying to buy missiles to shoot down planes. September 2009: Coffee cart operator Najibullah Zazi was arrested in an elaborate plot to attack the New York City subway system in a way similar to the London Underground attacks. May 2010: Naturalized U.S. citizen Faisal Shahzad tried to detonate an explosives-laden Jeep he parked in Times Square. Shahzad was later arrested at JFK Airport while trying to flee to Dubai. May 2011: Ahmed Ferhani of Algeria and Muhammad Mamdouh of Morocco were picked up by the NYPD after trying to buy assorted ammunition to attack a New York City synagogue. November 2011: Jose Pimentel is arrested in his New York City apartment in an attempted terror plot targeting the NYPD, government officials and U.S. troops returning from the Middle East. See video here .", "The practice of Stop-and-Frisk in New York virtually ended in the second half of 2013. This is according to the New York Times, who mapped out police stops in New York City comparing the first half of 2012 and the second half of 2013. Supporters of the controversial policy warned of a resurgence in violent crime if it was banned, as Mayor Bill de Blasio campaigned to do, but so far New York has stayed as safe as ever. Over and done: Mayor Bill de Blasio came into office promising to end the controversial and 'unconstitutional' practice of Stop-and-Frisk . New York's first lady, Chirlaine McCray, has apparently taken an interest in NYPD policy as well, attending a meeting on Thursday of top officials examining the city's use of Compstat, which collects data on crimes throughout the city. Former Police Commissioner Ray Kelly made the practice of stopping people behaving 'suspiciously' a regular part of police practice for the NYPD during his tenure from 2002 to 2013. But with a federal court ruling that declared the practice unconstitutional and a new mayor dedicated to ending it, Stop-and-Frisk numbers fell drastically in the last half of 2013. According to New York Times reporting, in 2012 most of the stops were concentrated in central Brooklyn and those stopped were overwhelmingly African American or Hispanic. Police deployed in Precinct 77 in the northern part of Crown Heights, for instance, were stopping 75 to 100 people a day. That number has since fallen off. Former commissioner Ray Kelly promised last year on Meet the Press that 'violent crime will go up' if Stop-and-Frisk is ended, so far evidence has not borne that out. Stopped: A photographer snapped a photo of an unidentified young man being cuffed by the NYPD in a train station . Insiders: First Lady Chirlaine McCray and her son, Dante de Blasio, got a behind-the-scenes look at how Compstat programs work in New York . Unconstitutional: Critics called Stop-and-Frisk unconstitutional and said there was no evidence that it lowered violent crime rates . Reuters reported in June there was a 13% increase in shootings since January compared to a similar stretch in 2013. But the Daily News found that August was the safest month in the city since the Compstat program was instituted in 1994. Beyond stopping Stop-and-Frisk, the First Family has so far been very interested in how the NYPD patrol's New York's streets. DNAinfo reported that de Blasio's wife Chirlaine McCray attended a meeting on Compstat where high-ranking officials grilled NYPD supervisors and commanders about precinct-level crime rates. A city official only said that 'the first lady has been wanting to learn more about policing in the city and how the NYPD is structured' and did not explain further. de Blasio's son Dante also attended a meeting on Compstat focused on the Bronx while interning with Deputy Mayor Anthony Shorris. Residents interviewed by the New York Times who previously had been stopped and frisked said they still felt ill at ease. Tijay Lewis, 15, said he'd been stopped 10 times since he turned 13. He said hadn't been stopped for months and told the paper 'It feels a little bit different.'", "By . Alex Greig . PUBLISHED: . 10:45 EST, 9 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 10:54 EST, 9 July 2013 . Subway riders will be subjected to the release of gasses into the subway system today - by the NYPD. The NYPD and researchers from Brookhaven National Laboratory have installed testing devices and will release the gasses - which are completely harmless - in an effort to test of how they spread through the subway system. Officials have long noted that New York's subway system and its five million daily passengers are vulnerable, and this experiment will help experts understand how chemical, biological or radiological weapons could be used in the subway in a terrorist attack. Terrorist test: The NYPD are hoping the results of their tests will help police hone their response to potential chemical or biological attacks on the subway system (stock image) The police will use the information gathered in the tests to hone their plans for emergency responses to such attacks. NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said in a statement that about 200 sampling . devices will be set up to take measurements. The small black-and-gray boxes containing . monitoring equipment have been installed on subway platforms and lamp . posts poles around Manhattan. The first part of the study began today at 8am. The gasses are harmless perfluorocarbons, released at low levels at several subway stations and at street level for about half-an-hour during the morning. The study is being funded through a $3.4 million grant from the federal Department of Homeland Security . Commuters: More than five million people ride the New York City subway daily . 'The NYPD works for the best, but plans for the worst when it comes to potentially catastrophic attacks such as ones employing radiological contaminant or weaponized anthrax,' Ray Kelly said. 'This field study with Brookhaven's outstanding expertise will help prepare and safeguard the city's population in the event of an attack.' Paul Kalb, division head for environmental research and technology in the environmental sciences department at Brookhaven National Laboratory, told The New York Times that the study will help researchers to understand how the subway system affects the flow of air above and below ground. 'The subways play a major role in how air moves through Manhattan and the five boroughs,' Kalb told the Times. Threatened: After the terrorist attacks in London in 2005, New York City upped its security on the transport system and this latest test is part of the NYPD's efforts to prepare . '[Gasses] can spread further and in a way that you might not anticipate,' he said, adding that the tests will help the NYPD decide which subway lines to close down in the event of an attack to limit the spread of contaminated air. The traceable gases will be released in seven different locations in Manhattan - three above ground and four below - on three nonconsecutive days this month. According to DNAinfo, today's testing will conclude at 3:30pm. The other two testing days are yet to be announced, and are dependent on weather.", "New York (CNN) -- A New York police officer, in an apparent accident, shot and killed a grocery store clerk early Friday as the man fled a robbery, authorities said. The case in the Bronx marked another deadly shooting involving police in recent weeks. Other high-profile incidents occurred around Midtown landmarks in broad daylight. in Friday's incident, police said three suspects entered the corner bodega around 2 a.m. and ordered Reynaldo Cuevas, 20, to lie on the floor as they took cash, lottery tickets, and cigarettes. One suspect pistol-whipped the night manager, who was there with Cuevas, before retreating to the back of the store after a look-out warned that officers had arrived, police said. Apparently sensing an opportunity to escape, Cuevas sprinted from the scene and collided at full speed with one of the responding officers, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said at a news conference. \"The two became entangled, at which point we believe the officer accidentally discharged his weapon,\" Kelly said. Cuevas, who was unarmed and was the nephew of the store's owner, was pronounced dead at St. Barnabas Hospital from a gunshot wound to his left shoulder, police said. The officer was not identified. The robbery was captured by surveillance cameras and shown at the news conference. New York police were involved in two high profile shootings last month. Nine pedestrians suffered bullet or fragment wounds when police shot and killed an armed man outside the Empire State Building on August 24. Jeffrey Johnson had just shot and killed a former coworker, police said. Police also fatally shot Darrius Kennedy, who they said was brandishing a knife near Times Square on August 11. Police said they ordered Kennedy to drop the weapon and sprayed pepper spray multiple times before using lethal force. CNN's Khara Lewin contributed to this report .", "New York (CNN) -- On the eve of the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly is questioning why none of the city's mayoral candidates has requested a briefing from the NYPD about its counterterrorism program, strategies or tactics. He told an audience that even though the threat of terror in New York City is as substantial as ever, mayoral candidates have yet to meet with him about their plans for fighting terrorism in America's largest city. \"The threat of terrorism is as great, if not greater, today than it was before the World Trade Center was destroyed,\" Kelly said Monday, speaking in front of the Association for a Better New York and Council on Foreign Relations. \"Yet I can tell you that none of the candidates has requested a briefing from the Police Department on this topic. I believe the public has a right to ask them some important questions.\" Kelly noted that in the past 10 months, at least five terror plots against New York City were foiled, including the potential attack by the Boston bombing brothers had they not been captured. \"What is their understanding of the terrorist threat to New York City and its immediacy? What is their perspective on the role the NYPD should play in protecting New York from global terrorism? Will they expend their political capital and continue to fight in Washington, D.C., for the federal funds we need to maintain our defenses?\" Kelly asked. The city's primary election for mayor is taking place Tuesday. A spokesman for Bill de Blasio, the mayoral front-runner garnering 39% of Democratic primary voters, according to a Quinnipiac poll released Monday, told CNN that de Blasio requested a counterterrorism briefing on August 29. \"Bill de Blasio believes there is nothing more important than protecting New York City from the threat of terror and keeping New Yorkers safe. After the President's remarks on Syria, the office requested a briefing from the NYPD on the city's counter-terror efforts and is working with City Hall to schedule it,\" Wiley Norvell, press secretary for de Blasio, told CNN on Monday. Bill Thompson, who is receiving 25% of the Democratic vote, according to the poll, did not respond to CNN's request for comment. On his campaign website, Thompson says he plans to enhance and establish security measures to protect roads, bridges and tunnels from terror. Specifically, the plans include strategies from \"keeping token-booth operators in the stations\" to \"speeding up the installation of cameras and motion detectors on platforms.\" Christine Quinn addresses counterterrorism in her platform for mayor. According to the Quinnipiac poll, Quinn has 18% of the vote among Democrats. \"Christine Quinn is the speaker of the City Council, and as part of her day-to-day job helping run this city, she has conversations and briefings regularly with the NYPD on everything from crime to counterterrorism,\" Mike Morey, a spokesman for Quinn, said Monday. \"In the course of this campaign, she has been advised by and consulted with numerous officials in the NYPD and with anti-terrorism experts because she knows the single most important responsibility for the mayor of New York is keeping the public safe.\" Quinn has called for more city employees to be trained in counterterrorism tactics, including sanitation and transit workers, making them a bigger part of the surveillance program. She also proposed a review of New York City infrastructure that could be vulnerable to terror attacks, including metal trash cans, and said the New York City Police Department should be more closely engaged with universities to design curricula to \"fight crimes of the future.\" In his speech, Kelly emphasized the public's responsibility to inquire about the future of New York City's safety and push beyond complacency. \"The public should demand detailed answers from the candidates about their plans to protect New York. We've come too far and we've sacrificed too much to leave ourselves vulnerable.\"", "New York (CNN) -- The New York Civil Liberties Union filed a federal class action lawsuit Wednesday against the city of New York and several members of the New York Police Department, including Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, challenging the department's \"Operation Clean Halls\" program, the NYCLU announced. \"Operation Clean Halls has placed hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, mostly black and Latino, under siege in their own homes,\" said NYCLU Executive Director Donna Lieberman in a press release Wednesday. \"This aggressive assault on people's constitutional rights must be stopped.\" The city-sponsored program offers police patrols in residential buildings in an attempt to prevent the use and sale of drugs, according to the official New York City website. \"Landlords can request that the police conduct patrols in the hallways and stairwells of their building to remove nonresidents who are loitering,\" the site states. \"By challenging uninvited individuals, police are providing a level of safety to tenants that residents of doormen buildings take for granted,\" Deputy Police Commissioner Paul Browne said in a press release responding to the lawsuit. Critics dispute the role of the program. The program, which has existed since 1991, is part of a citywide police policy of \"suspicionless\" stops and arrests that disproportionally affect communities of color, according to the NYCLU. The lawsuit says the NYPD program violates the U.S. and New York State Constitutions, New York common law and the federal Fair Housing Act, according to the court complaint provided by the NYCLU. \"The NYPD uses Clean Halls as a license to stop anybody, at any time, on suspicion of trespassing,\" NYCLU Senior Staff Attorney Alexis Karteron, lead attorney on the case, said in the press release. \"As a result, people who live in Clean Halls buildings are under constant threat of being stopped, frisked, harassed and even arrested by police officers. This type of activity has no place in a free society, and we're confident the courts will put a stop to it.\" \"There's a lot that we don't know about the program. It's really shrouded in secrecy and that's one of the problems about it,\" said Jen Carnig, NYCLU director of communications. Enrollment in Operation Clean Halls, is widespread, with almost all private apartments in some areas of the Bronx and nearly 4,000 private buildings in Manhattan enrolled, the court complaint states. \"Landlords invite the police in to at least stop and talk to people who are uninvited into the building,\" Kelly told CNN affiliate NY1 on Wednesday. \"This is the level of safety that people have who live in buildings with doormen. I would suspect that probably the attorneys involved in this case live in buildings with doormen.\" \"I believe the NYPD has a role to play in our community. But right now, they don't make us feel safe,\" Jacqueline Yates, one of the suit's plaintiffs, told the NYCLU. \"We feel under attack in our homes.\" The New York Civil Liberties Union is joined by the LatinoJustice PRLDEF and The Bronx Defenders in representing the lawsuit's 13 plaintiffs. The lawsuit seeks a declaration of unlawful practices and injunction against the defendants, and in addition to several changes in policy, it aims to award damages as compensation to the named plaintiffs.", "New York (CNN) -- Calling a sharp drop in overall violence throughout America's most populous city \"one for the record books,\" New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced this week that 2009 saw historic crime-rate declines across the city's five boroughs. The declines occurred in nearly every crime category, including the \"lowest number of murders ever,\" Bloomberg said Monday. According to the mayor's office, there have been 461 homicides to date on Monday in 2009. That number is down nearly 11 percent from the same time a year ago, with 516 murders recorded in 2008. Bloomberg said 2009 is on track to have the fewest murders in New York City's history since reliable recordkeeping began in 1963. Bloomberg, with New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly at his side, relayed the latest findings at the New York Police Department graduation ceremony for the city's 250 newest officers. The mayor said the drop in New York's crime rate can be attributed to a combination of using new technologies and strong management, using statistics in police planning and responses, adequately funding the department and focusing resources to address problem areas. Along with stringent gun laws, regulations and enforcement mechanisms, the combination of all these strategies \"have helped to substantially reduce the level of violence on our streets,\" Bloomberg said. Bloomberg and Kelly called special attention to \"Operation Impact,\" the city's program aimed to address particularly dangerous locales. Started in January 2003, the operation floods troubled areas, known as \"Impact Zones,\" with teams of rookie and veteran police officers. The program has allowed the police department to mass resources to provide security for those living in high-risk locations, Kelly said. \"Police officers are saving lives in New York City every day, usually in the poorest neighborhoods,\" Kelly said. New York City had not had a year with fewer than 600 recorded murders before 2002, but there have been eight consecutive years with fewer than 600 slayings, according to crime records. This year also saw the 19th straight year of overall decline of major felony crimes, authorities said. The highest spike in New York City murders came in 1990, when 2,262 people were killed, according to the NYPD. Since 2001, all major crime rates in New York have declined by 35 percent, according to the police department. Rape and robbery are down 38 percent and 34 percent, respectively. Murders and assaults have dipped by 29 percent, according to the department. National violent crime trends also are on the decline, according to the FBI. The bureau released nationwide crime statistics in June for the first half of 2009, showing a nearly 4.5 percent drop in overall violence. Murder is down by 10 percent from a year ago across the United States, according to the FBI. The new class of officers from Monday's graduation joins the largest police force in the world, one with about 38,000 uniformed personnel. \"The world will be watching them start their careers,\" Kelly said at Monday's graduation. \"Their first assignment is on patrol at Times Square on New Year's Eve.\"", "By . Daily Mail Reporter . Last updated at 9:42 AM on 27th January 2012 . The woman who accused New York police commissioner Ray Kelly’s son of raping her last October said she got pregnant from the attack and subsequently aborted the baby, police sources say. Greg Kelly, 43, was absent Thursday morning from his job as anchor of . the popular local morning show 'Good Day New York' and through a lawyer . denied the allegations. Lew Leone, the general manager of the local Fox station, has meanwhile confirmed Kelly 'has requested some time off' while the investigation is underway. He did not elaborate. Scroll down for video . Full confidence: Good Day New York co-anchor Rosanna Scotto, left, said today that she supports Greg Kelly . Accused: Greg Kelly, right, with his parents Ray - New York City Police Commissioner - and Veronica . His co-host Rosanna Scotto offered support for him, saying today: 'I love Greg. That’s all I can say.' The son of New York City's police commissioner has been accused of . sexually assaulting a woman who told authorities she got pregnant from . the encounter and had an abortion, people familiar with the . investigation said on Thursday. The Manhattan district attorney is . investigating the serious allegations, as an NYPD probe could be seen as . a conflict of interest. The alleged sexual assault took place in October, but the woman involved did not report her accusation until Tuesday. Kelly, a former Fox News correspondent, is cooperating with the investigation, his lawyer, Andrew Lankler, said in an emailed statement. Greg Kelly 'strenuously denies any wrongdoing of any kind,' Lankler . said. 'We know that the district attorney's investigation will prove Mr. Kelly's innocence.' The lawyer didn't respond to questions about the . focus of the investigation. Family: Father and son are both well-known figures in New York . A friend of the alleged victim’s . boyfriend told ABC News that the woman had been ‘an emotional cripple’ since the alleged incident. The . friend said her boyfriend was outraged over the alleged attack. ‘He . went and picked her up from the office where she was distraught, and he . said later that the rape had taken place there,’ the friend told ABC . News. The woman, who is around 30, told police that she and Mr Kelly met on the street and went for drinks at the South Street Seaport on the evening of October 8, according to the New York Times. They went to her office at a law firm in downtown Manhattan, where the assault allegedly happened. She says that when her boyfriend found out about the encounter, he confronted the older Mr Kelly at a public event, saying: 'Your son ruined my girlfriend's life,' according to NYPD spokesman Paul Browne. The commissioner told him to write a letter detailing the allegations, as he reportedly didn’t want to discuss it in public. His lawyer added: 'We know that the District Attorney's investigation will prove Mr. Kelly's innocence.’ Lower Manhattan: The two allegedly went to the South Street Seaport in New York's Financial District for drinks, sources say . Mr Kelly, 43, joined Fox News Channel in 2002 and was the White House correspondent from 2005-2007. A Marine Corps veteran and reservist, he also covered the Iraq War, including four assignments in Baghdad. Before that, he covered politics for local cable news channel New York 1 and was an anchor and reporter for NewsChannel 34, an ABC and NBC affiliate in Binghamton, New York. He also served for nearly a decade in the Marine Corps and is now a lieutenant colonel in its reserves. Raymond Kelly, 70, returned to the police commissioner's post in 2002 after a stint in the 1990s.", "(CNN) -- Three people were killed and two police officers were injured in a gun fight in Brooklyn Monday evening -- the latest bloodshed in a violent holiday weekend in New York City that saw at least 48 people shot. An exchange of gunfire between two men broke out in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood around 9 p.m. Monday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a news conference. Officers patrolling the nearby West Indian Parade and Carnival, the site of an earlier shooting Monday, responded to the scene. \"The officers were fired upon and returned fire,\" Bloomberg said. Police identified the gunmen, who both died in the shooting, as Eusi Randy Johnson, 29, and Leroy Webster, 32. Johnson died after Webster shot him in the neck, while Webster was killed by police, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said. The dispute started as a fistfight in a hallway, then spilled into the street as it escalated, Bloomberg said. It was not clear what the disagreement was over, the mayor said. A bullet Webster fired \"struck an innocent 56-year-old woman sitting on her stoop two doors down,\" Bloomberg said. The woman's name was Denise Gay and her daughter was at her side when she died, the mayor said. After rushing to the scene, officer Omar Medina \"was hit by bullet fragments in his left arm and chest,\" Bloomberg said. He was taken to a nearby hospital and was in stable condition, police said. A second officer, Avichaim Dicken, received a graze wound on his elbow. Webster had a lengthy criminal record that included arrests for assault, drugs and guns, Kelly said. The gun battle comes during a holiday weekend marred by shootings, with 33 people shot on Sunday alone.", "By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 00:06 EST, 27 January 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 00:06 EST, 27 January 2013 . Even cold blooded killers can’t stand the freezing weather it seems. The blistering cold that has most New Yorkers staying in-doors this week has also served as a crime-deterrent for the NYPD. As of midnight on Saturday, the city reported a nine-day streak without a single murder, law-enforcement sources say. Homicide free: New York City reported a nine-day no-murder streak as of January 26 as temperatures dropped to extreme lows, law-enforcement sources say . ‘Jack Frost is the policeman’s best friend,’ one source told the New York Post. ‘The criminals are staying indoors.’ According to the Post, New York’s recorded last homicide occurred on January 16 in The Bronx, where Jennifer Rivera, 20, and her uncle, Jason Rivera, 30, were gunned down while sitting in a parked car. Rivera had a criminal drug history, sources said. No one has been arrested in connection with those two murders, police say. The no-homicide streak follows a similar dip in the city’s murder rate after Hurricane Sandy in late October. Both streaks mark the longest stretches of time with no killings in the city in recent memory, according to NYPD officials. Police sources say homicides will pick back up again in the warmer months. Crime deterrent: 'Jack Frost is the policeman¿s best friend,' one source told the New York Post. 'The criminals are staying indoors' Happy commissioner: 'I like it,' said Police Commissioner Ray Kelly . For now, city authorities are celebrating. ‘I like it,’ New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly happily told the Post. Kelly said cold weather and rain often impact the crime rate. ‘That’s sort of the anecdotal answer we have in policing,' he said. ‘There’s no single easy answer, but to the extent that weather played a role, we’re ready for more cold weather.’ The only potential snag in the NYPD’s no homicide run is a half-naked woman found dead in Brooklyn on Friday, which cops labeled ‘suspicious.’ However, police said that there were no obvious signs of trauma and that the city medical examiner has yet to determine the cause of her death. New York City’s murder rate has dropped 21.7 per cent in the first few weeks of 2013 with recorded 18 murders, compared to 23 for the same period in 2012, according to city records. Shoveling snow instead of catching criminals: Kelly said cold weather and rain often impact the crime rate . Murder drop: New York City¿s murder rate has dropped 21.7 per cent in the first few weeks of 2013 with recorded 18 murders, compared to 23 for the same period in 2012, according to city records .", "Washington (CNN) -- With hundreds of communities nationwide forced to slash budgets and layoff police officers, the disclosure Thursday of which cities would receive federal grants to fund police positions had been eagerly awaited. Five hit the bureaucratic jackpot. Justice Department officials announced cities in virtually every state would receive anywhere from a single officer to a legal maximum of 50 police officers. In total, the COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) program, administered by the Justice Department, announced it had divided the $298 million appropriation to fund 1,388 police positions. The five biggest recipients, each receiving grants for 50 officers, were Houston, Texas; Tucson, Arizona; Metro Dade County in Florida; the Sacramento, California, Sheriff's Department and the commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Federal funds will go for new police hires in those areas, except for Sacramento, which will use the funds to re-hire officers furloughed, officials said. Officials in charge of the program cited current crime rates and demonstrated financial need as key criteria for the funding. \"There is almost nothing more effective in keeping the public safe than cops on the beat who have the equipment and resources they need,\" said Associate Attorney General Tom Perrelli. Perrelli led the parade of officials announcing the grants at a ceremony in Houston. Left unsaid was the long list of cities that received little or no funding. A total of 4,423 police agencies had requested funds for more than 10,408 police officers. Officials acknowledge there remains a continuing hunger for federal assistance among state, county, and local law enforcement agencies. But for the cities that received funds, this was a day for quiet celebration. \"The officers that we will get through this program, through this grant, will be men and women to help us keep the city safe,\" declared Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt.", "Not mincing words: Ex-NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly had some harsh words for his colleagues in Ferguson, Missouri, saying that the local police should have been more forthcoming with details on the shooting . Former New York City Police Department commissioner Raymond Kelly has weighed in on the volatile situation in Ferguson, Missouri, upbraiding local authorities for their handling of the Michael Brown shooting. Kelly, 72, who served as New York City's top cop for more than a decade, had some harsh words for Ferguson’s law enforcement, calling on the town's officials to release information about the shooting of the 18-year-old unarmed black teenager. In a phone interview with Bloomberg News Tuesday, Kelly said that the Ferguson Police Department might have prevented some of the violence that engulfed the community had it been forthcoming with the details of the deadly confrontation between Brown and Officer Darren Warner. ‘It certainly has the potential for quelling or lessening disturbances,’ Kelly told Bloomberg News. ‘You tell them what you know and tell them what you don’t know, rather than dribbling it out.’ Kelly, who currently heads risk management services for real estate brokerage Cushman & Wakefield Inc, was likely alluding to his department's response to the 2006 killing of Sean Bell - an unarmed African-American man who was fatally shot by officers 50 times outside a Queens nightclub on the eve of his wedding. Bell's violent death sparked anger among African-American leaders and the community at large, but no widespread riots or looting. Scroll down for video . What if: Kelly suggested that Ferguson police officials, among them Chief Thomas Jackson (pictured), might have prevented some of the violence by releasing details about the shooting in a more timely fashion . Recent history: Kelly was at the helm of the NYPD in 2006 when his officers shot Sean Bell, a 23-year-old unarmed black man,  50 times outside a nightclub . Officer Wilson shot Brown six times August 9, but it was not until nearly a week later that information started trickling out about the incident and the 28-year-old cop at the center of the firestorm. ‘The toothpaste is out of the tube here,’ Kelly said. ‘There’s lots of things that should have been done differently, and you have to live with them.’ Mr Kelly, who stood at the helm of the NYPD from January 2002 until December 2013 as part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration, also did not mince words when addressing the skewed racial makeup of the Ferguson police force. The former top cop called it 'mind-boggling' that only three out of the 53 cops serving the Missouri town were black given that Ferguson was nearly 70 per cent African-American. While much has been written and said about the presence of armored vehicles and officers in tactical gear more often seen in combat zones than American suburbia, Kelly stopped short of calling out the perceived over-militarization of Ferguson’s police. Racial makeup: Ray Kelly said that it was 'mind-boggling' to him that Ferguson's police had only three black officers in a city that is nearly 70 per cent African-American in its makeup . A citizen peacekeeper tries to keep protesters back as police advance Monday in Ferguson . 'Not their core mission': Kelly said that National Guardsmen who were called in to restore order in the St Louis suburb were not trained for policing the streets . He did, however, note that National Guardsmen who have been called up by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon to restore order in Ferguson were not trained in 'policing tactics.' In 2011, Kelly came under sharp criticism from civil libertarians for cracking down on Occupy Wall Street protesters in Manhattan. Kelly was also attacked in the media for perpetuating the controversial stop-and-frisk policy, under which hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, the vast majority of them minorities, were subjected to searches by police.", "New York (CNN) -- A heavy security presence permeated lower Manhattan on Sunday, the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, as authorities continued their search for possible plotters of another terrorist strike. Information considered credible but unconfirmed indicated up to three attackers could be trying to use an explosives-laden vehicle for an attack in New York or Washington, according to various sources. Authorities stressed that while they were taking information of a possible attack plot seriously, there was no evidence so far that an actual terrorist operation was underway. \"We're looking into a number of leads,\" said John Brennan, the assistant to the U.S. president for homeland security and counterterrorism, on the CBS program \"Face the Nation.\" \"Again, it's not confirmed yet, but we're not relaxing at all.\" Brennan said a security meeting took place Sunday morning at the White House to go over all the intelligence. A White House spokesman told reporters that no new information came out of the Sunday meeting. With President Barack Obama, former President George W. Bush and other dignitaries attending a ceremony at the former World Trade Center site, heavily armed police officers and federal security agents -- some wearing body armor -- deployed in the area. Roads were blocked and police checkpoints for both vehicles and pedestrians surrounded the memorial, with backpacks checked by bomb-sniffing dogs and put through x-ray machines. At the ceremony, Obama and the first lady stood behind bulletproof protection. Two of the three individuals believed to be involved in the potential plot on the 9/11 anniversary are Americans of Arab descent who traveled to the United States last week, according to a U.S. government official who spoke on condition of not being identified by name. Authorities have been piecing together clues gleaned from flight logs and manifests, among other sources, to try to trace the whereabouts of the two, said the U.S. government official. A third person is believed to have been traveling through Europe, though it is not clear whether that person has arrived in the United States, the government official said. However, another law enforcement official said there is no evidence so far that any of the three individuals came to the United States or are here now. It is still not apparent whether a plot is under way, officials say, maintaining the same stance they have taken since news of the possible plans for an attack first became public on Thursday. \"It's still ongoing,\" New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Saturday. \"Nothing significant has changed. The threat has been identified as being credible and specific and uncorroborated.\" American spy networks had intercepted communications of a potential attack from an al Qaeda operative in Pakistan, derived from a source who has provided accurate information in the past, officials say. No other corroborating evidence of an attack has been uncovered, but it has prompted intelligence officials to sift through communications from other al Qaeda cells. U.S. officials rarely speak on the record about intelligence intercepts. In the days following the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound, officials indicated al Qaeda had gone to great lengths to avoid having its communications intercepted by the United States. Authorities also say they have picked up \"chatter,\" or widely divergent communications, from extremists that suggest the newly tapped al Qaeda head, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is in some way involved in the current plot. Three stolen trucks were added to a New York Police Department database because of the threat, said Deputy Police Commissioner Paul J. Browne. The database is connected to the NYPD's digital license plate readers. \"We're adding them in the interest of being prudent,\" Browne told CNN, emphasizing there is no known link to the terror threat. Two of the trucks were owned by a construction company that operates at the World Trade Center site. They were reported stolen over a week ago and had about $70,000 worth of tools on them, Kelly noted. Both vehicles were subsequently recovered, the NYPD said Sunday. One was discovered empty, unoccupied and unlocked in a residential area Saturday night by uniformed police on routine patrol. Police said they believe there is no connection between the stolen vehicle and any possible terror plot. The second vehicle, a van, was found in Queens, said NYPD Lt. John Grimple. It was unoccupied, he said. A Budget rental van also was stolen in a separate incident from a Jersey City, New Jersey, storage facility earlier this week, Kelly told CNN. He said none of the thefts had been tied to any terrorism plot at this point but were being investigated out of an abundance of caution. Browne said that whoever took the trucks \"went to great lengths to cover their tracks -- they cut lines to phones and surveillance cameras.\" Browne also said the city has experienced \"a three-fold increase in suspicious package calls,\" while suspicious vehicle calls have doubled. New York law enforcement officers, meanwhile, have been put on 12-hour shifts. In Washington, Police Chief Cathy Lanier reported that \"suspicious activity and suspicious vehicle reporting skyrocketed\" over the weekend. \"I can tell people in this community (are) really on it,\" said Lanier, adding that her force had beefed up staffing. In neighboring Prince George's County, Maryland, officials located one of two missing U-Haul vans, though a police spokesman said authorities \"are not viewing this as terrorism-related.\" Cpl. Evan Baxter said the vans were reported stolen Saturday. The security posture was evident elsewhere, too. A suspicious bag caused the shutdown of a security checkpoint Sunday morning at Kansas City International Airport. Four hours later, some gates on Terminal B remained closed but flights were operating from other gates, according to airport information officer Joe McBride. He said the incident began when a security guard at a checkpoint grew concerned about something in a man's carry-on bag. The guard asked the man to allow him to search his bag, at which point the man became uncooperative and was detained, McBride said. Because the man had already checked bags, Terminal B was evacuated and closed. A bomb squad and other officials located the man's bags, all of which were opened and inspected. No explosives were found, according to Bridget Patton with the FBI in Kansas City. She declined to provide any details on the man, who is being questioned. A Transportation Security Administration statement said the security steps were taken \"out of an abundance of caution.\" On Saturday, Obama met for a second straight day with his senior national security team, according to a White House statement. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said Friday that information gleaned in part from the May raid against Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan, helped reveal the possible new plot. It is not clear how the bin Laden raid helped authorities connect the dots to the prospect of an anniversary attack, but Biden downplayed the threat of a widely sophisticated plot involving multiple conspirators. He told NBC's \"Today\" show that the administration's main concern is a plot from a \"lone actor, not some extremely complicated plan like it took to take down the World Trade (Center) towers or the plane in Shanksville (Pennsylvania) or the Pentagon.\" In New York City, police officers stopped and searched box trucks, as they approached the George Washington Bridge, which links New Jersey with New York as well as the Queens-Midtown Tunnel, the Holland Tunnel and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, connecting the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn. Police also were sweeping parking garages for explosives and using digital license plate readers to check for stolen vehicles, officials said. Authorities say they are questioning individuals who have previously raised security concerns. \"We already had a great security plan in place, and in an abundance of caution, we're deploying more resources,\" New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters. \"We shouldn't allow this threat to diminish the importance of the 9/11 anniversary, because that would be doing just what the terrorists want us to do.\" In Washington, local officials said the city has a robust plan in place and has been on heightened alert since September 1. Federal officials said they are taking the threat seriously, while trying to temper the news by saying such threats are commonplace in connection with key dates. \"The FBI has been in a planning mode for months with the local and state police officers, as well as the other intelligence agencies, to prepare for this weekend,\" said James McJunkin, assistant director in charge of the FBI's Washington field office. \"What we have here is a little bit more of a public display than we normally have.\" U.S. officials believe that the plot could involve operatives who came out of the tribal Pakistan-Afghanistan border region -- a volatile semi-lawless area that is home to extremist groups -- and that they are part of al Qaeda \"central.\" One official also noted a possibility that Pakistan-based groups such as Lashkar e-Tayyiba or Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan could be involved. Al Qaeda \"likely maintained an interest since at least February 2010 in conducting large attacks in the homeland timed to coincide with symbolic dates, to include the 10-year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks,\" according to an intelligence bulletin issued Thursday. Bin Laden's death and the \"removal\" of senior al Qaeda figures since then could add to the organization's desire to stage an attack on a symbolic date such as September 11, the bulletin said. CNN's Susan Candiotti, Eden Pontz, Rachel Garret, Barbara Starr, Mike M. Ahlers, Lesa Jansen, Allan Chernoff, Thomas Evans, Terry Frieden, Jessica Yellin, John King, Jim Barnett, Pam Benson, Cheryl Robinson, Fran Townsend, David Ariosto, Laura Dolan, Tom Cohen and Ross Levitt contributed to this report." ]

[ "['Click File > Options > Mail > Signatures.', 'Click the signature you want to edit, and then make your changes in the Edit signature box.', \"When you're done, select Save > OK.\"]" ]

[ "Using Microsoft To Do with Outlook Tasks. One of Microsoft To Do's features is an integration with Outlook Tasks. To view your To Do tasks on your Outlook Desktop client or on Outlook.com, use the same Microsoft account to sign in to both Microsoft To Do and Outlook.", "A person is free to change a signature, and most people do alter the way they write their names between childhood and adulthood. But since there is no \"legal signature,\" you don't need to know how to change your signature legally.", "In this article If you've permanently deleted an item in Microsoft Outlook or Outlook on the web (formerly known as Outlook Web App), the item is moved to a folder ( Recoverable Items > Deletions) and kept there for 14 days, by default. You can change how long items are kept, up to a maximum of 30 days.", "Unlike Gmail, Microsoft Outlook lets you change your email address outright — and it's pretty simple. To you create a new address for your Microsoft account — including Hotmail and Outlook — you just have to set up an alias, which is essentially a new address that links to your current email account.", "MSN email set up as MS Exchange in Microsoft Outlook. ... Outlook shows the MSN email as a Microsoft Exchange account. The Gmail account settings can be changed, but the MSN account has no options to change the settings.", "Outlook Express is the free version of Outlook. Outlook Express probably came on your computer. Outlook comes with Microsoft Office. ... The big difference is Outlook supports integration with Microsoft Exchange Server and you have complete integration between your email, calendars, and contacts.", "Integrating Your Vertical CRM with Microsoft Outlook The CRM Platform Plug-in for MS Outlook is a productivity-enhancement plug-in for synchronizing the contacts, tasks and events between Zoho CRM and Microsoft Outlook. The CRM Platform plug-in for Microsoft Outlook is available for windows users only.", "Outlook.com is the current name for Microsoft's email service, which was formerly known as Hotmail. Outlook Mail is the web app that lets you browse your Outlook.com email account. It's part of the Outlook on the web suite of web apps. Outlook (or Office Outlook) is Microsoft's desktop email client.", "You have to check your internet connection or try changing it. You could also try to disable your VPN software or restart your computer or Microsoft Outlook and try starting the app again.", "Yes you can change your signature after going through the procedure at the time of renewal or reissue only. Do not change your signature on this passport otherwise you will be in trouble if you are travelling.", "Fill up a signature change form and attach a copy of your passbook, your aadhar card and your PAN along with it. It'll be suffice for the change. Originally Answered: How do I change my signature in SBI ? Go to bank with ID proof & it can be done.", "['Go to Cortana > Notebook > Manage Skills > Connected services.', 'Select your account type: For a personal Microsoft account, select Outlook. For an enterprise account, select Office 365.', 'Connect.', 'Your reminders and lists across Cortana, Microsoft To-Do, and Outlook will now start syncing.']", "Protected messages allows the sender to set specific permissions on a message, such as Do Not Forward or Do Not Print. If you receive a protected email message sent to your Microsoft 365 account in Outlook 2016 or Outlook on the web, the message should open like any other message.", "Click \"Microsoft Office.\" Click \"Microsoft Outlook.\" Microsoft Outlook will now be opened on screen. Click \"File\" and then \"Open.\" Select your Oledata. Mso file from your computer and then click \"OK.\" The contents of your Oledata.", "['Exit Microsoft Outlook.', 'Locate your VbaProject. otm file.', 'Rename the file to something meaningful to you, such as VbaProject-testing. otm.', 'Restore the name the file that you now want to use as VbaProject. otm.', 'Restart Microsoft Outlook.']", "To determine the version of Outlook that you use, follow these steps: Start Outlook. On the Help menu, click About Microsoft Office Outlook. Verify the version information and the build number to determine the version of Outlook that is installed on your computer.", "pst file, close the Outlook application, and then use these steps: ... In the case that you have an older version of the app, change \"Office15\" in the path to \"Office14\" for Outlook 2010, or to \"Office13\" for Outlook 2007 in the path. Double-click the SCANPST. EXE file to open the Microsoft Outlook Inbox Repair experience.", "If you want to change it just send new copy of it to your bank, accountant and attorney. Your signature is your signature; it is “your mark” and it may be as simple as an “x”. You have a legal name, and a signature; the two are not linked and you may change your signature at will.", "You can find your . pst file in one of the following locations: Windows 10 drive:\\Users\\<username>\\AppData\\Local\\Microsoft\\Outlook. Windows 10 drive:\\Users\\<username>\\Roaming\\Local\\Microsoft\\Outlook.", "Yes, your signature can be your initials. Just make sure that your signature matches what is on your drivers license and any other legal documents to avoid any problems with a bank, etc. You may want to update these if you do change your signature.", "You can immediately see at the bottom right corner of your Outlook window that the server status has changed from \"Working Offline\" to \"Connected to Microsoft Exchange\" or whatever program you are using to send email.", "['Log-out of Microsoft Outlook Web Access and close your Internet browser.', 'Open Microsoft Outlook. ... ', 'Locate the message you wish to recall in the \"Sent Item\" messages list. ... ', 'Click \"Actions\" in the top menu bar, then click \"Recall this message.\"']", "On your iOS device, select on the App Store icon . Type Microsoft Outlook in the search box to find the Outlook for iOS app. 1. Select the Microsoft Outlook app in the search results, select Get, and then select Install.", "Still if you feel like changing your signature, you may have to contact the concerned body(to change signature for a bank account contact you bank and to change signature on driving license contact the RTO). It is not compulsory that your signature has to be same every where.", "In order to change signature your bank account, the first step is to fill up Change of Signature Form. Mostly banks have their standard Signature Change form. You can visit your HOME branch, get the Change of Signature Form and fill it up properly.", "In the word document or worksheet, place you cursor (pointer) where you want the signature line to appear. ... On the Insert tab, in the Text section, click Signature Line > Microsoft Office Signature Line. If the Microsoft Office digital signatures… window appears, click OK.", "The Outlook Desktop Client (installed software) Outlook is the email application of the Microsoft Office suite. The desktop version of Outlook is locally installed on the computer. When you first launch the application, wait for your information to populate.", "['Download, install, and import. You will use Google Apps Migration for Microsoft Outlook® to import data from a Microsoft® Outlook PST file, by stepping through a simple migration wizard.', 'Sign in to Google Apps. ... ', 'Choose what Outlook data to import. ... ', 'Start importing data. ... ', 'Monitor your migration.']", "(2) Fill up the Change of Signature Form of Bank Of Baroda In order to change signature your bank account, the first step is to fill up Change of Signature Form. Mostly banks have their standard Signature Change form. You can visit your HOME branch, get the Change of Signature Form and fill it up properly.", "What is the difference between Microsoft Office and Microsoft Office suite? ... Microsoft Office is the brand, Microsoft Office suite refers to the collection of products that are included in your purchase. If you purchased the desktop package, your suite likely includes Excel, Outlook, OneNote, PowerPoint and Word.", "Microsoft Office Standard - The standard version of Microsoft Office brings you the 3 core apps, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, plus you get Outlook and Publisher. ... The three core apps are included, along with Outlook. Microsoft Office Professional Plus - This one includes the core applications, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.", "['Sign in to Services and subscriptions with your Microsoft account. ... ', 'Find the subscription in the list, select Manage, and then select Change how you pay. ... ', 'Selecting Change how you pay gives you a list of your current payment options.']" ]

[ "INSURV team" ]

[ "before a funeral", "no operation", "before bedtime", "Never Before", "Before Hollywood", "Before the Dinosaurs" ]

[ "Willa Cather" ]

[ "\"I Saw Her Standing There\"", "MOtor PARts", "Flushed Away", "run away", "\"Tell Laura I Love Her\"" ]

[ "Why do all of my questions get marked as needing improvement?" ]

[ "Why was my question marked as \"needs improvement?\"", "Why does Quora block all my questions with \"needs improvement\"?", "Why does Quora mark questions as \"Needs Improvement\", even if the questions are complete?", "Can Quora quote the improvements needed in the questions when it is marked as 'Needing Improvement'?", "How does Quora quickly mark questions as needing improvement?", "How often do you mark questions as \"needing improvement\" on Quora?", "Why all my questions are marked for improvement, I hate this?", "What happens to a question on Quora if it is marked as needing further improvement?", "Why does Quora mark all my questions as needing clarification and all answers too?", "Why do my dank questions keep being marked as need improvement?", "Why do I see questions with basic grammatical mistakes on Quora but some of my questions are marked as \"needing improvement\"?", "Why is my question flagged as \"Needing Improvement?\"", "My questions on Quora all need improving. How do you ask a question on Quora?", "How do I talk to the moderators who marked my questions as needing improvements in Quora?", "Why do you need to mark all my questions?", "Quora: How to ask question on Quora so that it wont get marked as needing improvement?", "Why were my last few questions I asked marked as needing improvement?", "My questions are fine. Why does Quora keep saying they need improvement? It's frustrating.", "Why are my questions spuriously marked as \"needing improvement\" WHILE I'm adding details?", "When a question on Quora is marked as 'needing improvement\" does that make it invisible?", "Do Quora users still see questions that are marked as needing improvement?", "The question was marked as needing improvement. Just now?", "If Quora doesn't understand my question and marks it as needing improvement, can others still see it?", "Why do my questions keep getting marked as needing improvement even though my grammar is correct?", "What can I do if I believe my question was wrongfully marked as \"needing improvement\" by Quora?", "Why is every question I post on Quora marked as needing clarification?", "Why does Quora sometimes mark questions needing improvement even before I have the time to write the question details?", "Why does Quora mark so many questions as “needing improvement” when the original writer of the question thinks they’re perfectly clear?", "Why does Quora mark some questions as needing improvement faster than a human can read them?", "Why are clear, correct and legitimate questions marked as needing improvement?", "Why my question was marked as needing imrovement?", "Why has Quora started marking my last two questions as \"needing revision\"?" ]

[ "Prion diseases are rare in humans because we have been lucky so far. Scrapie and chronic wasting disease are two prions that affect livestock and wild animals (goats/sheep and deer respectively) and are highly contagious. It's not fully known why Bovine Spongiform Encephalitis and Creutzfeldt-Jakob are so much less transmissible, [but it appears related to the fact that the misfolded proteins are excreted much less in BSE and CJD than in scrapie and CWD.](_URL_0_)" ]

[ "You need similar proteins to be susceptible to prion diseases. They cause a protein to mis-fold in a chain reaction that causes sticky aggregates of mis-folded proteins. If the prion does not have a similar protein to convert to its prion form, it cannot \"infect\" an individual. Are you sure that prion diseases don't infect other classes of animals?", "Increased chances to get parasite and diseases such as Kuru or Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease which are prion disorders and basically the human equivalents of Mad Cow. Any time an animal eats something that is too closely related to it biologically there is a severe chance of getting prion diseases. This is why eating monkeys and apes is considered too risky to be legal most places.", "Far from eradicated, it is just rare to begin with. Most outbreaks are quickly and quietly contained. Its a prion disease that actually effects multiple different species. Cronic Wasting Disease in elk, Scrapie in sheep, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease/Kuru in humans. All of these fold in to Transmissable Spongiform Encephalopathy, and are all certainly still out there.", "The normal protein configuration is meant to serve a bodily function, and has a very specific structure. Prions, on the other hand, pretty much only serve as catalysts for creating more prions. Their structure is also much, much more stable. That's why, even after cooking, prions can remain intact and able to infect. The fact that the prion configuration is so strong and stable is why they can't be changed back into a normal shape.", "Bacterial diseases are caused by bacteria, viral diseases are caused by viruses and prion diseases are caused by prions. Prions are proteins that can have two states (or more) one that is harmless, and one that is harmful. And unfortunately a prion in the harmful state, can cause other prions in the harmless state to switch into the harmful one. So once you have a couple of harmful prions, they turn the other ones which turn other ones and they become more and more, zombie apocalypse style. & #x200B; And also zombie style, the spongioform encephalopathy prions (mad cow disease, creuzfeldt-jakob disease, scrapie, etc.) eat holes into your brain.", "Quite simply, it's because they all affect the same protein. Prion diseases are caused by misfolding in the major prion protein (PrP or CD230), which is mostly found in neural tissues. It's not an exhaustive list, but misfolding of this particular protein causes many diseases including Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), fatal familial insomnia (FFI), Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome (GSS), scrapie, kuru, variably protease-sensitive prionopathy (VPSPr) and many others... [Prusiner, 1998](_URL_1_); [Wang *et al.*, 2009](_URL_0_)", "A prion disease is a misfolded protein which caused other proteins to misfold in the same way, cascading into a bunch of proteins which are the wrong type. Such diseases happen in the nervous system and will cause masses that inhibit the operation of the nerves, eventually killing the victim. So why are there no treatments? They are made of proteins which means they are extremely difficult to stop; the only known effective way is called \"denaturing\" which is basically physically destroying them either by heat or strongly corrosive chemicals. Obviously neither of those can work within a living patient.", "Mammalian prions do not arise because of cannibalism, but can be spread by cannibalism. Anyway, the prion-forming protein in humans is also found in nearly every other vertebrate, birds and reptiles included. However, prions are only known to cause disease in mammals. The reason is unknown. _URL_0_ There are also unrelated prion-forming proteins in several species of fungus.", "Like viruses, they are (groups of) molecules that reproduce without metabolism. Unlike any other self-replicating system, prions are proteins that have a unique structure. One part of how a protein functions is the amino acid sequence that makes up the primary structure, but the other part is how the proteins folds, either by itself or with the help of other folder-helper proteins. Prions have the same amino acid sequence as their properly folded brethren, but they are folded differently, and they make a chain reaction by folding their brethren to be like them. Cruetzfeld-Jakob disease in humans, Mad Cow disease in cows, and chronic wasting disease in deer, are all prion diseases that affect neuronal proteins.", "You can get prion disease by eating cross-species. As far as know right now, variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (vCJD) is a human disease caused by exposure to the pathogen of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), aka mad-cow disease. Since the proteins involved in prion encephalopathies vary somewhat between species, if host and target are of different species, it's very likely that the host pathogen will not affect protein folding in the target. But within one species, it is very likely that the host pathogen will affect protein folding in the target.", "The diseases you mentioned are all caused by prions forming from the same protein, [PrP](_URL_3_). It isn't clear what PrP does, but knocking it out in mice causes problems with long term memory. PrP is found in other cell types besides neurons (like immune cells and liver cells) but it doesn't seem to cause problems there. Given that the prion diseases are in some sense all the same disease, it is hard to generalize whether they are inherent to neurons or if neurons are just the unlucky location where a single troublesome protein evolved in mammals.", "Prions typically occur when the normal occurring protein PrPc mutates into the harmful version PrPsc. This mutation pretty easily evades the immune system and one of the major problems is that it's resistant to proteases. Proteases are basically how anything gets degraded in the body making it very difficult to get rid of prions. Basically, prions cause brain shrinkage, neurodegeneration, and holes in the brain by \"clogging up\" the immune system since its hard to get rid of these little proteins. All very scary, but at least it's a big area of research right now!", "Take a protein in human body. This protein has to be folded in space a specific way in order to perform its biological function, and it is folded in that way when it's synthesized by a cell. If it is not folded correctly, it doesn't work and is degraded by the cell. This happens all the time in normal cells. A prion is a protein which is folded incorrectly, but it also disrupts folding of other proteins in exactly the same way that its own folding is disrupted. So, it basically spreads an incorrect folding through nearby proteins, which in turn spread it to other nearby proteins, etc. If this incorrect folding spreads faster than the cell degrades incorrectly folded proteins, then they build up inside the cell and disrupt its functioning, and you have prion disease.", "A prion is a protein in the brain that essentially has two stable forms. Every protein folds the long, straight chain into some complicated structure, but this one can go one of two ways. The normal way causes the protein to go about its business doing protein things, but the second way has a couple interesting properties. It * clumps together * causes the normal form to switch over That way, if even a single misfolded protein gets into the brain, it will begin to transform all of the normal form into clumps of the misfolded form which both removes the normal protein and just generally clogs up the system on a cellular level. Add to this that the prion proteins are notoriously hard to destroy, being resistant to drying out, heat, UV and many other methods that are usually used to sterilize things (because its just a single protein, its not alive) and you get a real disease risk.", "Bromelain isn't a unique thing, we have plenty of proteases in our body (not least in our stomaches). Prions are a problem because they're resistant to being broken down by proteases; that's one of the main distinctions between a prion and any other misfolded protein.", "Mad cow disease and some similar brain diseases are spread by prions, which are a form on infectious protein. Prions can survive the cooking process, though for mad cow disease it is generally found in brain and spinal tissue not muscle.", "A prion is a protein that has \"gone rogue.\" So if we're talking about mad cow disease, there are certain proteins in the brain. proteins are strings of amino acids that are folded up into a certain shape to accomplish a particular task. well, a prion is the same string, but folded in a different way; it not only fails to do what it's intended, but also has the ability to interact with healthy proteins and deform them, too. Prion disease is not very well understood, but that's our best guess right now", "Like Goosegoosepress said - almost all proteins are folded, which gives the protein a specific purpose or function. A prion is like a rebel without a cause protein. A prion will take other proteins, and either unfold them (which results in loss of function) or fold them differently. This most often effects proteins in your brain, causing encephalitis. To sum it up in an analogy - prions are like kids that want to destroy your beautiful sandcastle.", "That's part of what makes prions what they are; they're very stable and don't denaturate or hydrolyze in stomach acid, nor broken down by peptidases.", "I do believe there are groupd currently looking into prion diseases being spread through vectors like Mosquitos and ticks. I read an article a year or two ago addressing chronic wasting disease (cwd) in deer and looking at whether prions could be transferred through various vectors. I really would not be shocked if prions can be spread by these means as cwd has become and epidemic in deer, elk and reindeer whether the herds were kept quarantined from wild populations or not. Pretty neat concept overall.", "As I understand it (BS in Biochem, plus some independent study into the subject), it's because there's no mechanism for the body (or us) to selectively remove the misfolded PrP (Prion Protein). Whereas viruses, bacteria, and the like are incredibly distinct from our own cells and proteins (usually), PrP is expressed endogenously in human cells. That means that many natural defense mechanisms will ignore it. Furthermore, we don't actually know a whole lot about PrP - we don't even have a good structure of the pathological form - which makes it next to impossible to purposefully design drugs against it, even if they could be delivered to the relevant areas within the body. Obviously, no natural product has been used to address the issue either, and to my knowledge, no promising candidates have been found. TLDR; prions are completely different than the diseases that we're used to dealing with, so our usual strategies mean nothing, and we don't know enough about them to have come up with anything novel yet.", "Engineering new chaperone proteins is probably a ways off. There are potentially easier ways to treat prion diseases, anyway. Essentially, susceptible protein must \"nucleate\", or turn into an aggregate of the prion form. This process is sufficiently slow as to be negligible in vivo, though; nucleated prion protein is what usually is responsible for infection of new cells, rather than nucleation happening anew in each cell. Existing prion aggregates are polymers, and they mostly reproduce by recruiting new susceptible protein to the ends of the polymer. According to [Masel and Jansen (2000)](_URL_1_), the most effective way to stop prion diseases is probably the use of drugs that slow down the elongation of this polymer; drugs targeted at stopping nucleation (which is presumably what new chaperone proteins would do) are likely to be too late to do anything.", "Yes, the main determining factor is whether the prion protein is expressed by a certain cell type. So the prion that causes mad cow disease is found in muscle cells--hence why it is dangerous to eat beef that is potentially infected with the protein. The neurodegenerative process is what is lethal, though.", "Prions are involved in a number of diseases. Creutzfeldt-Jakob is probably the most well known that affects humans, and it appears either (i) spontaneously (as in spontaneous mutation or re-folding, it's not really clear) (ii) transmitted (by an infected individual) or (iii) caused by hereditary mutations within the gene encoding for the prion protein (PNRP). The latter is also the case for similar disorders like GSSS (Gerstmann-Straeussler-Scheinker syndrome) or FFI (fatal familial insomnia). Those cases are pretty rare thought. I don't think it's really known how the spontaneous re-folding happens. As far as I know, the people developing the disease *de novo* do show symptoms, but they sometimes take many years to develop. GSSS symptoms only start to develop at around age 20 and it progresses slowly over the course the next 5-6 years.", "Look at the \"normal\" and \"misfolded\" states in [this admittedly ugly graphic](_URL_0_). The red and yellow dots are both a energy minimums, and the barrier separating them is high. Going from one to the other is hard. For something like a prion, though, the misfolded protein can associate with a normal one and lower this barrier. It's the same idea as an enzyme catalyzing a chemical reaction, except the prion protein is lowering the energy barrier for a conformational change. The thermal energy available at room temperature is enough to push the \"normal\" protein over the barrier, and then it the formerly \"normal\" protein adopts the misfolded shape.", "CJD is caused by a prion and presents with uncontrollable seizures, dementia and death, usually within three months. A prion is a chain of protein that attaches itself to the DNA/RNA replication enzymes and reproduces or replicates itself within the human brain. Usually CJD is transmitted via direct ingestion. vCJD is related to Bovine Spongiform Disease or “mad cow” disease and is also caused by a prion. Some cases have been reported in humans who ate beef from a cow with “mad cow” disease and developed CJD-like symptoms afterward. Symptoms are similar. As an aside, the prions are very hard to kill and full strength bleach is needed to “sterilize” surgical instruments after a case.", "They're difficult to destroy _in comparison to other proteins_. Or to put it another way, they're difficult to destroy by _biological_ standards (e.g. not cleaved by proteases, or destroyed at temperatures that are 'extreme' to normal biomolecules) They're not difficult to destroy by _chemical_ standards - many oxidizing and reducing agents, acids and alkalis will destroy them (e.g. lye) They certainly won't survive being heated to some hundreds of degrees C in air, either. Submerging them in bleach under temperature/pressure is certainly not the only way to neutralize them in general, but merely the only _practical_ way in a particular circumstance, such as in sterilizing surgical and lab equipment.", "This is because of prions, which are infectious misfolded proteins. They exist only in the brain and are transmitted when someone/thing eats infected brain matter. The prions cause the host's proteins to misfold, causing cell death. This creates the characteristic spongy brain associated with prion diseases like Kuru and Mad Cow. In short, don't eat brains.", "We don't really know yet. There are similar things called amyloid diseases, but for now it seems like prion diseases only develop in brain tissue because of the unique conditions of the brain. Brain cells exist for a very long time compared to other cell types and thanks to the blood brain barrier are hardly disturbed by anything else. It's like a stagnant pond compared to other tissues. It's entirely possible that prions *do* happen in other tissues, they just get cleared out before they can form plaques.", "The 'misfolded' prions are protease resistant, which means that the misfolded form cannot be broken down effectively by proteases (enzymes that break down proteins). However if protease reistance is due to the misfolded form being aggregated then that cannot serve as an infectuous agent, as a large insoluble protein aggregate cannot traverse different parts of an organism with great ease. Nevertheless, if a protease-resistant *soluble* form exists then that could serve as the infecuous agent in the 'protein only' mechanism. Furthermore, it could be that an 'unfolded' peptide fragment from the intact prion could interact with the wild-type correctly folded protein and lower the barrier to its 'conversion' to the infectuous form.", "Prions are basically a misfolded protein. What does that mean though? Well basically it's like a defective Lego. Instead of clicking together with everything like it's supposed to, it's just not a good fit. What makes them dangerous though is that instead of just not fitting together, they actually force the other good Legos (proteins) to change in order to fit. So instead building a nice house you get a cat. Since it's a protein instead of a virus or bacteria your immune system doesn't notice it.", "The disease state you are referring to is Kuru, which is caused by prions. Prions can be viewed as a protein \"poison\". It is a misfolded protein that, upon contact with its non misfolded form, causes the normal protein to misfold. This ends up causing a deadly cascade of misfolding of proteins which leads to neurological problems (among many) and death. This prion is not in everyone, only people who have been \"infected\" by it. This means that the only way you can get Kuru is to eat someone who has Kuru." ]

[ "By Matt Citak\nConsidering how crazy the regular season was this year, it should come as no surprise that the first two rounds of the 2018 NCAA Tournament have been absolute chaos. Favorites have fallen, history has been made, and, oh yeah, we still have four more rounds to go.\nBuckle up, ladies and gentlemen. With the way March Madness is going, we should be in for a wild finish.\nUMBC becomes first 16 seed to win, beats UVA by 20\nOn Friday, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County made history. The UMBC Retrievers accomplished something that 135 previous 16 seeds in the 64-team era of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament were unable to do — pull off a first round upset.\nThe University of Virginia entered the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed. Yet despite being the overwhelming favorite in this “David vs. Goliath” showdown, the Cavaliers failed to show up to their first-round matchup, falling to the Retrievers by whopping 20 points.\nUMBC’s cinderella run came to an end on Sunday, when No. 9 seed Kansas State pulled off the late victory over, 50-43. The Retrievers’ magical run may have ended quickly, but the darlings out of the American East did more than enough to solidify their place in NCAA history.\nUVA far from the only favorite taken down\nWhile Virginia suffered the biggest upset, the Cavaliers weren’t the only favorites taken down during the tournament’s opening weekend. The madness began on Thursday, when No. 13 seed Buffalo opened their tournament play with a 21-point beatdown of Arizona, sending the NBA’s likely No. 1 pick DeAndre Ayton home early. The craziness continued a few hours later, when Donte Ingram of No. 11 seed Loyola-Chicago hit a long three-pointer right before the final buzzer to beat No. 6 seed Miami and send his team into the Round of 32.\nThe upsets continued on Friday, when No. 11 seed Syracuse, the last team to make the tournament, defeated No. 6 seed TCU, while No. 13 seed Marshall took down No. 4 seed Wichita State. While the opening round produced some very surprising results, it was nothing compared to what we saw in the Round of 32.\nLoyola-Chicago was the first big underdog to punch its ticket to the Sweet 16, when they defeated No. 3 seed Tennessee on Saturday, thanks to a Clayton Custer jumper with just 3.6 seconds remaining. The Ramblers were joined by the Syracuse Orange as the only double-digit seeds in the Sweet 16, after the Orange pulled off the first major upset of Sunday’s games, beating No. 3 seed Michigan State, 55-53.\nBut the madness did not stop there. No. 7 seed Texas A&M destroyed No. 2 seed UNC by 21 points, No. 9 seed Florida State took down No. 1 seed Xavier 75-70, and No. 7 seed Nevada overcame a 22-point second-half deficit to defeat No. 2 seed Cincinnati, 75-73.\nUnlike other No. 1 seeds, Villanova playing like top team\nVirginia and Xavier are out, while Kansas snuck by No. 8 seed Seton Hall, winning by just four points on Saturday. But unlike the rest of the pack, Villanova is playing up to its No. 1 seed.\nThe Wildcats began their tournament play with an easy 26-point victory over Radford. Jay Wright’s squad faced a pesky Alabama team in the Round of 32, and at halftime, it appeared as if the No. 9 seed had a chance to upset Villanova. But a 22-point second half from junior guard Mikal Bridges put those thoughts to rest, as the Wildcats pulled away to win by 23.\nWith one of the country’s most efficient offenses, it was not surprising to see Villanova score at ease against Radford and Alabama. But the Wildcats’ defense has also looked great in the first two rounds, and that should worry the other 15 remaining schools. Going up against a very talented West Virginia team in the Sweet 16, Villanova will face its toughest matchup yet on Friday.\nSouth Region without top-4 seed in Sweet 16 for first time ever\nThe best way to understand just how crazy this year’s NCAA Tournament has been so far is to look at the bracket’s South Region. For the first time in NCAA history, no top-four seed in the South Region has made it to the second weekend, as No. 1 seed Virginia, No. 2 Cincinnati, No. 3 seed Tennessee, and No. 4 seed Arizona all found themselves on the wrong side of an upset.\nThe four teams to make it to the Sweet 16 out of the South are likely not the schools you may have expected. No. 5 seed Kentucky is the highest seed remaining, followed by No. 7 seed Nevada, No. 9 seed Kansas State, and No. 11 seed Loyola-Chicago.\nJohn Calipari, who helped lead Kentucky on a late-season winning streak to take home the SEC Tournament championship, has to like his team’s chances moving forward. The only obstacles between the Wildcats and yet another Final Four appearance are Thursday’s matchup against Kansas State and, if they emerge victorious from that, an Elite Eight contest against the winner of Nevada-Loyola-Chicago. As we have seen many times before, the key to winning is getting hot at the right time. And few teams are playing better than the Wildcats right now.\nDuke is ACC’s last best hope for a title\nThe Atlantic Coast Conference entered the Round of 64 with several legitimate contenders to emerge as national champions. But following four days of pure chaos, the ACC is left with just one good chance at a national championship — the Duke Blue Devils.\nThe Blue Devils have absolutely dominated their first two games, beating Iona by 22 before dismantling Rhode Island by 25. They are averaging 88 points in their first two games, while holding both of their opponents to under one point per possession.\nThe ACC has four of the 16 teams left, but Duke provides the conference with their best hope for a title. The Blue Devils take on Syracuse on Friday, guaranteeing at least one ACC team in the Elite 8. Florida State has a tough matchup against No. 4 seed Gonzaga on Thursday, while Clemson will have to battle it out against No. 1 seed Kansas on Friday.\nDuke has the best chance to win it all of the remaining ACC teams. But if this tournament has taught us anything, it’s that any team is capable of pulling out a W, no matter how big of an upset it seems.\nWant to dominate this March? Join SportsLine now to get picks for every postseason college basketball game from the model that went 27-5 in the first round last year and has accurately predicted nine of the 12 double-digit seed upsets the last two years!\nMatt Citak is a contributor for CBS Local Sports and a proud Vanderbilt alum. Follow him on Twitter." ]

[ "Learning how to trade around a core position in a portfolio can be an investor's best technique to buck market volatility. In fact, it was one of the techniques Jim Cramer used to become successful on Wall Street.\n\"This is a discipline that is incredibly useful, especially in volatile, crazy markets,\" the \"Mad Money\" host said.\nTrading is all about profiting from short term fluctuations in price, which can be caused by an unexpected catalyst or a wild market. In Cramer's opinion, knowing proper trading strategy, including how to trade around a core position, will make you a better investor.\nCramer outlined the steps to trading a core position below.\nFirst, pick a stock that you like and believe will go higher in the long term. Think of a company with solid fundamentals that can stay strong when the market becomes volatile and will go higher with a little patience.\nCramer recommended establishing a position in the stock by buying shares in increments. Buying it all at once is just plain arrogant, he said.\nFor instance, if you want to own 100 shares of your favorite stock over time, buy the stock in increments of 25. Buy it four times over a span of weeks or months until you reach 100 shares.\nFor those who want to live a little and trade, Cramer says home-gamers can make money, too, if they trade correctly.\nTo begin trading on a core position, every time the stock jumps 5 percent, sell 25 shares. Keep shaving a little off the top to bring in some profits, a strategy called scaling out of a stock. If Cramer loves a stock, however, he likes saving the last 25 shares.\nThe next step is to wait until something happens to the stock that knocks it down to the same price where you first bought it, as long as the news isn't specific to the stock. When the stock comes down, you start to buy it in increments again.\nThis might appear to be small potatoes, but over time, the profits add up. Up 5 percent and sell 25 shares, then buy it from where you started. The cash in your pocket will start to accumulate.\n\"A lot of people think that trading is incredibly exciting, and it can be, but if you're good at trading around a core position, you should be pretty bored. All you're doing is watching the stock move, and trimming or adding to your position accordingly,\" Cramer said.\nThe purpose of this technique is to avoid putting yourself in a position where you have too much money on the table for a stock. That way, if the stock takes a hit and goes down or if you have too little on the table to take advantage of upside, you are prepared.\n\"Trading around a core position is an important basic trading strategy that everyone can use, even those of you who find the notion of trading, as opposed to investing, to be abhorrent,\" Cramer said.\nQuestions for Cramer?\nCall Cramer: 1-800-743-CNBC\nWant to take a deep dive into Cramer's world? Hit him up!\nMad Money Twitter - Jim Cramer Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - Vine\nQuestions, comments, suggestions for the \"Mad Money\" website? madcap@cnbc.com", "ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) -- The Ducks weren't too excited about the start to their season opener, but turns out they had an exciting finish in the wings.\nAfter falling behind 4-1 Thursday night to the Coyotes, Anaheim responded with four consecutive goals to edge Arizona 5-4 on a goal by Rickard Rakell with 3:30 left to play.\nAnaheim's Corey Perry scored twice and set up Andrew Coglino's tying goal with 6:15 remaining.\n\"That's not the way we want to start a hockey game,\" Perry said. \"They played well the first half of the game and we didn't do what we needed to do.\n\"Late in the second period we started to find our legs and started to get involved emotionally, and it carried over to that third period.\"\nIt was difficult loss for the young Coyotes playing their first game under coach Rick Tocchet.\n\"We're up 4-1 and started to back off,\" Tocchet said.\n\"It's a learning lesson. It's a tough one, because that's a game we should have had. I liked the way we were playing at 4-1, it just seemed like Anaheim made a push. That's why they're a good team and have won a lot of games. They stuck with it and we didn't.\"\nArizona scored a pair of power-play goals in the second period to take a seemingly commanding 4-1 lead.\nThe second power-play goal came after Perry knocked down Coyotes goalie Louis Domingue behind the net. That led to a wild scuffle that lasted long enough for Anaheim goalie John Gibson to slowly skate down to the red line. By the time order was restored, Domingue and Gibson exchanged words. Gibson appeared to be challenging Domingue to fight, saying, \"Let's go.\"\n\"I don't know why (Perry) got so mad at me,\" Domingue said. \"He hit me in the head. You can't do that.\n\"But you can't let that stuff take away from an entire game. You still have to play after.\"\nGibson received a 10-minute misconduct penalty, to go along with Perry's two-minute goalie interference penalty. Arizona quickly cashed in, Christian Fischer scoring off Brendan Perlini's assist.\nBut that was Arizona's last hurrah. Perry felt the dust-up ignited the Ducks.\n\"That's kind of when things started to change and we got emotionally involved in the hockey game,\" Perry said. \"Before that I don't think we were doing a whole lot. We were standing around and watching them play.\"\nPerry got a measure of revenge with his second goal, taking Rakell's pass and deflecting it past Domingue. Thirty-one seconds later, Ondrej Kase pulled Anaheim back within one and it was a new game.\n\"There was a little scrum there and all of a sudden all of the momentum turns,\" said Arizona's Alex Goligoski, who assisted on the Coyotes' first two goals. \"I think we just lost focus for a little bit and it spiraled out of control. Good teams don't do that.\"\nNOTES\nThe Ducks started the season without five players they expected to dress (Ryan Miller, Hampus Lindholm, Sami Vatanen, Ryan Kesler, Patrick Eaves) and then learned at the morning skate they would be without first-line center Ryan Getzlaf, out with a lower-body injury. He suffered the injury in practice last week. . Friday was the first time the Ducks opened the season at home since 2009. It was only their fifth season opener in their 24 years. . Arizona rookie Clayton Keller, 19, scored his first career goal to give the Coyotes their 2-0 lead. . The three-goal comeback was Anaheim's first since March 31, 2014 vs. Winnipeg. … It was the NHL head coaching debut for Tocchet, 53, who spent the past three seasons as an assistant with the Penguins.\nUP NEXT\nCoyotes: Host Philadelphia on Saturday night.\nDucks: Host Vancouver on Saturday night.", "The team on Discovery’s new series Last Outpost step their creativity up a notch tonight — as they create an off-road wheelchair to help a partially paralyzed man return to the life he used to know: hunting and fishing in the wild.\nBackcountry builders Clint Greathouse and Todd Anderson, of Alaska’s “CT Mad Modz” metal fabrication company, create the all-terrain vehicle out of an old lawnmower.\nThe episode also sees them combine a camper with a snow-machine to make a mobile ice fishing shack.\nLast Outpost sees the duo and their team make one-off creations using nothing but recycled parts to help those living on the edge in the wilds of Alaska. On the premiere they built an ‘unstoppable’ tow-truck and a survival pod made out of an airplane.\nWatch Monsters and Critics’ exclusive clip from the episode, as the pair test out their first effort at the off-roach wheelchair — and manage to break it!\nLast Outpost airs Tuesdays at 10pm ET/PT on Discovery.", "Now comes the balancing act, and it starts in goal.\nThe Rangers have seemingly once again found equilibrium, which means that once again, preparedness for the postseason is paramount for Alain Vigneault and his coaching staff.\nSo after starting netminder Henrik Lundqvist rediscovered his game while playing all of the four-game homestand they recently swept, and as backup Antti Raanta completed his first 60-minute contest since Dec. 29 with the 3-2 victory over the Blue Jackets in Columbus on Monday night to extend the team’s winning streak to six games, where does Vigneault go from here?\nBecause with Tuesday’s day off and the next game being the big-time contest against the Islanders in Brooklyn on Thursday — about time, right? — it’s now easy to remember Vigneault saying at the beginning of the year he wanted to start Lundqvist less than 60 games in the regular season. With Lundqvist’s 34th birthday coming March 2, he is on pace to play 68.\nRaanta, 27, dealt with a lower-body injury suffered in the first period of a game in Montreal on Jan. 14, which was his only start in the new calendar year before Monday night. He made 30 saves against Columbus, and scrambled to preserve the win in the final gasping moments of the third period. It helped the Rangers get to 9-2-0 in their previous 11 games, as well as 13-5-0 since a bizarre 7-4 loss to the Wild back on Dec. 23, just before the Christmas break.\n“Really, really good feeling,” Raanta said after the game. “When Hanky is playing at that level, it’s tough to get games there. It was really fun to just get there and play. It had been a long time when I played last time. I just wanted to get that good feeling going again.”\nThe victory put the Rangers in a virtual tie for second place in the Metropolitan Division with the Blue Jackets and Penguins before Pittsburgh played host to the Canucks on Tuesday night. Columbus is scuffling since its 16-game winning streak ended Jan. 5, with John Tortorella’s club 8-10-1 since then.\nIf things stay on this trajectory — and who knows what might happen with the March 1 trade deadline still looming large — than the Rangers will be rewarded by entering the side of the playoff bracket with the Penguins and Capitals, a much more difficult route than what would come on the Atlantic Division side.\nSo, again, with 26 games remaining in the season and a 14-point cushion from falling out of the playoff picture, how is Vigneault going to deploy his goalies?\nIf one thing is clear it’s that this has been an unusual season for Lundqvist. He sat as a healthy backup for a career-high four straight games in early December, and then struggled to find any consistency as the schedule went through a handful of stops and starts, with the holiday break, the new “bye week” Jan. 8-12, and then the All-Star break over the final weekend of January.\nThat’s why the four-game set at the Garden against all Western Conference teams proved to be so important, not just for the Rangers to take four in a row, but for Lundqvist to play well in all of them and reestablish a good feeling for himself.\nAnd Raanta, now in his second year on Broadway, has been a valuable resource, able to win games at a clip well above the average understudy. The Blueshirts have a hellish travel schedule in March, and it would do Vigneault loads of good to know that he can — and should — start Raanta in any situation while preserving Lundqvist for when the games matter most.\nWhich is not to say that it’s even possible for Vigneault to think about dropping back into that first wild-card spot. At this point, his main focus is on “getting the checkmark,” his pet phrase for saying they’ve secured a playoff spot, soon to find its way into every answer he gives over the next two months.\nBut that does not mean he will disregard the value of rest, and that starts with his most important player, who happens to be in goal.", "Minnesota Wild's Daniel Winnik (26) moves the puck next to Dallas Stars' Stephen Johns (28) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Hannah Foslien)\nWILD at STARS\n7 p.m. today (FSSW-Plus/1310AM The Ticket-96.7FM)\nStoryline\nThis is a good ol' fashioned rivalry game with a ton of meaning. The Stars moved from Minnesota in 1993, they are celebrating that team on Retro Night, and they are playing the Wild, who sit one point behind in the standings. Lose this one in regulation, and the Wild surge ahead of you into fourth place in the Central Division. This should be fun.\nKey match-up\nCharlie Coyle vs. Alexander Radulov\nCoyle had two assists in a 4-2 Minnesota win over Dallas Dec. 27 and has scored goals in consecutive games for the Wild. Radulov has been the engine that has driven the Stars this season and has 16 points (6 goals, 10 assists) in his past 10 games.\nKey Number\n17\nThat's the number of consecutive home games started by goaltender Ben Bishop. Kari Lehtonen has started just twice at home this season, the last of which when he allowed three goals on 12 shots and was pulled against Edmonton Nov. 18. But with Bishop sidelined by a facial injury, Lehtonen will get the start in net. He is coming off a 4-1 win at Arizona Thursday in which he made 17 saves.\nNotable\nDallas beat Arizona, 4-1, on Tuesday and is 29-19-4 (62 points), 17-8-1 at home.\nMinnesota beat Vegas at home Friday, 5-2. The Wild are 28-18-5 (61 points), 10-14-1 on the road.\nKari Lehtonen is expected to start in net for Dallas. He is 8-5-1 with a 2.31 GAA and .915 save percentage. Lehtonen is 10-10-3 in his career against Minnesota with a 2.82 GAA and .897 save percentage.\nDevan Dubnyk could potentially start the second of back-to-back games or Minnesota. He is 20-10-3 with a 2.63 GAA and .917 save percentage. Alex Stalock could get the start as a backup. He is 8-8-2 with a 2.66 GAA and .917 save percentage.\nMarc Methot is out for Dallas. He has been battling a knee injury all season and has yet to return to practice. Martin Hanzal also is out with a lower body injury. They skated in the morning.\nAntoine Roussel is returning after missing two games with a sinus infection.\nDallas is 8-8-0 against the Central Division. Minnesota is 7-10-0 against the Central.\nMinnesota beat Dallas 4-2 Dec. 27 in St. Paul. The Wild are 6-1-1 in their last eight games.\nDan Hamhuis has 18 points (5 goals, 13 assists) and is plus-19 in 49 games against Minnesota.\nTyler Seguin has 23 points (8 goals, 15 assists) and is plus-1 in 21 games against Minnesota.\nHe said it\n\"We had about seven periods like that in a row where we've just been on our heels the whole time. Too much thinking. Too much processing. Let's just go. Let's get going; let's get back playing fast north and that's what we did...Once we got after people, we really started to control the game. It was good to see.\"\n-Stars coach Ken Hitchcock on how the team bounced back in the second period and that helped lead to a 4-1 win in Arizona Thursday.\n\"You're going to be saying the same thing on Monday when we play the Rangers. You want to play well, whatever happens, you're going to move on quickly because you've got another game that's just as important. We've got 30 of these games that are going to be like this until the end of the year.\"\n-Stars coach Ken Hitchcock on how the Stars will be fighting for a playoff spot until the end of the season.\n\"He allows us to spread our minutes out more. He's very good at killing penalties. He gets the other teams' attention by his work ethic and his determination...I'm going to have to be flexible on the left side of the ice depending on what matchups I get. If we've got to trade out positions, we'll do that early in the game.\"\n-Stars coach Ken Hitchcock on the return of Antoine Roussel after missing two games with a sinus infection.\n\"We were pretty happy with that. They're a good team, and we knew we had to bring our 'A' game. We did that pretty much from start to finish. We know when we get the momentum right from the start and the crowd gets into it, we feed off of that too. It gets us going right away. [We have to] make sure we carry that into [the game against Dallas]. We're capable of it. We just have to prove it.\"\nWild forward Charlie Coyle on a 5-2 win Friday against Vegas\nStars projected lineup\nJamie Benn-Tyler Seguin-Alexander Radulov\nMattias Janmark-Jason Spezza-Devin Shore\nAntoine Roussel-Radek Faksa-Tyler Pitlick\nRemi Elie-Jason Dickinson-Brett Ritchie\nEsa Lindell-John Klingberg\nDan Hamhuis-Greg Pateryn\nStephen Johns-Julius Honka\nKari Lehtonen\nLandon Bow\nScratched: Dillon Heatherington, Gemel Smith\nInjured: Marc Methot, Martin Hanzal, Ben Bishop.", "On an off day meant for a mental break, Wild coach Bruce Boudreau’s face was the same shade of red it’s been the past few days.\nFresh off the best regular season in franchise history and armed a deep forward unit that deposited more pucks into the net than all but one NHL team, the Wild coach didn’t expect to be staring down an 0-3 deficit in a seven-game, first-round playoff series against the St. Louis Blues.\nThat firepower, 3.21 goals a game in the regular season, figured to neutralize the Blues’ top trio and overwhelm the Blues with depth. just like the Chicago Blackhawks had done to the Wild in years past.\nInstead, Boudreau and his coaching staff came to Xcel Energy Center early Monday morning searching for reasons the Wild have scored only three goals in three games.\n“We thought if we checked with our legs and don’t take a lot of penalties … then our balance of having three lines that can score would overshadow what they have,” Boudreau said. “But obviously it hasn’t happened that way.”\nInstead, the Wild are in the midst of a confidence crisis while tasked with winning four straight games to prolong a season that once seemed destined to march into June. They have 228-142 advantage in shot attempts but something’s not working.\n“You’re down 3-0, but it certainly says that you haven’t played that bad,” Boudreau said of the stat.\nNot only have the Wild been held to a goal per game — two with a man advantage — they have yet to hold a single lead in the series. Is it the defensive system of former Wild coach Mike Yeo, or the sudden brilliance of goalie Jake Allen?\nOr is it the Wild?\n“Can we play better? Of course we can,” Boudreau said. “I think there are certain times that things happen that we should be able to adjust a little bit better. But overall, is the care and the fight and the try there? Yeah, it has been.”\nThirty-four times in 82 regular season games, the Wild scored four or more goals, establishing themselves as one of the deepest and best offensive teams in the league, which raises the question: Why are these proven scorers suddenly struggling to finish?\n“That’s a great question,” Boudreau said. “I don’t know. If I had the answer to that, we’d probably finish. We go over, like a fine-toothed comb, the video for why things like that don’t happen.\n“Obviously, their goalie is playing pretty well. Their defense is protecting pretty well. And when we get the opportunities, we’re either over-handling it or a little bit nervous, or holding the sticks too tight because things aren’t going in.\n“I think a perfect example would have been where (Jason) Zucker came out of the penalty box two games ago and over-skated it, then passed it to (Eric) Staal, and Staal panicked and threw it across. I mean, we want to do the right things, but things aren’t going the right way, so he’s probably not playing with as much confidence as you’d like to think they’d be playing with.”\nWhile Allen’s play, highlighted by a .974 save percentage, has been spectacular, perhaps Yeo knows how to play the Wild better than any coach, his nearly five years in St. Paul benefiting him now that he’s with the Blues.\nSince replacing Ken Hitchcock on Feb. 1, Yeo is 4-0 against the Wild — and the Blues are 18-2-2 overall — on the strength of a simple plan: clog play and limit Grad-A chances by keeping skaters out of the slot.\nWith Yeo at the helm, the Blues won 2-1 on March 7. They beat the Wild 2-1 in Game 1, 2-1 in Game 2 and 3-1 (with an empty-net goal) in Game 3.\n“Everything they’ve done,” Boudreau said, “we’ve expected.”", "DURANT, OKLA. - The teams combined for 29 runs and 30 hits, but Southeastern was unable to complete a rally in the ninth inning, falling to Washburn 15-14 on Monday afternoon at The Ballpark in Durant.\nThe loss drops the Savage Storm to 10-16 overall heading into a Tuesday afternoon non-conference matchup with East Central at 2 p.m. on March 20.\nBrett Akins finished the day 4-for-5 at the plate to lead the offense, while Bryce Deatherage added three hits.\nTravis Spinney, Austin Ferguson, Jett Swigart, and Harrison Whitworth each added a pair of hits as well.\nAkins and Spinney drove in three runs apiece, with Swigart adding a pair of RBI, while Deatherage, Ferguson, and Whitworth plated one each.\nScott Brinkley got the start and tossed 2.2 innings and took a no decision after allowing five runs on six hits.\nDallas Guerrero was tagged for three runs in one-third of an inning before handing off to Cody Johnson who tossed 3.0 innings and allowed three runs on three hits.\nTiler Fletcher tossed 1.1 innings and was hit with the loss after allowing four runs on three hits.\nJake Patterson closed out the game with 1.2 innings of scoreless work, allowing a hit and striking out three.\nA two-run Akins double in the bottom of the first put Southeastern out to a 2-0 lead.\nThe Ichabods got one run back in the top of the second with a solo homer to make it 2-1.\nDeatherage would get the offense moving again in the bottom of the second with a double to drive in Cade Clay.\nThat was followed two batters later by an RBI single by Ferguson and an RBI triple from Akins to open up a 5-1 lead, with Akins coming home on a wild pitch to push the lead to 6-1.\nWashburn closed the gap with a four-run top of the third inning to cut SE's lead to 6-5.\nClay scored on a wild pitch to get the Storm back on the board in the bottom of the third, and that was followed three batters later by a three-run Spinney line-drive homer over the left field wall to push the edge out to 10-5.\nHowever, WU sent 10 batters to the plate in the top of the fourth, taking advantage of five free passes to put up five runs and knot the game at 10-10 midway through the fourth inning.\nSE took an 11-10 lead on a Swigart RBI single in the bottom of the sixth.\nUnfortunately, the Ichabods answered with four runs in the seventh and another in the eighth to gain the lead at 15-11.\nA Swigart RBI double in the bottom of the eighth would kick off a rally, and he would score on a wild pitch to close it to 15-13.\nWhitworth would follow with a solo homer to cut the deficit to 15-14, but the Storm would leave the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth to fall 15-14.", "Busy calendar includes many special events at Gateway Motorsports Park Dragplex\nGateway Motorsports Park’s NHRA-sanctioned Dragplex in Madison, Illinois has an exciting, full calendar for 2017.\nThe main event of the 2017 season is the annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals for the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. The event draws the world’s biggest names in professional drag racing and will be held September 29 to October 1.\nA number of high-profile special events are on tap for 2017, including the signature throwback meet known as the St. Louis Nostalgia Rendezvous. The May 12-13 Rendezvous will feature many classes of nostalgia drag racing (including Gassers and Super Stocks), a traditional car show, DJs, rockabilly bands and a pin-up girl contest.\nThe prestigious Protect the Harvest Midwest Junior Super Series presented by Lucas Oil for Jr. Dragsters will make its way twice to GMP in 2017, on April 7-9 and October 6-8. The long-running United Black Drag Racers Association meet — a St. Louis drag racing tradition — takes place September 8-10. The Mid-America Super Chevy Show — the annual celebration of all things Chevrolet — will converge on the Dragplex October 13-14.\nThe Dragplex has scheduled nine points races for local, non-professional drivers with the Gateway Bracket Series and NHRA Jr. Dragster Series.\nGMP’s Dragplex also will host to an unprecedented five 5k running events in 2017.\nMARCH\n4 DriftSTL (track rental).\n10 Midnight Madness (street-legal-only special edition).\n18 Test ‘n’ Tune.\n19 NASA Autocross (pit area).\n24 Midnight Madness.\n25 Test ‘n’ Tune.\n26 SCCA Solo (pit area).\nAPRIL\n1 Bracket points race No. 1, Jr. Dragster points race No. 1.\n2 Bracket points race No. 2, Jr. Dragster points race No. 2, Heads-Up Street Cars.\n7-9 Protect the Harvest Midwest Junior Super Series presented by Lucas Oil.\n14 Midnight Madness.\n15 Color Vibe 5k (track rental).\n21 JEGS Super Quick Test ‘n’ Tune (noon-5 p.m.).\n21 PSCA Heads-Up Hootenanny qualifying (5-11 p.m.).\n22 JEGS Super Quick qualifying, Bracket points race No. 3, Jr. Dragster points race No. 3.\n22 PSCA Heads-Up Hootenanny eliminations (5-11 p.m.).\n23 JEGS Super Quick, Bracket points race No. 4, Jr. Dragster points race No. 4.\n26 Wide Open Wednesday.\n29 Bracket points race No. 5, Jr. Dragster points race No. 5.\n30 Import Face-off (track rental).\nMAY\n3 Wide Open Wednesday.\n5 Midnight Madness.\n6 Bubble Run 5k (track rental, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.).\n6 Model T Swap Meet (move-in and set-up, 2-10 p.m.).\n7 Model T Swap Meet (track rental).\n10 Wide Open Wednesday.\n12 St. Louis Nostalgia Rendezvous qualifying and time trials.\n13 St. Louis Nostalgia Rendezvous (nostalgia drag racing, bands, DJs, traditional car show, pin-up contest) and Brew Bash.\n17 Wide Open Wednesday.\n19 Midnight Madness.\n20 Black Light Slide (track rental).\n21 SCCA Solo (pit area).\n24 Wide Open Wednesday.\n27 Street Car Takeover (track rental).\nJUNE\n1 ADRL Test ‘n’ Tune (track rental).\n2-3 ADRL (track rental).\n4 Bracket points race No. 6, Jr. Dragster points race No. 6, Heads-Up Street Cars.\n7 Wide Open Wednesday.\n9-11 NHDRO Motorcycle Drags (track rental).\n18 SCCA Solo (pit area).\n21 Wide Open Wednesday.\n23 Midnight Madness.\n24 National Hot Rod Diesel Association (NHRDA) (track rental).\n25 BimmerFest: Drags, Heads-Up Street Cars, drifting and car show.\n28 Wide Open Wednesday.\n30 Bracket points race No. 7: Holiday weekend late-night special.\nJULY\n1 Bracket points race No. 8, Jr. Dragster points race No. 7.\n5 Wide Open Wednesday.\n7 Friday Night Gambler and Fun Ford time trials.\n8 Fun Ford event and Jr. Dragster points race No. 8 (8 a.m.-3 p.m.).\n8 Bracket points race No. 9 (begins at 3 p.m.).\n9 SCCA Solo (pit area).\n12 Wide Open Wednesday.\n14 Midnight Madness.\n15 Night Nation 5k (track rental).\n16 SCCA Solo (pit area).\n19 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series (LODRS) move-in and set-up.\n20 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series Test ‘n’ Tune.\n21 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series qualifying.\n22 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series: Hot Rod Showdown (Admission: $20 per car load).\n26 Wide Open Wednesday.\n28 Friday Night Gambler, Heads-Up Shootout.\n29 Bracket points race No. 10, Street Driven Tour drags.\n30 SCCA Solo (pit area).\nAUGUST\n3 Nostalgia and Street Car Super Nationals Test ‘n’ Tune.\n4 Nostalgia time trials and qualifying (1-6 p.m.).\n4 Street Car Super Nationals qualifying (6 p.m.-1 a.m.).\n5 Cavalcade of Speed Spectacular, Nostalgia eliminations (11 a.m.-6 p.m.),\nStreet Car Super Nationals Eliminations (6 p.m.-1 a.m.).\n9 Wide Open Wednesday.\n11 Midnight Madness.\n12 Doug Foley Racing Experience (track rental, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.).\n12 Bracket points race No. 11: Late-night special (4 p.m.-1 a.m.).\n13 DriftSTL (track rental).\n16 Wide Open Wednesday.\n19 Go STL 5k (track rental).\n20 NASA Autocross (pit area).\n28-30 NHRA testing.\n30 Wide Open Wednesday.\nSEPTEMBER\n1 Midnight Madness End-of-Summer Special.\n2 Bracket points race No. 12: NHRA King of the Track Qualifier, Late-night special.\n3 Final Bracket points race, Final Jr. Dragster points race, NHRA King of the Track Eliminations.\n6 Wide Open Wednesday.\n8 UBDRA Test ‘n’ Tune (track rental).\n9-10 United Black Drag Racers Association (UBDRA) (track rental).\n13 Wide Open Wednesday.\n16 Optic 5k (track rental).\n17 Import Face-off (track rental).\n20 Wide Open Wednesday.\n22 Midnight Madness.\nSeptember 29-October 1: AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals – NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series national event.\nOCTOBER\n2 Professional team testing.\n4 Wide Open Wednesday.\n6-8 Protect the Harvest Midwest Junior Super Series presented by Lucas Oil.\n11 Wide Open Wednesday.\n13 Mid-America Chevy Dealers Super Chevy Show Test ‘n’ Tune (noon-5 p.m.).\n13 Box and No-box Bracket Shootout (5-10 p.m.).\n14 Mid-America Chevy Dealers Super Chevy Show.\n15 National Dragster Challenge bracket race, Street Heads-Up championship.\n18 Wide Open Wednesday.\n20 Friday night grudge racing and Test ‘n’ Tune.\n21 Great American Truck Rally: drags, show, pull (8 a.m.-4 p.m.).\nSloptoberFest mud bogs and truck obstacles at the Gateway Dirtplex.\nConcert in the Corn at the Dragplex (4 p.m.-10 p.m.).\n22 SCCA Solo (pit area).\n27 Midnight Madness.\n29 SCCA Solo (pit area).\nNOVEMBER\n2 ADRL Dragstock test session (track rental).\n3-4 ADRL Dragstock (track rental).\n10 Midnight Madness street-legal special.\n19 NASA Autocross.\nPlease note: Schedule is subject to change. Please consult our website (www.gatewaymsp.com) and Facebook page for updates and additions.\nFor more information on Gateway Motorsports Park, please call (618) 215-8888 or visit www.gatewaymsp.com. Follow GMP on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram.", "By Rob Kiser\nrkiser@dailycall.com\nThe Piqua baseball team used two big innings to rally from a 4-0 deficit to beat Greenville 10-6 Tuesday in GWOC American action.\nThe Indians, 7-10 overall and 5-6 in GWOC American play, scored four runs in the fourth inning and six in the fifth to pick up the win. The Green Wave falls to 5-9 overall and 4-7 in GWOC American play.\nPiqua sent nine players to the plate in the fourth against Greenville starter Owen Paulus to even the game after trailing 4-0.\nDerek Hite started things off with a walk, but was forced out at second on Austin Davis’ fielder’s choice.\nZane Beougher hit a grounder to second, but throw to second was wide, with Davis going to third and Beougher ending up at second base.\nJan Adorno grounded out with the runners holding, but Ethan Pohlschneider followed with a two-run single to get Piqua on the board.\nAfter Owen Toopes singled, both Pohlschneider and Toopes scored on a two-run double by Spencer Lavey to tie the game at 4-4.\nGreenville took the lead back in the home fourth without a hit.\nLandon Eldridge was hit by a pitch, went to second on a stolen bases and ended up at third, before Kyle Mills’ sacrifice fly made it 5-4.\nBut, Piqua would send 10 batters to the plate in the top of the fifth, scoring six times to take control.\nHite started the rally with a double, with Davis following with a double to tie the game at five and bringing Mills on in relief of Paulus.\nBeougher walked and Adorno reached on an error.\nPohlschneider drilled another two-run single to give Piqua a 7-5 lead and Toopes was hit by a pitch to load the bases.\nLavey walked to force in a run and Mick Karn’s fielder’s choice scored a run to make it 9-5. Lavey came in on a wild pitch to make it 10-5 and only a diving catch by Eldridge in centerfield to end the inning prevented further damage.\nGreenville was able to get one run in the home sixth.\nEldridge singled moved around to third and scored on a wild pitch.\nBut, Hite was able to finish off the win, pitching a five-hitter, while stirking out eight and walking four.\nThe game had started with Piqua missing an opportunity to score in the top of the first.\nToopes walked and Lavey singled between the hole between first and second with no outs.\nKarn’s fielder’s choice moved them to second and third with two outs, before Paulus got a pop out to end the inning.\nGreenville got on the board in the home first, with an unearned run.\nMills singled with one out, but was forced out at second on Tyler Beyke’s fielder’s choice.\nHe stole second and third and an errant throw allowed him to score.\nGreenville made it 2-0 in the second.\nTony Sells and Reed Hanes singled. Alec Fletcher walked to load the bases and Sells scored on Ethan Saylor’s fielder’s choice before Hite got a strikeout and fly out to end the inning.\nGreenville added two more runs in the third.\nMills walked and Beyke singled. With two outs, Hanes walked to load the bases.\nFletcher had a RBI single and Saylor was hit by a pitch to force in a run and make it 4-0, before Piqua turned things around in its next two at bats.\nPiqua will be back in action Thursday, hosting Greenville in a game that was rained out on Monday.\nSaturday’s game with Fairmont has been changed to a 2 p.m. start.\nRob Kiser is Sports Editor for the Daily Call. He can be reached at (937) 451-3334.", "Get Daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email\nPandora released huge offers in the mid season sale in March- and massive reductions are still available.\nThe favoured jewellery store is a high street favoured for jewellery.\nPandora charms have been a huge hit with shoppers in recent years for everyone, so it's no wonder fans go mad for there bigger sales.\nShoppers will be able to pick up some beautiful one off items- where some can be found as little as £5 .\nThe Outlet section over on the website features stand out products like the Cord Moments fabric bracelets currently just £19, Poetic Droplet Rings in pink and aqua for just £19 and a huge selection of charms for under £15 .\nSO essentially, if a loved one was to appreciate a Pandora piece- there is plenty of different items to please anyone at unbeatable prices while you can.\nVisit the store HERE - and you can also make use of free delivery on orders over £75.", "TORONTO — Meaningful hockey in February.\nIt’s a notion that might make fans of the Maple Leafs dizzy, if they weren’t already a little light-headed from trying to keep up with the trickery often put on display by Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews.\nFollowing a bumpy run that saw the Leafs go 2-4-2, coach Mike Babcock’s players were smarter and tighter on Tuesday night, and the result was a 7-1 Saint Valentine’s Day massacre against the New York Islanders at the Air Canada Centre.\n“These are the type of opportunities you relish,” centre Nazem Kadri said in the morning, making reference to getting into the thick of a playoff race.\n“If we wrote this up at the beginning of the year, we would certainly take it. This is where good teams and good players come to play, in times like these.”\nThe Leafs, who departed soon after the game for Columbus to face the Blue Jackets on Wednesday night, gave themselves a bit of breathing room in the Eastern Conference standings.\nToronto improved to 63 points and remain in the second wild-card spot, but they’re now two up on the idle Philadelphia Flyers and three ahead of the New York Islanders.\nNot only were the Leafs — who did not have a morning skate after Babcock decided it was not necessary — solid in all areas, goaltender Frederik Andersen was in excellent form. Andersen moves around the crease with ease on most nights, but before a crowd of 18,956, he really did make it look simple, often popping up at one side of the crease shortly after making a save at the other.\nThe Leafs weren’t skittish to start the third after the Islanders scored late in the second.\nAuston Matthews, who had been doing good things with the puck earlier in the evening, scored twice in the final 20 minutes, giving him 27 goals on the season and putting him within spitting distance of Wendel Clark’s team rookie record of 34.\nMatthews scored on a power play at 5:41 when he lifted the puck over Islanders goalie Thomas Greiss; at 11:51, he deposited a pass from Connor Brown into the net, a goal that chased Greiss in favour of Jean-Francois Berube.\nThe Matthews goals sandwiched one by Tyler Bozak, who scored at 7:16 on a pass from James van Riemsdyk.\nMatt Hunwick added another, his first of the season, as the Leafs scored a season-high seven.\nA 3-0 Leafs lead was cut by a goal when Jason Chimera scored on a penalty shot after it was awarded at 16:55 of the second. Hunwick was in hot pursuit of Chimera, who managed to get a shot off. Andersen made a toe save, and for reasons that were not clear, penalty shot was called.\nWith Babcock not bothering to stifle a sarcastic grin, Chimera beat Andersen on the stick side. It was the third penalty shot called against the Leafs this season and the first one that was successful. Chimera’s goal also marked the first time an opponent scored on a penalty shot at the ACC since Mike Fisher, then with Ottawa, beat Jean-Sebastien Giguere on Nov. 2, 2010.\nWilliam Nylander had given the Leafs a 3-0 lead at 9:26 of the second when he did what hockey coaches have been telling their players to do since the game was invented: Go hard to the net.\nKadri’s shot from Greiss’ right was stopped, but the puck bounced up and went in off Nylander.\nFans were mad at referees Dean Morton and Garrett Rank after the penalty shot call, and the boos grew louder when Kadri was called for hooking late in the second.\nThe Leafs enjoyed one of their better first periods in quite some time and held a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.\nJosh Leivo, who had three points, scored his first goal in the NHL since last March when he snapped an Adam Pelech turnover past Greiss at 11:36.\nThe goal was unassisted, ending the Leafs’ team record streak of 22 consecutive goals in which a rookie was involved.\nKadri, who had not scored in a season-high nine consecutive games, finally set a career-high when he got his 21st goal of the season. It came at 19:28 when he got his stick shaft on a point shot by Nikita Zaitsev.\ntkoshan@postmedia.com", "Here are the top five NHL games of the first week of 2017.\n2016 was a great year for the NHL. However, 2017 should be an even more exciting year. The first week of the year will feature some very intriguing games. A few of them could serve as playoff previews. Several include division leaders. No matter which kind of match ups you like, you’ll get a great one this week.\nIt’s not a surprise three of them feature teams from the Metropolitan Division. The Metro has been the best division in hockey so far this season. With four of its teams among the top teams in the league, this makes for a lot of drama any time they play. Here are the five best NHL games to watch this week, starting on Jan. 3.\n5. New York Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers\nOn Wednesday Jan. 4, the New York Rangers will visit the Philadelphia Flyers. This game will be shown on NBCSN and starts at 8:00 p.m. ET. It features two of the top teams in the Metropolitan Division. They last faced each other on Black Friday, with the Rangers winning 3-2 in dramatic fashion.\nEntering 2017, New York is in third place in the Metropolitan Division. Meanwhile, the Flyers occupy the Eastern Conference’s second wild card spot. Philadelphia is led by Jakub Voracek, who has 35 points. Captain Claude Giroux and forward Wayne Simmonds have 32 points a piece. Their 116 goals as a team ranks fourth in the league. However, their 120 goals allowed ranks 28th.\nMeanwhile, the Rangers are trying to get all of their forwards healthy. Their 135 goals as a team are the most by any team. Derek Stepan leads the team with 30 points. Captain Ryan McDonagh leads the team with 23 assists. Chris Kreider leads the Rangers with 15 goals. Their offense has been a team effort, making them very difficult to stop.\n4. Toronto Maple Leafs at Washington Capitals\nOn Tuesday Jan. 3, two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference will square off. The Washington Capitals will host the Toronto Maple Leafs in what promises to be an excellent game. Though the Leafs won 4-2 the last time they faced, at that point, the Caps were playing the second end of games on consecutive nights. This time, both teams will be rested.\nToronto is led by a trio of impressive rookies. Auston Matthews is considered by many to be the Calder Trophy favorite. As a teenager, the 2016 first overall pick already has 20 goals. William Nylander and Mitch Marner have both been impressive as well. The Maple Leafs have won five straight games.\nMeanwhile, the Capitals are led by captain Alex Ovechkin and center Nicklas Backstrom. Goaltender Braden Holtby has been extremely hot as of late, placing himself back in the Vezina Trophy conversation.\n3. Montreal Canadiens at Nashville Predators\nAlso on Tuesday, the Nashville Predators will host the Montreal Canadiens starting at 8:00 p.m. This will be the first time Shea Weber returns to Nashville following the infamous Weber for P.K. Subban trade this offseason. Expect a huge ovation from Predators fans.\nBoth teams should be fired up for this game. Subban and Weber should be very pumped up for this game, as each defenseman will be facing his former team. Montreal will be looking to get back on track, as they are just 4-3-3 over their last 10 games.\n2. Minnesota Wild at San Jose Sharks\nStarting at 10:30 p.m. ET on Thursday Jan. 5, the red-hot Minnesota Wild will visit the Pacific Division leading San Jose Sharks. Combined, the two teams are 17-3-0 over their last 20 games (10 games each). This could be a Western Conference Final preview, as two of the best teams in the West square off.\nBoth teams focus more on defense than offense. Devan Dubnyk is a very strong Vezina Trophy contender for the Wild, as he’s among the league leaders in save percentage and goals against average. Meanwhile, San Jose allows very few shots on goal, making life easy for Martin Jones. The Sharks are led by Brent Burns and Joe Pavelski. On the other side of the ice, Ryan Suter and Eric Staal lead an impressive Wild team.\n1. New York Rangers at Columbus Blue Jackets\nTwo of the best teams in the NHL will square off on Saturday Jan. 7 when the Columbus Blue Jackets host the New York Rangers. For a variety of reasons, this game should have a lot of drama. Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella used to be the coach for the Rangers. Obviously that will make this game a bit more interesting.\nHowever, the more intriguing thing is the Blue Jackets could advance their winning streak to an NHL record 18 games on Saturday. The streak is currently at 15 games. Should they win their games against the Edmonton Oilers and Washington Capitals, Saturday could be a historic evening.\nMore from FanSided\nThis article originally appeared on", "\"We saw a little bit of 'Heavy Metal Parking Lot' out there, with the buses rumbling in!\" exclaimed Judas Priest drummer Scott Travis, referring to the cult documentary of heavy metal concert tailgating escapades from a 1986 Priest concert in Landover, Md.\nThirty-two years later, the spirit of heavy metal madness was alive and well Saturday night, on St. Patrick's Day, when the beer flowed and a mixed crowd of near-retirement aged metalheads converged upon the NYCB Live at Nassau Coliseum. The triple bill was a metal maniac's dream: show openers Black Star Riders, middle liners Saxon, and the undisputed kings of heavy metal, Judas Priest.\nBlack Star Riders, a hard rock band featuring former touring members of Thin Lizzy and Alice Cooper, got things started with the title track off their debut album \"All Hell Breaks Loose.\"\nLead singer and guitarist Ricky Warwick amazingly channeled the late Phil Lynott on Thin Lizzy classics \"Jailbreak and \"Whiskey in the Jar.\" Former Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham kept the solo breaks loud and clean while quietly celebrating his 67th birthday on stage.\nThe band played with a lot of energy and fury for a group of guys in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. Their latest album, \"Heavy Fire\", reached No. 6 on the UK charts when it was released last November.\nNext up was Saxon, the purveyors of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) scene that gained traction in the early 1980s. Led by singer Peter (Biff) Byford, guitarist Paul Quinn, and veteran drummer Nigel Glocker, the band was — by far — the loudest band of the night. Quite possibly, the loudest band I have ever heard! Even while wearing earplugs, one can feel the ground move and air shift from the bone-crushing shear volume.\nJudas Priest brought the firepower to the Nassau Coliseum on Saturday. Pictured is front man Rob Halford. (Kevin Coughlin)\nSaxon opened their set with the title song of their latest album, \"Thunderbolt,\" which Byford announced was their best-selling album since 1984.\n\"If you haven't bought it yet, go out tomorrow and steal it!\"\nThe old Brits got the crowd of teenagers with their parents and some grandparents rocking and fist-banging, waving their \"metal-horns\" sign, to songs such as \"Power and the Glory,\" \"Princess of the Night,\" and their anthem to the '80's metal generation, \"Denim and Leather.\"\nByford, 67, with his long white mane of waist-length hair, is showing no signs of stopping. Formed in 1977, Saxon is a band that has seen its share of ups and downs and has somehow managed to sell upward of 23 million albums worldwide, according to Wikipedia.\nCome 9 p.m., the time machine in the newly renovated NYCB Live Nassau Coliseum turned the clock back to 1986 as the Priest hit the stage.\nJudas Priest drummer Scott Travis performs at Saturday's show. (Kevin Coughlin)\nParents made sure their small children had their hearing protection on as Priest launched into \"Firepower,\" the title track off their latest effort, which currently holds the No. 5 position on the Billboard Hot 200. It is also Judas Priest's highest charting album ever in their career.\n\"Firepower\" — the band's 18th studio album — sold 49,000 units in the week ending March 15, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 48,000 were in traditional album sales — the act's best sales frame since 2005's \"Angel of Retribution.\"\nJudas Priest's album sales were bolstered from a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer in association with the band's tour that began on March 13.\nHowever, this is a much different looking Judas Priest.\nThe only founding members of the quintet are lead singer Rob Halford and bassist Ian Hill. Just last month, co-founding guitarist Glenn Tipton, 70, revealed that he has Parkinson's disease and that the rigors of touring were too much to handle.\nBlack Star Riders kicked off a night of metal at the Nassau Coliseum. Pictured are vocalist and guitarist Ricky Warwick (left) and lead guitarist Scott Gorham (right). (Kevin Coughlin)\nIn Tipton's place, playing only his third show with Priest, is Andy Sneap, who is also the producer of \"Firepower.\" Rounding out the band is 38-year-old Richie Faulkner, who replaced original guitarist KK Downing in 2011, and veteran drummer Scott Travis.\nHalford, 66, the self-proclaimed \"Metal God,\" paced himself a little slower and smoother than he had in decades past, but he still has a range that can shatter a glass behind the stage.\nDigging deep into their catalog, classics such as \"Running Wild,\" \"The Ripper\" and \"Sinner\" bore their sonic resemblance from the 1970s. Their 1980 American breakthrough, \"British Steel\", featured the most cuts of the night.\nSongs such as \"Grinder,\" \"Metal Gods,\" \"Breaking the Law\" and \"Living After Midnight\" got the security force working overtime, wrestling some out-of-control senior citizens out of the coliseum.\nHalford, ever the showman, changed from silver leather to black leather, back to silver outfits as fast as Cher ever did between numbers. Never to disappoint, Halford rolled onto the stage atop his silver Harley Davidson for the regular set closer \"Hell Bent for Leather.\"\nJudas Priest are as real as heavy metal gets and like Saxon, also show no signs of stopping. Catch them again Tuesday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.\nSign up for BREAKING NEWS Emails privacy policy Thanks for subscribing!", "Dear Ruthie,\nMy girlfriend doesn’t want to be touched after orgasm. I have never run into this. Most women want to cuddle after. Even the slightest touch gets her mad. After doing research I found there are women who get overstimulated and can’t be touched. I am shocked that in my 45-plus years of having various affairs and reading sex books and articles, I have never heard of this. Why the secret?\n—Jack\nDear Jacky,\nAs you note, many women (and men) feel overstimulated after sex, and they don’t want to be touched once the horizontal hokey-pokey comes to an end. Make sure you talk to your cuddle-free lady about this, however, to be sure sex isn’t painful or that she’s not dealing with issues of depression or guilt. If any of these situations are the case, suggest she see a medical professional.\nWhy the secret? It’s actually a White House initiative designed to make you question your manhood and overall ability to satisfy women. Don’t be a dork! It can’t be that big of a secret if you found your answer online, sugar. Hmmm…maybe you just wanted to reach out to me. Is that it? That’s wonderful, honey—just don’t touch me!\nUPCOMING EVENTS:\nMarch 30: mARTch Madness at Mitchell Park Domes (524 S. Layton Blvd.): The staff at the Domes puts an artsy twist on March Madness with this one-night-only art and fashion show. Check out the wares of local artists (and buy a few pieces, too), point the kids toward the coloring station and don’t miss the LED light shows every hour on the half, starting at 6:30 p.m. Cash bars and food round out the 6-9 p.m. evening. Admission for adults is $7, but swing by county.milwaukee.gov for additional information.\nMarch 31: Opening Night of Milwaukee Twisted Dreams Film Festival at The Underground Collaborative (161 W. Wisconsin Ave., Lower Level Grand Avenue Mall): Get your gore on with everything from documentaries and feature films to shorts and animated spots. From twisted tales to killer cuts, there’s a film for every ghoul during this three-day fest. Tickets range from $10 to $75. See twisteddreamsff.com for ticket packages, show times and more.\nApril 1: Dog-Day Afternoon at Sidetrack Video Bar (3349 N. Halsted St., Chicago): Pack up your pup and head south for an afternoon of beverages, boys and bow-wows. Meet new friends (furry and fleshy), and enjoy the 1-5 p.m. afternoon antics, including swag bags for doggies, drink specials for their owners and more. Don’t have a pooch? C’mon down anyway!\nApril 1: Toyota Corona’s April Fools at D.I.X. (739 S. First St.): Yuck it up this April Fools Day with the comedy queens of D.I.X. Hometown honey Toyota Corona returns to Brew City to host the fabulous night of fun, starting at 10 p.m. There’s no cover, but you must over 21 to attend…and I’m not foolin’!\nApril 2: Lady Bunny at Hamburger Mary’s (730 S. Fifth St.): This isn’t an April Fools joke…the legendary Lady Bunny is coming to Milwaukee! Join me and the Lady herself right here in Brew Town. Performing her hilarious one-woman show, Trans-Jester , the dynamic diva shows her funny bone at Milwaukee’s kitschy burger joint with an 8 p.m. performance. General admission tickets go for $25, with a 7:30 p.m. first-come, first-serve seating, followed by standing room. See brownpapertickets.com for more.\nApril 5: Screening of ‘Angle of Ascent’ at Skylight Music Theatre (158 N. Broadway): Enjoy a 5:30 p.m. screening of this intriguing documentary that follows the CIA as it begins to embrace diversity and LGBT security clearance issues. After the short film, enjoy a friendly social and discuss the free showing. What a great way to meet new folks! Just imagine, you can tell your grandkids that the CIA brought you and your spouse together!\nWant to share an event with Ruthie? Need her advice on a situation? Email DearRuthie@Shepex.com. Be sure to follow her Facebook (Ruthie Keester) and Twitter (@DearRuthie).", "PITTSBURGH — The Rockies waded into the fountain of youth Wednesday night and came away with an important victory.\nBehind a bounce-back start from rookie starter German Marquez and a career-high four hits from speedy rookie right fielder Raimel Tapia, the Rockies beat Pittsburgh 5-1 to snuff out a three-game losing streak.\nThe Rockies (42-26) finished their seven-game road trip 4-3 and begin a seven-game homestand Thursday at Coors Field against San Francisco.\n“It felt really good, because my goal is to come up to the plate and be able to contribute and help the team win games,” said Tapia, who filled in for the slumping Carlos Gonzalez and also scored a career-high three runs.\nAn assist goes to left-handed reliever Jake McGee, who inherited a one-out bases loaded mess from Adam Ottavino in the seventh and bailed him out. McGee induced a weak popup to center from Adam Frazier and struck out Josh Harrison with a rising, 97 mph fastball.\n“That was huge,” manager Bud Black said.\nMcGee came back out and pitched a scoreless eighth, bridging to closer Greg Holland, who set the Pirates down in order in the ninth.\nMarquez, just 22, grew up a little bit more Wednesday night.\nIn his last start, he was gone after three innings, weighed down by an 80-pitch load. But the right-hander delivered five-plus solid innings Wednesday night, allowing one run on four hits — and needed only 82 pitches, 53 for strikes.\n“He sure hung in there,” Black said. “There were a couple of big outs he had to get in the fifth inning. Those were big. It was a 3-0 game and it could have swung their way. But he held the fort.”\nIndeed, Marquez kept his cool in that bizarre fifth that included a near brouhaha. Andrew McCutchen singled with one out, and then Marquez threw an inside fastball that clipped Pirates catcher Francisco Cervelli. At that point, Cervelli and Colorado catch Tony Wolters started jawing and the benches emptied.\n“I don’t know why they were mad,” Marquez said. “It was just a pitch that got away from me. I don’t know what the anger was.”\nNo punches were thrown and order was restored, but with two outs, Marquez uncorked a wild pitch, advancing McCutchen to third and Cervelli to second. Colorado’s 3-0 lead was in danger, but Marquez got pinch-hitter Jose Osuna to ground out to short.\nAfter the two previous games at PNC Park where the offense scuffled terribly, the Rockies needed an early boost. They got it from Ian Desmond in the second inning. He lined the first pitch he saw from Pittsburgh starter Chad Kuhl just over the left-field wall. Desmond’s fourth homer gave Colorado a 1-0 lead.\nColorado pulled ahead 3-0 in the fifth on an RBI single by Trevor Story through the left side to score Desmond, and with an adventurous, but ultimately successful sacrifice bunt by Marquez to score Tapia, whose speed helped him reach on an infield single.\nThough Marquez was first winged by a fastball that glanced off his bat, he stood tall at the plate and put down a two-strike bunt between the mound and first base. Pirates first baseman Josh Bell was charged with a fielding error, but Marquez was credited with an RBI.\nTapia led off the seventh with a ground-rule double to left and came home on a pinch-hit single to right by Alexi Amarisa to boost Colorado’s lead to 4-1. Tapia scored again in the ninth, reaching on another infield single and scoring on Pat Valaika’s shallow sacrifice fly to foul territory down the third-base line.\n“This was a good win for us,” Black said. “They are all big, but some this helped us turn things a little bit. The Pirates have been playing good baseball.”", "I hope everyone had a safe St. Patrick’s Day, whether it was with a bar crawl or simply a nice quiet night at home. For myself and my partner in crime we went to a local school trivia fundraiser. Boring? Competitors create their own 8-person teams, who are given extra points for dressing up as well as their table. Our team, ‘Team Hockey’ where I outfit most of the team in various hockey jerseys and had our own goal light and inflatable Stanley Cup came in 2nd place for the 2nd year in a row. Our team left put in a good effort, with the realization we second-guessed ourselves out of a few points that could’ve had us win it all. It was the kind of self-inflicted mistake that makes someone shake their head in disgust just thinking about it. With the final stretch of games ahead of them, the Wild need to focus so it doesn’t second guess its approach to tonight’s game against Los Angeles.\nThe Kings are in the same race the Wild are in, sitting in 3rd place in the Pacific division. They have the Ducks nipping at their heels with the same amount of points but sit in front because they have more wins. Minnesota managed to keep its focus after a big win over Vegas by earning a victory over a pesky Coyotes squad. Can the Wild earn another win after its impressive back-to-back this weekend?\n1st Period Thoughts: After a nice honorary puck drop ceremony by the gold medal winning Men’s Curling team, the team appeared to be excited to meet the champions. Once the puck actually dropped though, open ice was hard to come by as both clubs were wary of giving up the first goal. Minnesota seemed sluggish and they were not helping their cause as they kept attempting little tic-tac-toe plays that were not working too well. Los Angeles’ gap control was excellent and Minnesota found itself trying to battle through bodies and the Wild found itself chasing after errant passes for most of the period. After a failed power play where the Wild demonstrated little to no creativity and slow predictable puck movement, Minnesota started to get its legs going. Nino Niederreiter had the best scoring chance of the period as he made a nice move into the slot where he rifled a shot that was fought off by Jonathan Quick. Devan Dubnyk didn’t have a lot of work, but he did have some tough pucks to deal with as Kyle Clifford motored around a Wild defender and he sent a shot that with bouncing along the ice that Dubnyk blocked aside with is leg pad. Minnesota tried activating its defense and while they could get around one defender when they finally let loose a shot most were finding Kings players who were more than happy to block them. Los Angeles would break the stalemate as Minnesota got caught watching Dustin Brown work the puck down low and he’d pass it back out into the slot where Tanner Pearson was waiting to one-time it by Dubnyk. 1-0 Kings, as neither Mikko Koivu or Zach Parise seemed to be remotely aware there was a forward for them to defend against. Minnesota would nearly tie the game up in the last minute as Tyler Ennis found Ryan Murphy all alone on a back door pass but Quick literally dove at the shot and blocking it aside and preserving the Kings lead into the 2nd period. Not a great start for the Wild as the looked sloppy and a bit tired.\n2nd Period Thoughts: Minnesota appeared to have a bit more jump in its skates as they looked for the equalizer. Despite the team skating harder they still struggled to find time and space but in the rare moments they managed to get a little freedom they seemed to try to make the extra pass instead of taking the opportunity Los Angeles was giving them. Nearly back to back penalties both would focus and frustrate the Wild. On the first penalty kill; Minnesota was very aggressive as they applied puck pressure and managed to create 4 shorthanded shots on goal and forcing the Kings to waste time defending in their own end instead of going on the attack. On the kill, the Wild were being assertive and taking the chances that they were provided. Unfortunately a lazy holding penalty by Suter on Clifford gave the Kings another power play and they cashed in just 8 seconds later as Jake Muzzin let go a wrist shot from the point that deflected off the leg of Koivu and the puck went right over to Jeff Carter who tapped it in. 2-0 Kings. Minnesota would rally back as Niederreiter was able to push the defense back by driving down the middle creating a lane of attack for Parise on the drop pass and the veteran winger waited patiently to get the right angle before sniping a shot by Quick. 2-1 Los Angeles was still in command. The physical play continued as Alec Martinez sent Matt Cullen flying as he tried to work a puck deep into the Kings’ zone. The Wild would keep attacking and their persistence would be rewarded as Suter found Staal with a stretch pass and the cagey vet had a lane to work with and he’d snipe a shot top shelf just before Drew Doughty could get over to contest it, tying the game at 2-2 going into the 2nd intermission. It was a pretty finish to a period where the Wild seemed to start to really find its stride.\n3rd Period Thoughts: With the game tied at two goals apiece meant both teams were were going to take some chances to try to win this one in regulation. At times the period was almost wide open as the two clubs traded rushes with one another. At others, the Wild looked like a team playing with fire as the Kings asserted its will with a great cycling game and peppering Dubnyk with shots. Minnesota would hold on and push back with some good pressure of its own and it came from its bottom lines as Joel Eriksson Ek came alive with some great shifts. Charlie Coyle was in beast mode as he rang two shots off the post, but when he wasn’t hitting the iron he was flying around the ice and powering his way past defenders and seemed to be on his way to lighting the lamp. Minnesota would appear to have the game in hand as the Wild’s puck pressure created a turnover deep in the Kings’ zone and Zucker fed a pass to Eriksson Ek who was patient and got Quick to lunge at the puck making for an easy backhand goal. 3-2 Wild. With the crowd going crazy the Wild now tried to hold onto its lead but perhaps they were a little too conservative an the Kings would pull Quick for an extra attacker with almost a minute and a half left. After a few good stops by Dubnyk, the Kings would find the back of the net as weak puck pressure gave Doughty a chance to make a little move to gain a shooting lane and he’d let go a shot that was deflected perfectly by Brown and by Dubnyk tying the game at 3-3 and sending it to overtime.\nOvertime Summary: This was pretty rough to watch. The Kings were aggressive and got control of the puck and simply bided time for a bad change and a chance to go on the attack. Minnesota could only watch as the Kings protected the puck well and waiting for their chance as they set up Tanner Pearson for a shot on goal that Dubnyk knocked down and covered up. The Wild got caught with tired legs and it nearly cost them, but strangely enough the Wild didn’t change their players which kept a dead-legged group out there a little longer. Minnesota would get the puck back but all they were able to manage was to circle around the Los Angeles end and was unable to pull the trigger. An errant pass developed into an odd-man rush for the Kings and Adrian Kempe blew by Matt Dumba for a chance on goal but the puck would move back out into the slot as Dumba and Niederreiter just watched Carter pick up the loose biscuit and fire it by Dubnyk. 4-3 Kings win. Staal got caught chasing a puck deep in the Kings zone, but he glided back towards the Wild zone instead of hustling and possibly disrupting Carter’s chance.\nWild Notes:\n~ The Wild roster was as follows: Eric Staal, Jason Zucker, Nino Niederreiter, Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise, Mikael Granlund, Matt Cullen, Charlie Coyle, Tyler Ennis, Marcus Foligno, Joel Eriksson Ek, Daniel Winnik, Ryan Suter, Matt Dumba, Jonas Brodin, Ryan Murphy, Nick Seeler and Nate Prosser. Alex Stalock backed up Devan Dubnyk. Zack Mitchell and Gustav Olofsson were the scratches.\n~ The 3 Stars of the Game were: 1st Star Drew Doughty, 2nd Star Jeff Carter, 3rd Star Eric Staal\n~ Attendance was 19,081 at Xcel Energy Center.\n~ Crease And Assist: A Legally Compliant Minnesota Hockey Blog would like to congratulate the U.S. Men’s Paralympic Sled Hockey Team on their 3rd Gold Medal in a row with a dramatic 2-1 win over Team Canada.\n~ Crease And Assist: A Legally Compliant Minnesota Hockey Blog would like to congratulate the Clarkson Golden Knights on their Women’s NCAA Division I National Championship 2-1 overtime victory over Colgate.\nIowa Wild Report:\nIowa 2, Grand Rapids 1\nMuch like their parent club, Iowa heads down the home stretch of its season holding onto a playoff spot but facing a murderers row of divisional opponents making every game feel like its the playoffs. One of those clubs that has been Iowa’s nemesis has been the Grand Rapids Griffins. On Saturday the two teams faced and the intensity was obvious as both clubs were playing very tight defensively, wary of making a mistake that would lead to the opening goal. Grand Rapids would cash in first as Matt Ford found Matt Lorito with a pass and he beat Niklas Svedberg with a quick shot. 1-0 Griffins. In the 2nd period, Iowa really began to dictate the pace of play and they peppered Tom McCollum with 16 shots but the former 1st round pick kept them all out to preserve the Griffins’ 1-goal lead going into the 3rd. Iowa would again pour it on in the 3rd and their persistence was finally rewarded as Kyle Rau made a small pass to Gerald Fitzgerald in the slot and the former Bemidji State product let go a wrist shot that trickled through McCollum for his first professional goal to tie the game at 1-1. Despite more pressure by Iowa in the closing minutes the game appeared to be destined for overtime when on the power play, Alex Grant unleashed a blast from the point that beat McCollum with just 16 seconds left in the 3rd and giving the Wild a huge 2-1 victory. Svedberg had 19 saves in the win.\nWild Prospect Report:\nC – Jordan Greenway (Boston U., H-East) ~ the rugged power forward helped the Terriers take home a Hockey East Conference championship with an assist in a 2-0 win over Providence on Saturday night. Greenway has 12 goals, 33 points, 52 PIM’s and is a +8 in 34 games.\nRW – Dmitry Sokolov (Barrie, OHL) ~ the skilled winger had a modest effort with an assist and 3 shots on goal in Erie’s 10-3 rout of Sudbury on Saturday. Sokolov has 50 goals, 96 points, 18 PIM’s and is a +3 in 64 games.\nNCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament Schedule & Predictions\nWest Regional – Sioux Falls, SD – (Predicted regional champ: St. Cloud State)\n#1 St. Cloud State (25-8-6) vs. Air Force (22-14-5) – Friday, March 23rd @ 3PM CST ~ The Huskies were runner up in the NCHC finals but they have plenty of firepower in Montreal 1st rounder Ryan Poehling (31 points), Robby Jackson (42 points), Mikey Eyssimont (39 points), Hobey Baker finalist in offensive blueliner Jimmy Schuldt (38 points) and one of the best stay-at-home defenseman in college hockey in Moorhead’s Will Borgen. The Falcons are a hard working team in the mold of its coach Frank Serratore and while they do not have a lot of firepower their tenacious puck pursuit helps keep games close. Seniors Erik Baskin and Tyler Ledford lead the way for Air Force and goaltender Billy Christopoulos will have to stand on his head if the Falcons are going to have a chance. I think St. Cloud State will be ready to play and wins this one by 2-3 goals.\nMinnesota State (29-9-1) vs. Minnesota-Duluth (21-16-3) – Friday, March @ 6:30PM CST ~ The Bulldogs were runner’s up for the national title a season ago, but they’ve had an up and down season and barely made the tournament as an at-large bid. The Bulldogs still have some potent offensive talent in Dallas 1st rounder Riley Tufte (28 points), Peter Krieger (30 points) and one of the most dangerous offensive defenseman in the nation in undrafted Hibbing-native Scott Perunovich who leads UMD with 38 points. Minnesota State had a terrific year led by senior and Hobey Baker finalist in Forest Lake-native C.J. Seuss (22 goals) and freshman WCHA player of the year Elk River-native Jake Jaremko (39 points) along with Zeb Knutson (42 points) and Marc Michaelis (18 goals). The teams split their season series with one another which would indicate this has the makings of a terrific game. It will likely come down to who has a better game between goaltenders Connor Lacouvee and Hunter Shepard. I think the Bulldogs are a bit stronger defensively and I think they’ll win in overtime.\nMidwest Regional – Allentown, PA (Predicted regional champ: Denver)\n#4 Ohio State (24-9-5) vs. Princeton (19-12-4) – Saturday, March 24th @ 2:30PM CST ~ This is another opening round match up that has the makings for a trap game as the Tigers will try to ambush the Buckeyes. Ohio State has two solid scoring lines led by Flyers’ prospect Tanner Laczynski (43 points), Mason Jobst (41 points), and big bodied Toronto prospect Dakota Joshua (24 points). The Tigers have a great top line led by juniors Max Veronneau (55 points) and Ryan Kuffner (29 goals) and Princeton go into this game with little pressure. If the Tigers can keep this close going into the 3rd period, watch out…I think we’ll see an upset.\nDenver (22-9-8) vs. Penn State (18-14-5) – Saturday, March 24th @ 6:00PM CST ~ Last year’s national champion will try to repeat and they will have a tough test against the home crowd favorite in the Nittany Lions. Denver won the NCHC tournament last weekend and they have a ton of talent and firepower in Florida’s prospect Henrik Borgstrom (50 points), Ducks’ prospect and WJC hero Troy Terry (44 points) and Sharks’ prospect Dylan Gambrell (42 points). Guy Gadowsky‘s club plays a gritty game and have the potential to beat any team but at times they are inconsistent. Andrew Sturtz (40 points) and the shifty Denis Smirnov (27 points) lead Penn State’s attack. I think Denver’s experience and firepower will wear Penn State down and they’ll win in a close one.\nNortheast Regional – Worcester, MA (Predicted regional champ: Northeastern)\n#3 Cornell (25-5-2) vs. Boston U. (21-13-4) – Saturday, March 24th @ Noon CST ~ The Big Red are one of the better defensive clubs in the tournament, while they’re taking on a surging Terriers team which won the Beanpot and the Hockey East championship this last weekend. Cornell’s led by Penguins’ prospect Anthony Angello and Trevor Yates but it still centered around the play of freshman goaltender Matthew Galjada. The Terriers are full of high profile projects including Wild bluechipper Jordan Greenway (33 points), Predators top defensive prospect Dante Fabbro (29 points) and undrafted Bobo Carpenter and 2018 draft eligible Brady Tkachuk who will try to overwhelm for Boston to overwhelm Cornell’s team defense. I think Montreal 1st rounder and Lakeville-native Jake Oettinger will again be the x-factor. I think the Terriers will prevail in a close one.\nMichigan (20-14-3) vs. Northeastern (23-9-5) – Saturday, March 24th @ 3:30PM CST ~ The Wolverines have had an up and down season are facing one of the stronger teams out of Hockey East. The Huskies have a lot of firepower led by college hockey’s most dangerous player in Vancouver-prospect Andrew Gaudette (30 goals, 60 points) and seniors Dylan Sikura (21 goals) and Nolan Stevens (24 goals). Mel Pearson‘s club has a few game breakers in Tony Calderone (23 goals), Cooper Marody (46 points) and uber-talented freshman defenseman Quinn Hughes (28 points). I think Northeastern will take care of business and win by at least two goals.\nEast Regional – Bridgeport, CT (Predicted regional champ: Notre Dame)\n#2 Notre Dame (25-9-2) vs. Michigan Tech (22-16-5) – Friday, March 23rd @ 2PM CST ~ Notre Dame entered the Big 10 this season and dominated 3/4ths of the season until slowing down a bit towards the end. However the Fighting Irish would be wise not to overlook Michigan Tech. The Huskies embrace a blue collar style of hockey and if they keep this game close I could see this one result in an upset. Notre Dame isn’t exactly loaded with lots of firepower but they always play a tight game defensively under head coach Jeff Jackson. The Fighting Irish’s Jake Evans and Andrew Oglevie and Tech’s Jake Lucchini are the players to watch. I think Notre Dame will win, but Michigan Tech will give them a pretty good scare.\nProvidence (23-11-4) vs. Clarkson (23-10-6) – Friday, March 23rd @ 5:30PM CST ~ Clarkson started out the season strong but then faded down the stretch to lose the top bid from the ECAC to Cornell. The Golden Knights bring the firepower with an explosive top line led by sophomores Sheldon Rempal (23 goals), Nico Sturm (14 goals), Devin Brosseau (11 goals) and will look to blitz Providence. The Friars bring one of the more talented players in the tournament in St. Louis Blues’ prospect Erik Foley (16 goals) and Wild prospect Brandon Duhaime (26 points) who can match up offensively with most teams in the nation. This one should be a great game and I think it could be high scoring affair with the Friars coming out on top.\nFrozen Four Champion Prediction: Notre Dame ~ I think the Fighting Irish’s combination of strong team defense and reasonable scoring depth works well for a one-&-done tournament. While most Golden Gopher fans loathe the Big 10, it finally delivers a national champion even if its a club in its first year in the conference.", "When George Miller, the director of the renowned post-apocalyptic film Mad Max, gives his blessing for his decades-old release to be screened without dialogue and shown accompanied by a live re-score, you know his sensibilities must align with those who are creating the music to support it.\nAnd that is exactly what will happen via an ensemble of musicians who have made scoring for cult cinema classics in live settings their passion. Spearheaded by zealous New York-based cinefile and musician Devon E. Levins, the outfit, Morricone Youth will visit Australia next month as part of Sydney Festival, touching down to perform live score soundtracks for enhancement of screenings of two iconic films. The 1968 George A. Romero directed Night of the Living Dead and 1979, Australian original– Mad Max.\nThe latter will screen somewhat fittingly on Australia Day (26th January) and according to Levins, George Miller in most of his early interviews, confesses he conceived the film to be silent– the dialogue, the car screeching and the bells and whistles were all added bonuses to his vision.\n“We’re kind of taking him to task, and he’s allowing us to do it. So it’s a little bit of that, and we wanted to do the silent film stuff that we do, a little bit of the Western and then we’ll have a lot of action high-octane, car chase music at times.” Levins, painting the picture as to what audiences can expect from the scored screen performance.\nTo truly comprehend the gravitational pull of reinterpreting cult film soundtracks, understanding a little of Levin’s history is useful.\nThe genesis of Morricone Youth occurred predating 1999, before he had relocated to the East Coast. From his base in San Diego he’d enjoyed notoriety in the post punk-rock band scene from age 13. Acts including Rocket from the Crypt and Pinback were part of his band community, and it took both his membership to the band Creedle (an act who erred on the side of comic-book geeky and who used the tropes of tv and film and other pop cultural references to sample within their music) and an idea he shared with a fellow band bass player to reinterpret soundtracks to films that they loved, for Levins to birth what is now recognised as Morricone Youth.\n“When I got to New York, I found some like-minded people and film soundtrack fans, and started it [the band]as a side project. We all had our sort of indie projects or side projects we were working on and this band started getting better gigs rather than the other ones we were in. I guess because there was something thematic about it, or it was an easy thing to sell to get into clubs or whatever.”\nThe MO (modus operandi) for the show and the band is that it’s music written for the moving image. That can mean film music, tv music, video installation music as well as incorporating library production music which has emerged as yet another of Levin’s passions – more on that later.\n“We had a catalogue of 150 songs, that we had reinterpreted from the 60s 70s 80s and from there we just sort of did this album all over the place. It was for this imaginary film and it had a lot of genres on it but we sort of thought we should get a bit more thematic with each one. We thought perhaps maybe a Western, maybe an Italian horror– Giallo, or even a spy movie.” Says Levin.\nAdding: “We started covering songs, but we wouldn’t just cover songs that had appeared in movies, we were more interested in songs specifically written for films and scenes that were visual in nature.”\nNaturally the group started working closely with a theatre in Brooklyn to do live scores to silent films or midnight films and Levins recollects that the first one, was the French Horror film: Fascination directed by Jean Rollin. A 70s cinematic release which he admits he’d initially had reservations of rewriting music for, especially as it was a more modern film.\n“We did it with the dialogue and the sound off, kind of like an old silent film. And it did really well, so we started rotating between silent films and midnight movies.”\nTo say there is an increasing interest for this type of show around the world is probably an accurate statement. Levins can’t quite pinpoint where the resurgence has originated but certainly it feels to him that this experiential form of cinema and soundscape is on the rise among audiences.\n“I don’t know if it’s a huge thing or not, but it’s a niche– every city /at least major city in the United States, I’m finding is starting to do this kind of thing and I do feel like it’s the Wild West a little bit. I think there is something happening around the rise of the Internet. Nothing is really a secret anymore, people are saying what’s going on in Alamo in Austin; in Cinefamily in LA; and they have a lot going on in LA quite often where they’re doing these live scoring events, and I think they’re influenced by these bigger live scoring events and New York and I’m assuming all over the place – London and you’re noticing it from Australia too”\nIn fact at the time of speaking with Cyclic, Morricone Youth, are finishing up a support slot tour with Italian soundtrack outfit: Goblin, a band revered in this niche and who Levins mentions have somewhat miraculously reformed after a period on hiatus. He also shares that on this tour, it’s not uncommon for fellow Italian composer Fabio Frizzi to be performing days ahead of them with his eight piece orchestra. Levins adds that one of his idols, composer John Carpenter is also currently on tour.\n“He’s coming to New York, and I mean our last show of this tour is next Sunday at Irving plaza and four days later is John Carpenter with his six or seven piece band with visuals. And John Carpenter is drawing a lot more than say our band, because these are all things that people never thought (me included) that we would see. Goblin reform, Fabio Frizzi performing live (cos he’s just an Italian Composer) or, I mean I’d never in my wildest dreams, would think that John Carpenter would be touring musically, it doesn’t even register. It doesn’t make any sense and he’s selling out and playing big festivals in Europe, I don’t know that he’s made it to Australia yet. So there is something going on.”\nAnd it’s this sort of passion for the industry he resides within that has seen Levins dovetail from live score performance into hosting a highly successful radio show, dedicated to unearthing composers and revealing library production rarities he’s laboured to find over the years. While it continues to be a dream of Levins to interview the likes of John Carpenter, he’s content with the composer lineage he’s rubbed shoulders with so far, which extends to Australian composer, Sven Liebeck. (see our interview with Sven here)\n“I think the younger composers appreciate it because they have a place where they can have their music played and talk about it and I always try to not just keep it to my dream composers that I’m chasing. Yes, I’m going after John Carpenter don’t get me wrong, but I like to get those composers who on their first or one off and I get promo-’d so many records I try to listen to them.”\nAnd as the five piece (none of whom have ever visited Australian shores) prepare for their new year trip down under, we touch once more on what audiences can look forward to experiencing musically from the two performances.\nNight of the Living Dead will feature a customised DCP – where the sound goes up and down and the key dialogue from the film remains, because Levins states, that they really didn’t want to step on it too much.\n“There is famous lines and if you’re familiar with the film there is ‘so called’ tv reporting and it doesn’t make any sense for a band to be playing on top of that or whatever so we kind of sit out at times.\nWhere as Mad Max the next night, it’s pretty synth heavy. The film was created in 1979 that was a time when synthesizers were being more heavily used in ‘B movies’ and action movies so we kind of approached it that way.”\nNight Of The Living Dead and Mad Max with live score by Morricone Youth is a part of Sydney Festival 25 & 26 January 2018.", "Brought to you by: Big Shucks\nBy Stephen Elliott\nThe Dallas Stars had another fiasco of games this week that left you scratching your head and realizing why this is not a playoff team. And the head-scratching started right from the first game.\nDallas continued their road trip with a visit in Ottawa. A short-handed goal by the Senators’ defenseman Dion Phaneuf opened the scored. The goal against on the Stars’ power-play was the NHL’s worst ninth allowed the season. That, embarrassing by itself, was heightened shortly after when Stars forward Devin Shore scored on his own team. With the Stars’ goal empty awaiting a touch by Ottawa to put Dallas on the power-play, Shore passed the puck without looking towards a teammate in their own zone. The puck headed past two teammates and into the empty net. Just like that, Senators forward Chris Kelly got a goal from the bench (being the last opposing player to touch the puck).\nAdding salt to the wound was the Stars bounced back to tie the game only to lose on a third period goal.\nUnfortunately that was not the only embarrassing moment for the team this week. The Stars paired a dominate 5-2 home win against the Carolina Hurricanes with a 3-0 lead against the Nashville Predators. A win looked inevitable but the Predators scored five unanswered goals (four in the third period) to steal the win, 5-3.\nAll the signs point towards the Stars being one of the six teams in the conference to miss the playoffs. Their 5-2 loss to the Jets on Tuesday put the Stars at 22-26-10 (54 points), third from the bottom in the Western Conference. Now with four teams in their way for a playoff spot, the question of reaching the postseason shifts to a possibility of a lottery pick.\nThe Stars did have good news good from the week. Jason Spezza returned to the ice after a five game absent recovering from an undisclosed injury. He had an assist on Jamie Benn’s goal Tuesday against the Jets.\nOther good news is the Stars have their bye week coming up after their game Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The bye week is part of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement that gives every team 5-7 days off. The Stars, losers of five of their last six games, could use a few days off. They will have five days off starting February 19.\nMeanwhile the front office will be busy setting up to be sellers come trade season. Jim Nill has decisions to be made on veteran players that could possibly improve the team for the future. Patrick Sharp and Patrick Eaves are among those rumored to be moved before the March 1 deadline. Follow me on twitter or check back here for trade news.\nUpcoming Schedule – All Times Central\n2/16 at Wild 7:00 p.m.\n2/18 vs Lightning 7:00 p.m.", "PHOENIX (AP) – Jake Arrieta won consecutive starts for the first time since early April, Javier Baez and Ian Happ hit consecutive home runs in the eighth inning and the Chicago Cubs beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-2 Sunday.\nKris Bryant put the Cubs ahead when he scored from second on a wild pitch from Zack Godley in the first inning on strike three to Victor Caratini. The reigning NL MVP added his 21st home run of the season in the ninth inning, reaching base for the 13th time in 15 plate appearances during the three-game series.\nChicago reopened a one-game lead over St. Louis in the NL Central. Arizona, bidding for an NL wild-card berth, lost for the sixth time in eight games.\nArrieta (12-8) allowed one run and three hits in six innings, striking out six and walking three. Coming off a 5-3 win over San Francisco, Arrieta had not won back-to-back starts since victories at St. Louis and Miami in his first two outings this season.\nGodley (5-5) had three wild pitches and four walks in 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and four hits while striking out eight. He struck out four in the first inning, the first Diamondbacks pitch to fan four in a frame since Oliver Perez in September 2014.\nPaul Goldschmidt hit his 28th homer in the ninth.\nJon Jay hit an RBI double in the second, but David Peralta cut the gap with a sacrifice fly in the fifth after a pair of walks. Baez's three-run homer off Jake Barrett, a drive into the second deck in left, put the Cubs head 5-1. Happ, pinch hitting for Carl Edwards Jr., homered three pitches later.\nK KORNER\nThe Cubs' Kyle Schwarber struck out in each of his three at-bats and has fanned in seven consecutive at-bats.\nFAN INTEREST\nThe three-game series drew 123,110, the most for a three-game set at Chase Field since 132,925 for a set against San Francisco from Sept. 23-25, 2011. Many were Cubs fans. \"When there's people in the seats, players really like that,\" Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said.\nTRAINER'S ROOM\nCubs: Manager Joe Maddon expects to get an update on SS Addison Russell (right foot strain) when the team returns to Chicago for a seven-game homestand Monday. Russell went on the 15-day disabled list Aug. 3.\nDiamondbacks: LHP Robbie Ray (concussion) threw a 50-pitch simulated game Saturday but there's no timetable for his return. ... Ray pitched to OF Yasmany Tomas (groin injury), who is moving closer to playing rehab games. ... RHP Randall Delgado (right elbow inflammation) is throwing from 120 feet with little to no discomfort.\nUP NEXT\nCubs: LHP Jose Quintana (2-2) starts for the Cubs on Monday in the opener of a four-game series against visiting Cincinnati. The Reds are one of four teams Quintana has yet to face.\nDiamondbacks: RHP Zack Greinke (13-5) starts Monday at home against Houston. Greinke is coming off his first loss at Chase Field this season.", "Eric Staal chuckled at a question after Monday’s morning skate.\nWith the 33-year-old Wild forward closing in on 40 goals for the third time in his career, a reporter asked whether he would have believed it if someone told him before the season that he would be flirting with that milestone now considering his career was left for the dead when he signed with Minnesota in July 2016.\n“Would you have?” Staal wondered with a smile. “No. I don’t think so.”\nYet here Staal is at 38 goals with 10 games left in the season, including Monday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings at Xcel Energy Center.\n“It’d be nice,” Staal said. “Any time I can get to a milestone like that it sure feels good. That said, I’m not going to be crushed if I don’t get to that as long as we’re in the playoffs and playing for a Stanley Cup.”\nLuckily for Staal, he has his team in pretty good standing on that front, too. His 38 goals and 70 points — both team highs — have the Wild (41-24-7, 89 points) five points clear of the cut line in the Western Conference.\n“It was a grind for the first half,” Staal said, noting the many early-season injuries the Wild battled through. “We worked our tail off to stay in the mix and be relevant. And once we got healthier, we got a little more confident and the schedule lightened up a little bit, and we did some good damage there. Now it’s a sprint to the finish.”\nStaal is five goals shy of a franchise record. Marian Gaborik holds that, scoring 42 in 2007-08.\n“Once the year got going and I got feeling good, I wanted to snowball it, and I’ve been able to do that,” Staal said, trying his best to downplay his personal success. “It’s been fun. We have a good team and good players here that want to do more. It’s about putting ourselves in a good position and then going from there.”\nSCOREBOARD WATCHING\nAfter Monday’s game, the Wild will have a four-day break during which they will be scoreboard watching, keeping their eye on other teams making a playoff push.\nRelated Articles Wild outlast Coyotes as Devan Dubnyk wins his 200th\nVegas baby! Hometown kid Jason Zucker leads Wild past Golden Knights\nWhat happens in Vegas? Wild stay on their best behavior\nFor Jason Zucker, Las Vegas homecoming is a family affair\nWild defenseman Jared Spurgeon expected to miss at least a month That stresses out coach Bruce Boudreau, who can’t relax even with his team coming off road wins over the Vegas Golden Knights and Arizona Coyotes over the weekend.\n“Anytime we’re not playing, other teams are gaining,” Boudreau said. “This seems to be the year when there’s 10 teams in the race so, I mean, somebody is winning. … Like always, we have to put a string together. You know, winning two and losing one is not the right formula for success.”\nLET’S GO STREAKING\nCharlie Coyle is riding a six-game point streak entering Monday’s game. He has three goals and four assists in that span.\n“He flipped his own switch,” Boudreau said. “When he missed the open net in Vancouver (last week), ever since that moment he’s been on a tear like he got mad at himself or something. Whatever it is, I hope he doesn’t lose it.”", "C’mon guys, enough of the mixed messages.\nWith only two weeks of tick-tock until the NHL’s annual trade deadline, Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving is hoping for a not-so-subtle hint from his skating staff on whether he should be buying, selling or simply hiding his cell-phone.\nAfter all, this is a tough troupe to figure out.\nThe Flames celebrated a shootout triumph against the reigning Stanley Cup champs in enemy territory.\nThey were blown away by a bottom-feeder on home ice.\nAnd that’s just their past two outings.\n“You’re always staying in touch with everyone and getting a sense of where everybody is at and what they’re looking for or potentially could be doing, so you have a pretty good sense of what is going on out there,” Treliving said of his approach as the March 1 trade deadline nears. “But we’re probably like a lot of teams — you take your cue from your team. So you continue to watch and monitor and watch the games and go from there.\n“You have to look at where you’re at. You’re looking at obviously the next two weeks to the deadline and the rest of this season, but to me, you’re also continuing to look into the future. Are there things that may be able to help you now that also help you in the future? That’s the process. What we are or aren’t going to do, I think that’s going to be determined a lot more between now and the deadline.”\nStarting with Wednesday’s face-off against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Saddledome (7:30 p.m., Sportsnet West/Sportsnet 960 The Fan), Treliving has seven more viewings of his squad before the NHL shuts off its fax machine at 1 p.m. MT on March 1.\nCalgary’s upcoming slate also include five straight road games — Saturday’s Hockey Night in Canada clash at Vancouver, followed by a four-game jaunt to Nashville, Tampa, Florida and Carolina — and then a home date with the Los Angeles Kings on the eve of annual trade frenzy.\nWith 25 games to go, the Flames (28-26-3) find themselves one measly point shy of a wild-card slot in the Western Conference standings, somewhere in the grey area between definite contender and dream-on-pretender.\nAt times, they’ve looked great.\nAt times, they’ve looked lousy.\nAs netminder Chad Johnson pointed out after Monday’s 5-0 drubbing from the Arizona Coyotes, there rarely seems to be any in-between.\n“We have a bit of a bounce in our group — we’re high and we can get low,” agreed Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan after Tuesday’s practice at the Saddledome, a 45-minute session chock-full of one-on-one battle drills. “I always take the positive side of things, and I look at it like this: Whenever there are young players that come into the league, there is a lot of bounce. There are some great games, some NHL attributes. You see, ‘Wow!’ and then you see, ‘Oh boy, he’s got a ways to go.’ Then it bounces. But pretty soon, that guy becomes a great NHL player.\n“I think that about our team. I think it’s like turning on your garden hose in the spring. It’s going to fire out some air and then water and then air, then it’ll start flowing. That’s what I think about our group. I think we’re coming.”\nThe higher-ups at the Saddledome think so, too, but this is tricky territory for a general manager.\nThe Flames, like every middle-of-the-pack outfit, have holes.\nA bit more scoring punch would be swell.\nTJ Brodie needs a more mobile sidekick on the second defence pairing.\nThe long-term puck-stopping plan is still not settled.\nJune’s expansion draft only adds another wrinkle.\nTreliving is admittedly not a big fan of rentals and has shown in the past that he won’t be pressured into panic deals — remember, when captain Mark Giordano was injured just days before the deadline in 2015, he scoffed at sky-high prices to add a defenceman — but he will rack up a lot of long-distance minutes over the next two weeks as he tries to better his bunch.\n“You’ve got short-term view, you’ve got long-term view,” Treliving said. “To think we’re going to go rushing out and start shipping young players and all these types of things out the door for a six-week fix, it’s not going to happen.\n“You’re like every manager — you’d like to help your team. But it has to make sense.”\nwgilbertson@postmedia.com\nTwitter.com/WesGilbertson", "The new Avengers: Infinity War trailer dropped last week and it gave fans a better look into the summer release. While the epic Wakanda war was teased yet again, fans got their first look at the Black Order, The Guardians – Avengers bond and more.\nBut there was one moment that led to several hearts skipping a beat – Thanos holding on to Gamora's hand and taking her away. While the moment lasted seconds, it was one of the most memorable moments from the new trailer.\nThe iconic moment also reminded fans of the memorable moment from Logan, which released in March last year. This memory led to a fan page reimagining the X-Men movie moment and as a result, giving Infinity War a Logan treatment.\nLike Logan holding on to Laura's hand in the famous poster from last year, the fan-made poster showcases Thanos holding Gamora's hand. The fan-made poster got everyone talking and it soon came to The Russo Brothers' notice.\nThe Infinity War directors approved of the fan work by changing the profile pictures of their social media handle to the Thanos – Gamora hand holding. However, it is sad that the directors did not comment on the move nor give the artist credits.\nNevertheless, fans are happy that the Russo Brothers are acknowledging the effort put by fans for their upcoming movie in some way or the other. They recently retweeted a fan-made Avengers: Infinity War parody trailer asking the team behind the hilarious clip if they would be interested in directing Avengers 5.\nAiman. You guys are geniuses. Are you available to direct Avengers 5? https://t.co/8IIS3hacBu — Russo Brothers (@Russo_Brothers) March 18, 2018\nAs for Thanos and Gamora, talking to Entertainment Weekly Josh Brolin said that the Mad Titan shares a unique bond with the Guardians of the Galaxy character. \"When you see the relationship with Gamora and you see that evolves, God I wish I could tell you. I can't!\" he says before adding, \"Obviously he has a grand plan, like somebody who's pulling in kids for their own selfish bloodshed. But he has a capacity to love very much and very deeply.\"\nThe directors recently confirmed that Infinity War is going to be Mad Titan's movie. The character hasn't been explored in the previous Marvel movies despite several cameos in the past. Infinity War will help fans understand why Thanos wants to kill half the universe and showcase his powers while he goes about fulfilling his motives.\nFans will also see flashback sequences from the Mad Titan's life, Josh Brolin previously confirmed. Avengers: Infinity War releases on April 27.", "Eric Staal scored two goals and Devan Dubnyk stopped 22 shots to lead the Minnesota Wild to a 5-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn.\nCharlie Coyle, Tyler Ennis and Jared Spurgeon also scored goals for Minnesota, which improved to 10-3-2 in its last 15 games and has won both meetings with the Western Conference leading Golden Knights, both in Saint Paul. The two teams meet one more time in the regular season on March 16 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.\nMalcolm Subban, making his first start in net for the Golden Knights since a 4-3 overtime loss at Florida on Jan. 19, had 31 saves. It was just the fourth loss in regulation in the last 26 games for Vegas, which is now 19-4-3 during that span.\nEx-Wild left winger Erik Haula and Nate Schmidt scored goals for the Golden Knights, who were coming in off a physical 3-2 overtime win at Central Division leading Winnipeg on Thursday night.\nMinnesota jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead, peppering Subban with 19 shots in the process. Staal started the scoring with a power play goal, one-timing a cross-ice pass from Mike Reilly past Subban's stick side. Coyle followed with his sixth goal of the season five minutes later, snapping in a wrist shot from the left circle, also past Subban's stick side.\nEnnis upped the Wild lead to 3-0 just 1:11 into the second period, firing a wrist shot under Subban's glove from the left circle at the end of a 3-on-2 rush. Haula answered with his career-high 20th goal of the season and fifth in five games, redirecting a Colin Miller wrist shot.\nMinnesota scored its second power play goal to make it 4-1 when Spurgeon fired a shot at the goal that hit Miller's skate and trickled in. Ryan Suter garnered his 400th career assist on the score, becoming the 11th defenseman in NHL history to tally at least 200 assists with two different teams. He also accomplished the feat with Nashville.\nSchmidt scored his fourth goal of the season on a power play with 7:22 remaining, firing a shot from the side of the net that hit Dubnyk's skate and snuck inside the near post. Staal then got credited with his team-leading 22nd goal with 1:29 left when David Perron hooked him to prevent him from shooting on a breakaway at an empty net.\n--Field Level Media", "Minnesota Wild's goalie Devan Dubnyk (40) reacts to losing 4-3 in overtime against the Los Angeles Kings in an NHL hockey game Monday, March 19, 2018, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)\nMinnesota Wild's goalie Devan Dubnyk (40) reacts to losing 4-3 in overtime against the Los Angeles Kings in an NHL hockey game Monday, March 19, 2018, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)\nST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Jeff Carter's return from ankle surgery has been a big boost for the playoff-hopeful Los Angeles Kings.\nCarter scored his second goal of the game with 33.8 seconds left on the clock in overtime and Los Angeles recovered after giving up a two-goal lead to beat the Minnesota Wild 4-3 on Monday night.\n\"The puck just finds that guy,\" said defenseman Drew Doughty, who had three assists. \"It's unbelievable. It really is unbelievable. Two big goals again for us tonight. He's scored in almost every game he's been in, I feel like, since he got back. He's a goal scorer. He does it every single night, so he did a great job for us there once again.\"\nTanner Pearson and Dustin Brown also scored for the Kings, who pulled into a tie with Anaheim for third place in the Pacific Division with 86 points - and they hold the tiebreaker over the Ducks.\nJonathan Quick made 24 saves for Los Angeles, which appeared headed to a second straight loss until Brown tipped home a point shot from Doughty with 46.5 seconds left in regulation after Minnesota had taken a lead with 2:31 remaining.\n\"To come back, that's a huge two points for a team that we're quite honestly fighting with for position in the conference,\" Kings coach John Stevens said. \"It had its ebbs and flows for sure, but I thought the guys showed a lot of professionalism in terms of staying with it.\"\nJoel Eriksson Ek scored for the first time in 13 games to give the Wild a short-lived lead. Eric Staal added his 39th and Zach Parise had his second goal in three games for Minnesota.\nDevan Dubnyk stopped 26 shots for the Wild, who are third in the Central Division, four points ahead of Colorado.\n\"They need points; so do we,\" Staal said. \"But when you have that lead with a minute left, you want to be able to execute and get that job done. Tonight, we didn't and they got the extra one in overtime.\"\nPearson scored his 15th with 1:13 left in the first and Carter added his first of the game on the power play in the second. Carter has eight goals and two assists in 12 games since returning on Feb. 24 from surgery to repair a tendon in his ankle.\n\"I've been in the right place at the right time for a lot of my goals,\" Carter said.\nParise started Minnesota's comeback with his ninth of the season and Staal tied the game with 56 seconds remaining in the second. Staal has 13 goals in the past 14 games.\n\"Every point you get right now is great,\" Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. \"To get into the next category, the 90 points, is really big. Again, we had the lead with a minute to go and then we didn't do the right things in the overtime.\"\nNOTES: Los Angeles F Trevor Lewis left the game with an upper body injury and did not return. ... Kings D Derek Forbort left the game in the first after he was cut near his ear by Zach Parise's skate but did return in the second. ... Per the Elias Sports Bureau, Staal could join Gordie Howe as the only players in NHL history with at least nine seasons between 40-goal campaigns. Staal has his most since scoring 40 in 2008-09. ... Los Angeles C Alex Iafallo was scratched for the first time since Jan. 4, a span of 32 games. Andy Andreoff was in the lineup after being scratched 11 games in a row. ... Minnesota got three assists from its defensemen. Wild defenseman have now accounted for 36 goals and 142 assists this season. Their 178 points from the blue line is second only to Nashville's 181 this season.\nUP NEXT\nKings: At Winnipeg on Tuesday night.\nWild: Are off until hosting Nashville on Saturday.\n___\nMore NHL hockey: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey", "STAR JOURNAL REPORT\nThe Rhinelander High School boys tennis team picked up another Great Northern Conference victory last week before entering the Easter weekend by winning one of three matches at an invitational.\nOn Thursday, the Hodags swept their conference road match at Lakeland Union High School, 7-0.\n“Lakeland may not have had a full lineup but the players they had were good,” said RHS head coach Bob Heideman. “We were very fortunate to leave with a 7-0 victory. To win three three-set matches after losing the first set in all of them is extremely rare.”\nThose three-set victories for the Hodags included wins at the top-three singles spots with Logan Wild defeating Aaron Petersen in No. 1 singles, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3; Markus Johnson downing Vincent Yu at No. 2 singles, 2-6, 7-6, 6-3; and Russell Benoy beating Matt Holmes at No. 3 singles, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.\n“Early on Logan was plagued with errors, but as the match wore on he got more and more consistent,” Heideman said. “He started to hit some winners off his ground strokes and then he was hard to catch.\n“Markus had to do a major shift in his game after losing the first set. He went back to taking pace off the ball and his opponent did the same, which was to Markus’s advantage. Yu started playing Markus’s game.\n“Russell added a shot which drew Holmes into the net and that changed things around. He had a much easier time in the second and third sets.”\nGBSW INVITE\nThe Hodags then closed out the week by being able to get in three matches at the weather-shortened invitational hosted by Green Bay Southwest.\n“We travel to Green Bay to get the competition and we got plenty of that,” Heideman said.\nRHS was swept 7-0 by Southwest and also lost 6-1 to West De Pere, but pulled out a 4-3 victory over Oshkosh North.\nJohnson recorded the Hodags’ only victory against West De Pere at No. 2 singles over Quinn Norton, 2-6, 6-1, 14-12.\nRHS recorded only one singles match victory against Oshkosh North with Wild winning in straight sets at No. 1 singles over Max Bossert, 6-4, 6-3. The Hodags picked up straight-set victories in all three double matches with Grant Gilbert and Jared Fabich winning at No. 1 doubles, 6-4, 6-2, Connor Young and Jared Haug victorious at No. 2 doubles, 6-3, 7-5, and Russell Benoy and Marshall Bessette getting the win at No. 3 doubles, 6-3, 6-1.\nRHS, which is now 2-0 in the GNC and 5-3 overall, has its first home meet of the season Tuesday against non-conference foe Phillips.", "‘I was the Beethoven of snuff,’ declares Beau Brummell, the former king of the dandies, in Ron Hutchinson’s two-hander, first staged in 2001. It’s a typically grand claim, made while moping about in Calais — remote from the fashionable London circles he used to define with his poised, capricious snobbishness.\nNow he's tormented by debt and madness, and when we first see him he is in the bath, feebly trying to stab himself. Even once dressed, he’s not exactly a model of elegance — dirty underwear and an ugly green dressing gown suggest his reduced circumstances, though he retains an undeniably distinguished profile.\nMuch of the play’s two-hour running time is taken up with Brummell’s grandiloquent, delusional whingeing, often at the expense of his former patron the Prince Regent. Hutchinson writes fluently and at times amusingly about narcissism and the cult of celebrity. As Brummell revisits past quarrels and put-downs — even managing a pre-emptive dig at theatre critics — his scruffy valet Austin provides jaundiced commentary and reveals himself to be a bit of an entrepreneur.\nThere’s chemistry between seasoned performers Seán Brosnan (a suitably haughty Brummell) and Richard Latham (reliably sardonic as Austin). Director Peter Craze succeeds in conveying its subject’s understanding of dress as a matter of almost religious significance. But the production can’t mask the static nature of the piece, which feels like an attempt to blend Oscar Wilde with Waiting for Godot and is glutted with unsympathetic speechifying.\nUntil March 11, Jermyn Street Theatre; jermynstreettheatre.co.uk", "If you were around the MTB scene in the late 90's then you may have heard of a crew from down under called the Mud cows. Their videos were wild on and off the bike and kept things fun and loose. After watching their videos at the start of summer we were inspired to bring the mud cows back to life. Here is three months in New Zealand with the mud dogs.", "Although this year’s award season red carpet got off to a impactful start, with stars representing the “Time’s Up” movement at the Golden Globes’ carpet and celebrities wearing white flowers on the Grammys’ carpet, the Oscars’ red carpet so far is pretty tame.\nEven though there wasn’t an organized fashion statement for the Academy Awards, viewers at home still picked up on some things happening on — and off — the red carpet, particularly on the E! network.\nThe internet was especially interested Ryan Seacrest, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by a former assistant — allegations he has vigorously denied — was hosting on the red carpet while Giuliana Rancic was hosting from an off-site location.\nRyan Seacrest is interviewing stars on the red carpet, and Giuliana Rancic is telecasting out of a warehouse is Newark. #Oscars — Sophie Vershbow (@svershbow) March 4, 2018\nThe E! Red carpet #Oscars show is extremely weird. No celebrities as yet. Giuliana Rancic is beside a hotel pool for some puzzling reason. Ryan Seacrest is grinning one of those smiles that barely conceals a scream. — Tim Teeman (@TimTeeman) March 4, 2018\nI'm reserving judgement on the Ryan Seacrest thing for now, in terms of true/false, but how E! has handled this red carpet in response is horrible. They have him at top billing, and only one doing interviews. Giuliana Rancic got stuck back at some pool not even on red carpet. — Herculinds 👏 Herculinds 👏 Herculinds (@Herculinds) March 4, 2018\nSo Ryan Seacrest is at the Red Carpet, Hey @enews where is Giuliana Rancic oh wait she is filling dead air four minutes away. While the guy facing sexual allegations is interviewing celebrities. Well done on standing up for women. Good job indeed #Oscars #RyanSeacreast — #TheQueenMzansi (@MrsHarryOfWales) March 4, 2018\nWhy is Ryan Seacrest interviewing celebrities on the red carpet while Giuliana Rancic is ostracized across the street at some hotel pool? #ERedCarpet #Oscars — Marenah (@ReenaRachel) March 5, 2018\nPeople were also quick to point out that E!’s normally celebrity-filled red carpet coverage was somewhat lacking in its star power.\n@GiulianaRancic just said she’d google to see who Jennifer Lawrence is wearing. Sigh. Is @RyanSeacrest worth it #E? So boring. 3 ppl chatting st a table. No red carpet interviews. pic.twitter.com/UiAyf14WwV — Corinna bo beena (@reenie6701) March 5, 2018\nThis #ERedCarpet is whack cause no one wants to talk to @RyanSeacrest. So switched the channel to #ABC and I am LIVING for @michaelstrahan interviews! GET IT #ABC! #oscars — MariM (@Mari6625) March 5, 2018\nYou almost snagged 4 interviews tonight! — Bob Falconi (@bob_falconi) March 5, 2018\n@enews is mostly just showing @GiulianaRancic and the others talking at the table??? Hardly any interviews! BORING! Maybe they should’ve replaced @RyanSeacrest?#oscars — TWDSlayer (@LilOldMee) March 5, 2018\nI think that so far the only women who have spoken to Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet are Sofia Carson, Allison Janney, Kelly Ripa, Betty Gabriel & Rita Moreno. #Oscars2018 #Oscars #Oscars90 — Melanie McFarland (@McTelevision) March 4, 2018\nThese are all the celebs Ryan Seacrest has interviewed for. It's almost 7 pm #Oscars90 Miguel\nKelly Ripa\nGael Garcia Bernal\nMark Consuelos\nAllison Janney\nChristopher Plummer\nAndy Serkis\nRichard Jenkins\nBradley Whitford\nLil Rel Howery\nBetty Gabriel\nDonald Sutherland\nRita Moreno — Kelsea Stahler (@KelseaStahler) March 4, 2018\nRyan Seacrest being shunned at Red Carpet by all big name female stars.Had to interview Kelly Ripa to fill in time ,how sad — allen howe (@ahhairstylist) March 5, 2018\nIs it me imagination or is literally no one doing interviews with Ryan Seacrest? — Lulu Says (@lulu_says2) March 5, 2018\nWhile some people thought E! host Ryan Seacrest was being shunned, others pointed out that many praised his work including Kelly Ripa.\nFrom what I’ve seen, no one has shunned interviews with Ryan Seacrest on #Oscars red carpet. In fact, many people are praising Seacrest for his work ethic during the TV interviews. — Jordyn Holman (@JordynJournals) March 4, 2018\nKelly Ripa Reunites with Ryan Seacrest on 2018 Oscars Red Carpet: 'You're Doing a Great Job' https://t.co/Q9KHxlRE7L via @people — elaina barnes (@kittymama4u2) March 5, 2018\nStill, viewers couldn’t help but notice that the E! broadcast seemed a little off. E! had been considering a 30-second delay for the red carpet broadcast and many users were quick to point it out. E! denied the delay.\nE! has a 30 second delay on so no one calls out Ryan Seacrest. That means my hero forever is any celebrity who can loudly berate him for 35 seconds or more. — Art Martinez-Tebbel (@atebbel) March 5, 2018\nE! is running with a 30 second delay just in case someone says something sly to Ryan Seacrest. pic.twitter.com/LTgn4FfWX2 — jaime (@jaimexduarte) March 5, 2018\nThis show hasn’t been the same since #JoanRivers passed away, & tonight they’re on a 30 sec delay cause they’re afraid someone will give Ryan Seacrest a piece of their mind! Show sucks, watching #WABC #Oscars ✌🏼 — Sher41864 (@Sher41864) March 5, 2018", "Tonya Whittle just wrapped up her latest \"wild woman\" retreat, but what happens in the woods between a group of women over that 48-hour period is a little more difficult to explain.\n\"It's a chance to unplug and plug in,\" she said during a conversation with the St. John's Morning Show. \"We put our phones down, we put our technology down, and [we] come back to nature, learning to breathe, to open up to living more.\"\nWhittle started hosting what she calls Wild Souled Wellness retreats two years ago after dealing with her own issues.\nThe first Wild Women Retreat was held in July 2016 at The Tree of Life, an off-the-grid facility in St. Catherines, St. Mary's Bay. (Submitted by Tonya Whittle)\n\"I was once burned out, exhausted, overwhelmed, angry, bitter and frustrated most of the time. If I wasn't feeling those emotions I was numb, shut down and not processing anything,\" she writes on her website.\n\"Dealing with my feelings, my mindset, my belief systems and turning it all around gave me access to a freedom I wasn't aware I could have,\" she explained.\nFar away from your comfort zone\nThe first thing involved in learning to work on life's challenges on a wild woman retreat is getting out of your comfort zone.\nTonya Whittle says embodying the wild woman and face painting for the photo shoot helps bring people out of their shells. (Submitted by Tonya Whittle)\nThe wild women eat together and sleep together — often in a common space on mats on the floor — which Whittle said creates community, fosters relationships and sets the stage to help get to the root of what they want to change, let go of or make better in their lives.\n'It really does unleash something inside of us ... we're not running totally wild in the woods, but sort of.' - Tonya Whittle\n\"When people get uncomfortable stuff they're dealing with tends to come up really easy,\" said Whittle, who has facilitated seven retreats so far.\n\"Some people come for the two-millimetre shift, life is great, it's amazing, but they just want that little bit of an edge to overcome some mindset blocks, some emotional things. Other people have very challenging life experiences and they come to heal.\"\nShamanic healer Regina Wright uses these tools during ceremonies. (Submitted by Tonya Whittle)\nWhittle uses various techniques to help people identify the patterns and behaviours that are preventing them from experiencing life the way they want to.\n'Out of their head and into their body'\nThey include discussion, workshops, visualization, journaling, exercise, meditation and detoxes — even a local shaman to guide energy work like shakra dance and body movement.\n\"We weave an experience that gets participants out of their head and into their body, learning to listen to the feedback that our body gives us … what is the truth we often hide from ourselves, because it can be very uncomfortable to learn to see.\"\nParticipants create vision boards to bring home, so they can be reminded of what they learned anytime. (Submitted by Tonya Whittle)\nA wild woman photo shoot is also part of the experience.\n\"It's very interesting to watch women when they paint their face and they start to piece things together … and the light that comes into their eyes, how free they feel,\" she said.\n\"It really does unleash something inside of us. We don't run around burning bras, so to speak, but it's very freeing and liberating to do that, so we're not running totally wild in the woods, but sort of,\" she said with a laugh.\nA 'pit stop' is set up during the wild women photo shoot. (Submitted by Tonya Whittle)\nWhether it's spending problems, weight or emotional issues, relationship challenges or trauma, Whittle said the retreat experience is very different for everyone, and putting into practice what is awakened over those 48 hours is a main focus.\nNext stop: Peru\n\"Thinking about it is one thing, learning about it is another thing, but actually doing it and applying it is where the work comes, and that's one of the big things we teach at the retreats,\" said Whittle.\nSome participants post-yoga in the teaching space at Bodhi Tree Centre, the site of a wild women retreat held in Costa Rica. (Submitted by Tonya Whittle)\nMost wild women retreats are held in Newfoundland, but the next is scheduled for Peru in April.\nIt will include a sound healing experience, which Whittle said is another form of stirring up and releasing trapped energy in the body.\n\"We create an experience of changing people's lives by looking at their behaviours, looking at what they want to let go of and want to bring into their lives. For most, it's peace, happiness, joy – they want to feel alive.\n\"So we help them wake up to who they really are.\"", "news\nThere are few interesting things women would rather never tell you about. And sometimes, it is better for your relationship if some things are better left unsaid.\nIn the case of these 15 things, women do not really care whether or not you know about these things, they'll just rather not say so themselves.\nAnd, it has to be said; the knowledge of these little secrets does not put your relationship in any form of danger.\nOk? So let's jump straight into it - 15 truths your babe will never easily admit to you!\n1. Her best friend knows more\nHer best friend knows more about her than you might ever know. That same best friend probably knows too much about you, too.\nOf course, that’s because your girl is always telling her about stuff that happens in your relationship.\n2. Different sense of timing\nWhen she says, \"I'll meet you in 15 minutes,\" It means she’ll be there in like 40 minutes.\nBut hey, don’t we all know this?\n3. She's not really mad that you're busy\nEven though she may complain that you work too hard, she finds it sexy watching you put in effort into making yourself [and her] better.\nThat doesn’t mean you shouldn’t create time for her though.\nALSO READ: 3 surprises you'll experience in your first year of marriage\n4. She knows a lot about your exes\nShe has Googled your ex[es] and knows at least one of their social media handles.\nALSO READ:\n5. She compares\nShe still thinks about her ex-boyfriends and compares them to you.\nSometimes you come out better. Sometimes not. It’s nothing to worry about.\n6. Secret porn\nShe's probably seen more porn than she might ever admit.\nShe’ll never tell you exactly how many men she's slept with.\n8. She likes dirty talk\nwants you to talk dirty a little. Maybe more than a little some times.\nNo matter how prudent she appears to others. A part of her needs to know that the thought of her body drives you nuts.\n9. Sneaky tests\nShe tests you more than you know.\nShe observes, analyzes, and judges every action, word, gesture, email, and facial expression.\nALSO READ: 7 things your partner does not need to know about you\n10. She checks you out\nShe checks out your butt. A whole lot.\n11. Lowkey requests\nShe needs constant indications that you want her around. That's why she says “What are you up to this weekend?” instead of outrightly saying she wants to spend time with you that weekend.\n12. She has wild thoughts\nShe fantasized about having sex with you at least a dozen times before it actually happened.\n13. She needs assurance\nShe sometimes starts fights with you because she's feeling ignored.\nShe just wants your attention in any manner possible. Better a squabble than getting the mute treatment.\n14. She likes it when you get the bill\nEven if she insists on paying or splitting the bill on your first date, she’ll very likely think you're cheap if you let her.\n15. The end\nIf she's going to break up with you, her friends know way before you do.", "It never fails. New Year’s resolutions are joyfully made and filled with hope. Each year, millions of people vow to change their lives. And every year, promises are made to stick to them.\nSocial media is filled with the phrase “I promise to,” and people enthusiastically create lists. Many of them mirror this:\n“I will exercise more.”\n“I will go to church more.”\n“I will save more money.”\n“I will eat better.”\n“I will lose weight.”\n“I will stop procrastinating.”\n“I will spend more time with my loved ones,” etc.\nOftentimes, by March, many find themselves back to the same old habits, not getting through half of their resolution list.\nMaking these declarations is the easiest part. Sticking to them is the most difficult, but it isn’t impossible. Once you’ve determined your resolutions are absolutely achievable, you can take the steps to develop a plan that will allow you to complete them.\nBelow are five undefeated ways to help you stick to your New Year’s resolutions.\n5. Write a list, then track your progress daily in a journal\nFirst, invest in a journal. A lot of people are not into journaling. And that’s totally fine. But this is different. In your nice journal, mark the date and write down those things you’d like to do for the new year. Set a weekly reminder in your phone to visit that journal and write down the progress. Then mark things off as you go. For things ongoing, place a check mark. For example, if you’d like to reach out to loved ones more, put an alert on your phone for every Friday to call someone you love. Then go back to your journal that same day and write the name of the person you called. It works!\n4. Make mental resolutions instead of physical resolutions\nClear your mind of all distractions by mentally doing a mind dump. Then each day think about what it takes to attain happiness within. Think positively. One way to do this is by developing positive affirmations that are specific to your life or well-being. These should be positive statements that undermine any negativity. One affirmation to start with is one of forgiveness. Forgive yourself and others to start out the new year. “I forgive those who have harmed me, myself for causing any harm, and I release myself of negative energy.” Check out these 70 affirmations to help you stay positive, focused and motived.\n3. Use a calendar or app\nWhether you use a traditional calendar, your phone calendar or a special app, it’s a good practice to put your resolutions on a calendar. If you put your items on a calendar as opposed to writing a list, it’s not so overwhelming. Breaking them out over a period of time helps you track your progress, gives you time to form habits and allows you to tweak your resolution if you find yourself slacking. For example, if you’ve set a resolution to go to your gym twice a week, put it on a calendar and set a time. If you’ve set your day for every Monday and Wednesday and you find yourself not going, you can switch those days really quick on your calendar. A calendar or app also helps you to set goals gradually and take one step at a time. You can even develop a six-resolution plan and put them on a calendar every month for the next six months. As you work toward each resolution, you are developing a habit-forming system.\n2. Develop a buddy system\nDon’t go at it alone. Find a person you respect and trust. Share your resolutions with that person and attempt to keep each other focused. Support and accountability helps.\n1. Don’t make resolutions at all, set short-term goals instead\nListen. Nobody will be mad if you don’t have or make resolutions for yourself. It takes the pressure off. Try goal-setting as opposed to making resolutions. If you’d like to be more productive, set a six-month goal and create steps to reach the goal.", "EL SEGUNDO — There are losses, and there are those that can damage the soul of a team.\nThe Kings on Saturday had a game against the Chicago Blackhawks well in hand. But the Kings gave up four goals without a rebuttal over the final nine-plus minutes to lose 5-3.\nWith the Kings in a mean fight to make the postseason with just a month left in the regular season, they can ill-afford to lose two points they appeared to have in the bag. But there are 16 regular-season games left, so there is no time to cry over spilled milk.\n“It’s the same as when you won one,” said defenseman Jake Muzzin, whose team hosts the Washington Capitals at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Staples Center. “You play a lot of hockey games in a season and whether you win or lose, you learn from it and you move on as fast as you can because there’s another one coming.\n“We learn from it, we know what happened and we get ready for the next one.”\nThe four-goal barrage by Chicago began when the Blackhawks scored 2:16 into a four-minute power-play, courtesy of hooking and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on defenseman Drew Doughty.\nMuzzin makes sense, but fellow defenseman Alec Martinez admitted Saturday’s setback was not just any loss. In his mind, it was worse than if his team had been dominated from the outset.\n“I mean, yeah, a loss is a loss,” Martinez said. “But I think losing in that fashion is a little bit more frustrating. Not to say that getting blown out isn’t frustrating. It’s just frustrating in a different way. I mean, I guess you just take it as a lesson learned.\n“We’ve had a good few days of practice, days of rest, to help with nagging things and kind of square up our game a little bit, what we see we need to correct. So again, you just learn from it, but as far as I’m concerned I’ve moved on and I’m focused on Washington tomorrow.”\nThe Kings had the day off Sunday, practiced Monday, held a strength and conditioning day Tuesday and practiced Wednesday.\nSpeaking of Washington, the Capitals took it on the chin Tuesday in Anaheim, falling 4-0 to the Ducks. With a record of 37-22-7 (81 points), Washington led the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference by one point over Pittsburgh and two over Philadelphia ahead of Wednesday’s slate of games, which included the Penguins at the Flyers.\nIt stands to reason the Capitals will be a bit peeved at their performance and try to take it out on the Kings.\n“Yeah, I mean, they’re obviously a really good hockey club,” Martinez said. “But any team coming off a loss like that, they’re going to be pissed off and I know they’re going to come out and have an emotional start.”\nThat’s what the Kings need, Martinez said.\n“We’ve gotta have an emotional start as well,” he said. “This is moving time this time of year. This is crunch time and we need points.”\nCoach John Stevens said, angry or not, Washington is the real thing.\n“Oh, I think they’re a good hockey team, regardless,” he said. “I think there are a lot of elements to their game you have to be aware of. But I think the second game of a trip, teams are probably a little more acclimated to the travel out here, so I think either way they’ll probably be a better team in Game 2 than they would be in Game 1.”\nThe Kings defeated the Capitals 5-2 on Nov. 30 at Washington.\nIce chips\nThe Kings (36-25-5, 77 points) are in fourth place in the Pacific Division, two points behind third-place San Jose and three behind second-place Anaheim. A third-place divisional finish guarantees a team a playoff berth. The Kings are tied with Colorado for the second and final wild-card spot. … After Thursday, the Kings host St. Louis at 1 p.m. Saturday. The Blues (35-26-5, 75 points) are two points out of that final wild-card spot." ]

[ "Legal regulatory changes on the horizon for driverless cars.\nGovernments in the UK do not typically have reputations as visionary thought-leaders, facing some of the most challenging political questions of a generation. British politicians are even less likely to be focused on challenging Musk and Hawking for the ‘World’s Leading Futurist’ crown.\nSo what did we learn when the Chancellor delivered his Autumn Budget, announcing that he wanted to create “the most advanced regulatory framework for driverless cars in the world” and “the government wants to see fully self-driving cars, without a human operator, on UK roads by 2021”?\nPrediction is very difficult, especially about the future\nWe can safely presume that within the next decade, we will see driverless vehicles on public roads, unleashed from their test environments. Uber recently announced plans to buy 24,000 autonomous cars from Volvo, while Google affiliated ‘Waymo’, announced that their fully driverless cars have been driving around Arizona, without a safety driver at the controls, for months. This is industry validation that we’re approaching the event horizon for publicly available driverless vehicles.\nThe focus is rapidly shifting from validating the capability of the driverless vehicle tech to scrutinising the suitability of existing legislation to deal with this technology. The US and UK have seen plenty of theoretical ‘thought pieces’ on holistic issues raised by driverless vehicles (and artificial intelligence more generally). However, it is only recently that legislators have begun to fully recognise that the topics have evolved from abstract sci-fi debates to practical real-world issues.\nRegulatory approach to date\nSo, where are we with the UK regulator’s approach to automated vehicles? Here we mean both fully autonomous vehicles, capable of being operated with little or no input by a driver, as well as automated technologies which support the operation of a vehicle by a driver.\nIn February 2015, the DfT published ‘A detailed review of regulations for automated vehicle technologies’, together with a ‘Summary report and action plan’, under the heading “The Pathway to Driverless Cars“. These documents set out the UK government’s plan to update laws and regulations to permit the sale of automated vehicles to the public, and included plans to develop a code of practice for testing automated vehicles, while reviewing legislation to clarify liabilities in the event of a collision, and consider whether higher standards of safety are required (including dealing with cyber threats).\nAdditionally, a draft ‘Vehicle Technology and Aviation Bill’ was announced during the Queen’s Speech in February 2017, which included proposed automated vehicle specific legislation, relating to record keeping, insurance and accidents relating to uninstalled software updates. The Bill passed a second reading in October 2017.\nIs driving software likely to become a ‘person’?\nThe automated vehicle is often cited as a practical example in a legal debate surrounding artificial intelligence more broadly. Discussion on AI also focusses on issues around ethics and the concept of legal personality. The question was asked by the EU Commission in the January 2017, following a recommendation by their Legal Affairs Committee on whether robots and indeed other AI technology, should be granted ‘personhood’ status.\nThe law places a strong emphasis on ‘the person’, which drives concepts such as ownership and both civil and criminal liability. That concept initially attached to the human – people owning things, people committing crimes or entering into agreements. But we have seen our laws adapt, and in our modern world, we have stretched the concept of legal personality. We have created intangible entities – limited companies, PLCs, LLPs etc., which are all capable of ownership and liability in their own right.\nThis means they can enter into contracts, incur debt and be held accountable for their actions, and they are distinct from the identities of their shareholders, directors, parent or subsidiary companies. In 2017, for environmental protection reasons, we have seen the Whanganui River in New Zealand granted legal status and an attempt to do the same for the Ganges in India. In October 2017 a robot called “Sophia” was granted citizenship status by Saudi Arabia – triggering a wave of interesting discussions and repercussions, such as whether Saudi robots have more rights than women.\nThe law could be amended to give some form of legal status (and so responsibility/accountability) to driving technologies – as we already have a precedent for amending this legal concept. However, a key question is what are we trying to achieve in doing this?\nThis question forms the other current focus of regulators regarding automated vehicles and artificial intelligence – the underlying ethical principles, which govern the operation of the tools.\nBoth the UK and EU and approach has been to flag that reaching conclusions on the various ethical debates on AI and robots is fundamentally important. Indeed, in his November budget, the UK Chancellor provided the further investment required to progress ethical think-tanks and their recommendations.\nQuestions such as “should the driverless vehicle choose the elderly pedestrian or the young family to crash into?” are now being debated in the public domain. Reaching conclusions on these questions, which should involve factoring in both public opinion, and ongoing Government supported research – will allow us to shape the next phase of legislation. Clearly, with this revolutionary technology so close to being publicly available, we cannot wait too long for the legislation to catch-up." ]

[ "Telstra says the government should implement policies that promote the uptake of autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies, warning that compared to Europe and North America, Australia is lagging when it comes to initiatives involving connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV).\nAustralia “has the opportunity to take a leading role both regionally and globally in CAV enabling technology,” the telco has argued in a submission to a parliamentary inquiry into the social impact of land-based driverless vehicles.\n“Policies and incentives are urgently required to facilitate trials, gain community acceptance and to adapt the legal and regulatory framework to support and accelerate the introduction of AVs into Australia.”\nTelstra has previously argued that in the future, the government should even consider mandating the use of autonomous vehicles.\nThe company believes that autonomous vehicles can potentially boost road safety, cut traffic congestion and emissions, increase mobility for people unable to drive due to age or other reasons, and help create new jobs and business models.\nThe telco said that alleviating public concerns, including over security, safety and privacy, will be a key role for government. “There is a role for Government in educating the public on the benefits of CAVs, and in facilitating pilots so that the public can gain acceptance,” it argued.\nTelstra said it backed principles outlined in the Transport and Infrastructure Council’s (TIC) National Policy Framework for Land Transport Technology, which was released in August last year.\nThat document outlined four key roles for Australia’s state and federal governments:\n• Providing policy leadership, including a nationally coordinated approach across different levels of government; facilitating collaboration between industry and researchers; raising public awareness and acceptance; and managing the transitions between old and new technologies.\n• “Enabling”, including by supporting investment in digital infrastructure and/or data streams and offering open access to transport data.\n• Creating a supportive regulatory environment, including ensuring that community expectations around safety and privacy are met, removing regulatory barriers and where possible providing certainty about future regulatory requirements.\n• And investment in R&D and real-world trials.\nThe TIC document also included seven principles for government action, including evidence-based investment, avoiding favouring particular technologies or applications, and favouring where possible low-cost approaches to regulation such as collaborative agreements or self-regulation.\n“We fully agree with, and support these principles,” Telstra’s submission states.\n“It is our view that these principles will serve to ensure the best outcomes for the community and for businesses choosing to invest in AVs. It is our view that the policy principles could have benefitted from one additional element; namely fostering collaboration between business/industry, government and the community, which could help to accelerate the introduction of AVs in Australia.”\nThe telco is a member of the Australian Driverless Vehicle Initiative (ADVI), which has staged on-road trials of self-driving cars. Telstra has backed a truck platooning initiative in Western Australia and participated in connected vehicle trials.\nIn October, Telstra revealed details its work with Cohda Wireless to conduct a trial of ‘vehicle to infrastructure’ (V2I) communications using the telco’s 4G network.\n“Governments, industry, businesses and the community have the opportunity to catalyse the emergence of new mobility systems and this should be done through cross-sector collaboration (transport, telecommunications, and universities/research sector) and partnership,” Telstra argued.\n“The Australian geography and environment lends itself to being the perfect test bed for such technologies, but Australia is currently lagging globally, and policies and incentives are urgently required.”\nToyota in a submission to the inquiry said it backed a national guidelines and a single application process for organisations that wish to undertake trials of automated vehicles.\n“In addition, Toyota fully supports cross-border cooperation within state and territory road transport agencies primarily because most automotive and technology industries see Australia as a single market for investment and innovation,” the car-maker said.\nToyota also said that legislated definitions around driver, driving, control and proper control should be based on globally harmonised definitions. The UN’s World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations and the Working Party on Road Traffic Safety are currently discussing key definitions relating to autonomous vehicles.\nThe full submissions are available from the inquiry's home page.", "Longtime safety advocate Ralph Nader blasted auto companies and Silicon Valley on Wednesday, accusing them of lacking legal, ethical and policy frameworks for the testing and future deployment of driverless vehicles.\n“We have a situation now where there are two major players. We have the auto companies, who have their own problems — such as the Toyota sudden acceleration or the ignition switch of GM. Before they fly off into the 23rd century, they should look at how they’re doing now in terms of quality control,” Mr. Nader said at George Washington University Law School.\n“And then you have the Silicon Valley techno twits, who have never sold a car. They don’t know the complexities — legal, technical, logistical marketing — of selling cars,” he added.\nMr. Nader, who ripped the auto industry over safety issues in the 1960s, voiced his criticisms Wednesday during a panel discussion on the legal landscape of driverless cars.\nOnline services giant Google has been developing driverless technology for years, as automakers GM, Ford and Tesla have been gradually shifting production toward autonomous models. Several jurisdictions, such as Arizona and Fairfax County, Virginia, have allowed companies to experiment with driverless cars on their roads. Many technology observers say they expect to see driverless cars in use within the next five years.\n“We suck as drivers,” said Bernard Soriano, deputy director of the California Department of Motor Vehicles and sponsor of the department’s autonomous vehicles program.\nMr. Soriano said that drivers cause problems and accidents due to inattention, distraction or other human frailties that autonomous vehicles would avoid.\nBut Mr. Nader said the push for autonomous vehicles stems from a belief in auto companies and Silicon Valley that car sales are going to decline. Their answer, he said, is add value to their products by loading cars with electronics and increasing their purchase price.\nWith the deployment of driverless vehicles, Mr. Nader said, the nation will have “a list of less,” including less regulation, privacy, security, openness and engineering simplicity.\n“The industry has long been stop, jerk, and then they go through long periods of technological stagnation, such as in the ‘40s and ‘50s and early ‘60s, when engineering integrity was subordinated to stylistic pornography,” Mr. Nader said.\nIn 1965 Mr. Nader criticized car manufacturers for resisting the implementation of safety features such as seat belts and antilock brakes.\n“You have to keep that history in mind,” he said. “I know the Silicon Valley types and their associates in Michigan and elsewhere think this technology is so compelling and it’s going to save so many lives, prevent so many injuries, allow so many disabled people to get to where they want, that it’s going to mow down all the mischievous opposition and complexities that are outside the technical world. It’s not going to happen.”\nHowever, Mr. Nader acknowledged the automotive industry’s emphasis on safety regarding autonomous vehicles.\nFor panelist Ralph Menzano, co-founder of the transportation technology innovation company ATI21, safety on the roads comes with the greater technology. Industries, Mr. Menzano said, must “stop wasting time” catching up with technology.\nOn a closing note, Mr. Nader said the needs of the “millions” of low-income workers must be accounted for.\n“It’s time to bring it down to earth and ask the question, What are the transportation needs of everyday people around the world to get to work, to get to their families, to get to their doctors, to get to their shopping centers?” he said. “What are their needs and how can they be met in something other than some futuristic, pie-in-the-sky scenario?”", "GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Ford CEO Jim Hackett got a bit of teasing on Monday, March 19, from business leaders when he returned to Grand Rapids to speak to the Econ Club.\nHe was introduced by his good friend, Amway chairman Steve Van Andel, who joked he doesn't plan to follow Hackett's example when he retires at the end of the year.\nSince retiring from Grand Rapids office furniture-maker Steelcase in 2014, Hackett has only gotten busier.\nThat same year, he joined his alma mater, the University of Michigan as interim athlethic director. As he soon as he finished the 2 year assignment, Ford Motor tapped him to lead a unit responsible for experimenting with car-sharing programs and self-driving ventures. Last year, Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford hired Hackett to lead the company.\nThere seems to one constant about Hackett's unusual career path, he observed.\n\"I find my life is about blue,\" he said. \"Steelcase is known as Big Blue. Michigan is known as Go Blue and Ford is known as the Blue Oval.\"\nHackett even spoke to the lunch crowd from a blue Steelcase chair. His recent hip surgery made it difficult to stand for long periods of time, he explained.\nHackett credits Van Andel for giving him sound advice when he was thinking about his next step after U-M.\nKnowing Hackett's penchant for understanding the future of innovation, Van Andel told him: \"What you need to do is get yourself in an industry where the future is foggy.\"\nThe timing was good. That same week, Ford approached Hackett about his future plans.\nWhen talking about Ford's future plans, Hackett says the company is working on adding hybrid engines to its bigger vehicles so customers don't have to choose between more room and saving money at the gas pump.\n\"It allows customers to go into larger silhouettes and not pay a penalty for fuel efficiency,\" Hackett said.\nFord is betting that the future of the industry is driverless cars. Perfecting the technology is more about car mechanics than software, Hackett said.\nHackett thinks the future of self-driving cars could be transit vans that can carry up to 10 people.\n\"We think we will deploy more people in the chariot system internationally than we have in the U.S.,\" said Hackett, adding that he expects micro transits to start getting more attention as a form of ride sharing.\nOther issues that Ford is working on is WiFi in cars so several people can use their devices at the same time without headphones, he added. All vehicles will be wired with 4G service by 2020.\nHackett says he is humbled to be leading the 115-year-old Michigan company that changed the world.\nFord's founder, Henry Ford worked with his mentor Thomas Edison in the early 1900s on trying to figure out how to power a car with electricity. They eventually had to go with gas because the fuel provided more power, Hackett said.\n\"These folks that were changing the world of their day. They were akin to the tech giants of today,\" Hackett said.\nHackett says his role is to figure out where the industry is going. There's lessons to learn from once thriving companies like Blackberry and Toys 'R Us that didn't see how disruptors like Apple and Amazon were changing their industries.\n\"What is that curve for us that we don't see,\" said Hackett. \"It's where I want to spend time as a CEO.\"\nOne area Ford needs to improve is how long customers are waiting for their new cars after ordering them.\nThe Mustang he ordered for his wife, Kathy, took 81 days -- which is the same amount of time it took in 2003.\n\"There's no business in the world that can stay in business when 81 (days) 15 years ago is 81 (days) today,\" Hackett said. \"Everyone has had to improve speed.\"\nHe acknowledged that reducing the nearly 4 month waiting period will be a challenge because automotive supply chain is one of the most complex in the world.\nAfter his speech, he took questions from the audience, which were fielded by Franco Bianchi, president of the Econ Club, and CEO of Steelcase competitor, Haworth.\nThe good nature ribbing between the two drew the biggest laughs during the lunch at the JW Marriott hotel in downtown Grand Rapids, attended by more than 600 people.", "Kiwi experts have urged people not to dismiss self-driving cars as unsafe after a person was killed by one for the first time this week.\nA self-driving Uber car killed a pedestrian, Elaine Herzberg, in the city of Tempe, Arizona, on Monday.\nLocal police said the car was in self-driving mode with a safety driver at the wheel when it hit the 49-year-old while she was crossing the road.\nNobody else was in the vehicle.\nAdvertisement\nUber had suspended tests of its self-driving vehicles in Tempe, San Francisco, Pittsburgh and Toronto, the four North American cities where it is testing the technology.\nIts chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi tweeted: \"We're thinking of the victim's family as we work with local law enforcement to understand what happened.\"\nThe tragedy has caused a global stir - and raised fresh questions over whether the technology is safe enough to be used.\nWhile New Zealand has been promoted internationally as a \"test-bed\" for the technologies, the Ministry of Transport and the NZ Transport Agency was still reviewing transport legislation to clarify the legality of testing of driverless cars here.\nThat would specifically consider the issues of liability associated with testing - but would not consider liability for general use.\nMeanwhile, there had been some instances of the innovation already in New Zealand.\nLast year, Ohmio Automotion announced plans to start producing self-driving vehicles here after launching driverless buses in Christchurch.\nFollowing this week's tragedy, University of Auckland computer science senior lecturer Dr Paul Ralph said it was \"critical\" to use perspective.\n\"People are using this incident to dismiss driverless cars as unsafe. Human drivers have killed hundreds of thousands of people,\" Ralph said.\n\"A driverless car has killed one. Moving to autonomous vehicles as quickly as possible is still the best way to reduce automotive collisions and their enormous cost in money, time and human life.\"\nPaul said that, if Uber knew that its autonomous vehicles were running red lights and did not take reasonable steps to correct the mistake, the company should be held criminally responsible for the woman's death.\n\"The individuals who ignored the problem should be held personally, criminally responsible - they might be charged with vehicular manslaughter or negligent homicide.\"\nPaul believed research on the technology should be funded by governments and carried out by expert researchers in public-private partnerships.\n\"But national governments, including New Zealand's, remain unwilling to invest in innovation at the scale demanded by the 21st Century.\"\nOther experts have also weighed in.\nMichael Cameron, author of an upcoming Law Foundation report on driverless vehicles in New Zealand, argued driverless vehicles would be safer than the human-controlled vehicles.\n\"Some regulation is necessary, but any regulation that slows down the adoption of driverless technology will likely cost many more lives than it saves.\"\nCameron noted how, in 1896, 44-year-old Bridget Driscoll became the first recorded pedestrian to be killed by a motor vehicle.\n\"And in 2018, it appears that 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg has tragically become the first pedestrian to be killed by a driverless vehicle.\n\"Back in 1896, the nascent motor vehicle industry managed to avoid a regulatory backlash from the Driscoll tragedy. But these are different times.\"\nThere had already been calls for tighter regulations by the director of Consumer Watchdog in the US, Cameron said.\n\"The irony is that, this time around, we actually have a technology that is safer than the existing technology it will replace.\"\n\"The fact the vehicle wasn't technically driverless and had a supervising driver constantly ready to take over is a detail likely to be lost in the response, but it is extremely important.\n\"While we won't know for sure until the investigation is complete, the supervising driver would have been a highly skilled professional, and he or she also failed to avoid Ms Herzberg.\"\nProfessor Hossein Sarrafzadeh, of Unitec's High Tech Research, said that, with the rapid emergence of driverless cars and autopilot technology, such an incident was likely to have occurred sooner or later.\n\"The cause of the accident has still not been determined and I am sure there will be greater emphasis on the safety of these systems following the investigation, however, it is important to take this single event into context when considering the overall safety of these cars, particularly in comparison to human-operated vehicles,\" he said.\n\"There is no doubt that more work needs to be done to make autonomous cars safer.\n\"Equipping roads with sensors, wearable technologies, AI and machine learning are just some of the technologies that will need to be employed to increase the safety and security of these technologies.\n\"We need to hold any judgment until investigations have been undertaken and videos and other data relating to the accident have been analysed. Innovation will continue.\"", "Driverless, autonomous cars present ethical challenges — so how do we write the laws?\nUpdated\nDriverless cars could make our roads safer and reduce congestion. But the algorithms driving them will also have to make life-or-death decisions.\nAt some stage in the future, a fully autonomous car may determine who lives and who dies on our roads.\nThese machines are being tested right now and Australian politicians are looking overseas for leadership, emboldened by the promise of fewer fatalities and less congestion.\nAt the moment, there must be a human behind the wheel of these cars at all times, but government agencies are already working on a legal framework for when machines are totally in control.\nThe Germans — with an established car industry — have developed some simple rules: the machine must harm the fewest possible people and treat all life equally.\nSo what would you do?\nYou're approaching a pedestrian crossing. The autonomous system is working but the brakes fail. A crash is unavoidable.\nA car programmed to harm the fewest possible people would swerve into a wall, injuring you, rather than hit the three pedestrians.\nDo you agree with this decision?\nIf you ask Australia's chief scientist, Alan Finkel, German lawmakers are trying to reduce a tough moral argument about the value of human life into a simple formula.\nHe says scenarios like this one trigger difficult but necessary discussions about ethics, the value of human life and how we regulate technology.\nWhile Australia is a few years away from seeing fully autonomous cars hit the roads, Dr Finkel says it's time for a serious debate about whether a legal framework like the German one would work here.\nThese are the stages of autonomous cars:\nA little help with steering, acceleration. More help keeping you in your lane, cruise control. The machine starts to take over, but only in very controlled environments. We're getting to this stage now. Fully autonomous but not in every circumstance. Completely autonomous with performance equal or better than human drivers.\nIn crude terms, the German rules specify that if a crash is unavoidable, a car would be programmed to hurt the fewest people possible.\nThe machine's algorithms wouldn't consider a person's family ties, profession, fame, criminal record, gender, age or any other factors.\n\"It's a sensible rule but is it the right rule?\" Dr Finkel asks.\n\"Well, that's for ethicists and politicians to debate.\"\nIt's a debate that gets more complex and delicate when real humans are involved.\nYou're approaching road works. Your child is in the car. Pedestrians walk into the free lane without looking.\nWith no time to brake, a car programmed to harm the fewest possible people would hit the road works. That would injure you and your child, but save the pedestrians.\nWould you buy a car that makes this decision?\nGermany is home to some of the world's biggest car companies and these rules are an attempt to give manufacturers certainty before they develop fully autonomous vehicles.\n\"They must be able to rely on absolutely clear ethical principles being observed in the development and design of technology,\" the German guidelines say.\nThese are the German ethical rules:\nHuman safety must come first\nAll humans are considered equal\nThe fewest people possible must be harmed\nCompanies are liable\nCompanies must be transparent\nWhether we agree with these rules or not, they raise a question about what role government should play in regulating an industry and technology that is still developing.\nThe Federal Government has been accused of lagging on driverless cars, but it's set aside $30 million to improve machine learning and develop a new \"artificial intelligence ethics framework\".\nThat will guide the \"responsible development\" of technology and could eventually serve a similar function to the German rules.\nThe National Transport Commission (NTC), which advises federal and state governments on this issue, is now working on new laws for driverless cars. It's already developed rules for trials across Australia.\nCurrent driverless car trials in Australia:\nThe NSW Government and Transurban are testing stage-two autonomous cars from seven different companies until August\nDriverless shuttlebuses are being trialled in Perth, Sydney and Ipswich\nThe ACT Government is supporting a two-year trial involving 40 drivers\nThe Victorian and South Australian governments allow trials on public roads. VicRoads has partnered with BMW, Mercedes, Tesla and Volvo\nSome car manufacturers think it's too early to develop these laws, given we're a long way away from stage-five autonomous cars and we don't know what the technology will look like in a decade.\nBut others, like the Transport Workers Union, want the Government to act now to ensure difficult decisions are not influenced by commercial interests.\n\"Leaving these decisions to technology and its programmers is unacceptable,\" the union told a Senate hearing.\nThat would leave the Government to regulate tough decisions like these.\nYou're driving down a narrow suburban street when a child suddenly runs into the road. There's no time to brake.\nYour car could swerve to avoid the child, but on either side it would hit an obstruction, injuring you. Alternatively, it could hit the child but save you. The German ethical guidelines are unclear.\nWould you save yourself?\nIt's an uncomfortable reality, but a car programmed to harm the fewest possible people might be compelled, in some circumstances, to sacrifice passengers to save others.\nThis presents a challenge for companies trying to sell those cars.\nResearch from MIT shows while people overwhelmingly support driverless cars being programmed to hurt the fewest people possible in an unavoidable crash, they don't want to be in them.\nMercedes Benz boss Christoph von Hugo was widely misquoted in 2016 as saying his cars would prioritise passengers over pedestrians.\nThe company went on the front foot, saying it was simply illegal for a machine to weigh up the value of life and this could only be solved through a lengthy legal and ethical debate.\nHussein Dia, a civil engineer who researches driverless cars for Swinburne University, says this proves why some form of the German rules is necessary.\n\"We need to have that discussion quickly or it's going to be dictated to us,\" he told the ABC.\nThe German rules redefine our understanding of who is liable for accidents and highlight a change that's likely coming to Australia.\nWhen humans make split-second decisions behind the wheel of a car, those decisions have consequences. If we're negligent we may face an insurance claim and, in serious cases, criminal prosecution.\nSo when an accident does occur, will it be the passenger or the manufacturer who is held responsible?\n\"Today, a lot of our liability regimes are premised on liability sitting with the driver, but in a world where the vehicle is completely in control, it doesn't make sense to attach liability to the passengers,\" Victoria's Urban Infrastructure Minister, Paul Fletcher, says.\nThe Federal Opposition takes a similar approach, saying we need to have these discussions now before fully autonomous cars become available.\nThese aren't hypothetical arguments, because driverless cars — even at this early stage, with a passenger behind the wheel — have killed people.\nIn March, Elaine Herzberg was killed while pushing her bike across the road. Her death was tipped as a legal test case, but the company settled with the family for an undisclosed fee.\nAs Dr Finkel points out, Australian courts may judge car companies more harshly than humans.\n\"The court understands that if you've only been given one second to make a decision, you might make a decision that another reasonable person might not have made,\" Dr Finkel says.\n\"We understand for human beings that it's complex. We allow a lot of different decisions to be made.\n\"Will we be as generous to a computerised algorithm that can run at much faster speeds than we can? I don't know.\"\nThese questions are even more problematic when the rules don't give a clear answer on what a car should do.\nWhen it comes to a court, how would a judge determine guilt?\nYou're driving through an intersection when three pedestrians cross illegally in front of you.\nA car programmed to harm the fewest possible people would save the jaywalkers. With traffic in the other lane, it would have to swerve onto the footpath and injure you and a bystander.\nDo you agree with this decision?\nMany car manufacturers are coy when asked when fully autonomous cars will be on our roads.\nIn an incredibly competitive market, some are reluctant to put a date on a roll-out or give away well-guarded company plans.\nBut the consensus is, we're still some way away.\nThe majority of 300 industry figures informally polled by Bloomberg New Energy Finance say we won't see stage-five cars until at least 2030, but stage-four vehicles could roll out within the next five years.\nBut both sides of federal politics know they need to ensure regulation keeps pace with technological developments.\nThe argument is really whether they're acting fast enough.\nCredits\nTopics: science-and-technology, computers-and-technology, law-crime-and-justice, laws, driver-education, road, disasters-and-accidents, road-transport, government-and-politics, australia\nFirst posted", "Dubai: One in four journeys in Dubai will be driverless by 2030, under the government’s plans.\nAnd this goal will be achieved by fully autonomous buses, the metro, boats, trams, taxis and even autonomous aircraft.\nBehind the push to make Dubai the world’s leader in autonomous transport is the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), the emirate’s transport regulator.\n“The Government of Dubai is leading the transition to driverless mobility in Dubai,” Mattar Al Tayer, the RTA’s director-general and chairman, said in a speech at the World Government Summit in Dubai. “Whereas in other cities and countries, it is the private sector that leads the process.”\nInstead of being merely plans on paper, the RTA chief said that some of Dubai’s public transport goals were well under way.\nLast year, 8.8 per cent of journeys in Dubai were made on the driverless Dubai Metro — more than 600,000 riders every day. The RTA expects that number to reach 12.2 per cent by 2030.\nServing alongside the metro is the Dubai Tram, which will in the future be fully driverless.\nBy 2030 6.4 per cent of journeys will also be made by driverless buses.\n“Dubai has also started the test run of driverless mini-buses, vehicles and boats, besides considering the options of deploying driverless express shuttle buses, and taxis from some leading companies,” said Al Tayer.\nThe RTA’s strategy includes the involvement of “global competition” to draw in cutting-edge companies that deal with driverless transport. More details on this will be announced shortly, according to the transport body.\nIn total, Dubai’s autonomous mobility strategy is expecting to generate Dh22 billion dirhams per year, reduce mobility spending by 44 per cent, and curb demand for parking by 50 per cent.\nAs well as water, roads and rail, the RTA also plans to take to the skies — by as early as this July.\nIn cooperation with Chinese firm EHANG, the transport body is currently testing an Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (AAV).\nSoaring on eight propellers, the aircraft carries one passenger for up to 30 minutes at a speed of 100 kilometres per hour.\n“The AAV on display at the World Government Summit is not just a model but it has really flown in Dubai skies,” said Al Tayer. “RTA will spare no effort to launch the AAV in July 2017.”\nNo more drivers needed\nGovernments around the world have spent more than Dh2.2 billion to support research related to driverless vehicles — a figure that does not include investments by private firms.\nThere are five levels of driverless mobility, according to a US system of ranking. Level 1 means that the vehicle can stop by itself when approaching an obstacle. Meanwhile, Level 5 means the vehicle is completely autonomous — so no human intervention is needed at all.\nMost commercially available technologies put the level of autonomy at about Level 3.\nThis means that a vehicle can be operated without a driver for limited periods in normal circumstances, but still needs human intervention under certain conditions.\nDriverless transport faces four key challenges, both in Dubai and worldwide, Al Tayer told the audience at the summit.\nThese are: Infrastructure, which includes high-quality maps; and road markings; laws and legislation; safety and public acceptance; and technological requirements such as the efficiency of sensors and cameras.\nDriverless cars on the roads could make some users uneasy, Al Tayer warned.\n“Ordinary users may not be satisfied, particularly when the driverless vehicles share the same routes as ordinary ones,” he said.\n“Governments must play a key role here in providing effective awareness to the public on the new technologies to the public in a way that promotes confidence.”\nLocal challenges\nSome challenges are more unique to the region such as the sweltering climate.\nDubai’s high summer temperatures and humidity could take its toll on driverless tech, said Al Tayer.\n“This may increase people’s reluctance to embrace modern technology,” he told the audience.\nThe transport body also has the need to drop passengers very close to their final destinations due to the fierce heat — prompting the need for many diverse types of transport.\nPart of a successful transport strategy is to provide users with comprehensive and accurate data, Al Tayer said.\n“To achieve this, we are currently constructing a unified centre for merging all information of various transit means,” the RTA chief said.\n“The centre will be opened shortly.”\nDubai’s transport strategy, in numbers:\n8.8 per cent: of the total journeys in Dubai are made on the driverless Dubai Metro\n12.2 per cent: of the total journeys in Dubai will be on Dubai Metro by 2030\n600,000: people take the Metro every day\n13 years: left for Dubai to achieve its goal of one in four journeys on driverless transport\n6.4 per cent: of the total journeys will be made by driverless buses by 2030\nDh2.2 billion: spent by governments to support research into driverless transport", "By Emma Reynolds\nAs we start the year full of good intentions to flourish at work, social scientists are warning our careers could be over sooner than we expect.\nThe world is barrelling towards what has been dubbed the \"post-work economy\", as technology replaces humans at an unprecedented rate.\nDriverless cars are set to make millions of truckies and taxi drivers redundant and automated fast food service is poised to shut off a key job sector for young people.\nAs artificial intelligence is increasingly able to carry out complex tasks that used to require humans, large numbers of us are set to find ourselves out of work, with no prospects. \"Many jobs will be destroyed,\" futurist Ross Dawson told news.com.au.\n\"We can no longer be sure we'll have a sufficient amount of the right type of work for people to be employed.\"\nWHEN SHOULD WE START PANICKING?\nThe experts aren't sure how soon all this is going to happen, but the shift is taking place faster than predicted.\nThe world of work is now changing more rapidly than during the Industrial Revolution.\nDawson says we can expect more \"big hits\" in the near future, like the one seen in October when 600 manufacturing workers lost their jobs after Ford closed its Australian factories.\nContinued below.\nRelated Content Kirsty Keating: Top tax tips for the year ahead Mark Lister: Take the Kane Williamson approach to investing Fran O'Sullivan: Netanyahu has bigger fish to fry than NZ\nFuturist Chris Riddell told news.com.au that over the next three years, \"innovation and disruption will exceed anything we've seen to date.\"\nWith high-speed \"hyperloop\" transport and augmented reality gaining traction, the pace of change is accelerating, but Riddell believes \"things are going to get very messy before they get sophisticated.\"\nHOW WILL WE SURVIVE?\nGovernments are already in discussions over how we can stay relevant in a world where tech has overtaken the human brain.\nThe shift towards a huge portion of the population being unemployed will throw up a string of problems.\nIn terms of finances, we may have to introduce a Universal Basic Income (UBI): a trendy concept being trialled in Finland, the Netherlands and Canada, in which every citizen is paid a flat wage, whether they are employed or not.\nThe idea of a \"mincome\" (minimum income) is controversial because it is unclear whether it would be more cost-effective than our current welfare system. But if the majority of the population is on the dole, our view on taxing workers to fund the unemployed may have to change.\nWILL LIFE BE ONE LONG PARTY?\nYou may be thinking this all sounds great. Our lives will run smoothly with the help of super-intelligent technology, we won't be expected to find jobs, and we'll still earn money.\nTechnology should remove mundane tasks and allow us to focus on the kind of lifestyles we want. But Dawson warns the shift could open up a wider chasm between the elite who work, and those who do not, since we typically define our worth by what we do.\n\"This will accelerate the potential for a divide,\" he says. \"And the polarisation of wealth.\"\nSince we all want to feel valued, we will need to find a way to give people a purpose outside of work, in other aspects of society.\nWHERE WILL WE FIND PURPOSE?\nSome of the greatest minds of the 21st Century, Tesla founder Elon Musk and physicist Stephen Hawking, recently wrote an open letter warning of the need to stay abreast of artificial intelligence for fear robots could literally take over our world.\nWe can no longer be sure we'll have a sufficient amount of the right type of work for people to be employed. Ross Dawson, futurist\nIn the short term, we need to find roles in which humans can feel productive.\nThis requires looking at where we still outstrip machines: in expertise, creativity and relationships, for example.\nOne of Australia's most potent offerings is world-class eduction, according to Dawson.\nWe have the ability to take a leading role in making sure schools are preparing for the radically different world of the future, and exporting adult education to the world.\nAs computers become more sophisticated, our abilities at things like mental arithmetic and handwriting are eroding, so it will be vital for us to exercise our motor skills and stay physically and mentally engaged.\nRiddell predicts \"multi-income sources\" for the next generation, who are likely to have several different jobs, mostly situated in the on-demand economy, that fit in with their lifestyle.\nIt's a time of deep change, and we will need to integrate with technology to create the lives we want, before we are edged off the information superhighway.\n- news.com.au", "The technology behind autonomous vehicles has originated from coders in Silicon Valley, engineers in Detroit and academic researchers in Pittsburgh. Much of it eventually lands on the streets of Arizona, a state that’s done more than any other to welcome tests of unproven self-driving software to public roads.\nThe death this week of a 49-year-old woman in Tempe, after she was struck by a self-driving Uber Technologies Inc. SUV, highlights the risk of the state's laissez-faire approach to the emerging technology. Developers flocked to the desert state in response to policies that were designed to encourage testing and minimize red tape. That approach has come under scrutiny after what’s likely the first pedestrian death linked to an autonomous vehicle.\nAn Uber self-driving vehicle in Tempe, Arizona, on Feb. 3, 2018. Photographer: Kristoffer Tripplaar/Sipa via AP\nArizona Governor Doug Ducey issued an executive order in 2015 to allow self-driving vehicles to operate without a human backup driver behind the wheel. It was a calculated move to make the state a hub for self-driving tests. California further cracked open a window of opportunity the following year, when its Department of Motor Vehicles shut down an Uber pilot program in San Francisco, insisting that the company register its driverless cars and pay a fee. Ducey, a Republican, implored Uber to relocate.\n“While California puts the brakes on innovation and change with more bureaucracy and more regulation, Arizona is paving the way for new technology and new businesses,” Ducey said in December 2016. “California may not want you, but we do.” He took his sales pitch to Twitter, too.\nCalifornia requires companies to register all automated vehicles used on public roads. Operators must log each time human drivers take manual control from an automated system and file detailed reports of every crash, no matter how minor. The state publicly releases crash reports and letters from the companies on how many times test drivers disengaged their self-driving vehicle systems annually.\nCompanies may be responding to this by taking their testing elsewhere. Even Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo, which reported a tiny rate of disengagements last year, nearly halved the number of autonomous-driving testing miles racked up in its home state compared with 2016.\nArizona hasn’t required any crash or disengagement reporting, and its far more hands-off approach has caught companies’ attention. The state now has more than 600 autonomous test vehicles on its roads, according to the governor’s office. California has about 365.\n“Unlike Arizona, California has taken a safety driven approach when developing autonomous vehicle regulations,” Jim Frazier, a California assemblymember, said on Monday. “Autonomous vehicles have the potential to save thousands of lives a year, but they have to be tested properly to protect the public.”\nAn Uber self-driving car in San Francisco in 2017. Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images\nThe greater Phoenix area, which includes Tempe, plays host to autonomous test programs from Uber, Intel Corp., General Motors Co. and Waymo, the startup that sprung from Google’s self-driving car project. It’s chosen the suburb of Chandler as the location for a driverless chauffering service, which is slated later this year to become the first robotaxi business available to public passengers in the U.S.\nCity officials in Arizona have taken their cues from Ducey’s accommodating posture. Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell said in an interview last month that he welcomed autonomous vehicles on local streets as a way to help the city plan for changes to land use and transportation that will be wrought by the driverless future. Uber, the mayor said at the time, was “ really operating very safely on our roadways.”\nAfter Sunday’s fatal accident, Mayor Mitchell reaffirmed “the innovation and promise the technology may offer” and also vowed that “city leadership and Tempe Police will pursue any and all answers to what happened in order to ensure safety moving forward.”\nThere are reasons beyond minimal regulation that Arizona is luring autonomous vehicles. Year-round sunny and dry weather enables companies to avoid snowy conditions that can flummox self-driving sensors. In Chandler, a quarter of the workforce is involved in high-tech jobs. The city envisions its East Valley section—home to 10,000 Intel employees, including engineers graduating from Arizona State University’s nearby Tempe campus—becoming a key part of the national supply chain for autonomous vehicles.\nWaymo self-driving vehicles line up to re-enter the company's facility after morning test drives in Chandler, Ariz., on Oct. 21, 2017. Photographer: David Walter Banks/The New York Times via Redux\n“We have a lot of companies currently operating in the AV supply chain that allowed for Chandler to be a good fit for additional AV development,” Micah Miranda, the city’s economic development director, said in an interview last month. “A lot of the activity was simmering underneath the surface, and then with Waymo's introduction into the marketplace, it opened up a lot more.”\nJust a few weeks before the deadly Uber accident, Arizona expanded its permissive stance toward autonomous vehicles. On March 1, the state issued an update to Governor Ducey 2015 executive order meant to reflect “advancements in technology and testing” of autonomous vehicles. In effect, the move permitted commercial robotaxi services, taking a step further than just allowing public-road testing, according to Bryant Walker Smith, an assistant professor of law at the University of South Carolina.\n“The governor is in fact trying to facilitate more rather than less,” Smith said in an email.\nThe Uber accident highlights the need for transparent collaboration between industry and communities, said Thad Miller, a professor at the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University, who has worked with Tempe’s mayor on how to pla for the advent of driverless cars. “Road safety and these other issues must be addressed as larger policy, infrastructure and political problems,” Miller said. “Then we can ask: Where do AVs fit in, and how can they help?”\nFor the time being, at least, Arizona won’t see any of Uber’s automated Volvos on its roads. The ride-hailing company said Monday it will pause tests of all autonomous vehicles, which had been operating in Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Toronto and the Phoenix area. Waymo hasn't indicated whether it’ll change its commercial robotaxi plans for the area.\n“Arizona has been the wild west of robot-car testing with virtually no regulations in place,” said John Simpson, the privacy and technology project director for the nonprofit advocacy group Consumer Watchdog, which has called for a national moratorium on autonomous-vehicle testing on public highways. “When there’s no sheriff in town, people get killed.”", "Canada's glaciers and ice caps are now a major contributor to sea level change, a new UCI study shows. Ten times more ice is melting annually due to warmer temperatures. Seen here is the edge of the Barnes Ice Cap in May 2015. Credit: NASA / John Sonntag Ice loss from Canada's Arctic glaciers has transformed them into a major contributor to sea level change, new research by University of California, Irvine glaciologists has found.\nFrom 2005 to 2015, surface melt off ice caps and glaciers of the Queen Elizabeth Islands grew by an astonishing 900 percent, from an average of three gigatons to 30 gigatons per year, according to results published today in the journal Environmental Research Letters.\n\"In the past decade, as air temperatures have warmed, surface melt has increased dramatically,\" said lead author Romain Millan, an Earth system science doctoral student.\nThe team found that in the past decade, overall ice mass declined markedly, turning the region into a major contributor to sea level change. Canada holds 25 percent of all Arctic ice, second only to Greenland.\nThe study provides the first long-term analysis of ice flow to the ocean, from 1991 to 2015.\nThe Canadian ice cap has glaciers on the move into the Arctic Ocean, Baffin Bay and Nares Strait. The researchers used satellite data and a regional climate model to tally the \"balance\" of total gain and loss each year, and the reasons why. Because of the huge number of glaciers terminating in area marine basins, they expected that discharge into the sea caused by tide water hitting approaching glacier fronts would be the primary cause.\nThis infographic details the dramatic change in Canadian ice melt. Credit: UCI\nIn fact, they determined that until 2005, the ice loss was caused about equally by two factors: calving icebergs from glacier fronts into the ocean accounted for 52 percent, and melting on glacier surfaces exposed to air contributed 48 percent. But since then, as atmospheric temperatures have steadily climbed, surface melt now accounts for 90 percent.\nMillan said that in recent years ice discharge was only a major component in a few basins, and that even rapid, short term increases from these ice fields only had a minor impact on the long-term trend.\nMillan added, \"We identified meltwater runoff as the major contributor to these ice fields' mass loss in recent years. With the ongoing, sustained and rapid warming of the high Arctic, the mass loss of the Queen Elizabeth Islands area is likely to continue to increase significantly in coming decades.\"\nExplore further: Ice loss accelerating in Greenland's coastal glaciers, study finds", "Five months after a mishap involving a delivery truck thousands of miles away prompted the cancellation of a scheduled driverless shuttle demonstration in Madison, WI, people living in and around the city have another chance to experience the potential future of transportation firsthand.\nOn Tuesday and Wednesday, members of the public can ride in an Autonom Shuttle manufactured by France-based Navya as it slowly navigates a pre-programmed route along the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, the school said. The autonomous vehicle will be picking up passengers at 1630 Linden Drive from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on both days.\nThe Navya passenger shuttle does not have a steering wheel or traditional driver’s seat, and instead relies on cameras, GPS, software algorithms, and other technologies to determine when and where to turn, brake, and accelerate, UW-Madison said. The vehicle is expected to cruise along campus streets at speeds of 15 mph or slower. An attendant with knowledge of Navya’s driving technology will be present during all test rides, said Peter Rafferty, a traffic operations program manager at the school.\nThe French company is not a stranger to Big Ten universities; the University of Michigan operates a Navya shuttle on its campus in Ann Arbor, MI.\nIn November, a statewide collaboration led by UW-Madison, which also includes leaders from government and the tech and automotive sectors, arranged for a Navya shuttle to come to the city and take people on free, short test rides. However, the week before the shuttle was scheduled to come to Madison, it crashed into a delivery truck in Las Vegas. (The incident occurred due to an error the truck driver made, according to reports from The Verge and other news outlets.)\nThe Las Vegas crash led the Badger State collaboration, known as Wisconsin Automated Vehicle Proving Grounds, or WiscAV, to scrap its plans to offer rides inside the vehicle. Nevertheless, the shuttle still made the trip to Madison. It was put on public display near the state capitol building, allowing passersby to stop and take a look inside.\nMadison and other cities in Wisconsin have not gotten a lot of recognition as hubs for driverless technology development, though leaders in academia, government, and industry are looking to change that.\nIn early 2017, the U.S. Department of Transportation selected UW-Madison as one of 10 pilot sites for researchers to test and share information on technologies underpinning driverless cars and trucks. The testing is taking place in the Madison area, as well as in other Wisconsin cities like Plymouth, home of the Road America race track.\nAnd in January, UW-Madison announced that one of the city’s busiest north-south thoroughfares, Park Street, will begin serving as a test bed for autonomous vehicle technology by the end of 2018. Researchers at the school have teamed up with traffic engineers employed by the city to establish a 6.2-mile corridor extending southward from the university campus, where they’ll program stoplights to exchange information with one another and change modes when certain circumstances arise. For example, if an ambulance is rushing a patient to one of the hospitals located along the north end of Park Street, “traffic signals could work together to clear traffic” for the ambulance, the university said.\nStill, many citizens and lawmakers remain skeptical that the U.S. can rapidly—and safely—transition from human-piloted vehicles to autonomous ones. People in this camp can cite incidents such as one that occurred in March in Tempe, AZ, when a self-driving Uber car overseen by a human safety driver killed a pedestrian, as justification for their concerns about driverless vehicle safety.\nJeff Buchanan is the editor of Xconomy Wisconsin. Email: jbuchanan@xconomy.com Follow @_jeffbuchanan\nTrending on Xconomy", "Updated 20 March 2018, 17:30 AEDT\nThere are cars for sale in Australia with some automated features, but with some fine tuning, law changes and software upgrades they could do a lot more of the driving themselves.\nThe car involved in the fatal crash in Arizona was a Volvo XC90 with Uber modifications. (Credit: ABC licensed)\nThere are a range of cars currently on the market in Australia with more self-driving features than they're allowed to use, according to an industry commentator.\nUnlocking some of that capability is a matter of fine tuning, law changes and, in some cases, software upgrades.\nThe self-driving Uber vehicle that struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona was a modified version of a Volvo XC90 model.\nIn Australia, that car, \"can manage freeway driving on its own\", according to Ian Christensen, the head of iMove — a research centre dedicated to technology and transport.\n\"All cars with automation have more capability than they're currently allowed to deploy,\" he said.\n\"There is no question of that. In that respect, they're held back by the regulatory environment.\"\nCar manufacturers are still developing driverless technology — moving towards being \"highly automated\" — and some of the progress will be in the software, meaning you can buy a car like the XC90 now and its autonomous features could improve in the future.\nAmanda Appel has one on order.\n\"I just found the best cars in terms of who has autonomous technology and who's best for safety,\" she said.\n\"Volvo advised me that I could bring the car in, it has a software update and I'm good to go according to the law — when the law updates.\"\nVolvo Australia's technical manager, David Pickett, said it's a little more complicated than that.\n\"People seem to have this idea that in a few years' time we'll be pressing this button and the car will be sending the kids off to school on their own,\" he said.\nIn reality, Australia should expect three main modes of autonomous driving:\nAutonomous cars driving at low speed in car parks\nAutonomous shuttles that will move around inside restricted areas like university campuses\nCars that will autonomously commute on motorways\nIt's that third one that Volvo is focusing on.\n\"Volvo are looking at motorways, separated traffic, roads with no pedestrians that are well marked and well signposted,\" Mr Pickett said.\nHe said cars ready made with the ability to drive themselves on Australian motorways were likely to be available by 2021/22, but there were, \"some improvements that can be done\" to existing models.\n\"For example, in 2016, the car would steer itself within the lane up to about 40 kilometres per hour,\" he said.\n\"We updated it in 2017 and gave it that ability up to 130kph, and it would detect large animals in addition to pedestrians and cyclists.\"\nSome improvements 'downloaded overnight'\nMs Appel wouldn't describe herself as a car person, but this was more of a technology purchase, so the potential for the vehicle's features to improve over its life was a reason to buy.\n\"I come from a tech-adopting family and we really wanted that experience. It's very much one of the primary decision makers for us,\" she said.\n\"I want to be that person that when laws change, when the tech updates … I've received no shock in terms of that. I want to be entirely comfortable with the changes that happen.\"\nMr Christensen warned software updates would help advance some existing models, but other improvements could require bigger changes.\n\"Where the improvement is a software, programming improvement, some of that can be downloaded overnight,\" he said.\n\"If it fundamentally requires a more sophisticated sensor, well of course that can't be downloaded. That would require a new vehicle.\n\"There will be elements of both.\"\nFor Mr Christensen, the Uber crash pointed to possible software improvements.\n\"In the case of identifying objects on the road, including pedestrians, that could be improved with software — pattern-recognition software — not a new sensor,\" he said.\n\"The sensor produces some sort of pattern and the computer in the car has to detect if that pattern represents a person, a lamp post or nothing. And clearly in this case the computer didn't recognise the pattern as a person.\"\n'Humans are inferior'\nMs Appel said the Arizona crash did not discourage her from adopting autonomous driving technology.\n\"It worries me less than a drunk driver I might encounter or a 95-year-old without a licence — both scenarios I've come across this year,\" she said.\n\"Risks are calculated. Humans are inferior.\"\nMs Appel said she trusted the technology but would be cautious during a \"danger zone of adoption\".\n\"I don't think I'll hand myself over to the machine until there is a critical mass of similar vehicles on the road.\"\nOn her test drive, Ms Appel enabled the XC90's autonomous driving mode.\n\"I was so frightened. The car in front of me stopped quite short … [the Volvo] literally pulled up to a hard stop on the highway,\" she said.\n\"I had my finger tips on the wheel, but I did nothing.\"\nWith the current driverless features, the Queensland mother of two said she felt safer knowing the car could drive itself even for a few seconds if needed.\nIn reality, it will be a while before we can legally take our hands off the wheel.\nNSW Roads Minister Melinda Pavey said the Arizona crash would not deter driverless vehicle trials currently happening in the state.\n\"We are doing things appropriately and safe here in NSW which is why the drivers always need to be in charge of the vehicle and have their hand on the wheels at this stage,\" she said.\nWill we even need steering wheels?\nNo, according to General Motors.\nMr Christensen said, in theory, complete driverless technology was already a reality \"in some fashion\".\n\"The fully autonomous ones are not on pubic roads and the ones that are on roads are not fully autonomous yet,\" he said.\nSo, just how quickly will those two scenarios converge?\nIn the United States, GM recently promoted a model of Cruise that had no steering wheel or pedals.\nThe manufacturer has applied to the Department of Transportation to put that car on public roads in 2019.", "Uber Technologies Inc. has suspended all of its self-driving vehicle testing — including a program in Toronto — after what is believed to be the first fatal pedestrian crash involving autonomous vehicles.\nUber’s testing was halted after police in a Phoenix suburb said one of its self-driving vehicles struck and killed a pedestrian overnight Sunday.\nThe vehicle was in autonomous mode with an operator behind the wheel when a woman walking outside of a crosswalk was hit, Tempe police Sgt. Ronald Elcock said.\nThe woman died of her injuries at a hospital.\n“Some incredibly sad news out of Arizona,” said Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi on Twitter.\n“We’re thinking of the victim’s family as we work with local law enforcement to understand what happened.”\nThe testing has been going on for months in Toronto, the Phoenix area, Pittsburgh and San Francisco as automakers and technology companies compete to be the first with the technology.\nUber Canada said Monday in an email that two of its vehicles are being tested in Toronto but they have not been picking up passengers.\nIt said testing has been conducted since last fall, using software that was studied in simulation and on the test track before being deployed to the road.\nBut the fatality isn’t likely to derail the driverless vehicle industry because it is at such an early stage in its development, said Ross McKenzie, managing director at the University of Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research.\n“I’m shocked. It’s very, very disappointing,” he said.\n“It’s shocking because it’s something we aspire to never have happen. The whole purpose of autonomous driving is to make the operation of vehicles safer because you take out of equation the random, unpredictable behaviour of human operators, like speeding to get through an amber light or taking your eyes off the road to pick up a coffee cup.”\nHe added the incident will serve to further focus the industry on safety.\nThe Waterloo research centre has a four-car fleet of autonomous car it is currently testing. McKenzie said most of the testing takes place on a closed track but the first tests on a public road took place last year.\nMore on-road testing is scheduled for this year and he said the incident has not resulted in any immediate change to that schedule.\nCanada has been slow to embrace driverless vehicles but some advances have been made.\nIn January, Suncor Energy Inc. announced it would go ahead with a project to deploy driverless ore-hauling trucks at its remote oilsands mines in northern Alberta to replace the ones humans operate.\nThe initiative, which follows years of testing, is expected to eliminate about 400 jobs. The Calgary-based company plans to build a 150-truck fleet of 400-tonne capacity Komatsu trucks over the next six years.\nLast week, Magna International announced a deal with Lyft Inc., an American ride-hailing company that competes with Uber, to develop advanced driverless car technology through a multi-year partnership and a US$200 million investment in Lyft.\nMagna is to earn the exclusive right to manufacture kits to be used to convert Lyft’s fleet into autonomous, driverless vehicles. The kits will include cameras, radar and other sensors required for the vehicles as well as software developed by the two companies, using Magna’s manufacturing expertise and Lyft’s data from its ride-sharing operations.\nIn October, BlackBerry QNX launched testing of a self-driving car in Ottawa with what was billed as the first on-street test of an autonomous vehicle in Canada after opening an innovation centre in late 2016.\nMeanwhile, a Canadian Senate committee warned in a report earlier this year departments and levels of government are taking contradictory approaches to automated vehicles and the federal government needs to better co-ordinate action.\nIt recommended giving the privacy commissioner greater reach over how car companies use drivers’ information, including whether personal information can be monetized, and giving federal cybersecurity officials a bigger role in protecting the new technology from hackers.\nThe committee also said the government must invest more in its own research to deal with questions of safety, such as how to ensure a driverless car can safely navigate a snow-covered road.\nIt said self-driving cars could reduce greenhouse gas emissions, boost productivity and limit the number of collisions caused by human error.\nBut the technology could also lead to job losses in transportation sectors where some 1.1 million people are employed, including truck, bus, and taxi drivers. The Liberals, the committee said, must put in place job re-training programs for those whose jobs will be affected, and ensure sectors like after-market companies can maintain a foothold as new, automated cars hit the roads.\nThe U.S. federal government has voluntary guidelines for companies that want to test autonomous vehicles, leaving much of the regulation up to states.", "The Stone Age didn't end, the late Randy Udall of Carbondale liked to say, because we ran out of rocks. And it was not President Obama who precipitated coal's decline, despite being a climate change believer, and despite Missouri lawyer Terry Jarrett's claims in his May 22 Post Independent guest column.\nThe energy future isn't arriving because we are running out of coal — or because the last administration acknowledged the need for climate action.\nConverging forces are driving the transformation. Climate change is certainly one of those, which has been identified as a geopolitical threat, a looming public health crisis, and an economic calamity. But cheap gas is what drove the stake in coal, and now renewables are poised to do the same to fracked gas.\nIt wasn't a sudden arrival of pie-in-the-sky tree-huggers that make renewables more attractive for power generation. For several years, analysts have been able to show cost parity between the dirty power of the past and cleaner power options. Now the market recognizes it too, and the speed by which old, polluting plants are being replaced is accelerating.\nConsider a recent report by Basalt-based Rocky Mountain Institute, which finds that: \"… because of recent innovation and rapid cost declines in renewable energy and DER technologies, clean energy portfolios can often be procured at significant net cost savings, with lower risk and zero carbon and air emissions, compared to building a new gas plant.\"\nSome will discount the RMI study, produced by clean energy advocates. But the study just presents information that many now see as economic fact. Producing clean power to use closer to home is becoming more affordable than building massive, centralized, dirty plants to generate power for consumers hundreds of miles away.\nRecommended Stories For You\nTake a recent article in the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, \"Co-ops consider flying the coop,\" about a revolt in the ranks of Tri State member-owned electric cooperatives.\n\"Kit Carson Electric Cooperative, based in Taos, decided to proceed and part ways with Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association. It determined that the price of renewable energy is so much less these days than what Tri-State charges that it and its member-customers still would save money in the long run by working with another energy provider to pursue a renewable-based approach.\"\nThe Sentinel article followed an earlier article by Mountain Town News, that considers this same trend.\n\"… La Plata Electric Association voted in January to study alternatives during the next 10 to 15 years. The decision was made by the Durango, Colorado-based co-op after a petition was signed by 1,000 people and 100 businesses calling for 100 percent renewables with deeper penetration from local sources.\"\nColorado's clean energy future is at the threshold, and our elected officials need to lead or get out of the way. As one La Plata Electric Association board member noted (from the Mountain Town News article):\n\"We are buying our electricity from one of the dirtiest sources in the United States and paying well above market prices … Why wouldn't we want to explore our options?\"\nBut the economics, and stakes, are not only about utility bills. Wildfire season looms and experts fret it will be a big one. As we bake through a historic drought here, hurricane season appears to be off to an early start in the Gulf. Billions of dollars are on the line — think wineries in California and high-rise condos on Miami Beach, and cities and towns that face costly infrastructure repairs. This all points to a looming price on the carbon pollution that drives climate change — by policy or by legal-consequence, or by both.\nBut even without a carbon fee, economics in many cases now favor clean power. The real question is how long the energy titans of the last century can cling to their old ways — and how long voters will allow elected officials to enable them.\nPete Kolbenschlag is an environmental activist, climate leader and public lands and energy consultant. He lives in Paonia, where he works on clean energy, conservation and climate projects.", "AMMAN — The Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) on Thursday issued a report on Jordan's legal response to the Syrian refugee crisis, which commended the efforts of several governmental agencies in partnership with UNHCR for their \"rapid\" support.\nPresented at the third International Conference for Refugees in the Middle East, held at Yarmouk University last week, the study highlighted that the legal sections established at the refugee camps in Jordan have been “internationally recognised” for the several branches that they put at the disposal of refugees, comprising specialised services such as juvenile courts or family protection.\n\"Jordan has exerted many efforts to provide services in the best interest of refugees since the very beginning of the crisis,\" ARDD CEO Samar Muhareb told The Jordan Times, noting that \"along with legal aid providers and UNHCR, the Jordanian government has established coordination mechanisms to provide protection services free of charge, in addition to ensuring that refugees hold all the necessary documentation in order to facilitate the application of the rule of law\".\nThe study pointed out that the concerned parties have taken measures to guarantee the safety and quality of legal procedures by providing legal awareness programmes to beneficiaries, as well as improving the capacities of lawyers and other legal service providers.\nThe report stressed the importance of the Jordanian legal response, pointing out that \"the legal services provided to refugees protect them against violations of human rights stipulated in several international conventions and the national legislation\".\nA rapid legal response is also “essential” in a crisis scenario as several services such as education or health “can only be offered on the basis of available legal information and planning”.\nIn urban refugee settings, Muhareb stressed the \"significant amount of entities involved\" in the legal response, noting \"the efforts of the government together with UNHCR to inform officials and lawyers about regulations and means of responding to needs of refugees\".\nBut there are more challenges, yet, to overcome, the expert said.\n“Seven years into the crisis, new needs arise every day,” she said, citing issues such as procedures to be followed to grant refugees access to the formal labour market outside the camps.\n“Jordan is facing great pressure when it comes to covering the needs of refugees and the legal aid sector is still not well evaluated,” Muhareb continued, adding “the ever changing situation and the lack of financial resources add to the challenges.”\nHowever, several measures are currently under way, according to the expert, who highlighted the campaign initiated last month to encourage refugees to register with UNHCR and obtain their documentations, which resulted into a total of 25,000 newly registered refugees up to this point.", "Get the Mach newsletter. SUBSCRIBE\nDespite the recent pair of fatal crashes involving self-driving cars, there’s wide agreement that autonomous vehicles will sharply reduce the number of people who die in motor vehicle accidents. In the U.S. alone, traffic accidents claim more than 30,000 lives a year; experts say that by the middle of this century, that toll could fall by up to 90 percent.\nEventually, driverless cars will take human motorists out of the equation entirely. When that happens, fewer traffic fatalities will be only the most obvious consequence. Because automobiles are so central to our society and national economy — and so much a part of everyday life — the switch to autonomous vehicles is likely to alter our lives in strange and remarkable ways.\n“I think we’re going to be really surprised by how many things change,” says Dr. Chris Gerdes, director of the Center for Automotive Research at Stanford University.\nHere’s a peek at what a future filled with driverless cars could look like.\n1. We’ll be less likely to own a car\nDriverless cars may not end America’s long-running love affair with the automobile. But with fleets of autonomous vehicles offering low-cost, convenient transportation that can be summoned in minutes, fewer people may want to shell out tens of thousands of dollars to own and maintain their own vehicle.\n“We’re moving to a future where people don’t own cars,” says Dr. Daniel Sperling, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis. “You’ll have a subscription service, maybe, that emphasizes smaller vehicles, or you might want a cheaper service where it’s a van,” he adds.\nIn this photo taken on May 14, 2014, a row of Google self-driving cars are shown outside the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California. Eric Risberg / AP\nDr. Alain Kornhauser, director of the program in transportation at Princeton University, says privately owned cars are unlikely to vanish completely — especially in rural areas, where it might prove inconvenient to wait for a driverless taxi to show up. Still, he says, the number of people who own cars — and the number of cars owned per family — will drop sharply.\n2. Urban centers will evolve\nDriverless cars will bring big changes to city infrastructure. “We’ve made the world rather unfriendly for people who are walking and biking; cars have essentially won,” Gerdes says. But driverless cars could put the focus back on pedestrians, he says.\nSince driverless cars will move with greater precision than human-driven vehicles, streets could be narrower, with more space set aside for pedestrians and cyclists, according to a report issued last fall by the National Association of City Transportation Officials.\nCrossing the street may be easier, too. With driverless cars watching out for pedestrians, people may be able to “cross the streets where it makes sense, rather than trek a mile to the nearest stoplight,” Mollie Pelon, the organization’s technology and city transportation program manager, told Wired.\nDriverless cars will also make for safer intersections, and perhaps even do away with traffic lights, which, of course, came about before cars themselves knew how to avoid collisions.\nAnd with more cars spending more of their time on the road rather than parked, there will be less need for parking lots and parking garages, Kornhauser says. That could free up space for other uses, including parks.\n3. Businesses will come to us\nThe same technologies used in driverless cars will also show up in vans and trucks — vehicles large enough to be used as mobile offices, stores, and the like. So rather than having customers come to their locations, retailers and other businesses may start taking their goods and services directly to customers, Gerdes says.\nImagine ordering up a gym that drives to you and parks in your driveway for an hour or two before moving on to the next customer. Gerdes thinks mobile gyms are a possibility, along with mobile clothing stores stocked with apparel and equipped with dressing rooms. “You could try on a bunch of things you had requested, see what size works for you, and then the rest of it simply leaves at the end of your session,” he says.\nA Santa Clara, California-based startup called Robomart aims to send on-demand mobile grocery stores to customers, and Toyota recently unveiled plans for a driverless vehicle that could deliver packages or serve as a mobile office or hotel room.\n4. More people will be able to live independently\nDriverless cars promise to transform the lives of people who have trouble getting around because of illness, old age, or disability. For “all those folks, this is basically a dream come true,” Kornhauser says of a world in which driverless cars are ubiquitous.\nParatransit services are now available, of course, but not in all areas. And conventional taxicabs can be costly and often can’t accommodate wheelchairs, Dr. Srikanth Saripalli, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Texas A&M University, wrote in a recent article.\nThe Waymo driverless car is displayed during a Google event on Dec. 13, 2016, in San Francisco. Eric Risberg / AP file\nSaripalli envisions driverless shuttles scanning their surroundings with lasers, cameras, and radar to find the easiest place for a passenger to board. And Waymo, the autonomous car subsidiary of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, is testing buttons with Braille and other tools designed to make it easy for visually impaired people to use driverless cars.\n5. Donor organs could be in short supply\nAbout 13 percent of the organs made available for donation in recent years came from people who died in car crashes, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. When driverless cars are the norm and few people are dying on the road, there may be a shortage of hearts, livers, and other donor organs.\nBut help may be on the way. From harvesting donor organs from pigs to growing organs in the lab to developing better ways to transport organs over long distances, scientists are working on ways to close the gap.\n6. People will rethink their living arrangements\nIt’s no secret that commuting to work by car is stressful, especially over long distances or in heavy traffic. But once commuters are no longer required to drive and are able instead to read, sleep, or simply relax on their way to and from work, even long commutes may seem acceptable, researchers from the MIT Center for Real Estate predicted in a 2017 report on trends in real estate in the U.S.\nAnd so some workers may choose to live farther away from their places of work — decamping to distant suburbs or even to rural areas.\nBut given that urban centers will become more livable, the report states that other workers will choose to skip suburbia and instead move into city centers — where they could walk or bike to work.\nFOLLOW NBC NEWS MACH ON TWITTER, FACEBOOK, AND INSTAGRAM.", "Chris Fox, CP24.com\nA driverless shuttle could soon serve as a missing link for many residents who do not have easy access to rapid transit.\nAccording to a report that will go before the public works committee next week, the city is planning to experiment with autonomous vehicle technology by launching a pilot project for the operation of a driverless shuttle sometime in 2020.\nAccording to the report, the shuttle would aim to “solve the first-mile/last-mile challenge,” wherein many residents don’t use public transit because they live too far away from rapid transit stations.\nThe vehicle would accommodate 8 to 12 riders at a time.\n“A lot of people are discouraged right now from taking public transit because it is too far from where they are to get to public transit. This is meant to be a shuttle that will, in some way, move people between where they live and work and public transit and in that regard I think it will reduce the number of cars on the road,” Mayor John Tory told reporters on Tuesday. “I think it is a positive initiative but it is meant to be a pilot. We have to learn about these things, it is developing technology, and we will do the best we can to learn as fast as we can and make Toronto a leader.”\nProject to be partly paid for by feds\nThe planned pilot project came about after the city applied for funding through a Transport Canada fund and was granted $365,000 to help pay for the research and piloting of an automated shuttle service.\nWhile the route that the shuttle will travel has not yet been determined, the report says that it is anticipated that it will serve at least one TTC or GO Transit station within Toronto’s boundaries and will operate in a “relatively low-speed, low-volume mixed traffic environment.”\nThe report also says that the shuttles will be staffed with a paid TTC or Metrolinx staff person who will act as an ambassador, though the vehicles themselves will operate at a high level of automation.\n“The intention of the pilot is to fill an existing gap within the public transit system, such as linking two transfer points or solving the first-mile/last-mile challenge. It will not replace conventional service,” the report says.\nThe total cost of the pilot project is estimated at $1.135 million, $365,000 of which will be covered by the federal grant. The City of Toronto, meanwhile, will pay $60,000 for the one-year lease of the autonomous vehicle and another $224,100 in in-kind contributions. The TTC and Metrolinx will also chip in $252,000 each, largely in the form of providing staff members to occupy the vehicles. .\nSpeaking with reporters, Tory called the pilot project “very exciting” but he also said that it will be essential to ensure that autonomous vehicle technology is used safely.\n“This will move us forward in terms of learning about this technology and how it can be used while making sure it is safe and making sure we using it in the right kind of places at the right times,” he said.\nThe public works committee is expected to debate the proposed pilot project on Tuesday.", "Last week, Waymo showed a video of people riding in its self-driving minivans. They thumbed their phones, yawned and one snoozed. The message: Driverless cars are so safe, they’re boring. The clip was meant to drum up support for a fully driverless taxi service it plans in Phoenix later this year.\nNow, a tragedy may slow the Alphabet Inc. unit’s efforts, and the broader industry march toward commercialization of this technology. A self-driving test car from Uber Technologies Inc. hit and killed a pedestrian in Tempe, near Phoenix, late Sunday, prompting investigations by regulators and a backlash from some consumer-safety advocates.\n\"It will set consumer confidence in the technology back years if not decades,\" said Jason Levine, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, a Washington-based advocacy group. \"We need to slow down.\"\nA still image taken from video, shows investigators at the scene of the accident involving an Uber car on March 19. Source: ABC-15.com via AP Photo\nThe fatality, the first one known to involve an autonomous test vehicle and a pedestrian, comes at a critical juncture for the nascent industry. Companies including Alphabet, General Motors Co., Uber and Tesla Inc. are investing billions of dollars to develop the technology. Tests on public roads had mostly proved trouble-free and the rare major crashes were not found to be the fault of the technology.\nStill, as autonomous vehicles are increasingly tested in complex urban and suburban environments, the chances of a fatal incident rose. Leaders at Alphabet have, for years, fretted that a death from a crash or reckless public road tests by a competitor could spark overbearing rules. When Bloomberg called a former driverless car engineer on Monday to discuss the industry, the person’s first comment was: it finally happened. The person asked not to be identified talking about such a sensitive topic.\nRead more: The evolution of driverless cars -- a QuickTake explainer\nWhen a driver using Tesla’s Autopilot system crashed and died in 2016, the initial reaction was similar to Monday’s response to the Uber incident. But the two episodes are different.\nIn May 2016, Joshua Brown, the driver of a Tesla Model S who had Autopilot engaged, slammed into a semi truck on a Florida highway and was killed. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the NTSB investigated, supplier Mobileye NV cut ties with Tesla and numerous updates were made to the Autopilot technology. But the fallout was largely contained to Tesla.\n\"A lot of us were surprised that the Tesla fatality did not have greater consequences. The Uber fatality could turn out to be the thing that makes the general public more skeptical,\" said Bryant Walker Smith, a professor at the University of South Carolina’s School of Law who studies driverless car regulations.\n\"In Tesla’s Florida crash, the car was purchased by and used by the victim. In the Arizona crash, the vehicle was a test vehicle under the control in every sense by Uber, and the victim was an ordinary person,\" Smith added.\nThe Tesla episode was relatively easily dismissed by the rest of the driverless car industry. Autopilot is a \"driver assistance\" system and drivers are expected to maintain control. It uses radar, cameras and computer-vision technology to understand surroundings. Systems designed by Waymo, Uber, and GM’s Cruise use another method known as Lidar, in addition to radar and other sensors, that they argue is better for fully autonomous driving.\nFull driverless systems can save the most lives by being more alert and capable than human drivers and relieving them of all control of vehicles, their argument continues. More than 37,000 people were killed on U.S. roads in 2016, and pedestrian deaths rose 9 percent, according to NHTSA.\n\"People are going to be aware of this tragedy and this death, even if they are unaware of the hundreds of other people who died in motor crashes today,\" said Smith.\nSo far, it’s unclear if the Uber incident will alter other companies’ plans in Arizona. The video Waymo released earlier this month was collected from test riders in Chandler, about 14 miles from Tempe. Since last summer, Waymo has shuttled volunteers in its autonomous minivans without safety drivers behind the wheel -- an unprecedented feat meant to show the company’s technical prowess. Officials from Waymo did not respond to requests for comment. A Chandler representative said the city has no plans to change its arrangement with Waymo.\nHuman drivers rarely face criminal charges for accidents like the one on Monday, but the involvement of an autonomous vehicle is new territory, according to Chris Zachar, a partner at Zachar Law Firm, a personal-injury firm based in Phoenix.\n\"There’s never been an incident like this before in Arizona,\" he said. A spokeswoman for the Tempe Police Department did not respond to request for comment as to whether any charges have been filed.\nAccording to the police, Elaine Herzberg, 49, was walking outside of a crosswalk at the time she was struck by the Uber vehicle. Arizona state law requires that pedestrians yield to right-of-way vehicles when not using crosswalks.\nHowever, this distinction may not matter in this case, Zachar said. \"If the radars on these vehicles are as good as they claim to be, why do you need the presence of a crosswalk?\"", "From apps to autonomous vehicles, the taxi and fleet markets are going through big changes and brokers are well placed to take advantage of these growing sectors\nThe demand for insurance in both the taxi and the fleet markets is motoring on at a solid speed, despite challenges thrown at the sector.\nIn addition, rates have been driven up for the first time in two years largely because of the impact of the Ogden (discount) rate change earlier this year.\nJon Land, head of broking at Romero Insurance Brokers, speculates that fleet underwriters had wanted to increase rates for “quite a long time”, adding that the Ogden decision gave them “an opportunity to make this move and to increase rates across the board”.\nHe argues that providers are unlikely to put rates back down if the proposed changes to how the Ogden rate is set go through, however, insurers disagree and say prices would drop again with RSA commercial motor underwriting director Ian Kemp expecting a “sharp tail-off”.\nAnother reason for the increasing rates is claims inflation driven largely by first party accidental damage claims. This in turn is related to new technology in vehicles, including different driver assistant systems.\n“One of the great things about these systems is that they reduce the frequency of claims across the market, but the severity when we see them is higher because of the cost of parts,” explains Kemp.\nIns and outs\nThe commercial motor market is described as “hugely competitive” and, despite demand for insurance remaining strong, the sector has seen a number of providers pulling out or reducing their capacity in recent years.\nAccording to experts this is a result of the cyclical nature of insurance, with several stating it’s natural that providers dive into sectors they have previously pulled away from when they see others achieving good results. Similarly, people exit markets when profitability dips again.\nHowever, while some providers have pulled out of certain markets, a number of new managing general agents (MGA) have entered, including a new taxi-focused MGA, Anjuna Underwriting, launched by the Bollington Group in October this year.\nBollington underwriting manager Simon Rhoades observes that one reason that capacity providers are dipping in and out is that MGAs are relatively easy to set up, but not all of them have got robust underwriting models.\nBrokers understand much better the ramifications of the unrated markets potentially for themselves in the event of a claim Jon Land\n“Therefore after a 12 to 18-month period they realise that actually it’s not as profitable as they thought it was going to be,” he continues.\nIn addition, the implementation of Solvency II last year led to a slight shake-up as a number of insurers looked over their business lines and exited unprofitable markets. A few unrated off-shore providers also ceased writing new business (including Enterprise Insurance which went into liquidation).\nAccording to Rhoades, there has been a slight shift in mind set in the sector as a result of this. While Bollington’s Anjuna places taxi business with two capacity providers – one rated UK composite insurer and one unrated Danish insurer – the firm is now “more careful” about the insurance partners it chooses.\nUnrated risk\n“We do a lot more due diligence around looking at individual solvency and we make clients aware that insurers are unrated when they are,” he highlights. “Therefore they have the choice whether to take that increased risk or not.”\nMeanwhile, Land states that Romero never uses unrated providers and chooses to place business with traditional UK insurers in order to “have the financial security of the market we’re dealing with”.\nHe adds that while unrated markets are occasionally put forward to clients by other brokers, there are enough good options for placing business out there and he sees no major use of unrated capacity in the broker sector.\n“Brokers understand much better the ramifications of the unrated markets potentially for themselves in the event of a claim and I don’t think anyone could argue anymore that they didn’t understand those problems that are associated with it,” Land continues.\nIn addition to capacity, the taxi and fleet markets have also seen a change in customer behaviour lately, with clients becoming more fluid and willing to move between providers.\nFor taxi drivers this is powered by high premiums and relatively low salaries, which makes them price conscious. Rhoades notes that quote volumes remain “relatively healthy” as a result of this, while the growth in the number of taxis is fairly minimal.\n“If you’ve got the rates and the products building a book of business is quite easy at the moment,” he continues, but adds that the number of aggregators in the market means business will move around easily, resulting in a “play on price”.\nSimilarly in fleet, Land describes the sector as “more volatile” than before, forcing brokers to market business to test the price, which he says wasn’t the case twelve months ago when customers were more comfortable with the level of rates.\nIn his view underwriting standards in fleet have been dropping lately and he notes that going on price year after year is an unsustainable way to conduct business.\n[Brokers] can see where the market is growing and make sure they’ve got products and propositions and capacity to service those areas Ian Kemp\nOpportunity knocks\nWith so many clients being price centric, brokers can add real value to insurers. RSA’s Kemp notes that an increasing number of vehicles in the fleet market are operating on lease type arrangements, thus moving away from the personal lines model, which he says opens up opportunities for brokers.\nThe online shopping trend and rise of delivery companies such as Ocado and Amazon has also resulted in increasing demand coming from small and medium sized goods carrying vehicles and vans.\n“This is an angle the brokers should be looking at,” Kemp adds. “They can see where the market is growing and make sure they’ve got products and propositions and capacity to service those areas.”\nOn the taxi side, Edward Hill, product manager for taxi at ERS, highlights the importance for brokers to understand the sector and its clients and proactively having dialogue with customers throughout the year.\n“A lot of them will now offer telematics or some sort of risk management,” he adds. “Brokers are being very proactive and we’re working alongside them.”\nBrokers are encouraged to do risk validations and have fraud procedures in place as well as monitoring telematics devices, increasing the use of dashboard cameras and working with clients to ensure they realise the value of insurance rather than just finding the cheapest price.\nTechnology take-up\n“Information is key and we try to give as much as we can to underwriters in a format they can work with,” Land notes.\nHowever, technological advances have had a slow take-up in the commercial motor market. Telematics has been on the rise in personal lines for the last few years, particularly among younger drivers. But this technology has not had the same success in the commercial space and it gets a mixed reaction among players in this part of the sector.\nKemp observes: “There may well be niches where it can work equally successfully [as in personal lines] but we haven’t seen any real evidence of people leveraging that at all.”\nMeanwhile, Hill states that ERS is “monitoring it closely”, but adds that the provider is instead focusing on more non-standard business where telematics does not have the same benefits.\nCompanies in both the fleet and taxi markets can also be reluctant to try this approach as some drivers find the technology slightly intrusive.\nBut Land states that he would like to see telematics more widely used in fleets, noting that some clients are looking to potentially start using it, “but it’s a big learning curve to get them to do it”.\nDriverless cars In the 2017 Autumn Budget Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond announced that the government would increase its support and funding for driverless vehicles to ensure that Britain is “at the forefront of the technological revolution”. Driverless vehicles are currently being tested on roads in the UK and insurance industry experts are noticing a change of pace in the development of this technology. According to Caroline Coates, partner and head of insurance sector and automotive at law firm DWF, we could be seeing driverless vehicles being used more widely on UK roads in the early 2020s. It is still unclear exactly how the market will change, but specialists expect a move away from car ownership to people sharing vehicles and fleets of lorries needing only one driver. Vincent Branch, chief executive for Accelerate at XL Catlin, highlights that the insurance industry needs to understand the changing risks now as commercial clients are already considering how they can adopt this technology. He explains that XL Catlin is actively thinking about the risks involved, noting that currently 90% of accidents are caused by human behaviour and that many of those risks will be reduced or minimised. “But we’re going to see new risks emerge when we deploy autonomous systems,” Branch adds. “We’ll see a much stronger shift from traditional risks to specialty insurance risks, in particular product liability and cyber liability.” We’re going to see new risks emerge when we deploy autonomous systems… We’ll see a much stronger shift from traditional risks to specialty insurance risks, in particular product liability and cyber liability Vincent Branch In addition, while it is likely that car manufacturers will also be offering insurance cover in the future, Lee Riley, managing director at Alps, believes this will be limited to vehicle software malfunction, which will be insufficient to cover many situations, including hacking, cybercrime and ransomware. He asks: “How can the client protect themselves when their lorries are carrying high value goods which may attract the attention of criminal organisations?” adding: “The need for drivers to arrange additional insurance will surely remain.” Meanwhile, Coates explains that the Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill is currently going through Parliament, which says that the insurance policy for the vehicle “will respond when the car is driving itself and the insurer has to compensate not only the injured party but also injuries to its own policyholder”. “The bill provides a right of recovery for insurers against anybody else who was to blame,” she continues. “If there’s a system failure in the car then the insurer can go to the manufacturer and get compensation.” While there are many insurance aspects that need to be considered before driverless cars are sold to the public, Riley highlights that brokers will still have a role to play in the distribution chain. “Even in the current market there are few, if any, products on the market which cover every eventuality,” he states. “One of the roles of the broker will be to spot these gaps in cover and source additional products which limit the risk.”\nAnother emerging technology that has had more success both in taxi and fleet is dashboard cameras.\n“Dashboard cameras are hugely beneficial for reducing claims and that is something that we do offer,” says Hill. “We look to our brokers to get that across to clients, but it’s optional and some taxi drivers don’t want it.”\nHowever, the downside of these technological innovations is that unless the companies using them are invested in the products and change the company culture to embrace them, they won’t necessarily see any benefits from using them.\n“Sometimes brokers will sell us all of the systems a company has in place with a view to get a better premium and we won’t see that turning into an improved or stabilised claims experience,” Kemp notes. “The times it actually makes a difference is if the culture of the organisation shifts.”\nAnother trend impacting the taxi market is the rise of apps like Uber. However because Uber drivers still need to be licensed in order to carry passengers experts note this has not massively changed what they do in terms of insurance cover.\n“But there has been quite a large increase in part-time drivers where people are doing one thing and then also taxi as an additional income stream,” Rhoades concludes. “Traditionally people just wanted to insure full-time taxi drivers while that’s not necessarily the market now.”", "In a previous blog post, we wrote about how thematic investing involves identifying a powerful macro-level trend and the underlying investments that stand to benefit from its materialization. But it's important not to lose sight of the fact that effective themes rarely emerge in isolation. For example, it's no coincidence that consumers are becoming more focused on health and wellness, while at the same time people are living longer around the world. Nor is it happenstance that social media firms are reporting record revenues, just as Millennials are beginning to see their earnings and consumption power accelerate. As investors vet various themes for possible inclusion in a portfolio, they may be well served by targeting similarly interconnected ideas. Researchers from McKinsey & Company, for example, wrote: \"In our experience, the most attractive opportunities are found when multiple themes converge and reinforce one another…\"1\nWhy do we believe in targeting interconnected themes? The most disruptive technologies and powerful trends often require multiple themes to emerge simultaneously. For example, the development of autonomous vehicles not only depends on advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence to operate vehicles, but also on the maturation of the internet of things so an array of sensors can analyze driving conditions and interact with other cars, not to mention improvements in lithium and battery technology for cars to be able to efficiently refuel themselves. The interdependence of these technologies has no doubt contributed to their synchronous advancement. For example, many believed a limiting factor in the emergence of driverless cars was the high cost of batteries required to travel long distances. In response, however, battery producers have begun to dramatically increase production to scale down per-unit costs.\nIn the chart below, we highlight the specific themes targeted by Global X's Thematic Technology ETFs & People ETFs and demonstrate how various new technologies and trends are connecting these themes together.\n1. 'From Indexes to Insights: The Rise of Thematic Investing', McKinsey 2014.\nInvesting involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Narrowly focused investments typically exhibit higher volatility. Products of companies in which technology funds invest may be subject to severe competition and rapid obsolescence. The Global X Thematic Technology ETFs & People ETFs referenced above are non-diversified funds.\nShares of ETFs are bought and sold at market price (not NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the Fund. Brokerage commissions will reduce returns.\nCarefully consider the Funds' investment objectives, risk factors, charges and expenses before investing. This and additional information can be found in the Funds' full or summary prospectus, which may be obtained by calling 1-888-GX-FUND-1 (1.888.493.8631), or by visiting globalxfunds.com. Read the prospectus carefully before investing.\nGlobal X Management Company LLC serves as an advisor to Global X Funds. The Funds are distributed by SEI Investments Distribution Co. (SIDCO), which is not affiliated with Global X Management Company LLC.", "As the real-world deployment of driverless cars draws near, the race is on to make them even remotely affordable. The systems that currently drive robot cars cost upward of $100,000 per vehicle – not counting the cost of the car itself.\nUntil that price comes down, there will be no mass market for driverless cars.\nAs many as 50 start-ups are out to get costs way down, along with the research and development departments at automakers and auto industry suppliers, and Silicon Valley giants such as Google and Apple. Much of their focus is on the most expensive item in the computerized system that controls a robot car: laser-based sensors, or lidar.\nThe latest competitor is a stealth start-up that comes out of hiding today. San Francisco-based Ouster opened its website to begin selling a laser-based sensor system for self-driving cars to driverless vehicle makers and companies that supply them.\nToday, the highest-end automotive lidar systems available cost $75,000, made by a company named Velodyne. Ouster claims its new system, the OS1, boasts near-top performance for less than a fifth of that cost, or $12,000.\nAngus Pacala is CEO of Ouster, a start-up in San Francisco. Neave Bozorgi\n“A Corvette is 90% as fast as a Ferrari and it’s 10% of the cost,” said Angus Pacala, Ouster chief executive and co-founder.\nVelodyne pioneered automotive lidar, which in turn enabled Waymo, the driverless car division of Google/Alphabet, to begin its driverless car project in 2009. Waymo’s success has fueled radical transformation of the automobile industry as traditional automakers rush to keep current.\nLidar units shoot invisible beams of laser light off objects and measure how long they take to bounce back. Knitting millions of these signals together creates images called “point clouds,” which identify the material world around the car.\nThe technology can identify building and traffic signals and can discriminate people from animals, bicycles from motorcycles, rocks from soccer balls by shape and how fast and in which direction they’re moving.\nLidar is only one of several sensor systems that make up the robot system in a driverless car. Each has strengths and weaknesses. Video cameras and radar units are relatively cheap, but don’t see the world with the detail of a lidar system. Lidar has problems with rain, snow and fog, because the beams can bounce off snowflakes and water droplets.\nVirtually all automakers believe all three sensor systems are critical to the safety and performance of driverless cars.\nSan Jose-based Velodyne is deep into its own cost-cutting drive, and recently built a second factory to meet heavy demand. Executives are quick to point out that its systems remain the most powerful on the market.\n“We’ve been doing this for 10 years, we think we know a lot about what a car needs to see,” said John Eggert, Velodyne director of automotive sales and marketing.\nBut existing systems “remain very, very niche,” said Arunprasad Nandakumar, market analyst at Frost & Sullivan. And expensive. The price of a lidar system needs to plummet to a few hundred dollars for any chance at mass deployment, he said.\nHe believes that will happen. He forecasts sales of 6 million lidar units in 2025 — half of them complex lidars needed for driverless cars, for a $2-billion market. (The rest are simpler, single-beam lidars used to detect pedestrians and other obstructions.)\nThe reason for his optimism: Lidar systems are undergoing the same smaller, faster, cheaper evolution that has put the power of a 1990s supercomputer into a smartphone.\nSimilar to the way handheld digital cameras were shrunk to fit into an iPhone, today’s mechanical lidar systems and their many moving parts will increasingly become solid-state.\nAt least 50 lidar startups have been out raising money. Venture investors have sunk $678.4 million into lidar startups over the last four years, more than half of that going to 18 startups in 2017 alone, according to CB Insights.\nTraditional auto suppliers such as Continental and Bosch are working on lidar systems. Some, such as Delphi (recently renamed Aptiv) and Magna, have struck partnerships with smaller lidar companies.\nMajor automakers are working on their own systems while hedging their bets with outside investments or acquisitions. Ford has sunk $150 million into Velodyne. General Motors recently bought Pasadena-based startup Strobe. Toyota is working with Luminar.\nThere won’t be room for most of these systems, of course. “Right now there are six or seven different ways on how to do lidar,” said Oren Rosenzweig of Innoviz, an Israeli lidar startup working with Delphi and Magna. “There are not seven different ways to make a DVD player.” Ultimately, one or two approaches wlll prevail, he said.\nWaymo and ride-hailing service Uber are also working on their own lidar systems. Uber currently is defending itself in federal court on Waymo’s charge that it stole lidar trade secrets.\nThe only driverless player that sees no need for lidar is Tesla, whose CEO, Elon Musk, believes his company’s software can make cameras, radars and ultrasound work together well enough to do without. As with just about everything at Tesla right now, proof of that concept is off in the future.\nThe children of Generation Z might look at pictures of today’s driverless cars and laugh at the ungainly gadgets that resemble spinning coffee cans or kitchen blenders rigged atop the car roof. The newer models often look like oversized hockey pucks.\nAs with digital cameras and other technology, lidar systems are expected to become smaller over time. Above, a laser-sensor system is tested in 2007. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency\nThe Velodyne technology is known as “mechanical” even though it’s packed with sophisticated electronics. With 64 laser channels, the cylindrical unit spins for a panoramic 360-degree look at the world.\nVelodyne offers a much smaller unit fitted with 16 lasers. Fewer lasers means lower performance on range, radius, refresh rates and so on. But it costs $8,000, nearly a tenth the cost of the company’s most capable system.\nStart-ups are exploring different methods. Innoviz uses stationary lasers that reflect off a tiny mirror that oscillates at absurdly high speeds on a single axis. Ouster is starting out with a “hybrid” system that spins like Velodyne’s but with far fewer semiconductors and other electronic parts inside.\n“We looked at over 50 companies in the lidar space, and found 14 of them to be reputable,” said Chris Thomas, founder and partner at Fontinalis Partners, a Detroit-based venture capital firm and early Ouster investor. “Are some of them going to make it? Yeah. Are all of them? No way.”\nSupport our journalism Please consider subscribing today to support stories like this one. Get full access to our signature journalism for just 99 cents for the first four weeks. Already a subscriber? Your support makes our work possible. Thank you.\nruss.mitchell@latimes.com\nTwitter: @russ1mitchell", "Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email\nCambuslang Community Council say the town’s Main Street has reached “tipping point”.\nFigures obtained through their Cambuslang Business Survey revealed 40 per cent of businesses on the road have experienced declining business performance over the past three years.\nOnly 14 per cent said their business performance had improved.\nWorryingly, one in five businesses are considering moving out of the town altogether.\nAlong with parking and crime as problems that affect the Main Street, the current street layout is also deeply unpopular among shopkeepers.\nMost are critical of the fact that the single-lane service lane is frequently blocked by a stationary bus or delivery van stopping to unload. Others say other traffic is diverted away from the shops, making it impossible for drivers to stop for an impulse purchase.\nInsufficient spaces and time for parking top the list of problems experienced by retailers in Cambuslang Main Street. Other important issues are related to security – crime, vandalism, antisocial behaviour – and the declining footfall and level of trade on the Main Street.\nThe Reformer spoke to shopkeepers and residents earlier this month who said the Main Street’s parking facilities were inadequate and the variety of shops was a concern.\nREAD MORE: Cambuslang locals reveal how they would improve their Main Street\nThe community council’s report backed up those claims by revealing 15 hair and beauty service shops dominate the Main Street, while more than 10 takeaways, seven pubs and four betting shops also line the road.\nThere are eight vacant retail units, 10 per cent of the total stock of shops which is above the 2016 average for Scotland.\nJohn Bachtler, treasurer of Cambuslang Community Council who, together with other members, coordinated the survey, said: “The state of the Main Street is a damning indictment on South Lanarkshire Council’s failure to listen to businesses who have been complaining about the state of the town centre.\n“For years, businesses have been urging the council to do something about the lack of parking, the shabby appearance of the Main Street and the need for better security.\n“Our survey shows what is at risk. Within a few weeks we will have lost three bank branches, giving people still less reason to use the Main Street. The survey indicates that up to a fifth of shopkeepers are thinking of giving up, accelerating a vicious cycle of decline.\n“Politicians and officials, from both South Lanarkshire Council and the Scottish Government, need to step up to the plate. Cambuslang Community Council are calling for a town centre regeneration task force which will demonstrate to local businesses that things will change. We need to see the same urgency and commitment as they showed with the threatened closure of the Tata Steel plant.\n“We need a business improvement plan to drive commercial revival of the town centre, and we recommend extending the boundaries of Clyde Gateway to include the regeneration of Cambuslang.\n“We also need fresh thinking about remodelling the Main Street that will give the community of Cambuslang a town centre of which they once again can feel proud.”\nREAD MORE: Cambuslang Main Street one of the most polluted roads in Scotland\nThe majority of businesses on the Main Street are well-established. Around half have been operating on the road for at least 10 years and well over a third for more than 20 years.\nHowever, the profile of the Main Street has changed substantially over the past two decades. The number of shops selling foodstuffs and groceries has declined in recent years, only one clothes shop remains, there is no longer a supermarket in the centre of the Main Street, and the last of the bank branches have announced closure plans.\nThe Main Street retail sector supports some 350 jobs, 171 full-time and 183 part-time, and an estimated turnover of between £8million and £11million. But the community council believe losing more shops would accelerate a “vicious cycle of decline”.\nIn the report, Cambuslang Community Council said: “The results show that the Main Street is in trouble and may be reaching a tipping point.\n“The changing fortunes of the Main Street are partly due to changing shopping patterns. Three edge-of-town supermarkets, which collectively have as much floorspace as the Main Street, have drawn trade away from the town centre.\n“The rapid rise of online shopping, estimated to be approaching 22 per cent of retail UK-wide, and different shopping tastes are also important factors.”\nFacebook group Save Cambuslang Main Street has now been set up by Green council candidate David McClemont.\nHe said: “It just seems to be an endless stream of bad news regarding the Main Street and it was becoming clear that something needed to be done.\n“The issues aren’t going to be resolved easily and I don’t have all the answers but I hope the page can help bring people together to tackle the problem.”\nThe survey was run from November 2016 to January and achieved 73 responses, equivalent to a 95 per cent rate from the 77 businesses approached for the survey.\nTo view the report visit www.cambuslangcommunitycouncil.com\nClick here for more Rutherglen and Cambuslang news", "This week Robert Hannigan, former head of GCHQ, the government intelligence agency responsible for digital listening, surprised parents across the country by suggesting that children should spend more time online to \"save the country”. He believes parents shouldn’t feel guilty if teenagers spend their summer holidays in front of a screen.\nYou’d be right to feel at least a small level of unease with this notion. It flies counter to received parental wisdom about encouraging children to explore and better understand the world by scraping their knees and climbing trees.\nHowever, the truth of the matter is that in the past 10 years the world has changed at a much more accelerated rate than at any other point in human history. In the next few years alone, it’s set to change beyond our wildest childhood imaginations, as we usher in the age of driverless cars and “machine learning”. The skills and experience needed in this tech-dominated near-future are going to be hugely different to those needed by previous generations.\nThere’s clearly a balance to be found, but forcing children to only play outside in \"the real world\" and keeping them offline isn’t necessarily doing the best thing by them. Finding the equilibrium between learning and play, both on- and offline, is the key to ensuring that young people are equipped to thrive in the future.\nAs the ways in which we interact with machines evolves, the skills needed to create – rather than just consume – are also changing. The truth is that we can’t predict exactly what hard skills will be needed in the long-term future but the ability to understand and navigate online worlds and information is certainly a crucial part of the picture.\nThe benefits of gaming\nThat said, one of the most important aspects of childhood is the development of soft skills – learning through play and exploration as opposed to focusing on specific notions like \"success\" and \"outcomes\". Curiosity, creativity and an ability to focus are always going to be needed and it’s fundamentally wrong to think children can’t get this from being online. Rather, time spent online enables different ways of learning and encourages children to be auto-didacts. Even gaming – which is often presented in a negative light – enhances visual attention and fine motor skills.\nThe growing pressure on parents to keep their kids offline and give them a \"pure\" childhood is arguably unrealistic and unfair. With sensible parental oversight, the ability to access the world’s information and upskill yourself at the touch of a screen is a gift that we should feel comfortable embracing.\nWe need the next generation of UK digital natives to become digital leaders – something that will be essential to keeping the UK economy strong, especially post-Brexit.\nTime spent online is essential, for people of any age, to get comfortable with using the language of social media and experimenting with the building blocks of coding. Immersion in these environments means young people can truly begin problem-solving within the digital world and gives them the scope to become the digital entrepreneurs of tomorrow. With the right understanding of digital culture, there’s no reason why the next Uber or Airbnb can’t come from this side of the Atlantic.\nAs Malcolm Gladwell put it, \"Ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness\" – in order to become masters of the digital and online world, there’s a strong argument that it’s in our children’s favour to let them put the hours in.\nBridget Beale is managing director of the British Interactive Media Agency, a trade body representing the digital industry in the UK\nWant to keep up with the latest education news and opinion? Follow Tes on Twitter and like Tes on Facebook", "As many as 153 million deaths linked to air pollution worldwide this century could be prevented if governments speed up timetables for reducing fossil fuel emissions.\nThat is the claim of a new study which looked at the numbers of people in urban areas whose lives could be saved if temperature increases are limited to 1.5°C (2.7°F).\nThe study is the first to project these numbers on a city by city basis, in 154 of the world's largest urban areas.\nIn New York, Los Angeles, Moscow, Mexico City and Sao Paolo alone, between 320,000 and 120,000 premature deaths would be prevented in each city.\nResearchers say the study shows why politicians and governments should act swiftly to bring down carbon emissions.\nScroll down for video\nAs many as 153 million lives worldwide could be saved this century if governments speed up their timetable for reducing fossil fuel emissions, new research suggests (stock image)\nResearchers from Duke University ran computer simulations of future emissions of carbon dioxide and associated pollutants, such as ozone and particulate matter, under three different scenarios.\nThese scenarios simulated an overall increase in emissions resulting in warming of 2°C (3.6°F) by 2100, accelerated reductions of carbon emissions, and even further reductions limiting atmospheric warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F).\nThey matched this data with computer models, based on decades of public health data on air-pollution related deaths, to work out which areas would be the hardest hit by global warming.\nThey then calculated the human health impacts of pollution exposure under each scenario all over the world, focusing on major cities.\nUnder the third scenario, premature deaths would drop in cities on every inhabited continent, the study shows, with the biggest impact in Asia and Africa.\nThirteen Asian or African cities could each avoid more than one million premature deaths.\nIn Delhi as many as four million lives would be saved and around 80 additional cities could each avoid at least 100,000 deaths, researchers found.\nThe new projections underscore the grave shortcomings of taking the lowest-cost approach to emissions reductions, according to the researchers.\nThis permits emissions of pollutants to remain higher in the short-term in hopes they can be offset by negative emissions in the far distant future (stock image)\nUnder this approach, emissions of pollutants are allowed to remain higher in the short-term in hopes they can be offset by negative emissions in the far distant future.\nDr Drew Shindell, professor of Earth sciences at Duke, said: 'The lowest-cost approach only looks at how much it will cost to transform the energy sector.\n'It ignores the human cost of more than 150 million lost lives, or the fact that slashing emissions in the near term will reduce long-term climate risk and avoid the need to rely on future carbon dioxide removal.\n'That's a very risky strategy, like buying something on credit and assuming you'll someday have a big enough income to pay it all back.'\nThe landmark Paris climate agreement in 2015 called for capping global warming at 'well under' 2°C (3.6°F) compared to a pre-industrial benchmark, and pursuing efforts for a 1.5°C (2.7°F) ceiling.\nWHAT WERE GLOBAL TEMPERATURES IN 2017? Earth’s global surface temperatures in 2017 ranked as the second warmest since 1880, according to an analysis by Nasa. Continuing the planet's long-term warming trend, globally averaged temperatures in 2017 were 0.90°C (1.62°F) warmer than the 1951 to 1980 average, according to scientists at Nasa’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York. That is second only to global temperatures in 2016. In a separate, independent analysis, scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) concluded that 2017 was the third-warmest year in their record. This map shows Earth’s average global temperature from 2013 to 2017, as compared to a baseline average from 1951 to 1980, according to an analysis by Nasa. Yellows, oranges, and reds show regions warmer than the baseline The minor difference in rankings is due to the different methods used by the two agencies to analyse global temperatures, although over the long-term the agencies’ records remain in strong agreement. Both analyses show that the five warmest years on record all have taken place since 2010. Because weather station locations and measurement practices change over time, there are uncertainties in the interpretation of specific year-to-year global mean temperature differences. Taking this into account, Nasa estimates that 2017’s global mean change is accurate to within 0.1°C, with a 95 per cent certainty level. 'Despite colder than average temperatures in any one part of the world, temperatures over the planet as a whole continue the rapid warming trend we’ve seen over the last 40 years,' said GISS director Gavin Schmidt.\nHowever, the UN has projected that in a worst-case scenario the world could warm by as much as 6°C (10.8°F) by 2100.\n'Since air pollution is something we understand very well and have extensive historical data on, we can say with relatively high certainty how many people will die in a given city under each scenario, Dr Shindell added.\n'Hopefully, this information will help policymakers and the public grasp the benefits of accelerating carbon reductions in the near term, in a way that really hits home.'\nThe full findings of the study were published in the journal Nature Climate Change.", "We are on the cusp of a fourth industrial revolution. Kreston Reeves’ Andrew Griggs explores what artificial intelligence might mean for professional services firms.\nThe world has already seen three previous industrial revolutions and will no doubt see others – so what is so special about this one? Whilst in previous industrial revolutions technological processes have been disruptive, they have not, as a whole, been net destroyers of jobs.\nOne of the key features of the fourth industrial revolution is that innovation is now based on combining technologies which not only change the countries we live in, but also the wider world. We know that Artificial Intelligence (AI) in its simplest form is machine capability imitating intelligent human behaviour. What we are now seeing is the development of AI, or machine learning, which focusses on the development of computer programs that can access data and learn for themselves. This allows software to become more accurate in predicting outcomes without specifically being programmed.\nTake for example the financial services sector; machine learning is being used to identify important insights in data and to prevent fraud. These insights can identify investment opportunities or help investors know when to trade. Data mining can also identify clients with high-risk profiles, or use cyber-surveillance to pinpoint warning signs of fraud.\nThe implications for professional service firms are multiple.\nAI technologies, such as IBM Watson, are changing the business model for professional service firms. It is already enabling firms to reduce timelines involved in routine tasks, which is increasingly important with clients’ heightened delivery time expectations, reducing human interaction and increasing accuracy. It is possible to see how phrases such as “in 10 years’ time 40% of staff in professional services firms will not be needed” can be made.\nImpact on accountancy firms\nAccounting, auditing, bookkeeping and tax preparation are among the functions most at risk of being automated. There is a lot of routine work performed in these services that can be largely taken over by artificial intelligence.\nTake, for example, the audit. Technology is already helping auditors, who today will use drones to help stock check large warehouses and large outside assets, such as mines or forests. It will soon be possible, with the help of AI technology, to audit a company’s entire financial transaction history for the year, rather than the sample approached used today. This will give business owners, investors, and other stakeholders greater levels of confidence in a company’s reporting, whilst at the same time reducing the risk of fraudulent activity. It will also reduce audit costs.\nIt will also change the jobs mix in professional services firms, with fewer routine, entry-level functions and more roles focused on creative thinking and analysis.\nClients will continue to demand the all too human skills that they need to help their business grow, to get a deal across the line, to interpret financial data, or to discuss the complex tax implications of managing their wealth, assets or business. AI will free up time to concentrate on the higher value tasks with clients, which I am sure is the part of the role we most enjoy.\nIt will be important for professional service firms to review the skills and traits they require from people, not only for today but when creating the leaders of tomorrow.\nThe Big 4 accountancy firms are already working with technology organisations, and in some instances developing their own bespoke technology platforms, and a number of mid-market firms are too involved in joint ventures to set out the potential for this technology.\nI would expect this technology to filter down and be adopted by mid-market firms over the next five years, resulting in greater collaboration between such firms who have a place in the market but currently feel financially constrained by the investment required.\nChallenges and opportunities\nThere are two issues arising from this revolution. Firstly, only large organisations or countries with substantial wealth and investment will be able to cope with this change, and secondly, unemployment could rise significantly as jobs are replaced.\nTaking the first of these two points; the United States (developed) and China (developing) have already amassed the wealth, talent, market share and data to drive AI forward. The challenge will be for other countries around the world to develop relationships with those countries supplying most of the AI software.\nThe second point is more interesting as it builds on a world of human behaviour where change, even if the ultimate outcome is uncertain, is the new norm.\nPeople will need to be retrained or educated in tasks that AI tools are not so good at, such as creativity, planning and ‘cross-domain’ thinking. Professional service firms will value highly those individuals with strong leadership, people and interpretation skills. However, if society is to avoid largescale unemployment it may need to intervene. We are already beginning to see that happen, with India in July this year banning driverless cars to protect jobs.\nThe new jobs of the future could be the ‘service jobs of love’ or volunteer jobs involving spending time with people, for example, accompanying an older person to see a doctor, mentoring disadvantaged people. The funding of this is a separate debate which inevitably could lead to higher taxes to fund a social welfare need.\nThere is no doubt that AI and machine learning will not only change the way services are provided to clients, but also the mix of skills required within professional service firms… it is only a matter of time.\nDespite the rapid pace of technological change, not all accountants are in agreement that automation will lead to job losses and inequality, with only 29% responding so in a CIMA survey last year.\nAndrew Griggs is the Senior Partner at Kreston Reeves. He can be reached by email: Andrew.griggs@krestonreeves.com. Visit www.krestonreeves.com.", "A former highways agency chief who served under president Barack Obama says it is inevitable that driverless cars will kill people as they appear on the road.\nMark Rosekind, the former United States highway traffic safety administrator, warned \"there will be some lives lost\" as tech companies and car manufacturers experiment with autonomous vehicles, but he insisted they will eventually lead to much safer streets, according to the Daily Telegraph.\nDiscussing the future of transport on BBC Radio 4, he said: \"Unfortunately, there will be crashes. People are going to get hurt and there will be some lives lost.\"\nDespite this, he said, both businesses and regulators \"should really be focused on the potential for zero deaths on our roadways\".\nAdvertisement\nThe technology industry is locked in a debate surrounding the ethics of releasing autonomous systems \"into the wild\", after investments from Google, Uber, Tesla and carmakers significantly accelerated their development.\nRosekind's comments mark a rare admission from an official acknowledging the trade-off for loss of life now in order to achieve safer roads tomorrow.\nRosekind now serves as head of safety innovation at driverless car start-up Zoox.\nHis comments follow Tesla billionaire Elon Musk's criticism of journalists who have been reporting on a series of Tesla Autopilot crashes.\nTesla stock has slumped after a series of negative headlines surrounding fatal crashes involving Autopilot functions and delays to its new Model 3 electric car, prompting Musk to hit out at the \"holier-than-thou hypocrisy of big media companies who lay claim to the truth, but publish only enough to sugarcoat the lie\".\nMusk, stoked by the media's preoccupation with his cars, even promised a new business venture: a website that allows users to rank news organisations' credibility.\nConcerns over Tesla's Autopilot system, which takes some control over cars driving on motorways, were raised in March when a Model X was involved in a fatal crash in California.\nEarlier that month, Elaine Herzberg, 49, was killed crossing the road by one of Uber's driverless cars.\nThe ride-sharing app said it would pause the trials that it was undertaking in five US states.\nMusk has repeatedly claimed that the chances of a road accident are less with Autopilot, so long as the driver keeps their hands on the steering wheel.\n\"It's important to emphasise we'll never be perfect,\" he recently told US broadcaster CBS.\n\"Nothing in the real world is perfect. But I do think that long term, it can reduce accidents by a factor of 10. So there are 10 fewer fatalities and tragedies and serious injuries. And that's a really huge difference.\"\nHe hit out at The Wall Street Journal after it published a report on the amount of Tesla recalls, pointing out that \"there were dozens of recalls by other car companies last month, including with injuries and deaths, but you only wrote an article about Tesla\".\nThe billionaire's outbursts have also seen him accusing analysts on earnings calls of asking \"boring, bonehead questions\".", "Editor:\nRe: Tourism ‘requires product,’ Feb. 3.\nThere seems to be a mania for megaprojects in White Rock, whether they be mega-houses, mega-towers or mega-parkades.\nOn the White Rock city website, it states: “This (generating required $1 million in parkade revenues) will be a challenge, as this represents an approximate 73 per cent increase in waterfront parking lot revenues, with a 47 per cent increase in the number of stalls.”\nAs a business consultant, I recognize the carefully chosen words that we use to tell the client that they are on a dangerous course. The centerpiece of the proposed “beachfront revitalization” is a parkade that is accessed inadequately on narrow or steep arterial roads.\nI have been to the beachfront more than 2,500 times at all hours. I have witnessed the occasional peak-demand period when there is no parking. These peak-demand events are a rarity, so it is not economically viable to build beachfront parking to satisfy these times.\nI would suggest we look at alternatives that have a quaint or unique factor to satisfy the high-demand periods. Trolleys have been suggested, or possibly we could approach some of the tech giants that are looking to display real-world application of driverless shuttles.\nI am saddened by the decay that I have witnessed in the beachfront walkway and Marine Drive commercial strip. The undulating, unweeded walkways appear tired. Thousands of us had to flee into the sea on New Year’s Day to escape the dangers of the icy walkways the city did not have the courtesy to maintain for this annual event.\nThis week, the mayor appeared on TV looking bemused. Amid the images of vacant commercial spaces, he stated: “Something is wrong here.” How can I say the truth in the delicately couched language of a consultant? Perhaps a reference to a mirror?\nAs taxpayers, we need to know our money is being spent prudently rather than on mega-water projects, mega-waterfront facelifts and parkades. Measured steps that respect available resources and encourage growth are what makes great businesses and great cities. Forget the mega-dreams and concentrate on doing the little things right so we can make our community more attractive.\nHighway billboards, info at BC Tourism and engaging consumers through social media are solutions that would cost a fraction that would be lost on a parkade.\nSell sunsets and supper, not just warm summer nights.\nI think this city deserves something better than a white elephant as the centrepiece of our waterfront. Driverless shuttles are a good idea… Driverless cities are not!\nStephen Christie, White Rock\nQuestion of ownership\nHad a great time in the ’80s at White Rock’s sandcastle contests, but that was not what attracted me and my family since the 1960s. It was the beautiful seaside-type ambiance, with the fish-and-chip shops, looking for little crabs near the rocks, finding seashells, making a sandcastle out of an old ice-cream bucket…\nMy gut feeling tells me that foreign ownership will take the dream away from the next generation of the pioneers of this once-innocent and vibrant seaside jewel.\nWill Waterbeek, Maple Ridge\n• • •\nWhile enjoying the warm Arizona sun at cocktail hour, up comes a story about White Rock on the 6 o’clock news.\nThere it was, “for sale, for rent, for lease” signs as far as the eye could see on Marine. And there was a council member blaming “foreign ownership.” Where does that come from? Did an Asian billionaire see an incredible investment opportunity and buy Uli’s or the hotel?\nThere is a big difference between fake news and ridiculous news. Anyone who knows anything about White Rock knows full well that it is either aliens or the water, not “foreign ownership.”\nBarry Gaudin, White Rock\nB.C. rules play role\nThe one waterfront restaurant issue that’s getting no ink – probably out of fear of reprisal from the politically correct crowd – is the lowering of the legal blood alcohol limit by the provincial government to .05 per cent.\nThis has resulted in the potential for criminal charges to be laid against any couple who dares to share a bottle of wine while dining out, and then has the misfortune of driving through a roadside check on their way home.\nCompound this with the limited number of routes when leaving the beach area and overzealous law enforcement by White Rock RCMP, and Marine Drive has been transformed into a no-go zone for many a dining patron.\nMany suspensions have been laid under this law against people displaying no signs of impairment. It serves no purpose other than to appease the special-interest group that lobbied to amend the previous law of .08 per cent.\nWhat it has created is now visible for all to see along Marine Drive – failed enterprises, lost livelihoods and empty storefronts on what was once a vibrant restaurant strip. This, along with making criminals out of respectable individuals whose same actions a few years ago would have gone unnoticed and harmed no one.\nGlen Gerow, White Rock", "The panel is part of the first Climate Action forum by the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment to be held every year at World Government Summit. Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said the world wastes $2.6 trillion worth of food every year at a time when farmers are leaving rural areas for the cities.\nThe issue is of concern in the UAE as well, he said, when combined with global fears of growing food security and waste. “It is a $4 billion [a year] problem in the UAE,” Al Zeyoudi said. “We need food efficiency.” Greater use of new agri-technology, he said, can increase “food efficiency for production that will produce food with 99 per cent less water.” Greater care is needed from the farmer’s field to kitchen table if the world is to sustain growing food demand that will spike by 50 per cent by 2050, Al Zeyoudi said. Jose Graziano da Silva, director-general of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), said the food security issue is compounded heavily by the astronomical amount of food wasted daily around the world. “We need to waste less food, one-third of the food we produce is wasted,” da Silva told delegates. Da Silva said entirely new approaches are needed for the global food system to help fight climate change. ”We need to transport less food over distances,” he said, “to reduce greenhouse gases from food transport.” Patricia Espinosa, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, said the recent Paris Agreement adopted in December 2015 now has been ratified by 129 countries as a blueprint for decades to come to hold global temperatures to less than 2 degrees Celsius. Fighting climate change may help limit the massive impacts upon agriculture that disruptive weather patterns and storms could bring down the road, she said. “There is a need for us to accelerate action in order for us to build agriculture,’ Espinosa said. “Food waste is something that starts with the individual and his activities.” Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister of Bhutan, said food security is critical in his country where 64 per cent of citizens depend on agriculture for a living. Fighting climate change in years ahead is critical to stop changes already happening in his country, he said. Tobgay said that “because of climate change, glacial lakes are breaking dams and wreaking havoc downstream.” More from Government Mohammad launches 10x pro-innovation initiative\nMohammad launches new accelerator initiative\nMohammad honours Togo\nWinners of SDG workshops announced", "caption This is the Mertz Glacier in January 2017. source Alessandro Silvano\nWarm waters are pooling underneath Antarctic glaciers in a way that’s causing glaciers to melt more rapidly and preventing the formation of cool water beneath Antarctica, according to a new study.\nThis could slow ocean currents and potentially lead to a rapid sea-level rise event known as a pulse.\nSuch an event could be devastating, causing sea levels to rise by more than 10 feet by the end of the century.\nThe worst-case climate scenario for coastal cities is known as a “pulse.”\nIn that situation, abnormally warm water could cause the glaciers that hold back ice sheets on top of Antarctica and Greenland to collapse. That would cause massive quantities of ice to pour into the world’s oceans, which could lead to extremely rapid sea-level rise around the world.\nIf such a scenario were to occur, current sea-level rise predictions for vulnerable cities like Miami would be far too low.\nRight now, scientists predict Miami will likely be surrounded by seas up to 7 or 8 feet higher than they were in 1900 by the end of this century. But in the case of a pulse, some experts think South Florida could see 10 to 30 feet of sea-level rise by 2100.\nModels predict that amount of rise could also be accompanied by superstorms.\nConditions that might mark the start of such a scenario seem to already be underway in Antarctica, according to a recent study published in the journal Science Advances.\nThe researchers behind the work found that in at least two Antarctic regions where there’s been notable ice loss, glaciers are melting fast enough to counteract a process that would normally keep the waters under the Antarctic cool. And where warm water collects, faster melting happens.\n“Our study shows that this feedback process is not only possible but is in fact already underway, and may drive further acceleration of the rate of sea-level rise in the future,” Alessandro Silvano, lead author of the study, said in a statement.\nWarm water pooling below the ice\nThe two areas analyzed in the study were the Amundsen Sea in West Antarctica and the Sabrina Coast in East Antarctica.\nsource US Coast Guard/Chief Petty Officer David Mosley\nNormally, holes in Antarctic ice rapidly cool waters around the Antarctic continental shelf, which prevents warm water from melting glaciers. That cooling process creates a type of ocean water known as dense shelf water, which is so cold and dense that it sinks, eventually forming a mass of water called Antarctic bottom water.\nBut at the regions the researchers studied, water exposed at the surface is not being cooled and sinking. Instead, warm water is kept warm by rapidly melting glaciers, creating a mass of warm water underneath the ice.\n“This process is similar to what happens when you put oil and water in a container, with the oil floating on top because it’s lighter and less dense,” Silvano said. “We found that in this way increased glacial meltwater can cause a positive feedback, driving further melt of ice shelves and hence an increase in sea level rise.”\nThat means warm water is melting glaciers from below.\nFrom what researchers can tell, a similar melting process may have triggered a sea-level rise of 16 feet at the end of the last glacial period.\nA series of concerning events\nThe pooling of warm water beneath Antarctic glaciers makes rapid glacier melt more likely, which increases the possibility of ice shelf collapse and rapid sea-level rise.\nAt the same time, Antarctic bottom water helps drive the global currents, which enable the ocean to absorb heat and carbon dioxide. A lack of Antarctic bottom water could therefore slow ocean currents, and slower currents are associated with more superstorms, according to the historical record and computer models.\nGlobal annual temperature and CO2 levels, 1959-2016\nThis slowing would also cause warming to happen more rapidly in Earth’s atmosphere – further accelerating glacier melt.\n“In combination, the two processes we identified feed off each other to further accelerate climate change,” Silvano said.\nAs the researchers explain in the study, there’s still a lot to learn about this process and its connection to climate change. But they said what we’re seeing now is further evidence that stopping the rise of global temperatures is essential.\nThe burning of fossil fuels is causing Earth’s temperature to creep higher and higher above pre-industrial levels. The higher the temperature gets, the more likely the collapse of ice shelves becomes – as well as the potential pulse that comes with it.", "Executive Summary\nEducation Cannot Wait (ECW) was launched to transform the aid system that currently leaves behind 75 million of the most vulnerable children and youth1 on the planet. ECW is the first global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises designed to address the obstacles that have prevented humanitarian and development actors from delivering quality education in humanitarian crises.\nECW aims to ensure education is prioritized as a nonnegotiable aspect of the humanitarian response. ECW’s flexible investment modalities are geared to support a rapid response to urgent education needs whilst bridging the divide that has hitherto characterised the humanitarian and development aid systems. ECW overarching goal for the 2018-2021 period is to support the delivery of quality education to 8 million children and youth – aged 3 to 18 years – in areas of the globe that are most affected by conflict and disaster. Girls and young adolescent women are at the heart of these efforts.\nThis will set a milestone in advancing the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 on quality education where it is most in jeopardy. In doing so, it will lay the foundation for our collective endeavour to reach 75 million crises affected children and youth by 2030.\nTo reach its goal, ECW will bring together a wide range of actors – from the humanitarian and development sectors, governments, donors, private and philanthropic sectors – to collaborate over multiple years, based on their comparative advantage, towards achieving collective education outcomes. This new way of working is at the heart of ECW’s added value.\nThrough its First Emergency Response window, ECW will act as a catalyst in providing an immediate and rapid response to education needs in sudden onset emergencies and in escalating crises. Through its Multi-Year Resilience window, ECW will invest in countries affected by protracted crises through facilitating joint humanitarian and development multiyear programming and financing. As these joint multiyear programmes are implemented, the Acceleration Facility window will support the collection and analysis of evidence to inform best practices, scale up innovations and turn investments into concrete public goods.\nECW will build on relevant networks and advocacy platforms to generate stronger solidarity, political commitments and policy change for education in emergencies. Through this movement, it will advocate for stakeholders to uphold the obligations spelt out in the United Nations Resolution on the Right to Education in Emergencies and to translate these commitments into additional financing to support the achievement of its overarching goal. ECW will strengthen and expand engagement with donors, and build new partnerships with the private and philanthropic sectors, while pursuing innovative financing.", "BENGALURU: Although India is nowhere near the conversation or innovation surrounding autonomous or driverless vehicles, two engineering students from a city college are trying to make some headway in this direction.\nSanatan Bhardwaj and Kiran Rawat are final year computer science engineering students who have designed a miniature prototype of a driverless car using the basic components and methodology that renowned companies such as Apple, Google and Uber are presently using to design their own.\nThe two students from MV College of Engineering, however, have brought in their own customisations in various aspects of the design. \"The computational power of our driverless car system is not that powerful. We have therefore reduced the amount of data to be processed. In the present driverless cars, the computers processes data from the camera that takes not only information of the line of vision on the road but even other areas such as the sky using sensors. In our prototype, we have completely left out the sky from our camera's line of vision so as to reduce the load on computation,\" says Santan.\nThe team has also written their own computational algorithm and have conducted a few trials. \"We have conducted trials on a small track of around 24 meters full of obstacles such as speed breakers and signals. I would say we are partially successful,\" adds Santan.\nThe prototype is 20 cms in length, 10-15 cm in height and a width of 15 cm. It has a four-wheel drive chassis used as a base. A Raspberry Pi (a kind of basic computer) used for graphic processing unit (GPU) and the CPU computations. A motor driver powers the prototype along with four batteries. The car uses a Pi camera and ultrasonic sensor to detect obstacles. The camera is mounted on a servo motor to make the head (camera) flexible to rotate.\nThe boys realise that much more work is needed on their model. \"The work could be enhanced by improving the algorithm by adding machine learning to it. The present algorithm performs the operations on all the frames. It is accurate but its efficiency could be further enhanced if it starts learning by itself and avoids unnecessary calculations of the regions which are already known or familiar. Once the car starts travelling on the roads, it determines the obstacles (mainly static) on the way and notes their characteristic features,\" says a statement by the team.\nWhile driverless cars are still a distant dream even in the West, Santan says that in India it is going to be even more difficult, considering the sheer density of cars on the roads.", "Credit: CC0 Public Domain As many as 153 million premature deaths linked to air pollution could be avoided worldwide this century if governments speed up their timetable for reducing fossil fuel emissions, a new Duke University-led study finds.\nThe study is the first to project the number of lives that could be saved, city by city, in 154 of the world's largest urban areas if nations agree to reduce carbon emissions and limit global temperature rise to 1.5oC in the near future rather than postponing the biggest emissions cuts until later, as some governments have proposed.\nPremature deaths would drop in cities on every inhabited continent, the study shows, with the greatest gains in saved lives occurring in Asia and Africa.\nKolkata and Delhi, India, lead the list of cities benefitting from accelerated emissions cuts with up to 4.4 million projected saved lives and up to 4 million projected saved lives, respectively. Thirteen other Asian or African cities could each avoid more than 1 million premature deaths and around 80 additional cities could each avoid at least 100,000 deaths.\nNearly 50 urban areas on other continents could also see significant gains in numbers of saved lives, with six cities—Moscow, Mexico City, Sao Paolo, Los Angeles, Puebla and New York—each potentially avoiding between 320,000 and 120,000 premature deaths.\nThe new projections underscore the grave shortcomings of taking the lowest-cost approach to emissions reductions, which permits emissions of carbon dioxide and associated air pollutants to remain higher in the short-term in hopes they can be offset by negative emissions in the far distant future, said Drew Shindell, Nicholas Professor of Earth Sciences at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment.\n\"The lowest-cost approach only looks at how much it will cost to transform the energy sector. It ignores the human cost of more than 150 million lost lives, or the fact that slashing emissions in the near term will reduce long-term climate risk and avoid the need to rely on future carbon dioxide removal,\" he said. \"That's a very risky strategy, like buying something on credit and assuming you'll someday have a big enough income to pay it all back.\"\nShindell conducted the new research with Greg Faluvegi of Columbia University's Center for Climate Systems Research and NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies; Karl Seltzer, a PhD student in earth and ocean sciences at Duke; and Cary Shindell, an undergraduate student in civil and environmental engineering at Duke. They published their peer-reviewed findings March 19 in the journal Nature Climate Change.\nFunding came from NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies.\nTo conduct the study, they ran computer simulations of future emissions of carbon dioxide and associated pollutants such as ozone and particulate matter under three different scenarios. The first scenario simulated the effects of having accelerated reductions of carbon emissions and almost no negative emissions over the remainder of the 21st century. The second scenario simulated the effects of allowing slightly higher carbon emissions in the near term, but with still enough overall reductions to limit atmosphere warming to 2oC by century's end. The third scenario simulated the effects of an even more accelerated approach, in which near-term emissions are reduced to a level that would limit atmospheric warming to 1.5oC.\nThe researchers then calculated the human health impacts of pollution exposure under each scenario all over the world—but focusing on results in major cities—using well-established epidemiological models based on decades of public health data on air-pollution related deaths.\n\"Since air pollution is something we understand very well and have extensive historical data on, we can say with relatively high certainty how many people will die in a given city under each scenario,\" Shindell said. \"Hopefully, this information will help policymakers and the public grasp the benefits of accelerating carbon reductions in the near term, in a way that really hits home.\"\nExplore further: Low-carbon policies could prevent up to 175,000 US deaths by 2030\nMore information: Quantified, localized health benefits of accelerated carbon dioxide emissions reductions, Nature Climate Change (2018). nature.com/articles/doi:10.1038/s41558-018-0108-y", "Installing a black box can cut the cost of car insurance for young people, but they may also be useful for older drivers\nJon Stock Author and journalist\nI have been in denial but I now accept that I’m a fully paid-up member of what has been dubbed the “sandwich” generation – simultaneously looking after my children and parents. To be fair, in our family they’re pretty good at caring for themselves, except when it comes to driving.\nAll three of our children are itching to learn to drive. I’ve already spent many weeks ricocheting along the potholed tracks in a forest with our eldest and I’m about to repeat the process with the middle one. Both are sensible but it’s a toe-curling experience, not least because the country roads around us are now full of young, newly qualified drivers. It seems only a few days ago that they were all at primary school together.\nFor many young people, the only way to afford car insurance is to install a black box. Digital telematics, as the technology is known, allows insurance companies to monitor how a teenager behaves behind the wheel by using a combination of GPS and on-board diagnostics analysis. The black box records how fast the driver takes corners, for example, as well as overall speed, acceleration and at what times they tend to travel.\nThe connected technology used by black boxes also underpins driverless cars\nAfter a few weeks, the insurer can build up a profile of the driver and adjust the insurance premium accordingly. Drivers can also use mobile-phone apps linked to the black box to monitor their own performance. Pay-how-you-drive insurance is fast replacing pay-when-you-drive policies.\nThis is a good thing for anxious parents as well as cash-strapped teenagers – although a friend of ours was recently in trouble with her daughter after she borrowed her car and drove so badly that the premium went up.\nConnected technology of this sort generally keeps our roads safer, provided the data is secure. But there’s a very strong case for installing black boxes for elderly drivers too. My in-laws are both in their eighties and very able drivers.\nThere will come a time, however, when they are no longer safe enough to be on the road. They won’t want to hear this from their son-in-law, but if a black box were to tell them, with indisputable telematics evidence to back up the bad news, then it would be an easier conversation for everyone.\nI can’t help feeling, however, that there’s an even safer solution just around the corner. The connected technology used by black boxes also underpins driverless cars. Now there’s a thought: teenagers and grandparents taking a back seat together. Me? I think I’ll sit in the front and eat my sandwich.\nSecurity in the open economy\nTechnology has redefined everything we know, from the way we communicate to the way we do business.\nIn a world that is now built on mobility and openness, Samsung Knox provides all the tools you need to stay safe and secure.\nVisit Samsung Knox to learn how to keep your business running effectively, without compromising security." ]

[ "Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak urged the new government to uphold a greater level of transparency and hold negotiations before making decisions. Reuters\nFollowing Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s official announcement on the Malaysia Cabinet’s decision to cancel the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project on Wednesday (May 30), ex-premier Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has come forth to cast doubt on his former mentor’s rationale.\nIn a Facebook post on the same day, Najib claimed that “detailed studies” revealed socio-economic benefits for Malaysia and Singapore should the HSR project have been allowed to continue, noting that the benefits would have outweighed the costs.\n“The projection in the report I have seen shows the economic benefit to be RM650 billion ($163 billion) in gross national income until 2069. There would have been be 110,000 job opportunities created, which would have increased to 442,000 by 2069,” he wrote.\nHe added that infrastructure projects like the HSR could have reaped benefits in the form of property revenue increases, local economic growth, technology transfer, high-income job opportunities, intake of talent from Singapore and tourism revenue.\nIt would have led to the building of growth centres while giving new life to cities such as Batu Pahat, Muar, Ayer Keroh and Seremban where the “multiplier effect” would have been prominent, said Najib.\nFurthermore, he highlighted mutual benefits for both Malaysia and Singapore with such projects having the potential to “shape the future” and how the two nations could collaborate for common interests.\nHe said: “Studies also showed Malaysia as the main beneficiary of this project since the majority of the tracks would be in the country.”\nWith these theorised advantages in mind, Najib has slammed Dr Mahathir’s administration for the seemingly reckless decision to scrap the project entirely, urging the government to be uphold a greater level of transparency and hold negotiations before making decisions.\nHe also claimed the government’s estimates of the cost of the project to be dubious, questioning how the cost could have amounted to RM110 billion when the figure established earlier in the year was around RM72 billion after accounting for payments made to citizens for land transfers.\n“The true cost can only be known when the tenders for the design, construction, financing and maintenance of the rolling stocks and assets of the rail are fully closed on Dec 28 this year,” he said.\nNearing the conclusion to his post, Najib expressed suspicion that the cancellation of the project could have been based on the decision of a single person.\nHe said the HSR project was never discussed among members of the cabinet and noted that the new finance minister refused to provide any comments on the matter.\n“Do not make a decision for the sake of vengeance against an individual or the Barisan Nasional government. Decisions clouded by emotions would only harm the people.”\nRead also: Dr Mahathir challenges KL-Singapore HSR advocates to ‘show proof’ of RM200 billion loss if project is scrapped" ]

[ "The project owner of Malaysia’s US$20 billion East Coast Railway Link has told its main Chinese contractor to suspend work, both companies said on Wednesday, raising uncertainty about the future of part of China’s “Belt and Road Initiative”.\nThe 688km (430-mile) rail link is designed to connect the South China Sea off the east coast of peninsular Malaysia with strategic shipping routes to the west, and is a major part of China’s trade and infrastructure development plan that stretches across Asia and beyond.\nThe suspension comes as Kuala Lumpur is seeking to renegotiate the terms of the deal with Beijing.\nSince a surprise election victory in May, Malaysia’s new government has pledged to cut the national debt, stamp out corruption and review major projects agreed by the scandal-plagued previous administration led by Najib Razak. Najib was formally charged on Wednesday with corruption linked to a multibillion dollar financial scandal that contributed to his election defeat.\nFinancial news outlet The Edge first reported the halt in the rail link project, referring to a letter sent from Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) to China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) that cited grounds of “national interest” among other reasons.\nA spokesman for MRL confirmed the instruction but declined to comment further.\nIs China’s belt and road infrastructure development plan about to run out of money?\nCCCC said in a statement that it regretted the suspension and was “upset and concerned” over the livelihood of its more than 2,250 local staff members and other indirect hires.\n“We respect and comply with Malaysian laws. Under the situation we have no choice but to adhere to the suspension instruction,” it said.\nIt said also that it hoped the suspension would be lifted as soon as possible.\nMalaysian Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said he planned to visit China soon to renegotiate the terms of the deal.\nIn a statement on Tuesday, he said that the East Coast Railway Link was feasible only if its cost could be significantly reduced.\nCompleting Malaysia’s biggest rail project as previously planned would cost US$20 billion, or nearly 50 per cent more than estimates made under the last government, he said.\n“We expect that the East Coast Railway Link project will only become financially and economically feasible if there is a drastic price reduction of the project by the CCCC,” Lim said in the statement.\nInterest in belt and road projects remains huge, but investors demand better risk management\nCCCC is one of the world’s largest engineering and construction companies by contract value, but has found its biggest project in Malaysia embroiled in controversy ever since it agreed to build the East Coast Railway Link.\nLast month, the controversy took a fresh turn when contracts uncovered by the new government, which says it is committed to unearthing financial malfeasance, shed light on some of the terms and conditions on one of the country’s costliest public works projects.\nThe new government has also halted a rail project with Singapore.", "Malaysia and China are looking to re-balance ties as the new government of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad seeks to renegotiate billions of dollars of Chinese backed infrastructure spending, with the goal of reducing the country's national debt.\nChina is Malaysia's leading foreign direct investor at over $3.38 billion, ahead of the U.S., Japan and Singapore, with major infrastructure deals negotiated during the previous government of Najib Razak.\nThe main contract is a $14 billion (55 billion ringgit) East Coast Rail Link, as well as manufacturing, real estate and sovereign wealth fund bonds.\nCarl Thayer, a professor of politics at Australia's University of New South Wales, says Malaysia is seeking to move beyond anti-Chinese rhetoric that had been an undercurrent of the May 9 national polls.\nThayer said during the campaign Chinese investment in Malaysia was an issue, amid concerns Malaysia was excessively indebted to China.\n\"But Prime Minister Mahathir since the election has basically declared that the existing agreements will stand — that's with any country. But there will be a review of these agreements with China. And the key project there seems to be the east coast rail line which is seen as a 'white elephant', costing a lot of money and not really delivering,\" he said.\nThe East Coast Rail line is a key portion of Beijing's Belt and Road initiative (BRI) infrastructure into South East Asia covering 688 kilometers connecting the South China Sea with the Thai Border.\nThe new government says the fresh negotiations are a bid to reduce the national debt burden, put at $251.32 billion (one trillion ringgit ) or 80 percent of national output (GDP).\nPrime Minister Mahathir sees a need to reassess the projects and the Chinese investment strategy generally, especially depending on imported Chinese labor and technicians.\n\"We need to find out what benefit there is to us. To find out firstly the train is not going to be viable; secondly, its not benefiting Malaysia as much as we would like to see,\" Mahthir told VOA.\n\"We don't want to have a huge number of immigrants in Malaysia. Some of the Chinese companies have done that; that is not foreign direct investment,\" he said.\nWATCH: Mahathir Seeks to Implement Reforms\nHe said such projects as the rail link need to be scaled back in order to reduce the cost to renegotiate the loans and ensuring greater Malaysian participation.\n\"I think we will be able to convince [China] that some restructuring of the terms of the borrowing and the projects and all that will have to be done in order to reduce spending, in order to reduce the loans that we took from foreign countries,\" Mahathir said.\nIn media reports Mahathir said he planned to scrap a 350 kilometer bullet train line from Singapore to the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur.\nThe project, valued at around $20 billion, had attracted bidding interest from China, Japan and South Korea.\nBut Mahathir said this project \"would be dropped\" as it was unnecessary\" and would \"not earn a single cent.\"\nUniversity of New South Wales' Thayer expects China will be pragmatic in dealings with the new government.\n\"It's got massive investments in Malaysia it would want to protect. China would roll with the punches and take the long view. Eventually that Malaysia — as I indicated — all the fundamentals are there to continue the relationship.\"\n\"Trade is managed in Malaysia's favor; substantial growing Chinese investment building infrastructure projects, some of which are needed, others maybe excessive, renewing, renegotiating the balance in that relationship, but not lurching to the U.S. camp,\" Thayer said.\nBoth Mahathir and wealthy Malaysian businessman Robert Kouk, who sits on a powerful advisory panel to the Malaysian government, recently met China's ambassador to Malaysia, Bai Tian. Mahathir later said Malaysia's \"strong ties with China will continue to flourish.\"\nJames Chin, director of the South East Asia Institute at the University of Tasmania, says China's Malaysian investments are also key to China's regional strategic goals.\n\"Part of the reason China is such a big player in Malaysia is due to the geopolitical realities facing China. People do not realize that Malaysia is the only country in South East Asia that surrounds the South China Sea,\" Chin said.\nChina has established disputed claims over much of the South China Sea.\nBut Bridget Walsh, based at the John Cabot University in Italy, said eventually Malaysia-China ties will return to a steady course.\n\"China is the regional global power in terms of economic issues, especially in South East Asia, and it is going to play a very big role and Malaysia is looking for new economic drivers,\" Walsh said.\nWalsh said outside infrastructure projects, China will look to other economic areas to continue a role in Malaysia's economy. \"And I think there are people in the system that understand that,\" she said.\nDavid Boyle contributed to this report.", "Dr Mahathir is seeking more fiscal space to fulfil election pledges that include fuel subsidies and reducing the cost of living.\nKuala Lumpur\nMALAYSIA will implement a new sales tax in September to replace the consumption levy that it is scrapping next month as new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad seeks ways to temper concerns on the nation's budget.\nThe government is studying a 10 per cent rate for the sales and services tax, he told reporters in Putrajaya on Wednesday after chairing a Cabinet meeting.\nMinisters also agreed to cancel a proposed multi-billion dollar high-speed railway (HSR) link to Singapore and the third phase of a mass rapid transit line in the capital Kuala Lumpur, he said. Dr Mahathir is seeking more fiscal space to fulfil election pledges that include fuel subsidies, reducing the cost of living and abolishing toll fees, after finding the state saddled with contingent debt that push total liabilities to exceed 1 trillion ringgit (S$336.7 billion). The government satisfied a major promise when it cut the Goods and Services Tax to 0 per cent from 6 per cent, with effect June 1.\nsentifi.com Market voices on:\n\"We find that the situation is worse than we thought when we were preparing the manifesto,\" the 92-year-old Dr Mahathir said. \"That is why the promises will be fulfilled, but they must take into account the financial situation.\"\nThe government will review the Bandar Malaysia property project conceived by 1MDB, while the HSR and other major projects will be revisited when the country is in a better financial position, Dr Mahathir said.\nCommenting on the scrapping of the HSR, Harrison Cheng, a senior analyst at Control Risks, said Malaysia's decision reinforces the \"heightened risk\" of state suspension and cancellation of infrastructure projects that have been proposed but not initiated, or are in the very early stages of construction.\n\"Mahathir's announcement has also sent an early and strong signal to the Singapore government that bilateral relations are unlikely to be 'business as usual', in that future bilateral projects will face greater scrutiny than before to ensure that Malaysia gets a good deal,\" he said.\n\"Mahathir is also likely to stomach a greater degree of bilateral tensions than (his precedessor) Najib Razak to show his domestic constituents that Malaysia will not 'bow down' to Singapore.\"\nAs a celebration marking the end of the Muslim fasting month approaches, Dr Mahathir said civil servants will get a 400 ringgit bonus payment, while road users will enjoy a 50 per cent discount on tolls in the two days leading up to the Eid al-Fitr festival, which is set to fall in mid-June.\nThe government will keep prices for diesel and RON95 gasoline unchanged, while the RON97 grade of petrol will move according to market prices, the premier added. BLOOMBERG", "British Columbia’s Transportation Minister says the province supports Washington State’s decision to study the feasibility of a high-speed rail line from Portland to Vancouver.\nWashington Governor Jay Inslee has allotted $1-million (U.S.) from his 2017-19 state budget to examine the costs and benefits of building a system to carry travellers 400 kilometres an hour with stops in Seattle and Bellingham. A report is due in December.\nTransportation Minister Todd Stone said it’s “far too premature” to talk about a potential financial commitment to a high-speed rail line, but he said the province is interested in the idea.\n“The Premier sent a letter to Governor Inslee recently, extending provincial support for the state of Washington’s decision to actually do some due diligence, some analysis on this proposed high-speed rail link, and we certainly support them doing that,” Mr. Stone said.\nHe noted that that an agreement signed last year between British Columbia and Washington State, known as the Cascadia Innovation Corridor, highlights transportation as a key priority.\nThe study will examine the design and cost of a high-speed rail system, the potential demand and whether it would be economically viable. A budget document outlining the study says the high-speed rail system, if built, could connect with east-west routes in the state, as well as a similar system, in California.\nMr. Inslee was unavailable for an interview, but in a statement said the rail project would create construction jobs, increase workers’ mobility and access to affordable housing and reduce traffic.\n“Ultra-high speed rail will bring accelerated economic growth and integration in the Pacific Northwest,” Mr. Inslee said in the statement. “The funds that I’ve included in my transportation budget will help us take the next step toward making it a reality.”\nMark Hallenbeck, director of the Washington State Transportation Centre, said a high-speed train would greatly add to the mobility of the region.\n“The reason you would do it now is because, particularly the western portion of the state of Washington, as well as the metropolitan region, as well as the western portion of British Columbia, are all doing exceptionally well economically.”\nMr. Hallenbeck said that other options, such as widening the Interstate 5 in Seattle to alleviate congestion, could be just as expensive as building a train system and that air space is already too crowded.\n“If you’ve got that kind of infrastructure that moves people, where you’ve got visitors that want to come up here and experience everything we have to offer, I would say, putting my tourism lens on it, it sounds like a great idea,” B.C. Chamber of Commerce CEO Val Litwin said.\nBut the project wouldn’t be cheap, or easy. Mr. Hallenbeck estimates that the project could cost billions of dollars, and there would be significant – and expensive – challenges for the route.\n“The kicker in all of this is not the 150 miles in the middle; it’s the 30 miles on either end,” he said. “It’s how do you get into downtown Seattle and how do you get into downtown Vancouver?”\nSolving that problem could be costly, and the study will consider that. “Is it a bad idea? No, it’s not a bad idea,” he said. “Might you come up with something else to do with a million dollars? Sure, but given the cost of what this project would be, a million dollars is nothing.”\nReport Typo/Error", "Malaysia will implement a new sales tax in September to replace the consumption levy that it's scrapping next month as Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad looks for ways to temper concerns on the nation's budget.\n[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia will implement a new sales tax in September to replace the consumption levy that it's scrapping next month as Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad looks for ways to temper concerns on the nation's budget.\nThe government is studying a 10 per cent rate for the sales and services tax, he told reporters in Putrajaya after a Cabinet meeting. Ministers also agreed to cancel a proposed multibillion-dollar high-speed railway link to Singapore and the third phase of a mass rapid transit line in Kuala Lumpur, he said.\nDr Mahathir is seeking more fiscal space to fulfill election pledges that include reducing living costs and fuel subsidies after finding the state saddled with debt and contingent liabilities exceeding 1 trillion ringgit (S$337.2 billion). The government will satisfy one such promise when it sets the goods and services tax at zero on June 1.\n\"We find that the situation is worse than we thought when we were preparing the manifesto,\" Dr Mahathir said. \"That's why the promises will be fulfilled, but they must take into account the financial situation.\"\nsentifi.com Market voices on:\nWhile Malaysia must take drastic short-term steps to restore fiscal strength, it won't set aside programs to boost growth, Economic Affairs Minister Azmin Ali said in a statement. The government will revise development plans for the rest of the decade in line with election pledges and will continue projects that have a large impact on the economy, he said.\nThe revised framework \"will focus on a free-market and investor-friendly economy as well as an emphasis on humane economics based on social justice programs,\" Mr Azmin said.\nThe government will review the Bandar Malaysia property project conceived by 1MDB, while the high-speed rail and other major projects will be revisited when the country is in a better financial position, Dr Mahathir said.\nAs a celebration marking the end of the Muslim fasting month approaches, Mahathir said civil servants will get a 400 ringgit bonus payment, while road users will enjoy a 50 per cent discount on tolls in the two days leading up to the Eid al-Fitr festival, which is set to fall in mid-June.\nThe government will keep prices for diesel and RON95 gasoline unchanged, while the RON97 grade of petrol will move according to market prices, the premier said.\nBLOOMBERG", "The projected cost of California's bullet train between San Francisco and Los Angeles has jumped to $77 billion and the opening date has been pushed back four years to 2033, according to a business plan released Friday.\nThe two-year plan presented by the California High-Speed Rail Authority presents the latest setbacks for a project that's been beleaguered by delays and cost overruns since voters first gave it the greenlight in 2008.\nAmong the challenges in the latest plan: A lack of money and the difficulty of weaving through mountain passes between Silicon Valley and the inland Central Valley.\n\"It's going to be bumpy,\" the agency's new chief executive, Brian Kelly, told The Associated Press in an interview in advance of the plan's release.\nIn this Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017 file photo, is one of the elevated sections of the high-speed rail under construction in Fresno. Rich Pedroncelli/AP\nThe plan brought fresh fire from critics who doubt the project will ever be completed. The last plan, presented in 2016, estimated the project would cost $64 billion and be open by 2029.\n\"Let's cut our losses and use the billions not yet wasted on (high-speed rail) to instead improve freeways, highways and roads and perhaps improve existing rail systems throughout California,\" Republican state Sen. Andy Vidak said.\nIf completed, it would be the nation's fastest train, carrying people between the two major cities in less than three hours. Kelly has promised to be more transparent about the project's challenges, including by assigning costs to every potential risk, such as trouble acquiring land or securing environmental clearance.\nWhile $77 billion is the baseline cost estimate, the plan estimates total costs could be as low as $63.2 billion or as high as $98.1 billion.\nWill the new plan for high-speed rail in California lead to an earlier completion date? California High Speed Rail Authority\nThe ultimate goal is to connect San Francisco and Los Angeles — and eventually Sacramento and San Diego — but the immediate focus is opening track between San Francisco and the Central Valley, an agriculturally dominant, less-populated portion of inland California.\nRail proponents say linking the two areas would be an economic boon, as housing costs are exploding in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Valley is in need of jobs.\nThat portion of track is now set to be finished by 2029, also marking a four-year delay, and significant challenges remain.\nOne is how to cross a section of mountains — a critical segment to link Silicon Valley to the Central Valley. Right now, the agency doesn't have a detailed plan or enough money to do that. The state is looking to build from San Francisco to the west edge of the mountains and from Bakersfield to the east edge of the mountains by 2027 before connecting the two.\nHow to pay for the entire project remains \"uncertain,\" Kelly said.\nThe state has spent $2.5 billion in federal stimulus money and has an additional $930 million in federal money on the table. That's on top of a $10 billion bond from voters.\nA major source of rail funding is the cap-and-trade program, under which the state auctions permits to release greenhouse gases. Rail planners are currently using the money as it comes in but say they'd need the ability to take on debt that would be paid off with future cap-and-trade dollars.\nThat would require the Legislature to extend the cap-and-trade program until 2050 and guarantee that money for rail would continue flowing even if auction revenue falls short of expectations. That's a difficult task for a Legislature that struggled just last year to muster the two-thirds votes needed to extend the program from 2020 to 2030.\nThere's a 60-day public-comment period before the rail authority adopts a final plan.\nThis story has been updated.", "SINGAPORE: Several high-ranking officials from the Singapore and Malaysia task forces looking into the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal met in Putrajaya on Thursday morning (May 31).\nBoth teams have agreed to work together to recover money believed to have been misappropriated from the state investment firm.\nAdvertisement\nIn a press release, the Malaysian task force said that both nations will also work together to gather evidence and track down witnesses in Singapore \"as soon as possible\".\nAdditionally, the task force will investigate relevant \"money trails\" to trace any remaining cash and assets.\nThe meeting, held at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters, was attended by nine officials from Singapore, comprising individuals from the Attorney-General's Chambers, Commercial Affairs Department and the Monetary Authority of Singapore.\nThe Malaysian representatives including Abdul Gani Patail, the former attorney-general who used to head the task force before he abruptly stepped down in July 2015, and MACC chief Mohd Shukri Abdull.\nAdvertisement\nAdvertisement\nAt least six countries, including the United States and Switzerland, are investigating claims that US$4.5 billion was siphoned out of 1MDB, which was founded by former Prime Minister Najib Razak.\n\"Our Malaysian counterparts have requested for our assistance in relation to their 1MDB-related investigations, and we agreed to a meeting in Kuala Lumpur,\" a Singapore police spokeswoman told Reuters in an email.\nShe gave no details of the assistance sought.\nThe news comes a week after Malaysian officials met officers of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US Department of Justice, which refers to Najib as \"Malaysian Official Number 1\" in an anti-kleptocracy investigation of 1MDB.\nJUST IN: #1MDB special investigative team met with Singapore investigators today. The two have agreed to work together to recover money believed to be misappropriated from the state investment firm. pic.twitter.com/BBieBgLHKn — Sumisha Naidu (@SumishaCNA) May 31, 2018\nNajib has denied any wrongdoing and said in 2016 that the Malaysian government would cooperate with US investigations.\nSingapore has taken action against several banks and bank officials for failures of money-laundering controls over transactions related to 1MDB, including the closure of units of BSI Bank and Falcon Bank.\nMalaysia's newly-elected Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has vowed to investigate the 1MDB scandal and act against those who may have abetted, or benefited from, corruption at the fund.\nMahathir immediately reopened 1MDB investigations after defeating Najib in the historic May 9 elections, and barred his former protege from leaving the country.\nThe former prime minister went to Malaysia's anti-graft agency to give a statement explaining what he knew about US$10.6 million transferred into his bank account from the fund.\nLast week, Malaysia's finance minister said funds from deals with the central bank and sovereign wealth fund Khazanah were used by the previous government to meet some liabilities of the troubled state fund.\nMalaysian police said they seized cash worth RM114 million (US$29 million) and more than 400 luxury handbags from Najib's home and his son's apartments as part of the investigation.", "China's Quanzhou, from where NDTV travelled, has a total rail network of 346 km.\nNew coaches on the Indian Railways trains will have glass roofs, revolving seats and GPS-based information systems.\nChina has trains originating from Quanzhou's high speed rail station all the way to Beijing in the north.\nAs one travels from China's port city of Quanzhou to another port city of Xiamen in China's southeast Fujian province, the extent of China's rail ambitions and infrastructure development is hard to miss. In less than a decade, China has laid out 20,000 km of high speed rail lines with an average speed of more than 300 kmph and government officials say the country is planning another 15,000 km by 2025. The extent of connectivity of its high-speed rail lines is more than rest of the world combined.Quanzhou, located south-east of the Fujian province, is right opposite Taiwan and is a 'National Pilot City' which is part of integrated reform agenda of the Chinese leadership under the 'Made In China 2025' model city project. The program has several similarities to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make In India' drive and reform initiative particularly in the railways where India is pushing hard for fast reform.China is also making a strong pitch to sell bullet trains to India which has so far preferred to buy from Japan instead.Chinese People Institute of Foreign Affairs Vice President Peng Keyu said \"We can give India high-speed bullet trains at a much lower rate than Japan even though Japan is considered the best in technology when it comes to these trains.\"On Monday, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu flagged off two trains and laid the foundation of a railway facility in different parts of the country through video conferencing. The two new trains from Maharashtra and Visakhapatnam will have features such as glass roof, LED lights, revolving seats, GPS based information system, he said.But as India hopes to widen its rail network to make it more technology-driven and introduce high speed trains, it is far behind China, especially in the cleanliness factor at stations and on tracks - something the PM has spoken about at length.It is also a reluctant shopper from China although an affiliated company of China's top train-maker CRCC Corporation has acquired a subway train order in Nagpur. It will produce a total of 69 coaches. The agreement signed on March 27 also includes a 10-year maintenance contract. China is also making some coaches for subways in Kolkata. India is an important potential market for Chinese train makers.The World Bank in 2014 said that the potential benefits of high speed train were \"very substantial\" and could boost productivity in China's coastal region by 10 per cent. The Chinese believe it will create a deeply connected economy especially for those who work in expensive cities and can now live in satellite cities around industrial and commercial hubs and commute in less than half an hour through bullet trains.However, not the entire picture is as rosy. China Railway Corporation, the state-owned operator of the train system has debts of more than 4 trillion yuan or 580 billion dollars. Also, the operating cost of these trains in smaller distances is high. But as we move along the rail line from one city to another, there is simultaneous growth of industry and housing and infrastructure along the high speed trains that may justify the costs.", "Get Daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email\nCampaigners remain optimistic about reopening the Beverley to York railway line despite another setback in their petition.\nEast Riding Council recently voted to focus resources on roads and flood defences rather than accept a motion to invest cash in rail projects, including on the now defunct 'Minsters' route.\nThe Beverley to York line was one of dozens closed on the recommendation of Dr Richard Beeching in the 1960s.\nFour decades on, a group formed to lobby the authorities over seeing trains run on the route again, citing the economic benefits and convenience to passengers it would bring.\n(Image: Colin Edwards)\nPeter Hemmerman, chairman of the Minsters Rail campaign group, said spending on roads did not have to come at the expense of train infrastructure.\n\"Funding is available for roads and rail, yet East Riding Conservatives have clearly refused to even consider rail as an option,\" he said.\n\"Whilst road congestion and overcrowding on the few existing rail lines continue to increase, as investment, tourism and ultimately prosperity will continue to decline.\n\"It is a setback but we're still hopeful of success. We are talking to the local MPs at the moment to get them involved with a push on the Department of Transport. But it's difficult to do anything without the support of the local council.\"\nMr Hemmerman said towns across East Yorkshire the route would cover would feel the benefit.\n(Image: Simon Renilson)\n\"At the moment, 54,000 people travel into Hull from the East Riding on the trains and they have one choice of route,\" he said.\n\"To be fair, Beverley's always been onside because they want more people to come to the town and the new shopping centre.\n\"Passengers from Beverley wanting to go anywhere in the country have to go to Hull first.\"\nHowever, Conservative Symon Fraser who was accused by opposition councillors of wrecking the motion, strongly denied suggestions the ruling Tories were at loggerheads with the group.\nHe said: \"East Riding Council has written to the group in support of their campaign and its aims.\n(Image: Simon Kench)\n\"But the campaign is theirs. What the council will not do is be drawn into spending council resources, manpower and taxpayer's money on it. We've advised them on what they would need to do.\n\"Our position on that is crystal clear.\"\nAsked if a perceived lack of support was because it was felt the cost to the taxpayer of reopening the line would outweigh any economic benefits, he replied: \"It's not because of that at all.\n\"I've no idea about the economic benefits it would bring. That's for them to find that out and present the case to other people.\"\nThe Hull Daily Mail has recently launched a free app which features all the latest news, sport and what’s on information. You can download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple's App Store, or get the Android version from Google Play.", "The cost of a new Elland railway station could spiral to over £20m and not be built by 2022 as rail campaigners said pressure must be kept on bosses to deliver the project.\nCalderdale Council called for new train station to be built in the next two to three years as a study by GHD Transportation said the estimated cost would be £14m.\nHowever, a report that will be discussed by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s investment committee said the cost could be closer to £22m.\nThe report said: “The Elland Station Package scheme involves a new station on the Calder Valley line at Elland as well as pedestrian, cycle and public realm improvements to link the new station to Elland town centre and surrounding areas of planned employment and housing growth.\n“The scheme also incorporates bus infrastructure to enable bus-rail interchange at the station and a dedicated station car park and associated highway access arrangements to enable the station to serve as a Park and Ride facility.”\nFunds from the West Yorkshire Transport fund identified a £20m contribution towards speed improvements along the Calder Valley Line.\nHowever, Network Rail has since decided to expand the scope of rail outputs planned for the route beyond those originally defined, which has resulted in an opportunity for the Transport Fund allocation originally prioritised to further reduce journey times and headways along the line to be redeployed in order to amplify the economic impacts from that investment\n“The Elland Station Package is therefore a replacement scheme; it has been endorsed by Network Rail, Rail North and Northern as the preferred option for delivery in the short to medium term because it makes the most of the existing commitments and can be delivered by 2022,” it stated in the report.\n“The full costs of the Elland Station package have been calculated as £22.036m (this includes a 20% risk uplift to the delivery costs).”\nThe Halifax and District Rail Action Group has welcomed the news but warned pressure must be put on rail bosses to deliver the sceme and to ensure it isn’t delayed.\nStephen Waring, chair of HADRAG, said: “The recommendation at the investment panel is a big step forward for a proposed new train station at Elland.\n“The decision to use West Yorkshire Transport Fund resources on the station will yield visible, tangible and significant local benefits for transport users that would not have come from using the money to top up investment by Network Rail who are already improving our line. Elland station looks to have much better economic predictions.\n“The time taken to progress rail projects is frustrating.\n“If it can be achieved we would like to see Elland station opening before 2022.\n“We must ensure that our scheme stays at the front of the queue and is not delayed because of work progressing projects in other parts of the county. But at least if the target date is 2022 that gives the train companies chance to design an improved timetable to serve the new station.\n“We trust Network Rail and the train operators are now fully committed to a train timetable that will give Elland an attractive service pattern.\n“HADRAG will continue to campaign for improvements along the Elland-Brighouse rail corridor linking Sowerby Bridge and Halifax with Huddersfield, Wakefield and Leeds.\n“The line through Elland and Brighouse is potentially the fastest route from upper Calderdale to Leeds and we want to see more trains and faster trains running this route beyond the train companies present plans which only go up to 2019.\n“Such improved services in the early 2020s would serve Elland making the station really attractive not just for commuters but to improve travel opportunities for the whole community.\n“The price tag on the station may seem high. But it sounds like this will be a lot more than just a two-platform train halt.\n“We are looking at a local transport hub with high quality pedestrian and cycle links and bus-rail interchange as well as park & ride for car-users catching the train.\n“This sounds like the sort of project that HADRAG - along with local people in Elland - has been demanding for some years.”", "Marcus Evans proudly presents the 4th Annual Mixed Use Developments conference which will take place on 18th – 20th July 2018 at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Singapore.\nHappening for the fourth time this year, the three days conference will be featuring experts exploring ways to best integrate the property components, spaces, transit as well as nature.\nOne of the speakers, Robert Brodeth Senior Associate Director Ong & Ong, Singapore shared the conference is, “an opportunity to touch base with industry peers and users helps us align where the mixed use vertical is going. It’s also a chance to share our learnings that might benefit or help inspire attendees with what they’re dealing with.”\nPresenting highly experienced speakers such as Djoko Prihanto Director, Urban Planning and Design DP Architects, Singapore; Michele Pasca di Magliano Associate Director; Zaha Hadid Architects, UK; Firdaus Effendy Mokhtar Executive Vice President, Land & Property Department Prasarana Integrated Development (A wholly owned subsidiary of Prasarana Malaysia Berhad); Robert Marshall Principal & Global Director – Planning & Landscape B+H Architects, Canada; Ame Engelhart Director Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), HongKong; Margot Adelle Orr Jones Future Cities Development Director Jacobs, UK; Doug Wright Principal PacThai International, Thailand; Bertil de Kleynen Sector Director for Architecture, Interiors & Landscape Atkins Global, Hong Kong; Gregory Kovacs Director Benoy, Hong Kong; Scott Whittaker Group Director & Founder; Design World Partnership (DWP), Thailand; Ed McIntosh Design Director – SE Asia; Grimshaw Architects, UK; Harold Tan Director – Real Estate Advisory Vestasia Group , Singapore; Yann Andre Leroy Owner Yann Leroy Architects, Thailand; Gerry Chan Vice President CapitaLand Retail, Singapore; Greg Yager Senior Vice President Callison RT KL, Hong Kong; Shamim Ahmadzadegan Firmwide Mixed Use Practice Area Leader, Design Director & Principal Gensler, USA; Conni Kieferle-Nicklas Managing Partner; Kieferle & Partner Architects, UAE; Cindy Kubitz Director; Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), China; Simon Parsons Executive Director & Practice Leader PTW Architects, Australia; Don Ubaldo Project Head & Sr. Assistant Vice President; Filinvest City; Chintan Raveshia Cities and Transit Leader Arup , Singapore; Chris Panfil Vice President & Director of Strategic Planning & Urban Design WATG, Singapore; Robert Brodeth Senior Associate Director; Ong & Ong, Singapore.\nSpeaking at the event, Jason Pomeroy, Founding Principal, Pomeroy Studio, Singapore shared that the conference will serve as a knowledge platform, “by encouraging a multitude of professions and sectors, the conference should encourage a continued dialogue and debate around the importance of sustainable and smart mixed use developments that can make a positive impact to society, localised economies and the built environment.”\nOne of the key highlights of the conference will be exclusive site tour to One-North Project, Singapore, interactive thinks tanks and spotlights sessions as well as a live group activity session: Build, Play & Collaborate.\n4th Annual Mixed Use Development is proudly supported by Construction & Property Magazine.", "Amtrak 2012 report\nWashington – An ambitious — and to some in Connecticut controversial — plan to overhaul the railroad in the Northeast Corridor has come to a full stop, a victim of lack of funding.\nThere also has been pushback to the plan from Fairfield County residents who fear the impact of laying down new high-speed-ready tracks and other development near their neighborhoods.\nThe Federal Railroad Administration in July issued its final Northeast Corridor (NEC) Future plan that detailed a long-term vision to improve and grow passenger rail service in the corridor at a cost between $121 billion and $153 billion.\nThe plan, called “Tier 1,” included adding 200 miles of expanded track capacity between Washington, D.C., and Boston, and making sure most of those new tracks can carry trains traveling at up to 220 miles per hour.\nBut Federal Railroad Administration spokesman Marc Willis said none of the eight states that would be impacted by the plan have submitted new project proposals so that NEC Future can move into the “Tier 2,” or project-level, phase of the plan.\n“Right now, there is nothing going on,” Willis said.\nA major problem is money. Some states are waiting for the Trump administration to follow through on a promise of a major infrastructure plan, a costly endeavor whose prospects have been dimmed by the current push to overhaul the federal tax code – which would cost the U.S. Treasury about $1.5 trillion.\nWhile federal money could pay up to 80 percent or more of a new project, Connecticut’s transportation budget is facing a severe shortfall and is not likely to come up with the difference.\nThen there’s concern about the impact of development on densely populated and historical areas in the state.\nThe NEC Future plan was met with heavy resistance in the eastern coastal section of the state, especially in the town of Old Lyme, because of the plan’s proposal to put a second set of tracks further inland along that coast.\nThe final Tier 1 plan scrapped that idea, and instead called for a New Haven-to-Providence “capacity planning study” to address capacity constraints, speed restrictions and the threat to the rail system posed by flooding along the Connecticut and Rhode Island shoreline.\nNow resistance to the NEC Future plan is coming from Fairfield County.\nWestport has recently reached out to the Washington, D.C., mega-law firm of Akin Gump Strass Hauer and Feld in case there’s a need to legally challenge NEC Future’s proposed changes in the area, which include turning its local Green’s Farms train station into an infrastructure hub and establishing new elevated tracks in the region.\nTo Sara Harris, operations director in the town of Westport, the idea of expanding the Green’s Farms station makes no sense since there are better locations in Fairfield County for a new hub.\n“We want to preserve the character of the (Green’s Farms) station,” Harris said.\nWestportNow\nShe also said, “There’s concern not only in Westport but in all the surrounding towns,” over the NEC Future plan’s proposal to add tracks between New Rochelle, N.Y., and Green’s Farms.\nHarris said a meeting with FRA officials about a month ago was “helpful.”\n“They said it’s really a proposal and could be subject to change,” she said.\nBut Harris said there’s still concern about “the interpretation of the document and how much flexibility we have.”\nMuddying the waters\nAt the swearing in of the Board of Selectmen at Greenwich Town Hall earlier this month, Greenwich resident Leora Levy, Republican National Committeewoman for Connecticut, was quoted in the Greenwich Free Press as saying the NEC Future high-speed rail proposal from New Rochelle to Green’s Farms is an “attempt by unelected outsiders that will adversely affect and threaten Greenwich.”\nDarien First Selectman Jayme Stevenson said when the final NEC Future plan was released, there was “plenty of concern” about the placement of new, additional tracks and how it would impact her town, which is served by commuter rail that is slowed by curvy tracks.\nSince then, however, she’s been told Darien would have a say on how the plan is implemented.\n“We have had extensive talks (with FRA) and have gotten assurances that any plan has to be approved by state and local government … that nothing will be moving forward without the approval of the town of Darien,” Stevenson said.\nWhile Fairfield County, with its numerous rail commuters, would benefit greatly from improved service, there is concern that the push for high speed rail is a bigger priority than improving commuter service.\nStevenson said she did not want Connecticut to be a “pass through” for speedier service to Boston.\n“What I would like is ‘best-in-class’ commuter service – with high speed,” she said.\nFairfield First Selectman Mike Tetreau said he was not contacted in any way by the FRA before or after it released its massive rail overhaul proposal.\n“Fairfield was not included in any meetings, or in the (FRA) distribution list,” Tetreau said. “It leaves major concerns about the approach going forward.”\nTetreau is also puzzled about why the FRA suggested “building out Greens Farms” rather than using the new, expanded Fairfield station as a transportation hub.\nLike others in Fairfield County, Tetreau said the first priority is to upgrade the county’s commuter service. “The system is in a state of disrepair,” he said.\nThe FRA’s Willis said there have been numerous contacts and meetings with Fairfield County officials about the rail plan and said those who continue to be critical are “muddying the waters.”\n“It is unfortunate they are doing that because some people see a need for improved rail,” Willis said.\nJudd Everhart, spokesman for the Connecticut Department of Transportation, said state transportation Commissioner James Redeker has stressed that “the NEC Future track realignment proposal in southwestern CT was little more than a proposal on paper – for now anyway.”\n“There is zero funding set aside for any kind of realignment of tracks through there, under the NEC Future ‘plan,’ nor are there any serious advocates for the idea, to my understanding,” Everhart said. “I am not aware of any towns that remain upset about the NEC Future proposal, nor are we hearing from legislators on the issue.”\nEverhart said Redeker’s position “remains that the corridor should be maintained in a state of good repair and that any consideration of expansion or realignment should be deferred for the foreseeable future.”\nBut Gregory Stroud, executive director of SEcoast, a nonprofit formed to spearhead opposition to NEC Future’s plan to add new tracks in eastern Connecticut, said there will be a pressing need to overhaul the New Haven line soon, since the FRA predicts full capacity for trains on that line will be reached by 2030.\n“Our position is not one of opposition, but of finding a solution that respects the communities,” Stroud said.\nThe goals of NEC Future include:\nDoubling the number of regional commuter trains in some areas and providing three to five times as many intercity trains.\nImproving travel time between Boston and New York City by 45 minutes\nImproving travel time from Washington, D.C., to New York by 35 minutes\nExpanding four-track systems to a six-track, modernized, integrated rail network with sufficient capacity to accommodate the projected increase in demand for intercity and commuter rail service.\nStipulating that new track be designed for 220 mph operations, “unless there are unique or exceptional constraints that justify limiting the highest practical speed.”", "TPG has provided an update on its mobile network build-outs in Australia and Singapore, with the telecommunications carrier having installed sites in Sydney and Melbourne.\n\"The mobile network builds in Australia and Singapore continue to progress well,\" TPG said during its first-half FY18 financial results.\n\"Capital expenditure outlook on both projects remains in line with initial forecasts. Deployment in Australia is well under way. Sites already installed in Sydney and Melbourne.\"\nTPG added that it will be implementing a new small cell deployment program, which will help it deliver 5G services in future.\n\"Refined small cell deployment model to accelerate delivery of high volume of small cell sites in coming months. Small cell site access agreements now substantially complete,\" TPG said.\n\"High density of small cell sites and deployment of Cloud RAN will provide a platform for 5G services.\"\nTPG's AU$1.9 billion Australian mobile network is expected to be complete across Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra by mid-2018, with TPG in September announcing signing contracts with technology partners on mobile sites, small cells, and macro cells.\nThe telco also remains on track to achieve nationwide mobile outdoor service coverage in Singapore by the end of this year, having last year signed vendors to assist in building out the network.\nDuring the six months to December 31, TPG spent AU$791.8 million on capital expenditure, including AU$4.1 million on its Australian mobile network, AU$29.7 million on its Singapore mobile network, and AU$594.8 million on 700MHz spectrum.\nIts fibre-expansion contract with Vodafone Australia also \"neared completion\" during the six-month period, after it last year spent AU$100 million on an \"acceleration\" of the AU$900 million deal with Vodafone to build out a 4,000-kilometre fibre network, which is expected to be completed during FY18, as well as on the acquisition of additional international capacity.\nTPG's current mobile customers -- with the telco now wholesaling Vodafone's 4G network -- stood at 143,000 MVNO subs on iiNet and 278,000 on TPG as of December 31.\nFor the first half of FY18, TPG reported earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) of AU$418.2 million, down by 12 percent year on year, and net profit of AU$198.7 million, down by 11 percent.\nUnderlying net profit was AU$217.7 million, up 5 percent, while revenue rose by 1 percent from AU$1.24 billion to AU$1.25 billion.\nMuch of the losses were attributed to the Australian government's National Broadband Network (NBN), which it said has caused \"broadband gross margin erosion and loss of home phone voice revenue\".\nTPG's consumer business group made AU$878 million in revenue during the period, up from AU$861 million a year earlier: AU$706.5 million from broadband, AU$63.5 million from fixed voice, and AU$57.2 million from mobile.\nIts corporate business benefited from growth in its fibre-to-the-building (FttB) services, with 45,000 customers now on FttB connections after 8,000 were added in the half. Corporate revenue grew marginally year on year, from AU$373.8 million to AU$374 million. Of this, AU$274.1 million came from data and internet, AU$68 million from voice, and AU$31.9 million from legacy iiNet.\nDuring the period, TPG was also contracted to roll out the City of Adelaide's 10-gigabit fibre broadband network across the city beginning in \"early 2018\".\nIn total, TPG now has 1.93 million broadband subscribers: 966,000 on iiNet and 962,000 on TPG. TPG's broadband subscribers are made up of 45,000 on FttB, 23,000 on off-net ADSL, 94,000 on on-net ADSL, 459,000 on on-net ADSL bundle; and 341,000 on NBN; while iiNet's broadband subscribers are spread out across 379,000 on NBN, 392,000 on on-net ADSL, 115,000 on off-net ADSL, and 80,000 on \"other\".\nIt added 79,000 NBN customers during the half in its TPG brand and 80,000 in iiNet; however, in December, the telco was forced to refund around 8,000 NBN customers after not providing them with the speeds they were paying for.\nAccording to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), TPG \"misled\" customers about the maximum speeds their lines were capable of between September 1, 2015, and June 30, 2017.\n\"TPG advertised its high-speed plan as 'Seriously Fast Internet. Up to 100Mbps',\" the ACCC said.\n\"TPG has admitted that by promoting and offering speed plans with maximum speeds that could not be delivered, it likely contravened the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) by engaging in misleading or deceptive conduct and making false or misleading representations.\"\nACCC Chair Rod Sims said fibre-to-the-node (FttN) and FttB technical limitations meant \"many\" of its 100/40Mbps customers could not reach those speeds, or even half those speeds.\nIn responding to the ACCC's NBN speed-advertising guidelines, it was also revealed in December that TPG's 100Mbps plan only hits around 50Mbps during peak evening times.\nBy comparison, Optus and Telstra have said their 100 plan hits 60Mbps during the evening, while Aussie Broadband said its speeds are between 60 and 100Mbps.\nRelated Coverage", "Metrolinx is looking at ways to integrate all transit fares across the GTHA. One proposal would link the fare paid to the distance travelled. Richard Lautens / Toronto Star ) Order this photo\nHow much should it cost to ride the TTC? According to a new policy under consideration by the province’s regional transit agency, it should depend on how far you travel. Metrolinx, the provincial organization that oversees transit for the GTHA, is considering a fare model for the area’s transit operators that would see all passengers on buses, streetcars, subways, and GO Transit pay by distance. A report on the issue will be discussed at Friday’s Metrolinx board meeting, as part of its ongoing fare integration project that aims to standardize the pricing policies of GO and the region’s nine municipal transit agencies. The fare-by-distance model was made public Tuesday, and joins three other proposals that were already under consideration. “It would be system-wide and be a very major dramatic change,” said Leslie Woo, chief planning officer for Metrolinx, “but it would enable greater consistency in fares (across the region) and it would better reflect the cost of the length of the trip.”\nArticle Continued Below\nWoo said more work needs to be done to determine which model is best. The three original options are: a modified version of the status quo that would provide discounts for riders crossing between the TTC and GO; a zone-based system that would charge riders more for crossing defined boundaries; and a hybrid that would have a flat rate for local bus travel but charge by distance or zone for subways and regional rail. While two of the previous options included some form of distance-based charge, the new proposal would charge all riders a per kilometre rate. Similar systems are used in places like Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Netherlands.\nThe dollar value of the per kilometre charge hasn’t been determined, but Woo said it could vary depending on the transit agency, and whether passengers were travelling by bus, subway, or regional rail. Like the other options, the fare-by-distance proposal is dependent on the full implementation of the Presto fare card system across the TTC and the other transit agencies in the region. The TTC currently charges a flat rate for trips of any distance, which agency leaders have frequently described as a major selling point for Toronto’s transit system. In an email, TTC spokesperson Brad Ross acknowledged that there would be some advantages to switching to fare-by-distance, but that the existing structure is very user friendly. “One of the benefits to customers is that they know how much a ride is going to cost them before they travel,” he said. “Another is that no matter how far you travel you pay the same fare.” Asked Tuesday about Metrolinx’s latest proposal, Mayor John Tory said it was too early to endorse any fare model. But he said that the current GO price structure is “unfair” for people travelling within Toronto and “should be fixed.” GO currently charges a high base fare plus a distance component. According to a 2016 city report, that discourages trips on the GO network within Toronto by making short journeys too expensive. Passengers coming from outside the city to Union Station pay much less per kilometre than passengers who board within the city limits. A per kilometre charge would likely render short trips within Toronto cheaper by comparison. That would be critical for attracting riders to Tory’s SmartTrack rail plan, which is being implemented on GO lines within Toronto. Metrolinx is expected to finish preparing its business case for fare integration in the third quarter of 2017. There is no timetable for when a new fare model will be put in place.", "Singapore has reportedly seized a US$35 million (S$50 million) private jet belonging to 1MDB mastermind Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low.\nThe Bombardier Global 5000 jet has been impounded by authorities and grounded at Singapore’s Seletar Airport for the past two weeks, according to Sarawak Report.\nThe aircraft is part of some US$1 billion in assets allegedly acquired with funds siphoned from 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) that the US government is moving to seize.\nThe US alleges that the funds were laundered through the US banking system and is seeking to confiscate Low’s private jet, as well as other properties including a US$100-million interest in EMI Music Publishing Group, and a US$380-million stake in the Park Lane Hotel in New York.\nThe US Department of Justice in July 2016 filed a series of complaints alleging that funds diverted from 1MDB were used for the personal benefit of public officials and their relatives and associates to purchase luxury real estate in the US, pay gambling expenses at Las Vegas casinos and acquire more than US$200 million in artwork.\nUS authorities also accused Red Granite Pictures of using US$100 million that was diverted from 1MDB to finance the film The Wolf of Wall Street. Red Granite is helmed by Riza Aziz, the step-son of Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak, who oversaw the 1MDB fund.\nThe Malaysian sovereign wealth fund is at the centre of several international investigations by prosecutors in at least four countries – Singapore, Switzerland, Luxembourg and the US – into alleged corruption and money laundering by public officials.\nJho Low on board his private jet, photographed by Yeo Jiawei.\nLow’s private jet played a role in Singapore courts last year at the trial of former BSI Bank wealth planner Yeo Jiawei.\nA photograph taken by Yeo, which showed Low in his private jet just before the plane took off for a midnight flight from Singapore to Hong Kong, had been presented in court.\nYeo was sentenced to a total of 30 months’ jail after he was convicted on four charges of witness tampering in what has been described as the largest and most complex money-laundering case seen so far.\nYeo was found to have frustrated investigations into illegal money flows from account, individuals and entities linked to Malaysia’s scandal-hit sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.\nProsecutors said Yeo had amassed a net worth of some S$23.9 million in just 15 months through “secret profits” after he left the bank in June 2014 to work for Jho Low.", "CALGARY _ TransCanada has cancelled plans for the Energy East pipeline and Eastern Mainline projects that were to take Alberta oilsands production to Quebec and New Brunswick.\nThe Calgary-based company (TSX:TRP) had announced last month that it was suspending its efforts to get regulatory approvals for the mega projects.\nIt will now inform the federal and provincial regulators that it will no longer be proceeding with its applications for the projects.\n“After careful review of changed circumstances, we will be informing the National Energy Board that we will no longer be proceeding with our Energy East and Eastern Mainline applications,” TransCanada CEO Russ Girling said in a statement Thursday.\nHe added that TransCanada will also withdraw from a Quebec environmental review.\nEnergy East had been proposed as a way to move Alberta oilsands production as far east as an Irving Oil operation in Saint John, N.B.\nIts supporters said Energy East was necessary to expand Alberta’s markets and decrease its dependency on shipments to the United States. Detractors raised questions about the potential environmental impact.\nNew Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant expressed disappointment in the cancellation and said he believes the project’s decision is because recent changes to world market conditions and the negative impact of lower oil prices.\n“We believed if TransCanada continued with the process, the project would be approved. We still believe that,” Gallant said.\nTransCanada said it will record a non-cash charge of about $1 billion in its fourth-quarter financial results, reflecting the reduced carrying value of the projects. It said there would be no costs recovered from third parties.\nBut Girling assured investors that he expects TransCanada’s the annual dividend will grow at the upper end of a long-term target range.\n“We will continue to focus on our $24 billion near-term capital program which is expected to generate growth in earnings and cash flow to support an expected annual dividend growth rate at the upper end of an eight to 10 per cent range through 2020,” Girling said.\nMeanwhile, Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre celebrated the Energy East announcement on Thursday, suggesting in a series of tweets that citizen groups and local politicians from the Montreal-area played a key role in putting a stop to the project.\nCoderre and numerous other elected officials had argued the environmental risks associated with it far outweighed the economic benefits.\n“The abandonment of the Energy East project is a major victory for the municipal world,” Coderre wrote.\nCoderre also thanked local Indigenous groups for their leadership on the pipeline file.", "A depot to maintain and service trains for the planned HS2 route is to be built at a logistic and manufacturing park on the edge of Leeds, the Government confirmed today.\nThe HS2 rolling stock depot east of the city will allow 24-hour maintenance of the high speed trains running from London to Manchester and Yorkshire and create 125 skilled jobs, Department for Transport officials say.\nIt will be built at the Gateway 45 site, a centre for logistics and manufacturing next to junction 45 of the M1 at Rothwell, after previously being earmarked for the village of Crofton near Wakefield.\nA consultation was launched when it emerged that the high speed line would pass to the east of Crofton, rather than the west, and “appeared likely to have a greater impact on the local community”.\nNew details as HS2 rail bosses reveal next Leeds blueprints\nOfficials say the new location will reduce the site’s environmental impact by cutting the distance empty trains travel for overnight stabling.\nTransport Secretary Chris Grayling said: “Constructing this vital depot in Leeds underlines how the benefits of HS2 drive prosperity right across the UK, with Yorkshire playing a crucial role in maintaining the new high speed trains and delivering significantly better journeys for passengers.\n“The depot will act as an economic catalyst, creating skilled jobs, boosting the local economy by unlocking regeneration opportunities and driving continued investment.”\nThe depot is the latest major development to come for Leeds as part of HS2, with the UK’s first dedicated hub for high-speed rail technology also set to be built in the city.\nNext stop for plan to bring ‘world-class’ high speed rail testing base to Leeds\nLeeds City Council leader Judith Blake said they would “make Leeds and the region a global centre for advanced rail and high speed technology”.\nShe added: “I welcome the news that the HS2 depot will be located at Gateway 45 in Leeds.\n“It’s now important that through our continued work with HS2 and the Department for Transport that we finalise the proposals for the University of Leeds’ Institute for High Speed Rail, which will be world leading in its field, and underpin the continued success of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Zone.\n“Taken together, both of these facilities located at Gateway 45 will make Leeds and the region a global centre for advanced rail and high speed technology, further strengthening the economy.\n“Leeds City Council are already working with our partners across Leeds City Region to ensure that people will have the right skills and be ready to take advantage of the skilled jobs and other opportunities these developments will bring.”", "(BERNAMA) More drug tests will be carried out at the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games, including blood screening which was introduced at the 2015 Games to weed out cheats.\nMore than 4,000 athletes from the 11 participating countries will face anti-doping testing that will be on par with Olympic standards, according to Datuk Dr S. S. Cheema, who heads the KL Games medical and anti-doping committee.\n\"There is no way to escape because we will test both urine and blood samples. Once the athletes check into their hotels, we will start to conduct random tests or out-of-competition tests at any time. Medal winners will be tested 100 per cent,\" he told Bernama before the official opening of the Games on Aug 19.\n\"The number of tests will be higher this time because Malaysia are hosting 38 sports and 404 events compared to 36 sports and 402 events in Singapore,\" said Dr Cheema.\nHowever, he declined to reveal how many sample tests would be carried out compared to the 600-plus tests that were conducted by the Republic.\nA task force of 150 including 80 anti-doping control officers from the Anti-Doping Agency of Malaysia (ADAMAS) will collect the samples, which are to be sent for testing in New Delhi, India, and the results can be expected as early as within 48 hours.\nPositive results or any adverse analytical findings will be reported to the South-east Asia Regional Anti-Doping Organisation (SEARADO) and the KL Games organising committee.\n\"Common substance abuse among athletes include weight reducing and performance enhancing drugs, masking agents to disguise the presence of other drugs and erythropoietin, otherwise known as blood doping,\" said Dr Cheema.\n\"The type of the substance used depends on the sports, like beta blockers to ensure steady hands in sports like shooting and archery, steroids for stamina, speed and power, and diuretics to reduce weight so they (the athletes) can compete in a different category. Every sport can have cheats,\" he added.\nSeveral participating countries are already taking precautions and have submitted more than 100 medical applications to Dr Cheema's committee for Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code.\nHowever, most of the applications are not under the scope of the TUE, thus they are permitted by WADA, according to Dr Cheema.\nAbout 1,700 personnel and 80 ambulances will be deployed with doctors and medical officers assigned to competition arenas and medical rooms in the various venues.\n\"We will even station specialists for high-impact sports like rugby, We have two Games medical centres - they are National Sports Institute and Klinik Kesihatan Kuala Lumpur - and serious cases will be sent to the nearest hospital,\" he added.", "By\nA major transportation hub was built in Anaheim. The city could not afford it, but “The past two fiscal years, the Anaheim Tourism Improvement District (ATID), a self-assessed public taxing district financed by businesses for improvements within the Anaheim Resort district, has subsidized property and operating expenses of nearly $2 million annually for ARTIC. The Anaheim Resort area includes Disneyland, the Anaheim Convention Center, hotels and other businesses. In late March, two members of the district’s three-person board, Fred Brown, director of operations for the Desert Palms Hotel & Suites, and Kris Theiler, vice president of the Disneyland Park, raised questions about whether funding ARTIC was an appropriate use of the money and said they would not vote to pay for it again, according to city spokesman Mike Lyster.” How much is this boondoggle going to cost? “The city initially planned to cover some costs with a naming rights deal, but that hasn’t materialized and for the past three fiscal years the station has operated in the red, with a $2.5 million deficit for 2016-17. The total cost to taxpayers this fiscal year, including debt service, operating expenses and personnel, is $6.9 million. At the same time government transportation ridership is spiraling down, meaning the subsidies to keep the massive money losing buses and trains running for fewer people—and now the “hub” is a double whammy. While the taxpayers are not riders the trains, they are being taken for a ride—government transportation is a scam.\nAnaheim’s ARTIC Train Station Loses Its Deficit Funder\nBy Thy Vo, Voice of OC, 4/12/17\nAnaheim’s signature transportation hub – the $185 million, glittering glass dome known as ARTIC – will for the first time since its opening in 2014 have its entire operating deficit paid straight out of the city’s general fund.\nWhen the city cut the ribbon for the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center, or ARTIC, in December 2014, officials predicted the station would attract 3,000 train boardings daily and pay for its own operating costs.\nThe city initially planned to cover some costs with a naming rights deal, but that hasn’t materialized and for the past three fiscal years the station has operated in the red, with a $2.5 million deficit for 2016-17. The total cost to taxpayers this fiscal year, including debt service, operating expenses and personnel, is $6.9 million.\nThe past two fiscal years, the Anaheim Tourism Improvement District (ATID), a self-assessed public taxing district financed by businesses for improvements within the Anaheim Resort district, has subsidized property and operating expenses of nearly $2 million annually for ARTIC. The Anaheim Resort area includes Disneyland, the Anaheim Convention Center, hotels and other businesses.\nIn late March, two members of the district’s three-person board, Fred Brown, director of operations for the Desert Palms Hotel & Suites, and Kris Theiler, vice president of the Disneyland Park, raised questions about whether funding ARTIC was an appropriate use of the money and said they would not vote to pay for it again, according to city spokesman Mike Lyster.\nAt the March 28 meeting, the third board member, Assistant City Manager Kristine Ridge, moved to have ATID pay ARTIC’s shortfall. The motion died when neither Brown nor Theiler supported it.\nNow that deficit will be paid for entirely by the general fund.\nThe city never has “depended” on the Tourism Improvement District funding to subsidize the station as staff has always budgeted for the full cost of ARTIC each year, said Lyster, and they then try to find “other sources of funding” such as the money from ATID.\nHe said the cost of running ARTIC doesn’t compete with other services and is only a fraction of the city’s total budget.\n“$2.5 [million] out of $300 million is less than one percent of the general fund,” Lyster said.\nThis fiscal year ARTIC is projected to generate $1.4 million in revenue, in part from television shows and commercials filmed there, to offset its $3.87 million total operating budget.\nAnother $3 million in annual debt payments is paid for by taxpayers countywide, through a half-cent sales tax for transportation projects called Measure M2.\nRecently, officials also approved an advertising deal with the Honda Center that would guarantee another $80,000 in annual revenue for ARTIC.\nBut Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait, who has viewed ARTIC and the state high speed rail project it was built for, as a waste of taxpayer funds, says the money spent on ARTIC’s operations and for debt service is money that could be spent on any number of city services.\nTait said he was “surprised” the Anaheim Resort district would not pay for ARTIC.\n“It was built to benefit the resort district, that’s obvious, and the benefit will mostly go toward the resort,” Tait said. “They advocated strongly for the building of it.”\nA quarter of the ATID funds are required to go toward transportation projects. In the past those funds have been used to pay for the environmental review process for the Anaheim streetcar project, after the Orange County Transportation Authority voted to stop any work on the project.\nAt the end of this fiscal year, the ATID transportation fund will have about $9 million, and is expecting an additional $4.4 million in revenue. They estimate another $4.9 million in 2017-2018.\n“Now with the streetcar going away I don’t know what the money would go toward,” Tait said.\nTait has also argued, just three years after the station’s opening, another use should be found for ARTIC, pointing to the San Francisco Ferry Building, a former ferry station built in the late 1890s that has been turned into an indoor marketplace and food hall.\n“It needs to be repurposed because it’s obviously not working,” Tait argued. “It was designed for high speed rail, and that’s not going to be happening any time soon.”\nA 2015 survey of total ridership at ARTIC estimated 2,406 boardings on weekdays and 3,878 boardings on days where there are special events in the area.\nThe national standard for counting ridership, however, counts a single passenger more than once based on their mode of travel. So if a passenger rides a taxi to ARTIC and gets on the train, they would be counted twice.\nWhen you break down the numbers, the number of riders leaving ARTIC by train is 880 daily, with 702 people arriving by train, according to the 2015 study.\nSince that study, ARTIC has garnered another 400 daily riders through a bus service to Mexico called Tres Estrellas del Oro.\nThe service, which is geared toward immigrant families and includes on-board amenities like Spanish-language television, takes passengers from Anaheim to Tijuana and Guadalajara.", "Please enable Javascript to watch this video\nNew Orleans-- New Orleans' own, Regis Prograis, WBC Interim Super Lightweight Champion, sits-down with Karen Loftus at Mid-City Pizza to talk about coming back to Nola for a huge championship fight July 14th, his \"Rougarou\" nickname, cutting weight, and where it hurts most to take a punch.\nKL: \"Lets start with the big news going-on for you. You're coming back here to fight! July 14th it's going down. How excited are you to be fighting back here?\"\nRP: \"I'm super, super excited to be fighting here. Everybody always asks me when I'm fighting here and when I'm fighting in New Orleans and this is the time. ESPN, I'm the main event here and then so on the telecast on ESPN, it's going into the Manny Pacquiao fight.\"\nKL: \"Your nickname...\"\nRP: \"The Rougarou!\"\nKL: \"Rougarou! OK, so I'm not from here so full disclosure, I had to Google it.\"\nRP: \"Don't feel bad because I had to Google it myself. I didn't even know what it was either. My manager and my dad, they said we need a nickname. My dad said the Rougarou. And at that time, my manager was like, 'That's it.' And to be honest, I didn't like it. My 10th fight, I fought in Houston and I wore the mask and the crown just went crazy. They were doing the wolf howl and so then after that, I was like, 'I like it.'\"\nKL: \"What's your entrance music?\"\nRP: \"One of my close friends, he's called Benji Billion, he's a local rapper. He made a Rougarou anthem and that was my entrance song for a long time. This fight might be kind of special so this ring walk is going to be something crazy.\"\nKL: \"Which is worse-- getting hit in the face or taking a shot to the body.\"\nRP: \"The body. Body's definitely worse. Feel your stomach and feel your skull and tell me which one is softer.\"\nKL: \"Favorite boxing movie?\nRP: \"Umm....\"\nKL: \"OK, you want me to give you top 3?\"\nRP: \"You might have to give me top 3.\"\nKL: \"OK, I'll say top 3, no particular order.\"\nRP: \"'Ali' with Will Smith, 'Hands of Stone.' and probably 'Raging Bull.'\"\nKL: 'You fight at 140. What's your walking around weight? How much do you have to cut?\"\nRP: \"Right now I'm about 160, so 20 pounds.\"\nKL: \"So what are some things you have to do to cut weight? Obviously diet?\"\nRP: \"The thing is you're going to lose the weight in the gym now matter what.\"\nKL: \"Just based on your training regimen?\"\nRP: \"Based on my training I'm going to lose the weight in the gym no matter what.\"\nKL: \"What's your favorite type of pizza?\"\nRP: \"For a long time it was cheese. I just started recently doing the chicken thing so now it's like chicken or chicken and cheese.\"", "Get Black Country updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email\nBillions of pounds are being pumped into the West Midlands to improve roads, rail lines, schools and hospitals.\nThe Treasury published details in what it calls the National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline.\nIt’s a list of infrastructure projects which have been confirmed, with the money allocated.\nAndrew Jones MP, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, said: “We are backing Britain with a record amount of infrastructure investment as we build an economy fit for the future.\n“That’s why we’re working with the industry to skill up and scale up for the challenges ahead.”\nTransport Secretary Chris Grayling said: “We’re undertaking the most ambitious improvements in our transport network this country has seen for decades.\n“But we must also drive forward plans to ensure these infrastructure projects are completed on time and on budget.”\nHere we run through a list of the major schemes planned.\nUnderway now\nSandwell and West Birmingham Acute NHS Trust is getting a new hospital, with £297 million in public funding. Work began in March 2016 and is expected to be completed in October 2018.\nWork on the Centenary Square to Edgbaston Midland Metro Extension, providing new stops at Brindleyplace and Five Ways. has begun. It is due to be completed in 2021 at a cost of £149.1 million, with £136 million in public funding.\nImprovements to rail infrastructure in Coventry, connected to the planned regeneration of Coventry Station, have begun and are due to be completed in 2018, at a total cost of £66.4 million with £20 million from the Treasury.\nA programme to upgrade the power supply on the West Coast Main Line began in 2013 and is due to be completed in 2018, at a cost of £186 million.\nThere’s extra funding for local authorities and schools to create new places and improve buildings, with the West Midlands getting £1.4 billion between 2015-16 and 2021-22.\nA total of £125.11 million from the Treasury has been provided for flood prevention measures to cut the risk to 7,825 homes across the West Midlands. Work began in April 2015 and continues until March 2021.\nThere’s £86.34 million to improve and maintain prisons across the West Midlands. The programme is currently underway.\nWest Midlands Councils are getting £62.7 million from the Government’s “Challenge Fund” for road maintenance and street lighting, from 2015 to 2018.\nAnother £419 million is going to West Midlands Local Enterprise Partnerships to help them deliver improvements to transport set out in their Strategic Economic Plans.\nThere’s £61 million to electrify rail lines between Bromsgrove and Birmingham to allow electric trains to run. Work is underway and will be completed in 2017.\nA £159.00 million scheme to improve rail infrastructure around Stafford began in 2014 and is due to be completed in 2017.\nReplacement of two roundabouts on the A50 in Staffordshire with grade-separated junctions began in 2015 and will be completed in 2018-19. The cost is £43.2 million.\nA scheme to provide significant expansion of junction 6 of the M5 near Worcester, with improvements to approach roads, plus additional measures to improve capacity on junctions 5 and 7, began in 2015. It’s due to be completed in 2018-19 at a cost of £12.1 milion.\nBeginning 2018\nA new junction linking the M54, M6 and M6 Toll is to be built at a cost of £200 million to £250 million, between 2018-19 and 2021-22.\nUpgrading the M6 to Smart Motorway between junction 13 (Stafford) and junction 15 (Stoke south). Work begins early in 2018 and will be completed in 2021/22 at a cost of £200 million to £300 million.\nThere’s up to £150 million to upgrade the M6 to Smart Motorway between junction 2 - the M69 interchange - and junction 4 - the M42 interchange. Work begins early in 2018 and continues to 2019-20.\nA package of improvements to roads overseen by local authorities, including the A457 Dudley Road, A45 Rapid Transit, A46 Link Road and roads in Etruria, Stoke, takes place between 2018 and 2022 at a cost of £176.3 million.\nWest Midlands councils get £57.30 million from the National Productivity Investment Fund between 2018 and 2020 for road schemes to cut congestion and encourage housing. These include us routes and cycle schemes.\nWest Midlands Councils are getting £14.1 million from the Government’s “Challenge Fund” for road maintenance and flood mitigation measures, from 2018 to 2020.\nBeginning 2019\nWork on the £137 million Midland Metro Eastside Extension, linking the city centre and Brindleyplace to the HS2 Curzon Street Station and Digbeth Economic Zone, begins in 2019 and is due to be completed in 2022.\nA comprehensive upgrade of the M42 junction 6 near Birmingham Airport, allowing better movement of traffic on and off the A45, supporting access to the airport and preparing capacity for the new HS2 station, begins in 2019-20. The cost is £350 million to £500 million and there is no completion date yet.\nMaintenance of Tame Valley Viaduct, which carries the A38 Aston Expressway near Birmingham, takes place between 2019 and 2023 at a cost of £91.56 million.\nA £62.5 million road scheme in Worcestershire, including dualling of the Carrington Bridge section of the Worcester Southern Relief Road, takes place between 2019 and 2021. The aim is to ease congestion, boost housing and ease access to the M5 from key employment sites.\nGrade separation of the Binley and Walsgrave roundabouts on the A46 near Coventry, and upgrading the trunk road sections of the A45 and A46 between the M6 and M40 to full Expressway standard, begins in 2019-20 at a cost of £50-100 million. No completion date has been confirmed.\nIntroduction of a “Smart Motorway” system on sections of the M40 and M42 near where the motorways meet, as well as the introduction of all-lane running to the existing Smart Motorway section between junctions 3A and 4 of the M42, begins in 2019-20. The cost is £50 million - £100 million and no completion date has been confirmed.\nAdditional capacity on junction 10 of the M6, including the replacement of both bridges allowing the widening of the roundabout to four lanes, has been partly funded through the Black Country Local Growth Deal. It will cost between £20 million and £25 million and work begins in 2019-20, with no completion date.\nMajor improvements to the junction between the M6 and the A556 in Cheshire will improve connections between Birmingham and Manchester. Work on the project, which will cost £30 million to £35 million, begins in 2019-20 and there is no completion date.\nAlso:\nThe Treasury document lists the HS2 high speed rail line as “a new North South Railway for the UK” which will cost £55.7 billion and is due to be completed in 2033.\nIt is listed as a national project, although Birmingham and the West Midlands will be one of the first regions to benefit.\nThere’s also no direct mention of the £250 million provided for public transport in the West Midlands as part of last month’s Budget, which will fund the Black Country Metro extension.\nInstead, this is included in the national £1.7 billion Transforming Cities Fund, which “will support intra-city transport and target projects which drive productivity by improving connectivity, reducing congestion and utilising new mobility services and technology” according to the Treasury document.", "Inman hurls several bills at gross production tax rate\nAs Democrats in Oklahoma’s Legislature continue to push for an oil and gas tax policy that the majority party shows little interest in implementing, the House minority leader seems to be throwing a Hail Mary. State Rep. Scott Inman, D-Del City, filed more than a half-dozen bills that would in some way alter the gross production tax rate on the oil and gas industry. That rate has been a contentious topic for several years, and it was a major sticking point for Democrats during the spring’s legislative session.\nNew bills seek middle ground for school consolidation\nAs the debate over school district consolidation continues, some lawmakers are giving the state an opportunity to find a middle ground. A handful of lawmakers filed bills during the special legislative session that would implement some of the cost-saving measures that consolidation has to offer, but they would also try to preserve the districts and some of their authority figures.\nPlaza Mayor to close at end of October\nThe company that manages Plaza Mayor at the Crossroads has announced the property’s closing. CRM Properties Group LLC will close the mall to the public on Oct. 31. CRM said in a prepared statement that despite several efforts, it could not make the center a viable retail destination. The company cited low tenancy, lack of activity, and a tremendous economic burden as the reasons to close it.\nRegent Bank to issue $12 million in common stock\nNowata-based Regent Bank will issue $12 million in common stock to raise capital for expansion of lending and possible acquisitions, Chief Executive Sean Kouplen said. Since the bank was acquired in 2008 by Regent Capital Corp., Kouplen’s ownership group, it has grown into the Tulsa and Oklahoma City metro markets with three offices and 75 employees. In terms of assets, the bank has grown from $72 million in 2008 to $410 million now.\nIndustry: ODOT’s cuts to projects are offensive, will hurt economy\nOklahoma Department of Transportation officials cut back on dozens of road and bridge projects in their eight-year plan in response to the Legislature’s handling of the state budget. The Transportation Commission voted to approve a rebalanced plan for projects for fiscal years 2018-2025, for removing items for the first time since 2003. Overall, 40 construction projects worth about $204 million were cut from the calendar and 40 percent of all programmed projects were delayed at least one year, including 65 that were scheduled for bidding this year. ODOT officials expressed frustration for being forced to make the adjustments in response to $840 million in cumulative state funding reductions over the last seven years. The private sector was blunter.\nBrecheen’s bill would stop refunds to those who don’t pay taxes\nLawmakers have filed several bills for the legislative session that would nix tax breaks, and one lawmaker wants to home in on companies and residents that aren’t paying income taxes at all. State Sen. Josh Brecheen, R-Coalgate, filed several bills that would eliminate some tax policies that allow any earner – corporate or individual – to get more money in rebates than they pay in income taxes.\nEconomic development challenges rural tribes\nTribes want to recruit companies that bring jobs, but location can present challenges. In the Tulsa area, where the Cherokee Nation and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation are based, being near a large city is an attraction. But in rural Oklahoma, where the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes and the Sac and Fox Nation are found, it’s a different situation, said Terri Parton, president of the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes.\nInterim study on passenger rail picks up momentum\nDiscussions about passenger rail in Oklahoma turned to practical matters of speed and money when a Tulsa lawmaker brought a contractor to the state Capitol to talk numbers. Government officials, economic developers and industry experts have been talking about high-speed rail options for months. Argument points are nearly as predictable as a train schedule: Supporters say the transportation could help the state in several ways, but opponents point out that it’s difficult to estimate costs and financing.\nLawmakers consider zeroing out zero-emission incentives\nLegislators are again considering eliminating tax incentives for electricity generated from renewable resources as one potential way to fill an estimated $215 million budget hole. Senators introduced at least four bills since Sept. 22 that would limit or speed up the end date for so-called zero-emission tax credits given to electricity generated from wind farms, solar photovoltaic panels, hydroelectric dams or geothermal heat pumps.\nSupreme Court declares part of workers’ comp law unconstitutional\nThe Oklahoma Supreme Court struck down part of the Administrative Workers’ Compensation Act, ruling a provision that barred injured employees’ benefits if they missed doctor’s appointments violated the state constitution. Section 57 of the law cut off workers’ compensation benefits to any employee who missed two or more doctor’s appointments, unless the absences were caused by extraordinary circumstances beyond the employee’s control or the worker gave at least two hours’ notice and with a valid excuse.\nTribal leader testifies before Congress\nCherokee Nation Chief Bill John Baker testified before a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee about legislation that would affect Oklahoma’s Five Civilized Tribes. H.R. 2606 would amend the Stigler Act. The 1947 legislation requires that within the Five Civilized Tribes, land that’s passed down through families can remain in Indian status only if the owner has 50 percent or more Indian blood. H.R. 2606 would remove the 50-percent requirement.\nTotal state collections up\nOklahoma’s September gross receipts are in, and state Treasurer Ken Miller’s analysis is even stronger than it was for August. Total collections for the month generated $1 billion in revenue, up $72.4 million or 7.7 percent from the same month the prior year, according to a news release Miller’s office issued. September marked six consecutive months of collections being up over the same month the year before.\nEthics Commission considers cooling-off period for would-be lobbyists\nThe Oklahoma Ethics Commission is mulling a rule change that would ban all state employees and officials from lobbying for two years after their tenure ends. The proposal was poorly received during a hearing Thursday. About a dozen people – lobbyists, lawyers, and several lawmakers – took the stand to ask the commission to abandon the proposal.", "The video will start in 8 Cancel\nGet daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe See our privacy notice Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email\nTwo major engineering groups have announced they are joining forces in a bid to land a multibillion-pound contract to built new trains for HS2.\nBombardier Transportation and Hitachi Rail, which collectively employ 5,000 people in the UK, have launched a new joint venture to submit a bid to design, build and deliver a fleet of trains for the high-speed line.\nThe £2.75 billion contract on offer is for a minimum fleet of 54 units that will run on phase one of HS2 between London Euston, Solihull and Birmingham.\nThe newly designed rolling stock will also be able to travel on the current rail network.\nThe formal tendering process is due to start later this year, with contract award in late 2019.\nThe two companies said the joint bid would support the Government's aims of boosting UK jobs, skills and the British supply chain as well as support its own plants including Bombardier's factory in Derby.\nThey added that they were already developing a new generation of engineers and mechanical skills and the joint venture would provide a launch pad for new investment into education.\nHitachi and Bombardier have previously delivered one of Europe's fastest trains in Italy - the ETR 1000 for Trenitalia.\nIn the UK, Hitachi maintains the country's only domestic high speed fleet, the Class 395 Javelins, which it built and introduced ahead of the London 2012 Games.\nKaren Boswell, managing director of Hitachi Rail, said: \"HS2 will form the backbone of Britain's future rail network and is a major investment in our future prosperity.\n\"By joining together in partnership with Bombardier, we will draw on a huge wealth of UK experience and the best in modern technology, including our pioneering bullet train experience.\n\"Our aim is to deliver a new British icon that will be recognised around the world - a Spitfire for the British railway.\"\nRichard Hunter, managing director UK of Bombardier Transportation, added: \"HS2 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform the nation's transport network and we are very excited by the chance to play a key part in delivering it.\n\"By joining together in partnership with Hitachi, we will combine both company's global high speed expertise with unrivalled British experience and help generate skills and prosperity across a number of UK regions.\"", "Image copyright CALLUM BENNETTS\nA team of students from Edinburgh University has unveiled its prototype for a new type of high-speed transport.\nIts vehicle for the proposed hyperloop system will be the only UK representative in an international competition run by Elon Musk's SpaceX corporation.\nThe hyperloop concept involves magnetically levitating pods carrying passengers at hundreds of miles an hour. There are no windows because the pods travel down a steel tube in a near vacuum.\nSeveral companies are vying to take the concept to the mass market. Not content with creating reusable rockets, SpaceX has constructed a hyperloop test track in California.\nThe Edinburgh students are heading there to race their capsule against prototypes from around the world.\nImage copyright CALLUM BENNETTS Image caption Adam Anyszewski is president of Edinburgh's hyperloop team\nGoing on your holidays in a windowless pod travelling at hundreds of miles an hour inside a vacuum tube may not be your idea of fun, but Adam Anyszewski says hardly anyone looks out of the windows when travelling by plane.\nAdam is president of Edinburgh's hyperloop team, known as HYPED.\nHe says: \"It's a new mode of transport that's more energy efficient, less costly per mile to build and later on maintain and upgrade.\"\n\"The speeds could get you from the Central Belt to anywhere around London in 40 minutes.\n\"It promises to kick our transportation system into the 21st century.\"\nImage copyright CALLUM BENNETTS\nThe prototype capsule they have created has taken shape in a university workshop. It most resembles a bobsleigh, albeit one with no way of looking out or steering.\nIt's long, low and glossy black, festooned with sponsors' logos.\nThose sponsors and the university have helped meet the considerable cost of creating a highly sophisticated machine.\nThe students have given thousands of hours of their spare time to design, develop and build it.\nImage copyright HYPED project Image caption The prototype capsule resembles a bobsleigh\nMaisie Edwards-Mowforth is a second year mechanical engineering student and HYPED's chassis project manager.\nShe explains the reason for the glossy black finish: carbon fibre.\n\"We're using it for the strength-to-weight ratio so we can go a lot faster if the pod is a lot lighter.\n\"It's kind of a pain to make. It takes a lot longer than just buying aluminium channel but weight saving is the main reason - and the strength of carbon fibre as well.\"\nThe project is now in its third year and involves well over 100 students.\nIt has produced a prototype pod before but the latest one represents a leap forward.\nEliminate air resistance\nThink of it like a train that hovers just above the rails to avoid the drag of friction. A linear motor drives it forward. The SpaceX tube track, enclosing an almost total vacuum, will eliminate air resistance.\nSophisticated electronics and programming have been designed to ensure a stable ride.\n\"The ultimate criterion is speed,\" Adam says.\n\"But we have diverted slightly from just achieving the top speed.\n\"We are trying to build something that could actually prove the technology rather than just make a carbon fibre bullet on wheels like some teams do, just to win the competition.\"\nThe idea of a \"vactrain\" dates back more than a century. It was first proposed by the American physicist and engineer Robert Goddard, better known for his pioneering work in rocketry.\nThe concept was given new life by Elon Musk. His SpaceX and Tesla corporations produced a white paper laying out how it could work.\nThe global competition represents a bold new attempt at innovation, effectively crowdsourcing it.\nSuccess is not guaranteed. Some seemingly groundbreaking transport concepts such as monorail have only seen niche success at best. Others, like Scotland's Bennie Railplane, never got past the prototype stage.\nWhatever ultimately happens with hyperloop, it is already benefiting the team members - and not just science and engineering students.\nHYPED is an interdisciplinary project that also involves students from disciplines like law, marketing, art and business. Members come from many nations and from every school at the university except divinity.\nA spinout company has now been set up to take the technology towards the market. Adam says hyperloop could be integrated with other transportation systems.\nIt appears the future could be arriving at great speed." ]

[ "Because 3,500 calories equals about 1 pound (0.45 kilogram) of fat, it's estimated that you need to burn about 3,500 calories to lose 1 pound. So, in general, if you cut about 500 to 1,000 calories a day from your typical diet, you'd lose about 1 to 2 pounds a week." ]

[ "How many calories do I burn cleaning windows? An hour of window cleaning burns 231 calories. You'd need to do 25 minutes of circuit training to burn the same amount, equivalent to a custard-filled doughnut…", "How many calories do you burn with Horseback Riding? Someone weighing 180 Pounds burns approximately 272 calories per hour with Horseback Riding.", "How many calories do you burn in 60 minutes of walking? A 60 minute walk will burn between 200 and 350 calories. Someone weighing 120 pounds walking at 3mph for 60 minutes will burn 200 calories, whereas someone weighing 210 pounds walking at the same speed will burn 350 calories.", "How many calories do you burn running? Someone weighing 150 pounds running a 10 minute mile pace for 60 minutes would burn 700 calories, whereas someone weighing 200 pounds running for the same duration and speed would burn 933 calories. The average person will burn between 80 to 140 calories per mile.", "How Many Calories Do Push Ups Burn: Your weight depends on your calorie? For example, a 155-pound human might burn 563 calories in an hour running 5 miles an hour if you weigh 150 pounds 10 minutes of moderate. Push-ups burn 57 calories, while 10 minutes of vigorous push-ups burn 96 calories.", "So, in order to calculate how many calories do you burn doing 100 crunches, all you need is to multiply the number of calories you burn in a minute by 3.3, which is how many minutes it takes to perform 100 crunches. An average person would burn 16.6 calories.", "How many calories do I burn ironing? An hour of ironing burns 157 calories, the equivalent of 1 bag of crisps, or 30 minutes of water aerobics.", "How many calories do you burn in a 30 minute walk? A 30 minute walk will burn between 100 and 175 calories. Someone weighing 120 pounds walking at 3mph for 30 minutes will burn 100 calories, whereas someone weighing 210 pounds walking at the same speed will burn 175 calories.", "How many calories will I burn with Lagree Fitness? You will burn 300-600 calories during class.", "How many calories do I burn vacuuming? Vacuuming burns 175 calories an hour, equivalent to a medium caffe latte, or 20 minutes spent jogging.", "You can burn 200 to 250 calories in walk of 3 hours. How does one burn more calories than they consume? How many calories do you have to burn while on a calorie deficit? How do you burn 7,000 calories a day?", "How many calories do I burn making the bed? Making your bed burns 70 calories an hour, the equivalent of 1 digestive biscuit, or 20 minutes of Pilates.", "How many calories do I need? “On average, men need around 2,500 calories (kcals) each day to keep a healthy weight, whereas the average woman needs around 2,000kcals.” Of course, that's a general guideline - some women are likely to burn more calories than some men.", "To do that you need to figure out how many calories you burn each day and then subtract your target deficit of 300 to 500 calories from that number. There are two components to your total calories burned daily: calories burned at rest and calories burned during workouts.", "Your weight and the distance you walk are the biggest factors in how many calories you burn while walking. A rule of thumb is that about 100 calories per mile are burned for a 180-pound person and 65 calories per mile are burned for a 120-pound person.", "How many calories does hitting the speed bag burn? Basically, a rough estimate of how many calories you will burn with speed bag training is 3 calories, per pound of bodyweight, per hour. Therefore, a 150 lbs person will burn around 450 calories per hour, a 200 lbs person will burn 600 calories per hour etc.", "Someone weighing 180 Pounds burns approximately 680 calories per hour with Bodypump. Fill in the form below and calculate how many calories you burn with Bodypump or use our Calorie Calculator for other activities. Someone weighing 180 Pounds burns approximately 680 calories per hour with Bodypump.", "How many calories do you burn walking? Most people burn an average of 100 calories per mile walking. You weight and the distance you walk are the key factors that determine how many calories you burn.", "Swimming vigorously for an hour burns around 800 calories. Do that four times a week, and you could lose three or four pounds in a month. (You need to burn 3,500 calories to lose one pound.)", "How many calories do you burn jumping rope 500 times? Most people will burn 70-100 calories jumping rope 500 times. The number of calories you burn will depend on your weight and the intensity of your skipping. A 150-pound (68kg) person jumping rope at 83 skips a minute will take 6 minutes and burn 63 calories.", "How Many Calories Do V-Ups Burn? People often ask how many calories they are burning in their workouts. Most exercises will generally burn about 100 calories for every 10 minutes you are working at a higher intensity.", "How many calories do you burn by doing Sit-Ups? According to Harvard Health Publishing, a 170 pounds weighing person will burn approximately 30 calories with 100 sit-ups. If we divide 30 calories by 100 we see that 1 Sit-Up equals 0.3 calories (depending on weight, intensity and more ...)", "Someone weighing 180 Pounds burns approximately 595 calories per hour playing Badminton. Fill in the form below and calculate how many calories you burn playing Badminton or use our Calorie Calculator for other activities. Someone weighing 180 Pounds burns approximately 595 calories per hour playing Badminton.", "So how many calories you can burn per hour? that depends on your own weight and your swimming skills but on average a 154 pounds person burns around 500 calories per hour of swimming when a 200-pound person will burn over 630 calories per hour of swimming.", "HOW MANY CALORIES DO I BURN DURING A CLASS? It is estimated that you can burn between 600-1200 calories in a 60-75 minute heated workout. The number of calories each person burns will vary based on age, weight, gender, and the intensity of the workout.", "Your weight and workout duration have the biggest impact on how many calories you burn lifting weights. For example a 200 pound person lifting weights for one hour will burn about 570 calories, while a 130 pound person lifting free weights for 30 minutes will burn about 185 calories.", "HOW MANY CALORIES DO I NEED EACH DAY? The basic amount of calories an average adult needs per day is 2,000kcal for women or 2,500kcal for men.", "How many calories could farting burn? A popular Internet claim from 2015 said that one fart burned 67 calories, and that farting 52 times a day would burn 1 pound of fat.", "Calories Burned Doing Yoga If you weigh 125 pounds, you'll burn about 120 calories, and if you weigh 185 pounds you'll expend 178 calories in 30 minutes doing yoga, according to Harvard Health Publications. Bump up your workout duration to one hour and you'll burn about twice as many calories.", "How many calories do you burn with transform 20? I burned between 160-200 calories per workout. Your calorie burn will vary based on your heart rate and physical size. The most accurate way to track your calories burned is with a heart rate monitor or fitness watch.", "Someone weighing 180 Pounds burns approximately 502 calories per hour with Nordic Walking. Fill in the form below and calculate how many calories you burn with Nordic Walking or use our Calorie Calculator for other activities. Someone weighing 180 Pounds burns approximately 502 calories per hour with Nordic Walking.", "Your weight, running distance and speed have the biggest impact on how many calories you burn running. For example about 155 calories per mile are burned for an 200 pound person running at 10 min mile pace and 100 calories per mile are burned for a 130 pound person at the same jogging pace." ]

[ "their scent" ]

[ "No Name", "That's Not My Name", "The Boy with No Name", "In the name of God", "What's Up?", "What a Friend", "The Street with No Name", "What's Happening!!", "What's in It for Me", "A Place with No Name", "things are what they are", "What If Nothing", "What a Life!", "What A Night", "What If It's You", "What Car?", "What So Not", "What If We", "What a Waste", "For What It's Worth", "At What Cost", "What to Audit", "Be What You Are" ]

[ "Despite wide use by politicians, judges and academics, the rule of law has been described as \"an exceedingly elusive notion\". Among modern legal theorists, one finds that at least two principal conceptions of the rule of law can be identified: a formalist or \"thin\" definition, and a substantive or \"thick\" definition; one occasionally encounters a third \"functional\" conception. Formalist definitions of the rule of law do not make a judgment about the \"justness\" of law itself, but define specific procedural attributes that a legal framework must have in order to be in compliance with the rule of law. Substantive conceptions of the rule of law go beyond this and include certain substantive rights that are said to be based on, or derived from, the rule of law." ]

[ "The word \"paper\" is etymologically derived from Latin papyrus, which comes from the Greek πάπυρος (papuros), the word for the Cyperus papyrus plant. Papyrus is a thick, paper-like material produced from the pith of the Cyperus papyrus plant, which was used in ancient Egypt and other Mediterranean cultures for writing before the introduction of paper into the Middle East and Europe. Although the word paper is etymologically derived from papyrus, the two are produced very differently and the development of the first is distinct from the development of the second. Papyrus is a lamination of natural plant fibres, while paper is manufactured from fibres whose properties have been changed by maceration.", "The thickness of paper is often measured by caliper, which is typically given in thousandths of an inch in the United States and in thousandths of a mm in the rest of the world. Paper may be between 0.07 and 0.18 millimetres (0.0028 and 0.0071 in) thick.", "Coordinative definition has two major features. The first has to do with coordinating units of length with certain physical objects. This is motivated by the fact that we can never directly apprehend length. Instead we must choose some physical object, say the Standard Metre at the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (International Bureau of Weights and Measures), or the wavelength of cadmium to stand in as our unit of length. The second feature deals with separated objects. Although we can, presumably, directly test the equality of length of two measuring rods when they are next to one another, we can not find out as much for two rods distant from one another. Even supposing that two rods, whenever brought near to one another are seen to be equal in length, we are not justified in stating that they are always equal in length. This impossibility undermines our ability to decide the equality of length of two distant objects. Sameness of length, to the contrary, must be set by definition.", "In ring-porous woods of good growth it is usually the latewood in which the thick-walled, strength-giving fibers are most abundant. As the breadth of ring diminishes, this latewood is reduced so that very slow growth produces comparatively light, porous wood composed of thin-walled vessels and wood parenchyma. In good oak these large vessels of the earlywood occupy from 6 to 10 percent of the volume of the log, while in inferior material they may make up 25% or more. The latewood of good oak is dark colored and firm, and consists mostly of thick-walled fibers which form one-half or more of the wood. In inferior oak, this latewood is much reduced both in quantity and quality. Such variation is very largely the result of rate of growth.", "The term also has closely related synonyms that are employed throughout the Quran. Each synonym possesses its own distinct meaning, but its use may converge with that of qurʼān in certain contexts. Such terms include kitāb (book); āyah (sign); and sūrah (scripture). The latter two terms also denote units of revelation. In the large majority of contexts, usually with a definite article (al-), the word is referred to as the \"revelation\" (waḥy), that which has been \"sent down\" (tanzīl) at intervals. Other related words are: dhikr (remembrance), used to refer to the Quran in the sense of a reminder and warning, and ḥikmah (wisdom), sometimes referring to the revelation or part of it.", "While most Hokkien morphemes have standard designated characters, they are not always etymological or phono-semantic. Similar-sounding, similar-meaning or rare characters are commonly borrowed or substituted to represent a particular morpheme. Examples include \"beautiful\" (美 bí is the literary form), whose vernacular morpheme suí is represented by characters like 媠 (an obsolete character), 婎 (a vernacular reading of this character) and even 水 (transliteration of the sound suí), or \"tall\" (高 ko is the literary form), whose morpheme kôan is 懸. Common grammatical particles are not exempt; the negation particle m̄ (not) is variously represented by 毋, 呣 or 唔, among others. In other cases, characters are invented to represent a particular morpheme (a common example is the character 𪜶 in, which represents the personal pronoun \"they\"). In addition, some characters have multiple and unrelated pronunciations, adapted to represent Hokkien words. For example, the Hokkien word bah (\"meat\") has been reduced to the character 肉, which has etymologically unrelated colloquial and literary readings (he̍k and jio̍k, respectively). Another case is the word 'to eat,' chia̍h, which is often transcribed in Taiwanese newspapers and media as 呷 (a Mandarin transliteration, xiā, to approximate the Hokkien term), even though its recommended character in dictionaries is 食.", "Coulton Waugh attempted the first comprehensive history of American comics with The Comics (1947). Will Eisner's Comics and Sequential Art (1985) and Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics (1993) were early attempts in English to formalize the study of comics. David Carrier's The Aesthetics of Comics (2000) was the first full-length treatment of comics from a philosophical perspective. Prominent American attempts at definitions of comics include Eisner's, McCloud's, and Harvey's. Eisner described what he called \"sequential art\" as \"the arrangement of pictures or images and words to narrate a story or dramatize an idea\"; Scott McCloud defined comics \"juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence, intended to convey information and/or to produce an aesthetic response in the viewer\", a strictly formal definition which detached comics from its historical and cultural trappings. R. C. Harvey defined comics as \"pictorial narratives or expositions in which words (often lettered into the picture area within speech balloons) usually contribute to the meaning of the pictures and vice versa\". Each definition has had its detractors. Harvey saw McCloud's definition as excluding single-panel cartoons, and objected to McCloud's de-emphasizing verbal elements, insisting \"the essential characteristic of comics is the incorporation of verbal content\". Aaron Meskin saw McCloud's theories as an artificial attempt to legitimize the place of comics in art history.", "Mass production of glass window panes in the early twentieth century caused a similar effect. In glass factories, molten glass was poured onto a large cooling table and allowed to spread. The resulting glass is thicker at the location of the pour, located at the center of the large sheet. These sheets were cut into smaller window panes with nonuniform thickness, typically with the location of the pour centered in one of the panes (known as \"bull's-eyes\") for decorative effect. Modern glass intended for windows is produced as float glass and is very uniform in thickness.", "The definition of symbiosis has varied among scientists. Some believe symbiosis should only refer to persistent mutualisms, while others believe it should apply to any type of persistent biological interaction (in other words mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasitic). After 130 years of debate, current biology and ecology textbooks now use the latter \"de Bary\" definition or an even broader definition (where symbiosis means all species interactions), with the restrictive definition no longer used (in other words, symbiosis means mutualism).", "Regularity is a concept based on adherence to Masonic Landmarks, the basic membership requirements, tenets and rituals of the craft. Each Grand Lodge sets its own definition of what these landmarks are, and thus what is Regular and what is Irregular (and the definitions do not necessarily agree between Grand Lodges). Essentially, every Grand Lodge will hold that its landmarks (its requirements, tenets and rituals) are Regular, and judge other Grand Lodges based on those. If the differences are significant, one Grand Lodge may declare the other \"Irregular\" and withdraw or withhold recognition.", "Greek kanon / Ancient Greek: κανών, Arabic Qanun / قانون, Hebrew kaneh / קנה, \"straight\"; a rule, code, standard, or measure; the root meaning in all these languages is \"reed\" (cf. the Romance-language ancestors of the English word \"cane\").", "Writing in 1998 Kurt Jonassohn and Karin Björnson stated that the CPPCG was a legal instrument resulting from a diplomatic compromise. As such the wording of the treaty is not intended to be a definition suitable as a research tool, and although it is used for this purpose, as it has an international legal credibility that others lack, other definitions have also been postulated. Jonassohn and Björnson go on to say that none of these alternative definitions have gained widespread support for various reasons.", "Isidore of Seville, writing in the 7th century, claimed that the Latin word Maurus was derived from the Greek mauron, μαύρον, which is the Greek word for black. Indeed, by the time Isidore of Seville came to write his Etymologies, the word Maurus or \"Moor\" had become an adjective in Latin, \"for the Greeks call black, mauron\". \"In Isidore’s day, Moors were black by definition…\"", "Generally, the greater the contact and exchange that have existed between two languages, or between those languages and a third one, the greater is the ratio of metaphrase to paraphrase that may be used in translating among them. However, due to shifts in ecological niches of words, a common etymology is sometimes misleading as a guide to current meaning in one or the other language. For example, the English actual should not be confused with the cognate French actuel (\"present\", \"current\"), the Polish aktualny (\"present\", \"current,\" \"topical,\" \"timely,\" \"feasible\"), the Swedish aktuell (\"topical\", \"presently of importance\"), the Russian актуальный (\"urgent\", \"topical\") or the Dutch actueel.", "The printed circuit board industry defines heavy copper as layers exceeding three ounces of copper, or approximately 0.0042 inches (4.2 mils, 105 μm) thick. PCB designers and fabricators often use heavy copper when design and manufacturing circuit boards in order to increase current-carrying capacity as well as resistance to thermal strains. Heavy copper plated vias transfer heat to external heat sinks. IPC 2152 is a standard for determining current-carrying capacity of printed circuit board traces.", "Time has long been a major subject of study in religion, philosophy, and science, but defining it in a manner applicable to all fields without circularity has consistently eluded scholars. Nevertheless, diverse fields such as business, industry, sports, the sciences, and the performing arts all incorporate some notion of time into their respective measuring systems. Some simple definitions of time include \"time is what clocks measure\", which is a problematically vague and self-referential definition that utilizes the device used to measure the subject as the definition of the subject, and \"time is what keeps everything from happening at once\", which is without substantive meaning in the absence of the definition of simultaneity in the context of the limitations of human sensation, observation of events, and the perception of such events.", "A computer does not need to be electronic, nor even have a processor, nor RAM, nor even a hard disk. While popular usage of the word \"computer\" is synonymous with a personal electronic computer, the modern definition of a computer is literally: \"A device that computes, especially a programmable [usually] electronic machine that performs high-speed mathematical or logical operations or that assembles, stores, correlates, or otherwise processes information.\" Any device which processes information qualifies as a computer, especially if the processing is purposeful.[citation needed]", "Another occasionally used criterion for discriminating dialects from languages is that of linguistic authority, a more sociolinguistic notion. According to this definition, two varieties are considered dialects of the same language if (under at least some circumstances) they would defer to the same authority regarding some questions about their language. For instance, to learn the name of a new invention, or an obscure foreign species of plant, speakers of Bavarian German and East Franconian German might each consult a German dictionary or ask a German-speaking expert in the subject. By way of contrast, although Yiddish is classified by linguists as a language in the \"Middle High German\" group of languages, a Yiddish speaker would not consult a German dictionary to determine the word to use in such a case.", "The structure of hardwoods is more complex. The water conducting capability is mostly taken care of by vessels: in some cases (oak, chestnut, ash) these are quite large and distinct, in others (buckeye, poplar, willow) too small to be seen without a hand lens. In discussing such woods it is customary to divide them into two large classes, ring-porous and diffuse-porous.", "Two common considerations have the Latin names lectio brevior (shorter reading) and lectio difficilior (more difficult reading). The first is the general observation that scribes tended to add words, for clarification or out of habit, more often than they removed them. The second, lectio difficilior potior (the harder reading is stronger), recognizes the tendency for harmonization—resolving apparent inconsistencies in the text. Applying this principle leads to taking the more difficult (unharmonized) reading as being more likely to be the original. Such cases also include scribes simplifying and smoothing texts they did not fully understand.", "Another objection is that it is not always possible to demonstrate falsehood definitively, especially if one is using statistical criteria to evaluate a null hypothesis. More generally it is not always clear, if evidence contradicts a hypothesis, that this is a sign of flaws in the hypothesis rather than of flaws in the evidence. However, this is a misunderstanding of what Popper's philosophy of science sets out to do. Rather than offering a set of instructions that merely need to be followed diligently to achieve science, Popper makes it clear in The Logic of Scientific Discovery that his belief is that the resolution of conflicts between hypotheses and observations can only be a matter of the collective judgment of scientists, in each individual case.", "Gag and editorial cartoons usually consist of a single panel, often incorporating a caption or speech balloon. Definitions of comics which emphasize sequence usually exclude gag, editorial, and other single-panel cartoons; they can be included in definitions that emphasize the combination of word and image. Gag cartoons first began to proliferate in broadsheets published in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the term \"cartoon\"[h] was first used to describe them in 1843 in the British humour magazine Punch.", "While short-term memory encodes information acoustically, long-term memory encodes it semantically: Baddeley (1966) discovered that, after 20 minutes, test subjects had the most difficulty recalling a collection of words that had similar meanings (e.g. big, large, great, huge) long-term. Another part of long-term memory is episodic memory, \"which attempts to capture information such as 'what', 'when' and 'where'\". With episodic memory, individuals are able to recall specific events such as birthday parties and weddings.", "The word phonology comes from the Greek φωνή, phōnḗ, \"voice, sound,\" and the suffix -logy (which is from Greek λόγος, lógos, \"word, speech, subject of discussion\"). Definitions of the term vary. Nikolai Trubetzkoy in Grundzüge der Phonologie (1939) defines phonology as \"the study of sound pertaining to the system of language,\" as opposed to phonetics, which is \"the study of sound pertaining to the act of speech\" (the distinction between language and speech being basically Saussure's distinction between langue and parole). More recently, Lass (1998) writes that phonology refers broadly to the subdiscipline of linguistics concerned with the sounds of language, while in more narrow terms, \"phonology proper is concerned with the function, behavior and organization of sounds as linguistic items.\" According to Clark et al. (2007), it means the systematic use of sound to encode meaning in any spoken human language, or the field of linguistics studying this use.", "High neoclassicism was an international movement. Though neoclassical architecture employed the same classical vocabulary as Late Baroque architecture, it tended to emphasize its planar qualities, rather than sculptural volumes. Projections and recessions and their effects of light and shade were more flat; sculptural bas-reliefs were flatter and tended to be enframed in friezes, tablets or panels. Its clearly articulated individual features were isolated rather than interpenetrating, autonomous and complete in themselves.", "Definitions of literature have varied over time; it is a \"culturally relative definition\". In Western Europe prior to the eighteenth century, literature as a term indicated all books and writing. A more restricted sense of the term emerged during the Romantic period, in which it began to demarcate \"imaginative\" literature. Contemporary debates over what constitutes literature can be seen as returning to the older, more inclusive notion of what constitutes literature. Cultural studies, for instance, takes as its subject of analysis both popular and minority genres, in addition to canonical works.", "The desire to explore, record and systematize knowledge had a meaningful impact on music publications. Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Dictionnaire de musique (published 1767 in Geneva and 1768 in Paris) was a leading text in the late 18th century. This widely available dictionary gave short definitions of words like genius and taste, and was clearly influenced by the Enlightenment movement. Another text influenced by Enlightenment values was Charles Burney's A General History of Music: From the Earliest Ages to the Present Period (1776), which was a historical survey and an attempt to rationalize elements in music systematically over time. Recently, musicologists have shown renewed interest in the ideas and consequences of the Enlightenment. For example, Rose Rosengard Subotnik's Deconstructive Variations (subtitled Music and Reason in Western Society) compares Mozart's Die Zauberflöte (1791) using the Enlightenment and Romantic perspectives, and concludes that the work is \"an ideal musical representation of the Enlightenment\".", "The term heartwood derives solely from its position and not from any vital importance to the tree. This is evidenced by the fact that a tree can thrive with its heart completely decayed. Some species begin to form heartwood very early in life, so having only a thin layer of live sapwood, while in others the change comes slowly. Thin sapwood is characteristic of such species as chestnut, black locust, mulberry, osage-orange, and sassafras, while in maple, ash, hickory, hackberry, beech, and pine, thick sapwood is the rule. Others never form heartwood.", "Translation is a major obstacle when comparing different cultures. Many English terms lack equivalents in other languages, while concepts and words from other languages fail to be reflected in the English language. Translation and vocabulary obstacles are not limited to the English language. Language can force individuals to identify with a label that may or may not accurately reflect their true sexual orientation. Language can also be used to signal sexual orientation to others. The meaning of words referencing categories of sexual orientation are negotiated in the mass media in relation to social organization. New words may be brought into use to describe new terms or better describe complex interpretations of sexual orientation. Other words may pick up new layers or meaning. For example, the heterosexual Spanish terms marido and mujer for \"husband\" and \"wife\", respectively, have recently been replaced in Spain by the gender-neutral terms cónyuges or consortes meaning \"spouses\".", "There is a strong relationship between the properties of wood and the properties of the particular tree that yielded it. The density of wood varies with species. The density of a wood correlates with its strength (mechanical properties). For example, mahogany is a medium-dense hardwood that is excellent for fine furniture crafting, whereas balsa is light, making it useful for model building. One of the densest woods is black ironwood.", "In diffuse-porous woods, as has been stated, the vessels or pores are even-sized, so that the water conducting capability is scattered throughout the ring instead of collected in the earlywood. The effect of rate of growth is, therefore, not the same as in the ring-porous woods, approaching more nearly the conditions in the conifers. In general it may be stated that such woods of medium growth afford stronger material than when very rapidly or very slowly grown. In many uses of wood, total strength is not the main consideration. If ease of working is prized, wood should be chosen with regard to its uniformity of texture and straightness of grain, which will in most cases occur when there is little contrast between the latewood of one season's growth and the earlywood of the next.", "The word \"animal\" comes from the Latin animalis, meaning having breath, having soul or living being. In everyday non-scientific usage the word excludes humans – that is, \"animal\" is often used to refer only to non-human members of the kingdom Animalia; often, only closer relatives of humans such as mammals, or mammals and other vertebrates, are meant. The biological definition of the word refers to all members of the kingdom Animalia, encompassing creatures as diverse as sponges, jellyfish, insects, and humans." ]

[ "Mark Petersen" ]

[ "My Little Pony : The Movie", "My Heart Tells Me", "Send Me on My Way" ]

[ "abdominal muscles" ]

[ "support", "supporting", "Family support", "supporting crewmembers", "child support", "support base", "supporters or associates", "oocyte support", "trained supporters", "Social support", "protection and support", "popular support", "supporting management", "support services", "horse trailer or horse van", "What's Up?", "external support", "What a Friend", "USA Supporters", "supportive and loving", "What's Happening!!", "What's in It for Me", "things are what they are", "support their weight", "What If Nothing", "What a Life!", "Victim Support", "What If It's You", "What A Night", "a support beam", "Support the Girls", "What Are Words" ]

[ "(CNN) -- The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants Monday for Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and two of his relatives. ICC Judge Sanji Mmasenono Monageng read aloud the decision to issue warrants for Gadhafi, his son Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, and his brother-in-law Abdullah al-Sanussi. Saif Al-Islam Gadhafi is a close adviser to his father. His arrest warrant came two days after his 39th birthday. Al-Sanussi serves as Gadhafi's head of intelligence. The warrants are \"for crimes against humanity,\" including murder and persecution, \"allegedly committed across Libya\" from February 15 through \"at least\" February 28, \"through the state apparatus and security forces,\" the court said in a news release. In Misrata, where fighting has raged, a crowd cheered Monday following the news from the court. The announcement at The Hague came as fighting inside Libya inched closer to the capital. A rebel fighter, Hassan al-Jiwali, told CNN that rebel forces were 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Tripoli on Monday. Libya is not a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the international court's authority, and the court does not have the power to enter Libya and arrest the leaders. Many of those cheering in Misrata saw the news as a sign that the world recognizes the conduct that rebels say Gadhafi's regime has been engaged in. The three-judge Pre-Trial Chamber I at The Hague found \"reasonable grounds to believe that the three suspects committed the alleged crimes and that their arrests appear necessary in order to ensure their appearances before the court,\" the announcement said. The court also believes the warrants are needed to ensure that the three men \"do not continue to obstruct and endanger the court's investigations; and to prevent them from using their powers to continue the commission of crimes within the jurisdiction of the court.\" The U.N. Security Council referred the matter to the ICC through a resolution February 26, following widespread complaints about Gadhafi's efforts to crush a rebellion. The resolution said that, while \"states not party to the Rome Statute have no obligations under the statute, the Security Council urged all states and concerned regional and other international organisations to cooperate fully with the court and the prosecutor.\" Gadhafi's backers rejected the court's authority. \"This court is nothing but a cover to the military operations of NATO,\" said Libyan Justice Minister Mohammed Al Qamod. \"It is merely a political tool for exerting pressure and political blackmail against sovereign countries.\" Libyan Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid Ka'eem offered a similar view: \"Both the international criminal court and the chief prosecutor have neither the legal competence nor the moral compass in any way to pass judgment on anyone, let alone the Libyan people,\" he said. White House spokesman Jay Carney said the warrant for Gadhafi is another indication that the Libyan leader \"has lost his validity.\" \"it's another step in the process of holding him accountable,\" Carney told reporters. The United Nations issued a statement Monday about the arrest warrants, noting that \"hundreds of people are confirmed to have been killed since opposition forces rose up against the regime of Mr. Gadhafi in February as part of a wider pro-democracy movement across North Africa and the Middle East.\" The European Union said it \"fully supports\" the court and underscores that the court's Libya investigation \"is an independent judicial process which must be fully respected.\" Not everyone was cheering the news. Michael Rubin, an analyst with the conservative American Enterprise Institute, said the court's move could damage efforts to get Gadhafi to end his 42-year reign, because he would not seek refuge in a country that is a party or signatory to the Rome Statute. \"The ICC's arrest warrant symbolizes the dirty underside of international law,\" Rubin said. \"While the ICC makes itself feel good and diplomats can chatter about their commitment to international law, the fact of the matter is their action takes off the table any possibility that Gadhafi could flee to a retirement haven outside Libya. In effect, the ICC arrest warrant tells Gadhafi to fight to the death.\" Most African countries are parties or signatories to the Rome statute. The ICC website lists a total of 47 non-signatories in the world, 13 of them in Africa and the Middle East. Ali Ahmida, an analyst at the University of New England who was born in Libya, said the ICC decision \"complicates\" the matter. \"Since last week, things were heating up toward an exit strategy for Gadhafi and his sons, either inside or outside Libya in another African country,\" Ahmida said. Some rebel leaders in the Transitional National Council said they would consider allowing Gadhafi to stay inside Libya, and both sides were starting to indicate a compromise was possible, Ahmida said. But now, the regime \"may circle the wagons a little more,\" and Gadhafi will think, \"'I'm a hunted criminal and should pursue civil war to the end,'\" Ahmida said. While the ICC decision is justified, Ahmida said, cynics in the region will ask why Gadhafi was selected and not others. \"Why not (former Egyptian President Hosni) Mubarak? Why not (former Tunisian President Zine El-Abidine Ben) Ali?\" Mubarak and Ali both gave up power following protests in their countries. \"The court is selecting some dictators to indict, and being silent about others. That may be the biggest issue for the court,\" Ahmida said. When asked about those suggestions, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the United States \"believes that the decision to refer the case to the ICC was the right decision; that the ICC has spoken now about the need for justice and accountability. With regard to whether this hurts or helps, it doesn't change the fact that Gadhafi's got to take the message that it's time to go.\" The issue of Libyan casualties led the U.N. Security Council to adopt a resolution in March authorizing force by whatever means necessary, with the exception of a ground invasion, to protect civilians. NATO began bombing military targets a short time later. The International Criminal Court action comes a day after the African Union announced Gadhafi will not be part of its next attempt to map out a peace deal in Libya. It was unclear who would represent the Libyan government in negotiations, or when negotiations might occur. Journalists were not allowed to ask questions following Sunday's meeting of the African Union's special committee on Libya in Pretoria, South Africa. CNN's Nkepile Mabuse, Yousuf Basil and Ingrid Formanek contributed to this report." ]

[ "Washington (CNN) -- Despite having CIA agents on the ground and Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's exit as stated policy, U.S. officials continue to say the NATO-led military mission in Libya is only for its authorized humanitarian purposes. The seeming discrepancy is part of a delicate diplomatic posture by the Obama administration on the complex overseas operation that involves a U.N. Security Council resolution, a multinational military force and the symbolism of presidential statements and actions. With the military mission shifting Thursday to a new phase of full NATO control after initial U.S. leadership, divisions among alliance partners and within Congress became more evident, exacerbated by the administration's differing military and political goals. President Barack Obama continues to insist that arming the Libyan rebels remained an option under consideration, while NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet ruled it out. At House and Senate committee hearings, Republicans grilled Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen on the U.S. role in Libya. \"To say this is not about regime change is crazy,\" said Republican Rep. Mike Coffman of Colorado. \"Of course this is about regime change. Why not just be honest with the American people?\" Obama has said the motivation for launching military action on March 19 was to prevent a massacre of civilians by Libyan military forces descending on the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. Since then, airstrikes carried out mostly with U.S. planes and missiles have taken out much of Gadhafi's anti-aircraft capability and destroyed ground forces and supply lines. While Gadhafi's forces have pulled back from Benghazi, they reclaimed territory from the rebels in recent days, leading to fears of a prolonged stalemate without stronger military support for the rebels. On Thursday, White House spokesman Jay Carney noted the United States turned over control of the Libya mission to NATO that morning -- 12 days after it began -- to fulfill Obama's pledge to the nation that U.S. leadership would end within \"days, not weeks.\" While Carney said the United States and its allies would keep up pressure on Gadhafi's government, he acknowledged that it was impossible to say when the mission would end. Regardless of when, he said, \"the scope of the U.S. involvement will be limited\" and Obama continues to reject any possibility of sending in U.S. ground troops. At the same time, a former counterterrorism official confirmed the existence of a presidential finding that authorizes the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct operations supporting U.S. policy in Libya. A presidential finding is a type of secret order authorizing some covert intelligence operations, and a former senior intelligence official said such operations could include \"advising on how to target the adversary, how to use the weapons they have, reconnaissance and counter surveillance.\" Top administration officials distinguished between the military mission charged with protecting Libyan civilians and the other non-military efforts -- including sanctions, freezing assets and CIA operations -- aimed at hastening Gadhafi's departure. \"Does the United States have the capacity to unilaterally with military force produce regime change in Libya or another country? It probably does. We probably do,\" Carney told reporters. \"Is that a desirable action to take when you have your eye on the long game here in terms of Libya's future, the future ... interests of the United States and the region? No.\" Obama's dual-track policy, with the military coalition protecting Libyan civilians while the United States pursues \"as a political, diplomatic and economic policy\" the end of Gadhafi's rule, is the best fit for the Libya situation, Carney insisted, citing the international backing for the military mission through a U.N. Security Council resolution and Arab League support. Critics complained that it is both dishonest and a mistake for the military objective to differ from the policy objective. At a House Armed Services Committee hearing, Rep. Chris Gibson, R-New York, said the mission's \"military and political goals are not harmonized,\" while Coffman called it \"just the most muddled definition of an operation probably in U.S. military history.\" On the Democratic side, liberal Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio challenged Obama's legal power to commit U.S. forces to a combat role without congressional authorization. \"This is a clear and arrogant violation of our Constitution,\" Kucinich declared on the House floor. \"Even a war launched ostensibly for humanitarian reasons is still a war and only Congress can declare a war.\" Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the unsuccessful Republican presidential nominee in 2008, warned that pulling U.S. forces back to a supporting role under NATO control undermined the military mission at a key moment. \"For the United States to be withdrawing our unique offensive capabilities at this time sends the exact wrong signal both to our coalition partners as well as to the Gadhafi regime, especially to those Libyan officials whom we are trying to compel to break with Gadhafi,\" McCain said at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. \"I need not remind our witnesses that the purpose of using military force is to achieve policy goals,\" McCain told Gates and Mullen. \"But in this case, not only are our military means out of alignment with our desired end of Gadhafi leaving power, we are now effectively stopping our strike missions all together without having accomplished our goal.\" While Obama administration officials have described the continuing U.S. role in the military mission as supportive -- involving refueling, intelligence, surveillance and communications -- Gates said Thursday that U.S. strike aircraft such as A-10 and AC-130s could still be made available to NATO. However, he added that he believed NATO allies had the capacity to take out Libyan ground forces as necessary under the mission's mandate of protecting civilian populations. Appearing before both the House and Senate panels at separate hearings, Gates said the no-fly zone had been established and now needed to be sustained, but acknowledged \"you could have a situation in which you achieve the military goal but do not achieve the political goal.\" CNN's Pam Benson, Elise Labott and Alan Silverleib contributed to this story.", "Misrata, Libya (CNN) -- Heavy fighting that began at dawn and continued past midnight Friday left at least 31 people dead Saturday in the western Libyan city of Misrata, where rebel forces thwarted efforts by government forces to enter from the west and south. By the end of Friday, more than 160 others had been wounded, said medical sources at the city's Hekmah Hospital. Friday's casualties were the heaviest in a month, Dr. Khaled Abu Falgha said. Medics chanted, \"The martyrs are beloved to God\" every time a patient died, he said. The rebels said Gadhafi's forces also shelled nearby Zlitan, as well as rebel positions in Dafniya. Tanks were rolling in and witnesses on the frontline said pro-Gadhafi forces were firing rockets and missiles. \"It is horrible out there,\" one rebel fighter said. \"The revolutionaries are taking tank power in their chests.\" Misrata's oustkirts were under continuous bombardment Friday. At a field hospital set up on the western front, doctors were so busy they didn't count the dozens of patients they treated. Their efforts were focused largely on stabilizing the wounded so they could withstand the trip to the main hospital in the city center. There, rebel forces were firmly in control and the streets remained quiet throughout the day, except for loud, thunderous booms in the distance. By the end of the day, rebels said, government forces had been pushed farther west -- away from the city. Misrata has borne the brunt of the fighting in Libya for the past two months. More than 1,000 people are believed to have been killed here since early February, including 686 civilian residents. Gadhafi's forces laid siege to Misrata and cut off land access, leaving the port as the only escape route. They retreated to the perimeters but were trying to regain control of the city, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) east of Tripoli. In Washington, Sen. Carl Levin emerged from a meeting of the U.S. Armed Services Committee and appeared pleased with NATO's progress. \"I am satisfied that Gadhafi's military has been severely degraded, that politically he has been significantly weakened, that the NATO operations are going well, they are coordinated and we have not lost one person yet,\" the Democrat from Michigan said. The committee chairman rejected the term \"stalemate\" to describe the effort, which has lasted nearly three months. But Sen. Jeff Sessions, also a member of the committee, expressed impatience over NATO's pace of progress in the northern African country. \"I'm not sure we are acting with decisive abilities that we have to impact the outcome,\" the Republican from Alabama said. \"I felt like, had we moved aggressively, as Senator (John) Kerry (D-Massachusetts) and Senator (John) McCain (R-Arizona) suggested in the beginning, maybe the matter would be concluded by now.\" In Brussels, Belgium, outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates blasted NATO as a \"two-tiered\" alliance poorly equipped to deal with challenges. In his farewell speech Friday to the NATO Council, he contrasted those members \"willing and able to pay the price and bear the burdens of alliance commitments, and those who enjoy the benefits of NATO membership ... but don't want to share the risks and the costs.\" Gates had harsh words for the conduct of the air campaign against Gadhafi's regime. He said it had become \"painfully clear\" that shortcomings could \"jeopardize the alliance's ability to conduct an integrated, effective and sustained air-sea campaign.\" \"While every alliance member voted for the Libya mission, less than half have participated at all, and fewer than a third have been willing to participate in the strike mission,\" he said. Gates concluded with a warning about American willingness to continue bearing a growing part of the NATO burden. \"The blunt reality is that there will be dwindling appetite and patience in the U.S. Congress ... to expend increasingly precious funds on behalf of nations that are apparently unwilling to devote the necessary resources or make the necessary changes to be a serious and capable partners in their own defense,\" he said. NATO members must better allocate their resources, follow through on commitments and protect defense budgets from being \"further gutted\" to avoid \"a dismal future,\" Gates said. His warning came on the same day that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Turkish broadcaster NTV that Turkey had offered Gadhafi some guarantees, including helping him seek another country of residence, if he were to step down. \"Unfortunately, we still have not received a response from him,\" he said. On Thursday, global powers charting out the course of a post-Gadhafi Libya met in the United Arab Emirates. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and others urged the international community to sustain pressure on the Libyan regime. An opposition spokesman predicted Gadhafi would fall within days. But Friday's fighting was evidence that, despite 10,439 sorties carried out by NATO jets and a fierce opposition revolt, Gadhafi was holding strong. In a three-page letter purportedly from Gadhafi to the U.S. Congress that was given to CNN by the office of House Speaker John Boehner, the writer calls for a cease-fire. \"Let's stop the destruction and begin the negotiations to find a peaceful solution for Libya,\" it says. \"I appeal to you, as the great Democracy, to assist us to determine our future as a people.\" The letter calls the NATO military effort \"inappropriate and illegal interference in what is essentially a Libyan civil war.\" \"If authentic, this incoherent letter only reinforces that Gadhafi must go,\" said Boehner spokesman Michael Steel. \"There's no disagreement about that. That's why so many Americans have questions -- which the White House refuses to answer -- about the administration committing U.S. resources to an operation that doesn't make his removal a goal.\" A senior administration official told CNN that the letter \"probably\" is genuine but added that Gadhafi \"obviously didn't write it, for it's not weird enough.\" The official said it was not clear what the letter meant. \"It will be hard to take seriously that he wants to talk about transition when he won't even take the bare minimum steps of putting a cease-fire into place,\" the official said. Meanwhile, NATO officials have said repeatedly that airstrikes are aimed solely at military targets, but a senior NATO military official with operational knowledge of the Libya mission has told CNN that attacking Gadhafi was justified under the United Nations mandate. The resolution applies to the Libyan leader because, as head of the military, he is part of the command-and-control structure and therefore a legitimate target, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The official was not authorized to talk to the media. But the NATO official declined to give a direct answer when asked whether Gadhafi was being targeted. NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu, however, said the alliance was not specifically targeting Gadhafi. \"We are targeting critical military capabilities that could be used to attack civilians, including command-and-control centers that could be used to plan and organize such attacks,\" Lungescu said. CNN Foreign Affairs Correspondent Jill Dougherty contributed to this story.", "Washington (CNN) -- The Obama administration sent mixed signals Wednesday on its stance on a no-fly zone in Libya, with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying U.N. backing was essential while White House spokesman Jay Carney left the door open to the United States acting unilaterally or in concert with NATO allies. Some critics, as well as top Democrats such as Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, have called for a stronger U.S. response to the Libya violence, including the possible imposition of a no-fly zone that would prevent Libyan military aircraft from attacking the Libyan people. President Barack Obama has made clear he wants any military response to come from the international community, to prevent Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi from blaming the United States for his predicament. Clinton emphasized that point Wednesday in an interview with CBS News, saying the administration seeks to avoid \"any room for anyone, including Col. Gadhafi, to say that 'This isn't about my people, this is about outsiders.' \" She noted that the British and French governments were bringing a draft resolution on international action to the United Nations, saying: \"I think it's very important that there be a U.N. decision on whatever might be done.\" \"We believe it's important that this not be an American, or a NATO, or a European effort. It needs to be an international one,\" Clinton said. Approval by the U.N. Security Council for international military intervention in Libya, including a no-fly zone, is considered unlikely due to expected opposition from China and Russia. Both countries are believed to be reluctant to set a precedent of U.N.-supported military action in an internal conflict. Clinton acknowledged opposition to a no-fly zone from within the U.N. Security Council, but said efforts continued to come up with an acceptable package. She also emphasized the need to have Arab nations and bodies such as the Arab League in support. A few hours later, Carney told reporters at the White House that U.N. backing was just one possible form of the international support sought for any military intervention in Libya. \"It is our strong preference in this situation and many others that we act together with our international partners,\" said Carney, who then added that \"we always reserve the right, NATO does rather, as does the United States, to act on our own.\" At the State Department, spokesman Mark Toner also stopped short of insisting on U.N. backing, instead saying: \"It's always desirable.\" In a letter dated March 5 to the U.N. General Assembly, Libya's Interim Transitional National Council -- the opposition movement seeking to oust Gadhafi -- asked for the international community to \"fulfill its obligations to protect the Libyan people from any further genocide and crimes against humanity without any direct military intervention on Libyan soil.\" Carney and other administration officials contend the United States already has moved quickly in the crisis by freezing $30 billion in U.S. assets of Gadhafi, supporting further U.N. sanctions on Libya and sending military aircraft to help transport foreign nationals who fled the fighting there. At the same time, top U.S. defense officials including Defense Secretary Robert Gates warn that imposing such a no-fly zone amounts to an act of war that requires major resources and political will. On Wednesday, Carney reiterated the White House stance that all options remain on the table regarding Libya, and he specified that a possible no-fly zone was being actively discussed by both the United States and NATO. Overall, though, the Obama administration has tried to downplay the possibility of imposing a no-fly zone without significant international backing, especially from the Arab world. Asked about it Sunday on the NBC program \"Meet the Press, White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley complained that people calling for such a move \"talk about it like it's a game or a video game or something.\" Obama, in response to questions about the U.S. response in Libya, told reporters last week that that it was important to ensure that the Libyan people feel \"full ownership\" for any transformation and cited Egypt's recent revolution as an example. \"We did not see anti-American sentiment arising out of that movement in Egypt precisely because they felt that we hadn't tried to engineer or impose a particular outcome, but rather they owned it,\" Obama said.", "Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Opposition fighters continued to push west, entering territory loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, but were quickly beaten back, rebels told CNN, as diplomats arrived Tuesday in London to discuss the crisis. The setback for the rebels highlights the tenuous nature of their recent gains and suggests they might face more resistance in the days to come. As they moved into Umm el Ghindel -- near Sirte, Gadhafi's birthplace -- rebels began searching homes and found that Gadhafi's forces had armed residents in the area, they said. As they were talking to residents, asking them to join the opposition, gunfire broke out. Rebels told CNN they refused to fire back and began a hasty retreat. A stream of vehicles could be seen fleeing the area. CNN could not independently confirm details of the report. Earlier, a wounded rebel with bandages on the left side of his head and face described what happened Monday about 30 kilometers (nearly 20 miles) from Sirte, near the city's main entrance. He said he and a group of fellow opposition fighters came across a group of Gadhafi forces who raised a white flag -- a suggestion that they would not shoot. But as the opposition approached the group, Gadhafi forces fired on them indiscriminately, killing some of the opposition members and wounding others, the rebel told CNN's Arwa Damon. Vehicles were destroyed as well, he said. Rebels credited coalition airstrikes with helping them regain ground, noting that they had encountered little resistance as they headed west over the weekend. But they said Monday that they need more airstrikes to advance further. Coalition officials say they are enforcing a U.N. Security Council resolution approved on March 17 that creates a no-fly zone above Libya and mandates the protection of civilians. Taking Sirte would be a symbolic victory for the rebels, who regained control of several significant towns over the weekend as coalition airstrikes continued. Rebels said the fight to take over Sirte could be their toughest and bloodiest battle yet. Opposition forces claimed to have gained control of the town of Ras Lanuf on Sunday. The opposition also appeared to have taken control of the key oil town of Brega. Those victories marked a comeback for the ragtag group of amateur soldiers who are unified by one mission: toppling Gadhafi's nearly 42-year rule. On Monday, opposition troops and Gadhafi's security forces battled over the town of Nawfaliya. Rebel forces told CNN they had gained control of the city. CNN could hear explosions and see plumes of smoke in the area of Nawfaliyah and Sirte. In Misrata, where rebel fighters have said they have been under siege for weeks, CNN's Nic Robertson saw evidence of heavy fighting and damage Monday when the government organized a trip for reporters to the city. Government forces said they were in control of Misrata, though they did not allow Robertson and others into the city center, which rebels have said they control. Meanwhile, diplomats from around the world began arriving in London Tuesday for a conference on the crisis in Libya. More than 40 foreign ministers, representatives from regional groups and top diplomats are expected to attend, including U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Chairman of the African Union Jean Ping and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. U.S. President Barack Obama delivered a speech about Libya Monday, making his case for military intervention amid tough calls for him to clarify the United States' role in the U.N.-authorized military mission. He stressed the United States has a strategic interest in stopping the Libyan leader, and said \"history is not on Gadhafi's side.\" Despite the pressure for more international action, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov complained Monday that the coalition's actions seemed to expand beyond the U.N. resolution's scope. \"There are reports -- which go undenied -- that the air forces of the coalition conduct airstrikes on Gadhafi's troops and support the military actions of rebels. There is an obvious controversy there,\" he told reporters in Moscow. \"We believe that the interference into what is, essentially, an internal civil war is not sanctioned by the U.N. Security Council resolution.\" Russia abstained from voting on the U.N. Security Council resolution but did not veto it. Libyan government officials have also argued that coalition forces target only troops loyal to Gadhafi. \"The rebels are making their advance and no one is stopping them. And no one is even talking to them or saying, 'Where are you going?' or 'Why are you taking offensive positions and attacking the Libyan army and Libyan cities?' \" Moussa Ibrahim, a Libyan government spokesman, told reporters in Tripoli Sunday. He accused NATO of \"starving the Libyan population to get Libya on its knees to beg for mercy.\" \"They are trying to weaken our spirits. They are not trying to protect civilians,\" he said. NATO, which has 28 member countries, formally approved plans Sunday to take control of enforcing the U.N. Security Council resolution. The coalition enforcing the resolution has been led by the United States, the United Kingdom and France. \"Our mandate is very clear. We're there to protect civilians against attacks. No more, no less,\" NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told CNN. Rasmussen said military commanders will make decisions on day-to-day operations within the framework NATO members agreed upon over the weekend. He declined to discuss specific rules of engagement, but stressed that NATO also is enforcing an arms embargo in Libya. \"We are not in Libya to arm people, but to protect people,\" he said. On Monday, Libyan state television displayed images of injured people in a hospital and destroyed buildings as it reported that civilians were wounded when bombs struck the central Libyan city of Sabha in the early morning hours. CNN was unable to independently verify that report. U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Bill Gortney said at the Pentagon Monday that there have been no confirmed civilian casualties in Libya as a result of coalition activity. Also Monday, video footage emerged online purporting to show forces loyal to Gadhafi abusing prisoners. CNN was not able to confirm the authenticity of the video or determine exactly when and where it was shot. In the clip, soldiers are seen taunting and slapping prisoners, who are crouched in the back of a truck with their hands bound. Qatar announced Monday that it would recognize the Transitional National Council, composed of opposition representatives, as the sole legitimate representative of the Libyan people. CNN's Reza Sayah, Arwa Damon, Nic Robertson, Paula Newton, Maxim Tkachenko and Yousuf Basil contributed to this report .", "Washington (CNN) -- As Congress debates the size and scope of defense budgets in a looming age of austerity, one senator is seeking to resolve a much older question about the president's ability to exercise military power without the consent of the House and Senate. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Virginia, has introduced legislation requiring explicit congressional approval of future U.S. humanitarian or peacekeeping operations involving the military and likely hostilities. The measure would not apply to instances where there's an imminent threat to the United States, U.S. allies or American citizens. Under the terms of the bill, co-sponsored by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, both chambers of Congress would be required to vote within 48 hours of a presidential authorization request. \"The question is simple,\" Webb said last week. \"When should the president have the unilateral authority to decide to use military force, and what is the place of the Congress in that process? Year by year, skirmish by skirmish, the role of the Congress in determining where the U.S. military would operate, and when the awesome power of our weapon systems would be unleashed, has diminished.\" Webb, a former Navy secretary and assistant defense secretary, was strongly critical of President Barack Obama's decision to intervene militarily in Libya in 2011 without congressional authorization. He has also expressed concern about the possibility of American intervention in the Syrian crisis. Last summer, a sharply divided Congress was unable to pass any legislation explicitly endorsing or rejecting America's involvement in NATO's Libyan intervention. The matter was never voted on by the full Senate. Deep congressional divisions over the mission stemmed in part from a belief among some representatives and senators on both sides of the aisle that Obama violated the War Powers Resolution. Passed in 1973, the law gives a president 60 days to get congressional approval for sending U.S. forces to war, followed by a 30-day extension to end hostilities. While the combined 90-day period ended before hostilities concluded, White House officials insisted the mission -- backed by the United Nations -- did not violate the War Powers Act because it failed to meet the law's definition of combat. Previous administrations also resisted the law's restrictions. \"The (Obama) administration, which spent well over a billion dollars of taxpayer funds, dropped thousands of bombs on the country, and operated our military offshore for months, claimed that 'combat' was not occurring, and rejected the notion that the War Powers Act applied to the situation,\" Webb recently said on the Senate floor. \"I am not here to debate the War Powers Act. (But) I am suggesting that other statutory language that covers these kinds of situations must be enacted.\" Webb's proposal notwithstanding, a number of political analysts question the ultimate willingness of Congress to oppose any U.S. military action -- particularly in the post-9/11 era. \"These attempts by Congress to restrict the president's authority as commander-in-chief are almost always symbolic, because presidents rarely enter conflicts without some expectation of public support,\" said Brown University political scientist Wendy Schiller. CNN polling showed a slight majority of Americans in favor of the Libyan intervention in the spring of 2011, though public sentiment quickly turned against the conflict.", "Colonel Gaddafi’s wife and three of his children have fled to Algeria after a dramatic escape across the desert to avoid rebel forces. Safiya Gaddafi, her sons Mohammed and Hannibal and daughter Ayesha were smuggled out in a cloak-and-dagger operation, arriving yesterday morning. Algerian authorities refused to reveal if the dictator was with his family, sparking furious accusations that they had allowed the ‘Mad Dog’ of Libya to escape justice. Parted by the war? Colonel Gaddafi and his wife Safiya, who has fled across the border to neighbouring Algeria . However the Italian news agency ANSA said that Gaddafi and his sons Saadi and Saif al-Islam were in the town of Bani Walid south of Tripoli. It cited ‘authoritative Libyan diplomatic sources’ which also confirmed the Algerian development. The foreign ministry in Algiers previously denied reports that a motorcade of six armoured Mercedes cars had entered the country. It is now believed those vehicles contained Gaddafi’s wife with Mohammed, 41, Hannibal, 35, Ayesha, 34, plus their partners and children. They left Tripoli on Sunday afternoon and would have had to dodge rebel patrols to reach the safety of the Algerian border at least 300 miles away. They finally arrived – according to Algerian authorities – at 8.45am yesterday. Fleeing: Reports this evening say that Aisha Gaddafi and Hannibal Gaddafi, as well as other members of the dictator's family, have crossed the border to Algeria . Gaddafi’s youngest son, Khamis, 28, . was not amongst the escapees, and there were reports yesterday he may . have been killed in a Nato air attack. Rebel . leaders in Tripoli immediately accused the Algerians of supporting the . ousted regime and said sheltering the Gaddafi family was an ‘act of . aggression’ against the new Libyan government. The . rebel-led National Transitional Council (NTC) said it would try to . extradite any Gaddafi relatives from its North African neighbour. Algerian . Foreign Minister Amar Belan said in a statement that his country had . adhered to a policy of ‘strict neutrality’ throughout the Libya crisis . and respects ‘the decision of every person under its sovereignty’. Where is he? The departure of his family has led to questions that the ousted tyrant may have also fled to Algeria . He added that Algeria has no intention to ‘interfere in any manner whatsoever in the internal affairs’ of Libya. The NTC’s military spokesman Ahmed Bani said he  was unsurprised to hear Algeria had welcomed Gaddafi relatives. Rebels . have previously accused Algiers of providing the dictator with . thousands of mercenaries in his battle to halt the revolution. Reports from the front line suggested Khamis Gaddafi was dead. Sky . News reported that a man claiming to be Khamis’s bodyguard said he was . in a Toyota Land Cruiser which was hit by a missile fired from a Nato . Apache helicopter. Separately, . a rebel official said the rebels had ‘almost confirmed’ Khamis’s death . in fighting on August 27 near Tarhuna, 50 miles southeast of Tripoli. Khamis, a Russian-trained military officer, commanded an elite battalion dedicated to protecting his father. Earlier . reports that rebels had captured three of Gaddafi’s sons proved to be . false. His heir apparent Saif al-Islam was among those said to have been . captured, only to emerge on state television on the streets of Tripoli. Rebels . say they want to take Colonel Gaddafi alive so he can face a trial in . Libya. The International Criminal Court has said it also wants him to . face justice there for war crimes.", "Libyan revolutionary fighters are surrounding an area where a fugitive son of Muammar Gaddafi, Saif al-Islam, is believed to have taken refuge. Rebel fighters said they were deploying south of the town of Bani Walid to an area where they believed Saif al-Islam was hiding after his flight from his father’s hometown of Sirte on Thursday. Bani Walid, 100 miles south-west of Tripoli, fell to revolutionary forces earlier this month after soldiers loyal to Gaddafi put up determined resistance for  several weeks. The fall of the Gaddafi clan: Colonel Gaddafi, left, and, it is thought, his son Mutassim, centre, were both killed on the attack on Sirte yesterday. Saif al-Islam, his heir, right, is thought to have been captured . Saif al-Islam was widely reported to have been based in the town during its resistance, before moving to Sirte. National Transitional Council . official Abdel Majid Mlegta said Gaddafi’s Niger-based security chief . Abdullah al-Senussi had been in contact with Saif al-Islam to try to . help him escape to the neighbouring country, ‘but our brigades are . encircling this area south of Bani Walid’. There had been various reports of . Saif's condition following the death of his father, with some reports . that he had been shot, and even some claims that he had lost both arms. However, . a National Transitional Council spokesman told NBC on Saturday that Saif . and Moussa Ibrahim, the former media frontman for the Gaddafi's regime, . were captured in Nessma, near Bani Walid, while they were being moved . to Misrata. That report has yet to be confirmed. And conflicting . reports emerged yesterday claiming that Saif he had already been . captured in Zlitan, 99 miles from Tripoli, while receiving treatment for . wounds. No pictures have emerged of Saif since his father was captured and killed on Thursday. Laid back: Gaddafi poses on a sofa in a photo taken some years ago with two of his sons, believed to be . Mohammed, left, and Saif, right, and his daughter, Ayesha . Any escape will worry the . British political elite who could face acute embarrassment if Saif was . ultimately captured and ended up in court. Saif became close to leading figures . in the British government after Tony Blair signed the notorious ‘Deal in . the Desert’ in March 2004. Prince . Andrew has also been linked to the bomber’s controversial release. The . Duke of York was accused of holding secret ‘detailed discussions’ over . the release of the Lockerbie bomber with Saif in 2009, during an . official Foreign Office-sponsored trip to Algeria. There had been news of his apparent escape earlier on Saturday, with reports of him fleeing across the vast Libyan desert towards Niger from the carnage of Sirte, revealed by Abdul Majid Mlegta, a senior military commander of the interim NTC. His statement came after a day of . rumour and conflicting reports in Tripoli that had seen Saif, 39, . variously killed, fighting for his life in hospital and being held in . custody. In the hours after the deaths of . Gaddafi and another son Mutassim, 34 – who had been in charge of Sirte’s . defences – it was said Saif had been critically wounded when his convoy . was hit by an RAF bombing raid. Saif is thought to be trying to join . up with another brother Saadi, 38, who fled to Niger in September . together with other Gaddafi allies and a fortune in gold and U.S. dollars. Mohammed, 41. Status - fled: The only child from Gaddafi's first wife, . Mohammed was head of the Libyan Olympic committee and chairman of the . General Post and Telecom Company which operated the country's mobile . phone and satellite communications networks. He fled to Algeria after the . fall of Tripoli. Saif al-Islam, 39. Status - wounded: Gaddafi's eldest son from his second . wife, Saif Al-Islam was the dictator's favourite and one-time heir . apparent. Educated in London and Vienna, he was a notorious playboy. Rebels claimed to have captured him during the fall of Tripoli but he . escaped the capital. Yesterday, . the NTC initially said Saif fled Sirte in a convoy heading for the . desert, but then announced he was shot in the leg by revolutionary . fighters and taken to hospital. There are fresh claims he has been captured. He is wanted by the International . Criminal Court for crimes against humanity . In an indication that Niger may become . a rallying point for the family, Mlegta revealed that in recent days . Gaddafi’s security chief Abdullah  al-Senussi, was believed to have . ‘slipped into hiding’ in the country. Senussi is Gaddafi’s brother-in-law . and wanted for crimes against humanity on an international arrest . warrant from the war crimes tribunal. Ten days ago both Saadi and Saif were . said to have tried to strike a deal with the NTC that would have . allowed Gaddafi to leave Sirte – an offer emphatically  rejected. Officials said last night that Saif . was believed to have been with his father in Sirte and to have somehow . escaped amid the confusion after the convoy fleeing west was twice . attacked by Nato drones and warplanes. Saadi, 38. Status - fled: A former footballer who played in Italy's . Serie A league, he ran Libya's football federation and invested . millions of pounds in the country's fledgling film industry. He fled to . Niger in September. Hannibal, 36. Status - fled: Violent and abusive, Hannibal was accused . of beating his pregnant girlfriend in Paris in 2005 and was arrested . for assaulting two servants in a Geneva hotel, but ran back to Libya . after being released on bail. He ran Libya's General National Maritime . Transport Company, which controlled the country's oil exports. He fled . to Algeria with brother Mohammed in August. Mutassim, 34. Status - killed: A lieutenant colonel in the Libyan army, . Mutassim fled to Egypt after masterminding a failed coup against his . father. He was forgiven and returned to Gaddafi's side as his national . security adviser. Killed in the assault on Sirte, according to NTC . officials, although conflicting reports claim he was captured alive. Fatiha, age unknown. Status - unknown: . Gaddafi's first marriage to school teacher Fatiha al-Nuri lasted less than a year. She reputedly never met Gaddafi until the day of their wedding. The couple had one son, Mohammed, but separated after six months and little is known of Gaddafi's first wife after their divorce in 1970. Yesterday Nato officials released details of it role in possibly the last strikes of the eight-month civil war. It said planes had hit 11 vehicles in . an armoured convoy speeding the late Libyan leader out of Sirte on . Thursday, although Nato did not know Gaddafi was in the convoy. The account suggested Gaddafi’s . fleeing convoy was considerably larger, and more vehicles were hit, than . previously reported. Nato aircraft struck 11 pro-Gaddafi . vehicles that were part of a larger group of approximately 75 vehicles . near Sirte, the statement said. ‘The vehicles were carrying a . substantial amount of weapons and ammunition posing a significant threat . to the local civilian population. The convoy was engaged by a Nato . aircraft to reduce the threat.’ Ayesha, 34. Status - fled: Nicknamed the Claudia Schiffer of North . Africa, Gaddafi's glamorous blonde daughter led rallies of her father's . supporters in Tripoli. The Western-educated lawyer was part of Saddam . Hussein's defence team. She fled to Algeria with her mother Safiyah and . brothers Mohammed and Hannibal in August, and gave birth days later. Saif al-Arab, 29. Status - dead: Playboy Saif Al-Arab was arrested twice . in Germany for an attack on a nightclub bouncer and for excessive noise . from his Ferrari F430, while studying in Munich. Charges were dropped as . prosecutors ruled trial was not in the national interest. He was killed in a . Nato airstrike on the Gaddafi compound in April. The statement said that at the time of . the strike, Nato did not know that Gaddafi was in the convoy, . reiterating that it was not Nato’s policy to target individuals. Last night, Admiral Jim Stavridis, . Nato’s top commander, said he was recommending the end of the alliance’s . Libya mission calling it ‘a good day for Nato. A great day for the . people of Libya’. And Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh . Rasmussen said a preliminary decision had been made to end the air . operation on October 31. In . August, as Tripoli fell to rebel forces and after a day of bloody . street battles in the Libyan capital, Saif boasted of victory. Despite . having been reported captured and under arrest, he appeared outside a . Tripoli hotel to make a defiant speech, declaring: ‘We have broken the . backbone of the rebels. It was a trap. We gave them a hard time, so we . are winning.’ Gaddafi’s . other children have all fled the country or been killed or captured . during the civil war. It is not known where either of his two wives are. Khamis, 28. Status - dead: Gaddafi's youngest son led his own feared . army unit, the Khamis Brigade, which was infamous for torture and . intimidation. He was killed in fighting during the fall of Tripoli . Safiyah, 60s. Status - fled: Nurse Safiyah Farkash al-Baraasi met Gaddafi when he had his appendix removed in 1969 and the couple were . married for 40 years. She is the mother of seven of his eight . biological children, and the couple also adopted two children, a son and . a daughter. Shopaholic Safiyah was reputed to have used Gaddafi's . private jet for shopping trips to Europe, and owned airline Buraq Air. Her personal wealth has been estimated at £19billion, including 20 tons . of gold. She fled to Algeria with Gaddafi's daughter Ayesha in August. Hana, mid-20s. Status - unknown: Gaddafi said his adopted daughter was killed in a 1986 U.S. air strike, but in August it emerged she may have lived and become a doctor .", "Town of Bani Walid is set to be overturned . Volunteer fighters poured in from the Libyan capital and other towns held by the former rebels today to join what they expect to be the final battle for Bani Walid, one of Muammar Gaddafi's last remaining strongholds. After a week-long stand-off over a peaceful surrender of the town, the Libyan fighters on Friday launched a two-pronged assault on Bani Walid that soon dissolved into street fighting. Sign of peace? Anti-Gaddafi fighters toast their victory as they close in on a resolution . Route to victory: More Libyan rebel soldiers are seen jubilating before heading to the frontline in Bani Walid . Revolutionary forces had initially given tribal leaders and pro-Gaddafi loyalists in Bani Walid until Saturday to surrender, but said they were drawn into fighting on Friday night after former regime fighters attacked with rockets. Volunteers asking to join the battle said today they were getting increasingly impatient with the stand-off. Dozens crowded around a desk at a mosque in Wishtata, a hamlet about 25 miles from Bani Walid, to register their names, blood type and other information. Abdel Wahab Milad, a 26-year-old teacher from the town of Gharyan, drove dozens of miles to the front in a pickup truck with six friends. Dressed in army fatigues, he said he signed up for battle because it was time to \"get rid of Gaddafi once and for all.\" Gaddafi has not been seen in public for several months, and has been a fugitive since the fall of the capital of Tripoli in late August. In audio messages broadcast over a loyalist TV station, Gaddafi has urged his followers to keep fighting. On Friday, revolutionary forces also battled loyalists near the Gaddafi hometown of Sirte, 250 miles southeast of Tripoli, but withdrew after heavy casualties. Firepower: Anti-Gaddafi forces fire a Howitzer from the artillery line before advancing into the town of Bani Walid . War zone: The Al-malti checkpoint on the outskirts of the town of Bani Walid, now held by pro-Gaddafi forces . Meanwhile, officials in neighbouring Niger said four senior Libyan military officers have entered the country. Justice Minister Amadou Morou said late Friday that the Libyan chief of staff of the air force, his pilot and the commanders of two Libyan military regions have arrived in Niger. Morou declined to name the officers. Morou condemned an attempted attack on the Embassy of Niger in Tripoli on Wednesday night by a group of 20 armed men who tried to force their way in. He said the compound is now being offered protection by Libya's National Transitional Council. Libya's new rulers had set a Saturday deadline for Gaddafi loyalists in Bani Walid, Sirte, and Sabha, deep in Libya's southern desert - the three key remaining Gaddafi bastions - to surrender or face an offensive. At the Libyan fighters' checkpoint outside Bani Walid, the spokesman for the revolutionaries, Abu Seif Ghneya, said there was no fighting or casualties overnight but that there would be a final push toward the town centre today. Before the Friday evening assault on Bani Walid, Gaddafi holdouts inside had fired mortars and rockets toward the fighters' position in a desert dotted with green shrubs and white rocks, killing at least one and wounding several. Loud explosions were heard about six miles from the front line during the day, followed by plumes of black smoke in the already hazy air. Nato planes circled above. Nato says it is acting under a UN mandate to guarantee the safety of Libya's civilian population. Its bombing campaign has been crucial to the advance of Gaddafi's military opponents. On Friday, Interpol said it had issued its top most-wanted alert for the arrest of Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam and the country's ex-chief of military intelligence, Abdullah al-Senoussi. The three are sought by the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity, and there have been reports Seif al-Islam is in Bani Walid.", "Ras Lanuf, Libya (CNN) -- The military forces of Moammar Gadhafi on Friday pounded Ras Lanuf, the key oil port once in the hands of rebel forces, with its leadership confidently vowing to retake all territory from the opposition despite growing international pressure. Even as it targeted its domestic enemies, the Tripoli government continued to parry with leaders around the globe. Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim, for instance, said Friday that Libya has suspended diplomatic relations with France, one day after the French government recognized the newly created Libyan opposition movement as the sole representative of the country. In Ras Lanuf, pro-Gadhafi forces cranked up an intense and steady bombardment of the city, believed to be by rocket, artillery and tank fire. A storage tank at an oil refinery was on fire after an air raid there. \"We saw a bomb fall about a kilometer to the southwest of the refinery, and moments later saw thick black smoke rising from the refinery. We don't know, and no one we spoke to could say with any level of certainty or veracity, what caused the fire,\" said CNN Correspondent Ben Wedeman. Dozens of pickup trucks and cars belonging to the opposition were heading away from the city amid fear that Libyan forces were advancing as the bombardment continued. The rebels evacuated to a checkpoint outside the town, but that and other rebel positions also were targeted by airstrikes. Rebels said the eastern city has been essentially empty as civilians fled and opposition forces retreated from sustained attacks. On Thursday, state media said the town was \"cleansed\" of the fighters. This reflects the turn in fortunes for Gadhafi's well-equipped military, which has gained an upper hand after rebel fighters seized ground across Libya. Along with its offensive in Ras Lanuf, government soldiers beat back rebels Thursday in Zawiya east of the capital, Tripoli. Zawiya's Martyrs' Square was littered with the bombed-out, scorched carcasses of army tanks and other military vehicles. Workers swept up the evidence as Gadhafi supporters chanted slogans and waved green flags. Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, one of Gadhafi's sons and a spokesman for the regime, vowed Thursday to retake other areas in eastern Libya that were controlled by the opposition and warned the international community that Libyans won't welcome NATO and Americans. NATO is contemplating the establishment of a no-fly zone, but says it needs a clear U.N. mandate to do it. \"I receive hundreds of calls from the east daily, and they are saying, 'Save us.' They are begging us and pleading for us to save them, and my answer is two words. Listen to me, and I want those armed groups to listen to me real well, and I want our people in the east to hear this as well: We're coming,\" he said. Saif al-Islam Gadhafi is one of two Moammar Gadhafi sons who share the first name Saif. On the diplomatic front, meanwhile, opposition to Moammar Gadhafi continues to gain momentum. U.S. President Barack Obama reiterated Friday that he wants the Libyan leader to \"step down.\" He added that he \"won't take (the) decision lightly\" to decide whether to use military force, including helping enforce a no-fly zone, saying it is critical to \"balance costs versus benefits.\" Obama noted that NATO officials will meet Tuesday to consider whether to implement a no-fly zone. He said U.S. actions so far, including freezing assets and other sanctions, are \"slowly tightening the noose\" on Gadhafi. \"We have moved about as swiftly as an international coalition has ever moved to impose sanctions,\" he said. The U.S. Treasury Department beefed up those sanctions Friday, freezing the assets of nine more individuals. Among them are the wife and four sons of Libya's leader, including Saadi, Hannibal, Muhammad and Saif Al-Arab Gadhafi. Libya's defense minister, military intelligence director, external security organization head and public works coordinator are also included. Also Friday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon introduced former Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdul Ilah Khatib as his new special envoy to Libya. Khatib will leave New York over the weekend, accompanied by humanitarian and U.N. officials, to \"convey, in no uncertain terms, the concerns of the United Nations and the international community,\" Ban said. \"I (hope) that this effort ... will succeed in stopping the killings and ending the suffering of the civilian population, in addressing their humanitarian needs and in preserving the unity of the Libyan people and the territorial integrity of their homeland,\" Khatib said, adding that Gadhafi's government \"welcomed\" the visit. In Brussels, Belgium, the European Council, a body of the European Union, issued a declaration saying Gadhafi \"must relinquish power immediately.\" \"His regime has lost all legitimacy and is no longer an interlocutor for the EU. The European Union has adopted restrictive measures against the country's leadership and against entities holding sizeable assets controlled by the regime and stands ready to adopt further sanctions. \"The objective is for Libya to rapidly embark on an orderly transition to democracy through a broad-based dialogue. The European Union welcomes and encourages the interim transitional national council based in Benghazi which it considers a political interlocutor.\" Some members are clearer than others in their support for the National Transitional Council as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in his news conference that \"we consider the National Council based in Benghazi as the proper interlocutors for Libya and they need to be recognized as such and encouraged.\" German Chancellor Angela Merkel was more cautious in her approach to the council and called them a possible interlocutor. Sarkozy said the European Council decision is a very strong one, and he stressed that a U.N. mandate and a request from the region are needed for intervention. \"We are considering and examining all necessary options to deal with the situation,\" he said. \"We cannot stand by and watch this happen.\" He wouldn't say whether France or Britain would take unilateral military action if a U.N. mandate wasn't achieved. British Prime Minister David Cameron said in Brussels that authorities are tightening \"the net\" on Gadhafi and \"his henchman\" with tougher financial sanctions. \"We have added the Libyan Central Bank and the Libyan Investment Authority to the Libyan EU asset freezing list and, in doing so, the UK has frozen a total of 12 billion pounds of Libyan assets,\" Cameron said. On Friday, the Libyan ambassador to the United States and to the United Nations will call on the United States to follow France's lead and recognize the opposition as the legitimate representative of Libya. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has announced plans to meet with opposition leaders when she visits Tunisia and Egypt next week. She said the United States was suspending relations with the Libyan Embassy in Washington, and an administration official added that the embassy \"must shut down.\" Protests against the 68-year-old Gadhafi began February 15 as anti-government demonstrators sought his ouster after nearly 42 years of rule, and the discontent devolved into a fierce and bloody civil war. Death toll estimates earlier this week ranged from more than 1,000 to as many as 2,000. As of Thursday morning, the war had forced out nearly 250,000 people, many of them poor migrant workers who have been stranded at both the Tunisian and Egyptian borders, the U.N. refugee agency said. CNN's Jonathan Wald contributed to this report.", "(CNN) -- Ousted Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte will fall soon, perhaps within days, commanders of the anti-Gadhafi operation told U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Friday, according to a senior U.S. defense official traveling with him. Panetta met during the morning with the commanders at the naval base that hosts the U.S. Sixth Fleet in Italy, the official said. The commanders said they have no reason to believe Gadhafi can exercise command and control of those militia members who remain loyal to him, the official said. They further believe that, although the anti-Gadhafi forces are gaining the ability to exercise control, they will likely need training to develop their capabilities, the official said. Still, no timetable has been drawn up for when commanders will recommend that NATO forces end their involvement, the official said. The fall of Sirte could not come soon enough for Libya's new leaders, eager to declare liberation once the birthplace of Gadhafi is under their control. But battles for the coastal city southeast of Tripoli have raged for weeks as Gadhafi loyalists dug in to put up stiff resistance. Complicating the matter was the resignation Friday of Mahdi al-Harati, the deputy head of the Tripoli Military Council, a senior National Transitional Council official said. \"He resigned due to differences with the NTC on the planning of the security of Tripoli. We are the official governing body and the efforts of the revolutionaries that fought for the liberation are appreciated but the command must be centralized,\" Mohamed Sayeh told CNN. He said NTC officials were trying to get that message across \"in a democratic, brotherly manner.\" Al-Harati will continue as commander of the Tripoli brigades, said Fathi al-Wersali, a senior member of the Tripoli Military Council. \"There is overlapping in the role of the Tripoli military council and the NTC,\" he said. \"A clear mechanism has not been finalized, which leaves us not clear on how to move forward in securing Tripoli.\" Early Friday, hundreds of revolutionary fighters attacked from the west, NTC military field commanders said. Gadhafi's men control tall buildings in the city center, where they fire on their foes from rooftops. They were striking with rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns, said the council's commanders, Mohammed Ibrahim and Jamal al-Raeis, from the front lines. At least 12 revolutionary fighters were killed and 193 others wounded Friday, the Misrata Military Council said. \"The battle will be difficult, but we have to finish it,\" Ibrahim said. The International Committee of the Red Cross evacuated three wounded people from Ibn Sina hospital in Sirte to a field hospital on Thursday. Dibeh Fakhr, an ICRC spokesman in Misrata, said Friday that the group is committed to re-entering Sirte to evacuate more casualties. The Red Cross said thousands of civilians remain inside Sirte and waves of war-weary civilians were streaming from the coastal city every day. \"We even saw entire families leaving on foot, bringing their small children with them, without any food or water,\" Red Cross delegate Ghafar Bishtawi said. More than 18,000 people, including many women, children and elderly people, are displaced east of Sirte and hundreds have moved to safer locations west of the city, the Red Cross said. Sirte is one of two contested cities remaining in Libya as the National Transitional Council moves forward to form new governance in the country. The council's leader and the interim prime minister have promised to step down to clear the way for a new government once Sirte is taken. Gadhafi, wanted by the International Criminal Court in the Hague for alleged crimes against humanity, has not been seen in public in months. Syrian-based television aired an audio message Thursday that was purportedly from the deposed leader. In it, the speaker urged Libyans to protest the new leadership. CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq and journalist Mohamed Fadel Fahmy contributed to this report.", "Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- The alleys and archways along Rashid Street in central Tripoli were plunged in darkness this weekend, as the Libyan capital struggled to cope with widespread shortages of electricity. After sunset, the only light in one corner cafe came from two candles. Their flickering glow barely lit the faces of men seated at a handful of tables, where they were breaking their Ramadan fast. Nearby, residents trudged down the center of empty streets enveloped in darkness. Some men played music from parked cars. Others sat silently in doorways, their presence only marked by the glow of a cigarette butt. \"It's a disaster. My father's neighborhood hasn't had electricity for five straight days,\" said one Libyan man who asked not to be named, for fear of attracting the ire of government authorities. He said he evacuated his entire family to Egypt and was staying behind to keep an eye on his property. The rapid deterioration of power supplies in Tripoli over the past two weeks has come as a shock to many Libyans. Some residents complain pumps have stopped channeling water to their apartment buildings, leaving them without both water and light. This week, a nightly talk show that fiercely supports Moammar Gadhafi on state television addressed the growing problem of the black-outs. \"The Tripoli power cuts are caused by NATO and rebel attacks on power stations,\" announced a television presenter on Thursday. Frustration could be felt at a recent government press conference, when a Libyan man repeatedly pressed Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim on why some Tripoli neighborhoods had power while others suffered black-outs for days. \"Surely a large country like Libya doesn't depend on one power station,\" the Libyan man said. Kaim responded by accusing NATO warplanes and Libyan rebels of attacking power stations, high-voltage lines and pipelines. In an e-mail to CNN, NATO military spokesman denied accusations that the alliance targeted Libyan electrical power lines. \"There is no evidence to suggest that if the country's power lines have been damaged, such an event could be linked to a NATO strike,\" the spokesman wrote. The Gadhafi regime is struggling under an international blockade of its seaports and airports. Shortages of gas have been a fact of daily life for months now, with drivers waiting days in line at gas stations for fuel. \"One liter of petrol, 4 dinars!\" a taxi driver yelled on Saturday, as he thumped a plastic jug full of fuel sitting in the back passenger seat of his car. That is roughly the equivalent of 13 dollars for a gallon of gasoline, a huge price surge in a country long accustomed to cheap, heavily subsidized fuel. Until anti-Gadhafi protests first erupted last February, Libya was a major oil-exporting country. Since then, oil exports have slowed to a trickle. Hopes for a reprieve in the fuel shortages were dashed this week when the regime in Tripoli announced rebels somehow seized control of the fuel tanker ship Cartagena off the coast of Malta. Kaim denounced the capture of the ship and its cargo of tens of thousands of tons of gasoline, calling it an act of international piracy. \"The tanker was taken with the help of NATO to Benghazi and it arrived at 1:30 in the afternoon to Benghazi seaport,\" Kaim said on Friday. \"The age of piracy is coming back to the Mediterranean because of NATO,\" Kaim concluded. The Reuters news agency has distributed video filmed Thursday of the tanker Cartagena sailing into the Libyan rebel capital of Benghazi. According to the energy trade publication Petroleum Economist, the Cartagena was the property of the Libyan state-owned shipping company GNMTC. \"The MV Cartagena was outside Maltese territorial waters,\" an official from the Maltese Foreign Ministry wrote to CNN in an e-mail, after being asked about allegations of the ship's capture by rebels. A NATO spokesman in Naples, Italy, wrote to CNN, \"On the afternoon of 3 August a NATO warship established visual and voice contact with the MT Cartagena and found the crew cooperative. NATO concluded that the ship could proceed to its next port of call Benghazi. Following this decision the NATO warships returned to their patrol duties and did not escort the ship to Benghazi as suggested in some media reports.\" Meanwhile, tempers were flaring at the Ghot al-Shaal shopping district in western Tripoli, where almost all the shops were dark and stifling hot due to the lack of electricity and air-conditioning. \"We've had no power all day, how are we going to work like this?\" said one angry merchant as he stalked out of his women's clothing shop. \"At a time like this people want air-conditioning,\" said 26-year old Ridha Abdullah, who runs a children's clothing store. Abdullah said the power outages began within the last two weeks. \"God willing it will be fixed, if NATO would stop and leave us alone to resolve our problems,\" Abdullah added. At a nearby fruit and vegetable bazaar, some passersby yelled pro-Gadhafi chants and vowed to stand strong against rebel and NATO attacks. One man carrying a shopping bag stopped to accuse foreign journalists of being the cause of the crisis. But, as is often the case in public places, other Libyans discreetly approached CNN reporters to whisper messages of dissent against the Gadhafi regime. \"The government is lying and the rebels will be in Tripoli soon,\" one man said nervously, before quickly walking away. \"Gadhafi not good,\" said another young man, who smiled at a reporter before he climbed into a car and drove away. One store owner decided to deal with summer heat and lack of electricity by simply closing shop early. \"I'm going to the beach to cool down,\" the man said with a smile, as he pulled down the heavy metal shutters that covered his shop windows.", "Fierce fighting raged on the outskirts of Tripoli on Sunday as militias continued to battle for control of the airport in what's being called the worst fighting in Libya since the 2011 revolution. Clashes were concentrated around the airport, the airport road and a number of residential areas where militias have fought over the past week, residents said. At least five people have been killed, one local official said. The latest assaults were launched by militias from the city of Misrata and an Islamist militia umbrella group in the capital known as the \"Libyan Revolutionaries Operations Room.\" The airport has been under the control of militia from the Western Mountains city of Zintan for the past three years. According to residents in different parts of Tripoli, thick plumes of black smoke rose from the direction of the airport and large blasts and gunfire echoed across the city. Speaking by phone to Libyan television on Sunday, a spokesman for the municipal council of Qasr Bin Ghasheer, the area around the airport, said at least five people from the area had been killed in the fighting so far. 'Libya's future cannot be left to one renegade general' The spokesman, Mohammed Abdul Rahman, said it was hard to get an accurate casualty figure because of the intensity of fighting and limited movement in the area. \"Shells are falling on houses, children are terrified and most people have evacuated. ... Our area is suffering,\" he told the privately run al-Nabaa TV. There was no official overall casualty figure for the fighting in other areas impacted over the last seven days. At the airport, the Libyan government said 90% of planes parked there were damaged and images on social media showed various parts of the facility destroyed. The United Nations and other international organizations and businesses have temporarily evacuated staff from Libya. The U.S. Embassy in Tripoli said in a statement that some rounds from the fighting have hit near the compound, but all personnel \"are safe and accounted for.\" It called for an end to the violence. Addressing the U.N. Security Council on Thursday, Tarek Mitri, head of its mission in Libya, issued a stark warning. \"As the number of military actors mobilizing and consolidating their presence within the capital continues to grow, there is a mounting sense of a probable imminent and significant escalation in the conflict. The stakes are high for all sides,\" Mitri said. \"We are in the middle of an all-out confrontation between two major rival groups in the Libyan capital. That confrontation, born out of the deep political polarization, is playing itself out at the country's international airport.\" Mitri said. Libya's Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdulaziz also addressed the Security Council. He warned of Libya heading toward becoming a \"failed state.\" Abdulaziz said Libya needed more international support and asked the United Nations to consider a \"stabilization and institution-building mission.\" He insisted that his country was not requesting foreign military intervention. The Libyan Interim Government said earlier in the week it was discussing the possibility of requesting international forces. Three years after the revolution and NATO military intervention that overthrew the Gadhafi regime, a weak central government has been outgunned by increasingly powerful militias. The militia fighting for control of the airport from the city of Zintan and Misrata are among the most heavily armed in the country.", "By . Daily Mail Reporter . Last updated at 8:56 AM on 28th June 2011 . Defence Secretary Liam Fox unveiled a radical raft of reforms to purge military top brass, reduce rivalry between the Army, Royal Navy and RAF and cut waste and red tape at the cash-strapped department . Outspoken military chiefs were ‘putting lives at risk’ by warning that Britain would struggle to fight the Libyan war for more than six months, Liam Fox said yesterday. The Defence Secretary issued the warning as he admitted for the first time that the UK could be forced to cut firepower elsewhere in the world if the conflict dragged on. Dr Fox slapped down commanders as he announced the biggest shake-up in the Ministry of Defence in more than half a century. He unveiled a radical raft of reforms to purge military top brass, reduce rivalry between the Army, Royal Navy and RAF and cut waste and red tape at the cash-strapped department. The remarks about Libya came on the day the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, accusing him of crimes against humanity. The Government has been under pressure after Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, the First Sea Lord, and Air Chief Marshal Sir Simon Bryant, second-in-command at the RAF, publicly questioned whether the UK could sustain operations in Libya after severe defence cuts. Last week an exasperated David  Cameron told service chiefs: ‘You do the fighting, I’ll do the talking.’ Yesterday Dr Fox waded into the row. ‘We must be very careful, those of us who have authority in defence, in discussing the sustainability of our mission,’ he said. ‘People’s lives are at stake. We may have to reprioritise some of our assets – but let us make it clear that there can be only one message that goes out to Libya. ‘That is: we have the military capability, political resolve and legal authority to see through what we started. We will continue our mission until our mission succeeds and Col Gaddafi must get no other signal than that.’ Ministers fear that offering any crumb of comfort to the Libyan tyrant ¿ whose regime has been bombarded by airstrikes for more than 100 days ¿ could spark a bloody fightback against Nato troops, rebel forces and civilians . Ministers fear that offering any . crumb of comfort to the Libyan tyrant – whose regime has been bombarded . by airstrikes for more than 100 days – could spark a bloody fightback . against Nato troops, rebel forces and civilians. Dr Fox unveiled an 82-page report by Lord Levene’s defence reform unit calling for a root-and-branch shake-up of the MoD. The report criticised the ‘bloated and dysfunctional’ department for leaving ministers ‘in the dark’ about key decisions. Scrapped: A Harrier jet comes in to land on the HMS Ark Royal which was axed with 'immediate effect' after the Strategic Defence and Security Review last October . Dr Fox told the Commons that the MoD . was ‘top heavy’ and over-bureaucratic, which had led to poor . decision-making and financial management. The MoD is attempting to plug a . £36billion black hole in its budget caused by ordering equipment that it . cannot pay for. As revealed by the Daily Mail last week, the heads of . the Army, Royal Navy and RAF will be booted off the MoD’s most senior . decision-making body, the Defence Board. They will be replaced by three . non-executive members on a new streamlined board in an attempt to get a . grip on the MoD’s ‘appalling’ procurement spending record. The move has been seen as revenge for tensions that have built up between the Government and the military. But the three service chiefs will get . more control over their individual budgets including how to split funds . between training, personnel and equipment. Dr Fox said this would end a . situation in which military chiefs spent most of their time ‘trying to . influence policy and haggle over funding in London’. He signalled that the number of . senior officers – including generals, admirals and air marshals – would . be culled and fresh blood brought in to make the forces more . ‘meritocratic’. Sources said a third of top brass could go. Dr Fox said: ‘There is a very strong . case for reducing the star count in the Armed Forces to create space for . those coming up the ranks.’ The MoD is shedding 25,000 civilian . staff over the next four years as part of spending cuts announced last . year. The forces will also shrink in size with 5,000 posts due to go in . both the Army and Navy and 7,000 in the RAF. Labour defence spokesman Jim Murphy said the report contained some ‘sensible’ measures. But he said: ‘While the deficit is . temporary, the cuts they are making are permanent. Once you have sacked . RAF pilots, you cannot reorder new ones. They have gone and they have . gone for good. I think we will rue the day they made some of these . cuts.’", "Washington (CNN) -- Even as it prepares to hand over the Libyan embassy in Washington to the rebel government, the State Department is warning the Transitional National Council to get its act together. An administration official told CNN the United States has warned the TNC that this is a \"do-or-die moment\" for the organization to carry out a credible and thorough investigation of the killing of its military commander, Abdel Fatah Younis. Last week's mysterious assassination has raised concerns that it might have been carried out by feuding groups within the rebels themselves. \"We do welcome the Transitional National Council's move to set up an impartial committee that will investigate the incident and we look forward to hearing the results,\" deputy spokesman Mark Toner told reporters Monday. \"It's important that, given the fluidness of the situation on the ground, that the Transitional National Council work to ensure that it takes the right kinds of actions, such as an investigation into the death, and sends a clear and transparent message that they speak on behalf of the Libyan opposition and the Libyan people and that they are diligently carrying out their mandate.\" The TNC has been rocked by internal divisions, with rival rebel groups battling each other. The divisions create a dilemma for the Obama administration, which recognized the rebel movement based in Benghazi as Libya's rightful government on July 15 at an international meeting on Libya in Istanbul. The move, done in coordination with the international community, paves the way for the United States to reopen the embassy, accredit diplomats and unfreeze billions of dollars in frozen assets. The internal strife within the rebel movement comes as the State Department prepares to hand over the Libyan embassy to the TNC as the recognized government of Libya, according to U.S. officials. The officials say the move would allow the TNC to re-open the embassy, accredit diplomats and regain control of the embassy's frozen bank account, worth about $13 million. It follows a formal request from the TNC to re-open the embassy under its control and accredit Ali Aujali, the former Libyan ambassador to the United States, as its charge d'affaires. In March, the State Department ordered the Libyan embassy in Washington closed and kicked diplomats loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi out of the country. Aujali had resigned his post as the regime's ambassador to the United States in February and has since represented the opposition in Washington. \"We are consulting with the National Transitional Council on a broad range of issues, and that includes diplomatic accreditation and representation,\" Toner said. Despite the divisions within the TNC, the State Department publicly expressed confidence in the rebels. \"We believe that this is the legitimate representatives of the Libyan people during this transition period,\" Toner said. \"This is an extremely challenging period for Libya and they are dealing with these challenges as they come. But we have confidence that they can weather this.\" But privately, U.S. officials acknowledge there is some concern about the apparent disarray within the rebel movement, although officials say it is not surprising. \"This is a tribal society,\" one official said. \"We knew from the start this could be messy and there was always the concern about not moving too fast. We had no illusions about the TNC, but they have done a pretty good job and look better to us than Gadhafi at this point.\" NATO has been bombing Libya for more than four months under a U.N. mandate to protect civilians from troops loyal to Gadhafi, who is battling a rebellion that has claimed control of the eastern half of the country. The U.S. Embassy in Tripoli was shuttered and American personnel evacuated by sea and air in late February, after the current revolt against Gadhafi erupted. Libyan and U.S. officials held face-to-face talks in Tunisia last month, but Washington says the sole point of the meeting was to repeat its demand that Gadhafi \"must go.\" Also Sunday, state TV aired video of Saif al-Islam Gadhafi, Gadhafi's son, speaking to what was described as displaced families. He has not been seen speaking in public for weeks. \"Whether NATO stays or not, the battle will continue until Libya is freed,\" he said, stressing the right of people to fight. \"Let me say to you that the battle will not stop. Every one of you: return to your homes and farms and villages and jobs with peace of mind. We will not stop!\"" ]

[ "Such a great escape found in this short story! Gwendy's Button Box is what good short stories are made of!" ]

[ "This is a great short story. It keeps you reading to see what's going to happen next. I enjoyed it. I would recommend it if you love a great horror short story.", "This was a good book with a variety of twists. The story held my attention throughout. A great light read for a nice escape.", "Great short story, but unfortunately it was far too short.. U are just getting into the story and it's ended.. As usual Michael Connelly at his best..", "A great short story that makes you think ...music, friends, an archaeological adventure that leaves you wondering: is this possible?", "I found this an easy escape read. It has the scifi, the conflict, an unresolved love story and improbable situations in all. I was inspired to read the rest of the series. Fun", "A fun series of short stories set around Kokomos Caf in Flagler Beach FL. The characters are fun and interesting and the stories take you to the beach no matter where you are. If you're looking for a short little escape this might just be your tonic.", "Great short stories that remind you of love, romance, the power of Christmas and are sure to melt your heart.", "Figures in a Landscape by Barry England (1968, Kindle edition 2013) is the story of two soldiers escaping from military captivity somewhere in Asia. Its nonstop action and adventure -- kind of an odd novel to appear on a Booker prize short list, but it's quite a story.", "Great main characters, humor, and an endless series of escapes from impossible situations make this a great read. Want more", "This short story grabs you right away. Loved it! I was given a free copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.", "This juicy morsel of masterful suspense writing grabs hold of you and doesn't let go. I haven't been in such a state since I purchased a copy of a little known (at the time) short story called \"Wool\". Once again: Superb work, Mr. Howey!", "It's a short story that will make you smile and tug at your heart as you follow Andrew and Lucy's short adventure together away from their comfortable home at Christmastime. Everything that can go wrong went wrong but ...what a very lovely outcome. Ahhh, I just love the spirit of Chritsmas!", "Story was good however the lead up was too long and the time in the actual ice station did not hold the readers attention for long. I found the escape mostly unbelievable and it seemed to end in midair.", "I enjoyed this short story. It was fun and included all of my favorites - romance, adventure and a little passion. Nice short read.", "Being an old and very proud Navy man having served in the 60's, I found Escape from the Deep to be an outstanding story of real American heroes. It is well worth the time.", "I love this classic story. I remember reading it when I was a kid and being able 2 escape in2 this world & living vicariously as the eldest daughter, 2. ;)", "Howey has given us some great epic reads (Wool being my fav). I loved this for what it was, a futuristic, sci fy short story. I found it to be a fun read, and one I was able to finish in a relatively short amount of time. Sometimes I don't want an epic story, I want a short one, and this fills the bill. Thanks Hugh, for an enjoyable evening !", "The book is nice overall. Well written and the characters develope during the series. If you need to escape for a short while and be left satisfied, this is the book.", "Delightful little story. This is a one setting read. I would have liked a little more story to the short story.", "this is such a great story ~ a wonderful adventure that is so intriquing you will be at the end wanting more ~ it is a page turn you'll find hard to put ~ Enjoy !", "This story was really good. It drew me in from the first few pages and was packed with adventure, excitement, and danger. The main character, Pelmen, is just an ordinary tanner at the bottom of the totem pole, wishing to escape for a better life at the start. But instead of escaping with his friend for a better life, he is thrown into a dangerous world where he has to learn to fight in order to survive. Randomly I also liked the animals/ creatures in this story, they were interesting and I found myself wishing to know more about them, but that could just be me since Im odd. Anyways, I would recommend this for anyone who is a fan of other worlds, magic, adventure, danger, or just if you want to read a good story to escape life for a little while.", "This is one of my favorite movies, it's got beautiful shots and is just a great escape for a love story.", "This short story was an excellent read. It is a little on the extreme side. However if you are into that sort of things you will find this story of excellent quality. I loved the twist. I promise if you read it you won't regret.", "Great short story with a cup (or two!) of hot chocolate when you need a break from the hustle and bustle of Christmas!", "Short story. But a great one if you like bibliomysteries. Worth the modest buy-in.", "Yes, this is a very short piece, but it is a gorgeously-written one. I was able to picture the whole thing as I went along to Zellwood. It made me cry, and that is a rare thing for me as a reader. Congratulations to Rebecca on this beautiful story!", "This is the best of the short and small atlases that I have found.\n\nFor the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, I'm giving copies to my family with a supplement I've made which traces the story of 20th Michigan Infantry Regiment in which our ancestor, my great-great-grandfather-in-law, served.", "A lovely story that could only be written where it was.", "This was another great addition to the series!\nThis was a great story.\nI think that Corey did not want to meet his mate, because he knew that once he met his mate he would not be able to escape the mate call.\nWhich is what exactly happened when Corey met Willow.\nCorey not matter what he did could not escape Willow.\nIt was a nice HEA for both Corey + Willow.", "This is a short story and was easy to read in a day or less. I love short stories, because I can fit them into my schedule. I loved this story, it made me smile. I hope there will be a sequel. I will be recommending this book to my friends.", "This was a great escape if you are looking for great historical romance. Read this in just a couple hours. The characters were well defined and had a good story. There was a few places where the story was choppy but well worth the read.", "I found the characters to be well developed for a short novel and the relationships between them to be believable. The mystery was enjoyable. I would recommend this story to anyone who might want to read a mystery mixed with love story." ]

[ "Galway" ]

[ "The Man Who Won the War", "Who Ate All the Pies?", "Who", "the Who", "finalization", "Who Made Who", "Finally", "Who?", "Urvashi Won by Valour", "the final stage", "NBA Finals", "23 trillion won", "The Final Tic", "the final constitution", "220 billion won", "The Final Quest", "The Final Winter", "final resolution", "Finale B", "235.2 billion won", "ATP Finals", "Final Girl", "Final War", "Final Feliz", "WNBA Finals", "season finale", "The Final Countdown", "WTA Finals", "Final Attraction", "Operation Finale", "Adidas Finale", "The Final Girls" ]

[ "It's going to be great. trust me" ]

[ "not sure about image setter, but if you are wanting to change the format of a jpg pic into bitmap open the pic in ms paint located in your accessories, and then go to save as, and change the format to bitmap\\n\\nyou can also change the format of a bitmap pic into jpg by using mspaint.\\n\\nthis is what i use to change the format of a picture", "If you are going to use your examples then clearly Jews and Muslims worship the same G-d and Christians do not.\\n\\nJews/Muslims worship ONE unified G-d Christians worship a 3 in 1 mixture that's a contradiction that they cannot themselves explain.\\n\\nso as far as I see it Jews and Muslims are the ones in agreement and Christens perverted the texts", "Hi!\\n\\nOn February 14, 1911, after much tenacious lobbying, the first nurse practice act became law.\\n\\nHope this helps!\\n\\n--Stacey" ]

[ "We know that Ajay Devgn and Kajol are doting parents to Nysa and Yug. While most of the star kids are expected to choose the same profession their parents are in, one wonders if Nysa too would end up following her parent's footsteps.\nUnlike Sridevi who in one of her previous interviews, revealed how she was a little apprehensive about her daughter Jhanvi joining the showbiz, Kajol has a different take on her daughter taking a plunge in Bollywood.\nWhen quizzed if she and her husband Ajay would be comfortable if Nysa plans to take up acting as a career, here's what the 'VIP 2' actress had to say...\n'Ajay Is A Very Understanding Father' Kajol was quoted as saying to a leading daily, \"Ajay is a very understanding and accepting father. We won't force our kids to take the profession we are in, but if they want it themselves, we will support them.\"\n'I Hope My Relationship With My Children Keeps Changing With Time, Age And Maturity' Earlier while talking to Pinkvilla, Kajol had said, \"As for my relationship with my children, I hope it keeps changing with time, age and maturity for one reason that at one point of time I felt they were quite helpless. They grew into being individuals and hopefully I have brought them up well enough that I know a good mother and god willing I will turn into a great friend eventually.\"\nNysa Thinks Her Mother Is Too Sentimental About Things In the same interview Kajol had mentioned, \"She thinks I am too sentimental about things. She thinks I get touched, upset very easily. She thinks I am a little OTT. But I guess, it is okay. Children are bound to think that of their parents.\"\n'Nysa Has A Good Head On Her Shoulders' Kajol was quoted as saying, \"Honestly, she doesn't have that many (mood-swings). She is quite stable that way, I have to say considering all the other children I see of her age. She has a good head on her shoulders. I talk to her a lot about random stuff. I know when I hear her opinions about certain things that she is very intelligent and a balanced girl and that gives me a hope for the future.\"\n'Yug Has Grown Up With Our Stardom' \"I think he has grown up with our stardom. I don't know if they went through a period of getting used to it. As far as stardom is concerned, we keep it at the gate, no further. We try to keep them balanced and normal. So, they are very very normal children.\"\nWell, it's quite refreshing to hear Kajol talking so candidly about her kids!" ]

[ "Josh Gordon is officially back in the NFL. He’s scoring touchdowns, wearing sunglasses on the sideline and getting into Twitter beefs with cornerbacks.\nAfter the Browns’ crushing 27-21 loss against the Packers on Sunday, Gordon took to Twitter to respond to a comment by Green Bay corner Damarious Randall, who said he had shut down Gordon.\nVia PackersNews.com:\n“He had one catch,” Randall said. “Any more questions?”\nGreat Win for them but let’s be serious.. Considering several of our disadvantages as a team, this kid couldn’t hold my jock strap on my worst day lol..@RandallTime https://t.co/ennvwjTMUH — Flash Gordon (@JOSH_GORDONXII) December 11, 2017\nRandall didn’t need long to fire back and apparently had no qualms about bringing up Gordon’s problems with substance abuse…\nNot cool, man. But I suppose Gordon should know this is the kind of thing he’ll hear if he starts beef with an opposing player. There is a 100% chance Gordon has already heard similar trash talk in the two games he’s played this season.\nGordon finished the game with three catches for 69 yards and a touchdown. Randall surrendered one of those catches." ]

[ "Where would everyone be if we had nothing to hope for, nothing is unreachable, no daydream to big. It is only a daydream until it becomes a reality, it is up to you to change that, believe in yourself a little more and anything is possible.\\nAs much as I like miss sherber I am going to disagree with her, there have been many things that I have daydreamed about, and then turned that dream into a reality, she is right sometimes it isn't as good as the daydream, and sometimes it is better. But you will never know until you do something about it." ]

[ "This seems like a sort of ridiculous thing to ask here. Why not just do a search for math trivia? Here is a link for example that I found right away.", "I agree with you! Why are there so many... There is a certain pride to doing things...If your'e going to do something, do it right. Most people don't seem to care.", "BCBS seems to cover everything. Lots of choices for pills and other things. Call them or go online.\\n\\nAs far as why men are liars, that's a tough one.", "Clinton was far more articulate. His lies actually made you think 'maybe he telling the truth'. I assume that because he was a lawyer and thats what they do best. Bush has a Business degree. Thats why he always seems to be trying to 'sell' us something.", "The prefessionals seem to do it, so why not you?", "I would ask her why she moved so far away if she wanted to \"eventually work things out?\" If you and the baby momma are meant to be together, you'll find a way to get back together. Do you love her??? DO you feel like she IS the one?? If so, DONT LOSE HER!! Figure out a way for her to give you another chance. (ROSES AND CHOCOLATE ARE A PLUS!!) Hope I've helped. Good luck!", "Actually, the Earth does move ever so slightly closer and farther from the sun at different times of the year. However, this is not what causes the change in temperature. The change in temperature is mainly caused by the tilt of the earth towards or away from the sun. So, for us in the Northern Hemisphere....during the winter, the northern axis of the earth is tilted slightly away from the sun. This means that the suns rays during the day are less direct on this part of the world. It's also why the sun seems to always be in your eyes during winter driving. It never rises far above the horizon.", "Best thing to do is simply get up and walk away.", "I worked a career far less than a year ago. Yes there are a lot of candidates and it can be very overwhelming. The best thing to do is to have a few representatives from the company there to do on the spot interviews. The only candidates that should be getting these interviews are people who \"stand out in the crowd.\" By saying this I mean people whose resumes AND personalities seem like the best fit for the company you are there for. Not just one OR the other.", "I have alot of experience with this and I have learned one important thing....there are one of these people at every single job/workplace. If you are not his supervisor, do nothing. It seems the boss likes him so your best bet is to go to work, do your thing, keep to yourself, then go home.", "Ok, you know you did the crime so why not just turn yourself in and do the time? Get it over with. You can run as far away as you want but this will live w/ you forever. Crime doesnt pay at all.\\n\\nBtw, its people like you with the dui that my sister is dead today.", "when u start 2 push us away it can make us feel like we've\\nbecome borin so we might try 2 hang out w/ ya more and try 2 seem like we're more fun 2 b w/. best thing 2 do is let us down nicely. talk 2 us bout y u dont want us anymore", "May be your reaction went too far as to scare him away. Now that you've realised your mistake, why not give him a call and ask why you haven't seen him all along. Ask him to take you to see a new movie at the theatre. If he also loves you, he'd be so glad for the opportunity. Please don't scare him away next time. Be gentle.", "government always tend to take little things out of proportion,and when someone committed a real crime they barley do anything,but no it doesn't seem right,they took it a little to far with the live with someone else thing", "I dont know why they do those things.....seems like people will try to rationlize actions in some insane ways... tribal warfare is nuts......thank God I live in the US.. we have our problems ...poverty...crime..democrats..it is still the best place to live.......peace", "I have heard rumblings of people who have had they're land and businesses taken away but it seems far from a revolution at this point.", "This may a bit too far away for you but the Brunswick County courses in southern NC are said to be some of the best in the country.", "Anything AMD go with an NForce4 based board. As far as best? There is no real answer. But, I can give this advise. Go cheap. ECS and others make really good motherboards and lower prices. Read the ECS reviews on Newegg to see. Check out my link below. Extra money doesn't mean extra speed. It seems a $60 board performs equal to a $250 board. So why spend the extra?", "A country mile is actually the same distance as a regular mile except that in the country sometimes a mile seems a lot further because it is so far between things. The wide open spaces make any mile in the country seem much longer than a mile in the city or urbanized areas.", "I have answered this question several times with the genetic version of this answer. but why ask why? Does it really matter? Aren't we all, ultimately the children of GOd? and if so, why do we hate eachother so much? Is it Wrong to be Gay? Black? Asian? Jewish, Christian if God made us this way??\\n\\nAdditional Details:\\n\\nAs far as Homosexuality beinga demoneic thing... then why dogs hump other dogs of the same sex? are they evil too?", "Papelbon's done pretty well so far. Why not let him do it until he shows he can't?", "No, she has so much other things to do, why would she bother with emails, she has people doing her emails 4 her,\\n\\n\\nplz choose me 4 best answer", "wait...1st of all why can you tell the person yourself;you can ask the email add instead so that you yourself will tell them and lastly i cant because i am far away from that person and i dont like them both!", "Kerry isn't far left. You're just so far right that he looks further away.", "The best thing you can do is stay away from that site. It is dangerous, and gets alot of people in trouble.I would not put anything on there.", "Why is it these days that people seem to think that kids are hyper-active? It is NORMAL for children to be energetic. You worry when they are NOT energetic. This is when they are learning the most and need to have things to do that will help them learn. Sometimes, you need to get them out and let them just run and jump and climb, so they can develop their muscles, as well as wearing them out enough so they will pay attention when you are trying to teach them things that require them to sit still.\\nLittle boys are usually far more interested in the physical exercise than the other things, and this is also normal. Don't try to push them into doing things they are not ready to do. Don't let other people tell you that there is something wrong with your child, because he is different from others. We are ALL different. DON'T let the doctors give him drugs to \"calm him down.\"", "the common cold is a virus and it can not be cured with antibiotics. no virus can be cured with antibiotics. Thats why its seems that when you do take something it does not work. The best thing for a cold is to let it runs it course and if your cold last longer than normal i would seek medical attention. a cold can be a symptom of an underlying problem.", "As far as i know the speed of expansion of the universe\\nis measured by the velocities with which the galaxies are receeding away from us (but why, where is the force ?). The formula is \\n\\nV= H * L\\nH is hubble's constant and L is the distance from the galaxy. So farther is the galaxy, faster it moves !", "It doesn't. Dec. 25 became Christmas to over ride the Pagan/Wiccan holiday of Yule and do away with that tradition. That is where the Yule log and Christmas tree came from. If you look at most Christian holidays they were taken from the Pagan ones to do away with those traditions. The way the Wiccans/Pagans see it it just justifies our religion because they had to go so far out of the way to do away with them. We must be right if Christianity fought so hard to get rid of them.", "Right now, I can only go by what I would want my children's father to do. I would want him to do what is best for him, because in the long run, he would then be able to take care of my children better. Think about the long haul. Set out your pros and cons. Writing letters, sending videos and tapes so your child can see and hear you are some other ways to keep in touch with him. If you decide to stay with UN, always tell your son how much you miss him and love him and that you are always there for him even when you are far away. Make sure you instill that in him so he knows that Daddy loves him and is making a better life for him. \\n\\nThat is what I would want my children's father to do. What ever is best for you, will be best for your child. You seem like a wonderful dad and I am proud of you.", "Well it seems that your doing everything right so far.\\n\\nBut you must remember that guys are shy when it becomes to girls that they like. \\n\\nI really think he likes you (which is why he is quiet) so if you up to it, just ask him and i know he will feel more confident and start talking more about his feelings.\\n\\nAt least that works for me.", "Do you know how few draft picks there are in the draft. If you are not known already, why bother? The best thing to do is go to a NBA camp, or go to college." ]

[ "It almost complete equivalent, it's жемчужина, like in жемчужина коллекции. Here's an example of real-life usage:\n\n\n Один из коллекционеров марок в Красноярске выставил на продажу\n жемчужину своей коллекции – оригинал марки, выпущенной еще во времена\n Российской Империи в 1914 году.\n\n\nor\n\n\n Настоящей жемчужиной выставки является картина «Поклонение волхвов»" ]

[ "tl;dr The Hebrew is also ambiguous.\n\nIn the Hebrew:\n\n\n &rlm; (16) וְֽהוֹשִׁיעָ֞ם יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֵיהֶ֛ם בַּיּ֥וֹם הַה֖וּא כְּצֹ֣אן עַמּ֑וֹ כִּ֚י אַבְנֵי־נֵ֔זֶר מִֽתְנוֹסְס֖וֹת עַל־אַדְמָתֽוֹ׃ (17) כִּ֥י מַה־טּוּב֖וֹ וּמַה־יָפְי֑וֹ דָּגָן֙ בַּֽחוּרִ֔ים וְתִיר֖וֹשׁ יְנוֹבֵ֥ב בְּתֻלֽוֹת׃ &lrm; (Westminster Leningrad Codex)\n\n\nThe words translated \"How wonderful and beautiful they will be\" / \"For how great is his goodness, and how great his beauty\" are \"כִּ֥י מַה־טּוּב֖וֹ וּמַה־יָפְי֑וֹ\". These words mean \"what is his goodness and what is his beauty\", in singular-male. Thus, the ambiguity is already in the Hebrew: the goodness and beauty may refer to God, the people, or even the crown jewels.", "The Ottoman Empire was not an Arabian empire, but a Turkish one. So they had no reason to uproot their capital from Turkish lands and move it to an Arabian region.\n\nIn addition, Constantinople Istanbul was way better than Damascus, Cairo, and Baghdad at everything. It had a strategic position on the Bosphorus Strait, and was also close to Europe, which allowed for better coordination of war and trade. It was the crown jewel of the Eastern Roman Empire in terms of culture and wealth, and it was even close to the previous Ottoman capital, Edirne. It was well-defended with two sets of famous walls.", "You are looking for the crown jewel of the Mexican repertoir: Huapango, composed by José Pablo Moncayo.\n\nThe violins start playing the theme of your first two lines right after the 1 minute mark in this performance.", "Пойти в кого-то is an idiom that means inheriting some personal traits from ancestors. For me it's difficult to translate your phrase without a context, namely, what qualities are implied. I can imagine something like Он очень умный. В кого он такой пошёл?. This is translated as \"He's very smart. Whom did he inherit this from?\". However, it sounds quite formal, whereas пойти в кого-то is informal in Russian. Probably, there's some similar idiom in English.", "According to the Anchor Yale Dictionary, there is no extra-biblical mention of Nazereth, prior to 300 AD. As such, the conjecture is that Nazereth was just a minor village in the proximity of Sepphoris, the town Josephus called \"the crown jewel of the Galilee.\"\n\nThe much larger town of Sepphoris was only a few kilometers away, and is more likely to have been where Joseph and Jesus would have worked.", "My guess:\n\n\n Kurosawa / Kurozawa\n\n\nReasons:\n\n\n Akira Kurosawa is apparently a Chelsea fan. Kurozawa is a synthesizer. There is a movie Jellyfish by K. Kurosawa. Akira Kurosawa's Seven samurais is often reffered to as the crown jewel of Japanese film.", "I remember you used Russian equivalent once in quotes of your Russian utterances\n\n\n ..., но чтобы пойти на операцию по изменению линий на руке?..\n\n\nor it can be expressed without the rhetorical question\n\n\n ..., но не настолько/не до такой (же) степени, чтобы пойти/идти на\n операцию по изменению линий на руке.", "I don't think there is a symbol equivalent to \"the Crown\" to refer to the power of the Catholic Church. The more commonly used expression is:\n\nThe Vatican:\n\n\n \n the authority and government of the pope. \n \n\n\n..... to speak allegiance to the crown while thinking, or feeling, an interior allegiance \"to the Vatican.\"", "The phrase comes from a Soviet movie 'Mimino' (1977), and its particular form (both intransitive verbs are used as transitive ones) is a joke (by the movie authors) about typically Georgian imperfectness in speaking Russian (by the movie plot, the character is from Georgia). The phrase was pronounced as an argument in a restaurant and its meaning was: 'the one who's invited a girl for dinner has an exclusive right to dance with her' (Кто пригласил девушку на ужин, тот с ней и будет танцевать). As it often happens with especially catchy phrases from movies, later it started to be used as an idiom (about some other rights).", "The events in Saudi Arabia do not follow the normal scheduling for WWE Pay-Per-Views.\n\n\nGreatest Royal Rumble - Friday, April 27, 2018\nCrown Jewel (2018) - Friday, November 2, 2018\nSuper ShowDown - Thursday - June 7, 2019\n\n\nFor reasoning, one must assume that this is at the request and arrangement of the Saudi authorities and the WWE's internal scheduling requirements given the need for many of the Superstars to appear at live house shows and the Raw and Smackdown TV shows on Monday and Friday.", "Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, &quot;De Vitis Caesarum&quot;, 43:\n\nLecticarum usum, item conchyliatae vestis et margaritarum nisi certis personis et aetatibus perque certos dies ademit.\n\nIn classical Russian translation by Gasparov it's &quot;pearls&quot;:\n\nНосил­ки, а так­же пур­пур­ные пла­тья и жем­чуж­ные укра­ше­ния он оста­вил в употреб­ле­нии толь­ко для опре­де­лен­ных лиц, опре­де­лен­ных воз­рас­тов и в опре­де­лен­ные дни.\n\nI'm not sure what English translation is relevant. The only one I can find for some reason talks about &quot;jewels&quot; instead of &quot;pearls&quot;:\n\nThe use of litters for travelling, purple robs, and jewels, he permitted only to persons of a certain age and station, and on particular days.", "Buddhists don't praying Buddha. Not reciting chants as devotee does for other gods. \nWe just ignite candle which is symbol of enlightenment and we just pay homage to Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha those are Three Jewels.\nFaith in Buddhism centres on belief in the Three Jewels.\n\n\n Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.\n Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.\n Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi. \n \n I take refuge in the Buddha.\n I take refuge in the Dharma.\n I take refuge in the Sangha.\n\n\nBuddhist don't believe in god and Buddha never said anything about god.\nSo he criticized because of distracting people which Buddha never mentioned this in his techniques or what people supposed him as (that god is exist and can help someone with something) so he wasn't god just ordinary human being like us.\nBut he enlightened one and became Buddha.\n\nThere's Buddha delivered discourse Jewels in Ratana Sutta \n\nRatana Sutta \n\n*RATANA SUTTA\nThe Buddha’s Discourse on\nThe Three Superb Jewels\nAnd Their Intrinsic Power \n\nWith an Introduction, Translation, and\n Explanations Based on Pali Sources by\nBhikkhu Nanadassana\n\n1.Yànãdha bhåtàni samàgatàni,\nBhummàni và yàni va antalikkhe,\nSabbe'va bhåtà sumanà bhavantu,\nAtho' pi sakkacca suõantu bhàsitaŋ. \n\n\n 1.Whatever beings are here assembled,\n Whether terrestrial or celestial,\n May all beings be glad.\n Moreover,may they attentively\n Listen to what is said: \n\n\n2.Tasmà hi bhåtà nisàmetha sabbe,\nMetta ŋkarotha mànusiyà pajàya,\nDivà ca ratto ca haranti ye baliŋ,\nTasmà hi ne rakkhatha appamattà. \n\n\n 2.Therefore, pay heed all you beings,\n Show your friendliness to humankind,\n Who day and night bring you offerings.\n Hence, protect them diligently. \n\n\n3.Yaŋ ki¤ci vittaŋ idha và huraŋ và\nSaggesu và yaŋ ratanaŋ paõãtaŋ\nNa no samaŋ atthi Tathàgatena.\nIdam'pi Buddhe ratanaŋ paõãtaŋ.\nEtena saccena suvatthi hotu! \n\nSuvatthi(su-\"good, well\"+atthi\"to be, being\") = well-being\n:good health or fortune.\nOr as the Commentary ex-plains: arogatā (healthiness), \nnirupaddavatā (no danger, safety). \n\n\n 3.Whatever treasure there is here or beyond,\n Or whatever superb jewel is in the heavens,\n None is equal to the Tathàgata (the Buddha).\n Verily, in the Buddha is this superb jewel.\n By virtue of this truth may there be well-being! \n\n\n4.Khayaŋ viràgaŋ amataŋ paõãtaŋ\nYadajjhagà Sakyamunã samàhito\nNa tena Dhammena samatthi ki¤ci.\nIdam'pi Dhamme ratanaŋ paõãtaŋ.\nEtena saccena suvatthi hotu! \n\n\n 4.There is nothing equal to that Dhamma\n Of the superb Extinction (of defilements),\n Dispassion, and Deathlessness (Nibbàna),\n Which the concentrated Sakyan Sage (the Buddha) has realized.\n Verily, in the Dhamma is this superb jewel.\n By virtue of this truth may there be well-being! \n\n\n5.Yaŋ Buddhaseññho parivaõõayã suciŋ\nSamàdhim'ànantarika¤'¤am'àhu.\nSamàdhinà tena samo na vijjati.\nIdam'pi Dhamme ratanaŋ paõãtaŋ.\nEtena saccena suvatthi hotu! \n\n\n 5.That Purity which the Supreme Buddha extolled\n Is called \"concentration with immediate effect\".\n Nothing equal to that concentration is found.\n Verily, in the Dhamma is this superb jewel.\n By virtue of this truth may there be well-being! \n\n\n6.Ye puggalà aññha sataŋ pasatthà\nCattàri etàni yugàni honti.\nTe dakkhiõeyyà Sugatassa sàvakà,\nEtesu dinnàni mahapphalàni\nIdam'pi Saïghe ratanaŋ paõãtaŋ.\nEtena saccena suvatthi hotu!\n\n\n 6.Those eight individuals\n That are praised by the Virtuous Ones\n Constitute the four pairs (of persons).\n They, the worthy of offerings, \n Are the disciples of the Well-farer (the Buddha),\n And gifts given to them yield abundant fruit.\n Verily, in the Saïgha is this superb jewel.\n By virtue of this truth may there be well-being! \n\n\n7.Ye suppayuttà manasà daëhena,\nNikkàmino Gotamasàsanamhi,\nTe pattipattà amataŋ vigayha,\nLaddhà mudhà nibbutiŋ bhu¤jamànà.\nIdam'pi Saïghe ratanaŋ paõãtaŋ.\nEtena saccena suvatthi hotu! \n\n\n 7.Those who with a steadfast mind,\n Apply themselves well\n In the Buddha Gotama's Teaching,\n Being desireless, attain the highest gain.\n They plunge into the Deathlessness (Nibbàna)\n And enjoy the peace of emancipation,\n Obtained for free.\n Verily, in the Saïgha is this superb jewel.\n By virtue of this truth may there be well-being! \n\n\n8.Yathindakhãlo pañhaviŋ sito siyà\nCatubbhi vàtehi asampakampiyo,\nTathåpamaŋ sappurisaŋ vadàmi,\nYo ariyasaccàni avecca passati.\nIdam'pi Saïghe ratanaŋ paõãtaŋ.\nEtena saccena suvatthi hotu! \n\n\n 8.Just as a city-post fixed firmly in the ground\n Is unshake able by the four winds,\n So too, I declare, is the virtuous person\n Who sees the Noble Truths unwaveringly.\n Verily, in the Saïgha is this superb jewel.\n By virtue of this truth may there be well-being! \n\n\n9.Ye Ariyasaccàni vibhàvayanti,\nGambhãrapa¤¤ena sudesitàni,\nKi¤càpi te honti bhusappamattà\nNa te bhavaŋ aññhamaŋ àdiyanti.\nIdam'pi Saïghe ratanaŋ paõãtaŋ. \n\n\n 9.Those who clearly comprehend the Noble\n Truths, Well taught by him of profound wisdom\n Even if they are very negligent,\n They do not take up an eighth rebirth.\n Verily, in the Saïgha is this superb jewel.\n By virtue of this truth may there be well-being! \n\n\n10.Sahàvassa dassanasampadàya\nTayassu dhammà jahità bhavanti:\nSakkàyadiññhi, vicikicchita¤ca\nSãlabbataŋ và'pi yadatthi ki¤ci.\nCatåhapàyehi ca vippamutto,\nCha càbhiñhànàni abhabbo kàtuŋ.\nIdam'pi Saïghe ratanaŋ paõãtaŋ.\nEtena saccena suvatthi hotu! \n\n\n 10.Just with his gaining of insight\n He abandons three states of mind:\n Self-identity view, sceptical doubt,\n And whatsoever [grasping to]\n Mere rules and observances.\n He is also fully freed from (rebirth in)\n The four woeful worlds (apàyas),\n And is incapable of committing\n The six major misdeeds.\n Verily, in the Saïgha is this superb jewel.\n By virtue of this truth may there be well-being! \n\n\n11.Ki¤càpi so kammaŋ karoti pàpakaŋ\nKàyena vàcà uda cetasà và,\nAbhabbo so tassa pañicchàdàya,\nAbhabbatà diññhapadassa vuttà.\nIdam'pi Saïghe ratanaŋ paõãtaŋ.\nEtena saccena suvatthi hotu! \n\n\n 11.Any evil action he may still commit\n By body, speech, or mind,\n He is incapable of concealing it;\n For it is said that such incapability\n Is of one who has seen the Path (of Nibbàna).\n Verily, in the Saïgha is this superb jewel.\n By virtue of this truth may there be well-being! \n\n\n12.Vanappagumbe yathà phussitagge\nGimhànamàse pañhamasmiŋ gimhe,\nTathåpamaŋ \nDhammavaraŋ ade sayã,\nNibbànagàmiŋ paramaŋ hitàya.\nIdam'pi Buddhe ratanaŋ paõãtaŋ.\nEtena saccena suvatthi hotu! \n\n\n 12.As a woodland grove is crowned \n With blossoming flowers\n During the heat of the first month of the summer,\n Even so (crowned) is the sublime Dhamma\n Leading to Nibbàna which\n He (the Buddha)\n Expounded for the highest good.\n Verily, in the Buddha is this superb jewel.\n By virtue of this truth may there be well-being! \n\n\n13.Varo, vara¤¤å, varado, varàha ro,\nAnuttaro Dhammavaraŋ adesayã.\nIdam'pi Buddhe ratanaŋ paõãtaŋ.\nEtena saccena suvatthi hotu! \n\n\n 13.He, the Sublime one (the Buddha),\n The Knower of the Sublime (Nibbàna),\n The Giver of the Sublime (Dhamma),\n The Bringer of the Sublime (Noble Path),\n The Peerless one (the Buddha)\n Taught the Sublime Dhamma.\n Verily, in the Buddha is this \n superb jewel.\n By virtue of this truth may there be well-being! \n\n\n14.Khãõaŋ puràõaŋ, navaŋ natthi sambhavaŋ\nVirattacittà àyatike bhavasmiŋ,\nTe khãõabãjà aviråëhicchandà,\nNibbanti dhãrà yathàyaŋ padãpo.\nIdam'pi Saïghe ratanaŋ paõãtaŋ.\nEtena saccena suvatthi hotu! \n\n\n 14.Their old (kamma) is destroyed,\n No new (kamma) is produced,\n And their mind is unattached to future rebirth.\n Those wise ones,with the seed (of rebirth-consciousness) destroyed,\n And with no more desire for further growth,\n Go out as the flame of a lamp.\n Verily, in the Saïgha is this superb jewel.\n By virtue of this truth may there be well-being! \n\n\n(Spoken by Sakka, Lord of the gods)\n\n15.Yànãdha bhåtàni samàgatàni,\nBhummàni và yàni và antalikkhe,\nTathàgataŋ devamanussapåjitaŋ,\nBuddhaŋ namassàma.\nSuvatthi hotu! \n\n\n 15.Whatever beings are here assembled,\n Whether terrestrial or celestial,\n Let us revere the perfect Buddha\n Honoured by gods and men.\n May there be well-being! \n\n\n16.Yànãdha bhåtàni samàgatàni,\nBhummàni và yàni và antalikkhe,\nTathàgataŋ devamanussapåjitaŋ,\nDhammaŋ namassàma.\nSuvatthi hotu! \n\n\n 16.Whatever beings are here assembled,\n Whether terrestrial or celestial,\n Let us revere the perfect Dhamma\n Honoured by gods and men.\n May there be well-being! \n\n\n17.Yànãdha bhåtàni samàgatàni,\nBhummàni và yàni và antalikkhe,\nTathàgataŋ devamanussapåjitaŋ,\nSaïghaŋ namassàma. Suvatthi hotu! \n\n\n 17.Whatever beings are here assembled,\n Whether terrestrial or celestial,\n Let us revere the perfect Saïgha\n Honoured by gods and men.\n May there be well-being!", "For a non-ASL example as requested: I don't know the Brazilian sign language (Libras) at all, but it was easy to find articles claiming that yes, they have idioms distinct from Brazilian Portuguese. One example is \"expensive eye\" = attentive onlooker vs. \"cheap eye\" = distracted person; another is \"to squeeze your belly\" = to laugh a lot. In other cases, idioms are direct calques from Brazilian Portuguese, like \"wood face\" = shameless, brazen.[1]\n\nAlbres et al. [2] have a short quantitative study where they classified 243 metaphors and idioms, and compared them between the two languages:\n\n\n121 items were shared in form and meaning;\n26 were non-literal forms with different meanings (\"crown\" is \"old woman\" in Brazilian Portuguese, \"knowledgeable person\" in Libras);\n14 are classified by them as something like translations with different morphemes (Portuguese \"I've caught you in the flagra [= in a flagrant act; red-handed]\" ~= Libras \"saw-hour\");\n82 metaphors and idioms were specific to Libras.\n\n\nI'm dying to see the full list, but couldn't locate it online.\n\nReferences:\n\n[1] Sandra P. F. Nascimento and Cristiane B. Nascimento. Introdução aos estudos linguísticos: Língua de Sinais Brasileira e Língua Portuguesa em foco. 2010.\n[2] Neiva de Aquino ALBRES. Tenha “OLHO CARO”: a interpretação de expressões idiomáticas da Língua de Sinais Brasileira. 2006.", "I don't think \"none the wiser\" fits here. Here're its translations into Russian, and neither it does as per its definition in English - English dictionaries.\n\nIt rather means to not know, understand or find out after the fact, not as something is happening.\n\nThe Russian phrase in question means \"and we have no idea whatsoever / are totally oblivious\". Its synonym would be an idiom \"a мы ни сном, ни духом\" or a relatively more straightforward phrase \"a мы даже не знаем/не в курсе/понятия не имеем\"\n\nMaybe it would fit if the sentence were conditional\n\n\n Если бы сейчас, пока мы разговариваем, в город проникли британские солдаты, мы\n остались бы в полном неведении / бы ничего (даже) не узнали / бы ни о чём (даже) не догадались.", "Well, I actually can think of three, not one idiom that can be used (they are not interchangeable, each of them is applicable only for one of examples provided in the question):\n\n\n Команда будет играть на своём стадионе. Что ж, у ребят хорошие шансы на победу - дома, как говорится, и стены помогают.\n\n\nThe next one is the quite odd and on of my Russian favorites (though I love dogs ))) - \"собаку съесть [на\nчём-то, в какой-либо теме] - literally to eat a dog.\n\n\n Ты так хорошо разбираешься в этом! - Да, нет. Просто я же на этом собаку съел. Это же - моя сфера. Я этим занимаюсь всю жизнь.\n\n\nLast one is less exact however very close:\n\n\n Ты только дома такой борзый. За границей - никогда. В общем, смелый ты только, когда никто не видит.", "The expression is indeed filer à l'anglaise (backed up by Wiktionnaire).\n\nI don't think there's a specific noun for this. If I were translating something like \"Where is he?\" — \"On French leave\" I would just use the past tense: « Où est-il ? » — « Il a filé à l'anglaise. »\n\nIn general, a dictionary with a dedicated entry for an idiom should be trusted over Google Translate, in my experience. You really don't know what mélange of contexts the latter has found equivalents in, or if it even knows it should take the two words as a whole.\n\nAlso, don't worry about \"leave\" = congé on its own. Since \"French leave\" is an idiom, there's no way to guess the meaning from the parts alone. congé + français won't add up to \"French leave\" and it doesn't have to.", "I would say for -ов, -ова a closer analogy (in the sense of grammar) would be the surnames like Jones, Peters (in the sense that they are Jone's, Peter's children, a Russian obsolete form would be Иванов сын - son of Ivan, hence the modern surname Иванов, where it kind of lost its original son part). It just happens that -son names are popular in Germanic languages, while -ов is very popular in Russian, that's why it may be perceived as equivalent.\n\nAs for patronymics, the correct forms (depending of the stem) are -ович/-евич/-ич (male), -овна/-евна/-ична/-инична (female) - e.g. Петрович, Петровна. In modern Russian these forms derive directly from father's name (interestingly, even if the father is unknown or has a non-Russian name some patronynic will be used in their passport, maybe with some rare exceptions) so the name of the father is clear from them. I wouldn't say it's full equivalent of -son, because the name ending in -son says nothing of the father, but a Russian patronymic says it.", "Well, as for \"Место встречи изменить нельзя\", the main positive character there is Володя Шарапов, Глеб Жеглов is more like a controversial one, the whole idea of the film is to make the audience decide by themselves as for how much positive Жеглов really is, when he is right and when he is wrong. The scene from this film you referred to is perhaps the key scene of the film, and it shows the edge where the opinions of Шарапов and Жеглов come to the utmost collision which remains unsolved within the course of the film. In that scene Жеглов is indignant and raises his voice to show how much he believes in what he does and in what he says.\n\nAs for the \"magic phrase\", I cannot give you something universal, it all heavily depends on a number of factors: how well you know the other person, how well the person knows you, the point of your discourse, the other person's temper, at what terms you and the other person are, how polite and educated the other person is, etc.\n\nNaturally, the most neutral phrase is\n\n\n Пожалуйста, говорите [по-]тише!\n\n\nA bit trickier one will appeal to the other person's common sense:\n\n\n Пожалуйста, не кричите, я вас и так понимаю! – Please, don't shout, I can well understand you [without your shouting]!\n\n\nIf you and the other person are friends and на ты, you can use a very familiar phrase\n\n\n Что ты орёшь как резаный[-ая]!\n\n\nThis one uses an idiom, орать как резаный, which means 'to shout very loudly, like a domestic animal when it's killed'. This can be impolite only to the people with whom you are на вы, with friends it is OK, especially if you say it in a joking tone. That's a famous idiom, it is not shocking to anyone.\n\nThere is one more idiom you can use, but it is a bit archaic, still it will sound very Russian and will be understood:\n\n\n Что ты кричишь во всю Ивановскую?\n\n\nКричать во всю Ивановскую means 'to shout very loudly, like the tzar's heralds when they announced the tzar's orders at the Ivanovskaya Square in front of the Ivan the Great Bell Tower in the Kremlin, Moscow.' Using this idiom can make the other person stop and start thinking about how you know the idiom and why \"Ivanovskaya\", because not everyone knows the origin of the idiom, although most people heard it.\n\nOr you can just say\n\n\n Не кричи[те], а то голос сорвё[шь|те]! – Don't shout or you'll disrupt your voice!\n\n\nThis can be useful if your companion is a linguist/student/teacher, etc., that is the one who needs the good voice for work.\n\nTo my mind, the only way you can use a Russian proverb about shouting is the situation when you come to a company of people who speak much too loud, or you enter a room with such a company, you can make them stop shouting by saying\n\n\n Что за крик, а драки нет? – What's the shout and still there's no fight?\n\n\nThis should be used wisely, best to your friends, or pupils, or children, because if you say that to some strangers in the street they can well follow your advice and start a fight ^_^.\n\nIn any way, there is no single \"magic word\" you need (there is actually one, MA-A-AЛЧА-А-А-АТЬ!!!, but it's definitely not the one you need). My advice is just making your Russian friends understand you hate shouting, reminding them about it all the time, soon they'll improve their speech habits or at least they'll learn to adjust them to you.", "Many works of literature derive a lot of value from implied context.\n\nCultural norms. Idioms. Insider jokes. \n\nThis is especially a big factor in a book which contains elements of humor (especially parody) - but not necessarily.\n\nWhen translating, this layer of implied information is frequently irrevocably lost - both due to the new audience's unfamiliarity with cultural norms and idioms and references.\n\nI have observed this frequently. Russian translations of \"Ivanhoe\" almost entirely missed out on anti-semitic and general religious angle associated with Rebeccah and Isaac characters, despite that being an important part of the work. Much of \"Three Musketeers\" translations suffer from readers being unaware of the actual role and impact of Cardinal Richelieu, his sociopolitical reasons for prohibiting duels (which was a driving plot), and French perspective on Britain around 30-year-war.\n\nArkady and Boris Strugatsky (who were intimately familiar with the issues, due to their side work as professional translators and interpreters - Japanese and English iirc) poignantly covered some of the issues involved in \"Ugly Swans\" novel, whose protagonist is a successful writer, and in the course of the novel is shown to work with a Japanese translator of his books, trying in vain to explain Russian idiomatic expressions.\nLinguistic nuances.\n\nBetter quality literary works don't just contain information - their use of language matters greatly. The writer's style and language use is extremely difficult to relay when translating, even for a true well-meaning expert.\nLanguage concepts and linguistic relativity.\n\nThis is getting into the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis territory.\n\nCertain things simply come packaged with the language, including mental concepts. A well publicized research[1] even showed that concepts of tense can influence economic behavior.\n\nThis relativity is again lost when translating, unless care is taken.\n\n[1] - The Effect of Language on Economic Behavior: Evidence from\nSavings Rates, Health Behaviors, and Retirement Assets; M. Keith Chen\nDifficulty in translating specific words\n\nI think it's the lesser of the problems, but even when translating my own internal thoughts between English and Russian (i'm fluent in both) I frequently get stumped when trying to translate a pithy term that's lacking in another language. Partly, that's also due to implied concept.", "The MacGuffin is bound with the plot - it can't be any random thing not related in any way to the plot around it. Consider some examples:\n\n\nThe Hobbit: Thorin wants to find the Arkenstone, a particularly beautiful and precious jewel. He is not looking for a briefcase full of money - that wouldn't fit the setting. The MacGuffin in this story must be something unique, recognisable, valuable in general and also particularly precious to the character. It must be a symbol. The exact nature of the item - whether a stone, or a sword, or a crown - is irrelevant.\nThe Three Musketeers must retrieve the Queen's diamond studs. Again, the exact nature of the incriminating love-gift is irrelevant, but it must be something that can function as a gift from a husband to a wife and from a woman to her lover. A briefcase full of money will not do.\nIndiana Jones is after some sort of ancient treasure in each film. The MacGuffin must therefore fit into this frame.\nIn a thriller, on the other hand, a briefcase full of money is a perfectly fine thing to chase, fight over, etc.\n\n\nIt follows that to create a good MacGuffin, you must be guided by the function it must perform in your story, by the place it holds, by what your story is about and where/when it is set. Sure, a MacGuffin doesn't do anything, but it is sought after by certain people. What kind of object would be valuable to the characters you've created?", "If I understand your question you know the Russian translations of \"shut up\", but you are also alluding to the expression of incredulity that often comes with \"shut up\" in some contexts. You called it \"a complement\". So, you're trying to avoid this, and convey the main meaning of the expression, i.e. to make someone stop talking.\n\nThe good news is that Russian translations such as \"заткнись\" or \"(за)молчи\" do not have additional meanings. Заткнись is rather aggressive and/or rude, замолчи or молчи are less aggressive, but still are direct and demanding.\n\nThere are many other equivalents such us those in other answers, of course. All of them are of different level of rudeness and aggression, which is difficult to gauge for a beginner Russian speaker. That's why I would try not directly asking someone to shut up in Russian while still learning the basics.", "\"This isn't the first time the Russian government has used the method of 'resetting' the negativity accumulated in mutual relations, when, to put it bluntly, all of the mud is poured wholesale [sic] behind the outgoing Washington administration's collar, while relations with the new people start with a clean slate.\"\n\n\nВласти is often used as if it were pluralia tantum (cf. the authorities). It has a stronger implication of agency than власть, which usually refers to power/government/authority as an abstract concept, or else to a particular authority when it appears as a kind of presence, a thing to be dealt with; власти is a government as a doer of things or an active participant in something.\n\nНе впервой is a way of saying someone (appearing in the dative form) has done the action referred to before, with the implication that they're either experienced at it or use it as a preferred m.o.\n\nНегатив is an unpleasantly slangy-with-a-touch-of-vogue-word general term for, essentially, anything bad that's communicated.\n\n\n когда, грубо говоря, все помои оптом сливаются за шиворот\n\n\nThat's some truly horrible style by someone who thinks they're being edgy when they're just being stylistically tone-deaf; I'm surprised someone actually wrote that, as opposed to said in a trascribed interview, where it would at least be excusable. Шиворот is a term for \"collar\" that mostly appears in the idiom за шиворот, which usually refers not to the metaphorical action here (tugging at someone's collar and dumping a lot of filthy liquid under their shirt) but to grabbing someone by the collar or scruff of the neck. Another idiom is шиворот-навыворот, a vernacular rough equivalent of \"topsy-turvy\" that's not seeing a lot of use these days.\n\nОптом is a particularly horrible word choice here — the deliberate kind of horrible, by someone who presumably congratulated themselves on what they thought was the energetic, p*ss-and-vinegar quality of their journalistic copy. Anyway, not to rant too much, the word is not used in this random kind of manner, even by people who don't care how they sound. It's just weird and clunky.\n\nОбнуление is literally a reset to zero, semi-figuratively to a \"clean-slate\" state.", "Bellatrix Lestrange was the wealthiest\n\nBellatrix's lifestyle makes it evident that she's very rich. She, unlike Lucius, has no children so her money has stayed her own.\n\nNow we take a look at the Deathly Hallows book.\n\nChapter 26, page 437\n\n\n \"Make him press his hand to the door!\" Griphook urged Harry,who turned\n his wand again upon Bogrod.\n \n The old goblin obeyed, pressing his palm to the wood, and the door of\n the vault melted away to reveal a cave-like opening crammed from floor\n to ceiling with golden coins and goblets, silver armour, skins of\n strange creatures, some with long spines, others with drooping wings,\n potions in jewelled, and a skull still wearing it's crown.\n\n\nThis clearly says that Bellatrix was the richest in the wizarding world. But as she died in the battle of Hogwarts, her riches might have been given to Narcissa.\n\nIf she had given her money to Narcissa Malfoy, then the Malfoys would have been the wealthiest as they were already very wealthy. Therefore, Draco Malfoy (to whom the riches might have been inherited) may be the richest wizard in this case.\n\nIf not, it's Bellatrix.", "So far as I can make out, the EU's treatment of the Channel Islands is not effectively hindered by the UK's membership of the EU. \n\nIf so, Brexit will not gain the EU much leverage that it doesn't already wield.\n\n\n the Channel Islands are more or less the personal property of the British Royal House\n\n\nThey are not personal property.\n\nThe Channel Islands are \"crown possessions\" but the crown is a metonym for both the state and monarch. \n\n\n The concept of the Crown developed first in England as a separation of the literal crown and property of the nation state from the person and personal property of the monarch.\n\n\nWikipedia\n\n\n are member of EU's common market by proxy of UK's EU membership\n\n\nThat's not quite right, and the details matter.\n\n\n the Islands are part of the Customs Union and are essentially within the Single Market for the purposes of trade in goods, but are third countries (ie outside the EU) in all other respects. \n\n\nEU and the Channel Islands\n\n\n Jersey has a special relationship with the EU through the UK. We are only regarded as being a part of the European Union for trade in goods, otherwise the Island is not a part of the EU. The formal relationship is set out in Protocol 3 of the UK's 1972 Accession Treaty, and you may hear this called the ‘Protocol 3 relationship’. \n\n\nBrexit and Jersey.\n\nNote \"trade in goods\" - I interpret that as excluding trade in services (such as financial services)\n\nThe EU apparently treats the Channel Islands in the same way asfor non-EU states when attempting to restrain the actions of tax havens.\n\n\n Of the jurisdictions with links to the UK – Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, along with Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man – have been placed on a so-called “grey list” who have committed to reform their tax structures to ensure, for example, that firms are not simply using their 0% corporate tax rates to shield their profits.\n \n It is understood the British government tried and failed to ensure those jurisdictions would not be screened by the EU’s tax experts but was overruled. A further eight jurisdictions affected by recent hurricanes will be addressed in February.\n\n\nSo the UK's current status as an EU member is no shield for the Channel Islands in that respect.\n\n\n\n\n the Channel Islands will not enjoy the EU's basic freedoms, especially free movement of capital\n\n\nDo they enjoy them?\n\n\n 5. Relationship to the European Union\n \n The Islands have a special relationship with the European Union provided under Protocol 3 to \n the UK's Treaty of Accession to the European Community. Under Protocol 3, the Islands are \n part of the customs territory of the Union and therefore Union customs matters, the common \n customs tariff, levies, quantitative restrictions and any measures having equivalent effect apply. \n There is free movement of agricultural goods and derived products between the Islands and \n the Union. Also included are measures relating to the trade in agricultural goods and derived \n products with third countries. \n \n However, other EU Rules do not apply to the Crown Dependencies. Implementation of the \n provisions on the free movement of persons, services and capital is therefore not required, and \n the Islands are not eligible for assistance from the structural funds or under the support \n measures for agricultural markets. EU tax instruments do not apply, nor do the developing \n justice and home affairs initiatives or the Schengen acquis, although the Islands support \n improved judicial co-operation within Europe and have also voluntarily applied for recognised \n equivalent status in a number of key law and policy areas. \n\n\nFact sheet on the UK’s relationship with the Crown Dependencies \n\n(my emphasis)", "First talk about translation. \n\n\"This is (a love) worth killing for\" should be translated as 这是(一份)值得為之而杀戮的(爱). \n\n為之而 = for\n\n\"一种爱\" means \"a kind of love\". It is different from \"a love\" (一份爱)\n\nBasically, your translation is quite accurate, but the problem with straight translation is -- \"things get lost in translation\". A common English expression may not be understood by many Chinese \n\nThe English idiom \"at the end of one's rope\" literally means \"在繩索的末端\". Which few if any Chinese could understand it base on the wording. However, the equivalent of this English idiom does exist in Chinese. And it is \"窮途末路\" (No more road; reaching an dead end). Both idiom metaphorically describe \"being hopeless\" ; \"nowhere to turn\"\n\nA similar idiom is 走投無路 (nowhere to run)\n\nFor the same reason, I would rather interpret an English expression with a matching one in Chinese than translate the English expression word for word but doesn't express the metaphorical meaning clearly.\n\nThe line \"a love worth killing for\" in other words is \"It is a love worth doing anything to have\"\n\nThe same sentiment in Chinese would be \"一份值得不擇手段去得到的愛\" (a love worth having by hook or by crook) meaning you would do anything - including killing, to obtain this love\n\nAn idiom similar to 不擇手段 is 不惜一切 (not hesitate to give one's all)", "Nous sommes lundi is a slightly formal/written way to tell which day of the week it is. One can also say Nous sommes [le] lundi premier septembre.\n\nThis French idiom can only be used in the first person plural.\nYou can't say Je suis lundi or ils sont lundi because the current weekday is expected to be the same for everyone.\n\nThe same idiom exists in Spanish: Estamos a lunes and Italian: Siamo [a] lunedì.\n\nIn English, while \"We are Monday\" will sound very foreign, one can say \"We are late\", \"We are on time\" or \"We are in September\" which are close.\n\nAujourd'hui, c'est lundi or simply c'est lundi are fully acceptable equivalents.\n\nOn est lundi is a less formal and more common way to say nous sommes lundi.", "There are two sets of Mahayana sutras:\n\n\nThe seventeen Perfection of Wisdom sutras (Prajnaparamita Sutras), and\nThe other sutras, of the Wheel of Perfect Differentiation.\n\n\nThe first set does not present Indra’s net while the second does. Tibetan traditions posit the first set as being “of definite meaning” and therefore study it and overlook the second. They do not study the sutras of the Wheel of Differentiation except through commentaries refuting their presentations.\n\nOn the other hand, most Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese traditions such as the Huayan school, Chan, Tientai, etc. posit the second set of sutras as being “of definite meaning” and therefore study it and overlook the Perfection of Wisdom sutras.\n\nTherefore, if you want to know more about Indra’s net, you have to look on the side of Zen, etc. because they are more likely to comment sutras that speak of Indra’s net. Among the various sutras of the Wheel of Perfect Differentiation, the most well known are:\n\n\nThe Lankavatara Sutra (remember that Chan masters were first called \"Lankavatara masters\" before the \"Chan\" designation came into being),\nThe Avatamsaka Sutra (Garland of Flowers), that became popular after the Lankavatara was found too complicated for lay people \nThe Lotus sutra,\nThe Tathagatagarbha Sutra, and\nThe Vimalakirti Sutra.\n\n\nMost of them mention Indra (just as the Prajnaparamita Sutras do) but do not mention Indra’s net. For instance, the Vimalakirti Sutra merely mentions Indra. Even the translator's footnotes do not say more than:\n\n\n \n Kausika, Sakra, and Indra all refer to the same god, who, in Buddhist cosmogony is regarded as the king of gods in the desire-realm.\n \n\n\nThis helps you understand that it is not that common a notion.\n\n\nOf these scriptures, only the Avatamsaka Sutra (a 1’500 pages sutra) does. It says:\n\n\n Far away, in the heavenly abode of the great god Indra, there is a wonderful net which has been hung by some cunning artificer in such a manner that it stretches out indefinitely in all directions. In accordance with the extravagant tastes of deities, the artificer has hung a single glittering jewel at the net’s every node, and since the net itself is infinite in dimension, the jewels are infinite in number. There hang the jewels, glittering like stars of the first magnitude. A wonderful sight to behold. If we now arbitrarily select one the these jewels for inspection and look closely at it, we will discover that in its polished surface there are reflected all the other jewels in the net, infinite in number. Not only that, but each of the jewels reflected in this one jewels is also reflecting all the other jewels, so that the process of reflection is infinite.\n\n\nThích Nhất Hạnh is a Vietnamese Zen master in the lineage of Huineng. The Caodong Chan school in China and the Soto Zen school in Japan also proceed from Huineng. In Understanding Our Mind (Chapter 13, Indra’s Net), Thích Nhất Hạnh refers to the Avatamsaka Sutra:\n\n\n Indra's net is a vast, cosmic lattice that contains precious jewels wherever the threads cross. There are millions of ewels strung together to make the net, and each jewel has many facets. When you look at any facet of any jewels, you can see all the other jewels reflected in it. In the world of the Avatamsaka, in Indra's net, the one is present in the all, and the all in the one. This wonderful image was used in Buddhism to illustrate the principle of interdepedence and interpenetration.\n\n\nAnd he explains the meaning:\n\n\n In our ordinary world, we see a teapot as a single, independent object. But if we look deeply enough into the teapot, we will see that it contains many phenomena – earth, water, fire, air, space, and time – and we will realize that in fact the entire universe come together to make this teapot.\n\n\nFrom this Vietnamese Zen perspective, this is analyzing dependent-origination.", "Я пойду дом is ungrammatical in exactly the same way \"I will go house\" is ungrammatical in English. The verb пойти is intransitive and cannot take a direct object.\n\nPart of the confusion is that \"home\" is both a noun and adverb in English. As a noun, it means \"place of residence\" (equivalent to \"дом\" in Russian), while as an adverb, it means \"towards a place of residence\" (equivalent to \"домой\"). In the sentence \"I am going home\", it is serving as an adverb, so you need to use the adverb домой.", "Assuming you mean the \"Black Panther Teaser Trailer,\" this is a special cut of the instrumental version of American hip-hop duo's Run The Jewels' \"Legend Has It\". Run the Jewels is made up of rapper-producer El-P and former Outkast protege and current activist Killer Mike.\n\nYou can hear the sound effect you're seeking kicking in at 40 seconds.", "All of the events leading to Nagi moving out to the Violet Mansion (the apartment building) happens during the Golden Week arc, which is not (yet?) animated.\n\nIn chapter 220, on the trip during the Golden Week, Aika delivers a mail from Mikado to Hayate:\n\n\n Mikado sets a new condition of inheritance, which is to defeat Hayate and either retrieve or destroy the King's Jewel that he is currently carrying. This King's Jewel was given to Hayate by Mikado in chapter 14, during his first visit to the main mansion.\n\n\nIn chapter 244 to 248\n\n\n Hayate and Athena meets again. Athena is possessed by King Midas, and King Midas wants the King's Jewel that Hayate carries to re-enter the Garden Palace and obtain god's power. To save Athena, they must break the \"agreement\" between Athena and King Midas which allows King Midas to possess her, and the only (safe) way to do it is to destroy Hayate's King's Jewel.\n\n\nOn the last day on the trip to Mykonos during Golden Week. In chapter 252:\n\n\n Hayate was troubled over whether to destroy the King's Jewel he has to save Athena, or to keep it to protect Nagi's inheritance. Nagi, seeing Hayate troubled face, decided to break the King's Jewel herself, henceforth loses her rights to the inheritance. She decides to abandon the money that has protected her so far and entrust herself to Hayate to protect her.\n\n\nIn chapter 268 to 270 (after Golden Week arc)\n\n\n They are now back from the trip to Mykonos. Having lost the rights to the Sanzen'in family's inheritance, Nagi has to move out of the mansion in a week. After a series of events, Klaus shows Hayate the apartment building called Violet Mansion, which was given to him by Nagi's mother due to a misunderstanding. Klaus decides it is time to return it to Nagi. Nagi later moves into the apartment building starting from chapter 277.", "This website (in Russian) states that, in 1825,\nyou could sell 1 Imperial Ruble and get 0.72 US dollars. I don't know Russian so I cannot tell the source of that data. \n\nThose 0.72 US dollars in 1825 are worth US$15.49 in 2016, according to this website. \n\nTherefore, 1 Imperial Ruble of 1825 was equivalent to US$15.59 in 2016.\n\nAdditionally, this website has information of prices of different goods and wages for Russia since the 16th century.", "I'm not sure &quot;unscratchable itch&quot; is something that applies equally well to both your examples, but if I were forced to use the same Russian idiom for both of them, I would go with мысль … не даёт покоя:\n\nМысль о мисс X не давала покоя Y с тех самых пор, как она бросила его и вышла за другого.\nЧтобы сценарий вышел удачным, в нём так или иначе должно быть то, мысль о чём не даёт вам покоя.\n\nThere are couple more idioms related to this:\n\nлюбимая мозоль, &quot;pet peeve, some problem that you can't stop talking about once it's mentioned&quot;. It's not an obsession but rather a conversation subject.\n\nбольное место, больная тема, &quot;sore spot, something you'd rather not talk about&quot;. Unlike the previous one, that's something you'd rather not talk about.\n\nидея фикс, идефикс, &quot;pathological obsession with something&quot;. It's not about the state of mind but rather some belief or plan, on which one can actually act.\n\nзаноза в заднице, головная боль &quot;pain in the ass, a permanent problem you can do little about&quot;. Again, it's not about a state of mind but rather some usually definable external problem." ]

[ "J. Val Klump" ]

[ "Reach plc", "Personalization", "Personal", "batter who bats first in the lineup", "the personality", "personality", "no points", "those persons who fulfill certain requirements", "persons who cease to be tax resident in a country", "a person who actively participates in the commission of a crime", "superiority or inferiority", "The Who's Tommy", "who is singing", "Reach Global Ltd", "communicated from person to person", "air superiority fighter", "Superior Courts of Judicature", "EU REACH regulation", "the Superior Courts of California", "Who You Are", "Who's That Girl", "a person who has never been to the United States", "Doctor Who", "Point and non-point pollution", "Who We Are", "a person who spends their time indulging in pleasure and luxury", "superior electrical performance", "DC Superior Court" ]

[ "- American Eagle Outfitters Inc said on Wednesday earnings for the crucial holiday quarter rose 40 percent as it benifitted from an additional week, strong comparable stores sales and good margins." ]

[ "American Eagle Outfitters Inc. posted quarterly profit that met expectations but its outlook failed to impress investors, who sent the shares down more than 3 percent.", "Renault beats expectations with a 40% rise in net profits in 2004 although it warns that margins will be lower this year.", "British American Tobacco announced Thursday that net profits climbed 7.3 percent last year as the company was bolstered by rising sales in emerging markets.", "American Express Co. AXP.N said on Monday fourth-quarter profit rose 17 percent, driven by strong holiday and travel-related sales, as well as gains in its asset management business.", "American Eagle Outfitters (AEOS:Nasdaq - news - research) landed spot on third-quarter estimates and boosted fourth-quarter guidance.", "Fourth-quarter earnings rose 42 percent from a year ago as profit margins at its U.S. stores improved despite higher commodity costs.", "Health insurer posted a rise in quarterly net profit as increased membership boosted revenue.", "Online retailer Amazon.com posted a sharp rise in third-quarter net profit on Tuesday, helped by robust domestic and international sales and the latest Harry Potter book.", "Symantec Corp. SYMC.O, the top global security software maker, on Wednesday posted a 48 percent rise in quarterly net profit on strong sales.", "General Electric, driven by strong demand for jet engines and electric turbines, posted a 4 percent rise in net profit, meeting Wall Street expectations.", "Teen clothing retailer American Eagle Outfitters Inc said on Wednesday earnings for its fourth quarter ending on February 2 would be lower than expected because of a weaker sales environment.", "American Express Co. AXP.N said on Monday fourth-quarter profits rose because of increased spending by consumers.", "British American Tobacco PLC posted a 60 percent jump in third quarter net profit Tuesday, thanks partly to lower taxation charges.", "The advertising services company said fourth-quarter profit rose 13 percent to $313.9 million, slightly ahead of expectations, with revenue increases in the United States and internationally.", "FRANKFURT SAP, Europe&#39;s biggest software maker, on Thursday posted a 15 percent rise in third-quarter net profit, citing higher global sales.", "The airline said fourth-quarter net income rose to $111 million compared to a year-earlier profit of $57 million, But it warned that fuel costs in the current quarter will rise substantially.", "Plus: TiVo posts small profit...Novell reverses year-earlier profit...Lenovo posts 2006-07 net surge.", "Endesa, the biggest Spanish power company, posted a 5.1-percent rise in net profit last year although earnings from domestic electricity business were weak.", "The brewer said fourth-quarter profit jumped 75 percent to $173.2 million, helped by a tax benefit and the weak dollar.", "Tokyo, Feb. 5 (Jiji Press)--Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp. on Monday reported a group net profit of 88,728 million yen for April-December last year, up 22.3 pct from a year before.", "The company said it earned $52 million in the fourth quarter on strong U.S. and international sales. Its shares climbed more than 7 percent in morning trading.", "The steakhouse operator posts a 23% rise in net income, despite high beef costs.", "The Tokyo-based company posted a net profit of 131.6 billion yen ($1.22 billion) for 2007 as brisk tire sales and a weaker yen offset a rise in raw material costs.", "The company reported net income for the fourth quarter of $632 million on restructuring moves and tax benefits, which more than offset lower aluminum prices.", "Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. , Asia's third-largest carrier, posted a better-than-expected 24 percent rise in net profit on Wednesday but warned that fuel price volatility could weigh in 2007.", "The retailer said net income in the fourth quarter rose to $4.1 billion as its focus on low prices paid off. International growth also helped lift profit and sales.", "EBay posted a 50 percent rise in net profit on strength in its core auction and payments businesses, but left its 2007 outlook unchanged, defying Wall Street's hopes for a boost.", "American International Group Inc. shares rose in midday trading on Friday after the world's largest insurer reported late Thursday that earnings in the latest fourth quarter were nearly eight times higher than the year earlier net.", "EBay Inc. on Wednesday posted a 50 percent rise in net profit on strength in its auction and PayPal units but left its 2007 outlook little changed, resisting investors who clamored for more.", "Fourth-quarter profit climbed 61 percent, led by strong performances from its international and Frito-Lay divisions.", "British American Tobacco posted a 20% rise in profits today and said a business-transforming deal in the United States had shown early promise.", "Sears Holdings Corp. posted its lowest profit in nearly two years Thursday after another round of weak sales at Kmart and Sears stores sent the retailer's net income tumbling 40 percent." ]

[ "Slim Jims have been around for what seems forever. If you are the type of person who is obsessed with what you eat,why even buy these and then complain? What did you expect,tofu?<br />However, if you like a decadent snack occasionally, by all means get these.<br />They are greasy, chewy and go great with beer. They are what they are, with no apologies." ]

[ "If you're looking for teff FLOUR, do not buy this product. If you're looking for whole teff, this is what you want. I wanted flour. Oops. My bad. BUT... despite not being what I wanted, it still is useful. I'm finding all sorts of great recipes. It arrived in great packaging and all the bags were sealed tight. Bob's Red Mill delivers a quality product and I'm never disappointed with what I receive.", "What a great idea!! The mix, an egg, and a pie crust. This makes making a pumpkin pie so easy. The flavor is great too!!!", "This product works as advertised but the after taste is no great. As my son put it: \"It tastes like vitamin water\". For what it is, it is just fine. But it is not great.", "What a great deal. 2 pounds of raw cacao nibs for $25 including tax and shipping!! Wow. Awesome organic product and great taste from Amazon! Who would have thought? GREAT job, Amazon!", "This is a great on-the-go snack that keeps the kids very happy! I agree with one reviewer that this product does not have a high nutritional value, but I still feel great about serving it to my kids. I like it more for what it does NOT have in it than for what it does. We love Chex Mix, but the ingredient list on the the store bought kind is down-right scary. This is a GREAT alternative. Annie's products are a product that I trust for EASY and kid-pleasing food.", "I only use the Colivata Extra Virgin Olive Oil - it's great for dressings, it's great to cook with - it has a mild flavor - it doesn't over-take the flavor of what you're cooking, but instead enhances it.", "When will they learn - if it's a long standing product with a loyal fan base - changing the recipe is NOT a great idea?!<br />If you want a NEW product - create one. But they have removed a great deal of the vitamins and nutrition - which was what had me drinking it. Now I might as well just add hershey's syrup. Not what I'm after!<br />They have lost a loyal customer here.", "This was a Christmas present to myself and what a great gift it was. The price was super and the delivery was lighning fast.", "Starkist tuna sandwich ready--great for quick at-your-desk lunch or an easy dinner for your family. Price was great and shipping was free--what more could I want??", "Sorry, no long winded review - it is what it says it is, Hamburger Helper. It's dirt cheap and tasted great.", "A great deal, but what the hell am I going to do with all this caraway seed? Rye bread, aquavit, umm.....???", "What a great excuse to bolster your anti-oxidant intake! I was given a block of Brix last year with a bottle of Shiraz, wow what a pairing! Believe it or not, the wine somehow tastes better with this chocolate. The product itself isn't too sweet or creamy but at the same time it isn't bitter. We've tried the extra-dark version of Brix and it went well with the deeper red wines, like a big cab. Great price, thanks Amazon!", "Another great quality product from Bob's Red Mill. I got it on subscribe for a great price delivered right to my home. It is even delicious raw. It is great in cooking. I love the taste of something with absolutely no added chemicals or sugar. What a great tasting product. There are many uses for this coconut. I am very happy with this product.", "WHAT A GREAT CUP OF COFFEE. WE GRIND OUR OWN EACH MORNING, AND THIS FRENCH ROAST IS THE BEST WE HAVE TRIED. VERY DARK, RICH AND FLAVORFUL WITHOUT THE BITTERNESS. THANK YOU AMAZON FOR OFFERING THIS COFFEE AT A AFFORDABLE PRICE. WHAT A WAY TO WAKE UP!", "As a kickstarter contributor, I could not wait to try this popcorn. What a great idea - organic ingredients, a bag without the chemicals, and great flavors! I just had the parmesan rosemary...and I have one word - ADDICTIVE! So good!", "After drinking coffee for 40 years, I find out I am allergic to it. What a blow! Thank God, a friend of mine introduced me to Teeccino.<br /><br />It is delicious! It is also good for you - lots of fruits and nuts are used to make the various flavors, which means it gives you energy without the caffeine.<br /><br />I would recommend this product to anyone and everyone. Ordering it through Amazon is great, too. Quick service with no problems. What a great combination.", "I was expecting a hearty, healthy, natural, whole-grain muffin and that is exactly what I got. Great out of the oven, and not bad cold either. Real blueberries taste great. Not very sweet. Great for breakfast. You WILL need milk. One box makes 10-12 smallish muffins.", "Great ginger ale! This is what ginger ale is supposed to taste like: a slight bite, a little sweet, a perfect sizzle.", "This is a great deal for 6 packages of salami. This has a great taste, a little oily but what packaged Salami isn't? A great buy to have for potlucks and last minute sandwiches. Considering I pay $4.99 for one package, getting six for under $20 via Amazon is a awesome deal!", "I used it for the first time this morning. Great rise. Great texture. I've been unhappy with grocery store yeast but NOW I KNOW I can bake. I've got it stuck in the freezer and looking at what to bake next.", "The coarsly ground pepper and dry cured salami are a great combination. Tastes great, but price was a draw back. What you pay for the Salami in addition to the shipping makes the purcase difficult to justify, unless money is just not a concern.", "The product came very quickly. It was fresh and just what I expected. Prefect for a summer time moisterizer and great to cook with!", "If you want the best Oolong tea that comes in a bottle buy this!!<br /><br />Once you have drank this tea you will know what real quality is.<br /><br />Great taste and flavor. This is what teas are all about.<br /><br />BUY THIS TEA.", "I've ordered this often as a subscribe and save item and as another reviewer commented, it beats the price from anywhere else. But what happened to the subscribe and save option? What was once $16.95 for 2 is now $31 or more from other retailers!!! Is Amazon no longer selling this coffee for the great price?" ]

[ "The other reviews are classic examples of how taste varies. This is the same sauce that is used at Popeye's restaurants in the little packets. I love it. My wife loves it. My friends love it. It's good. It's not that hot really if you like hot sauces but the flavor is excellent." ]

[ "Mixed with butter and Sriachi hot sauce, this makes a great hot wing sauce. Grill your wings for around 15 min and toss in sauce while wings are hot. Combine with cream cheese and blue cheese whizzed up in a cuisinart and spread on celery and bingo; great weeknight meal.", "This is the best brown sugar anywhere. It is fantastic for baking, sweetening your coffee, and for rubs and barbecue sauces. Tons of flavor with no bitterness.", "A few days ago I was posting some rather disparaging comments about Grace Hot Sauce. This sauce<br />however, blows its baby brother away with a raw, firey Scotch Bonnet flavor. This is about as basic<br />as you can get, though it does seem to straddle the line a bit between hot sauce and condiment. When<br />the sweet Jamaican smoke is cleared, however, this is a great hot sauce that's made to be enjoyed.<br /><br />Scotch Bonnets are relatives of habaneros, but if habaneros are the serious, hard working pepper plugged<br />into so many independent American hot sauces, Scotch Bonnets are their laid-back island cousin, just as<br />hot but more relaxed and sweeter leaning more towards spice and flavor. Scotch Bonnets would rather look<br />silly and taste tropical than merely kill you with heat. This sauce, a colorful yellow, is Grace's best<br />condiment by a long shot. The simple mashing of Scotch Bonnets, with some slight flavor accentuators<br />really captures the heat of the islands and flavor of a solid hot sauce.<br /><br />In the description on their website, Grace promises a challenge. \"Add a drop or two to food for a truely<br />serious pepper experience,\" though heat freaks may need to up this number by a few shakes of the bottle.<br />This sauce does have a minor tropical blast which won't floor you at once, but provides a long lingering<br />burn cycle that will continue as long as you keep eating the sauce....and you will. However, still be able<br />to taste your food and thats a plus in a world of dangerous, murderous sauces lurking around every corner.<br />It's hot enough to hang with some of the bad boys, but the flavor outshines the heat in the end.<br /><br />Sweet, rich, hot, and delicious, this sauce will absolutely not disappoint. The double-punch of cane vinegar<br />and cane sugar/citric acid give the sauce fruity tropical hints and a tangy, acidic flavor. The sauce becomes<br />tricky when you factor in the fact that it contains modified starch and ascorbic acid. These ingredients thicken<br />the sauce, gelling it a bit so that it seems like crushed peppers in a sauce the consistency of a heavier BBQ<br />sauce. This is not a bad thing at all, but be prepared to feel like you're eating a hot sauce masquerading as a<br />thick condiment. Flavor is spot on, but consistency is a bit unnatural for a traditional hot sauce.<br /><br />I love this sauce on cold pizza and pizza crust and smoked turkey sandwiches, just to name a few. However,<br />because it has such a bright, sunshine taste, I think it can accentuate other Caribbean dishes which tend to<br />use jerk spice (also made from Scotch Bonnets). If you have a sandwich with sweeter ingredients, this sauce is<br />for you. Also a great tag team partner for mango or pineapple salsas. 5 Scovies!", "Fantastic Hot Cereal! Great alternative to oatmeal for those who are gluten intolerant. Super creamy similar to cream of wheat in consistency. Nice to have hot cereal again!", "These little Tobasco bottles are very convenient for bringing along on picnics or barbecues, especially if the other folks do not like hot sauces. There is just enough Tobasco Sauce (to my taste) for your average size taco salad.<br /><br />Tobasco is not the hottest of the sauces, but it is flavorful and these miniature bottles are a great way to bring it with you.<br /><br />Recommended, but watch out for the shipping costs.<br /><br />CFH", "Earl Grey is my favorite, and this is a decent one. I'd say it's good, but not great. It seems to be missing just a little something, but I can't quite put my finger on it. It does have the basic Earl Grey flavor though.<br /><br />I do give it kudos for its convenience. It's great to get a nice, hot cup of tea so quickly. Although the flavor isn't fantastic, it's more than adequate.", "So surprising for rice and beans in a can! The rice and beans both still have integrity and good flavore. If you like spicier, add hot sauce, but they have a nice spiff and are a great, easy and healthy side dish!" ]

[ "President Trump is preparing to visit Saudi Arabia, arriving Saturday morning. It's his first trip overseas as president. He's planning to meet with Arab leaders during his time there." ]

[ "Host Bob Edwards talks with NPR's Eric Weiner about Secretary of Defense William Cohen's tour of the Middle East. Cohen is visiting the Persian Gulf sheikdoms and other key Middle East nations to drum up support for US policy on Iraq. Yesterday, Cohen told Saudi Arabia that the US would sell advanced air-to-air missiles to improve Saudi security in the Gulf. Today Cohen meets with leaders of the United Arab Emirates in Dubai.", "President Obama wraps up his visit to Saudi Arabia with a meeting of Gulf leaders to talk about the threat of ISIS. It follows a meeting between Obama and Saudi's King Salman amid tensions in the U.S.-Saudi relationship.", "President Trump continued the first international trip of his presidency with a visit to Rome on Wednesday, following stops in Saudi Arabia and Israel. Pope Francis welcomed Trump to the Vatican, even while the two leaders have clashed on issues like climate change and a U.S.-Mexico border wall. NPR&#8217;s Sylvia Poggioli (@spoggioli1) joins Here & Now&#8216;s Robin Young for a closer look at the meeting.", "Melania Trump accompanied the president to the Vatican on Wednesday, wearing a black veil and a long-sleeved black Dolce & Gabbana dress. The meeting was cordial. But the first lady's clothing choices — specifically her decision to cover her head at the Vatican in contrast to during visits to Saudi Arabia and Israel — drew commentary from many sources. Some criticized her for not covering her hair during a visit to the Western Wall, part of a destroyed Jewish temple complex, or while in Saudi Arabia. Others praised Trump for not covering up in Saudi Arabia, seeing the move as a nod to women's empowerment, which she promoted on the trip. Despite the criticism, the first lady's attire was in keeping with the protocol of the countries she visited and the precedents set by foreign leaders who have visited them. Vatican protocol dictates that women should wear long sleeves, formal black clothing and a black veil during private audiences with the pope. The United Kingdom's Queen Elizabeth II attracted attention in 2014 for wearing a lilac suit to meet Pope Francis. That acceptance was seen as an effort by the pope to relax some rules of the Vatican. There is also an exception to black granted to Catholic queens or Catholic spouses of kings, according to Vatican Insider. Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wore cream and did not cover her head when meeting Francis last month, although she had worn black and a veil at a 2009 meeting with Pope Benedict XVI. \"Things have become more relaxed over the last few years. There are no hard and fast rules,\" a Vatican spokesperson told British newspaper the Daily Express. At the Western Wall, the first family did follow Jewish religious custom. The men (President Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner) went to the men's prayer plaza while the president's daughter Ivanka and the first lady went to the women's area, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. Ivanka Trump, who converted to Judaism, wore a hat at the Western Wall as it is customary for observant women to cover their hair. Saudi Arabia, where Melania Trump went veil-less, has a strict dress code for women — Muslim women are to wear a full-length abaya robe and headscarf. However, foreigners are considered exempt from that rule, according to the Economist. As Fox News noted, in 2015, Donald Trump criticized former first lady Michelle Obama on Twitter for not wearing a headscarf on a trip to Saudi Arabia. British Prime Minister Theresa May visited Saudi Arabia last month sans headscarf as well. Melania Trump's spokeswoman told CNN that the black dress with long, flowing sleeves she wore in Saudi Arabia was chosen to resemble the country's abayas. \"If you look at her style, it's still very much her and her style of dress but being sensitive to the place and host nation for sure,\" Stephanie Grisham said.", "Updated at 8:30 a.m. ET Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly flew to Saudi Arabia on Sunday with his Mossad spy chief Yossi Cohen to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, multiple Israeli media outlets reported. Saudi Arabia's government has denied the reports. It is the first such meeting between Israeli and Saudi leaders to be reported widely in Israeli media, and could be a signal that Israel, Saudi Arabia and the Trump administration are coordinating their stance on Iran before President-elect Joe Biden takes office. Saudi Arabia's foreign minister has denied that the reported meeting with Netanyahu took place, saying \"the only officials present were American and Saudi.\" Biden has said he'd consider reviving the Iran nuclear deal, which President Trump left at Israel's urging. Israel and Saudi Arabia, which share covert ties, both see Iran as an adversary. Netanyahu's office declined comment on the reported trip, but the prime minister may have dropped hints about it in a speech he delivered Sunday. \"We must not return to the old nuclear agreement. We must continue the uncompromising policy to ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon,\" Netanyahu said. \"Thanks to our firm stance against a nuclear Iran — and thanks to our opposition to a nuclear deal with Iran — many Arab countries fundamentally changed their approach to Israel.\" Hours after Netanyahu delivered the speech, an online flight tracker recorded a private plane, one reportedly used by Netanyahu before, flying Sunday evening from Tel Aviv to Neom in Saudi Arabia and returning about five hours later. Israeli media cited anonymous Israeli officials confirming the visit. Israeli journalists noted that Israel's military censor, which often bans publication of news sensitive to Israel's national security, approved the reports for publication. It is unclear if Israeli and Saudi officials also discussed opening formal diplomatic relations in the reported meeting, following in the footsteps of Saudi Arabia's neighbors, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Pompeo, who has been touring Israel and Gulf Arab states touting the Trump administration's pressure campaign on Iran, announced his meeting Sunday with bin Salman in Saudi Arabia's new high-tech city Neom, but did not mention if Netanyahu was present. The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem declined comment. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, a political rival of Netanyahu, criticized that the alleged visit was leaked to Israeli media, though it was unclear if he was confirming the reports. \"The leak of the covert flight of the prime minister is an irresponsible step. I don't act that way. I never acted that way and I will never act that way, and I think in that context the citizens of Israel need to be concerned,\" Gantz said in a meeting with his political party, according to a statement from his party's office.", "President Trump arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday carrying baggage — namely, a swirl of controversy stemming from his firing of FBI Director James Comey and the ongoing Russia investigations. But his hosts in Riyadh aren't likely to be bothered by it all. Trumpeters played and jets flew overhead with red white and blue smoke trails decorating the sky as Trump emerged from Air Force One in Riyadh. He was greeted by Saudi Arabia's King Salman and children bearing flowers. A long red carpet led from Air Force One to the airport terminal. Middle East expert Ilan Goldenberg is just back from a trip to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which included meetings with high-level government officials. \"I think they were very optimistic about President Trump,\" says Goldenberg, who runs the Middle East Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. That might be surprising considering some of the ways Trump disparaged Saudi Arabia as a presidential candidate. A check of his Twitter feed shows multiple tweets accusing Saudi Arabia of \"freeloading,\" including this one from June of 2015. That was a familiar refrain on the campaign trail. At a rally in Green Bay, Wis., in August, Trump said, \"We have military bases that we rent — we pay rent to Saudi Arabia to protect them. No, no — think of it. ... Think of the stupidity.\" And in a general election debate last year, Trump blasted Hillary Clinton because the Clinton Foundation had taken money from Saudi Arabia. But his remarks were as much a criticism of the country's human rights record as of her. \"I'd like to ask you right now why don't you give back the money that you've taken from certain countries that treat certain groups of people so horribly?\" he said. There's also the matter of the executive orders President Trump signed aimed at halting travel — at least temporarily — from several majority-Muslim countries in the name of security. Critics see them as \"Muslim bans.\" But none of that, experts said, was likely to dampen the enthusiasm for Trump in the Persian Gulf region. Why? Part of it has to do with the contrast between the new U.S. president and his predecessor, President Obama. \"For the Saudis, anyone is better than Barack Obama,\" Shadi Hamid of the Brookings Institution said. \"That was a really low point from their perspective.\" Obama never really developed a rapport with Arab leaders, Hamid said. And they were particularly put off by Obama's willingness to negotiate with Iran, Saudi Arabia's main rival in the region. \"Even if they have some concerns about Trump and his unpredictability, they still see him (Trump) as an improvement. And they're enthusiastic in part because of Trump's strong rhetoric against Iran.\" There are other reasons leaders in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states have an affinity for Trump. \"Trump has a strongman persona. And that endears him to autocratic leaders in the Middle East,\" Hamid said. \"They never liked that Obama would bring up human rights concerns in their meetings. They don't have to worry about that as much with President Trump, who is not prioritizing human rights or democracy.\" Jerry Feierstein, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, agreed that Trump's persona has helped endear him to these leaders. Trump's tendency to run the government like a family business, with a close circle of advisers like his daughter and son-in-law, isn't seen as a negative in a part of the world run by extended families and monarchies, he said. \"For them, Donald Trump is a very understandable and relatable individual,\" Feierstein said. \"He's a sympathetic character. He behaves the same way they behave.\" This isn't to say Trump is universally popular among the citizens of the Gulf countries. However, he is unlikely to face protests while in Saudi Arabia — because that sort of public show of dissent isn't allowed. SCOTT SIMON, HOST: President Trump is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This is the first stop on his first trip overseas as president, but that doesn't mean that he's managed to escape the political troubles that certainly have been bedeviling him back home. NPR White House correspondent Tamara Keith is in Riyadh. Tam, thanks for being with us. TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE: Glad to be with you. SIMON: And does the team surrounding the president deal with all the headlines that have - I must say that we discover a new one every hour it seems. KEITH: (Laughter) Yes. You know, just as Air Force One was taking off - hadn't been in the air more than a few minutes - both The New York Times and Washington Post came out with big stories related to the FBI investigation into Russian meddling in the election and possible collusion between members of Trump's team and Russia. The White House put out statements batting one of the stories down, trying to put the other one in a more favorable context, trying to explain why the president would have told the Russian foreign minister that the FBI director was a nut job and that getting rid", "After the White House announced Saudi Arabia's king would meet this week with President Obama in Washington, D.C., Saudi Arabia announced the king would send other Saudi leaders instead.", "Saudi leaders said they would seriously consider attending a Mideast peace conference later this year. The announcement came after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice began laying the foundation for the conference, proposed by President Bush last month, in meetings in both Israel and Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. The proposed gathering is intended to revive the peace process and would include Israel, the Palestinians and Arab states viewed as moderate by the United States. Speaking during a rare joint visit by Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates in Jeddah, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said his government would \"look very closely and very hard at attending\" if the conference dealt with \"issues of real substance, not form.\" Saud also said Saudi Arabia would explore opening diplomatic relations with the Shiite-led government in Iraq, an endorsement long sought by Washington. Saudi Arabia's Sunni rulers have had frosty relations with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government and have not hidden their suspicions that al-Maliki does not have the interests of Iraq's Sunni minority at heart. Rice's meetings with Israeli leaders in Jerusalem on Wednesday and with leaders of Mahmoud Abbas' U.S.-backed Palestinian government in the West Bank on Thursday will be her first with the sides since the regional political constellation was altered by Hamas' violent seizure of control of Gaza Strip from Abbas' forces. Building on warming ties between Israel and moderate Arab countries, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said Wednesday that Israel hopes \"many Arab countries will attend this international meeting, including Saudi Arabia.\" A meeting between Israeli and Saudi representatives would be a major diplomatic breakthrough. Though Israel and Saudi Arabia are both U.S. allies, representatives of the countries have never officially met and Saudi Arabia has never recognized the Jewish state. Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem, Rice said she was \"encouraged by the attitude that I have seen here among all of the parties about the prospects of this international meeting.\" However, Rice said in response to a question about Saudi participation, \"I think it's too early ... to issue invitations and certainly too early to expect people to say whether they will attend.\" Olmert's office said that the regional meeting would be able to \"grant an umbrella to the bilateral talks between Israel and the Palestinians.\" The Hamas takeover in Gaza has spurred a flurry of peacemaking efforts in the past month aimed at shoring up Palestinian moderates. Those efforts have included a first visit to the region by international Mideast peace envoy Tony Blair and an unprecedented visit to Israel by a delegation from the 22-nation Arab League. That delegation urged Israel to accept an Arab plan offering peace in return for a withdrawal from all land captured in the 1967 Mideast War. Further helping the mood of conciliation are the fears in moderate Arab states about the influence of Hamas' hardline backers in Iran and about al-Qaida's brand of extremist Islam. Israel has carried out several gestures meant to bolster Abbas, including renewing the transfer of millions of dollars in taxes collected from Palestinians and releasing several hundred Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. Bush's July 16 announcement of a Mideast conference was meant to build on the new momentum and work toward the establishment of a Palestinian state. Palestinian officials said it was time to move from gestures to discussing the core issues of the conflict — the borders of the future Palestinian state, the status of Jerusalem and the fate of Palestinian refugees who lost their homes in the fighting that followed Israel's creation in 1948. \"The main topic will be the political negotiations,\" Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said of Rice's meetings with Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Thursday. \"We don't want a new initiative.\" On Wednesday, Rice is scheduled to meet Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and President Shimon Peres. In Rice's meeting with Barak, the two are slated to discuss American plans for a major arms sale to Gulf Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, and a parallel boost in defense aid to Israel, Israeli defense officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press. Israel loudly opposed such arms sales in the past but has offered no resistance this time, saying the weapons were needed to offset Iran's military strength. From NPR reports and The Associated Press", "Religious leaders are meeting in Spain for an interfaith summit sponsored by Saudi Arabia. Critics say the meeting is only meant to make the Arab country look good in the West. Only one Israeli was invited, and no Palestinians were on the list. Still, the Saudi king opened the summit with a surprising message.", "President Trump will try to leave his troubles behind as he departs on the first foreign trip of his presidency. It's an ambitious itinerary with stops in Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Vatican and two meetings with European leaders. Here are five objectives to watch for as Trump goes overseas. 1. Will the cloud of controversy follow? There has been one \"bad news\" headline after another involving the Trump administration breaking every day this week. But if the president is looking for a reprieve, recent history indicates he might be disappointed. The White House press corps is going on the trip and will no doubt try to press him on why he really fired FBI Director James Comey, whether he leaked classified information to the Russians in an Oval Office meeting, and why he hired former national security adviser Mike Flynn even after Flynn notified the transition team that he was under investigation by the FBI. And there are likely to be more developments back in Washington even as he's abroad. There's precedent for this: In 2016 when President Barack Obama traveled overseas, he was asked repeatedly — almost exclusively it seemed — about the presidential campaign and then-candidate Donald Trump. Obama's agenda and announcements on those trips were completely overshadowed by the campaign. When President Bill Clinton went on trips, questions followed about the various investigations surrounding him and his administration. There's essentially no escape from domestic politics for presidents no matter where they are. That said, the leaders in Saudi Arabia are not obsessed with the American FBI director and possible Russian meddling in the campaign in the way that the media and many Americans may be. Thus, the first leg of his trip, at least, Trump is less likely to hear about these things from his hosts. 2. Getting out of his comfort zone Every president going back to Ronald Reagan has started smaller, with their first international journeys taking them to America's neighbors, either Canada or Mexico. Trump's first trip is much farther from home. Trump is known to be a homebody, someone who greatly prefers sleeping in his own bed, golfing at his own courses and dining at his own properties. During the campaign, he returned to Trump Tower in New York most nights, even if he had been campaigning on the other end of the country. This trip will take the president out of his comfort zone. How will he adapt? We'll all know soon. One thing that might help put Trump at ease is that his wife, Melania, is traveling with him for the entire trip. Also, The Associated Press reports that caterers in Saudi Arabia will have the option of steak with ketchup (the president's preferred meal) in addition to local cuisine. 3. A message for the three Abrahamic religions Trump is visiting Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Vatican, and it isn't a coincidence. His advisers say he wanted to visit these three major religious centers to deliver a message of unity in the fight against terrorism. Trump is \"bringing people the world over to understand we are in this together,\" said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at a press conference. \"This is not a battle about religions. This is not a battle about cultures. This is a battle about good and evil. And their — the goodness of people of all faiths will prevail over this evil.\" In Saudi Arabia, Trump is scheduled to give a speech to the leaders of some 50 Muslim-majority countries. National security adviser H.R. McMaster said Trump will call on the Muslim leaders to \"promote a peaceful vision of Islam.\" And yes, this message will come from the same person who proposed a \"Muslim ban\" during the campaign and has said things that have been widely perceived as being opposed to the Islamic religion. Trump faces a delicate task. 4. Meeting with Europeans While Middle East experts expect Trump to be warmly welcomed in Saudi Arabia and Israel, he may be received in Europe with some trepidation. Trump, during the campaign, said the NATO alliance was obsolete. Now that he's president, he says it isn't obsolete. But he still wants its members to pay their fair share, as he puts it, meaning that they should spend a larger share of gross domestic product on their own national defense, as the NATO charter calls for. Given Trump's shifting positions, Europe watchers say, leaders of countries in the alliance are concerned he could shift his position again in a way that is at cross purposes with their interests. European leaders will make a big push to convince Trump that they are not getting credit for all the things they are doing to contribute to the alliance. One symbolic way they'll do that is by unveiling an \"Article 5\" memorial. Article 5 says an attack against one ally is considered an attack against all allies. The memorial marks how the NATO countries responded to the Sept. 11 attack on America. Trump will also meet the new French president, Emmanuel Macron. Although Trump didn't explicitly endorse Macron's opp", "Updated 4:41pm ET Mike Pompeo, on his maiden trip as U.S. secretary of state, is using the three-day visit in the Middle East to garner international support to pressure Iran to modify its nuclear program. During a stop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Sunday, Pompeo urged unity among the Gulf states — saying cooperation and easing of economic tensions with Qatar is \"necessary.\" Egypt, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have halted trade with Qatar, accusing the natural gas-rich nation of aiding terrorism and maintaining close ties with Iran. The discord between the Gulf states has frustrated U.S. officials' attempts to weaken the influence of Iran in the region. \"We've got a common challenge in Iran. I think they all recognize that,\" Pompeo said in remarks to reporters. \"We're hopeful that they will in their own way figure out their dispute between them.\" Pompeo's arrived in Riyadh shortly after Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen launched a barrage of missiles into Saudi Arabia, killing at least one person. The attack is the latest sign that the raging civil war in Yemen continues to further threaten stability in the region. During the state visit, Pompeo also assured Saudi Arabia that the U.S. will follow through with President Trump's commitment to pull out of the 2015 Iran nuclear accord. The deal, reached under the Obama administration, essentially lifted economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbing its nuclear weapons program. Echoing Trump's sentiment that the foreign policy was a \"bad deal,\" Pompeo said the accord has failed to moderate Iran's behavior. \"In fact, Iran has only behaved worse since deal was approved,\" Pompeo said. Pompeo told NATO leaders in Brussels on Saturday that unless a substantial fix is made, the U.S. is unlikely to remain in the deal. And that decision, he said, would not impact expected talks between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. \"I don't think Kim Jong Un is staring at the Iran deal and saying, 'Oh goodness, if they get out of that deal, I won't talk to the Americans anymore,' \" Pompeo said. Pompeo is the highest ranking U.S. official to meet with the North Korean dictator. The two met in secret while Pompeo was still CIA director. He tells ABC News that he met Kim with \"a clear mission\" of irreversible denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, and that there is still a lot to be done before that goal is reached. He says the administration is going into the scheduled talks with eyes wide open, \"We're not going to take words. We're going to look for actions and deeds,\" he said. Trump is expected to make a decision on whether to stay in the Iran nuclear deal by May 12. Two days later, the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem is scheduled to open its doors. A move that, Pompeo said in his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reflects the \"reality\" of Jerusalem as the seat of Israel's government. President Trump's decision to relocate the embassy has not been without controversy. In joint remarks Netanyahu asserted his support for renewed sanctions against Iran. \"Iran must be stopped. Its quest for nuclear bombs must be stopped. Its aggression must be stopped, and we're committed to stopping it together,\" he said.", "President Trump's first day in Saudi Arabia began with a lavish reception and ended with an ostentatious ceremony, but not before Trump and the Saudi king signed several agreements spanning diplomatic, governmental and commercial ventures, including an arms deal worth $110 billion. In an effort cement political ties between the two allies, Trump and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud also formalized the \"Joint Strategic Vision Declaration.\" Details of the agreement stipulate the nations form a \"consultative group\" that will collaborate to \"counter violent extremism, disrupt the financing of terrorism, and advance defense cooperation,\" the White House said in a statement Saturday. The U.S. president and the Saudi king, or their designees, will meet at least once a year to discuss new strategies, alternating between the two countries, the White House also said. Building on a munitions deal begun during the Obama administration, the weapons package was officially finalized in a signing ceremony just hours after Air Force One touched down in Riyadh — where the president was greeted with a thundering display of flying jets, blasting cannons and trumpets. The arms deal includes the sale of cybersecurity technology, tanks, artillery, ships, helicopters and radar missile-defense systems. The New York Times reported the latter was a last-minute addition to the shopping list, after Trump's son-in-law and adviser, Jared Kushner, intervened. During a meeting with Saudi officials at the White House earlier this month, Kushner called the head of Lockheed Martin, which develops the anti-ballistic missile system, to negotiate a cost reduction. Apparently, the savings were enough to sway the Saudis. The White House is touting the deal as a blow against Islamic extremist groups including ISIS, claiming it will boost security in Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf against Iranian aggression and contribute to counterterrorism operations. \"That was a tremendous day,\" Trump said, according to a White House pool report, shortly after the signing but long before his day was actually over. He added that the agreements signed Saturday would generate \"hundreds of billions of dollars of investments into the United States and jobs, jobs, jobs!\" U.S. delegation members travelling with Trump, including Kushner, were in high spirits leading up to the signing ceremony. Upon entering the room where the bilateral meeting between Trump and Salman was held, Kushner and national security adviser H.R. McMaster exchanged a high-five, according to a White House pool report. But lawmakers critical of Saudi Arabia's role in the bloody civil war in Yemen — the kingdom's neighbor to the south — maintain the sale of arms that could be used in Saudi air strikes will add to the instability of the region. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., denounced the latest deal in a HuffPost blog post. \"Saudi Arabia is an important friend and partner for the United States,\" Murphy wrote, adding, \"But they are still a deeply imperfect friend. $110 billion in weapons will exacerbate, not ameliorate, those imperfections.\" Secretary of State Rex Tillerson addressed the issue at a press briefing following a meeting with his counterpart and long-time friend Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, saying the continued arms negotiations were intended to help Saudi military actions in Yemen. Tillerson said the arms would help the Saudis be more \"precise and targeted\" in their military strikes, while still keeping pressure on the rebels in Yemen. He was also pleased with the long-term economic implications of the arms deal and other agreements for American interests. \"Today truly is a historic moment in U.S.-Saudi relations,\" Tillerson said at a briefing Saturday. \"They will bring hundreds of thousands of jobs,\" he also said. Looking ahead to the Arab-Islamic-American summit Sunday, where Trump will be speaking, Jubeir used some familiar rhetoric from the Trump playbook. \"If we can change the conversation in the U.S. and in the West from enmity toward the Islamic world to one of partnership we will have truly changed our world,\" he said. \"And we will have truly drowned the voices of extremism and we will have drained the swamp from which extremism and terrorism emanates.\" In a separate transaction, American companies signed deals with Saudi leaders, a step the White House said will help with Saudi Arabia's economic reform plans. The total value of those deals is estimated to be between $300 billion and $380 billion over 10 years. \"They're going to hire U.S. companies,\" Trump's economic adviser Gary Cohn told reporters, according to a White House pool report. Though Cohn did not divulge details about the deals, he did disclose they were related to \"a bunch of infrastructure related-things. ... A lot of money. Big dollars. Big dollars.\" The U.S. is the largest oil investor in Saudi Arabia, Jubier said in his remarks at the briefing with Tillerson. ExxonMobil, the company formerly led by Til", "In the past day, countries including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and the Maldives have cut ties with Qatar, citing terrorism concerns. The severance in relations affects air transport, trade and — more crucially for the U.S. — efforts to unify Arab allies. Qatar is host to the U.S. Central Command's regional headquarters, and hosts a key air base for the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State. It remains unclear how or if coalition members that have severed ties with Qatar will continue to participate in the operations out of that base. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain have banned Qatari flights from their airports and airspace. They've ordered Qatari diplomats to leave in 48 hours and other Qatari nationals to pack up in two weeks. And Saudi Arabia is shutting its border with Qatar. The cutoff in relations was sparked by a purported hack into Qatar's state news agency and leaks of alleged comments by the Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in support of the Muslim Brotherhood and Saudi Arabia's arch-rival, Iran. The diplomatic row follows President Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia two weeks ago — his first trip abroad as president, where he convened a summit of Arab and Muslim allies. The meeting aimed to gather those states into one camp to counter Iran and ISIS. It appears Saudi Arabia is now working to consolidate its position as the leader of that group and sideline Qatar, whose policies have often been at odds with other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, a regional alliance of six nations. In a statement, Qatar's foreign affairs ministry \"expressed deep regret over the decision of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain to close their borders and airspace and cut off diplomatic relations. Such measures are unjustified and are based on baseless and unfounded allegations. \"Qatar has been exposed to an instigation campaign based on allegations that amounted to absolute fabrications, which proves that there are premeditated intentions to cause damage to the State.\" Secretary of State Rex Tillerson quickly offered his help to mediate the rift, calling on the GCC to maintain unity. He expressed confidence that the growing crisis would not affect military efforts against ISIS. \"I do not expect that this will have any significant impact, if any impact at all, on the unified fight against terrorism in the region or globally,\" he told reporters while on a visit to Australia. \"I think what we're witnessing,\" Tillerson said, \"is a growing list of some irritants in the region that have been there for some time, and obviously they have now bubbled up to a level that countries decided they needed to take action in an effort to have those differences addressed.\" A similar diplomatic spat erupted in 2014, in which diplomats from various Gulf countries were withdrawn from Qatar but air links and borders remained open. Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other Arab states blame Qatar for supporting the Muslim Brotherhood and other groups in the region, and they view the state-owned, Doha-based satellite channel Al-Jazeera as a mouthpiece for Islamists who challenge their governments. On Monday, Saudi Arabia shut down the Qatari broadcaster in its territory and took it off the air. Gulf analyst David Roberts, an assistant professor at King's College London and the author of Qatar: Securing the Global Ambitions of a City-State, says whether or not the alleged comments that led to the current rift are true, \"These comments attributed to Emir Tamim effectively voiced all the policies and issues that everyone thought Qatar was doing anyway.\" Qatar and the countries that have broken relations with it have \"a fundamental clashing [of] opinions of how to operate or with whom you should operate. The UAE's approach to foreign policy, where possible, is always seek to work with a nationalist-oriented group, as opposed to Islamist,\" Roberts says. \"Qatar, more often than not, seems to forge its relationships along Islamist lines.\" But the bottom line, Roberts notes, is \"there's been a feeling for decades that Qatar is an individually focused state doing what it wants to do, and hasn't paid enough attention to GCC security issues. The crux is that the UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia think that Qatar has made their security situation and regional stability worse.\" He tells NPR it is not entirely clear why longstanding issues have boiled over now, but notes, \"We can't ignore the fact that Donald Trump was in the region not too long ago, which really empowered Saudi Arabia and the UAE. They feel they have a certain carte blanche to push their agenda.\"", "The decision last week by Gulf Arab states to sever ties and halt trade with the tiny, hydrocarbon-rich country of Qatar has focused attention on what critics call Qatar's funding of Islamist groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas. U.S. investigators believe the crisis was sparked by hackers who transmitted fake, inflammatory messages appearing to come from Qatar's emir. But the dispute is unfolding against a backdrop of long-standing irritation with Qatar among its larger Sunni Arab neighbors in the Persian Gulf. Saudi Arabia (which has also been accused of supporting terrorist groups), the United Arab Emirates and others have frequently complained about Qatar's state-backed media outlet Al-Jazeera and its equable working relationship with Saudi Arabia's main rival, Shiite power Iran. To some, the current crisis is a simple tale of cracking down on one source of terror financing. To others, it's the latest effort to rein in a small country with a history of going its own way. Tensions that date back decades Long before it was an oil and gas power, Qatar was controlled by outsiders. In the late 19th century, the Ottoman Turks held sway. For much of the 20th century, until it gained independence in 1971, Qatar was a British protectorate. The oil and gas age — the tiny peninsula controls the third-largest gas reserves in the world — made Qatar into one of the richest nations on Earth per capita. But Qatar's leaders, all from the ruling Al Thani family – Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is currently in charge — chafed against the dominating, conservative influence of the behemoth next door, Saudi Arabia. The tensions date back decades, but here are a few highlights: In 1996, Qatar launched the Al-Jazeera satellite news channel and brought a new brand of news coverage to the region. Al-Jazeera disquieted Arab leaders with its reporting, in Arabic, on internal and regional controversies that previously went uncovered. It shocked some viewers by putting Israeli spokespeople on the air when it covered the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Hard-hitting coverage of Qatar itself was — and remains — off-limits.) Qatar provoked the Saudis again as it cultivated ties with Iran, with which it shares vast natural gas resources. Qatar's North Dome gas field extends into Iranian waters, where it's known as the South Pars field. Qatar is the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, although it could lose that status to Australia soon. Gulf Arab annoyance at Qatar flared into open anger in 2011, when Qatar quickly embraced the Arab Spring uprisings, particularly in Egypt, Libya and Syria. Qatar backed the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, which saw one of its own, Mohammed Morsi, briefly succeed long-ruling President Hosni Mubarak. For its part, Saudi Arabia went all in behind the Egyptian military, which ousted Morsi just over a year after he was elected. A 2014 flare-up, followed by worse The Saudi ruling family loathed the Arab Spring uprisings as destabilizing to the region and possibly a threat to its own rule. It stepped up its own activism in the region, both on the ground and diplomatically. In Libya and Syria, the Saudis and Qataris backed different fighting groups that were vying for influence. In 2014, Gulf states — led by Saudi Arabia — suspended diplomatic relations with Qatar for several months and threatened to do worse. Now, after a visit last month by President Trump to Riyadh, the Saudi Arabian capital, they have done worse. They are demanding far greater concessions from Qatar than they ever did in the past — such as closing Al-Jazeera and expelling Hamas leaders — in return for restoring ties. \"This is far more dramatic than the diplomatic row that occurred in 2014,\" says Mehran Kamrava, head of the Center for International and Regional Studies at Georgetown University's outpost in the Qatari capital, Doha. This time, the Saudis have closed Qatar's only land border, through which around 40 percent of its imports enter the country, and Gulf states have stopped air and sea shipments to Qatar. (Saudi Arabia has denied that there is a blockade against Qatar.) Qataris in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain have been given two weeks to leave, and citizens of those three countries were given the same June 18 deadline to leave Qatar. Beyond that, says Kamrava, the dispute feels more visceral. \"This time, the disagreement appears much more personal,\" he says, adding that Qataris are \"a bit shell-shocked\" by the hostility. Kuwait has tried to mediate. But Philip Gordon, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, says the escalating tensions and tougher demands will make a diplomatic solution that much harder to reach. \"Some of what [Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states are] asking for ... expelling members of the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, and shutting down Al-Jazeera ... those are pretty big asks,\" he says — not to mention demands that Qatar cut ties with Iran. But in the wake of Trump's v", "With Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman embarking on a nearly three-week road show across the United States, he will have one major hurdle: Americans don't like his country very much. Despite a 75-year economic and military alliance with Saudi Arabia and regular royal visits, 55 percent of Americans have an unfavorable view of the kingdom, according to a Gallup poll in February. Even longtime U.S. adversaries like China and Cuba have scored more favorably. Crown Prince Mohammed is expected to be welcomed as a reformer when President Trump greets him at the White House on Tuesday. The 32-year-old prince recently expanded women's rights. This summer the kingdom lifts its ban on women driving. Women are also allowed to enter the military for the first time and can attend sporting and cultural events. He's reined in the religious police who enforced strict rules of public behavior. Public cinemas will be licenses for the first time in decades. But he's also raised concerns with brazen power moves that include detaining more than 300 businessmen, former ministers and high-ranking royals in a five-star hotel in the capital Riyadh. The Gulf nation's leaders described the wave of arrests in November 2017 as an anti-corruption purge, but for many international investors, it seemed more like a shakedown, as wealthy Saudi businessmen were pressured to negotiate secret settlements and hand over billions to get released or face public trials and personal ruin. Crown Prince Mohammed has a backer in the White House. President Trump tweeted his approval of the anti-corruption campaign within hours of the arrests in Riyadh. \"I have great confidence in King Salman and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, they know exactly what they are doing....\" the president tweeted. After the White House visit, the crown prince's schedule includes meetings in Silicon Valley, in Los Angeles with entertainment executives, oil industry leaders in Houston, captains of finance in New York and high-profile media interviews along the way. The busy itinerary appears to be a charm offensive to reset American public opinion and woo U.S. investors. Saudi Arabia has a story to sell: a young, dynamic crown prince who claims to be dramatically reforming the kingdom. He will tell a skeptical American business community that Saudi Arabia is safe for investments and even open for tourism for the first time. The Saudi and U.S. economies are significantly linked by \"investment ties, energy markets, and a shared interest in the stability of the global economy,\" writes Karen Young, a resident scholar at Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. For one, Saudi Arabia is the biggest international buyer of U.S. weapons. It will be an uphill battle, says Frank Wisner, a retired U.S. diplomat and businessman. \"It's not an easy country to like,\" Wisner says. \"The American mind simply rebels at the way Saudi women are treated, the way they execute criminals, the enforced religious doctrine,\" he says. There are other issues that follow the prince to the United States. Members of Congress are urging the U.S. to stop supporting the Saudi war in Yemen, which has triggered a humanitarian crisis in the country. For all the claims of reform, the prince hasn't talked about free speech or elected leadership. Dissident clerics and critics of the latest reforms have been jailed. But the issues that color American public opinion come closer to home. \"It goes back to the 1980s, they [the Saudis] were perceived using their oil wealth to rip off Americans,\" explains Gerald Feierstein, director of Gulf affairs at the Middle East Institute in Washington and a former ambassador to Yemen. \"I see from the coverage that Saudi Arabia is a country that many liberal Americans ... [and] many liberal Westerners love to hate.\" says Bernard Haykel, professor of Near Eastern studies at Princeton University. There have been serious low points in the relationship, like when Saudi Arabia imposed an oil embargo against the United states in the 1970s in retaliation for America's military support for Israel. More recently, last December, Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud condemned President Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Worst of all for some Americans, the Sept. 11 attacks still cast a long shadow over Saudi Arabia because 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals. \"There are still lots of people who look at the Saudis and think 9/11,\" says F. Gregory Gause, a professor of international affairs at Texas A&M. \"Either they were behind it, for which there is no evidence, or they created the conditions.\" For a long time there have been two things you could count on in relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia. The country has been favored by American Presidents. But it's unpopular with the American people. \"The White House is always friends with Saudi Arabia. It's largely because the things that the Saudis do that are good for American foreign policy are seen ", "Defense Secretary Robert Gates spent a few hours in Riyadh on Wednesday, to thaw deeply damaged relations Gates is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Saudi Arabia since the wave of uprisings began in the Arab world. Those uprisings have sparked tensions in U.S.-Saudi relations. In a rare open disagreement with the Obama administration, King Abdullah chastised the president for abandoning Egypt's former President Hosni Mubarak, a longtime ally. The Saudis have since developed a more aggressive regional policy. Browsing through Egypt's newspapers these days, one finds growing criticism of Saudi Arabia. It's part of the new freedoms that reflect popular opinion in Egypt. Recently, an influential Egyptian activist charged that the Saudis are pressing Egypt's military rulers not to put Mubarak on trial. This week, Egypt's newly appointed foreign minister said Cairo is ready to re-establish diplomatic ties with Iran after a 30-year break, which is sure to put the Saudis on edge. Nabil Fahmi, a former diplomat, says the foreign policy reflects Egypt's new approach. \"So, I don't see a strategic shift in foreign policy, but I see a shift in tactics: We are going to go back to our leadership role, and I see a stronger foreign policy and a more constructive one,\" he says. For years, Egypt's policy matched the Saudi view to isolate Iran — keep up the pressure. President Mubarak was personally distrustful of Tehran. So how will the Saudis see what is at least Egypt's tactical shift? \"Not very kindly. Egypt has been a reliable ally for Saudi Arabia, particularly along with Jordan, in terms of this moderate Sunni front that saw Iran as a regional threat,\" says Michael Hanna, an analyst with the U.S.-based Century Foundation. He says the weakening of the Sunni Arab alliance against the Shiite power in Iran is one factor driving Saudi policy — along with the uncertainly unleashed by the uprisings across the region. \"They are clearly in a defensive, reactionary mode,\" Hanna says. \"They have long been a status quo power and they are clearly somewhat unnerved by events here in Egypt in particular. There is a sense of trying to halt any contagion in the region.\" The contagion, as the Saudis see it, has led to a policy that appears designed to keep embattled Arab leaders in place. In Syria, the Saudis backed Bashar al-Assad against an uprising from the street, according to Arab and Western analysts. Saudi Arabia sent troops to Bahrain, where a Shiite majority is challenging a Sunni king closely tied to the Saudi royal family. The Saudis saw Tehran's hand in stirring Bahrain's Shiite population to revolt. For the Saudis, Iran remains the top concern. Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former Saudi diplomat and intelligence chief, says Tehran is meddling — taking advantage of Arab uprising that have weakened Arab states. \"The king has been very forthright in public with Iran, calling for Iran not to interfere in Arab affairs,\" he says. With Arab uprisings on its border, Saudi Arabia feels threatened and will now act aggressively to protect Saudi national interests, says Jon Alterman, who heads the Middle East program at the Washington-based Center for Stategic and International Studies. Bahrain is a particular concern, he says. \"The Saudis saw two threats coming out of Bahrain: The first was seeing a sort of Shia string of pearls from Iraq to a Shia-dominated Bahrain leading into the eastern province of Saudi Arabia, which is both where all the oil is and where the Shia are in Saudi Arabia; and a sense that if that was allowed to continue, it would endanger Saudi national security,\" Alterman says. A challenge to a Sunni monarch, even next door, was too much of a risk, he says. \"For the Saudis, the monarchy is serious about remaining a monarch and not compromising. The Saudis saw an existential threat from the spread of democracy in Bahrain.\" At the same time, the Saudis are deeply worried about an American administration that has sided with pro-democracy demonstrators against longtime friends. This has deeply strained a historic security arrangement, says Alterman. \"It's a Saudi Arabia that increasingly feels that the United States isn't going to provide the security umbrella that they've counted on the United States to do,\" he says. \"I don't think the Saudi attitude has changed; I don't think the Saudi analysis has changed. In the Saudi view, what's changed is the environment, and it will act in its interest.\" Gates flew to the kingdom Wednesday to reassure the Saudis that the security umbrella is still in place, even if Washington and Riyadh disagree on how to respond to Middle East uprisings. MELISSA BLOCK, host: This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Melissa Block. MICHELE NORRIS, host: And I'm Michele Norris. Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Riyadh today. He's the highest ranking U.S. official to visit Saudi Arabia since a wave of uprisings swept across the Arab world. And that turmoil has sparked ten", "President Obama will meet with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah while he is in the Middle East. The Saudis are among the staunchest American allies in the region. Khaled Al-Maeena, editor of <em>Arab News,</em> talks with Renee Montagne about whether the Saudis are ready to take more of a diplomatic role in the Middle East.", "A diplomatic crisis continues to develop in the Persian Gulf, where four Sunni states are attempting to isolate the small, oil-rich nation of Qatar from the rest of the region. The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism, which Qatar denies. President Trump has offered to host a conciliatory meeting in the White House, according to his administration. The West African nations of Senegal and Mauritania have severed their diplomatic relations with Qatar in expression of solidarity with the four Arab countries that cut ties. The Arab countries aren't just recalling diplomats; they're also closing airspace to Qatar and restricting access by sea. Qatar is on a peninsula, sharing one land border with Saudi Arabia — which is now closed — and otherwise surrounded by the Gulf. The UAE is threatening up to 15 years in jail and a fine of more than $130,000 for anyone who expresses sympathy for Qatar on social media, The Associated Press reports. Meanwhile, Reuters reports that the Turkish parliament \"approved a draft bill allowing its troops to be deployed to a Turkish military base in Qatar,\" apparently in support of the Qatari government. And the emir of Kuwait has met with two top United Arab Emirates officials to attempt to mediate the situation, the wire service says. Trump spoke with the emir of Qatar on Wednesday, the White House announced, and \"offered to help the parties resolve their differences,\" by hosting a meeting if necessary. Trump had previously appeared to side with the Saudis and other nations against Qatar in a series of tweets on Tuesday. But other officials in his administration sought to downplay that message and emphasize the need for regional cooperation. Qatar is home to the largest U.S. airbase in the Mideast. It's also the world's largest exporter of liquid natural gas. Gregory Gause, a professor at Texas A&M and an expert on the Gulf region, spoke to NPR on Tuesday about the diplomatic rift. He said there are multiple issues at play. The Arab Sunni nations accuse Qatar of supporting radical groups, including allowing or encouraging financial support. Gause notes that compared to its neighbors, Qatar \"is less stringent about regulating the movement of private monies.\" Gause also noted Qatar's relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood \"and other oppositional political groups,\" as well as Qatari cooperation with Iran on some issues \"at a time when Saudi Arabia is confronting Iran directly on all sorts of fronts.\" Finally, he said, there's \"Al Jazeera and other Qatari-funded media, which is just an irritant to these governments because they see Al Jazeera as the platform through which opposition members talk to their own publics.\" CNN and The Guardian have also reported that the FBI believes Russian hackers planted a false story about the emir of Qatar in recent weeks, potentially contributing to the crisis. Qatar's foreign minister told CNN that hackers put a false story on Qatari state media, claiming the country's leader made remarks friendly to Iran and skeptical of Trump. The Financial Times also reports that Qatar is said to have paid a massive ransom after members of the royal family were kidnapped, also contributing to the crisis.", "President Obama met Saudi Arabia&#8217;s King Salman in Riyadh today. The president&#8217;s final visit to the kingdom comes during a time of strained relations. The Saudis are concerned about the U.S. nuclear deal with Iran and the fight against ISIS. On President Obama&#8217;s agenda are questions about Saudi Arabia&#8217;s human rights record. Here & Now&#8217;s Jeremy Hobson speaks with Greg Myre of NPR about the issues involved in the talks. Guests\n\nGreg Myre, digital editor for international news at NPR. He tweets @gregmyre1.", "An Arab summit concluding in Saudi Arabia Thursday has revived a plan for Mideast peace embraced by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. The summit also produced a statement of unity among Arab states. Alex Chadwick speaks with Khaled al-Maeena, editor of Arab News, about the highlights of the meeting.", "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad travels to Saudi Arabia this weekend for talks on regional security, ahead of a meeting next week in Baghdad to discuss the security situation there. The Bush administration announced that it will participate in the Baghdad meeting despite the presence of Iran and Syria, governments the U.S. has been reluctant to meet with publicly. Rami Khouri of the Beirut-based Daily Star newspaper speaks with Lynn Neary about the regional talks.", "The rapper's meeting with President Trump raised eyebrows, and the disappearance of a journalist in a Saudi consulate in Turkey has brought the spotlight again on Washington's relations with Riyadh.", "It was well beyond fashionably late to begin. But models finally took to the runway on Thursday in Saudi Arabia's first-ever Arab Fashion Week. The event is one of the new entertainment opportunities opening up recently in the ultra-conservative kingdom. The fashion show hit significant delays, with logistical problems forcing it to open two weeks later than planned. Designers and models had trouble getting travel visas, and the organizers had to change venues to tents on the grounds of the Ritz-Carlton hotel in the Saudi capital Riyadh. As the event got underway, the backstage area was cramped and frenetic. Makeup artists and hairstylists worked their magic on the mostly Russian and Eastern European models, and designers made last-minute adjustments on their garments. The first gowns by designers like Lebanon's Tony Ward and Bibisara from Kazakhstan were ultra-feminine — with long trains and an emphasis on sequins, feathers and beads. These are fashions Saudi women might wear in private. In public they usually don a black, loose-fitting, floor-length cloak called an abaya. Saudi women regularly attend fashion weeks in New York, Paris and Milan. But the kingdom is still highly conservative and there are restrictions on what types of clothes can be exhibited at the Riyadh show — no cleavage, nothing above the knee and nothing too transparent. The audience was female only. Organizers were the only ones allowed to take pictures inside the tent and photos have to be cleared by government censors before publication. Still, Lebanese designer Naja Saade says Saudi women have extravagant tastes and love lots of special details on their clothes. \"Saudi women like the European style, they like to look like European women,\" he says. \"They like the handmade finishing. And the special dress, they don't like to be like someone else.\" Jacob Abrian, the CEO of the Arab Fashion Council, the Dubai-based company organizing the event, says Saudi princesses are the biggest collectors of haute couture in the world. Abrian says it's not surprising Riyadh would see its own fashion week. \"We decided to host a fashion week in Riyadh, considering the fact and the importance of Saudi Arabia as hub for the Arab world and as the most important markets in the Arab region for the fashion industry,\" he says. He adds that the country's relatively large young adult population and purchasing power are appealing for the industry. Organizers did not immediately release attendance numbers. On opening day, many seats were empty. Logistical problems — plus the $400-per-night ticket price — might have impeded a larger turnout. The list of designers include big names like Jean Paul Gaultier. Most are from Europe or the Middle East, along with some from Brazil or the United States. Several are from Saudi Arabia, including Arwa al-Banawi. She says her designs, including women's business suits, send a strong message about female empowerment at a time when Saudi Arabia is lifting harsh restrictions on women driving and working jobs. Banawi says it makes sense to have a fashion week in Saudi Arabia now because of all the changes happening in the kingdom. \"It definitely is inspiring to me because women now want to become independent, they're working,\" she says. As a designer, Banawi says she wants to make life easier for an independent woman \"who is juggling between her life, family, going to work.\" Even a couple of years ago, it would have been unthinkable for Saudi Arabia to host this kind of fashion event. Along with other moves like allowing movies and operas in, the government says it is trying to make the kingdom a more welcoming place for business and leisure. The effort is spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who just returned from a nearly three-week visit to the U.S. to meet with President Trump and leaders in the financial, tech, and energy worlds. The government has recently taken strong steps to curb rampant corruption in the kingdom, including rounding up more than 200 of Saudi Arabia's wealthiest and influential people and detaining them for about three months at the luxurious Ritz Carlton hotel — the same venue where Fashion Week is being held through Saturday. Organizers are planning another fashion event this fall, hoping to turn Riyadh into a regional hub for fashion.", "Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will donate a combined $100 million to a World Bank fund for women entrepreneurs that was the brainchild of Ivanka Trump. The announcement by World Bank President Jim Young Kim came during a visit to Saudi Arabia by President Trump, who was accompanied by his wife, Melania, daughter Ivanka and son-in-law, Jared Kushner. \"We thought it was a fantastic idea,\" Kim said. \"But we had no idea how quickly this would build. This is really a stunning achievement. I've never seen anything come together so quickly, and I really have to say that Ivanka's leadership has been tremendous.\" The money will help kick off a $1 billion women's empowerment fund that the World Bank will announce in July, he said. The UAE's U.S. ambassador, Yousef Al Otaiba, said in a statement that the promised donation reflects \"our commitment to empowering women in our region and builds on the progress we have made in our country, where women play a role in every segment of society.\" Trump often excoriated the Clinton Foundation The donation raised some eyebrows, since candidate Trump regularly excoriated the Clinton Foundation for accepting donations from repressive Middle East regimes such as Saudi Arabia. USA Today quoted a June 2016 Facebook posting in which Trump said, \"Saudi Arabia and many of the countries that gave vast amounts of money to the Clinton Foundation want women as slaves and to kill gays. Hillary must return all money from such countries!\" During an October debate, Trump also told Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, \"Saudi Arabia giving $25 million, Qatar, all of these countries. You talk about women and women's rights? So these are people that push gays off business - off buildings. These are people that kill women and treat women horribly. And yet you take their money.\" The World Bank fund, which provides technical help and investment funding for women business owners, differs from the Clinton Foundation in some significant ways. While Ivanka Trump proposed the idea along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, she is not involved with its operation. Donations need to be strictly vetted Norm Eisen, former ethics official for the Obama Administration and a regular critic of the Trump family's conflicts of interest, noted in an email to NPR, \"In my view foreign government donations to a fund run by a reputable international organization like the World Bank for a good cause are generally acceptable.\" But Eisen said the donations need to be strictly vetted and must be transparent. \"Based on what we know, there's no reason to believe that those two things did not happen. That said, the hypocrisy is concerning, and the general miasma of corruption that surrounds all things Trump suggests some extra scrutiny here,\" he added. \"I don't see this fund as a big problem if she does not solicit [donations] and it is entirely World Bank run,\" said Richard Painter, former ethics adviser to the George W. Bush administration. \"But the Saudis could try letting women drive cars too. That would be good for entrepreneurship,\" he said. Earlier in the day, Ivanka Trump met with a group of elite Saudi women at Tuwaiq Palace in Riyadh, where she largely avoided sharp criticism of the country's treatment of women. \"There's still a lot of work to be done\" to empower women in both Saudi Arabia and the United States, she said.", "When President Trump was in Saudi Arabia, White House officials touted billions of dollars in deals signed with the country, but details were scarce.", "The Arab League is meeting in Cairo to hammer out its strategy for next week's Middle East peace talks in Annapolis. The Saudis will be there, but say they will have no part of \"theatrics\" - such as handshakes - with Israeli leaders.", "Updated at 7:32 p.m. ET Saudi Arabia's crown prince approved the operation that led to the brutal 2018 death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the U.S. intelligence community said in a report released Friday. President Biden has been critical of Saudi Arabia and the report is expected to further harm the increasingly fraught relations between the two longtime allies. He said Friday that he will hold Saudi Arabia accountable for human rights abuses. \"We assess that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey, to capture or kill\" Khashoggi, said the report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. \"Since 2017, the crown prince has had absolute control of the kingdom's security and intelligence organizations, making it highly unlikely that Saudi officials would have carried out an operation of this nature without the crown prince's authorization,\" it added. Shortly after the report was released, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines gave an exclusive interview to NPR. \"The fact that the crown prince approved that operation ... is likely not to be a surprise,\" she told NPR's Mary Louise Kelly. \"I am sure it is not going to make things easier, but I think it's also fair to say that it is not unexpected.\" Asked how this might affect the U.S.-Saudi relationship, she said: \"I think there will be ways to weather the various storms that we have in front of us.\" Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said it rejected completely \"the negative, false and unacceptable\" finding of the U.S. intelligence community, adding \"that the report contained inaccurate information and conclusions.\" The basic facts of the killing have long been clear. Khashoggi, 59, was a Saudi citizen living in Northern Virginia and writing columns for The Washington Post that were often critical of the Saudi monarchy. He was killed during a visit to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018. His body was dismembered, and his remains have never been found. Saudi Arabia initially denied knowledge of what happened to Khashoggi. But in the face of intense international pressure, the kingdom blamed his death on \"rogue\" security officials. However, the crown prince's involvement in the killing has long been suspected. Two months after Khashoggi's death, in December 2018, then-CIA Director Gina Haspel returned from a trip to Turkey and briefed Senate leaders on her findings. The senators emerged from that meeting convinced that the crown prince was responsible. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman \"is a wrecking ball. I think he is complicit in the murder of Khashoggi in the highest possible level,\" said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. In a 2019 report, U.N. human rights investigator Agnes Callamard said Khashoggi \"has been the victim of a deliberate, premeditated execution, an extrajudicial killing for which the state of Saudi Arabia is responsible under international human rights law.\" The U.N. report said a 15-member team of Saudi agents flew to Istanbul specifically to meet Khashoggi. The team included a forensic doctor and people who worked in the crown prince's office. The U.S. intelligence report released Friday says seven of the team members were part of the crown prince's \"elite personal protective detail.\" It says that group, called the Rapid Intervention Force, \"exists to defend the crown prince\" and \"answers only to him.\" \"We judge that members of the RIF would not have participated in the operation against Khashoggi without Mohammed bin Salman's approval.\" Saudi courts have sentenced five men to death for Khashoggi's murder, but the sentences were later reduced to 20 years. Three other men received lesser sentences. Biden to \"recalibrate\" relations Biden has already made it clear that he plans to take a more critical position toward Saudi Arabia, which has had close ties with many U.S. presidents, including President Donald Trump. Trump's first foreign trip as president was to Saudi Arabia in 2017, where he described the kingdom as a regional leader and praised it for the billions of dollars the Saudis spend on U.S. weapons. During last year's presidential campaign, Biden called Saudi Arabia a \"pariah\" and was critical of its human rights record and its intervention in Yemen's civil war, which has contributed to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. \"The president's intention, as is the intention of this government, is to recalibrate our engagement with Saudi Arabia,\" White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday. Psaki said earlier this month that Biden would conduct relations with Saudi Arabia \"counterpart to counterpart.\" \"The president's counterpart is King Salman,\" Psaki said. Biden said he has read the intelligence report produced by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees all 18 of the U.S. intelligence agencies. According to the White House, Biden spoke by phone Thursday with King Salman. They discussed a range of issues, and Biden \"affirmed the", "Following a four-day trip through Europe, President Obama is traveling to Saudi Arabia for a brief visit that includes a meeting and a dinner with Kind Abdullah. Saudi Arabia and the U.S. have long been close allies; however, recently the two countries have differed over a string of issues including the war in Syria, the conflict between the Egyptian military and the Muslim Brotherhood, and Iran’s role in the Middle East. The president’s trip will serve as an effort to reassure Arab allies that, despite these and other concerns, the U.S. is not abandoning the Arab world. NPR’s international correspondent Michele Kelemen joins Here & Now&#8217;s Sacha Pfeiffer to discuss the president’s trip and the current state of U.S. &#8211; Saudi relations. Guest\n\nMichele Kelemen, diplomacy correspondent for NPR. She tweets @MkelemenNPR.\n SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST: From NPR and WBUR Boston, I'm Sacha Pfeiffer. JEREMY HOBSON, HOST: I'm Jeremy Hobson. It's HERE AND NOW. And coming up, what do tensions between Russia and the United States mean for astronauts from both countries who are currently aboard the International Space Station? PFEIFFER: But first, President Obama continues his international tour today in Saudi Arabia. In Riyadh, the president meets with King Abdullah to try to smooth out relations between the two countries and reassure Saudi officials that the U.S. is committed to security in the region. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia have forged strategic partnerships over many decades, but in recent years, Saudi rulers have been pursuing their own interests. We've seen that most recently with the conflicts in Iran, Syria and Egypt. NPR's Michele Kelemen is with us to talk about that. Hi, Michele. MICHELE KELEMEN, BYLINE: Hi, Sacha. PFEIFFER: And Michele, these two leaders are clearly going to be discussing many different issues. So let's go through several of them. And would you start with us on Syria? Because on that front, the Saudis are unhappy with the U.S., and the U.S. is unhappy with the Saudis. Explain why that is. KELEMEN: Well, the Saudis have been really frustrated with U.S. policy. For one, the U.S. has been talking about how Bashar al-Assad must go, but they haven't really offered the rebels the kind of aid they would need to oust him. And then also last year President Obama first decided that he would strike Damascus to punish it for a chemical weapons attack. Later, he backed off when Russia stepped in with a diplomatic way out, persuading Assad to give up his chemical weapons stockpiles, but that only increased the conventional warfare in the country. On the U.S., there are concerns about what Gulf states are doing arming the rebels in Syria, that a lot of these arms and support are going to jihadis and extremists. So the U.S. has been trying to steer the aid to more moderate secular opposition rather than to these jihadis. PFEIFFER: Does coordination on Syria seem to be improving? KELEMEN: White House officials say it is. They say they're coordinating more as to what aid's going in and where. They say that's going to be a topic of these meetings, and the White House, top White House official Ben Rhodes also told reporters that the U.S. thinks this relationship with Saudi Arabia is in a stronger place than last year when he said that there were tactical differences over Saudi policy. It's hard, though, to see any real strategy emerging here on Syria. Peace talks have gone nowhere and the fighting drags on now in its fourth year. PFEIFFER: President Obama and King Abdullah will also be talking about Iran. The U.S. is in the midst of negotiations over Iran's nuclear program. Explain the tension with Saudi Arabia there. KELEMEN: Iran is the big item here. The Saudis don't want Iran to get the bomb, but they also don't want Iran to have more normal relations with Washington. Iran is Saudi Arabia's regional rival. Analysts say there's nothing really the U.S. can do to alleviate Saudi Arabia's concerns about that. White House officials say President Obama is making clear in his meeting with King Abdullah that even as the U.S. pursues this nuclear deal that the U.S. is also going to continue raise concerns about Iran's behavior in the region. You know, Iran backs groups on the U.S. terrorism blacklist, like the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, and both Iran and Hezbollah are supporting Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria. So U.S. officials say they're going to continue to highlight all of these concerns, even as they negotiate on the nuclear file. PFEIFFER: Then there's Egypt as a topic for these two world leaders. The Saudis backed the military leaders who overthrew Mohamed Morsi last year. Do the U.S. and Saudi Arabia see eye to eye on this issue? KELEMEN: They haven't really. I mean, ever since 2011, when the Tahrir Square revolution toppled Hosni Mubarak from power, as that ushered in this period in which the Muslim Brotherhood was dominant, the Saudis see that Islamist movement as a threat to the kingdom. S", "The U.S. killing of senior Iranian military commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani left many of America's allies in the Middle East confused and nervous. That includes Saudi Arabia, the top regional rival of Iran. The Saudi-U.S. relationship has become particularly close since President Trump took office. It could prove to be a double-edged sword for the kingdom, analysts say, as Iran contemplates its next moves. Iran and Saudi Arabia have long battled for regional dominance, and the U.S. has supported the Saudi-led war in Yemen against Iran-backed Houthi forces. Trump made a speech Wednesday that seemed intended to avert a war with Iran. There had been signs Saudi Arabia and Iran were already trying to ease tensions. But that was before the U.S. killed Soleimani and Iran fired missiles at bases housing U.S. troops in retaliation. \"The Saudis are in a very tough spot, almost entirely of the Americans' making,\" says Henry Rome, an Iran analyst at the Eurasia Group, a global political risk consultancy. Following the assassination of Soleimani, the Saudi kingdom dispatched its deputy defense minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, to meet with Trump on Monday. The White House did not announce the meeting — word of it only became public when Khalid tweeted about it. He said he discussed \"bilateral cooperation, including efforts to confront regional and international challenges.\" Rome does not think Iran is likely to attack Saudi Arabia directly — but said Iran might try to target U.S. facilities in Saudi Arabia. \"Where the Saudi concern lies is if this [Iranian and U.S. reciprocal retaliation] escalates very significantly, that Iran would start to look at countries that are allied with the U.S. or provide bases or other assistance to the U.S. as potential targets,\" says Rome. He points to a recent incident that caused alarm. In September, a main installation and an oil field at the giant state-owned oil company, Saudi Aramco, were hit by a series of explosions. Saudi Arabia's military said the attack from cruise missiles and drones was \"unquestionably\" sponsored by Iran. The hit temporarily disabled part of the country's oil industry, laying bare vulnerabilities in its defenses. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo flew to Saudi Arabia and declared the assault an \"act of war\" by Iran. Rome says the kingdom was surprised there was no military response from the Trump administration after the oil attack. \"I think it became very clear to the leadership in Riyadh that Washington does not have its back from a military point of view and that they need to urgently try another avenue,\" he says. That avenue was diplomacy. After the attack on Saudi oil, the kingdom focused on trying to de-escalate tension in the Persian Gulf region, according to Emily Hawthorne, a Middle East specialist at Stratfor, a geopolitical intelligence company. \"We have seen the Saudis back away from what was once a pretty sharply confrontational stance against Iran,\" Hawthorne says. \"We've seen them move more toward beginning to probe the idea of seeking a dialogue with Iran.\" The Saudi Embassy in Washington, D.C., did not immediately provide comment to NPR on possible dialogue with Iran. Hawthorne says Riyadh \"craves\" stability, not just for the kingdom's physical security, but also because it will help court foreign investment — a critical component of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's efforts to wean Saudi Arabia off its oil dependency. Hawthorne says Saudi Arabia is following the example of its Gulf neighbor, the United Arab Emirates, which will host Expo 2020, a world's fair, next fall and wants to make sure it goes off without a hitch. She says the UAE has started a dialogue with Iranian officials. Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have national safety as a priority, she says. \"The Arab Gulf states are closest allies of the United States, but they can't control exactly how the U.S. is conducting its policy against Iran,\" she says. She says Saudi Arabia's efforts toward a Saudi-Iranian detente are in a very early stage and being mediated by other countries, such as Pakistan and Iraq. In fact, Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi told parliament last Sunday that he was mediating between Iran and Saudi Arabia. He said Soleimani had been bringing a message from Iran for the Saudis on the day he was killed in Baghdad. Pompeo threw cold water on any notion that Soleimani was on a diplomatic mission. \"Is there any history that would indicate that it was remotely possible that this kind gentleman, this diplomat of great order, Qassem Soleimani, had traveled to Baghdad for the idea of conducting a peace mission?\" he said on Tuesday. \"We know that wasn't true.\" The Trump administration has said it conducted the drone strike against Soleimani to prevent planned attacks against Americans. Trita Parsi, an executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, says there have been tangible signs that Saudi Arabia was serious about cooling tension", "It's pretty safe to say President Trump did a few attention-grabbing things this weekend on the first leg of his first foreign tour in office. He delivered an address to the leaders of Muslim-majority countries, for instance, and took part in a sword dance with Saudi leaders in Riyadh. And as you might have heard, he also touched a glowing orb. At the gala inauguration of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology — an institution billed as a cooperative effort to confront extremism \"by the latest intellectual, media and numerical methods and means\" — Trump joined Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in laying their hands on a lit-up globe. Here's how the Saudi Gazette put it: \"Trump and the King each placed their hands on a miniature globe that officially activated the center and launched a splashy welcome video.\" Then, they continued to palm the sphere for about a minute and a half as they watched, lights dimmed and orb aglow — while cameras snapped away. Which, of course, means Twitter noticed, too. Ever helpful and earnest, our fair friends on social media quickly stepped in to clarify the situation for befuddled onlookers. That is, they offered a few suggestions about what it's fairly safe to say Trump did not do. And they offered a lot of them. For instance, it's pretty safe to say Trump did not break a campaign pledge to resist the all-knowing orb's deceitful and deadly attractions. He probably did not make a wish, negotiate with the glowing orb or see his future. Mark our words: He did not even sic a troop of orcs on the heroic, if reluctant and undersized, possessor of the One Ring to Rule Them All. Sure, we'll admit the possibility Trump disappointed campaign rival Jeb Bush. But it also appears he did not impress Breitbart, a media outlet that has ties to his administration and quite often has his back at moments such as these. And finally, let's be very, very clear on this point: Trump did not take part in a satanic ritual.", "Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has changed his pick for a successor, naming his son Prince Mohammed bin Salman as crown prince and deposing Prince Mohammed bin Nayef from the post. At 31, the country's new successor to the throne is 50 years younger than the current monarch. Mohammed bin Nayef, 57, had served as crown prince since 2015, taking the post shortly after Salman, his uncle, was crowned. He also had been Saudi Arabia's interior minister — another job that will now be filled by Mohammed bin Salman. According to the royal order making the change, the Saudi Allegiance Council overwhelmingly approved the new line of succession, by a vote of 31-3. The abrupt shuffle has come as a surprise to many: When Mohammed bin Nayef became crown prince two years ago, he was the first member of his generation to rise to the top of the royal family. With his removal, Saudi Arabia is now on a path to be led by someone far younger. The newest crown prince has amassed a number of responsibilities and powers, and while he's known for his economic and social ideas to modernize the kingdom, he also served as the Saudi defense minister during the kingdom's military intervention in Yemen. \"He symbolizes the hopes of a youthful local population, more than half of which is under 25,\" Gulf News reports. The site adds that because the king's son has acquired such a wide portfolio, diplomats nicknamed him \"Mr. Everything.\" A public pledge of allegiance to the new crown prince is scheduled for Wednesday evening; in a video that was posted shortly after the change was announced, the two princes are seen greeting each other and exchanging pleasantries. \"The shake-up in the Saudi line of succession comes as the kingdom and other Gulf Arab states continue a feud with Qatar that has seen borders close and trade shipments halted,\" NPR's Peter Kenyon reports for our Newscast unit. \"The U.S. State Department appears to be losing patience with the Saudis and their allies, demanding that they reveal their list of grievances against Qatar.\" Mohammed bin Salman has already met several world leaders. He visited President Trump at the White House in March and hosted U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May in Riyadh in April. In May, he visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Of the new crown prince's personal life, Gulf News reports: \"A law graduate from Riyadh's King Saud University, the dark-bearded prince with a receding hairline is the father of two boys and two girls and has married only once.\"", "President Trump's longtime friend Tom Barrack has been getting a lot of attention lately — much of it not good. Barrack was the chairman of Trump's inaugural committee, which is now under scrutiny by federal prosecutors. He was roundly criticized for comments he made this month about the killing of Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. And this week, Barrack's name came up in a report from the House Oversight Committee about a possibly illegal effort to transfer nuclear technology to the Middle East. That's a lot of heat for the man who introduced himself at the Republican National Convention three years ago as \"the son of a very humble Lebanese grocer from Culver City, Calif.\" Barrack, who is now a wealthy real estate investor, recalled how he met Trump in the 1980s, while negotiating the sale of New York's Plaza Hotel. \"I was a young pup. He was a big guy in New York at the time,\" Barrack said. \"He played me like a Steinway piano.\" In fact, Trump overpaid and lost the hotel within a few years. But he found in Barrack a companion who shared his tastes for real estate and a celebrity lifestyle. \"Donald Trump is one of my closest friends for 40 years,\" Barrack told the convention audience. \"The bridge\" As a young man, Barrack had worked in Saudi Arabia, and he cultivated a network of contacts throughout the Middle East. Veteran State Department adviser Aaron David Miller described Barrack as a \"smart guy. Grew up speaking Arabic. Did extremely well for himself in the business world, but particularly in the Gulf.\" Some of Barrack's Arab business associates were alarmed during the campaign by Trump's anti-Muslim rhetoric. But Barrack reassured them and later set about making introductions in the region, first to Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and later to the president himself. Some of those early contacts were detailed in 2018 by the New York Times. \"Barrack emerged, because precisely of his decade-old ties with the Saudis and the Emiratis, as the bridge that created these relationships,\" said Miller, now a scholar at the Wilson Center. Trump made Saudi Arabia the destination of his first foreign trip as president. And he's made strong ties to the kingdom — along with opposition to Iran — a cornerstone of his Middle East policy. Miller questioned the wisdom of that single-minded approach, especially as the Saudi crown prince has pursued an authoritarian crackdown at home and a devastating war in neighboring Yemen. \"Over the last 18 months, we've accomplished very little,\" Miller said. \"And we've allowed ourselves to be tethered to a country and an individual that have left a wake of disasters.\" U.S.intelligence agencies also implicated the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, in the murder last October of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But like Trump, Barrack has been reluctant to pin blame on the Saudi leader. \"Whatever happened in Saudi Arabia, the atrocities in America are equal or worse to the atrocities in Saudi Arabia,\" Barrack said earlier this month at a conference in Abu Dhabi. After an uproar, Barrack apologized for those comments. But he continues to minimize the role of the Saudi government in Khashoggi's death, blaming it instead on \"the bad acts of a few.\" Questions for inaugural committee Separately, federal prosecutors in New York issued subpoenas this month seeking records from the Trump inaugural committee that Barrack chaired. That committee raised a record $107 million to stage the president's swearing-in. Investigators reportedly want to know how all that money was spent, where it came from, and whether any was raised illegally from foreign sources. A spokesman says Barrack does not believe he's a target of that probe. Around the time those subpoenas went out, ProPublica and WNYC published a memo from Barrack's investment firm, drafted soon after the inauguration, showing how the firm might capitalize on its close ties to the new administration. The memo reportedly was drafted by Rick Gates, onetime deputy to Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Gates worked as a consultant for the firm until he was indicted during the special counsel's investigation. He has since pleaded guilty to conspiracy and lying the FBI. Although Barrack's firm denied acting on the memo, the watchdog group American Oversight found soon after Trump took office, Barrack and colleagues began showing up in private meetings with top Cabinet officials. \"We're seeing him everywhere, getting the kind of access that, well, frankly people would pay a lot to get,\" said Austin Evers, the watchdog group's executive director. \"Five-alarm fire\" On Tuesday, the House Oversight Committee listed Barrack as a key supporter of a plan to supply nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia despite warnings from whistleblowers that it might help the kingdom to develop nuclear weapons. \"This is a five-alarm fire when it comes to ethics and potential improper influence on our most important policy which is national security,\"" ]

[ "If you were feeding your cat poor quality food before and have switched to this you've probably seen some improvement, hence the positive reviews. HOWEVER, please be aware that this food really isn't all that great. Corn is the second AND sixth ingredient listed which means there is a lot of it! It is used partially as a cheap protein source and a cheap filler. Cats have no use for corn and cannot effectively digest it which can result in very stinky, large stools and some medical problems. Corn is also a common allergen among cats. Corn is not good for cats! Brewer's rice is a by-product of beer production. Basically it is nutritionally worthless.<br /><br />On the positive side there are no animal by-products in this food. For those of you who don't know what animal by-products are I'll fill you in. Animal by-products are the beaks, feathers, hooves, intestines, bones, etc. (basically the inedible parts of an animal) all ground up and served up for your cat to eat.<br /><br />I don't believe this food to be terrible but at the same time it isn't great either. Remember that just because it's \"natural\" doesn't mean it's good!! After having several of my cats (I have 16) develop hairloss and other related allergy and medical issues I have made it a point to thoroughly research any cat food I serve up. Because I have so many, I need to be frugal but at the same time I also need to be responsible by choosing quality food products. The information to make good food choices for your pet is out there, easy to find, and readily available." ]

[ "Like all chocolate, this organic chocolate bar from Newman's Organics is very high in fat content. It is a guilty pleasure. It is simply some of the best organic chocolate that I've ever tasted! I'm not the biggest fan of chocolate, but this is absolutely fantastic. Best of all, it is made with organic ingredients. No pesticides or artificial ingredients are used in making this product, so while it may not be healthy the ingredients are still better for the body. Highly recommended.", "I have a Pit Bull who is a little over a year old. To say he is food motivated is an understatement. However, with that being said he is still picky. He adores these treats and others from Darford. I do much research before I feed treats/food to my dog and I could not find any bad information on this company. I promote these treats to family/friends that have dogs and their dogs are also hooked. Good wholesome treats and grainfree which is good because some dogs have allergy problems with grains.", "I received these flossies and they were full of mold and definitely not suitable for consumption. There was a recall by the manufacturer some time ago and flossies are hard to get a hold of. Either these were recalled and the seller is still selling them or the seller is storing these in bad conditions. It took more then a month to deal with the seller to finally get a shipping label and full refund. Buy with caution.", "I've done my fair share of research on dog food. I went from the Wellness Super5Mix, which was a good dog food but gave my dog some bad gas and still had fillers in it. Then I thought I was crazy for spending so much money on dog food, so I went to Beneful, which eliminated the bad gas but I felt bad feeding such garbage to my dog on a daily basis. So I found this one and I haven't looked back! Granted my dog will eat anything, but his coat looks brighter, shinier, and his poop doesn't even really smell, which I find unusual (Can't complain with that though).<br /><br />Cheapest to buy on Amazon, especially with Free Shipping.<br /><br />A must have purchase for me!", "When black tea is decaffeinated, it often tastes weak and thin. Some companies add chicory to counter this problem, but to me this makes the tea tastes like bad coffee. I don't know how PG Tips has done it, but their decaf tea bags will still give you a decent British cuppa. It is now the only decaf black tea that I carry at my tea store.", "It's really hard to believe how good this tastes for just 45 calories. To put that into perspective, 3 Tbsp of normal peanut butter is ~ 280 calories. The 5 grams of protein in it is just a bonus. I put it in protein shakes with a lot of other ingredients [...], and the taste still shines through and really improves the overall taste of the shake.<br /><br />The only downside to it, if there is one, is that it is pretty expensive. Even if you buy the 12 pack at $70 with prime, that still works out to almost $0.40 per serving, which is pretty steep for peanut butter. However, if you are on a diet, this is a very calorically efficient way to get some solid flavor and a few grams of decent quality protein.", "So I've used it twice now...only for my hair ..I just put it all over my head and leave it in for about 2 hours..then wash it out really good because if you leave some in after you shower it still feels oily...I usually have to wash my hair twice<br />..but it feels sooooo soft after I use it. I notice that my ends haven't been breaking as bad..and im the type of person that styles my hair almost everyday :) definitely recommend.", "I really enjoy this coconut water. Tastes fresh and has good nutrition with no added ingredients. I usually put it in our morning smoothies along with some strawberries, bananas and flaxmeal.", "It is delightfully convenient to buy bread on Amazon.com! It is also very nice to be able to buy EUROPEAN bread. I don't remember what health-food book I read this in, but, in passing, this book mentioned that Americans, (especially American children), who visit Europe are often heard to joyfully be saying: \"Have you tasted the BREAD?!!!!!\"<br /><br />MESTERNACHER THREE-GRAIN BREAD is my first European bread. It is tasty, (I was afraid I wouldn't like the taste) -- yet, my American taste still would like a sweeter bread. Still, not bad tasting at all. The truly wonderful thing about this bread, however, is that IT CONTAINS NO WHEAT! Wheat has its place in the diet, I suppose...but limiting it is important, because, amongst other things, wheat is said to be bad for people with arthritis of ANY kind, and wheat is also said to be bad for ANYONE'S eyes. I'm not too knowedgeable about wheat's good and bad qualties -- but I do know the above two facts. I also have heard bad things about wheat GLUTEN. Presumably, wheat products without the gluten are better than those with gluten. Mestermacher Three-Grain Bread, however, has NO WHEAT AT ALL. So, one does not have to worry about any bad effects of wheat, at all!<br /><br />What does this bread have in it, if it doesn't have wheat? The ingredient list is:<br /><br />Whole Kernel Rye<br />Water<br />Wholemeal Rye Flour<br />Oat Kernels<br />Barley Kernels<br />Linseed<br />Salt<br />Oat Fibre<br />Sesame<br />Yeast<br /><br />It is mentioned underneath the ingredients list that this bread containes Sesame. Obviously, some people are allergic to sesame. And, perhaps, some of the other ingredients? Anyway, the ingredient list is above...and, of course, on each loaf wrapper.<br /><br />Also listed are special attributes of this bread:<br /><br />No preservatives<br />Kosher = K parev<br />High Fibre<br />Cholesterol Free<br />Natural Ingredients<br />Long Shelf Life<br />Wheat Free<br /><br />The second-to-the-last attribute, \"Long Shelf Life\" is due to the fact that THIS BREAD IS PASTEURIZED. (But, as mentioned above, it still tastes pretty good, unlike many other pasteurized products....) The expiration date on the bread I have bought, is 12 - 12 - 2010 -- NINE MONTHS from the day I first opened the package, (YESTERDAY), and ate my first piece!<br /><br />Opened loaves, (there are 12 in the package), must be refrigerated, and eaten within 4 days. But each loaf contains only 7 slices! This makes it easy to eat the entire (nice and thinly-sliced) loaf in the required 4 days. It' interesting that there are SEVEN pieces in each loaf. Usually, of course, it takes TWO pieces of any type of bread to make a sandwich.....<br /><br />But this bread is NOT shaped square-ishly, like most American breads. No, as can clearly be seen from the photos here, it is RECTANGULARLY shaped. This would seem to make it easy to simply slice the bread in half, and make a small sandwhich from the two pieces. However, the texture of this bread will not allow this. Or, at least the texture of the bread I bought will not allow this. As I said, the bread I have has a shelf-life of NINE months (left?). I have no idea how long the bread's shelf-life is, when it first is baked. IF it is one year, than I am missing three months -- and the bread, though fresh(ish?) is very, (very) slightly brittle. As a single-slice, it breaks off neatly, but if I was to try to cut it in half, and make a sandwich, I'm sure many, many crumbs would result. Maybe this would happen even if the bread were at its freshest: the picture on the wrapper shows an OPEN-FACED sandwich \"serving suggestion\", using only one piece of bread....<br /><br />Or perhaps, because of the ALL-natural ingredients, no \"dough conditioners\" or other ingredients to make the bread soft enough to \"fold\", as most American breads do. I wish a natural dough-conditioner, (or other ingredient), could be found, so that this fine, natural bread, would be as pliable as American breads are.<br /><br />I guess this \"unfoldability\" is my main complaint about this bread, and why I give it only 4 stars. It is, however, quite good tasting, (minus the American-type sweetness I, personally, so enjoy), and it does make one feel good that one is NOT eating wheat, and is enjoying all-natural ingredients, and a high-fibre content, whilst eating this tasty bread!", "These leak.<br />You'll most likely have a bit of a mess in the machine, but not bad. Some of the ground coffee will end up in your cup.<br />Still, I like the idea, and have found it to be a huge help to put a small square of aluminum foil between the cup and lid, to make a better seal.<br /><br />On caps' own merits, aluminum foil squares (folded once) actually worked better. Together it's a pretty good solution. It takes away from the whole point of k-cups, but sometimes it's nice to save money or use your own coffee.", "Here are the ingredients that are on the label:<br />Ingredients: Gum Base, Maltitol, Sorbitol, Xylitol, Glycerine, Natural Flavor, Gum Arabic, Stevita Stevia extract, Resinous Glaze, Soy Lecithin, Carnauba Wax<br /><br />This is NOT a stevia sweetened product, not as one would expect with something called \"Steviadent\" and with \"Stevia Dietary Supplement\" on the front of the package. Stevia shows up #8 on the ingredient list even AFTER Glycerine, Natural Flavor, Gum Arabic. And the term \"natural flavor\" can mean anything at all. The manufacturer doesn't have to tell you what it is because it is considered \"proprietary information\"--could be ANYTHING, most likely something artificial, unnatural and most probably, something unhealthy or else the manufacturer would be proud to list it openly.<br /><br />I made the mistake of ordering this gum without checking the ingredients first. I even popped one into my mouth. It was pretty bad both in taste and texture; had to throw away the rest.<br /><br />There's another sugar-free gum that has less nasty ingredients:<br />It's Xlear Inc. Spry Xylitol Gum<br />Ingredients: Xylitol, gum base, natural flavor (spearmint oil), vegetable glycerin, gum Arabic, soy lecithin, beeswax.<br />It still has Xylitol in it which some people's systems can't tolerate but generally most people can and so far, research shows that the only \"side effect\" is loose bowels in some people. That might be a plus for some folks!<br /><br />Spry Gums have a much nicer texture and taste in my opinion and come in several different flavors and in jars of 100 and even 600. So the savings is phenomenal.<br /><br />Made with non-GMO Xylitol made from corn.<br />http://www.amazon.com/Xlear-Peppermint-Sugar-100-Pieces/dp/B000COIT8Y/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1342563776&sr=8-4&keywords=Xlear+Inc+Spry+Xylitol+Gum<br /><br />PS: there are much better stevia products available anyway." ]

[ "Jewish leadership - Wikipedia Jewish leadership (Hebrew: ), has evolved over time. Since the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, there has been no single body that has a leadership position over the entire Jewish diaspora. Various branches of Judaism, as well as Jewish religious or secular .... \"Rabbi\" is not a universal term however, as many Sephardic rabbinic Jewish...", "Who Were the Religious Leaders of Jesus's Day? The priests at the temple in Jerusalem not only officiated over the religious ... Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, 'What ... The very name Pharisee is derived from the Hebrew word that means to separate..", "Judaism 101: Rabbis, Priests, and Other Religious Functionaries A rabbi is not a priest, neither in the Jewish sense of the term nor in the Christian ... various rites in the Temple in connection with religious rituals and sacrifices. ... and rabbis have taken over the spiritual leadership of the Jewish community.", "ruler of the synagogue - Oxford Biblical Studies Online The 'leader of the synagogue' (NRSV, Luke 8: 41) was an official appointed by the elders to look after the building, its contents, and its arrangements for worship.", "Synagogue Definition and Meaning - Bible Dictionary - Bible study Definition and meaning:SYNAGOGUE sin'-a-gog: 1. ... The chief administrative officer was the synagogue ruler ( Mark 5:22 ; Luke 13:14 ; Acts ..... struggle, the Jews adhered to the religion of their fathers, and never again relapsed into idolatry. ..... Lift up our nation and leaders to God in prayer as you download our exclusive..." ]

[ "Synagogue - Wikipedia A synagogue, also spelled synagog (pronounced /sn/ from Greek , ... Persian Jews and some Karaite Jews also use the non-Hebrew term kenesa, which ... high priest\") as he offered the day's sacrifices and prayed for his success. .... a large seven-branched candelabrum commemorating the full Menorah.", "Islamic religious leaders - Wikipedia Imam is an Arabic word meaning \"Leader\". The ruler of a country might be called the Imam, for example. The term, however, has important connotations in the Islamic tradition especially in Shia Beliefs .", "Synogogue - ReligionFacts Mar 17, 2015 ... In the Jewish religion, worship services take place at a synagogue, ... According to Jewish beliefs, the Temple was first built by King Solomon to house the Ark of ... Reform Jews refer to it as \"the temple,\" which reflects their view that the ... When in doubt, \"synagogue\" is the best term to use, as it is the least...", "Clergy - Wikipedia Clergy are some of the formal leaders within certain religions. The roles and functions of clergy ..... The nearest analogue among Sunni Muslims to the parish priest or pastor, or to the \"pulpit rabbi\" of a synagogue, is called the imam khatib.", "Great Synagogue of Rome - Wikipedia The Great Synagogue of Rome is the largest synagogue in Rome. Contents. [hide]. 1 History ... On 13 April 1986, Pope John Paul II made an unexpected visit to the Great ... He prayed with Rabbi Elio Toaff, the former Chief Rabbi of Rome. ... visits Rome's Great Synagogue: You are our 'elder brothers' - Jewish World News\".", "Synagogues, Shuls, and Temples / Torah 101 / Mechon Mamre Discusses Jewish places of worship, including modern synagogues and the ... There are actually several different terms for a Jewish house of worship, and you can ... Reform Jews use the word \"temple\", because they consider every one of their ... temples we will ever have, and are equivalent to the Temple in Jerusalem.", "Life of Pi definitions - WordPress.com Ashram : A secluded building, often the residence of a guru, used for religious retreat or instruction in Hinduism. Imam : Title for a Muslim religious leader or chief...", "Rabbi - Wikipedia In Judaism, a rabbi /rba/ is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word ... The word \"master\" rav [v] literally means \"great one\". .... On March 22, 2009, the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, an Orthodox Synagogue, held a .... The Jewish Spiritual Leaders Institute offers a training program, meets in...", "Synagogue Background & Overview | Jewish Virtual Library Reform Jews use the word \"temple,\" because they consider every one of their meeting ... At a minimum, a synagogue is a beit tefilah, a house of prayer. ... that you do not have to be a member of a synagogue in order to worship there. .... the only temples we will ever have, and are equivalent to the Temple in Jerusalem.", "Jeopary Questions page 938 - THE HOMOPHONICS GAME ... VIDEO GAMES: In \"The Vacation Mystery\", Mattel has this dollface detective team up with Ken & Becky RELIGION: Term for the chief religious leader of a...", "Judaism 101: Rabbis, Priests, and Other Religious Functionaries Since the destruction of the Temple, the role of the kohanim has diminished, and ... A chazzan (cantor) is the person who leads the congregation in prayer. ... is teaching young people to lead all or part of a Shabbat service and to chant the...", "Touro Synagogue George Washington's Mount Vernon Jack Boucher, \"Touro Synagogue, Newport, Rhode Island,\" 1971. ... Washington's letter of response to the synagogue, delivered on the same day, has become ... Washington promised the synagogue more than mere religious tolerance, ... In May 1790, for example, a Jewish congregation in Savannah, Georgia, wrote to...", "Sheikh | Define Sheikh at Dictionary.com (in Islamic countries) the patriarch of a tribe or family; chief: a term of polite address. ... Arabic. 1570-1580. 1570-80; < Arabic shaykh old man. Related forms ... the head of an Arab tribe, village, etc; a venerable old man; a high priest or religious leader, esp a Sufi ... What mistaken pronunciation gave this character its name?", "The Touro Synagogue: Peter Harrison, George Washington, and ... Feb 1, 2016 ... The Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island is the only Jewish house of ... Built at the threshold of America's Revolutionary period, it survived the war and ... These two storiesthe building of the synagogue and the address by ... [3] Isaac Touro, the Dutch-born spiritual leader of the congregation at the...", "The Struggle Between Sunni and Shia Muslims Explained Dec 14, 2014 ... Shiite Muslims attend Friday prayers at the Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala, Iraq, on .... in their senior clerical leaders, called ayatollahs (Arabic for sign of God). ... differentiated between political leadership and religious scholarship. ... but it's primarily a title for a distinguished religious leader known as a...", "jeopardy/1432_Qs.txt at master jedoublen/jeopardy GitHub RELIGIOUS LEADERS | In the 16th century Prince Altan Khan gave this Tibetan religious leader his title, a Mongol term meaning \"ocean\" | Dalai Lama ... RELIGIOUS LEADERS | In July 1505 he was struck by lightning; as a result, he entered a...", "Jewish worship - ReligionFacts Mar 17, 2015 ... Observant Jews are expected to recite three prayers daily and more on the Sabbath ... Many synagogues have a hazzan (cantor) who is a professional or ... should do during a Jewish religious service, and there are some things ... 92 (the recital of which constitutes men's acceptance of the current Shabbat...", "Tecumseh - Native American History - HISTORY.com Shawnee Indian political leader and war chief Tecumseh (1768-1813) came of age amid the ... After Prophetstown was destroyed during the Battle of Tippecanoe, the Shawnee chief fought with pro-British forces in the War of 1812 until ... experienced a series of visions that transformed him into a prominent religious leader.", "High Priest of Israel - Wikipedia High Priest was the title of the chief religious official of Judaism from the early post-Exilic times until the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE.", "Rabbi, Rabbinate | Jewish Virtual Library The title rabbi is derived from the noun rav, which in biblical Hebrew means \"great\" and does not ... The word \"rabbi\" therefore means literally \"my master,\" although the ... In medieval times, the title ha-rav denoted great scholarly standing and social ..... Certain congregations purposely left the late leader's office vacant for a...", "This Day ... In Jewish History - rssing.com 1854: Temple Israel which was established as the Orthodox Congregation ... reform rather than the overthrow of the government which would supposedly ... this social season at Delmonico's under the management of Emanuel B. Hart ..... Jewish Congress leader William Maslow died in his Manhattan home at the age of 99.", "Albert John Luthuli | South African leader | Britannica.com Zulu chief, teacher and religious leader, and president of the African National ... He was the first African to be awarded a Nobel Prize for Peace (1960), ... In 1936 Luthuli left teaching to become the elected chief of the community of 5,000 at Groutville. .... Before winning the presidency, Obama represented Illinois in the U.S....", "J! Archive - Show #3886, aired 2001-06-25 Governor of California from 1949 to 1953 & a Supreme Court Chief Justice, we ... In 1850 this religious leader became the first governor of the Utah territory...", "Rabbi - Wikipedia In Judaism, a rabbi /rba/ is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word ... The word \"master\" rav [v] literally means \"great one\". ... The term was first used for Rabban Gamaliel the elder, Rabban Simeon his son, and ... said: 'I have given you a good teaching, do not forsake My Torah' (Proverbs 4:2).", "Religious symbolism in the United States military - Wikipedia Religious symbolism in the United States military includes the use of religious symbols for .... Jewish chaplains were first authorized to serve during the Civil War, but it .... Similarly, because the cross is not normally a symbol used by the Unitarian ... found in Jewish art and synagogues, and was not objected to here either.", "Judaism 101: Synagogues, Shuls and Temples A discussion of Jewish places of worship, including modern synagogues and the Temple of ... There are several important ritual items found in the synagogue ... Reform Jews use the word \"temple,\" because they consider every one of their meeting places to be equivalent to, or a replacement for, The Temple in Jerusalem.", "cantors - Memidex dictionary/thesaurus a singer or chanter, especially one who performs the solo chants of a church service. ... The person who leads a church choir or congregation in singing; a precentor. ... an official who sings liturgical music and leads prayer in a synagogue.", "Tecumseh - Native American History - HISTORY.com Shawnee Indian political leader and war chief Tecumseh (1768-1813) came of ... that seemed to offer the Indians a religious deliverance from their problems.", "Ziegler Young Religious Leaders' Fellowship - CLUE The Ziegler Young Religious Leaders Organizing Fellowship develops and supports the next generation of faith-rooted organizers. Students and recent...", "Brigham Young | American religious leader | Britannica.com American religious leader, second president of the Mormon church, and colonizer who ... Brigham Young, (born June 1, 1801, Whitingham, Vt., U.S.died Aug. 29, 1877, Salt Lake City, Utah) American religious leader, second president of the...", "Imam - Wikipedia An imam is an Islamic leadership position. It is most commonly in the context of a worship leader of a mosque and Muslim community by Sunni Muslims. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, serve as community leaders, and provide religious .... At times, imams have held both secular and religious authority.", "Formation of a joint chief rabbinate in Palestine, one Sephardi and ... Under their League of Nations Mandate over Palestine, the British retained this system of religious courts (the Jewish Agency became the political representative of the ... As the position of Chakham Bashi was vacant, Sir Herbert Samuel, the first ... the assembly elected Rabbi Avraham Y. Kook as Ashkenazic chief rabbi and..." ]

[ "An unusual nexus of mining interests, relief work in Haiti, and a former U.S. first family is raising new ethics questions that could affect Hillary Clinton's presidential ambitions. Clinton's brother, Tony Rodham, was a board member of a North Carolina mining company that enjoyed prime access to Haitian gold deposits in the wake of post-earthquake relief work organized in part by former president Bill Clinton through the Clinton Foundation. Another board member of the firm, VCS Mining, was former Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive, who co-chaired the charitable Interim Haiti Recovery Commission with Mr. Clinton. The revelation, smacking of cronyism and back-room government dealing, is part of a forthcoming book by Government Accountability Institute founder Peter Schweizer, whose work exposing the investment 'insider trading' habits of members of Congress caused national outrage in 2011 even though the practice was legal. Scroll down for video . ONE-STOP SHOP: Clinton presided over the grand opening of a Haitian industrial park in October 2012, two months before VCS Mining got a lucrative gold mining permit . 'Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich,' his latest book, will go on sale May 5. At the time VCS Mining's 'gold exploitation permit' was awarded, according to a press release from the company, it was one of only two firms to get one. The Haitian government hadn't issued such a permit in more than 50 years. Tony Rodham, brother of former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, sat on the board of a company that landed a gold mining deal in Haiti after Bill and Hillary Clinton directed millions into post-earthquake relief . Breitbart News first reported on the investigative nonfiction book's coming release. The January 2010 Haiti earthquake killed more than 100,000 people and affected more than 3 million. That disaster was followed nine months later by a cholera epidemic of historic proportions. The Clinton Foundation raised at least $36 million to help, according to its website. The Obama administration pledged $3.6 billion. 'Much of the U.S. assistance is provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development,' a department of the State Department that Mrs. Clinton led at the time, according to the department's website. Rodham's company got its gold mining rights in December 2012, according to the VCS press release. Schweizer's publisher, HarperCollins, said in a press release Thursday that it 'reveals how the Clintons went from \"dead broke\" on leaving the White House to being millionaires, describing in detail the way in which the Clintons habitually blur the lines between politics, philanthropy, and business.' The Clintons' family philanthropy came under fire in February for admitting it had accepted money directly from foreign governments including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Oman. Some of those donations came while Mrs. Clinton was the U.S. secretary of state. Breitbart reported that the terms of Rodham's gold windfall upset members of Haiti's senate: The government's royalties under the deal were pegged at just 2.5 per cent, half the customary rate. And VCS mining has an option to renew the terms for 25 years. HarperCollins executive editor Adam Bellow, son of the famed novelist Saul Bellow, said in a statement that in Schweizer's book, he 'coins a new term to describe the unique way in which Bill and Hillary tend to mingle their political, personal and philanthropic interests.' He calls it 'the Clinton Blur.' 'Schweizer’s exhaustively researched book raises serious questions about the sources of the Clintons' sudden wealth, their ethical judgment, and Hillary's fitness for high public office,' Bellow added. Mrs. Clinton was America's first lady and a U.S. shuhenator before losing the Democratic presidential nomination to Barack Obama in 2008 and joining his administration the following year. In addition to howls from the political right about her foundation's role in attracting donors from among countries with whom she negotiated – $500,000 of the Clinton Foundation's Haiti donations came from the Algerian government, for example – she is under fire for using a private email address run on her own server, during her years at the State Department. She never had a 'state.gov' address. Instead she ran her professional and personal emails through her own Internet domain, 'clintonemails.com,' creating ethical and possibly legal issues because of the possibility that the State Department has not archived all her messages. CLOSE: Clinton greeted Haitian President Michel Martelly warmly when she arrived for the indutrial ribbon cutting in 2012 . Clinton got an additional black eye this week with the revelation that Scott Gration, who served as America's ambassador to Kenya for 13 months of her tenure, was ousted after he did somethign similar. When Gration took over the Nairobi embassy, according to a 2012 inspector general report, he insisted on the installation of a private, commercial Internet connection in the bathroom attached to his office so he could communicate with the outside world beyond the reach of the State Department. The Federal Records Act requires employees of executive branch agencies to keep their emails and make them available for permanent retention. The law originally did not explicitly apply to electronic communications; Congress updated it after Mrs. Clinton left her job as America's top diplomat. Stories about government higher-ups using private email addresses for government work are nothing new. One Obama administration official, former Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson, used an email address with fictitious name attached – 'Richard Windsor.' But Clinton is widely expected to announce a run for the White House next month, putting her conduct under an unforgiving microscope. Members of Congress typically have private email addresses, something that's not prohibited under federal law for officials in the government's legislative branch. Federal law does, however, prohibit them from using their taxpayer-funded 'mail.house.gov' or 'senate.gov' addresses for fundraising and other political activity." ]

[ "Tim Sherwood has reminded the football world his Premier League win percentage at Tottenham Hotspur is still superior to Mauricio Pochettino's ahead of his first match as Aston Villa manager. The 46-year-old credited his Argentine successor for continuing to blood academy graduates, but said Harry Kane would not have been such a scoring success this campaign had Sherwood allowed the 21-year-old to go out on loan in January 2014. The new Villa manager believes Christian Benteke can similarly improve under his watch, beginning with Saturday's visit of Stoke. New manager Ti m Sherwood (centre) takes part in a training session ahead of his first game in charge . The former Spurs manager reminds everyone that he had a superior win percentage to Mauricio Pochettino . Sherwood has also claimed credit for developing this season's sensation Harry Kane (right) Mauricio Pochettino                  52% . Tim Sherwood                         59% . Andre Villas-Boas                     53.7% . Harry Redknapp                       49.3% . Juane Ramos                            28.57% . The match is Sherwood's first as a manager since Spurs beat Villa on the final day of last season to see him leave White Hart Lane with a 59 per cent top-flight win rate and his side sixth. Pochettino has guided Spurs to the same position with a 52 per cent win rate. 'The risk of failure at Tottenham was us dropping out of the Europa League slots,' said Sherwood. 'I don¹t think anyone¹s managed to better my win record, not even this guy Pochettino - and everyone¹s talking about how well he¹s done. 'I think he has done a really good job there, but mine¹s still up there to be shot at. He¹s inherited a good bunch of young players who were developed by myself. 'He¹s willing to play them as well, there¹s a lot of big stars there, he could have discarded (Ryan) Mason and (Nabil) Bentaleb but he¹s not done that so fair play to him. I respect him for that. Sherwood believes he can return misfiring striker Christian Benteke (centre) to his best . Sherwood watched from the stands as Villa defeated Leicester in their FA Cup fifth round tie . The former Blackburn captain's win percentage at White hart Lane was an impressive 59 per cent . 'You have to believe in those kids. If I hadn¹t resisted the club wanting to loan Harry Kane out last January, he wouldn¹t be the Harry Kane he is now.' On his Villa striker, Sherwood said: 'I don¹t think Christian thinks he¹s cracked it yet. He can go on and on, he looks like he has a real good desire to want to listen and improve. 'I know he was a beast up there and can bully people. I think he¹s a real good lad - he speaks better English than me as well!' Villa are 18th in the table without a win in 10 league games. 'I just need to do what I can do here,' said Sherwood. 'I know I¹m good enough to do the job, and I want that to sound confident, not arrogant. I just believe in my ability.'", "Boost: Former Conservative party deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft, pictured, is stepping in to offer financial support to protect dozens of burial plots of soldiers awarded the Victoria Cross . A campaign to repair and preserve hundreds of neglected graves belonging to Britain’s greatest war heroes today receives a major boost. Former Conservative party deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft is stepping in to offer financial support to protect dozens of burial plots of soldiers awarded the Victoria Cross – the most distinguished military honour – and he is urging others to follow suit. The peer, who has built up a collection of 177 VCs which is on display in London’s Imperial War Museum, said he had been distressed by a report in last week’s Daily Mail revealing how hundreds of graves have become neglected, with crumbling headstones and overgrown plots. In an article on this page, he says he will provide up to £1,000 per plot to restore the graves of any recipients of the VC whose medals are part of his collection. Lord Ashcroft’s pledge is a significant step forward for a charity which is campaigning for proper respect and honour to be given to the final resting places of war heroes. The Victoria Cross Trust has backed calls for VC graves to be given the same status as listed buildings. And, in the week of Remembrance Sunday, when the nation honours the sacrifice of those who fought for our freedom, an influential think-tank has called for new laws to protect the burial plots. A policy document by the Bow Group said the Government must act to register heroes’ burial sites and, if families agree, ensure they are looked after and given  fitting memorials. Ministers should also scrap the 75-year limit after which local authorities can dig up the graves if they choose, it says. The proposed cost would be £1.2million a year. There are 1,357 VC winners. Troops who were killed on the battlefield during the First and Second World Wars – including 377 VC winners – have their resting places tended by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The organisation also looks after the graves of nine other soldiers given the ultimate accolade – including Lieutenant Colonel Herbert ‘H’ Jones and Sergeant Ian McKay, both killed in the Falklands, and Corporal Bryan Budd, who lost his life in Afghanistan. But relatives are responsible for the upkeep of graves of VC winners who died in other conflicts or of old age. Many burial plots have fallen into neglect because family lines dwindle or descendants are unaware they exist or cannot afford to maintain them. Looked after: The Commonwealth War Graves Commission looks after this grave of Lieutenant Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones killed in the Falklands. But relatives are responsible for the upkeep of graves of VC winners who died in other conflicts or of old age . Lord Ashcroft says he felt ‘great disappointment and distress’ to learn that many of the graves of our war heroes have fallen into disrepair. Richard Mabey, research secretary of the Bow Group, said: ‘The UK affords no protection for those that did not fall in active service. With a lack of substantive funding, many VC graves may soon crumble or be destroyed. ‘Just as monuments to Karl Marx, Horatio Nelson and Princess Diana are protected by the state, so should those of our military heroes.’ Gary Stapleton, 45, a businessman from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, who started the Victoria Cross Trust after discovering that Lance Corporal Thomas Bryan, who won a VC for attacking a German machine-gun nest during WW1, was buried in a neglected grave in a local cemetery, said he was delighted by Lord Ashcroft’s pledge. He said his research had uncovered hundreds of examples of graves falling into disrepair. Another 78 are unmarked. Mr Stapleton said: ‘The Victoria Cross Trust has plenty of heroes – it looks like we now have a new champion. Without a shadow of a doubt, Lord Ashcroft’s offer will make a real difference. ‘Just about every single one of these graves needs some work. All  should be cleaned annually, so we’re building up a network of volunteers. We need more support and hope people will be inspired to help by what Lord Ashcroft is doing.’ Conservative MP Patrick Mercer said: ‘The Victoria Cross is our most prestigious decoration for gallantry and our fallen heroes need to have their memories preserved.’ The Victoria Cross is the highest award for gallantry that a British and Commonwealth Serviceman can achieve. It was created in 1856 during the Crimean War. Courage that defies belief... and why we owe them all a debt of gratitude . By Lord Ashcroft . Help needed: The grave of Israel Harding, pictured, is in need of renovation . Bravery, in general, and the Victoria Cross, in particular, have been two of my greatest passions for more than half a century. Some of the supreme acts of courage carried out by our servicemen in order to have been awarded the VC – Britain and the Commonwealth’s most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy – simply defy belief. It was therefore with great disappointment and distress that I read in the Daily Mail at the weekend that many of the graves of our war heroes have fallen into disrepair. The Highland Road Cemetery in Southsea, Hampshire – the cemetery containing the largest number of graves belonging to our VC heroes – is a case in point, with some headstones unsteady, covered in grime and with their inscriptions barely readable. The plight of these graves has been highlighted by the Victoria Cross Trust, a charity founded with the honourable aims to maintain memorials and graves commemorating the lives of holders of the VC. Nearly 1,000 recipients of the VC are buried in churchyards in the UK and it is many of these graves that have fallen into a pitiable state (whereas the Commonwealth War Graves Commission looks after the graves of 386 VC recipients who fell in action abroad). The concerns of the Victoria Cross Trust have now been reinforced by the findings of the Bow Group, an influential think-tank which has called on the Government to help provide an estimated £1.2million required to survey and restore the graves that have fallen into a state of disrepair. Over the past three decades, I have championed bravery, building up the largest collection of VCs in the world – now on display to the public at a gallery in the Imperial War Museum in London. I have also written four books on gallantry: the first, Victoria Cross Heroes, was published to mark the 150th anniversary of the VC being instituted by Queen Victoria in 1856. I feel protective towards the graves of those 177 men whose VCs are now in my collection. It is for this reason that I am today pledging up to £1,000 per plot to restore any of these specific graves if, for whatever reason, they have fallen into major disrepair. I hope that my pledge, so soon after Remembrance Sunday, will encourage others, including the Government and concerned groups or individuals, to find the funds to restore every derelict grave of a VC recipient to its former glory. Crumbling: Israel Harding was buried at Highland Road Cemetery, close to his birthplace, after his death in May 1917, aged 83 . Many families of fallen VC heroes have tended the graves of their loved ones for several decades. However, it is often the medal recipients from the 19th century and the First World War whose graves are now in the greatest need of restoration. Today’s descendants of these recipients may not even be aware of the bravery of yesteryear or the whereabouts of their forebears’ graves. Until the Daily Mail highlighted the case at the weekend, I was unaware that the grave of one of the VC recipients whose medals I own is apparently in need of renovation. Israel Harding was a gunner in the Royal Navy when he was awarded the VC in  September 1882 for bravery in Egypt. He was serving on HMS Alexandra during  the Anglo-Egyptian War when the city of  Alexandria was under bombardment from British warships. During the engagement, a ten-inch shell passed through the ship’s side and lodged on the main deck. Harding, who had been below deck, raced to the scene of the  danger as soon as he heard a shout that there was a live shell on board. Without thinking of his own safety, he picked up the shell and threw it into a tub of water. This prevented the shell from exploding and claiming many lives. The brave actions of Harding, then 48, were feted by his comrades and he was awarded the VC just two months after the incident. He was buried at Highland Road Cemetery, close to his birthplace, after his death in May 1917, aged 83. If my inquiries now reveal that Mr Harding’s descendants are no longer able to care for his grave then, with the blessing of the family or relevant authority, I will make the necessary funding available to carry out restoration work. And I will do the same for other graves belonging to the recipients of medals in my collection if it is shown they have fallen into a state of disrepair. Graves, like gallantry medals, should be seen as a tangible relic of someone’s courage. They should be considered as a tribute to someone who has risked, and in some cases given his life for his comrades, his sovereign or his country. As a nation, we owe every VC recipient a debt of gratitude – and also a responsibility to care for that individual’s final resting place for ever more.Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC is a Tory peer, businessmen and philanthropist. His latest book, Heroes of the Skies, is published by Headline. Anyone wishing to help the Victoria Cross Trust, should visit: www.victoriacrosstrust.org .", "(CNN) -- Ghana's election commission announced Sunday night that the West African nation's president won re-election, though the main opposition party says it has \"credible evidence\" the results were manipulated. In a statement streamed live on the Internet, Electoral Commission Chairman Kwadwo Afari-Gyan declared \"John Dramani Mahama president-elect\" after securing 50.7% of the vote. Nana Akufo-Addo, the candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), garnered 47.7% of the vote, according to the commission. \"We must celebrate together as Ghanaians and refrain from anything that will derail the peace and unity we have enjoyed over the years,\" Mahama told supporters after the result was announced. But reiterating claims made earlier that the vote had been \"manipulated,\" the New Patriotic Party issued a statement it has \"credible evidence (that) undermines the integrity of the electoral process and the results.\" \"Substantial discrepancies have been discovered from results from coalition centers when compared with the official tally,\" the party said on its website. \"Considering the closeness of the polls, this error is very significant and goes to the heart of the credibility of the results.\" Ghanaians voted Friday and Saturday for a president and 275 parliamentary seats. According to the government's website, nearly 11 million citizens -- or about 80% of registered voters -- participated. Mahama is a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). Preliminary results reported by Ghanaian news outlets indicated Mahama was narrowly leading Akufo-Addo, the son of a former president. That contradicted what NPP General Secretary Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie had said Saturday night, when he claimed Akufo-Addo had won the presidency with 51% of the vote. The discrepancy prompted hundreds of NPP supporters to hit the streets Sunday to protest what their leaders describe as election fraud. Dressed in party T-shirts, they marched to the nation's Electoral Commission office chanting, \"We want peace,\" according to the state-run Ghana News Agency. \"The results have been manipulated on so many levels,\" party spokesman Yaw Buaben Asamoa said. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, the NPP's chairman, had called -- without success -- for Sunday's official announcement of results from the election commission to put off until \"all the allegations have been investigated.\" He said tens of thousands of votes were added to Mahama's tally \"following collusion\" between National Democratic Congress and election officials, Ghana News Agency reported. The NPP has asked Ghana's electoral commission to recount the vote and conduct an audit of voting machines \"to help establish the credibility and accuracy of this year's presidential election. \"This in my view would assist considerably to allay public anxiety, which is growing hour by hour and due to the announcements being made in the Ghanaian media,\" Obetsebi-Lamptey wrote in a letter released by the party. \"It would also obviate any legal and protracted judicial proceedings on the issues and permit the resolutions of our concerns promptly, to enable due declaration to be made.\" NDC General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia told reporters his party was not yet responding to the NPP claims, expressing faith well before Sunday night's announcement by Ghana's election commission that Mahama was \"moving towards victory.\" Unlike its neighbors, Ghana has held successful elections and power transfers since 1992 without descending into bloody chaos. The electoral commission initially said it expected to declare the winner within 72 hours after polls closed Friday. Passions are running high, and the president urged candidates to ensure that their supporters avoid incitement. \"Ghana has organized five previous successful elections, and there should not be any reason why this year's election should not be successful,\" Mahama said in a statement. Voting was extended into Saturday in areas where election materials arrived late or glitches with a new biometric identification system caused delays. Observers from the Economic Community of West African States noted some discrepancies and problems with voting procedures but described the vote as \"generally peaceful and transparent.\" Ghana is one of Africa's fastest-growing economies. It is the world's second-largest cocoa producer, after Ivory Coast, and the continent's second biggest gold miner, after South Africa, according to the United Nations. But critics say that despite the rich resources that bring billions of dollars annually, the wealth is not trickling down to the rural poor who live on the land where the gold is mined. Ghana was among the first African countries to gain independence from the British, breaking loose in 1957. It endured a series of coups before Lt. Jerry Rawlings took power in 1981. A decade later, it transitioned to a stable democracy with multiparty elections.", "(CNET) -- Net neutrality supporters say they're unhappy that the Verizon Communications and Google proposal for new net neutrality rules does not go far enough. On Monday the companies announced a joint proposal that outlines a legislative framework for consideration by lawmakers. The companies have been working together on the net neutrality issue for almost a year. In October, they issued a shared statement of principles on Net neutrality. And then, a few months later, they submitted a joint filing to the FCC. In late March, the CEOs discussed their interest in an open Internet through an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal. There was almost no positive response from net neutrality supporters on the proposal. But the biggest disappointment for net neutrality supporters appears to be the fact that Google and Verizon agreed that new regulation or net neutrality laws should not apply equally to wireless networks. \"They are promising Net Neutrality only for a certain part of the Internet, one that they'll likely stop investing in,\" the SavetheInternet.com Coalition, a group that consists of several advocacy groups including MoveOn.Org Civic Action, Credo Action, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, ColorofChange.org, and Free Press said in its statement. Joel Kelsey, a political adviser for Free Press, said the proposal would lead to \"outright blocking of applications and content on increasingly popular wireless platforms.\" Net neutrality supporters in Congress are also concerned about wireless being left out of the proposal. \"Today's proposal leaves out essential elements that should be a part of FCC action to ensure a free and open Internet,\" Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) said in a statement. \"The proposal does not apply its prohibition against blocking or slowing Internet traffic to wireless broadband services, for example, and it doesn't mention the need to ensure consumers' privacy online, a glaring omission as examples abound of companies tracking and targeting users' every click.\" While broadband providers such as AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon Communications have always opposed regulation or new laws that would dictate how they could run their networks, they have softened their stance over the past several months, and now they accept they will have to live with some rules. That said, the nation's two biggest wireless phone companies, AT&T and Verizon, say applying the same Net neutrality rules designed for wireline networks to wireless networks is not a good idea. These companies say that wireless networks differ from wireline broadband networks because bandwidth is more limited on a wireless network. Imposing new rules on how carriers operate their wireless networks would stifle investment, they argue. Indeed, wireless networks do have capacity constraints. But consumer advocates' skepticism about the intentions of Google and Verizon may be well-founded. Google's and Verizon's interests are much more closely aligned in wireless than they are in the traditional broadband market. Google's Android operating system is on dozens of smartphones filled with specialized Google apps that are sold by wireless operators, such as Verizon Wireless. In fact, Google and Verizon Wireless, which is majority-owned by Verizon Communications, have worked closely together to bring new phones, such as the Motorola Droid and Motorola Droid X, to market using the Google Android platform. Verizon has been banking on the Google devices to lead its smartphone assault on AT&T and Apple's iPhone. But before anyone gets too worked up about this proposal, supporters and detractors need to remember this is simply a proposal. Google and Verizon do not write law nor do they impose regulations. Congressional leaders write laws. And the FCC writes regulations. Google and Verizon say they are merely making sure they are being heard in the debate. At the end of the day, policy makers will be hearing from all sides, as they have for more than three years. So far the Federal Communications Commission, which has been drafting new net neutrality regulation, has kept mum on the proposal Google and Verizon. The agency declined to comment on Monday. But FCC chairman Julius Genachowski has said previously he believes that net neutrality principles should apply to wireless networks as well as traditional wired broadband networks. Meanwhile, AT&T, which says it was not a party to the drafting of this proposal, said it will examine the document closely. \"We remain committed to achieving a consensus solution to the Net neutrality issue, either with the FCC or with the Congress,\" Claudia Jones, AT&T vice president of public affairs and media relations, said in a statement. \"In that sense, the Verizon-Google agreement demonstrates that it is possible to bridge differences on this issue.\" © 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. CNET, CNET.com and the CNET logo are registered trademarks of CBS Interactive Inc. Used by permission.", "An unedifying end to Group D provided Celtic with a simple lesson. Defend even remotely as poorly as this and their Europa League campaign will end at the last-32 stage. Ronny Deila had hoped to see positive signs for the future from this pressure-free dead rubber played amid a ghostly ambience. Instead, the lifeless way the Parkhead side went about combating Dinamo’s attacking threats provided cause for much head-scratching concern. The Croats are hardly a continental force. Whichever side comes out of the hat in Monday’s draw for the first knockout round will possess significantly superior quality. But Deila’s men allowed them to every opportunity to impress — with full-back Adam Matthews having a particularly lamentable evening — and that hospitality was warmly accepted. Marko Pjaca claimed a hat-trick for the hosts, while Marcelo Brozovic also found a way past Craig Gordon. It should be noted that, once again, the goalkeeper was Celtic’s best player in a European outing, notching a clutch of worthy saves to prevent the scoreline swelling further. VIDEO Scroll down for Sportsmail's Big Match Stats: Dinamo Zagreb 4-3 Celtic . Teenager Marco Pjaca (centre) celebrates while scoring a superb hat-trick in Dinamo Zagbreb's 4-3 win over Celtic . Celtic players look dejected after conceding another goal, despite the Europa League result being ultimately meaningless . The Dinamo Zagreb scorer celebrates with team-mates after completing his hat-trick in the final Group D game . Celtic had already qualified as for the last 32 as group D runners up behind Red Bull Salzburg . Dinamo Zagreb: Eduardo, Ivo Pinto, Sigali, Taravel (Simunovic), Pivaric, Soudani, Brozovic, Ademi, Antolic, Pjaca, Henriquez. Subs: Mikulic, Simunovic, Paulo Machado, Fernandes, Goncalo Santos, Vukojevic, Cop. Scorer: Pjaca 14', 39', 50', Brozovic 48' Celtic: Gordon, Matthews (Fisher), Ambrose, van Dijk, Izaguirre, McGregor (Henderson), Biton, Johansen, Wakaso (Stokes), Commons, Scepovic. Subs: Zaluska, Stokes, Tonev, Griffiths, O'Connell, . Booked: Izaguirre, Scepovic . Scorers: Commons 23', Scepovic 29', Pivaric 81' (og) Referee: Gediminas Mazeika (Lithuania) All in all, this was pretty shambolic fare with a string of faintly comical concessions at both ends of the field. There were times when Dinamo entered into a pact of non-defending. Kris Commons and Stefan Scepovic were on target as Celtic briefly led during the first half. An own goal from Josip Pivaric then gave the Scottish champions hope of avoiding a fifth European defeat of the season but it ultimately went unfulfilled. Yes, there were changes to Deila’s line-up with only prize money and co-efficient points at stake. But they were all in more advanced areas. Those at the back will have to do better – much, much better – if Celtic are to keep an edge of glamour to their campaign come the spring. Having also conceded three to Red Bull Salzburg in their previous Europa League outing, Deila may now view defensive reinforcement as a rising priority come the January window. Maybe it was case of playing down to the surroundings, given that the Maksimir Stadium provided swathes of empty blue seats as a backdrop. The dismal attendance wasn’t solely down to the inconsequential nature of proceedings, as Dinamo’s hardcore fans have been calling for a boycott in protest at the direction their club has taken. A haul of three points from their opening five Group D games also led to a demand for a public apology from the players. It has not been a happy camp. More than 1,000 Celtic fans had made the trek to Croatia, presumably having booked up in anticipation of this being a decisive contest. They at least added a little pocket of noise to an otherwise eerie atmosphere, although the sight of a flare being lit at kick-off was unwelcome given the club’s previous brushes with UEFA. A fringe of mist hung over the stadium as the temperature dipped towards zero. It was cold enough to make one think fondly about a January fixture in Dingwall. Celtic supporters wave flags and spark flares ahead of the match at the Stadion Maksimir in Zagreb . Celtic manager Ronny Deila fielded a relatively strong side despite his side already qualifying from Group D . Pjaca gives the hosts the lead after reacting to a loose ball to slot past Celtic keeper Craig Gordon . The Dinamo teenager (left) is followed by team-mates as he races away after opening the scoring for the hosts . Despite appearing offside, Celtic striker Kris Commons (left) nods in a fortunate header to bring the Scots level . Commons celebrates after bringing Celtic level in the first half, although his goal may not be enough to keep him at the club . Stefan Scepovic (left) scores only minutes later to give the Scottish champions the lead in the first half . Scepovic races to the TV cameras to reveal a message on his T-shirt after scoring in the first half . Pjaca (left) scores his second goal of the night after more woeful defending by the Scottish champions . The Dinamo Zagreb forward celebrates after sending both sides in level at the interval . Deila’s selection contained some of the anticipated alterations – with Scepovic and Wakaso Mubarak introduced – but the back four from Saturday’s 1-0 win over Motherwell was retained in the hope of providing a stable base. It didn’t quite work out. Dinamo had threatened early on when Pivaric cut the ball back for skipper Domagoj Antolic, whose low shot was thwarted by an Efe Ambrose block. El Arbi Hilal Soudani was then offside as he found the net, but a home breakthrough duly arrived after 14 minutes. The Croats pressed around the penalty area, with Arijan Ademi eventually miscuing a shot that fell perfectly for Pjaca. He cut on to his right foot, leaving Matthews spinning in his wake, before placing a calm finish beyond Gordon and inside the far post. Celtic could point to a degree of misfortune but Matthews was skinned all too easily. Dinamo’s defence had been disrupted after 11 minutes when Jeremy Tavarel sustained a head knock and had to be replaced by Jozo Simumovic. And their revised line-up was undone in a rather strange fashion as Deila’s men dragged themselves level in the 24th minute. The ball spun high into the air after Virgil van Dijk – captain for the evening after Scott Brown was left home to avoid a suspension risk – smacked a free-kick into the defensive wall. Zagreb goalkeeper Eduardo was motionless as Commons reacted quickest to divert into the net via what looked like a mix of head and shoulder. As a concession, it was sponge-soft. Celtic were emboldened by the equaliser and promptly pushed themselves in front six minutes later. Again, a direct free-kick was key as Commons curled a terrific effort against the bar after being toppled just outside the area. Nir Biton headed back towards goal and Scepovic turned it beyond Eduardo. The Serbian striker lifted up his shirt to reveal a ‘Happy Birthday my love’ message as he raced off towards the Celtic fans in celebration, earning a booking from Lithuania referee Gediminas Mazeika. The lead didn’t last long. The final act of a first half with all the defensive merits of tissue-paper armour arrived six minutes from the interval. An Ambrose challenge inside the area sent the ball to Matthews, only for the Welshman to trip over and continue his angst-ridden evening. Pjaca accepted the gift with gratitude, beating Gordon with the aid of a deflection off Bitton. Whatever was said in the dressing room didn’t cure Celtic’s ills. In fact, they merely fragmented further. Gordon had to save from Soudani and Pjaca in quick succession after the restart, yet had no hope of preventing Zagreb from going back in front after 48 minutes. Antolic outpaced Matthews on Celtic’s right flank and pulled the ball back for Brozovic on the 18-yard line. His first-time finish was exquisite, curling fractionally inside the post as Gordon clutched at air. Keeper Gordon pulls off a one handed save on a bad night for Celtic's defenders . Marcelo Brozovic drills in his effort to give Dinamo Zagreb a 3-2 lead in the second half . Brozovic (centre) wheels away after giving his side the lead for the first time in the game . Celtic keeper Craig Gordan (centre) complains after Pjaca completes his impressive hat-trick . Dinamo's Marco Pjaca was a constant threat down the left flank as he plundered a hat-trick - CLICK HERE for all the stats from the game with our brilliant Match Zone . Pjaca celebrates with team-mates after a performance that is bound to attract interest from Europe's big clubs . Dinamo Zagreb defender Josip Pivaric (left) scores an own goal under pressure from Scepovic to set up a tense finish . A fourth Croatian goal then followed with indecent haste. Pjaca got in front of Van Dijk to advance menacingly before crashing a 20-yard strike into the net and completing his treble. It was bleak viewing from a Parkhead perspective. Matthews was put out of his misery as Darnell Fisher became the first substitute introduced by Deila. Liam Henderson soon followed in place of the ineffective Callum McGregor. Celtic didn’t really stir again until Pivaric reached an Emilio Izaguirre cross just ahead of Scepovic but succeeded only in finding his own net with nine minutes left. Henderson then saw a dipping effort tipped over by Eduardo before Scepovic was painfully close with a glancing header. The damage had, though, already been done at the other end.", "By . Daniel Miller . As a fresh-faced Lance Corporal fighting for the British in Borneo, he single-handedly took out dozens of enemy soldiers before hauling two wounded comrades to safety through a hail of machine gun fire. So it is unlikely that at 74, Captain Rambahadur Limbu, the only surviving Gurkha to win the Victoria Cross, was particularly nervous before addressing Parliament on the issue of the fearsome Nepalese soldiers’ welfare. Captain Limbu, who was awarded the VC - Britain’s highest military decoration - for storming an enemy position during the Indonesian Confrontation in 1965, addressed the Gurkha Welfare Inquiry into the soldiers’ outstanding grievances. War hero: Captain Rambahadur Limbu, 74, the only surviving Gurkha to win the Victoria Cross, addressed Parliament over the issue of the fearsome Nepalese soldiers' welfare . Wearing his heavy row of medals on his . left breast and walking with a stick, Limbu posed for pictures outside . the Houses of Parliament in London. The cross-party panel of lawmakers is considering the Gurkhas’ appeal for higher pensions and rights for their adult dependents in Nepal to settle in Britain. The Gurkhas - known for their . ferocity, loyalty, bravery and razor-sharp kukri fighting knives - first . served as part of the Indian army in British-run India in 1815. Captain Limbu is in Britain to give evidence at a Parliamentary investigation into alleged injustices faced by Gurkha's in terms of pay, pensions and welfare . On November 21, 1965, after weeks of reconnaissance, Lance Corporal Rambahadur Limbu's 16-man squad was ordered to take out a key Indonesian position on the island of Borneo. Around 150 yards from enemy lines they were spotted by a sentry. A second sentry in a tower opened fire. The Battle of Bau had begun. Almost immediately one of Lance Corporal Limbu's comrades was shot in the stomach as he cocked his machine gun to return fire. Another Ghurka was then shot in the head. Corporal Limbu quickly hurled a grenade to take out one of the sentries, but soon found himself the target of a hail of machine gun fire. But rather than diving for cover he picked up the soldier who had been wounded in the stomach and carried him to safety. Then, as the bullets continued to fly, he went back once more for the soldier who had been shot in the head. Cut off from the rest of the squad he crawled out of cover to grab a machine gun only to find it was broken. So he picked up a rifle and opened fire on the enemy reenforcements that were begining to arrive, killing several. The Indonesians went into retreat with the British in pursuit. At least 24 Indonesians were killed that day while the British lost three men killed and two wounded, one of them seriously. Around 200,000 fought for Britain in World Wars I and II; some 43,000 were killed or wounded. Around 3,100 currently serve in the British army. Gurkhas . should get the same pay, pension and other conditions as their British . counterparts for doing the same job, said the organisation Gurkha . Satyagraha. 'The Gurkhas are . a much valued part of the British army and are held in high self esteem . and with considerable affection by the British public,' said lawmaker . Jackie Doyle-Price, who is chairing the inquiry. 'Whilst . there have been significant developments in recent years in terms of . the pay and conditions of Gurkha soldiers and the extension of the right . to settlement there remain some outstanding grievances which the . Gurkhas are determined to have addressed. 'This . will give the Gurkhas the opportunity to make their case to a committee . of parliamentarians and for the Ministry of Defence to publicly address . the points.' The public hearings will continue into . April. The government has pledged all relevant departments will . cooperate fully with the inquiry. The extremely rare VC, given for valour in the face of the enemy, takes precedence over all other military honours. It . is said they are struck from cannons captured at Sevastopol during the . 1853-1856 Crimean War in which Russia lost to Britain, France and the . Ottoman Empire. Besides . Limbu there are only three other living holders of a British VC, four of . the Australian VC and one of the New Zealand VC. A squad of Gurkhas patrol the river Limbang, near the frontier of the 'Forgotten War' in North Borneo . Captain Limbu, pictured as a young Lance Corporal, left, at around the time of the Battle of Bau and proudly wearing his medals, right . Known for their loyalty, courage and fearsome Kukri fighting knives, the Gurkhas are Nepalese soldiers who have fought for Britain for over 200 years. More than 200,000 fought in the two world wars, and they have served in Kosovo, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Borneo, Cyprus, the Falklands, Burma, Java, Malaya, Egypt, Tunisia, Iran, Libya, Greece Iraq and Afghanistan. Stories of extraordinary . gallantry, such as that of Captain Limbu, are far from uncommon among the Gurkhas, and many involve tales of desperate hand to hand fighting involving the iconic kukri knives which every Gurkha carries. Fearsome: A squad of Gurkhas brandish their kukri knives . Kukris are the traditional utility knives of the Nepalese people, but they are mainly . known as the symbolic weapon for Gurkha regiments all over the world. The kukri signifies courage and valour on the battlefield and is sometimes worn by bridegrooms during their wedding ceremony. The kukri’s heavy blade inflicts deep wounds, cutting muscle and bone in one stroke. It can also be used in stealth operations to slash an enemy’s throat, killing him silently. Modern warfare: British Army Gurkhas take a break in the shade prior to going on patrol, in Southern Helmand province, Afghanistan in 2007 . More than 200,000 Gurkhas fought in the two world wars, and they have served in Kosovo, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Borneo, Cyprus, the Falklands, Burma, Java, Malaya, Egypt, Tunisia, Iran, Libya, Greece Iraq and Afghanistan . The Gurkhas are currently fighting for the right to claim the same pensions as their British comrades. Their latest campaign follows the decision in May 2009 to allow all Gurkha soldiers with four or more years of service to settle in the UK with their wives. Until 2007, Gurkha pensions were far lower than those of British soldiers as they were based on the cost of living in their homeland Nepal. After widespread criticism, ministers decided that those who retired after 1997, when the Gurkhas were based in the UK instead of Hong Kong, could have a full pension. Attempts to extend the benefit to all veterans have failed, and the latest bid in the Court of Appeal in October last year failed after the Court disagreed that the Ministry of Defence unlawfully discriminated against them on the grounds of age and race.An estimated 7,000 soldiers who retired before 1997 with service of under 15 years are forced to survive on charity handouts.", "(CNN) -- How on earth could a teenage swimmer at her first Olympic Games knock five full seconds off her previous best performance? That's what has left so many people scratching their heads after watching China's Ye Shiwen smash the world record in the women's 400-meter individual medley. The Chinese swimming prodigy's extraordinary swims during the first few days of the Olympics may have drawn praise from across the sport, but they've also raised suspicions of drug doping. The 16-year-old world champion won gold Tuesday in the women's 200-meter individual medley, three days after coming from behind to take one second off the world record -- and a whopping five seconds off her personal best -- during her gold medal swim in the 400-meter individual medley. The controversy over her record tear through the final 50 meters of Saturday's golden swim -- faster than the final leg of American champion Ryan Lochte's own gold medal performance -- began during the BBC's coverage of the race, when presenter Clare Balding turned to her co-presenter, former British Olympian Mark Foster, and asked: \"How many questions will be there, Mark, about someone who can suddenly swim much faster than she has ever swum before?\" John Leonard, the executive director of the American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) and the World Swimming Coaches Association, called Ye's swim \"disturbing\" and told the Guardian newspaper it brought back \"a lot of awful memories\" of doping scandals at previous Olympics. International Olympics Committee spokesman Mark Adams called doping allegations against Ye \"sad\" and \"pure rumor,\" and told CNN he had heard nothing from Olympics drug testers to suggest that anything was awry. More: Hi-tech tests to catch Olympic drug cheats . But while Ye's swimming has caused the most controversy in the first week of the Olympics, the swimming prodigy herself isn't exactly an unknown quantity. Born in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, Ye began swimming at the age of six after her teacher noticed she had large hands and feet, according to China's Xinhua state news agency. After winning the 50-meter freestyle swim in her peer group at the Zhejiang Province Games in 2006 at the age of 10, her coach predicted Ye would be an Olympic champion. Ye joined the Zhejiang provincial swimming team in 2007 and China's national team the year after. Ye arrived on the world stage in 2010 at the age of 14, winning a pair of gold medals at the Asian Games and two silvers at the World Swimming Championships in Dubai. On her Olympic profile, Ye's most memorable sporting achievement is listed as \"winning the 200m and 400m individual medley at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.\" View: Best hi res photos of London Olympics . But it wasn't until world champion Li Zhesi was banned in June 2012 for a positive drug test that Ye rose to the forefront of the Chinese swimming team. Ye won gold in the 200-meter individual medley at the 2011 World Aquatic Championships in Shanghai, but finished outside the top three in the 400-meter individual medley. Just one year later, Ye swam the race more than a second faster than any woman in history. Ye has attributed her success to her training schedule and hard work. \"If the coach asks me to practice 10,000 meters, I would never be a lazy player to swim 9,900 meters instead,\" the Beijing Morning News quoted her as saying. But practicing hard and destroying the 400-meter medley record by storming through the final 50 meters faster than anyone else, man or woman, are two very different things, and Ye's golden performance quickly raised suspicions of drug doping from Leonard, one of the most respected names in the sport of swimming. \"The one thing I will say is that history in our sport will tell you that every time we see something, and I will put quotation marks around this, 'unbelievable', history shows us that it turns out later on there was doping involved,\" said Leonard, who is also the executive director of the USA Swimming Coaches Association. South African sport scientist Ross Tucker expressed concern on his Science of Sport blog about the vast difference between the relatively average times Ye swam in the first three legs of the 400 meter race and her faster swim through the final 100 meters. \"The conclusion that I would draw from this is that her 100m freestyle leg is disproportionately fast not only by comparison to Lochte, but also to her peers, and to the best 100m freestyle swimmers,\" Tucker wrote. British Olympic Association chairman Colin Moynihan joined China's anti-doping chief in defending Ye, saying Olympic drug testing was \"on top of the game.\" \"She's been through (anti-doping agency) Wada's programme and she's clean. That's the end of the story,\" he told reporters at a Tuesday news conference. More: Visit CNN's Olympic center here . Ye has denied doping allegations, saying, \"My achievements derive from diligence and hard work, I will never use drugs. Chinese athletes are clean.\" Ye, along with many of her teammates, reportedly spent months training in Australia before the Olympics, and China's approach appears to be paying off. Sun Yang won China's first ever men's gold medal in swimming in the 400-meter freestyle final just 25 minutes before Ye's record swim last Saturday, and the Chinese swim team has also netted several other swimming medals. No one seemed more surprised about the outcome of the race than Ye herself, who said: \"I dreamed of winning the gold medal, but I never ever expected to break a world record, I'm overwhelmed.\" The head of China's swimming team, Xu Qi, wondered aloud why similar allegations haven't dogged other top swimmers in recent years. \"Ian Thorpe was called a genius, Michael Phelps got eight gold medals in Beijing. Ryan Lochte, Missy Franklin are both recognised as geniuses. There were geniuses in France and South Africa. We admit and accept these geniuses, but why can't a genius come from China, a country with a large population?\" One person who doesn't seem in doubt is Lochte himself. He said: \"It was pretty impressive. And it was a female. She's fast. If she was there with me, I don't know, she might have beat me.\" CNN Wires contributed to this report.", "The average British person has just one ten-thousandth of the net worth of David Beckham, a study revealed today. Using a formula common in probate cases, legal experts calculated the value of the average Briton's property equity, savings, pensions, investments, cars and possessions. They came up with a figure of just £147,134 - less than the asking price currently advertised for a parking space in London's sought-after Portman Square. Ten thousand times richer than you: David Beckham and his wife Victoria. The former England and Manchester United ace has a net worth of £165million - compared to the average Briton's net worth of £147,134 . It's less than 0.01 per cent the value of former Manchester United and England football icon Beckham's estimated fortune, which was calculated last year to be £165million. And it is just over a millionth of the net worth of the UK's richest resident, Russian mining mogul Alisher Usmanov, who has a net worth of £13.3billion according to the Sunday Times Rich List. The calculations include the average person's current pension pot estimated in the region of £30,000, with mortgage equity accounting for an average of £75,000. The study of the assets of 2,000 adults found that 46 per cent had 'no idea', while 11 per cent don't know what the term even means. It found that 42 per cent of adults don't think they are worth very much in monetary terms, and yet have a mortgage equity of at least £75,060.45. In addition, a further £5,603.98 is . stowed away in a savings account, on average, and another £3,712.65 . building interest in an ISA. The . average British adult has around £1,348.16 in their current bank . account at any one time and puts money into a pension which is estimated . to currently stand in the region of £30,000. Finally, . people can take their belongings into account by including the value of . the car they own and the items in their home - which are worth an . average of £6,706.55 and £15,077.90 respectively. Worth a million times more than you: Russian mining mogul Alisher Usmanov is Britain's richest resident, according to the Sunday Times Rich List 2013 . That's a grand total net worth of just over £147,000. That's a lot of money for most Britons, and might even be enough for Beckham to think hard about. but it's mere pocket change for the country's richest residents. After Mr Usmanov, the next wealthiest men who choose to live in Britain are Ukrainian-born U.S. businessman Len Blavatnik - worth an estimated 10billion - and the Indian brothers Sri and Gopi Hinduja - jointly worth £10.6billion. Gillian Coverley, a wills, trusts and estates expert at solicitors Irwin Mitchell, which carried out the study, said: 'Many British adults feel they have very few assets to their name and consequently is it not worth them making a will. 'But the reality is very different, in that most people will have assets tied up in investments they wouldn't even think would count. 'So while the average British adult doesn't have millions tucked away like David Beckham they should still make sensible provisions and arrangements for their future.' Despite the facts and figures demonstrating the value of the average adult, six in 10 still don't have any sort of will in place, while a third have no plans to make a will because they don't ever think they'll need one. Having no assets, having nothing to leave anyone and being in debt for the rest of their lives are some of the most common reasons why well over 16 million adults have no intention of getting the appropriate paperwork in place in the event of their death. In addition, 47 per cent of people don't know how assets are distributed after death, while 54 per cent are clueless about what accounts and investments their partner or family has. Ms Coverley added: 'Planning for the future is vital. Many people are attempting to save money by not making wills and then when the inevitable happens, they do it themselves in relation to the estate administration. 'What they find is that this is a specialist area of law and there are potentially serious pitfalls. 'While some may feel they can save money by avoiding legal advice, our experience is that such an outlook can create a false economy. 'This is because ultimately, if they do go it alone and subsequently hit problems, then it can be more expensive to sort out the situation in the long run. 'Common issues from failing to take advice include incorrectly distributing the estate and a lack of awareness of the tax issues which surround administering an estate - this can lead to missed tax deadlines and potential penalty charges. 'Also, with specialist advice, they may be able to look at ways to reduce the burden of inheritance tax to the benefit of families and charities. 'Finally, without the relevant experience, people may often be unable to properly and thoroughly assess all of the assets and debts of the deceased - an issue in itself which makes it more likely that distribution of the estate will not be undertaken correctly. 'The consequences of getting such issues wrong can be serious and Personal Representatives are personally and financially liable for any mistakes they make.'", "A tattoo artist was stunned to discover his picture on the front of a T-shirt being sold worldwide by high street chain H&M, without his knowledge. Richard Elsby, known as Gold Frank, felt angry and cheated when he found out the white tops, bearing his image and the words ‘Black runs through my veins’, were on sale in stores all over the world. The 36-year-old's plight drew comparisons with the recent high-profile Rihanna case, when the singer successfully sued Topshop for using her image on a T-shirt. Richard Elsby aka Gold Frank, a tattoo artist from Leeds, whose image has been used on a t shirt without his permission . Gold Frank, of Leeds, West Yorks., said: 'I spoke to to Rihanna’s lawyers and they said I had a good case for defamation, it could seem satanic because of the quote.' Musician Gold Frank said he had pictures taken in June, 2012, for the website for his new studio in Leeds city centre. They were on the website the next month, and he heard about the T-shirts appearing in H&M in August this year. After doing a bit of searching he found out that the images had gone on sale at the retail chain in May this year. 'I had pictures taken for the studio website and quite a few images ended up being used. Gold Frank had the photo taken for his new website and was shocked to see it on a T-shirt for sale a year later . 'It was a while later that somebody told me they had seen a picture of me on a T-shirt in H&M in Manchester. I got in a car and drove over to Manchester and it was there as soon as I walked in. It was a shock. 'Initially I though it was part of a small capsule collection but then I started getting pictures from friends of them popping up all over Europe and then in the US. 'Now it has sold out worldwide, so it must have been popular. 'I haven’t pursued anything yet legally. I need to find out whether it was sold in the right way,' said Gold Frank. The former clothes shop owner said because he his covered with tattoos he is used to people wanting to take his picture for clothing labels, but has turned them down. Rihanna successfully sued Topshop over the T-shirt bearing the picture of her face (left), and the brand was banned from selling them . But now his face is plastered all over the high street T-shirt. 'I feel peeved and cheated especially as there are other brands I have turned down for this type of thing. 'I’ve never had an apology from anyone about this and I’ve not seen a penny from any of the sales,' said the hip-hop artist. Gold Frank said he would like this incident to make the UK public aware that they don’t own the copyright to their own image, something he finds 'absolutely insane' The photographer was Julian Holtom of JH Media in Mirfield, West Yorks. He said he did take pictures of the tattoo studio for free and did not sign over copyright of his images. Julian said: 'Under UK copyright law I can do as I wish with the images, and I own the copyright. 'I don't want to say anything else.' When contacted by MailOnline for comment  H&M said: 'The image in question is bought from an image agency that has an agreement with Gold Frank.' However Gold Frank says he had no knowledge of thew photos use. Essentially the law says that whoever took the photograph owns the copyright to it and can do with it as they wish. This applies whether it is a friend, a professional photographer or a stranger on the street. The subject of a photograph may occasionally have moral right to limit its distribution if they don't want it published, or picture is embarrassing or sensitive in nature, but not always. The subject with moral rights can limit publication regardless of whether it’s sensitive, but it is not guaranteed. The only way to ensure a photo of you doesn't end up anywhere you don't approve of is to buy the copyright off the photographer... or take every picture yourself.", "Britain's biggest firms owe the taxman up to £25.5billion, but are regularly let off the hook, MPs say today. The sum is equivalent to £1,000 for every British family - or the equivalent of 6p being cut from the basic rate of income tax. While families, shopkeepers and small businesses are forced to pay their bills in full, big businesses are striking favourable deals and have an 'far too cosy' relationship with HM Revenue and Customs. The £25.5bn is HMRC's own 'ballpark estimate' of the maximum tax liabilities of big businesses . They are having their tax bills cut or managing to avoid paying interest. Dave Hartnett, the out-going HMRC chief . executive, was wined and dined 107 times by big firms' tax lawyers and . advisors between 2007 and 2009, the report revealed. Margaret Hodge, Labour . chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, accused the tax office of . hiding behind a 'veil of secrecy' to keep deals private. She said the panel of MPs had to rely on a whistleblower and a private eye to find out about the questionable deals. A controversial deal struck by Goldman Sachs which allowed them to avoid paying up to £20million would never have come to light if it had not been for the insider. Unlike millions of hard-up taxpayers, Dave Hartnett (pictured) will never struggle to find money to pay his bills, or face the choice between heating and eating. The 60-year-old Permanent Secretary at HM Revenue and Customs, pictured, is due to retire next summer on between £75,000 and £80,000 a year, and will also get a lump sum of between £160,000 and £165,000. When he retires, he may miss the programme of corporate hospitality that he has enjoyed during his time at HMRC. Between 2007 and 2009, he was entertained 107 times, mostly at breakfasts, lunches and dinners, by banks and law and accountancy firms. In . total, the report says, HMRC is seeking to resolve more than 2,700 . issues with the biggest companies, including disputes over outstanding . tax, with potential tax at stake of £25.5billion. It said: . ‘We have serious concerns that large companies are treated more . favourably by HMRC than other taxpayers.’ It criticises the department’s ‘specific and systemic failures’. Campaign group UK Uncut have vowed to pursue firms for unpaid tax through the courts. Mrs Hodge, speaking on BBC Radio 4's . Today programme, said this morning that they discovered a lack of accountability. ‘This is a bit like David and Goliath,' she said. 'The big companies have very expensive lawyers and Advisors. HMRC have . very few people who have in-depth knowledge of tax affairs. ‘There is no dissociation between those who negotiate and authorise . them (the deals). 'They hide behind a veil of secrecy claiming taxpayer . confidentiality so there is no accountability as to whether these deals . provide good value for money.’ She accused HMRC of striking ‘sweetheart’ deals with big businesses . which would be denied to hard-working families, shopkeepers and small . businesses. Mrs Hodge said the panel had to rely . on the testimony of a whistleblower as well as a private eye in a situation she described as ‘very unconscionable'. Banking giant Goldman Sachs was allowed to skip a multi-million pound interest bill on unpaid tax on bonuses after outgoing chief executive Dave Hartnett was wrongly advised there was a 'legal impediment' to collecting it. The potential cost to the taxpayer is officially put at £8million but the committee was given evidence from a whistleblower that the sum could be as high as £20million. In its report the MPs expressed astonishment that HMRC 'chose to depart from normal governance procedures' by allowing the same senior officials to both negotiate and approve such deals. Worse, it said, the Goldman deal was done 'without legal advice' or an official note being taken of the meeting, with officials relying on the firm's records. Margaret Hodge, Labour chairman of the committee, says the report, published today, is ‘a damning indictment of HMRC’. Scathing: Margaret Hodge, Labour chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, said the report is a 'damning indictment of HMRC' She is particularly critical of . the refusal by the department’s executives to answer questions from MPs . about details of its dealings with big business. They . insisted that there were issues of confidentiality, but Mrs Hodge . dismissed these claims, saying they are using ‘a cloak to protect the . department from scrutiny’. The . report says executives, such as the Mr Hartnett , gave ‘imprecise, . inconsistent and potentially misleading answers’, and states: ‘This . situation is entirely unacceptable.’ It warns: ‘The department has left itself open to suspicion that its relationship with large companies is too cosy.’ The £25.5billion is HMRC’s own . ‘ballpark estimate’ of the maximum potential tax liabilities of big . businesses, calculated before any proper investigation has taken place. The figure can be dramatically cut by . a business legitimately applying for a relief, or being able to offset a . tax liability against a loss made in the previous financial year. The . report is published days after Mr Hartnett, 60, announced his plans to . retire next year following a barrage of criticism surrounding his . running of the department. He will not be leaving empty-handed. He stands to scoop a pension which is currently worth between £75,000 and £80,000 a year. This . gold-plated sum will be paid after Mr Hartnett has taken a lump sum of . between £160,000 and £165,000 from his £1.7million pension pot. The . report is critical of his attendance at a ‘significant’ number of . lunches and dinners ‘with large companies with whom HMRC was settling . complex tax disputes’. Emma Boon of the TaxPayers’ Alliance . said: ‘Ordinary taxpayers often feel that they are treated harshly when . they make genuine mistakes because of our complicated tax system. ‘This report will increase suspicions that big businesses are treated differently.’ Some of the big business settlements are currently the subject of a separate investigation by the Government’s spending watchdog, the National Audit Office. HMRC has been responsible for a catalogue of errors recently. Around 6million taxpayers are currently getting letters saying they have over-paid, and can expect to get back £400 each, equal to £2.5billion. Around 1.2million others  are being told they need to pay an average of £600 more. Yesterday an HMRC spokesman rejected the MPs’ report, saying it was based on ‘partial information, inaccurate opinion and some misunderstanding of facts’. He said the £25.5billion figure was ‘a ballpark estimate of maximum potential tax liabilities’. It is not ‘actual tax’ that is owed or unpaid. He added: ‘In many cases, when HMRC has looked at the full facts, it becomes clear that there is no further liability at all.’ David Gauke, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, said: ‘The Government has full confidence in HMRC and its current leadership.’", "On the rack: Former HMRC tax chief Dave Hartnett was accused of being 'cavalier' with public money . The former head of HMRC faced growing criticism yesterday over claims he failed to pursue prosecutions against HSBC’s Swiss customers before taking a job with the bank. Critics accused the agency of adopting a ‘selective prosecution policy’ towards tax evasion cases linked to Britain’s biggest bank and questioned whether it had taken a deliberate strategy to minimise legal action. Dave Hartnett was permanent secretary for tax at HMRC when French authorities handed over account data in 2010. Yet just three cases were passed to the Crown Prosecution Service and there has been only one conviction. He retired as Britain’s top tax official in 2012 and took up a job as an adviser with HSBC in 2013 – a move which was signed off by the Prime Minister. Labour MP John Mann, a member of the Treasury select committee, told the Mail it was ‘totally unacceptable’ for Mr Hartnett to move to HSBC after his job at HMRC. ‘It’s all too cosy,’ he said. ‘It demonstrates that the HMRC has not been fit for purpose for some time.’ Mr Hartnett, 63, retired from HMRC after facing criticism that he signed off ‘sweetheart’ deals which saved Starbucks and Vodafone to avoid billions in tax payments. His tenure at the Revenue was dogged by claims that he helped multinational companies shave millions of pounds off their tax bills. Described as Britain’s most ‘wined and dined’ civil servant, he sparked controversy when it emerged he enjoyed 107 meals with corporate giants over a three-year period. He was severely criticised for brokering a deal that saved Goldman Sachs £20million in interest payments and stepped down after he was accused of lying to MPs over the deal and being ‘cavalier’ with taxpayers’ money. A 2013 court case heard Mr Hartnett personally overruled legal advice and HMRC’s own guidelines to order officials to stop chasing the bank over the tax bill. High Court judge Mr Justice Nicol ruled the deal was lawful but ‘not a glorious episode in the history of the revenue’. When it later emerged he had taken advisory roles with HSBC and City giant Deloitte, the chairman of the public accounts committee Margaret Hodge accused him of ‘greed’ and ‘losing all sense of what is right’. Accused: A 2013 court case heard Mr Hartnett personally overruled legal advice and HMRC’s own guidelines to order officials to stop chasing Goldman Sachs over a tax bill for £20million in interest payments . MPs on the committee are due to question HMRC chief executive Lin Homer about the leaked Swiss account details and Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint is also expected to be called to face questions later this year. Mrs Hodge has said she would ‘order’ executives at the beleaguered bank to give evidence if necessary. Mr Hartnett was last night unavailable for comment, but has previously denied that HSBC’s private banking customers were offered an amnesty. In a 2011 statement, he warned HMRC was closing in on offshore tax evaders and said bank customers whose details were among the stolen data should come forward. He said: ‘This is not an amnesty. There are no special rates of penalty or interest for those who come forward voluntarily.’ ‘This is an opportunity for those who have made errors in past returns to correct them. The net is closing on offshore evaders.’", "After Mario Balotelli scored two stunning goals in the semi-final of the 2012 European Championships against Germany, a member of staff at his club Manchester City offered a startlingly frank opinion. 'Don’t worry,' he said, 'He will still be useless when he comes back to us. He just hasn’t got it.' Two summers – and a change of club – later, question remarks remain. Big game player: Mario Balotelli lit up Euro 2012 with a stunning strike against Italy in the semi-final . Suitable: And the celebration in Warsaw fitted his colourful persona, too... Bench life: But things never really worked out for Balotelli at Manchester City . Balotelli is an AC Milan player now . and sixteen goals last season was reasonable. Already in this World Cup . he has made a telling contribution with his winning goal against England . in Manaus on Saturday. The . 23-year-old also picked up fourteen yellow cards and one red last . season, though, and the general view in Italy is that his all-round . contribution over the course of a campaign that saw his team finish . eighth in Serie A was modest. Here . in Brazil, opportunity beckons once again for Balotelli to further his . quest to be taken seriously. Against England he delivered but whether he . can repeat that performance against Costa Rica here today (FRI) remains . to be seen. There is a . theory in Italy - as there was at City - that Balotelli simply cannot . get his blood up for the smaller games, something that certainly . appeared to be the case in Poland and Ukraine two years ago. In . Euro 2012, we all remember his contribution against the Germans and his . penalty in the quarter-final shoot-out against England. Less notable, . though, were some rather anonymous performances in the group stage. Swoop: A move to AC Milan followed, but it is with Italy where the influential striker shows off his true form . Trust: Cesare Prandelli manages to get the best out of the enigmatic forward . On Thursday Italian coach Cesare Prandelli said: 'If look at our four years with . Mario there were times when he was our weapon, the asset, the man who . would take us to the moon. 'Then, after two months, he wasn’t performing. Many people thought he would not even make it to the World Cup. 'If he is focused for 90 minutes, great. Otherwise we have someone just as good and fresh. He must give 100 per cent.' As . he hinted, Prandelli has had his own issues with Balotelli in . the past. A coach who does not believe in indulging players he told . Balotelli on his return to Serie A that he must improve his behaviour on . and off the field if he was to have a future under him for Italy. Certainly . Balotelli plays for his country largely because of a lack of viable . alternatives. There is a dearth of genuine world class centre forwards . in Italy. The days of Alessandri del Piero and Christian Vieri are long . gone. Loving life: Balotelli shows off some skills in the Italian training session in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday . Crucial: Balotelli celebrates his goal against England in the 2-1 win on Saturday . In case your forgot: And just to make sure, he reminds viewers the score after the game . Ssh: Balotelli is ready to silence his critics in Brazil this summer... he's made a good start . Many in Italy still view Balotelli as a side show. A . paternity dispute with ex-girlfriend Raffaella Fico only ended when a . DNA test that showed positive in February while an immaturity that . ultimately proved too much even for his father figure Roberto Mancini at . City bubbled to the surface during a remarkable TV interview after a . defeat to Roma in April. Asked . by pundit Giancarlo Marocchi - a former Italian midfielder – why he . hadn’ t tried harder, Balotelli said: 'You don’t know anything about . football. You always talk about me. 'When Milan win Mario is great but when Milan lose it’s always Mario’s fault. I don’t need your criticism. I criticise myself. 'You always expect me to score five goals in a game.' Balotelli terminated the live post-match interview by throwing down the microphone and walking off. In . terms of his future, it is far from certain that he will remain at . Milan. Linked with Arsenal, his flamboyant agent Mino Raiola has refused . to rule out a move. Me, me, me: Balotelli has filled up his World Cup sticker book... with pictures of himself! Time to be taken seriously: Arsenal have been linked with the striker, who may need another fresh start . Lucky fans: Balotelli joins Danielle de Rossi and Gianluigi Buffon for a qucik selfie with supporters . At . City, the view was always that Balotelli would never prosper unless he . was encouraged to feel that he was the only player who really mattered. With Italy, he certainly seems to respond to the fact that Prandelli . plays him as his only central striker. Balotelli said: 'I hope it’s not Mario’s World Cup but Italy’s. 'I hope to give a good contribution to team but I’m not interested in being the great star. I want our team to win.' A . game against Costa Rica may not get the juices flowing in quite the . same way as the England clash did. Another stand-out show on Friday night, . though, would go some way to answering pertinent questions. Meanwhile, . goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon returns to the team today having recovered . from an ankle injury and having opened up with his battle against . depression for the first time. The Italian legend has revealed that he suffered with the illness in private for years before finally asking for help. Anger: Samir Nasri holds back Balotelli during an ill-tempered Champions League affair against Ajax . Ready to do the business: Balotelli can fire Italy into the next round with victory against Costa Rica on Friday . 'I didn't know if I could talk about it to anyone,' he told 4-4-2 magazine. 'But then, very gradually, I would chat about it to friends, to team-mates, people really close to me. 'I began to understand I had a problem and that it was something that could be dealt with, that could be cured. 'I . didn't take a break because I felt this great responsibility to my . team-mates and to people who relied on me. I didn't want to let them . down. 'I didn't feel like I could stop playing, not with that responsibility. 'It helped to see a psychologist but, as I said, the support of friends and team-mates was a big thing for me.'", "The son of Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro today described the severe beatings he received when he was a child and expressed relief that his father will never be able to hurt anyone again. Anthony Castro appeared on the Today show this morning, a few days after his rapist father accepted a plea deal which will see him spend the rest of his life in prison for the kidnap and repeated sexual assault of three women. He said: 'I cannot express how happy I am that my father will never be able to hurt anyone again. Behind bars is where he belongs for the rest of his life. I have absolutely nothing to say to him. 'What he did still haunts me. I have the same name as him and when I look in the mirror I see the resemblance and I think about what he did and how horrible it is and I am overcome with that.' SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO . Anthony Castro said: 'I cannot express how happy I am that my father will never be able to hurt anyone again. I have absolutely nothing to say to him' Speaking out: Anthony appeared on the Today show this morning a few days after his rapist father accepted a plea deal which will see him spend the rest of his life in prison . Describing his upbringing at the hands of his father, he said: 'He was incredibly strict, he had a temper. I mean he wasn't a monster 24/7 but if you crossed him there would be consequences' Anthony said: 'He's been lying to his family for the past ten, 11 years at every possible turn. I have no trust in him. I can't see myself going to visit him and giving him the opportunity to face me and lie to me again' Describing his upbringing at the hands of his father, who on Friday blamed porn and child abuse on his sickening crimes, he said: 'He was incredibly strict, he had a temper. I mean he wasn't a monster 24/7 but if you crossed him there would be consequences - more often than not they were physical. 'I would cry myself to sleep because my legs were covered in welts from his belt and I had to watch my mom get beat up. No one should ever have to see their mom crumpled in a heap on the floor beaten.' By accepting the deal on Friday, Castro escaped the death penalty and withdrew his previous not guilty pleas in all 977 counts against him. It also means his three victims Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus will not have to testify about their more than ten-year ordeal in front of a jury. Anthony Castro told the Today show the fact his father will never see the light of day again is justice for his mother, who would have turned 50 this week. He also said he has no plans to go and see his father in jail. 'He’s been lying to his family for the past ten, 11 years at every possible turn. I have no trust in him,' he said. 'I can’t see myself going to visit him and giving him the opportunity to face me and lie to me again.' In a MailOnline exclusive after Castro's three victims were freed, Anthony revealed his dad padlocked the doors leading to his basement, his attic and his garage and never allowed his family inside. 'The house . was always locked,' Anthony said. 'There were places we could . never go. There were locks on the basement. Locks on the attic. Locks . on the garage.' Among his infrequent contact with his father one conversation particularly stood out in his mind that occurred around mid-April, when Castro asked him whether he thought police would ever find Amanda Berry. When Anthony said he thought Berry was likely dead because she had been missing so long, Ariel responded: 'Really? You think so?' On Saturday, Amanda Berry made a surprise . appearance at the day-long concert RoverFest in Cleveland, walking on stage with her family and waving at the cheering crowd . before reemerging later again to join rapper Nelly. Wearing . sunglasses and dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt, Berry smiled . broadly while acknowledging the applause, but she didn't address the . crowd. The announcer called for 'a bigger round . of applause and cheer...than any of the acts that are here' and said . after she arrived on stage: 'I told her she had a little bit of time to . make up on the partying and you guys could help her out tonight'. Grooving: Yesterday was Amanda Berry's first public outing since her escape as she rocked it out with rapper Nelly and a friend on stage . Ariel Castro has pleaded guilty to 937 counts, including kidnapping, rape, assault and aggravated murder and is due to be sentenced on Thursday . Guilty: Under the plea deal, Castro, 53, will spend the rest of his life behind bars plus 1,000 years, without the possibility of parole . Castro said at his hearing: 'There . are some things I do not comprehend because of my sexual problems . throughout the years. But I trust my lawyers and I understand my rights . and the sentence' All three victims - Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus - appeared in a video in early July thanking the local community for its support . On Friday, the . judge asked Castro if he understood that he would die in prison and there . would never be a possibility he would be released. He replied: 'I do understand that and I said because of the sex crimes I knew I would have the book thrown at me. 'There . are some things I do not comprehend because of my sexual problems . throughout the years. But I trust my lawyers and I understand my rights . and the sentence.' He said he read and signed the plea deal and understood it though 'my addiction to pornography and my sexual problem has taken a toll on my mind' that sometimes caused problems with comprehension. Offering some form of an explanation for his despicable crimes, he said: 'I was a victim as a child and it just kept going.' The judge cut him off and told him to save his story for his sentencing hearing. The 53-year-old spoke clearly and intelligibly, answering all the judges questions with clarity. This is in stark contrast to his previous appearances when he has kept his head down, closed his eyes and refused to interact. Plea Deal: Ariel Castro, 53, walks into the court room with his head down for a pre-trial hearing on charges including rape, kidnapping and murder in Cleveland, Ohio July 24, 2013 . Prosecutors said if evidence of additional crimes came to light, Castro could still be indicted on future charges that included the death penalty. Castro's . lawyers have said for weeks that they would consider an agreement under . which the former Cleveland school bus driver would plead guilty to some . charges in return for his life. Castro, . 53, has been charged with 977 counts including kidnapping and repeated . rape. He has also been charged with murder under a fetal homicide law . for allegedly forcing one of the women to miscarry. Gina . DeJesus, 23, Michelle Knight, 32, and Amanda Berry, 27 were freed from . Castro's home in a rundown area of Cleveland in May. The three women disappeared separately between 2002 and 2004, when they were 14, 16 and 20 years old. Each said they had accepted a ride from Castro, who remained friends with the family of one of the women and even attended vigils over the years marking her disappearance. The house will be torn down, it was revealed last week.", "A not-for-profit group that organised seminars featuring US anti-vaccination campaigner Sherri Tenpenny before she had to cancel due to threats of violence has had its charity status cancelled. The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) made the announcement about Get Rid of Sids Project on Wednesday. The organisation is run by well-known Brisbane anti-vaccination campaigner Stephanie Messenger who has penned a number of children's books, including Melanie's Marvelous Measles. Scroll down for video . Get Rid of Sids, which had been organising events featuring anti-vaccination campaign Sherri Tenpenny, has had its charity status revoked . In a statement, the ACNC said it had revoked Get Rid of Sids Project's charity status after a review into its operations and activities. The decision was effective from April 1 and the organisation had 60 days to lodge an appeal. The ACNC was unable to provide any more details of why this had happened because of 'secrecy provisions' within its Act. This means Get Rid of Sids Project will lose its right to tax concessions and its deductible gift recipient status. Daily Mail Australia has contacted the organisation for comment. Earlier this year, Get Rid of Sids Project ran into controversy when it invited Dr Tenpenny to speak at a number of seminars across Australia. The organisation is headed by prominent Brisbane anti-vaccination campaigner Stephanie Messenger . Her planned trip caused uproar and was repeatedly boycotted by Australian doctors and venues. Following a number of cancellations, Dr Tenpenny made the decision to cancel her remaining talks due to consistent threats of violence from 'anti-free-speech terrorists'. Sherri Tenpenny was due to speak at a number of events in Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Melbourne and the Gold Coast. In a statement posted to social media at the time, she cited a number of reasons why she had decided not to come to Australia, saying a large number of violent threats, including bomb threats, had been made against venue owners and their families. 'The determination was made to protect the speakers, the public and the venue owners as pro-vaccine extremists have made continual, anonymous threats of vandalism and violence,' the statement read. Earlier this year, Get Rid of Sids Project ran into controversy when it invited Dr Tenpenny to speak at a number of seminars across Australia . Dr Tenpenny revealed that she had also cancelled a private holiday in Australia due to concerns for her own personal safety. 'I was coming to speak as an invited guest. However, given the level of hostility that has transpired over the last three weeks, and for the sake of my own personal safety, I have also cancelled my planned vacation in Australia,' she said. Stephanie Messenger, who heads Get Rid of Sids Project and had invited Dr Tenpenny to speak, is the controversial author of Melanie's Marvelous Measles. The message of the book, which tells children having the measles is fun, was panned by reviewers on Amazon. Messenger said the aim of her book was to 'educate children on the benefits of having measles and how you can heal from them naturally and successfully'. But people on the internet had other ideas about her picture book, with the book receiving 872 ratings of one star. While the reviews sarcastically thanked Messenger for her contribution.", "(CNN) -- Barcelona star Andres Iniesta unwrapped an early Christmas present Monday as he inked a new deal with the Spanish football club. The 29-year-old added an extension to his current deal that will see him stay with his boyhood club until the end of June 2018. \"Today is a magical day!\" Iniesta wrote on his Twitter page. \"My life and my club... Thank you for the love you have given me since I arrived at 12 years old.\" Iniesta, regarded as one of the global game's most gifted and versatile players, was first spotted by Barcelona scouts in 1996. He soon left his home to train with the Barcelona youth academy and made his debut for the first team in 2002. Since then Iniesta has become one of Barcelona's stars as part of a side that has won six Spanish league titles, lifted Spain's Copa del Rey twice and won the European Champions League title three times. A key international player, he also scored the only goal in a tense 2010 World Cup final to give Spain a narrow victory over the Netherlands. The 29-year-old brought along his parents and daughter Valeria to help him celebrate the start of a new era with Barcelona as he signed the deal at the club's offices. Barcelona said in a statement on its website: \"Iniesta was due to end his contract in 2015. This extension until 2018 means the FC Barcelona midfielder will have spent more than half of his life on the club's books. \"From 2017/18, his contract will be automatically extended provided he has appeared in a certain number of matches over the course of the season just ended.\" Switzerland future planning . The main protagonists in international football may be focused on next year's World Cup but Switzerland is already planning for life after Brazil. With coach Ottmar Hitzfeld bowing out after the World Cup, the world No. 8 team has named Lazio manager Vladimir Petkovic as his successor. The Swiss Football Association said in a statement that the 50-year-old would take over on 1 July 2014 but that if he guided Switzerland to the 2016 Euros his deal would continue until the end of the European championships. Petkovic, who describes himself as a Swiss Bosnian-Croat, began his career in the former state of Yugoslavia as an attacking midfielder before continuing his playing career in Switzerland, where he also turned to coaching. Many of Switzerland's squad also come from the country's Balkan migrant community. Petkovic, who has been in charge of Italian club Lazio since 2012, said of his new appointment: \"It has never been easy for anyone to follow Ottmar Hitzfeld. \"It will not be easy for me, but I am absolutely convinced of the potential of the players and the team. This quality will also help me. I firmly believe that we can succeed together.\"", "Rockets from Gaza hit Israel early Friday morning, breaching a cease-fire that had held for more than two days, the Israeli military said. \"Moments ago, 2 rockets fired from Gaza hit southern Israel. Terrorists have violated the cease-fire,\" the Israel Defense Forces wrote on Twitter. It wasn't immediately clear how Israel would respond. The IDF pulled its ground forces out of Gaza on Tuesday but said they were maintaining \"defensive positions\" around the territory. \"I suspect the Israelis are going to wait to see if it was just these two rockets,\" said CNN's Wolf Blitzer. \"These could be isolated rockets.\" But if more rockets are fired from Gaza, \"the Israelis will strike back,\" Blitzer said. The two rockets landed near Eshkol in southern Israel but didn't cause any damage or casualties, the Israeli military said. It wasn't immediately clear who in Gaza, where multiple militant factions are active, launched them. Hamas, which holds power in Gaza, denies firing the rockets, said Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for the group. The allegations \"are based on Israeli reports aimed at confusing the situation,\" the Gaza-based spokesman said. Talks in Cairo . Earlier, negotiators in Cairo had been scrambling to extend the Gaza cease-fire, which was set to expire at 8 a.m. Friday (1 a.m. ET). A Hamas official had told supporters in Gaza City that the group was ready to resume fighting if it didn't win key concessions in the talks. \"We are ready to return to the battle if the Palestinian demands are not met in Cairo,\" Hamas spokesman Mosher al-Masry told a crowd of supporters waving the group's green flags. A spokesman for Hamas' military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, was even more pointed. \"We demand from the negotiating team to pull out from negotiations if the enemy continues to be stubborn; we are ready for a long war,\" Abu Obaida said on Hamas-run Al-Aqsa television. \"We demand that the negotiating team not extend negotiations without the agreement on a seaport,\" he said, demanding that the blockade against Gaza be lifted, and all the crossings into Egypt and Israel be opened. \"We will not accept anything less,\" the spokesman said. \"We will make the tanks of the enemy a toy in the hands of the children of Gaza.\" As the spokesman suggested, Hamas wants Israel to end border restrictions that limit the flow of people and goods into and out of Gaza. Israel wants Hamas to give up its weapons. Israel is willing to extend the truce unconditionally, Dore Gold, a senior foreign policy adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told CNN on Thursday. Earlier, in a heated interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo on \"New Day,\" Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan said if the cease-fire was to hold, Israel must show signs of willingness to reach a broader deal before the truce expires. \"There is no decision to undermine the talks, there is no decision to go back to fight,\" he said. \"But we have to evaluate what the Israelis are doing, what the Israelis are saying.\" Officials from Israel and the Palestinian side -- including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Palestine Liberation Organization -- are communicating through Egyptian intermediaries in an effort to reach agreement on extending the truce. Hoping for a breakthrough . A Palestinian official said Thursday morning that there had been progress in the talks so far but declined to give any details. \"I am not sure how or when it will come, but we hope for a breakthrough,\" said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks. The warring sides are far apart. Israel says Hamas must disarm as part of any larger deal that might lead to the end of border restrictions and greater economic freedom for Gaza residents. Hamas, meanwhile, says the blockade must end before a lasting peace deal can be reached. Israel must also stop activities in response to the kidnapping of three Israeli teens who were later found dead and facilitate reconstruction of the territory's devastated infrastructure, Hamdan told CNN. \"We can't talk about future while the Israelis are putting a pistol to our heads or a knife to our necks,\" he said. Gold told \"New Day\" that the border restrictions and Gaza's economic and redevelopment needs can't be separated because they are \"intimately linked.\" \"If you want cement for building homes or schools, you've got to make sure the cement goes there and not rebuilding attack tunnels that go into Israel,\" he said. He also said Hamas' demands for a Mediterranean Sea port raise serious security concerns for Israel. \"We're of course concerned if something like that occurs, that the Iranians or others will bring missile boats into the Mediterranean and to that Gaza port,\" Gold said. \"So it's not so simple as to say, 'Give them a port.' \" Latest death toll . On Thursday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health issued new casualty numbers for the conflict -- 1,888 deaths, including 446 children, and 9,804 injured. It's unclear how many of the Palestinian dead were militants. The United Nations has estimated that at least 70% of the dead were civilians. The Israel Defense Forces believes it killed about 900 militants -- roughly half of the dead. Israeli officials have said 64 Israeli soldiers and three civilians in Israel died. Additionally, about 65,000 Gaza residents lost their homes to the fighting, according to U.N. estimates. Palestinian-American: 'Living in occupation felt normal' Israeli regret over civilian deaths . Israel has come under growing international criticism over the number of civilian casualties, notably from the United Nations, which accused the Israeli military of shelling its shelters. In Jerusalem on Wednesday, Netanyahu said Israel \"deeply regrets\" civilian deaths, accusing Hamas of placing rockets and other military targets in crowded population centers. \"The responsibility for this tragedy belongs with Hamas,\" Netanyahu said. Apparent evidence of the Israeli argument came with the release of video from France 24 and India's NDTV that appears to show at least one rocket launcher located in a residential area. CNN reporters were blocked from reaching the area. Maen Areikat, the PLO ambassador to the United States, sought to play down the significance of the launcher. \"We don't know the circumstances of this particular rocket launcher,\" he told CNN. \"And if there has been incidents in which fighters from Palestinian factions fired at Israel from civilian populated centers, I think they were isolated centers. But to portray that this was the rule and not the exception is not a fair representation of what is happening in Gaza.\" Hamdan went further, calling allegations of rocket fire from civilian areas nothing more than \"Israeli lies.\" \"We challenge anyone to prove there were any rockets launched from civilian areas,\" he said. In fact, he said, Israel intentionally bombed civilians to punish Palestinians after strikes on rocket sites in open areas failed to achieve results. \"Israel is murdering innocent people on purpose,\" he said. CNN exclusive: Inside the mind of Hamas' political leader . Nobel laureate Wiesel: Hamas must stop using children as human shields . Gaza conflict: Can economic isolation ever be reversed? Life in Gaza: Misery heightened by war .", "By . Louise Cheer . It was an intimate outback wedding for the happy couple's closest family and friends. But as Gemma Ludgate and John Hancock exchanged vows, there was one person noticeable by  her absence - the groom's mother Gina Rinehart. The mining magnate, Australia's richest person, had been locked in a bitter battle with her 38-year-old son and his siblings for control of the family's multi-billion dollar trust fund. John Hancock and his long-term partner, Gemma Ludgate, wedded in an intimate ceremony in Pilbara, Western Australia . The couple married on April 30 at Pibara, in Western Australia, the beautiful country setting  synonymous with the groom's late grandfather Lang Hancock, Sydney Private reported. They only invited 50 guests, including Mr Hancock's good friend Olympian Grant Hackett. The happy couple have been engaged for eight years and have two children together, aged seven and four. Photos of the wedding were published on Monday by Woman's Day after the newlyweds struck a deal with the magazine. 'My relationship with my mum is complex … but I thank her for helping me become the man I am today,' the Perth-based mining consultant and derivatives trader told the magazine. He said Ms Rinehart had influenced his choice of location for his 'Pilbara Adventure' wedding at Oxer Lookout in Hancock Gorge, 1,400 kilometres north-east of Perth. The groom said it was his grandfather's and mother's favourite spot, and wanted to share it with friends. The guests at the April wedding did not include Mr Hancock's mining magnate mother, Gina Rinehart . The only member of his immediate family who was present for the wedding was John's sister, Bianca, who joined in on the wedding part at the Karijini Eco Retreat in the Karijini National Park. It is not the first time Ms Rinehart was not included in her children's wedding celebrations. Last year Bianca wedded in Hawaii, without her mother's knowledge. Mr Hancock's other sisters, Ginia and Hope, were also absent from the wedding. The mining heiress and three of her children have been feuding over the trust fund since 2011. The trio have been trying to wrestle control of the fund, which they are all beneficiaries, from Ms Rinehart. Only one of her children, Ginia, sided with the matriarch. Despite multiple attempts to suppress details of the court action, it was revealed Ms Rinehart had pushed the release date of the funds to her children back by more than 50 years - which sparked the feud. It was estimated the fund was worth at least $2.4 billion in 2012 - when the children were due to become billionaires. Gina Rinehart (pictured right in 2013) has since stood down from her position as trustee of the multi-million-dollar fund . The fund was set up by Lang Hancock and controls almost a quarter of Hancock Prospecting Proprietary Limited. Ms Rinehart has since bowed out of her role as trustee and Hope has withdrawn from the court action. Mr Hancock and his sister, Bianca, continue to battle their mother in the New South Wales Supreme Court, alleging their mother had acted dishonestly in her role as trustee. A new trustee is yet to be appointed. The Ludgates relationship with the mining family has spanned generations. In the 1950s, Lang Hancock would take to the skies in a small, single-engine plane and fly 400km from his station, Mulga Downs, to the Ludgates' station just to use the landline to make overseas business calls as the coaxial cable ended there at that time. About 60 years later, Gemma Ludgate donned a white Aurelio Costarella gown and an impressive strand of borrowed pearls to wed Lang's grandson. Mr Hancock was less formal in a pair of khaki drill pants, an open collared white shirt and a pair of RM Williams boots. Guests dined on a banquet of lamb and pig on the spit on cane chairs under the stars. Proceeds from the deal with Woman's Day went to the Royal Flying Doctor Service - where Mr Hancock was named a board member earlier in the year. The Hancock-Ludgate wedding took place at Oxer Lookout in Hancock Gorge, 1400 kilometres north-east of Perth .", "Harry Kane lived every boy's childhood dream tonight by scoring on debut for England with just his third touch of the ball. Substituted into the game at the 71st minute, the London-born 21-year-old marked one of the most remarkable debuts in modern English football with a goal scored 80 seconds after taking the field. He also wrote his name into the record books - it was the third fastest goal scored by an England debutant behind John Cock in 1919 and Bill Nicholson, who netted after just 19 seconds on his England debut against Portugal in 1951 to set the record. Scroll down for video . An ecstatic Harry Kane slides to the corner flag as Wembley erupts after he scores on debut with his third touch . Kane nodded in the goal after getting on the end of a cross played in by Raheem Sterling . Here he is pictured celebrating his dream debut as he is crowded by his England team mates . The Wembley crowd erupted with joy when the 21-year-old scored with just his third touch . Kane heads the ball into the back of the net to etch his name into the England record books . It is just the latest step in a Roy of the Rovers-style meteoric rise for the youngster, who hadn't figured in Tottenham's first team plans regularly until the start of the season. Born in Chingford, London, Kane was playing for Ridgeway Rovers in east London - the same youth side David Beckham and Andros Townsend played for - when he was scouted by Gunners spies and joined the club as an eight-year-old. He spent a year in the red half of north London before returning to his amateur childhood side after Arsenal let him leave. From Ridgeway, he joined Watford's youth set up where he spent two months before being snapped up by Tottenham as an 11-year-old. From there he had loan spells of varying success at clubs that include Millwall and Leicester. Kane spent a year playing for Arsenal as a youngster. Here he is pictured bottom left with his team mates . Kane pictured in action against Southampton during his 2012 loan spell with Championship club Millwall . Former club mates, family and coaches have spoken of him as 'grounded', 'level headed' and a 'good natured' person who gives his best day-in day-out on the training pitch. Former Spurs manager David Pleat told the BBC: 'His feet are firmly on the ground. He is a very sensible boy, a modest, humble boy.' And former England striker Clive Allen said he was a 'fine young man' when he worked with him as a 16-year-old. 'You could see from the day he walked in he had a real desire to improve himself as a footballer and the one thing I'd say about him, which unfortunately you don't say about a lot of young footballers, is that he had a passion for the game.' Last month Kane was pictured in Marbella, Spain, treating his childhood sweetheart Katie Goodland to a romantic Valentine's Day meal. Kane was clearly enjoying his break in Marbella with girlfriend Katie Goodland when he posted this Instagram photo, captioned: 'Happy Valentines everyone' Harry Kane's reaction on social media revealed his delight with his performance. He wrote: 'Wow, words can't describe that feeling' and he described it as the best night of his life . And Kane's girlfriend wrote on Twitter that she was 'buzzing' and 'no-one deserves it more' The pair, who have been dating for three years, dined at La Sala, which is part-owned by former Spurs team-mate and good friend David Bentley, and stayed two nights at the 5-star Puente Romano Hotel. Following tonight’s game, Kane told ITV: 'It's the start I dreamed of, it's a little bit of a blur at the minute. 'It's the best moment by far, to represent your country at senior level is the top. 'Hopefully I can keep doing it and it's the first of many.' Captain Wayne Rooney, who had scored England's opener, added: 'It's fantastic, international football's different and to score after 80 seconds is incredible for Harry. 'We're all delighted and hopefully it's the first of many.' Last night Harry Kane wrote his name into the record books - his goal was the third fastest goal scored by an England debutant behind John Cock in 1919 and Bill Nicholson, who netted after just 19 seconds on his England debut against Portugal in 1951 to set the record. Bill Nicholson (pictured left during his managerial career) holds the record for scoring after just 19 seconds on his England debut in 1951. His time is followed by Jack Cock (right), who netted after 30 seconds in 1919 ." ]

[ "I belong to Herbalife. Herbalife has been around for 26 years and is on the NYSE. I don't want to down grade other companies. I think you need to do your homework and find the best solution for you. I will leave you my cell phone for further questions 1-580-465-2493. You are more then welcome to email me. If you are not sure, then you are more then welcome to join in on some of our training calls to see if this is something that you would like to do. My wife and I wouldn't be building our New House if it wasn't for this business. There is a great video at the end of the questions. I would at least watch the video to see what you think." ]

[ "It is the only way to ensure equal economic opportunity. All other systems try to make equallity of outcome, which is impossible. Even at it's best socialism and communism stifles innovation and opportunity.", "The best site I've found is the US Government's Occupational Outlook Handbook. It's a most up-to-date resource that tells all about various careers, including the outlook on salaries, what's required to enter the field, whether the opportunities are growing or not in the United States, etc. The home page also offers a link to state-by-state information. Good Luck!", "Racists are just like every other politically active group. If an opportunity is presented which seems to lend their views credence they will seize that opportunity. I personally am glad when they spout off their views in public. The best part of freedom of speech is we get to identify the morons in our society before they can cause real damage.", "Access has limits in it's database it's not ment to be a bussiness database thats what sql is for...\\nhttp://databases.about.com/cs/tutorials/a/widgetmenu.htm", "i will alwas talk to u because you sound real hot so lets get bussy.......", "Bu$h Sr, defended the Saudi oil when he defended Kuwait from Iraq. Bu$h Sr. has many Saudi friends and his bussiness is oil. Cheney's bussiness is oil and government contracts to protect oil. Iraq was a Arab problem and the Saudis got Bu$h Sr. and Jr. to solve there problem. The Saudis also got the American tax payers to pay for solving a Arab problem. We need to mind our own bussiness and American tax payers have no business engaged in nation Building. Not one more American should give his life to Nation build in Iraq.", "As mentioned, Computer Science has more physics and Maths, and the most important, it has more Computer Science topics, like Artificial Intelligence, Operating Systems, Computer Graphics, but Information Technology has more busniness topics, like Marketing, Accounting. But at the end, both can work as programmer, for example, I graduated as Computer Science, and my friend graduated as Information Technology, now we both work the same, but he has more knowledge about bussiness issue which are highly desired in my country, cuz most of our use for software is for bussiness issues rather than computer science and researches issues.\\nMy own opinion, computer science needs more creativity, I like it.", "managing business means you have to deal and interact with all kinds of people which works for you and pay for you, business itself is 'money talking', so, if you can't even speak conveniently or talk properly to peoples, how can they trust you, that's why effective communication is important in bussiness management", "only on the basis of a contractual written arrangement, providing it's not from investment capital, operating funds, and in accordance with good bussiness practice", "Easiest and best is Emule http://www.emule-project.net/home/perl/general.cgi?l=1&ga=1&rm=download\\nand the othe best software is Azarus http://azureus.sourceforge.net/download.php ,which is a bit torrent client.", "I think having the opportunity to be a good person IS the best thing that can happen to you.", "don't answer the call, if you think that will hurt him/her then answer the call and make yourself annoyed and say that you are bussy right now.", "if you did not graduate, you can study online if you have a pc at home or at you work. you can find many \"schools\" which have this opportunity. so the only thing you have to do is to search. i can help you with this link from which you can choose what to study:http://www.google.ro/search?hl=ro&q=study+online&meta=. HOPE I HELPED. BYEEEEEE!", "Hindi is the officialy official lang.\\nEnglish is for Education and Bussiness purposes (750 million active speakers)\\nMany Other regional languages (almost one for every state)", "Money invested in a project is not available for other projects that come along which may be more profitable. By investing in the current project, you lose the opportunity to be able to participate in those future projects. This difference is the opportunity cost.", "people from other nations, especially 3rd world countries find freedoms they don't enjoy at home in the US, such as religious and caste system types of situations, poor stay poor, also alot of opportunity for sucess here", "yes . you can use ADSL . first you should buy a modem that is special for ADSL . after that get ADSL account From your ISP . in ADSL your phone line won,t bussy when you are online . infact whene you are online youcan call every where with telephon ! in ADSL you should not pay in money for phone line ! best Adsl speed in 1MBps . good luck \\n\\n My yahoo!ID: all2all_meysam", "The best tip is total immersion. If you have the opportunity to study abroad and spend three to four months in another country, you'll pick up the language much faster and much more fluently than years of study in a classroom.\\n\\nShould you be unable to travel, speak with professors at universities and ask for the best language guides. They'll point you in a direction in a way that most commercial sources won't be able to do. They'll have the inside tips for the best resources, and they'll be able to show you which guides are good for self-study.", "You could get one, but it isn't going to help your toothache. The best home remedy for a toothache is to take 800 mg of Ibuprofen which is prescription strength. To rid yourself of the toothache, see your dentist.", "If you wanna be a meanie laugh at his bussiness , If not then talk and talk and talk , silly girl stuff LOL now seriously if he is molesting you then tell him you´ll tell the police and if he is do so!", "The best home remedy is to take 800 mg of Ibuprofen which is prescription strength. It has an anti-inflammatory in it so it's going to work better than Tylenol and aspirin. But the only way to truly rid yourself of the pain completely is to visit your dentist.", "Welcome: depens on the way in which you want to say it\\nie haere mai: Welcome in a come here type of way\\nnau mai: Welcome in a more formal invite way\\nkuhu mai: Means welcome in a come inside our home type of way\\n\\nThe best two to use are the last two.\\n\\nHappy Home: Kainga Hari Koa\\nKainga = home \\nhari koa = happy\\n\\n\\nBut you have to use it in a sentence for it to make any real sense. \\nie He Kainga Hari Koa Tenei\\n(This is a happy home)", "Capitalism is best to solve poverty, but only if the income generated under it is taxed properly to redistribute the wealth to help the less fortunate. Capitalism brings more creation of wealth and provides for more opportunities to help the less fortunate.", "Harry Kalas,Phillies announcer has the best home run call!", "YES -- Home Business encompasses a number of things: business opportunities, or a business done from the home such as daycare. Buying into a bizopp has its risks as you obviously know. To prevent being scammed, read the article \"10 Tips for Avoiding Home Business Scams\" http://www.powerhomebiz.com/052005/scams.htm\\n\\nThe best home business that you can be sure is not a scam is one that you start yourself. It will depend on what you want, how you define to be interesting. A person may consider a pet sitting business to be the most exciting work in the world, while another person would rather watch TV than take care of dogs. \\n\\nThe key is to determine what your interests are, what you want to do, what is suitable for your lifestyle and your overall goals, and what can fit with your resources.\\n\\nDan Ramsey in his book \"101 Best Home Businesses\" has a chapter on how to find YOUR best home business. He suggests these 10 steps:\\n\\n1. List 5 things you do best\\n2. List how others would benefit from what you do best\\n3. Find out how to give people what they want\\n4. Learn the value of your services to others\\n5. Find out who else offers similar services\\n6. Learn from the successes of others\\n7. Learn from the failures of others\\n8. Plan your own success\\n9. Make low cost mistakes\\n10. Enjoy what you do and how you do it\\n\\nHe then made suggestions on the best home businesses according to type. Here are a few of them:\\n\\nBest Businesses Using Craft or Physical Skills\\n- antique restoration\\n- auto detail service\\n- carpet cleaning business\\n- errand/delivery service\\n- housecleaning business\\n\\nBest Service Businesses \\n- bed and breakfast operator\\n- caregiver\\n- catering service\\n- senior day care center\\n- tutoring service\\n\\nBest Professional Businesses\\n- desktop publisher\\n- magazine writer\\n- import/export service\\n- income tax preparation service\\n- event planner\\n\\nSome other home business ideas:\\n\\nTop 10 Home Businesses with Rapid Break-Even Time http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol33/breakeven.htm\\n10 Profitable “Go-Out\" Home Businesses http://www.powerhomebiz.com/vol31/goout.htm\\nLow Cost Startup Businesses http://www.entrepreneur.com/lowcostbusinesses/0,6617,,00.html\\n\\nYou can also get ideas from the following books:\\n\\n- Turn Your Talents into Profits: 100+ Terrific Ideas for Starting Your Own Home-Based Microbusiness \\n- The Best Home Businesses for the 21st Century \\n- 121 Internet Businesses You Can Start from Home \\n- The Best Internet Businesses You Can Start \\n- 101 Ways to Make Money at Home", "When in doubt look it up which is what I did. LBGT stands for Lesbian gay and transgendered communnity. I think your best bet would be to use their official home website. I found their website url which is:\\nhttp://www.udel.edu/diversity/lgbt/\\nThere's a link for resources as well as a library. They also have staffers who can answer your questions.\\n\\nI wish you all the best!", "MONEY, which basically ties in to some answers already given. The best talent on teams like Chelsea and Barcelona is not local home-grown talent, but rather foreign stars. The African clubs simply cannot attract and pay for that kind of talent. Even their best, like Eto'o for example, bolt for the cash, and even, again like Eto'o, resettle in their host soccer country.", "well, you did use the computer to ask your question. opportunity cost. you gave up a part of your time, which could've been spent on reading or something else, to ask your question.\\n\\nsame with everyone else. they prefer to spend their time in front of the computer and give up their opportunity to read a good book.", "Florida has historically been the home of low-skill and low-wage employment. Add to that the presence of a large retired population on fixed incomes who are not willing to pay one red cent more for anything than is absolutely necessary, and you have the answer.\\nThe problem is being greatly exacerbated by the current lack of affordable housing due to the nationwide boom in home prices.\\nNone of this can honestly be blamed on either of the major political parties; it's been going on for years.\\nThe best thing we Floridians can do is get as much education as possible and work hard at every available opportunity to move ahead. Don't get caught up in the stereotypical lifestyle.", "I know Kingman very well and I know how small it is. That being said, I don't believe you will find any employment opportunities there on the Internet. I think the town newspaper is your best bet.", "There are places you can go to get the help you need.There are websites with info.I personally would go to a higher authority than the police.A mayor,or judge.I`d publicize this bussiness`name and the cicumstances.Here in our state we have seven on your side.A place you can call into with such matters and they take care of it for you.According to your statement,this is nothing less than theft.If that`s the way the system works there,maybe we should all just get us a moving bussiness and keep whatever we want and sell the rest.We`d make a fortune!If we were as sorry as these people seem to be.", "Yep! Best team to root for and the best fans!! Did you see Albert's 3 home runs today? He's just awesome! Go Cards!" ]