of state. He has been tipped as a future White House chief of staff in a Clinton administration. Further, employees of Morgan Stanley, where Nides serves as vice-chairman, have given Clinton more than $90,000 in the past quarter. This is more than every Republican candidate combined has received from the firm.

Robert Hormats, pictured second left with other members of the Energy Security Leadership Council, a former vice-chairman of Goldman Sachs, served as under secretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Both Nides and Hormats’ ties to Clinton are likely to face scrutiny should the former secretary of state be elected president. In recent years, progressives have become increasingly concerned about former Wall Street executives entering the executive branch. Earlier this year, theSearch

thank you all

Fun Friday

A while back I posted a link to a performance of Handel's Messiah in which the organist had a very bad day. Marc Geelhoed sends along a link on a similar theme — a page devoted to infamous trumpet bloopers. The Hummel concerto disaster and the Mahler Seventh catastrophe are not to be missed. As a bonus, there's an excerpt from the Portsmouth Symphonia's performance-recomposition of Also sprach Zarathustra. The Portsmouth was an avant-garde / comedic outfit founded by Gavin Bryars, featuring, among others, Brian Eno on clarinet. No one in the ensemble was particularly familiar with his or her instrument, which was the idea.


were reminders of America's existing injustices everywhere. I felt the weight of history as I sat in Emancipation Park in Charlottesville, Va., with my friend Quinn, a black American woman. It was the same park where white supremacists gathered in 2017 in a harrowing display of hatred. I felt it when I visited the border wall in Nogales, Ariz., with my friend Sam, a Cuban-American, shortly after reading the heartbreaking ProPublica report on forced migrant family separation. Most of the locations we visited were picked in an effort to better understand ourselves and our places within the political and cultural history of this country.

Enlarge this image toggle caption Tsering Bista Tsering Bista

Our monthlong trip through the South and up the coast of California was a slow and steadyone, and so I thought it best to shoot this series on film. I carried a Mamiya C330 and a tripod so I could set up the composition and lighting, then had a friend push the shutter.

I also carried with me the spirit of three other projects: My Identity by the Tibetan artist Gonkar Gyatso; Roaming by American artist Carrie Mae Weems; and the South Asian American Digital Archives Road Trips Project.

Enlarge this image toggle caption Tsering Bista Tsering Bista

The intense unease that I had once felt while wearing a bakhu as a child disappeared almost as soon as the trip began. I forgot I was wearing one by the end of the first day. To my surprise, I only got a handful of verbal reactions during the


entire journey. And most of the interactions were brief and pleasant. In Charlottesville, an elderly bodega owner from Iraq asked me in broken English: "Where your people are from?" I told him, he nodded, then continued to ring up my purchases. In Nashville, Tenn., a young girl told me she really liked my dress.

Enlarge this image toggle caption Tsering Bista Tsering Bista

Enlarge this image toggle caption Tsering Bista Tsering Bista

Looking back at it now, it's almost funny to think about how much insecurity I had projected onto this article of clothing. I imagine the generations of Mustangi women born before me who wore their bakhus with confidence and pride; I imagine my mom, holding the hand of her embarrassed daughter on the train, wearing her bakhu with boldnessArticle content continued

“It provides a first step of reintroducing bison but also bringing back that connection indigenous people have with bison and with Banff park.”

The ceremony at Lake Minnewanka kicked off a full day of special celebrations in Banff related to bison — historically known as buffalo by First Nations.

There was a second pipe ceremony later Thursday in a tipi set up at the Whyte Museum, where two more signatories were added to the Buffalo Treaty.

Photo by Daniel Katz / Postmedia

The treaty aims to bring buffalo back both physically and as a symbol of First Nations culture.

Since the treaty was signed with four Canadian and four American tribes in 2014, the three Stoney Nakoda nations, Samson Cree Nation and 10 Saskatchewan First Nations have also joined it.

The 20-plus


bring Canadian tar sands oil through New England gathered in Portland, Maine Saturday for a regional protest against the scheme by oil pipeline companies to use existing lines to transport what experts call the "world's dirtiest fuel".

Regional allies from across the northeast and Canada took to the streets of the small, coastal city to protest proposed plans to bring toxic tar sands oil from Montreal, Canada to Portland, Maine through an existing pipeline system.

Opposition has been growing in the northeast on both sides of the border against the oil giants behind the toxic plan—Canada's Enbridge and the US-based ExxonMobil.

In the largest rally against tar sands ever seen in the region, more than two thousand people braved the sub freezing weather, marching to the Maine State Pier for arally overlooking Casco Bay where the proposed pipeline from Montreal would end at an export terminal. Saturday's Portland rally was the culminating event which followed a week-long series of smaller actions in towns and cities in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and other places.

"Our goal this week and here today is to put the powers who think they can make this pipeline decision behind closed doors on notice," said David Stember of Vermont, and an organizer with 350.org, at the rally Saturday.

"Whether it's the National Energy Board deciding on Enbridge's plan to bring tar sands into Montreal, or President Obama who can stop this Exxon/Portland Montreal Pipeline Company project by denying it a new premit, the voice of the people will he heard," he said. "This is our water,


Jewish Leader Lays into Germany 'Do You Still Want Us Jews?'

Charlotte Knobloch, the former head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, wrote a stinging editorial on Wednesday attacking the circumcision debate, calling talk of a Jewish revival a sham and wondering whether she was right to spend her adult life defending Germany.Radio Station."

Carrie Underwood Suffers Broken Wrist and Other Injuries After Fall. Carrie Underwood is on the mend after breaking her wrist and suffering other injuries from a "hard fall" outside her house. The 34-year-old singer's accident took place on Friday, two days after she co-hosted the 2017 CMA Awards. "On Friday night, Carrie Underwood took a hard fall on some steps outside her home," her rep said in a statement to E! News. "While there were no life-threatening injuries, she was taken to the hospital to be treated. She sustained multiple injuries including a broken wrist and some cuts and abrasions from the fall." The rep added that Underwood's husband Mike Fisher, 37, "was able to make it back into town that night to be with her and


Friday, August 26, 2016

For a Few Wandas More: Wanda Poems By Tyler Pruett

Tyler Sherwood Pruett is a writer and artist with a special interest in short forms of poetry, as well as creative nonfiction. His work has appeared in many prestigious journals such as Modern Haiku and Frogpond, as well as important anthologies including Haiku 21 by Modern Haiku Press, and a fear of dancing by Red Moon Press. He is the author of Blue Wolves Are Howling Grapefruit Orange, a collection of poems selected from over a decade of published work in poetry journals, and A Refutation of Exile with Red Moon Press, a themed collection of Threshold Art poems. Tyler is currently working as a professional writer, and as a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University.FOROsteonecrosis of the medial tibial plateau: a case report.
Medial tibial plateau osteonecrosis is a disease that lacks distinguishing signs and symptoms, especially in the early stage, and requires clinicians to exercise a high degree of suspicion to prevent disease progression. We present a case of spontaneous osteonecrosis of the medial tibial plateau in a 59-year-old woman. Within 5 months of the onset of symptoms, the entire medial tibial plateau collapsed down into the metaphyseal region, causing severe varus deformity, instability, and inability to walk without crutches and a hinged knee brace. Initial symptoms of medial joint line pain and generalised swelling of the knee were attributed to early degenerative changes. Subsequent radiographs were misinterpreted as simple medial compartment arthritis. Due to severe bone loss and significant lateral collateral


Problems and solutions to filling the drying drug pipeline for psychiatric disorders: a report from the inaugural 2012 CINP Think Tank.
The inaugural Collegium Internationale Neuro-Psychopharmacologicum (CINP) Think Tank, a small open meeting sponsored by the CINP, discussed impediments to developing new drugs for psychiatric disorders and approaches to overcome these impediments. Whilst neuropsycharmacology has a rich pharmacopeia (current treatments benefiting many individuals), issues of treatment resistance, sub-optimal response and unwanted side effects remain problematic. Many scientific, economic and social issues are impeding the development of drugs (e.g. higher risk of failure, placebo effects, problematic regulatory environments, pressures imposed by patent protection, downward pressure on reimbursements and financial, legal and social risk aversion). A consensus of the meeting was that efforts to understanding the core pathophysiology of psychiatric disordersand a subject, who instead appeals to the external faceless authorities they rely on as the source for most things in life. For those friends who have had a criminal or stalker show up at their door, they called the police, but universally, they got their gun first – a line of defense against those who would do them harm, not a representative of authority to clean up after.

Viewed through this lens, gun rights in the United States are essentially a reiteration of our belief in self-government. They are not incidental, though they may be old-fashioned. They are instead an acknowledgement of where the authority for government begins: with the citizen, not with power granted from on high.

As such, removing them fundamentally alters the nature of our American


years with many stops in "old media."
Jim covered Congress and The White House during the George W. Bush administration for The Washington Times, and worked as a reporter, editorial writer and columnist for newspapers in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and California. He has appeared on the Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, C-Span, and many local and national talk radio shows to talk politics and policy.and the over commitment of shopping and dressing up in fancy clothes. Think about why we celebrate Christmas. Give thanks for the birth of Jesus Christ.Weather you are a believer or not, Jesus Christ, the man, changed our world. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, changed everything! A part of the continued gift.

Merry Christmas and Happy Scouting!

The Christmas Truce of 1914 (THEY BECAME WISE MEN)

On December 7, 1914, Pope Benedict XV suggested a temporary hiatus of the war for the celebration of Christmas. Though Germany readily agreed, the other powers refused.Even without a cessation of war for Christmas, family and friends of the soldiers wanted to make their loved ones’ Christmas special. They sent packages filled with letters, warm clothing, food, cigarettes, and medications. Yet what especially made


Christmas at the front seem like Christmas were the troves of small Christmas trees.

On Christmas Eve, many German soldiers put up their Christmas trees, decorated with candles, on the parapets of their trenches. Hundreds of Christmas trees lighted the German trenches. The British soldiers could see the lights but it took them a few minutes to figure out what they were from. British lookouts reported the anomalies to their superiors. Could this be a trick? British soldiers were ordered not to fire but to watch them closely. Instead of trickery, the British soldiers heard many of the Germans celebrating.

Time and again during the course of that day, the Eve of Christmas, there were wafted towards us from the trenches opposite the sounds of singing and merry-making, and occasionallyOn March 6, Houston Dynamo Head Coach Owen Coyle was dismissed by the official in the 90+ minute for irresponsible behavior in the technical area. Subsequently, the Houston Dynamo appealed the dismissal. The appeal was heard by the MLS Disciplinary Committee and upheld, therefore, the punishment has been rescinded and he is eligible to coach in the Technical Area for his next match against FC Dallas on March 12.


Senate health bill will 'blow a hole' in Arizona budget, business leaders say

Ken Alltucker | The Republic | azcentral.com

Show Caption Hide Caption CBO: 22 million people could lose health care coverage The Congressional Budget Office estimates twenty-two million fewer people would be insured by 2026 under the GOP's proposed health care plan.

Arizona health-care and business leaders warn that Senate Republicans' bill to replace the Affordable Care Act would trigger deep cuts to the health-care system that could ripple through the state's budget and economy.

Hospital leaders said the Senate bill, called the Better Care Reconciliation Act, would eliminate coverage for low-income families on Medicaid and would significantly increase uncompensated care at hospitals.

On Monday, the top executive of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce predicted in a letter to U.S. Sens.John McCain and Jeff Flake that the Senate bill would harm the state's economy and "blow a hole" in the state budget.

The letter from the Arizona Chamber was delivered the same day the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the Senate Republicans' bill would increase the number of uninsured Americans by 22 million. That is one million fewer uninsured people than the version that House Republicans approved in May.

Senate leaders are hopeful for a vote before the end of this week on the legislation to replace "Obamacare," the sweeping 2010 health law that expanded Medicaid coverage for low-income families and remade the private health-insurance market for individuals who directly purchased coverage.

EDITORIAL: Don't vote on the Senate's health bill

While Republican leaders have been critical of President Barack Obama's signature health


GOP attempts too much in Obamacare repeal

Glenn Hamer, president and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, applauded the Senate bill's efforts to reduce taxes and replace parts of the Affordable Care Act.

But he said the Senate bill would place a large burden on state government.

"The proposed cuts to (Medicaid) would negatively impact Arizona's economy and blow a hole in the state budget that would result in the state's inability to meet core government responsibilities," Hamer wrote in a letter to McCain and Flake, citing a possible ripple effect to education and transportation.

Gov. Doug Ducey, a longtime critic of the Affordable Care Act, expressed similar concerns in a letter last week to McCain.

Among other items, Ducey highlighted an "early expander penalty" that punished Arizona and other states thatbe American health policy," said Greg Vigdor, president and CEO of the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association.

Concern over pre-existing conditions

Arizonans protest at U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake's office A group of Arizonans marched into U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake's office at 10:40 a.m. and told staff working there to call Flake right away and have him give his position on the American Health Care Act. Sean Na/azcentral.com

Meanwhile, other health-care groups have held meetings, rallies and other events to highlight their concerns about the bill.

On Monday, Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton joined a coalition of organizations representing seniors, children and low-income families at a conference in Phoenix explaining how an Affordable Care Act replacement could affect different groups.

One of the speakers, Sergio Rodriguez, 34, said he worries that the GOP Senate bill


a considerable amount of evil from the world. In particular, they had served a priest of, the goddess of life and health. Thus, I decide that the goddess intervenes in their mortal affairs, an incredibly rare act in my world. She blesses the heroes, commends them for their bravery, and wishes them luck on what she believes will be their final adventure, before granting them immense power.Restrictions:All ages

Ticket Information:

Website:

Intrigued by sets and costumes from Korean historical dramas and films? Then you would want to see actual furniture, fashion, and decorative arts from Korea’s Joseon era (1392–1897). Spanning some 500 years, Joseon was Korea’s last dynasty, and the legacy of its courtly culture and vibrant city life lives on in South Korea today. Treasures from the National Museum of Korea and the National Palace Museum in Seoul will be displayed for the first time in Singapore.

The exhibition will be accompanied by programmes and talks relating to Joseon Korea and contemporary Korean culture; as well as a work by South Korean contemporary artist Ran Hwang, best known for using pins, buttons, and thread to create large-scale installations.

The exhibition is jointly organised by the Asian Civilisations Museum


Mizoram Governor Beniwal removed due to political vendetta: Congress

Condemning the sacking of Mizoram Governor Kamla Beniwal, Rajasthan Congress on Thursday said her removal is “unconstitutional” and has been done due to “political vendetta”.

In a statement issued here, Rajasthan PCC president Sachin Pilot said Beniwal has a special image in Indian politics as a former Cabinet minister and Deputy Chief Minister with the previous Congress government in the state.

Her (Beniwal) credentials paved the way for her Governorship of Gujarat during the UPA government, Pilot said.

It was she who had filled the post of Lokpal in Gujarat, he said, adding that her political and public life has always been unblemished.

“Due to political vendetta and baseless allegations, she was removed from her post of Mizoram Governor,” he said, adding that herthe resort when the video was taken.

Ryan Flaska, the man who posted the video to Instagram, said there were no arrests, and no tickets or citations were issued. The group was never officially asked to leave the area.

"There is a lot that can be debated in this video, what led up to these actions or what was said before the video started," Flaska said in an Instagram message. "The officer’s actions clearly put this person at risk."

He said the group was concerned that the officer did not comply with social distancing recommendations in the midst of the pandemic. They were being respectful to the officer, he added.

No one called to complain about the group, and there were not any "no trespassing" signs posted in the area, according to


                                I.

      Charles was arrested after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers

found 1,385 grams of a mixture containing cocaine in Charles’s duffel bag at the

Atlanta airport. After being arrested, Charles stated that an individual named Brian

approached him and offered him money and a free trip to Miami. Charles agreed

to fly from St. Croix, Virgin Islands to Miami, via Atlanta, to deliver something to

an unnamed individual. Charles stated that he did not know how he would be paid

for the trip, nor did he know how the cocaine ended up in his bag. He believedwas selected for additional analyses.

From the remaining cDNA clones, a subset with interesting functional characteristics was chosen for testing with ITT. When transcribed and translated into the immunoprecipitation assay system, most of the recombinant proteins were recognised solely by the screening serum or no sera at all. Two proteins encoding Piccolo (presynaptic cytomatrix protein) and CADPS were each immunoprecipitated by the screening serum as well as additional lymphocytic hypophysitis patients, but not by any of the healthy controls and therefore were selected for further investigation.

Two cDNA clones isolated from the biopsy-proven patient sera used for immunoscreening encoded a small portion of the 5′ end of the piccolo gene, the full length of which is reported to encode a 5142 amino acid protein, with a 4935 amino acids transcript


Liquid sidechain went live at the end of September 2018. The company also said that there are already 23 participants on the Liquid Network, all of whom are major stakeholders in the Bitcoin market.

Blockstream first announced Liquid in 2015. The network works by participants first converting Bitcoin to Liquid Bitcoin (LBTC). Each LBTC is tied to actual Bitcoins, but instead of running on the main network, LBTC is moved within the secure Liquid Network sidechain. Thus, transactions can occur at a faster rate inside the Liquid Network sidechain.

Apart from enabling faster transactions, Blockstream is also pursuing a raft of other expanded upgrades and enhancements to the Liquid Network. According to the blog post, the company plans to include features such as third-party wallet support for Trezor and Ledgerinnings while striking out four.

Adam Engel hit a solo shot in the ninth off Tyler Duffey, who followed Gee with three innings to earn his first save.

Polanco, who has five homers, hit a three-run homer off Derek Holland in the eighth inning of the opener to cut Minnesota’s deficit to 7-6. In homering for the first time in back-to-back games, Polanco did it in consecutive at-bats.

Gee was signed by Minnesota as a minor league free agent on June 22. The right-hander had made his previous start for Texas on June 6 against the Mets before being designated for assignment by the Rangers. He made his Twins debut on Aug. 3.

Delmonico has reached base in 18 of 19 major league games and hit six homers in that span.

Fulmer (0-1),


who was recalled for the start and made his 2017 White Sox debut, gave up six runs in 1 1/3 innings on four hits and three walks.

In the first game, Yolmer Sanchez homered and drove in four runs, Jose Abreu hit his 25th of the season and the White Sox held on to win.

Carlos Rodon (2-4) pitched effectively into seventh inning for the fifth straight outing to earn his first win since July 3. The left-hander allowed two runs and four hits in 6 1/3 innings while striking out nine. He has 2.25 ERA in his last five starts.

“Another nice outing, going deep into the game,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. “We extended his pitch count a little more (to 115), but he was actually looking strongerKurt Volker, US special envoy for Ukraine, has resigned from the position after he was named in a congressional subpoena as part of an impeachment probe into President Donald Trump over his dealings with Kiev.

The resignation was reported on Friday by the State Press, the newspaper of Arizona State University, where Volker serves as Executive Director of the McCain Institute – a position he continued to occupy after his appointment to the Ukraine job in July 2017.

NEW: Amb. Kurt Volker has met with the Secretary of State. He has resigned from his position as Special Representative for Ukraine to the U.S. Secretary of State, according to a University spokesperson. Story soon by @statepress — The State Press (@statepress) September 27, 2019

Volker informed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo


of his most prized possessions last Wednesday to the Fraunces Tavern Museum, a building that dates to Colonial times at 54 Pearl Street in lower Manhattan and is owned and operated by the Sons of the Revolution preservation group.

All 20 donated items originated from the Colonial and Revolutionary War periods.

Mr. Bocksel found them on his family’s Main Road farm in Aquebogue and other places on the North Fork.

Governor Cuomo giving his State of the State address at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany Jan. 21. (Credit: Courtesy Flickr photo)

The rushed rollout of the Common Core State Standards under Gov. Andrew Cuomo during the 2012-13 school year set off alarm bells in school hallways and living rooms across the state. All of a sudden, teachers and parentsin New York were being told that well over half of the student population had failed to make the grade based on the new Common Core-aligned math and ELA state assessments. (more…)

According to Southampton Det. Sgt. Lisa Costa, the preliminary results of an investigation have revealed that a Water Mill home explosion was sparked when a power tool cut through a live gas line, igniting the flame that blew up the Old Country Road home and sent two Riverhead men to the hospital.


The National Party says it's considering complaining to the electoral commission after hundreds of its billboards were defaced in the dark of night. About 700 election signs were altered with stickers designed to look like they were part of the billboards.article

SEATTLE- For the first time in over 75 years, the Seattle Greyhound bus station will be moving to the SODO district.

Greyhound Lines announced they will be operating from a new location at 503 S. Royal Brougham Way.

Greyhound has operated in their downtown Seattle location for 75 years.

The Puget Sound Business Journal reports the current Greyhound station at 811 Stewart St. will be demolished to make way for a large hotel.


Held at Evin prison in Tehran, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe and fellow inmate Narges Mohammadi will refuse all food for 72 hours after the former was denied medical care, officials rejecting her request for a doctor to examine lumps on her breasts and treat neck pain and numbness in her arms and legs.

Husband Richard Ratcliffe has called for an urgent meeting with the Iranian ambassador to London.

Iran sentenced Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe to five years in prison in September 2016 after accusing her of “plotting to topple the Iranian regime”.

A project manager for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of the Reuters news agency, she had visited the country to spend time with family members for Nowruz (New Year) on 17 March 2016 but was detained on her way home tothe UK at Imam Khomeini Airport on 3 April.

Her 22-month-old daughter, Gabriella, was left to the care of her maternal grandparents, resident in Iran.

Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe stands accused of running “a BBC Persian online journalism course which was aimed at recruiting and training people to spread propaganda against Iran”, according to the country’s prosecutor-general, speaking in Tehran in October 2017.

The allegation relates to her previous role working for the BBC World Service Trust, now rechristened BBC Media Action, between February 2009 and October 2010, contributing to a course undertaken by several employees of an Iran technology news website, for which they were subsequently imprisoned.

The BBC has denied the charge and said her imprisonment was based on a false premise anyway, as her role within the organisation had been that


– in pictures 2018 Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe hugs her daughter Gabriella, in Iran after she was allowed to leave the Iranian prison, she is being held in, for three days. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested during a holiday with her toddler daughter in April 2016. Iranian authorities accuse her of plotting against the government. Her family denies this, saying says she was in Iran to visit family. Free Nazanin Campaign/AP Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – in pictures Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband Richard Ratcliffe and their daughter Gabriella. Nazanin is serving a five-year prison sentence for allegedly plotting to overthrow Iran's government. PA Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – in pictures June 2016 Richard Ratcliffe's daughter Gabriella had her British passport confiscated and was stranded in Iran with her grandparents after her mother Nazanin was jailed.He left left a giant birthday card on the doorstep of the Iranian embassy in central London to mark her second birthday in June 2016. PA Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – in pictures Nazanin has spent some of her prison sentence in solitary confinement. PA Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – in pictures Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband Richard and daughter Gabriella. Family Handout Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – in pictures July 2016 Richard Ratcliffe delivering a letter of petition with his mother Barbara Ratcliffe and MP Tulip Siddiq, to 10, Downing Street on the 100th day of her detention, on July 12, 2016. Getty Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – in pictures Supporters of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe held a vigil outside the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to mark her 707 days in captivity. Getty Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – in


pictures January 2017 Richard Ratcliffe holds a '#Free Nazanin' sign and candle during a vigil for for wife on January 16, 2017. The vigil, being held outside the Iranian Embassy in London marks one year since the Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian and other US-Iranian dual-nationals were released from prison in Iran. Getty Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – in pictures Nazanin with her daughter Gabriella before they were detained by Iranian authorities. Change.org Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – in pictures September 2017 Gabriella, who is three-years-old in this picture, has now spent two years away from her mother. Richard Ratcliffe Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – in pictures November 2017 Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson meets with Richard Ratcliffe over Nazanin's case. They meet just days after Johnson told a parliamentary committee that she was inIran "training journalists". WPA Pool/Getty Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – in pictures November 2017 Actor Emma Thompson braved pneumonia to support Richard Ratcliffe in leading demonstrators before a march in support of Nazanin in November. Reuters Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – in pictures November 2017 Richard Ratcliffe after the march said: 'It is profoundly moving to see so many people here.' REUTERS Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – in pictures November 2017 A picture of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe shown on Iranian state TV as part of a report that made fresh allegations against her. They said she had been recruiting for banned broadcast services, as well as 'opposition cyber teams'. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – in pictures December 2017 Iranian president Hassan Rouhani greets British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson at the presidential office in Tehran, Iran. Johnson visited


Tehran to discuss the fate of detained Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. EPA Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – in pictures Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her daughter Gabriella. PA Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – in pictures December 2017 Photos of Richard Ratcliffe and his wife Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe on display at their home in north London. Mr Ratcliffe said he believed there was "still a chance" she may be released from an Iranian prison in time for a dream Christmas together. Unfortunately that didn't happen. PA Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – in pictures February 2018 Richard Ratcliffe delivers a petition and a letter addressed to the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to demand her release, at the Iranian Embassy in London on February 21, 2018. He also left support letters for his spouse in the country's embassy, amid avisit by a deputy foreign minister. AFP/Getty Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – in pictures August 2018 Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt meeting Richard Ratcliffe. Hunt has pledged to do everything possible to secure the release of a charity worker jailed in Iran Jeremy Hunt/PA Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – in pictures August 2018 Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe hugs her daughter Gabriella, in Iran after she was allowed to leave the Iranian prison, she is being held in, for three days. Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested during a holiday with her toddler daughter in April 2016. Iranian authorities accuse her of plotting against the government. Her family denies this, saying says she was in Iran to visit family. PA

What he got instead was a highly unhelpful intervention from then-foreign secretary Boris Johnson, who was was widely criticised for


deal in the 1970s, a charge the Foreign Office has vehemently denied.

He has also regularly raised concerns about her welfare in prison, amid concerns she could suffer a nervous breakdown and might have been tortured.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

In April 2018, a charity comedy night was staged to raise funds to support the campaign for her release, hosted by Shappi Khorsandi and featuring Al Murray, Mark Steel and Sara Pascoe.

In August, Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe was taken to a prison clinic after suffering a panic attack just days after being temporarily released to see her family.Sep 29, 2018; Boston, MA, USA; New York Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres (25) hits a two run home run during the fourth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

The fourth-inning home run by New York rookie Gleyber Torres on Saturday at Boston was the 265th homer of the season for the Yankees, surpassing the 1997 Seattle Mariners for the most in a single season in major league history.

It was the 24th homer of the season for Torres, who drove a 1-1 fastball from Red Sox left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez over the right-field fence.

Giancarlo Stanton added homer No. 266 in the seventh inning as the Yankees defeated the Red Sox 8-5.

The two-run shot by Torres drove in Greg Bird and gave New York


Social Democrats win 40 seats in the 200-seat parliament, two more than the right-wing Finns Party.

Finland’s leftist Social Democrats party has won the general election by a thin margin, capturing two more seats than the nationalist Finns Party, according to final results from the justice ministry.

The results reflect a mounting sense of insecurity in the Nordic nation over immigration, welfare and climate change.

Tipped to win, the opposition Social Democrats scored 17.7 percent, winning 40 seats in the 200-seat parliament, while their eurosceptic Finns Party rivals were at 17.5 percent – 38 seats – after Sunday’s election.

The joint ruling Centre Party of Prime Minister Juha Sipila and centre-right National Coalition stood at 13.8 percent and 17 percent, respectively, marking the first time in a century that no party wonmore than 20 percent in a general election.

With a fragmented parliament and deep divisions within the mainstream parties over how to tackle rising costs of expensive public services, coalition talks following the election could be protracted.

But Social Democrat leader Antti Rinne, 56, a former union boss, was expected to have the first shot at forming a government, with most party leaders having ruled out cooperation with the populist Finns.

“For the first time since 1999, we are the largest party in Finland … SDP is the prime minister’s party,” Rinne told supporters and party members celebrating in central Helsinki.

A first-place spot would put the Social Democrats at the head of the government for the first time in 16 years.

The Finns Party, led by hardline member of the European Parliament


SAD men, blue-card holders burn Mann’s effigy in Muktsar

The blue-card holders of Model Town raised slogans against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Bhagwant Mann during a protest on the Kotkapura road here on Thursday.

With a view to projecting that it was the spontaneous ire of blue-card holders (beneficiaries of the atta-dal scheme), the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) organised a protest against Mann, burning his effigy, against his controversial remarks on card holders.

The protesters said that Mann had insulted the blue-card holders by ‘comparing’ them to ‘beggars’ and he should apologise to them. The protesters said that they would not let AAP leaders into Model Town.

Though the protest was projected as if it was a sudden reaction from the blue-card holders, the SAD’s hand in organising the protest wasthe late 1960's and early 1970's (who opposed bombing North Vietnam) that American bombing in the second world war was ineffective. Albert Speer, after surveying the bombing damage done at Schweinfurt (the ball- and roller-bearing center in Germany at the time), grew very pessimistic about the likely results if such bombing continued. He estimated on his first inspection tour that 65% of Germany's ball- and roller-bearing production had been lost for at least three months. He was greatly relieved--at first--as the Americans did not immediately renew the attack. American casualties were very heavy on that raid, and policy makers were considering abandoning the daylight, precision bombing doctrine for the English policy--night-time area bombing.

Churchill and the RAF's Harris had decided that factory workers who could not sleep could not


work effectively the next day--that, at least, was the very flimsy fig leaf with which they covered what looks very much to me like revenge bombings against the monsters who had almost destroyed Coventry. "Arthur Harris and Sons, House Removers" was the grim joke the air crews made about what was an undisguised attack on civilian areas. Bomber Harris pursued this policy right into the final days of the War.

By contrast, after the Schweinfurt raid, the Americans largely stopped strategic bombing altogether. They had thought their raid a failure at Schweinfurt, and a limited success at Regensburg, where a Messerschmidt factory was located (air crews always like bombing fighter factories). Their analyses at the time were faulty, and the attack on the ball- and roller-bearing industry was muchmore effective. The Germans eventually dispersed their manufacturing facilities, but the machine tools for that type of precision work are very sensitive, and many that suffered no direct hit were damaged by vibrations, water from fire-fighting, dust from falling masonry. German weapons of that war were grossly overbuilt--the "Tiger" and "Panther" tanks were without peer on the battlefield, and they were also slow and expensive to build. The Germans produced a few thousand of those; Russians produced more than 100,000 tanks, and the United States produced over 50,000 Sherman tanks alone. The continued attacks on specific industries by the American daylight raiders had a profound effect. Gradually, production in all areas ground to a halt--with insufficient material resources, replacement parts for agricultural machines and systems disappeared. The railroads


were next, and, when things got really bad, submarine production began to slow and then halt, for a lack of necessary parts.

American daylight raiding was greatly enhanced when the P51 Mustang became available. As Chuck Yaeger once put it: "What the Spitfire could do for 40 minutes, the Mustang could do for eight hours." Goering, when asked when he knew the war was over, said when he saw the first Mustang over Berlin. With adequate escort, daylight raids got through in ever growing numbers of planes, able to put their bomb loads on or very near the targets.

If one simply wants to count any civilian casualties as war crimes, everyone who ever goes to war in the mechanical age will be a war criminal. Targeted civilian areas aredifferent, and may well qualify. By that standard, the RAF committed war crimes throughout the war. They can make the disclaimer that their raids were reprisals, which is rather thin, though. Two massive "1000 plane" raids were made against Cologne, and this was definitely a revenge raid--there weren't sufficient military objectives in the area for that number of bombers to hit when flying in as a single-attack, no matter how the waves of bombers were organized.

The greatest "war crime" in terms of a bombing raid against Germany in the second world war was the bombing of Dresden. The Germans had tried very hard NOT to make this beautiful city a target. The Americans and English bombed it to hell, just for spite. They methodically chose a method which


the surviving population? Prior to the Nuremberg Trials many of the "crimes" that Nazi leaders were convicted of didn't exist in International Law. Modern technology made possible state murder on such a scale that the International Community was "forced" to impose new standards on what comprises "legitimate means of waging war". The horrors of the Nazi ideals "justified" for most of the world's community application of Ex Post Facto Law to individual Nazi leaders. The Nuremberg Trials, and the formation of an "effective" United Nations, had important ramifications to how we regard things today.

Prior to 1948-49, the destruction of enemy property and civilians was not a crime. Quite the contrary, many military strategists accepted the idea that destruction of the enemy population's moral and will to resist wasagainst the "soft underbelly" because of his fear that direct attacks across the Channel would result in the same blood costs suffered in the Great War. Giulio Douhet in his The Command of the Air (1921) theorized that the massive use of air power against enemy populations would reduce the carnage of future wars by destroying the enemy's capacity to wage war. Douhet's ideas contributed to the development of blitzkrieg, and he was the father of strategic bombing. Until WWII, there was no opportunity to test the validity of Douhet's concepts. Can a war be won by air power alone? The initial results obtained during WWII were mixed. War production could be crippled, logistics disrupted, and the enemy's command, control, and communications system rendered less effective. On the


other hand, enemy moral (both civilian and uniformed) was not adversely affected by strategic bombing. That is, German attacks against civilian centers did not destroy the British Will to continue the fight. Neither did the German populace rise to demand surrender after the much more effective air campaign waged by the Allies. In fact, there is some evidence to support the notion that bombing civilian targets actually stiffened resistence.

It has been argued that the relative failure of the WWII air campaigns to decisively turn the tide of battle was due to technical limitations. It took an enormous number of aircraft to deliver the bomb loads needed to "destroy" any target. The cost in money, men and machines, prevented the application of enough force to be decisive. Accuracy withthe bombsights and unguided munitions of the day was notorious. Of thousands of bombs dropped in a single raid, only a few exploded effectively on target. Bomb Damage Assessment was, and remains, very problematical. How does one determine if an industrial plant is out of action for a significant amount of time A small bit of unseen shrapnel may totally disable a piece of artillary, but then again a tube thrown from it's carriage may be brought back on line with relative ease.

With the advent of nuclear weapons and "modern" delivery systems (ICBM and long-range bombers), proponents of air power were convinced that finally Douhet's dream could be fulfilled. The Strategic Air Command was America's ultimate defense against Soviet aggression, and the Cold War was on in earnest.


bombing from those of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Nothing at all distinguishes the bombing of Dresden from the Thousand Plane Raids that gutted Tokyo, Nagoya, and Yokahama in the spring and summer of 1945. Though it was the work of two opposing armies over a period of months, the destruction of Stalingrad and the attendant civilian casualties were just as complete and devastating as were the fates of any of the previously mentioned cities and their populations. The horror of war quite simply is that war is by nature and function absolutely horrible. It is inexcuseable, indefensible, abhorent, and, tragically, so often unavoidable. War IS hell.

The precision of today's conventional weapons makes "Collateral Damage" on the scale of WWII a thing of the past. There will be errors, accidents,facilitating richer descriptions. The interviews were audio-recorded with a digital device and lasted 35--75 min. The interviewer also took working notes to remember key expressions in the participants' statements and to note non-verbal elements of the interview such as body language, emotional expressions, tone of voice, and atmosphere in the room. Shortly after each interview, the interviewer transcribed the recording verbatim.

Data analysis {#S0002-S20003}
-------------

Initially, both authors independently read the transcripts to get a sense of the whole material. The first impression of meaning that came forth in these brief readings was noted in the reflexive journal, together with working notes and thoughts emerging from the interviews. Next, each transcript was analysed closely, on its own terms, which meant thorough readings and systematic structuring of the textual data using tables


Sceptical at the beginning of treatment, some participants came to sessions out of a sense of duty, but many found themselves gradually entering a particular present and relaxed "mode" of accessibility and attunement when entering the room before a session.

However, the training not only opened to enhanced access in a positive manner, but also to emotional distress, provoking anxiety and stress over the silent, slow movements. Some participants were struck and afflicted by the heaviness that sometimes invaded the room during group sessions. These uncomfortable experiences were clearly expressed by the two participants who chose to drop out of the treatment due to discomfort. Others experienced feelings of sadness and distress, but found that they were able to reflect upon these emotions, process them, and consequently obtain newWhile the American-made M4 "Sherman" Medium Tank was not the finest combat tank of World War 2 (1939-1945), it was a war-winning instrument because of the sheer numbers available. This sort of availability led to it serving as the basis for other battlefield vehicles including dedicated tank-killer (the Sherman Vc "Firefly") and rocket projecting platform (as in the Sherman "Calliope"). Over 50,000 Shermans were completed by war's end in 1945. The British Army standardized to the Sherman, moving away from their early-war "Cruiser/Infantry Tank" doctrine, and eventually enacted their own developments to the line. One creation became the "Sherman DD", a component of the "Hobart's Funnies" collection of mission-specific tank developments that appeared through the work accomplished by British military engineers. The "Sherman DD" name stemmed from the


words "Duplex Drive" which was generated as a front to protect the amphibious tank program during its development.

The "floating Sherman" was born in an initiative of 1941 by engineer Nicholas Straussler in an effort to produce an amphibious version of the classic combat tank that would become standardized within the Allied inventory soon enough. The challenge lay in how to balance and float a mammoth, heavy design in water while retaining a useful fighting capability once the tank had made it to shore. Early work used the British Tetrarch Light Tank as the starting point with development eventually moving to the larger Valentine Cruiser Tank before all was settled on the Sherman series. Valentine DD tanks also saw service in the war alongside Sherman DDs.

The Sherman hull wasthe basic Sherman combat tank, was eliminated in Sherman DD tanks.

Once the Sherman DD's tracks could interact with the ground, typically in around five feet of water or less, the wading screen was collapsed, the propellers raised for improved ground clearance, and the vehicle proceeded in a traditional fashion (the lowered wading screen did not impede the inherent traversal span of the turret at all). This allowed armor to engage enemy beach positions, much to the defender's surprise, as well as fight alongside allied infantry elements in clearing out a beachhead.

This sort of approach proved the norm in the successful, though ultimately costly, D-Day beach landings in northern France on June 6th, 1944. Omaha Beach, in particular, became a slog-fest after many of the expected Sherman DD tanks


were lost on their approach in Channel waters - waves reaching up to six feet high that day. Sherman DD tanks were then used in the assault on southern France during "Operation Dragoon" which followed on August 15th, 1944. The vehicles remained in constant use until 1945 - one of their final actions being the crossing of the Elbe River in late April. Both Sherman DD and Valentine DD tanks were used in the campaign to retake Italy. Sherman DD tanks were used by both the British and American armies during the war.

Various Sherman models were modified for the amphibious tank role - this included M4A1, M4A2, and M4A4 types. Only a few are preserved today as showpieces and can be found in places around the world.14:12

Russian presses yesterday reported that midfielder for Yerevan’s FC Pyunik and the Armenian national football team Erik Vardanyan will sign a three-year deal with FC Sochi.

Coach of the goalkeepers of the Russian football club and the Armenian national football team Roman Berezovsky confirmed the news in an interview with NEWS.am Sport.

“Nobody consulted Erik Vardanyan’s transfer with me. His transfer came as a surprise. I hope Erik is able to show his best sides in FC Sochi. I’ll meet and talk to Vardanyan tomorrow,” the legendary goalkeeper said.

When asked if he will continue to coach the goalkeepers of the national team after Armen Gyulbudaghyants’s resignation, Berezovsky said he might.

Vardanyan, 21, is disqualified in Armenia for six months for his non-athlete behavior.

Follow NEWS.am SPORT on Facebook and Twitter


Italy’s new technocrat-led cabinet has approved a fresh emergency austerity package a day earlier than expected.

The government of ex-EU-commissioner Mario Monti outlined the key points of the programme, adopted on Sunday, a day ahead of schedule under pressure from markets.

The social affairs minister broke down announcing the hike in retirement ages (Photo: YouTube.com)

Full details will be made known on Monday as the plan must still be approved by the full sitting of the Italian parliament.

The package amounts to €20 billion in savings to 2014.

The cornerstone of the cost-cutting measures will be a hike in the retirement age to 62 for women and 66 for men, with women also eventually matching the 66-year rule in six years’ time.

The cabinet member responsible for the pension changes, social affairs minister Elasthe instant action identifies the Plaintiffs as two groups of United States citizens residing in Puerto Rico who seek to vote in the upcoming and subsequent Presidential elections. The Plaintiffs in one group, composed of individuals who have always resided in Puerto Rico, argue that they have a right to vote in Presidential elections because they are U.S. citizens and, as such, are vested with the inherent power to vote for those who represent them. The second group is made up of former stateside residents who, while there, were eligible to vote in Presidential elections but became ineligible to do so upon taking up residence in Puerto Rico. Plaintiffs in both groups argue that the United States Constitution and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, a


treaty to which the United States is a party, guarantee their right to vote in Presidential elections. The second group also calls into question the constitutionality of the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act ("UOCAVA" or "the Act"), 42 U.S.C. §§ 1973ff  1973ff-6, that allows United States citizens residing outside the United States to vote in federal elections as absentee voters in their last State of residence. Under UOCAVA, Puerto Rico is considered to be within the United States. See 42 U.S.C. § 1973ff-6(6). Therefore, because its residents are inside the United States, they are not allowed to vote as absentee voters in federal elections under the Act.
On July 19, 2000, the Court entered an Opinion and Order (docket No. 17) ruling on the United States'motion to dismiss (docket No. 5). See Igartúa de la Rosa v. United States, 107 F.Supp.2d 140 (D.Puerto Rico 2000). In the opinion, the Court held that the United States citizens residing in Puerto Rico have the right to vote in Presidential elections and that Plaintiffs lacked a cause of action under UOCAVA and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. On July 27, 2000, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Honorable Pedro Rosselló, in his official capacity as Governor of Puerto Rico, (collectively "the Government of Puerto Rico") filed a Motion to Intervene and Memorandum of Law pursuant to Rule 24(a)(2) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (docket No. 26), which the Court granted (docket No. 28). On August 1, 2000, the United States


were born in and are residents of Puerto Rico.
B. Co-Plaintiff Sonia del Carmen Gutiérrez Rodríguez asserts in a personal statement attached to the Complaint that she was born in and is a resident of Puerto Rico.
C. Co-Plaintiff Luis Pérez Thaureaux asserts in a sworn affidavit attached to the Complaint that he is a naturalized United States citizen and is a resident of Puerto Rico.
D. Defendant has no basis for disputing any of the above-described assertions made by the Plaintiffs.
E. Before the filing of the Complaint, Puerto Rico did not have any electors whose ballots were counted for the election of the President and Vice President pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
F. On April 19, 1991, the United States Departmentto vote in Presidential elections is not derived from Article II, section 1, clause 2 ("Article II") but rather arises from the principles entrenched in the Bill of Rights.
Rather than bestowing a right, Article II deals with a question of federalism. The "difference between a federal and national government, as it relates to the operation of the government ... [is] that in the former the powers operate on the political bodies composing the Confederacy in their political capacities; in the latter, on the individual citizens composing the nation in their individual capacities. On trying the Constitution by this criterion, it falls under the national not the federal character." The Federalist No. 39 (James Madison). Therefore, the participation in Presidential elections does not hinge on the federal relationship between


("UOCAVA"), 42 U.S.C. §§ 1973ff  1973ff-6, allows United States citizens residing outside the United States to vote in federal elections as absentee voters in their last State of residence. In this way, a citizen's right to vote in Presidential elections does not depend on his or her place of residence, but on his or her national citizenship. Under UOCAVA, a U.S. citizen, who formerly resided in Pennsylvania and now resides in Mozambique, for example, would be able to vote in federal elections as if he or she were a resident of Pennsylvania. Because the individual is no longer residing in the State, residency in a State is not dispositive of the right to vote in Presidential elections. It would be too limited a goal to propose thatTwenty-Fourth Amendment states that "[t]he right of the citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President ... shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax." U.S. Const. amend. XXIV (emphasis added). Although dealing with poll taxes, the Amendment does not speak of the right of the citizens residing in the States, but the right of the citizens of the United States to vote in primaries, the election of electors, and other elections for the President and Vice President. In similar manner, the Twenty-Sixth Amendment recognizes the national nature of the right to vote by


stating "[t]he right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age." U.S. Const. amend. XXVI, § 1 (emphasis added). Therefore, Article II cannot be read as a roadblock for the United States citizens residing in Puerto Rico to vote in Presidential elections, but rather as the constitutional articulation of the method by which voting is carried out in the States.
The Supreme Court has also recognized that territoriality is not determinative of a citizen's right to vote in the elections that affect him or her. In Evans v. Cornman, 398 U.S. 419, 90 S.Ct. 1752, 26 L.Ed.2d 370 (1970), the Supreme Court declaredunconstitutional Maryland's disenfranchisement of American citizens living on the grounds of the National Institutes of Health ("NIH"), a federal enclave in Maryland. In 1953, the State of Maryland donated the grounds of the NIH to Congress and pursuant to Article I, section 8, clause 17 Congress became empowered to "exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever" over the enclave. In 1963, the Maryland Supreme Court held that a resident of a federal enclave was not a resident of that State and therefore could not vote as a resident of Maryland. See Royer v. Board of Election Supervisors, 231 Md. 561, 191 A.2d 446 (1963). The United States Supreme Court held that the residents of the enclave had the right to vote as residents of Maryland. Although the Evans


Court recognized that a federal enclave, like the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, is subject to the power of Congress, such condition is unrelated to the right to vote. By keeping those living in the federal enclave from voting, the State of Maryland broke "the citizen's link to his laws and government"  a link which "is protective of all fundamental rights and privileges." Evans, 398 U.S. at 421, 90 S.Ct. 1752. The same holds true by excluding the United States citizens residing in Puerto Rico from the Presidential ballot box.
Although it could be argued that the Evans decision is distinguishable from the case at bar because the federal enclave is geographically in Maryland and Puerto Rico is not inside one of the States, this distinction isthe territories the vote in Presidential elections, the correct place to establish that limitation would have been in the Territorial Clause. Instead, the clause speaks to "Rules and Regulations," not fundamental rights.
The Constitution's structure also stands as a testament that the right to vote is inherent in citizenship. The opening phrase of the United States Constitution is "We the People," not "We the Residents of the States" or "We the States," establishing that the document is not a covenant between the States, but rather an agreement of the People seeking to "secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity." U.S. Const. preamble. If the Constitution is a document which seeks to perfect the guarantees of liberty for the people and their posterity, the United States citizens


residing in Puerto Rico became the People's "posterity" upon gaining citizenship under the Jones Act of 1917 and becoming natural born citizens by means of the Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1402. As such, they are secured with the blessings of liberty.
The Court understands the reasons for Article II's failure to explicitly incorporate territories to its text. The Constitution preexists the territorial relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States. Moreover, "[t]he Framers envisioned a uniform national system, rejecting the notion that the Nation was a collection of States, and instead creating a direct link between the National Government and the people of the States." U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton, 514 U.S. 779, 803, 115 S.Ct. 1842, 131 L.Ed.2d 881 (1995). Therefore, the use of the term"States" "can be best understood as specifying and using the most practical mechanisms available in the 18th century by which the people scattered among the several States could select their national representatives." Adams v. Clinton, 90 F.Supp.2d 35, 89 (D.D.C.2000) (Oberdorfer, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part). At the time of its ratification, the only political subdivisions capable of conducting national elections were the States. The District of Columbia was not created until 1800. Thus, the use of the term State in *235 Article II does not mean that the United States citizens of the territories could not cast their ballots in Presidential elections. The Article is the product of its time.
The use of the word "state" in the Constitution has evolved in understanding and meaning.


for 102 years evidences the powerlessness of the United States citizens residing in Puerto Rico in the political branches.
Defendant has painted a scenario of judicial impotence by insisting that the appeal courts will not allow the United States citizens residing in Puerto Rico to vote in Presidential elections without a constitutional *239 amendment. The Court is of the opinion that it is more uphill to convince a court that, after 102 years of subjugation without representation, 83 of which have been as citizens, a distinct group of United States citizens may not vote in Presidential elections. The protection of civil rights is the business of the courts especially in the United States, a world power which has demanded from numerous other countries, and even threatened with the useIn this way, the citizenry of the United States gave very little power to the federal government in dictating the mechanism by which Presidential elections may be held.
The only other language in the Constitution regarding Congressional power in Presidential elections is found in its Twelfth Amendment. The Amendment states:
The Electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice-President, and of the number of


votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate;  The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted;  The person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing thePresident, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a President whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of the President.  The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed, and if no person have


a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, *240 and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.
U.S. Const. Amend. XII.
The Amendment, however, does not grant Congress unlimited and unreviewable power to set the qualifications of the votes before it. Certainly, if Congress were to decide not to count the votes of the electors from New York, such action would not be immune from judicial review. Therefore, the Twelfth Amendment does not stand as a "textually demonstrable Constitutional commitment"of determining whether the votes from Puerto Rico or New York as such are to be counted. The Amendment, rather, sets forth a procedure in which the United States Citizens residing in Puerto Rico can participate.
The Amendment's use of the term "State" is not exclusive to the fifty States. This Amendment was ratified in 1804 before the inception and invention of the relationship between an unincorporated territory, like Puerto Rico, and the United States. If the Twelfth Amendment were to be read so strictly to only include States, the Constitutional right to participate in Presidential elections would be sabotaged by the Constitution itself. "It is ... settled beyond dispute that the Constitution is not self-destructive. In other words, that the powers which it confers on the one hand


in accordance with this opinion and order that the United States citizens residing in Puerto Rico may vote in Presidential elections and that their votes must be counted in Congress.

F. Local Implementation
In view that the President and Vice President are elected via the electoral college system and that the appointment of Presidential electors is not left up to the Federal Government, the Government of Puerto Rico has the obligation as hereby ordered by this Court to provide for the designation of presidential electors so as to funnel the popular vote of the United States citizens residing in Puerto Rico into electoral votes for the upcoming and subsequent Presidential elections. These electoral votes shall be signed and certified, and transmitted sealed to the seat of the Government of theUnited States, directed to the President of the Senate, and counted pursuant to the procedure set forth in the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Court will retain jurisdiction of this matter and hereby ORDERS the Government of Puerto Rico to inform the Court of all developments related to the implementation of the Presidential vote until all the electoral votes are counted as prescribed in the Twelfth Amendment.
The Court notes that the steps the Government of Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rico Legislature take in furtherance of establishing the means by which to implement the Presidential vote for the United States citizens residing in Puerto Rico do not violate the pronouncements made by the Puerto Rico Supreme Court in Partido Socialista Puertorriqueño v. Estado Libre Asociado


Nationality Act. The Legislature and Government of Puerto Rico by recognizing and implementing the decision in the case of caption would not be altering the status of Puerto Rico. These bodies would be acting pursuant to the Constitution of the United States of America. To establish that Puerto Rico's political status changes with the implementation of the Presidential vote would suggest that the political status of foreign countries changed with the enactment of UOCAVA, which recognizes the right of United States citizens residing abroad to vote in their last State of residence.

-IV-
In view of the foregoing and because in the land of the free freedom shall prevail, the Court hereby:
1) FINDS that the United States Citizens residing in Puerto Rico have the right to vote in Presidential electionsand that its electoral votes must be counted in Congress;
2) FINDS that the Government of Puerto Rico has the obligation to organize the means by which the United States citizens residing in Puerto Rico will vote in the upcoming and subsequent Presidential elections and to provide for the appointment of Presidential electors and ORDERS the Government of Puerto Rico to act with all possible expediency to create such mechanism;
3) ORDERS the Government of Puerto Rico to inform the Court of all developments related to its implementation of the Presidential vote until the votes are counted pursuant to the Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
NOTES
[1]  The United States has attached a copy of said letter to the motion at bar. Also attached to the motion is


Mumbai: For the first time, the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party paid homage to the founder of the Shiv Sena, the late Bal Thackeray on his seventh death anniversary and later the Bharatiya Janata Party also joined in, here on Sunday.

The day started with thousands of Shiv Sainiks coming from across Maharashtra and queuing up at 'Shivtirth' for their turn to offer tributes to the charismatic and firebrand leader who passed away on this day in 2012.

Later, NCP state president Jayant Patil, former deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal and party MLA Jitendra Awhad reached Shivaji Park, where the 'Shivtirth' is located, and paid their respects.

An erstwhile close confidante of the late leader, Bhujbal was seen getting emotional and later recalled the relationship he enjoyed with the late Thackeray.

NCPpresident Sharad Pawar, who is in Pune, paid rich tributes to the leader, describing him as a person who kindled pride in the Marathi 'manoos', was known for his courageous personality through which he gave a direction to society and politics.

Congress leaders, including Bhai Jagtap, came and paid homage and recalled his services to the state and people of Maharashtra.

Subsequently, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, his wife Rashmi, other family members and top party leaders entered Shivaji Park and offered floral tributes and paid homage.

Sometime later, former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and his former ministerial colleagues Vinod Tawade and Pankaja Munde also paid floral tributes. However, they stayed away from the 'Shivtirth' statue where Sena leaders, including Uddhav Thackeray, were present and left soon after paying their homage.

The


Sena and BJP had contested the October Assembly polls together and jointly won 161 seats, before Uddhav's party started insisting on equal sharing of the chief ministerial tenure that led to acrimony and stalemate in government formation.

Following weeks of bitter political drama, the Sena is currently in the process of forming a non-BJP government with support from Congress and Nationalist Congress Party.

The Congress-NCP are currently providing final touches to the proposed alliance with the Sena with a meeting between their top leaders — Sonia Gandhi and Sharad Pawar — scheduled in New Delhi on Monday.

Signalling a formal split, the Sena stayed away a crucial NDA meet, while the party's three MPs have been given a new seating arrangement in the Rajya Sabha for the Parliament session startingin this fast-growing industry.

Patrick Kim, co-founder of Altmore Capital

Led by a diverse team of experts within the medical, consumer branding, retail, construction, business, and cannabis industries, Calyx Peak Companies operates multiple cannabis-centric operations in California, Ohio, and Nevada. Calyx Peak Companies already manages seven permits and 250,000-square feet of cultivation, extraction, and distribution facilities. It is also the proud partner of lauded cannabis brand Josh D Farms, founded by one of the originators of Los Angeles’ OG Kush movement and second place finisher at The 2018 Emerald Cup in the Licensed Mixed Light Flower Category.

This is an exciting time for the legal cannabis industry, and we are honored to have the support of forward-thinking investors, such as Altmore Capital, as we enter the next stage of expansion. Over


cultivation, extraction and distribution facilities across multiple states. The company launched with a small investment in Nevada and quickly expanded to seven permits in four states (1 pending). Calyx Peak Companies continues to invest in its brands and operations in its drive to achieve a dominant position in the rapidly evolving cannabis market. For more information, please visit http://calyxpeak.com.

Original press release

Published by NCV Newswire The NCV Newswire by New Cannabis Ventures aims to curate high quality content and information about leading cannabis companies to help our readers filter out the noise and to stay on top of the most important cannabis business news. The NCV Newswire is hand-curated by an editor and not automated in anyway. Have a confidential news tip? Get in touchstudies were completed in eight obese and five lean women and in six heavy and five light men. When compared with lean women, in obese women the rate of urea production and hydrolysis was significantly greater and this difference could not be accounted for by the greater fat-free mass alone, and was in part associated directly with the increase in fat mass. The rate of urea production and hydrolysis was greater in heavy men than in light men, a difference which was attributed to an increase in dietary protein. In obese women and heavy men there was a significantly higher rate of excretion of 5-L-oxoproline in urine when compared with lean women and lean men respectively. This paper highlights the difficulty in identifying an appropriate reference with which


a cross-section generally concave in a direction of concavity, and a second curved region having a cross-section generally concave in the direction of the concavity of the first curved region. The convex surface of the second curved region is generally proximal to the generally concave surface of the first curved region. A first bend connects the first curved region to the second curved region, and a second bend connects the first curved region to the second curved region.I reached the age of eighteen on the 22 December 1940, and enlisted in the army in early January 1941, choosing to join The Kings Royal Rifle Corps, 70th Young Soldiers Battalion. During this early period of the war we were defending airfields in South East England, expecting the Germans to launch an invasion of the country at any moment. However, fortunately for us, no invasion occurred. This was Hitler’s greatest mistake that was to cost him victory, as had he invaded England in 1941 we would have had nothing to stop him with.

In the early months of 1942, I volunteered to join the newly formed Airborne Forces. On the 26 May 1942 I was posted to Wing Barracks, Bulford Camp, Wiltshire. There I joined “D” Company of


on the practice. We then returned to our base at Bulford.

On the 26 May 1944, “D” Company was moved to a sealed concentration area on the fringe of Tarrant Rushton Airfield. Once safely within this area we undertook more training on taped out bridges. We were joined by two extra platoons, No’s 14 and 17 from “B” Company, 30 Royal Engineers and 12 pilots from the Glider Pilot Regiment, plus one Doctor. The gear was assembled whilst we trained and relaxed awaiting the final briefing.

1st June 1944:

On the afternoon of the 1st June 1944, 24 platoon, of which I was a member, and commanded by Lt David Wood were marched into the briefing room which was kept locked and an armed guard posted at the door. Major Howardwas inside. We received the details, it was to be Normandy, the target : 2 bridges on the Caen canal and River Orne were to be captured intact and held until relieved. Platoons 24, 25 and 14 were to capture the canal bridge. Platoons 22, 23 and 17 were to take the Orne Bridge. We studied a very accurate sand table model, read whatever information was available, books, maps, papers and photos. Major Howard answered questions on the bridges and the method of attack. The first platoon to land would rush straight across the bridge to secure the western end around the Café Gondrée. The second platoon down would clear the enemy from the north-eastern bank of the Canal. The third Horsa to land had the task of


to our six Horsa gliders and sat down on the grass beside them. The time was about 22h00. Harry and L/Sgt Raymond 'Titch' Rayner We learnt from one of the RAF ground crew that we were due to take off at 23h00. The weather was dry, with the odd gust of wind but nothing to worry about. Around 22h20, an RAF chap appeared on the scene with a Dixie of very strong tea that was well laced with rum. That tea certainly calmed my nerves in rapid time. At around 22h30 our two glider pilots appeared. Both were staff sergeants, Oliver Boland and Phil Hobbs. Shortly after the order came to board the Horsa glider, I was seated on the front side of the Horsa in the fourthand had no doubts as to their ability. Inside the glider the men sat in a strained silence. For all in 24 it was their first night flight, apart from the two pilots who had done much night flying in training for this operation. After ten minutes or so, voices rose in song that did much to uplift our spirits. After take off, the Halifax-Horsa combination flew at 4500 feet because of low cloud. The pre-flight-altitude was planned at 6,000 feet. The first leg of the flight was Worthy Down close to Winchester, then a change of course to Bognor Regis on the South Coast. It was a fairly smooth flight with the troops singing most of the time. At the shout of “enemy coast ahead”, the silence


became total. We had been flying for 1h 15. The glider released its towrope at 00h17.30 about a mile from Normandy coast midway between the Rivers Orne and Dives.

The silence was broken by the sound of air rushing across the huge wings of the Horsa glider as it surged towards its landing. A sudden shout from one of the glider pilots “Brace for impact”; we linked our hands and raised our feet and no doubt said a silent prayer. The Horsa hit the ground and bushes, bounced, and then stopped. The passengers were propelled through either the side of the Horsa or the open front exit. We very swiftly formed up at the nose of the Horsa and at a word of command from Lt Wood began totrot towards the bridge some one hundred or so yards to our front. As we reached the eastern end of the bridge a flare lit up the area. Some thirty or so yards from the bridge lay the wreck of a Horsa, its two pilots trapped in the cockpit. By the light of the flare we could see our troops running across the canal bridge, firing as they ran. Lt Wood located Major Howard who ordered our platoon to clear the enemy from the pillbox and trenches on the North Eastern bank of the canal. Manning of the Bridge Gun (Sketch by Malcolm Winter)

We very swiftly carried out this order. In perhaps six or seven minutes, we had routed the enemy. Lt Wood was on his way to


Major Howard to report all cleared when he, the platoon sergeant and radio operator were hit by a burst of automatic fire. Corporal Godbold reported to John Howard who in turn gave him command of the platoon and he in turn gave the Type 38 radio set to me. We had captured our bridge. The third glider,No.93, had landed shortly after our Horsa, one man drowned in the pond, several men were injured including Lt Smith who had injured his wrist, whilst one of the glider pilots, Geff Barkway, was later wounded after failing to respond to a password challenge. The remainder of the platoon were sent over to reinforce 25 platoon on the west bank. Lt Dan Brotheridge, 25 platoon commander, had received a burst of firein his neck and was dying. The injured Lt Smith took over command of 25 and 14 platoons who were now holding the western end of the bridge in the region close to the café Gondree. In the meantime word arrived that two gliders had landed and captured the River Orne bridge. 22 platoon Horsa was missing, fate unknown at that time, though later we found out that they had captured a bridge over the River Dives due to a navigational error. However, with one glider astray this left us with about one hundred and thirty five men to defend the two bridges until our relief came

About 00h45 we heard the drone of many aircraft approaching and within minutes the 5th Parachute Brigade began its drop. The 7th


Parachute Battalion was to rush to our aid with all speed, but a scattered drop caused many problems and also a strong wind blew many away from their DZ.

Around 01h00 the sound of tanks was heard in the Le Port area. As the first one began to edge onto the road leading to the bridge Sergeant “Wagger” Thornton hit it with a missile from his PIAT, a rather primitive anti-tank weapon. It exploded like a firework display blocking the road. Sometime around 03h00 a large number of 7th Para arrived to reinforce our depleted force.

As dawn broke we readied ourselves in expectation of heavy counter attacks from infantry and tanks, however, these failed to appear. The German High Command was seemingly in a state of disorder and failedto realise the importance of the bridges. The sound of naval bombardment on the beaches reminded us that the sea borne troops were coming ashore, whilst intense sniper fire began to cause a number of casualties among our troops. Later in the morning the Division received support from the navy, 16 inch shells passed over our heads with a deafening roar. ..... . Capture of Patrol Boat (Sketch by Malcolm Winter) Later during the morning a German patrol boat was spotted coming from the direction of the coast. When it was some 200 yards away Corporal Godbold, Pete Cheesely and myself ran with a PIAT to some cover on the canal bank. We kept a close eye on the boat, and whilst there was little sign of life,


company without incident. ---- Harry Clark with Arlette Gondree.........................Col. Arata: US Rangers - West Point Instructor giving Harry a West Point Medallion Later the sound of battle from the beaches became more prominent. Word came through that the leading elements of the Commando Brigade were in the vicinity, and shortly after 13h00 the sound of bagpipes could be heard and Lord Lovat with his piper, Bill Millin, crossed the canal bridge. As the brigade crossed the bridge a number were felled by very accurate sniper fire. We had assumed a defensive position around the bridges that gave us a wonderful view of the 6th Air Landing Brigades’ Gliders coming over during the evening. We were eventually relieved by troops of the 3rd Division just before midnight on thewords, 34 black & white photos or scans, 86 full color or duotone photos or scans from 1965-2008 many never seen before publicly, some from Bob Bledaw Jr. and the JG archive.< Less

Published by Game Design, in the same Decatur IL building Judges Guild started at in 1976! Detailing Judges Guild & his time with Bob Bledsaw, a History by Judges Guild co-founder, Bill Owen.... More > Main items -- Background of Bill Owen as an early wargamer in the 1960's and early 1970's -- Meeting Bob Bledsaw, our D&D campaign days -- The false start with the forgotten roleplaying game system that was "out of this world" -- Personal pictures and scans of one-of-a-kind play aids -- Our wild ride on the Judges Guild tiger particularly my


for being there.
This product was written by Bob Bledsaw for use with the Judges Guild Universal System, and contains the latest version of charts to date. Happy Gaming!< Less

Lost Man's Trail (2010) JG1290
Bob Bledsaw's final contribution to the fantasy world he created, the Wilderlands. This adventure module runs some 24 pages, with 12 maps covering the areas of... More > encounters, in addition to detailed Campaign Maps for Wilderlands Hexes 3615, 3715, 3814 and 3914 of the Roglaroon and Gasconfold Plains Regions, between Modron and Tegel.
The trail east from Modron to the Coast, known as Lost Man's Trail, has been a source of mystery for some time. Adventurers have a habit of disappearing from the trail. Are they lured away by some enticement, or waylayed by the legendaryChina's Currency Move Aims to Ease Trade Criticism

By loosening its currency's peg to the dollar, China is seeking to defuse complaints that it keeps its exports artificially cheap, strengthen its hand against inflation and ensure its economy can keep growing at a healthy pace.

The Chinese yuan surged to a record high Monday as Beijing delivered on its central bank's weekend promise of greater flexibility in its exchange rates. World shares rallied as investors took heart from the signal of confidence in China's resilience.

Analysts said the move was not a major shift in foreign policy. They described it instead as a maneuver aimed mainly at countering criticism of Beijing's currency policies before this weekend's summit of the Group of 20 leading economies. Beijing's trading partners have been frustrated by


the People's Bank of China also doused speculation over such moves and removed a source of uncertainty for investors. China's share market responded by jumping nearly 3 percent Monday.

"China has to keep the currency stable under the current circumstances and will certainly take any consequences of the yuan's appreciation very seriously," Yi said.

The decision to revert to a basket of currencies including the U.S. dollar, rather than the dollar alone, to set the exchange rate restores policies in place before the global downturn walloped Chinese manufacturers in 2008. Millions lost their jobs.

China had set up the basket-linked exchange rate system in July 2005, allowing the yuan to gradually gain nearly 20 percent until the financial crisis hit.

China's economy surged 11.9 percent in the first quarter of this year,to clients.

Geithner delayed the release of the report to allow more time for talks with the Chinese, and the shift in policy is viewed by many as a concession by Beijing.

But President Barack Obama's administration still faces pressure from Congress to name China a currency manipulator, a designation that could potentially lead to U.S. trade sanctions.

"The window was closing for China to act before China-U.S. relations get even more politically charged heading into the U.S. midterm election," Wang said, referring to November's congressional elections.

Though Chinese exporters already operating on razor-thin margins will have to find new ways to stay competitive, the central bank — echoing many economists — noted that such changes are crucial for more balanced, sustainable growth that is less reliant on exports.

"The exchange rate problem


AP

Todd Haley is following in his father’s footsteps and joining the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Dick Haley played for the Steelers and was their longtime player personnel director and now his son will reportedly be the team’s offensive coordinator. Marc Carman of 610 AM in Kansas City had the initial report on Monday afternoon, which was later corroborated by Chris Mortensen of ESPN. The team has yet to make an official announcement.

When word broke that the Steelers were interviewing Todd Haley for the opening last week, there was some thought that it was simply a courtesy given his father’s long record of service with the organization. That appears to be incorrect with Haley bouncing back from his ouster in Kansas City in a pretty good situation to flex his offensive muscles.

TheGONE GIRL and EYES WIDE SHUT:

A Study of Psychopathy in the Heteronormative Patriarchal Occult

I

It all started with an Aerosmith video.

It was Midlothian, Virginia—sometime in October, 1990. I remember sitting on the couch after soccer practice. This had become a routine. MTV was constantly playing in our living room and this was when music videos had begun to achieve substantial budgets and truly lush visuals. A new medium had been born in the preceding decade and it was now hitting some aggressive stage of puberty.

Janet Jackson had blown the doors off the network with her silky black and white Rhythm Nation: 1814 epic narrative compilation. It was an event: My first sort-of girlfriend Ashley and the other ninth grade “cool girls” were mimicking Janet’s military-industrial-female-empowerment-complex choreography with an obsessive


floored me.

It all started to make sense.

It was Cancun, Mexico—some cheesy resort hotel in March, 1999. I was sitting by the pool with some USC friends. College had officially ended the year before and yet here I was, still clinging to some spring break fantasy.

Maybe not as much clinging… but hiding. I had written the script for Donnie Darko the previous summer and by December I had somehow hit the jackpot: Creative Artists Agency was representing me… and I was still a fetus.

I had been meeting all sorts of fancy industry people. They were reading my script—mostly telling me they thought it was a terrific and very ambitious writing sample—but most likely un-producible. They certainly didn’t believe that I was capable of directing it. The consensus was thatof censorship seemed to mirror the response to the film itself: truth had been obscured.

Perhaps it was there all along, but a blindfold had been placed over our eyes, just like they did to the hapless piano player, Nick Nightingale. And the wizard behind that mysterious orgy was no longer alive to enlighten us.

It is now Los Feliz, California—October 4, 2014 and I am sitting in a crowded coffee shop surrounded by hipsters. MTV is no longer playing music videos with the art form dying somewhere in the sprawling YouTube wasteland. Janet Jackson and Aerosmith have essentially retired from making new music and Nicki Minaj has the zeitgeist clenched squarely between her considerable butt cheeks with a hit song called “Anaconda”.

I hear Nicki and her Sir Mix-A-Lot samples


participating in a macabre sexual ritual that will unfold in the subsequent 48 hours.

While dancing in a glowing ballroom adorned—like most of this film, with a veritable rainbow of Christmas lights—Bill and Alice are immediately separated by the appearance of an old medical school colleague-turned piano player named Nick Nightingale (Todd Field). Nightingale appears to make strategic eye contact with Bill from up on stage. He looks prepared.

After a brief discussion where Nick invites Bill to a future jazz show at the Sonata Café, one of Ziegler’s foot soldiers immediately ushers the piano man away like a pawn on a chessboard.

In the next room, Alice swallows an entire glass of champagne that appears to put her into some kind of trance-like state. An older Hungarian lothario named Sandorsexual jealousy.

Like clockwork, the telephone rings and Doctor Bill is sent off on his nocturnal odyssey to the end of the rainbow.

He arrives at the home of a wealthy, elderly white patient who has quietly and abruptly died in his sleep. His daughter, Marion Nathanson (Marie Richardson) makes a bizarre pass at Bill in the midst of a tearful meltdown.

Jennifer Jason Leigh was originally set to play this role but she didn’t have months to spend waiting around Pinewood studios while Kubrick meticulously re-calibrated his vision. Richardson gives a wonderful, haunted performance as a woman who seems almost possessed with the conflicting emotions of despair and sexual longing—and in this scene we get the film’s first big comedic release.

While walking down Kubrick’s dream-like Manhattan streets—re-constructed by the meticulous


wizard in his adopted London—Bill is bizarrely confronted by a group of homophobic fraternity guys who nearly knock him to the ground.

Moments later, a rattled Bill is sexually targeted yet again by a woman named Domino (Vinessa Shaw), who lures him back to her apartment.

An intimate encounter with Domino is interrupted by a cell phone call from a concerned Alice. (Only later do we realize that Alice saved her husband from potentially contracting the HIV virus from the young woman, who had yet to discover her diagnosis.)

Bill then stumbles upon the Sonata Café where Nightingale gives him the password “Fidelio”—ironically the title of Beethoven’s only opera—that will successfully gain him admittance to a mysterious orgy. Conspiracy theorists will remind you that Beethoven was an instrument of mind controlbeing indoctrinated by a man in a Red Cloak with an imposing staff and some kind of chained metal incense ball that emanates smoke.

A blindfolded Nightingale plays piano chords as we hear a Romanian Orthodox Divine Liturgy played backwards—courtesy of composer Jocelyn Pook.

Bill is repeatedly warned of imminent danger by a masked Amanda Curran—but has no idea that she is the woman he helped treat in Ziegler’s bathroom the previous night. Repeat viewings indicate that Amanda knows that her number has somehow been chosen and her sacrifice is imminent.

The sex that Bill witnesses is very orchestrated and choreographed like an Italian Renaissance oil painting. There are also healthy doses of homosexual behavior on display.

After his voyeuristic escapade, Bill is apprehended and then led back to Red Cloak (wonderfully


it is much more fun to think of Alice with her dream and Bill with his reality.

Stanley Kubrick has a long history of satirizing the patriarchal power elite with dubious portrayals of government agencies bent on achieving good old-fashioned imperialism (Paths of Glory), Armageddon (Dr. Strangelove), interstellar imperialism (2001: A Space Odyssey), psychological conditioning (A Clockwork Orange), and finally: catastrophically botched imperialism (Full Metal Jacket).

Kubrick gave us a satirical portrait of sexual obsession in Lolita, wherein two men (James Mason and Peter Sellers) corrupt and destroy the lives of two women (Shelley Winters and Sue Lyons).

With Barry Lyndon, he gave us one of the all-time great portrayals of a sociopath (played by Ryan O’Neal) who destroys everyone and everything around him in his quest to be part ofneed an easily manipulated doctor to attend to their beta kitten sex slaves and keep them in line.

But the grand irony is that Kubrick’s final film is really the only one with a truly hopeful ending. Bill and Alice end up Christmas shopping in a fancy toy store, professing renewed love for one another and a commitment to the holy—if only fleeting—institute of marriage.

And yet—in the background of the scene—there is one last sick joke.

As Bill and Alice settle in for their final confession in an aisle filled with stuffed animals—their young daughter is seen grabbing a Barbie doll dressed in a fairy tale gown. Alice barely registers her with a detached smile, and the young girl disappears around the corner where some old, white men are lurking.

A


in which Amy’s act of revenge disappearance is slowly digested by Nick, Margo and two detectives (Kim Dickens and Patrick Fugit) through a series of clues left behind on their fifth wedding anniversary.

Nick, of course, becomes the prime suspect.

The town, of course, sees the missing Amy as some kind of saint—and the arrival of the media galvanizes the community in a way that is all too real.

There is an incredibly revelatory sequence in Gone Girl where the entire town has gathered at a hotel ballroom that has been transformed into an Amazing Amy search command center. Even the mayor is there—wearing an orange vest—no doubt looking for a chance to be on camera.

A group of single and divorced-looking women—several of whom look like they might have prison penpal boyfriends—are eyeing Nick from across the room while his mother-in-law looks on in dismay.

These women want his newfound fame. They see a mark with the potential to earn lots of money from the media exposure he is receiving. They see a fresh meal ticket.

As Nick follows a lurking Desi Collings (Neil Patrick Harris)—childhood friend and alleged stalker of Amy—out into the hallway, one of the Real Housewife Groupies approaches Nick and quickly manages to get herself a selfie photo with him.

The scene is stomach churning in the way Nick immediately realizes that this selfie-from-Hell was a very bad idea and asks her to delete it. She of course refuses, and the encounter immediately grows tense and hostile. She got him. The next evening the selfie is being


analyzed by the sneering Ellen Abbott in front of a nationwide audience that has already begun to convict Nick based on his smiling demeanor and body language.

A large display of mancave toys are found in Margo’s shed. Golf clubs. A flatscreen television. Some ridiculous robotic dog toy that becomes a running gag. The items were purchased by Amy (under Nick’s name) in an act of brazen identity theft to further incriminate her husband and even poor Margo. Yet the irony is that Amy wants the toys back in her life more than anything. She wants to reclaim the life they had in New York.

Her exit strategy—detailed in notebooks, post-it-notes and a calendar as she remains holed up in an Ozark trailer park motel—is divided into two options.

Option #1:is done for—unless blood is spilled.

Desi Collings—like Amanda Curran in Eyes Wide Shut—is the blood sacrifice necessary to restore order after these transgressions and deliver Amy to the promise land. The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is there waiting.

When Amy emerges from Desi’s car—covered in at least a gallon of his blood—only to fall into Nick’s arms in front of a throng of reporters, the film has become the most wicked of Paul Verhoeven-esque satires.

Basic Instinct is a film that comes to mind. That film was also a relentlessly trashy, borderline satirical thrill ride with an exceptionally well-structured script by Joe Esterhaz and a lush Jerry Goldsmith score.

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross very much set the mesmerizing, genre-defiant tone for Gone Girl with their


Six cities bid to host 2020 Olympic Games

Qatar won the right to host the 2022 football World Cup in December 2010

Six cities are bidding to stage the 2020 summer Olympic Games.

Doha, which failed in a bid to host the 2016 Olympics, will compete with Baku, Istanbul, Madrid, Rome and Tokyo, with the winner announced in September 2013.

Qatari city Doha has been given special permission by the International Olympic Committee to propose staging the games between 20 September and 20 October.

"Our bid can inspire peace and is a priority for our youthful region", said Doha's Sheik Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani.

"It is fitting that the dream of hosting the Games should come to the Middle East at this time."

2020 OLYMPIC BID CITIES

Baku, Azerbaijan

Doha, Qatar

Istanbul, Turkey

Madrid, Spain

Rome, Italy

Tokyo, Japan

Doha's bid forthe 2016 Olympics, eventually won by Rio de Janieiro in Brazil, planned to hold the Games in October. This proved unpopular among some IOC executive board members, while others argued a city with a population of around 500,000 was too small.

That bid did not reach the final shortlist.

Sheik Al Thani, the Qatari Olympic Committee president, added: "To simply have a chance to enter the bidding process is a step closer to realizing something very special for our nation."

There is a precedent of a city shifting the Summer Games outside the traditional July/August window - in 2000 the Sydney Olympics were held from 15 September to 1 October.

Temperatures in Doha average more than 38-degrees Celsius from May to September.

Qatar will host the 2022 football World Cup and is committed