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The present invention relates to building structure. It is disclosed in the context of a retractable roof for a boathouse or covered dock. However, it is believed to be useful in other applications as well. Various types and configurations of watercraft storage systems are known. There are, for example, the storage systems described in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,687,814; 3,080,073; 4,190,013; 4,979,869; 5,197,240; 6,007,288; 6,223,479. No representation is intended that a complete search has been made of all relevant prior art, or that no better art references than those listed are available, or that the listed references are material to patentability. Nor should any such representation be inferred.

The big political player you’ve never heard of The American Legislative Exchange Council is quietly having an enormous influence on how state laws are made. Opponents of President Obama’s health care overhaul landed a chin shot last month when a federal judge found the law’s requirement that citizens buy health insurance unconstitutional. Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli argued that there was a conflict between a state law that made it illegal to force people to buy coverage and the new federal law. But the Virginia law itself wasn’t thought up in the Old Dominion. Rather, it was the product of a 2008 huddle in Washington. Conservative state legislators from across the country, along with industry lobbyists, hashed out the bill at the annual gathering of a little-known group called the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC. The organization, founded in 1973 and funded mostly by corporations and conservative foundations, exists to bring business-friendly state lawmakers together with lobbyists for corporations, including AT&T T, Exxon Mobil XOM, Wal-Mart WMT, and Johnson & Johnson JNJ. It drafts model bills related to its goals of free markets and limited government. Issues that ALEC has influenced include Arizona’s anti-immigration law, tort reform in Mississippi, and the opposition to Net neutrality. Despite the intimate involvement of lobbyists, ALEC officials insist the organization is not a lobbying group, since it doesn’t follow lawmakers to try to advance their bills. Instead, ALEC is a charity, a status it justifies because of its educational mission. The designation allows the group to collect tax-deductible contributions, and it eases lawmaker travel to ALEC events. Says Edwin Bender of the National Institute on Money in State Politics: “Corporations can implement their agendas very effectively using ALEC.” In the 2009 legislative session, by ALEC’s reckoning, state lawmakers introduced 826 bills the group conceived — 115 of which made it into law. That’s quite a record, and it’s going to get stronger. One overlooked aspect of the Republican resurgence has been its revolution at the state level. The GOP picked up more than 700 seats in state legislatures and now controls 25 of those bodies outright, from 14 before November. While ALEC is officially nonpartisan, the outcome is clearly a boon; attendance at its December policy summit was the highest in a decade. “Voters want less government spending, less government involvement, and economic growth,” says Louisiana state representative Noble Ellington, ALEC’s national chairman. ALEC is already plotting how to make the most of its new leverage, starting with the Environmental Protection Agency’s plans to regulate greenhouse gases. Among ALEC’s approaches is a resolution pressuring Congress to block new rules. “It’s pay to play, and they’re not shy,” said Adam Schafer of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators.

--- title: ISymUnmanagedDispose 接口 ms.date: 03/30/2017 api_name: - ISymUnmanagedDispose api_location: - diasymreader.dll api_type: - COM f1_keywords: - ISymUnmanagedDispose helpviewer_keywords: - ISymUnmanagedDispose interface [.NET Framework debugging] ms.assetid: b1d74e83-a200-4d00-8fbd-27918808616d topic_type: - apiref ms.openlocfilehash: 85b0116edadbffdea8f141c3d20142e19b053321 ms.sourcegitcommit: 7b1497c1927cb449cefd313bc5126ae37df30746 ms.translationtype: MT ms.contentlocale: zh-CN ms.lasthandoff: 05/16/2020 ms.locfileid: "83440962" --- # <a name="isymunmanageddispose-interface"></a>ISymUnmanagedDispose 接口 释放非托管资源。 ## <a name="methods"></a>方法 |方法|说明| |------------|-----------------| |[Destroy 方法](isymunmanageddispose-destroy-method.md)|使基础对象释放所有内部引用，并在所有后续方法调用中返回失败。| ## <a name="requirements"></a>要求 **标头：** CorSym，CorSym ## <a name="see-also"></a>另请参阅 - [诊断符号存储区接口](diagnostics-symbol-store-interfaces.md)

: : : Demography is destiny is an oft used title for reports on everything from the Social Security crisis in the developed world, to the slow motion retaking of the southwest US by people of Hispanic heritage. : : : The Intergenerational implications of demographic change are profound. The economic and social implications of an ageing population point to no immediate, urgent crisis, but to serious problems which, if not faced soon, will be harder to deal with later. By its nature demographic change arrives slowly, but its effects are profound. : : This short phrase is sometimes credited to French philosopher and mathemetician Auguste Compte. 17th century, I think. : It's a spin on the older phrase "geography is destiny." Worth considering the merits of each, but the truest maps are the ones that show demographic borders: languages, religions, etc. It seems I have been under a misapprehension, as I assumed it meant that one's social, economic, geographic, etc position (ie one's demographic status) determined one's 'destiny'.

Monday, 8 December 2014 Preview: Operation S.I.N #1 While we wait for Agent Carter to hit the small screen early next year, Marvel is giving us a Peggy Carter-centric mini series riding off the back of the events in this years' event: Original Sin. Here's a sneak preview of what's to come: From the release: This January, venture into the dark corners of the Marvel Universe of the 1950s for an all-new globetrotting adventure in OPERATION S.I.N. #1 – the first chapter in a blockbuster new limited series starring fan-favorite characters Peggy Carter and Howard Stark! From blockbuster creators Kathryn Immonen and Rich Ellis comes an untold story of the Marvel Universe spinning out of the explosive events of Original Sin!At the height of the Cold War, a supremely powerful alien energy source is discovered on Russian soil. In an effort to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands, secret agent Peggy Carter and Howard Stark must intercept it before it’s too late. Only they’re not the only interested parties…A new terrorist splinter group named Hydra is on the hunt, seeking the alien technology for their own sinister purposes. It’s only when a mysterious operative named Woodrow McCord enters the picture that Peggy and Howard will see just how far some people will go to keep Earth safe from harm.Explore Marvel history like you’ve never seen it before as Peggy Carter, Howard Stark and Woodrow McCord do battle against the rising forces of Hydra. You will not want to miss the first chapter of this epic, spy-espionage thrill ride when OPERATION S.I.N. #1 explodes into comic shops and on to digital devices this January! English Eerie available to download Pay what you want for solo horror storytelling game Buy Tequendria in paperback The first RPG inspired by Lord Dunsany About Trollish Delver Welcome to Trollish Delver, a blog mostly about roleplaying games. Trollish Delver Games is a publisher of fine tabletop products, including Romance of the Perilous Land, Tequendria, Quill, USR and In Darkest Warrens.

On Glenn Beck’s show Monday morning, Beck made a particularly strange and off-color joke about how he and his crew were all “raped by Ted Cruz,” referring to the Republican presidential candidate’s “Cuban fire” that Beck and his crew experienced during a recent interview. The rape joke comes at the top of Glenn Beck’s Monday morning show on conservative outlet the Blaze, and a bit later, Beck addresses the rumors of the supposed Ted Cruz sex scandal by suggesting that Ted Cruz doesn’t have enough game for five mistresses. “I have to tell you, it’s been a hard Monday morning. We’ve all been raped by Ted Cruz,” Glenn Beck said during his online show this morning. One of his co-hosts chimed in, “You can’t rape the willing, and we were all willing.” Glenn Beck’s rape jokes were just the start of a strange soliloquy about his relationship with Ted Cruz and how much Beck and his co-hosts adore the Republican presidential candidate. Glenn Beck goes on to describe how Ted Cruz romanced him and “backed [him] into a bathroom stall” just after an interview discussing the U.S. Constitution, which, according to Beck, left him “needing a cigarette.” “When he said to me, he said Glenn, we need a more perfect union, I thought he was talking to me about the Constitution but then he looked at me with those strong brown eyes, oh my gosh he backed me into a bathroom stall,” Glenn Beck said this morning during his online show for the Blaze. Almost show time...Just listening to some preshow audio... @glennbeck going live at 9:00am eastern @TheBlazeRadio pic.twitter.com/2Njwb42oWn — Jeffy (@JeffyMRA) March 28, 2016 After a series of sexual jokes about Ted Cruz, Glenn Beck addressed the elephant in the room: the so-called Ted Cruz sex scandal, which has dominated TV coverage of the Ted Cruz campaign this weekend, as the Inquisitr previously reported. Glenn Beck’s strange and oddly sexual comments about Ted Cruz didn’t stop there. Beck and his co-hosts went on to speculate about the affairs the National Enquirer claimed that Ted Cruz was involved in, reports the Daily Caller. “If somebody had said Ted [Cruz] had one affair and it happened six years ago, I would say I don’t think so but maybe? I mean everyone makes mistakes. But I’m having this really hard time with this five women that he’s backing into bathroom and broom closets at campaign rallies,” Glenn beck said of the alleged Ted Cruz sex scandal. Glenn Beck, a Mormon Convert: 'No real Christian’ should support Trump https://t.co/OGLStYRoO9 — Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) March 25, 2016 Glenn Beck’s co-host jumped in and expressed his own doubts, not criticizing the logistics of the alleged affairs but whether or not Ted Cruz was charismatic enough or attractive enough to “run game” on five women at once. Glenn Beck’s co-host remarks that Ted Cruz “got lucky” with Heidi Cruz and would have a hard time winning over anyone else, reports Real Clear Politics. “If Ted Cruz made it his life’s goal to have five affairs, he wouldn’t be capable of it. Cruz like, lucked out once with Heidi Cruz,” Glenn Beck’s co-host Stu Burguiere said this morning. Glenn Beck agreed, laughing and suggesting that having met Ted Cruz is enough to know that he’s not capable of pulling off an affair — let alone five with five different women. Glenn Beck cites a conversation he had with his wife about the National Enquirer article, and Beck’s wife reportedly laughed off the Ted Cruz sex scandal because, according to Beck, “she’s been around him.” “I don’t mean to hurt Ted’s feelings at all, but when I told my wife, have you seen the Enquirer, she just laughed, she’s been around him,” Glenn Beck remarked on the Ted Cruz sex scandal this morning. “We’re surprised he had enough game for Heidi.” [Photo by David Calvert/Getty Images]

Persistence of skin contamination and environmental shedding of Clostridium difficile during and after treatment of C. difficile infection. Current guidelines for control of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) suggest that contact precautions be discontinued after diarrhea resolves. However, limited information is available regarding the frequency of skin contamination and environmental shedding of C. difficile during and after treatment. We conducted a 9-month prospective, observational study involving 52 patients receiving therapy for CDI. Stool samples, skin (chest and abdomen) samples, and samples from environmental sites were cultured for C. difficile before, during, and after treatment. Polymerase chain reaction ribotyping was performed to determine the relatedness of stool, skin, and environmental isolates. Fifty-two patients with CDI were studied. C. difficile was suppressed to undetectable levels in stool samples from most patients during treatment; however, 1-4 weeks after treatment, 56% of patients who had samples tested were asymptomatic carriers of C. difficile. The frequencies of skin contamination and environmental shedding remained high at the time of resolution of diarrhea (60% and 37%, respectively), were lower at the end of treatment (32% and 14%, respectively), and again increased 1-4 weeks after treatment (58% and 50%, respectively). Skin and environmental contamination after treatment was associated with use of antibiotics for non-CDI indications. Ninety-four percent of skin isolates and 82% of environmental isolates were genetically identical to concurrent stool isolates. Skin contamination and environmental shedding of C. difficile often persist at the time of resolution of diarrhea, and recurrent shedding is common 1-4 weeks after therapy. These results provide support for the recommendation that contact precautions be continued until hospital discharge if rates of CDI remain high despite implementation of standard infection-control measures.

Understanding and reducing variability of SOM neighbourhood structure. The self-organizing map (SOM) is a nonlinear unsupervised method for vector quantization. In the context of classification and data analysis, the SOM technique highlights the neighbourhood structure between clusters. The correspondence between this clustering and the input proximity is called the topology preservation. We present here a stochastic method based on bootstrapping in order to increase the reliability of the induced neighbourhood structure. Considering the property of topology preservation, a local approach of variability (at an individual level) is preferred to a global one. The resulting (robust) map, called R-map, is more stable relatively to the choice of the sampling method and to the learning options of the SOM algorithm (initialization and order of data presentation). The method consists of selecting one map from a group of several solutions resulting from the same self-organizing map algorithm, but obtained with various inputs. The R-map can be thought of as the map, among the group of solutions, corresponding to the most common interpretation of the data set structure. The R-map is then the representative of a given SOM network, and the R-map ability to adjust the data structure indicates the relevance of the chosen network.

1. Technical Field This invention relates to operating systems. More particularly, this invention relates to systems, methods and computer programs for running multiple operating systems concurrently. 2. Related Art Applications programs interact with the computers on which they run through operating systems. By using the applications programming interface (API) of the operating system, the applications program can be written in a portable fashion, so that it can execute on different computers with different hardware resources. Additionally, common operating systems such as Linux or Windows provide multi-tasking; in other words, they allow several programs to operate concurrently. To do so, they provide scheduling; in other words, they share the usage of the resources of the computer between the different programs, allocating time to each in accordance with a scheduling algorithm. Operating systems of this kind are very widely used, but they generally make no provision for running real time applications, and they therefore are unsuitable for many control or communications tasks. For such tasks, therefore, real time operating systems have been developed; one example is ChorusOS (also know as Chorus) and its derivatives. It is described in “ChorusOS Features and Architecture overview” Francois Armand, Sun Technical Report, August 2001, 222p, available from Jaluna. For some computer programs, it is critical that steps in the program are performed within defined time periods, or at defined times. Examples of such programs are control programs for operating mobile telephones, or for operating private branch exchanges (PBXs) or cellular base stations. Typically, the program must respond to external events or changes of state in a consistent way, at or within a certain time after the event. This is referred to as operating in “real time”. For many other programs, however, the time taken to execute the program is not critical. This applies to most common computer programs, including spreadsheet program, word processing programs, pay roll packages, and general reporting or analysis programs. On the other hand, whilst the exact time taken by such programs is not critical, in most cases, users would prefer quicker execution where this is possible. Applications programs interact with the computers on which they run through operating systems. By using the applications programming interface (API) of the operating system, the applications program can be written in a portable fashion, so that it can execute on different computers with different hardware resources. Additionally, common operating systems such as Linux or Windows provide multi-tasking; in other words, they allow several program to operate concurrently. To do so, they provide scheduling; in other words, they share the usage of the resources of the computer between the different programs, allocating time to each in accordance with a scheduling algorithm. Operating systems of the this kind are very widely used, but they generally make no provision for running real time applications, and they therefore are unsuitable for many control or communications tasks. For such tasks, therefore, real time operating systems have been developed; one example is ChorusOS (also know as Chorus) and its derivatives. Chorus is available as open source software from: experimentalstuff.com/Technologies/ChorusOS/index and Jaluna at jaluna.com/ It is described in “ChorusOS Features and Architecture overview” Francois Armand, Sun Technical Report, August 2001, 222p, available from: jaluna.com/developer/papers/COSDESPERF. These operating systems could also be used to run other types of programs. However, users understandably wish to be able to run the vast number of “legacy” programs which are written for general purpose operating systems such as Windows or Linux, without having to rewrite them to run on a real time operating system. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,903,752 and 5,721,922, an attempt is made to incorporate a real time environment into a non real time operating system by providing a real time multi-tasking kernel in the interrupt handling environment of the non real time operating system (such as Windows). It would be possible to provide a “dual boot” system, allowing the user to run either one operating system or the other, but there are many cases where it would be desirable to be able to run a “legacy” program at the same time as running a real time program. For example, telecommunications network infrastructure equipment, third generation mobile phones and other advanced phones, and advanced electronic gaming equipment may require both realtime applications (e.g. game playing graphics) and non-realtime applications (game download). One approach which has been widely used is “emulation”. Typically, an emulator program is written, to run under the real time operating system, which interprets each instruction of a program written for a general purpose operating system, and performs a corresponding series of instructions under the real time operating system. However, since one instruction is always replaced by many, emulation places a heavier load on the computer, and results in slower performance. Similar problems arise from the approach based on providing a virtual machine (e.g. a Java™ virtual machine). A further similar technique is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,995,745 (Yodaiken). Yodaiken describes a system in which a multi tasking real time operating system runs a general purpose operating system as one of its tasks, pre-empting it as necessary to perform real time tasks. A more similar approach is that of ADEOS (Adaptive Domain Environment for Operating Systems), described in a White Paper at opersys.com/ftp/pub/Adeos/adeos ADEOS provides a nanokernel which is intended, amongst other things, for running multiple operating systems although it appears only to have been implemented with Linux. One proposed use of ADEOS was to allow ADEOS to distribute interrupts to RTAI (Realtime Application Interface for Linux) for which see: aero.polimi.it/.about.rtai/applications/

The Chickens Are Ready to Eat: The Fatal Ambiguity of “Readiness” Editor’s Note: This is the third in a series on defense reform in the next administration. Please read parts one and two here at War on the Rocks. What is the purpose of the Department of Defense? What is, to put it only slightly differently, its reason for being? Such existential questions can be clarifying. For our part, we believe that the purpose of the Department of Defense is to provide ready and sustainable military forces to protect the nation’s vital interests. But such a glib and obvious statement elides substantial controversies, foremost among which is the definition of “ready.” Ready for what? Ready for whom? Ready by when? These omitted prepositional phrases — for what, for whom, and by when — are the lost map of the territory. Indeed, you don’t exactly have to be Noam Chomsky (although it famously was) to recognize that the word “ready” is both vague and ambiguous, significant only when clarified by those additional terms. The Pentagon’s inability to agree upon the objects of these prepositions has left military “readiness” a notion more mystical than scientific. Our national security suffers as a result. Historically, concerns about military readiness scarcely registered. The stopping power of water, a distaste for foreign entanglements, and a suspicion of standing armies conspired to make the idea of a military constantly poised for major conflict seem profligate, if not downright dangerous. The Cold War changed all of that with its possibility of intercontinental nuclear strike and the collapse of the European balance of power. Since World War II, American leaders have had to decide between the costly desire to have forces spring-loaded for possible conflict today and the often-compelling need to modernize those forces to better address the less immediate but perhaps graver challenges of tomorrow. Alas, it is not feasible to locally optimize both the present and the future. Intertemporal choices must be made to avoid pauperizing the citizenry. And there is no single right answer, no technocratic solution to this choice between the now and the later. Multiple answers, all of them “right,” must be permitted to the question of how to balance current wants against future needs. Smart people will disagree about the national security goals to be served, the merits of various means to achieve those ends, the shape of the future, the impact on that future of the means under consideration, and the risks willing to be entertained. As Glenn Snyder and Warner Schilling pointed out eloquently almost 60 years ago: Uncertainties and differences of this order can have but one result. Good, intelligent, and dedicated men will be found on all sides of the question….They will disagree on the answer to this question and they will dispute it with a passion appropriate to the seriousness of the choices involved. The most recent interventions about the state of military readiness prove this point. Gen. David Petraeus and Michael O’Hanlon faced off against Gen. Carter Ham, Justin Johnson, Tim Connors, and the service chiefs in arguing whether the military readiness “crisis” is a myth. These debates, as we have noted before, sometimes devolve to derping. But that’s not necessarily a criticism. Rather, it is a necessary restatement of a neglected truth. The desirable state of military readiness is not, as is usually thought, a mathematical matter, but is instead a value question that inevitably comes down to personal preference. Even if the appropriate amount of military readiness cannot be objectively determined, how the Pentagon talks about readiness contributes mightily to the general confusion about the subject and requires serious change. The threshold problem is definitional. At the Department of Defense, readiness can mean everything from evaluating the joint force’s ability to execute the national military strategy to such prosaic matters as reflector belt policy. As the seminal work on the subject has stated: Many of those engaged in disputes about readiness do not just disagree with each other about how to get it, but often are not sure themselves about what they are after. Specifically, three distinct meanings of readiness are routinely conflated. The first is quite capacious: readiness is “those things that contribute to a healthy and effective force.” This is the approach to readiness often used by military service organizations and many personnel experts at the Department of Defense. Its embrace spans from morale, welfare, and recreation programs to dependent access in TRICARE. Competing with this is a second and more limited meaning that might be called “strategic readiness”: the ability of the military to accomplish the tasks demanded by the national command authority. This is the implicit definition used regularly in congressional testimony and public commentary. It essentially asks: If war occurs tonight, how ready are we to fight and win, and what options can we offer the president? How well do we understand these options, the political end-states they envision, and the comparative risk between and among them? A third definition of readiness, still more parsimonious, might be called “force readiness”: the resource ratings of units, their ability to perform generic combat tasks, and, to a lesser extent, the ability of combatant commands (COCOMS) to execute set-piece operational plans (OPLANs). In the “strategic” definition, readiness is holistic, including elements of force structure, posture, planning, indications and warning, strategic mobility, munitions, and fuel, among many other things. The “force readiness” definition excludes these factors, focusing instead on the comparative resourcing of force providers and allocation of forces to COCOMs. The problem with these competing definitions of readiness is that they become entangled with one another in unhelpful ways. For example, in discussing readiness, it is not unusual to hear service chiefs mention the number of “C-1” units in the same breath as they offer a sobering assessment about the military’s ability to confront Russia or China. But these are really two very different notions. The former is driven by the current budget and concerns the amount of resources, personnel, and equipment that a military service can provide to its deployable units. The latter is a subjective assessment driven by strategy in which the meaning of readiness is neutered by being made coterminous with general military capability. It is beyond dispute that both of these concepts often bearing the name “readiness” are important. But to treat them as only slight variations on a harmonious theme disregards the nuance and unique issues associated with each. Indeed, they can often be contradictory. For instance, confronting a near-peer enemy over the next 20 years could sensibly require sacrificing the training and maintenance of today’s forces in exchange for the funds necessary to buy better equipment and more force structure for future conflicts. These definitional problems are further compounded by the Pentagon’s current readiness reporting methodology, wherein it becomes far too easy to blur the distinction between force readiness and strategic readiness. The military services select a few unit types as proxies for readiness writ large, measure the ratings of those select units for sufficiency against a given set of OPLANs, and then the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and the Joint Staff use this as an approximation of the Pentagon’s ability to fulfill the current global strategy. Even if these composite analytics were reliable, the current methodology is strikingly reductionist and incomplete. Natural and social sciences have long explored the relationships between levels of analysis, demonstrating that as one moves to higher levels of organization, sums often prove distinct from the addition of constituent parts. Biologists refer to this phenomenon as “emergent properties.” Something new emerges when a collection of atoms becomes a molecule, a collection of molecules, a neuron, and a collection of neurons — a brain. This process defies explanation via a simple accounting of the individual parts. Joint warfare is similar. Yet the Pentagon’s current approach cuts in exactly the opposite direction by assessing each level in the chain based on an incomplete summation of the parts of each previous level. At root, the extant assessment methodology remains an incomplete accounting of tactical readiness, and with each subsequent level of analysis, important issues are obscured, distorted, or wholly lost. At the strategic level, there is little remaining coherence. For example, imagine ten Air Force fighter squadrons, each with 60 percent of their fighters ready for combat. Using the current metrics, this would typically read as zero out of ten fighter squadrons ready for combat. Despite 60 percent of combat aircraft ready to deploy, this assessment would be largely indistinguishable from one considering ten fighter squadrons with no fighter planes whatsoever ready to fly missions. As this example shows, the arbitrary nature of service-level “C-ratings” and their associated Pentagon business rules inadvertently obscure a question fundamental to strategic option development and risk management: how much combat power does the president authority actually have at his disposal? C-ratings were never intended as a readiness measurement, but were meant to be a resourcing tool to help service budgeteers determine which units were under-resourced. They remain valuable in this role today, but they have come to be the primary metric by which overall military readiness is assessed. This presents two major problems. First, C-ratings represent a measure of resource input, not readiness output, and assume a linear relationship between the two. Such a relationship is unlikely. Economics theory instead suggests that return on investment changes, with inflections and increasing or decreasing returns on investment depending on where in the cost curve one is located. Second, the Department of Defense measures readiness with shockingly simplistic business rules; the difference between a unit at 79 percent of its training, for example, and 81 percent is essentially the difference between “ready” and “unready.” What constitutes “trained” is, of course, a moveable feast, and changes in the amount of training needed to be “ready” occur regularly based on evolving requirements and service chief priorities. Even as service C-ratings fail to adequately address the strategic readiness of individual units or branches of the military, so too do the Pentagon’s current OPLAN assessments fail to aggregate into a meaningful picture that illustrates options for senior leaders. To start, the Department of Defense doesn’t measure readiness in the same units and formations with which it fights. Even before 2001, joint force packages were the order of the day, yet the Pentagon continues to assess by individual unit types (e.g., fighter squadrons and carrier strike groups), losing any sense of jointness or the related (and necessary) combat support. For example, the Government Accountability Office recently called attention to the deficit of critical enablers like military police and transportation units that the Army is required to supply to the joint force; the Army’s plans require greater utilization of these scarce units than will be permitted by Department of Defense policy. But since the readiness of most of these support units is not reported to OSD, shortfalls of critical unit types or contributing factors can be obscured or ignored. As a result, although the military services may be measuring these deficiencies on their own, those evaluations are not linked in a meaningful way to overall readiness assessments produced by OSD or the Joint Staff. Varied definitions and proxy evaluations confuse in other ways, too. Often, reports like the Quarterly Readiness Report, which are delivered to Congress and the national command authority, are little more than binary force sufficiency analyses of the ability to fulfill top-tier OPLANS, with no meaningful prioritization among them. While valuable as a measure of force sufficiency, the utility of these reports for OPLAN execution and broader strategic military options in the event of crisis remains unclear. Real conflicts historically occur in unexpected areas and rarely conform to the timing, warning, and assumptions of the OPLAN in question. Real conflicts present strategic choices; political ambitions must be scaled to the availability, capability, and timeliness of forces and the likely military and political outcomes of armed conflict. This perspective is wholly absent in a binary set of OPLAN sufficiency assessments, which cannot tell senior leaders what is possible but only what cannot be done, all couched in cryptic statements like “cannot fight the OPLAN as designed.” While such a statement eliminates one option, it does little to expound upon what other options may exist. Further, the current national security strategy calls for an ability to answer simultaneous contingencies. Individual OPLAN analyses fails to clarify what will be stressed during simultaneity. The Pentagon ends up relying on a handful of operational-level assessments to approximate strategic readiness. It asks the secretary of defense and president to make choices with incomplete information and implicitly trusts in its own ability to conduct hasty planning during moments of crisis. Even as the current methodologies for approximating military readiness fail, it is this last point that should serve as the strongest possible impetus for change. In spite of an untethered readiness reporting system, unclear institutional authorities, and inconsistent definitions of readiness, we think the next secretary of defense can achieve meaningful change that brings order out of the current chaos. The first change has to do with definitions, ensuring that we agree on basic terms. The Pentagon also needs to establish an independent civilian arm capable of robust readiness analysis and reform its current readiness metrics to make clear and useful delineations between what we have called force readiness and strategic readiness. Further, the next secretary of defense will need to approach questions of military readiness more thoughtfully and directly than any leader has done since Robert McNamara. Readiness is a concept distinct from, although a contributor to, force capability. Indeed, during the Cold War, official definitions broke down military capability into the four pillars of force structure (the number and type of units), modernization (the replacement of obsolete equipment), sustainability (the ability to perform missions for long period of time), and readiness (the ability to immediately execute a mission). This remains an insightful approach, even if it has little traction today. The pillars are related to one another of course, they but are not identical, and, in defense budgets, each pillar competes against other for funds. For its part, readiness, if the term is to be made meaningful in discussing planning trade-offs, must be limited to its strict meaning, which relates available time to needed capability and represents the variance of deployable assets with possible mobilization and alert time. Using such a definition, readiness can be discussed more meaningfully than current debates have allowed. So, for example, when Gen. Carter Ham criticizes Gen. David Petraeus and Michael O’Hanlon about the readiness “myth,” he explicitly states that the readiness is fine today but that this “ may not be true tomorrow,” largely due to inadequate force structure. Justin Johnson focuses on an inadequate defense budget, while noting the perilous state of military aviation. We believe that most of the disagreements among these extraordinary leaders and analysts stem from a basic category error. The end-strength of the Army is not really a “readiness” issue, but invokes another pillar of capability that actually competes with readiness for today’s dollars. The total Pentagon budget is also only marginally related to readiness, as readiness is about what percentage of any budget should be devoted to “fight tonight.” It may be that the current defense budget is not enough to support any of the pillars of capability. But it not illogical to argue for more budget and less of it devoted to readiness (in favor of, say, modernization). And to the extent that readiness and the size of the defense budget are made coextensive, that just confuses the part for the whole. More than anything, the Department of Defense requires a robust civilian entity responsible for interrogative readiness analytics and consolidated oversight of the currently disparate readiness reporting functions. Such an organization should possess a top-down strategic perspective that models and supports the perspective of the national command authority. Where it lives in the Pentagon is not nearly as important as what it does. The reason the nation has a Federal Reserve and Department of Defense has a Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE) directorate is that we face problems that are complex, politically charged, divided among stakeholders, and carry serious budgetary impact. Readiness is no different. Like the function that CAPE performs for the secretary and deputy secretary during the annual program review, the Pentagon needs an independent, objective, enterprise-level perspective that can compare readiness arguments among the military services, provide oversight and enforce analytic standards, and offer an authoritative joint perspective to the president, secretary of defense, and Congress. The Pentagon also needs to reform its current force readiness reporting system and develop better quantitative metrics to assess strategic readiness. The C-ratings upon which military service assessments are based reside within the Status of Readiness and Training System (SORTS). After congressional calls for reform more than 15 years ago, SORTS was augmented by the Defense Readiness Reporting System (DRRS), which added a commander’s subjective assessment of whether the unit could perform its wartime mission. Both systems, even when operating together, are woefully unable to articulate force readiness for the secretaries of the military departments and service chiefs, who must ultimately make resourcing decisions based on this data. These systems struggle to add value to conversations and military options related to strategic readiness. Although DRRS is now the official system of record for the Department of Defense, it remains incomplete, and its ambitions have stalled. Much of the data in DRRS is only voluntarily contributed by the military services, leaving incomplete pictures of even force readiness metrics for OSD and Joint Staff analysts. Finally and perhaps most importantly, the next secretary of defense must get personally engaged in discussions related to strategic readiness. After all, this is the product the Department of Defense is responsible for generating above all others. Like all change, top-down leadership will be required, and only a clear vision with constant reinforcement that progress is both expected and necessary will suffice to see it through. Such emphasis will require bold management and a massive paradigm shift wherein it will be as vital to avoid discussions about brigade combat team C-ratings as it will be necessary to engage in recurring conversations about contingency operations in the Middle East. The secretary of defense will need to ask harder questions of the readiness system and cease being satisfied with half answers. Constant pressure to answer his or her needs will create a demand signal to orient change. The Department of Defense and the nation face an international environment that is becoming more challenging to prepare for and understand. China and Russia continue to grow in assertiveness and capability, rogue states remain rogue, and instability appears likely to endure or spread in the greater Middle East. In the face of this, the defense budget is not growing, even as operating costs inflate and our strategic commitments remain firm. Like previous generations, we must wrestle with the question of whether our resources are sufficient to our strategic commitments or whether we are facing a strategy-resource gap. Such gaps are usually exposed by strategic surprise, as the world changes faster than our understanding of it and old concepts prove more inelastic than the new strategic environment. Robust readiness assessments would help hedge against such surprise. Done correctly, an analytically rigorous, independent, enterprise-level readiness system would serve as a leading indicator of a strategy-resource gap, telling senior leadership soberly what they can and cannot expect to accomplish. Without reform to the current military readiness system, we multiply the fog and friction in which we are already forced to operate and risk failure in answering with incoherence that all-important question: “What are my options?” Brad Carson served as acting Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness from 2015-2016. Previously, he was Under Secretary of the Army and General Counsel of the Army. He also was a U.S. Congressman. He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He can be contacted at [email protected]. Morgan Plummer departed the Obama administration after serving on the immediate staffs of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, Under Secretary of the Army, and Deputy Secretary of Defense. Prior to that, he served more than ten years on active duty in the U.S. Army. He can be contacted at [email protected].

The Kremlin, as the former colonial ruler, has presented itself as a mediator between the two, while also selling arms to both. Russia also maintains a small base in Armenia. On Saturday, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia called for a cease-fire. Analysts were struggling to understand what had caused this eruption and whether it indicated the start of a new, violent phase of the war. The ethnic war that began in the late Soviet period claimed more than 20,000 lives and ended in the cease-fire, but there was no final settlement. The former Soviet Union is dotted with at least five frozen conflicts that Moscow occasionally heats up to exert pressure on independent states it once controlled, including Georgia, Moldova and most recently Ukraine. Russia does not have a proxy force in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as it does in the others, but both the Armenian government in Yerevan and the Azeri government in Baku depend on Moscow to referee the standoff. Some analysts described the recent fighting as a natural outburst of the tensions that build up along the cease-fire line but that in this case escalated markedly, not least because both sides were deploying far more sophisticated weaponry. Instead of just exchanging mortar fire, for example, there were reports that the countries were deploying heavy weapons for the first time since 1994, with the two sides lobbing Grad rockets at each other, which cause far more extensive and unpredictable damage. “A provocation that begins with the use of large-caliber multiple rocket launch systems and gunships has significantly higher chances of leading to an accidental war because of the casualties it can cause,” wrote Simon Saradzhyan, a Russia specialist at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, in a preliminary online analysis. Azerbaijan alone in recent years has used its oil wealth to purchase about $4 billion worth of new, mostly Russian weapons. President Ilham Aliyev faced public pressure to show something for the investment, especially amid growing public unrest after the collapse in global oil prices. The country’s currency, the manat, dropped about one-third in value against the dollar in December.

The female contact of current commercial pin and sleeve electrical connectors, in one common form, has two opposing, semi-cylindrical fingers (or "beams" as they are sometimes called). Together, they form an elongated, cylindrical socket or female receptacle for a male connector pin, both fingers being integral with and extending from a common base in cantilever. Thus, each of the fingers extends from a common base, outwardly in a semi-cylinder to a distal end. Together they form a split cylinder--i.e., the socket. The semi-circular distal ends of the two fingers form an inlet opening to the socket through which the pin is placed in making a connection. A cylindrical sleeve is located around the outer edges of the fingers and it extends from the base of the fingers to a location short of the outermost or distal ends of the fingers. In other words, the outermost ends of the fingers, in the prior art, extend out of the sleeve at the location where they receive the connector pin in mating coupling. The cylindrical sleeve thus limits the outward flexing of the fingers at their base, but it leaves the inlet ends free, where damage can occur. Typically, connectors of this type have two through five or more poles, each pole being represented by a mating pin of a male connector and a corresponding socket of a female connector. All of the connector elements for both the male and the female connectors are held in place by a plastic body called an insert. An electric cable having a conductive wire for each pole is assembled to each male and female connector, with a wire attached to each connector element; and a covering or sheath of soft insulating plastic is molded to bridge the jacket of the cable to the insert, thereby enclosing and sealing the connections of the electrical wires to the connector elements. Thus, these connectors are frequently referred to in the industry as "molded" connectors. In connectors of this type, the primary mechanism for limiting the diameter of a pin being inserted is the opening formed in the plastic insert body just beyond the outer-most extension of the fingers. However, the insert body, being formed of a pliable, molded plastic, deforms under force, so that it is not uncommon for a person to attempt to assemble a male connector having oversized pins into a corresponding female connector. This may lead to damage. Experience has shown there are two problems with the female connector in the prior art structure. It must be realized that molded connectors are typically used in industrial or commercial applications and that they experience rugged conditions of use. The pins may be stepped on or otherwise mishandled so that one or more of the pins become misaligned (i.e., out of parallel) with the other pins of the male connector. During assembly to a female connector, a misaligned pin may cause damage to the socket. In assembling the male connector to a female connector, even if the pins are not misaligned, molded connectors are frequently subjected to rough handling so that one or more of the pins of the male connector are not properly aligned with the axis of the associated female socket into which it is being inserted. This can also cause damage to the socket elements. Thus, a common failure is caused by misalignment of the pin during insertion. This can cause a bending of the flexible finger at the inlet opening of the socket because the finger extends beyond, and is therefore not supported by, the surrounding metal cylindrical sleeve. The damage is exacerbated because of the shape of the fingers (i.e., semi-cylindrical) and because of the characteristics of the type of brass material from which these contacts are conventionally made. That is, they are machined from a brass alloy which is somewhat brittle so that it rather easily is deflected beyond its normal stress-deflection characteristic. When this occurs, the metal is overstressed and may even tear. In either case, it will lose its resilient characteristic; and its ability to establish reliable electrical continuity is then lost. A second problem which also results from the stiffness and shape of the semi-cylindrical fingers of the prior art construction is that they are susceptible to damage if a pin having a diameter larger than that for which the female connector is designed, is inserted into the female socket. Again, the rugged conditions of industrial applications must be borne in mind. It is not uncommon for a user to force an oversized pin into a smaller socket. If an oversized pin is attempted to be assembled to a smaller female socket, the inlet ends of both semi-circular fingers are bent outwardly and about the edge of the protecting sleeve where failure occurs if the fingers are bent with sufficient force.

1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to a stroller, more particularly to a stroller that is suitable for seating and reclining of a baby. 2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional stroller 1 includes a stroller frame 2, a seat 3, a footrest 4, a storage basket 5, and a foldable canopy 6. The stroller frame 2 includes a lower frame section mounted with a wheel set 201, an upper frame section provided with a handle unit 202, and a middle frame section between the lower and upper frame sections and mounted with the seat 3, thereby forming a seating space for a baby (not shown). The footrest 4 is mounted on the lower frame section. The storage basket 6 is disposed below the seat 3 for storage purposes. The canopy 6 is mounted on the upper frame section and is used to provide a shade for the seat 3. It is noted that the seating space arrangement provided in the aforesaid conventional stroller 1 is not suitable for infants who are unable to sit properly. For infants, a reclining space is more practical than a space for seating.

bird cams: bella hummingbird's nest Learn More & Get Involved· Bella HummingbirdLittle Bella the hummingbird has been nesting in the branches of a ficus tree in La Verne, California since at least 2005. Diligently raising up to four to five broods every year, in a nest the about size of half a golf ball. Each of her precious eggs are slightly bigger than a Tic Tac. After about two and a half weeks, the eggs hatch and the tiny little chicks will begin exploring the world. Bella protects her babies and feeds them a diet of insects and nectar. The babies fledge 21-25 days from hatch and are ready to discover the joys of flight. Join our loyal community of viewers in watching this patient mother throughout her breeding season. bird cams: bella hummingbird's nest Little Bella the hummingbird has been nesting in the branches of a ficus tree in La Verne, California since at least 2005. Diligently raising up to four to five broods every year, in a nest the about size of half a golf ball. Each of her precious eggs are slightly bigger than a Tic Tac. After about two and a half weeks, the eggs hatch and the tiny little chicks will begin exploring the world. Bella protects her babies and feeds them a diet of insects and nectar. The babies fledge 21-25 from hatch and are ready to discover the joys of flight. Join our loyal community of viewers in watching this patient mother throughout her breeding season. live cam schedule Learn More & Get Involved· Bella HummingbirdLittle Bella the hummingbird has been nesting in the branches of a ficus tree in La Verne, California since at least 2005. Diligently raising up to four to five broods every year, in a nest the about size of half a golf ball. Each of her precious eggs are slightly bigger than a Tic Tac. After about two and a half weeks, the eggs hatch and the tiny little chicks will begin exploring the world. Bella protects her babies and feeds them a diet of insects and nectar. The babies fledge 21-25 days from hatch and are ready to discover the joys of flight. Join our loyal community of viewers in watching this patient mother throughout her breeding season.

President-Elect Barack Obama WOW! This is the reason why I signed up and donated immediately after he announced he was running for President. Many people who now supports him laughed at me and said unkind things about his chances and I was crazy and naive to support him. These individuals, both Black and White unknowingly had subscribed to the believe that this was too lofty of a goal for a Black man to actually obtain. It made me so upset that I decided to resume this blog, a blog that was originally created in 2006, but rarely updated until late 2007. So I thank those individuals for their cynicism and narrow mindness. It took a few months, but I think you eventually realized what I was saw in Barack Obama on that day in Springfield, IL. I’ve also had the opportunity to get some very hate filled, ignorant ass emails from some people. After awhile it became funny and served as a good indicator of how well the campaign was going. What has been most rewarding out of all of this is the numerous of positive emails and I believe an online friendship with some of you. I read your blogs practically everyday and gain inspiration from you. I don’t think I need to mention names, because I’ll forget someone but you know who you are. Now we get to start a new campaign and talk about the details, the “What the Hell” and “Did you hear what he just said” again. Hopefully without the sarcasm or cluelessness of (let me say it one last time), Sarah Palin. OH I’M SO GLAD THAT SHE’S GOING BACK TO ALASKA. If I had to listen to her for another day. I digress. I’m going to try to take at least a one day break from this blog, but everything I say that something happens. I’m ready to compare my “Fantasy White House: Obama Edition” to the actual selections. I’ll post that one very soon. May I suggest Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. So feel free to comment and tell me how you feel about Barack Obama becoming President of the United States of America. That just sounds good. One thought on “President-Elect Barack Obama” To be honest, it wasn’t until I saw the reaction of people from around the globe that the magnitude of this decision hit me. Obama really is, in the words of Colin Powell, as “transformational figure,” and due to his character, his method, and the historical implications of his presidency, I think he truly will be the most influential person on Earth in four years’ time. It wasn’t last night that made history–it is what’s going to happen soon that will really change the world for the better.

I have been dating this guy for 6 months...thought he was truly amazing....we just clicked. So we have slowly started to talk about the future. I can only have one kid naturally....the rest I will have to adopt....I have cervical complications from way back when. That has never ever bothered me. I'm fine with adoption and I'm fine with my own children. Either way adopted or mine.....I'm happy. This is no good to him. He insists that he has AT LEAST two children with his DNA. Families in India are having ten children while here in North America the average is 2. That is unacceptable to him. He thinks it's an imbalance and he doesn't want his DNA wiped from this Earth. I told him I'd be willing to look into surrogacy/freezing eggs/fertility treatments/etc. This is not good enough for him. I'm devastated. Six months is not a long time but I thought we were solid. What are your opinions on this?? Is he shallow? I feel like less of a woman knowing I can't have more than one child naturally. I've never felt bad about that till now. Now I question so many things. Obviously he never truly cared about me....I ask myself how I could have made such a wrong choice. If he truely loved you and wanted to spend his future with you, then he would have been fine with having one biological child together. People can be so specific on how many children they plan to have and even the sexes, but there are no guarantees in life. This guy could meet someone else and say the exact thing and then one of them might find out they are infertile when they start trying to have children together. Your self estem would be taking a battering right now but try to not let what has happened have this affect on you. Someone more compatiable and more worthy of your love is around the corner. Stay strong and positive. Hugs hun. I can't stand people who are so set in their ways and determined to stay on a set path and not allow things in life to take a different path when necessary. He obviously isn't very flexable when it comes to life or he would see that things don't always go exactly to plan. You will find someone who wants to share and build a life with you. This guy wants a breeding cow not a partner. At least you found out now but still it hurts I know. This is no good to him. He insists that he has AT LEAST two children with his DNA. Families in India are having ten children while here in North America the average is 2. That is unacceptable to him. He thinks it's an imbalance and he doesn't want his DNA wiped from this Earth. I've never had the urge to have children so I can't purport to know how this guy feels but when you think about the above, doesn't that seem kind of weird? Why does he think his DNA shouldn't be wiped from this earth? Does he think he children will have great ability to help mankind or is it something else? I told him I'd be willing to look into surrogacy/freezing eggs/fertility treatments/etc. This is not good enough for him. Have you ever thought about what it would be like to spend your entire life with him? It sounds like certain things will never be good enough for him. A married couple should be on the same team, building each other up and holding each other up in good times and bad...support each other etc. Yes, that is ideal but he already is making you feel like "less of a woman" and feeling badly about yourself. I don't want to put him down but I'd say you dodged a bullet. Be grateful his true self came out before you were already married. He doesn't sound like the one for you. But there is someone! You are hilarious and many people are drawn to that. The right one will come along. good thing you found out now. He's a loser. I've never had a strong urge to have kids, but I wouldn't discount them or say that they have to have my DNA. To me that is egoistic and arcane. Indians and other 3rd world countries had to have a thousand kids in order to stave off astronomical infant mortality rates due to disease, malnutrition and the like. Anyway, sorry it happened to you , but at least you know he isn't the one and you can move on. Also I was really going to start this off as some smart ass comment and then patented sexual innuendo followed a cheesy pick up line. Then, I read your post...so thanks for screwing me up Yes I don't think BS would be happy with this guy. A happy healthy long term relationship is based on compromise, meeting each other half way to make a relationship work. BS is willing to freeze her eggs and this guy doesn't want that. I have been dating this guy for 6 months...thought he was truly amazing....we just clicked. So we have slowly started to talk about the future. I can only have one kid naturally....the rest I will have to adopt....I have cervical complications from way back when. That has never ever bothered me. I'm fine with adoption and I'm fine with my own children. Either way adopted or mine.....I'm happy. This is no good to him. He insists that he has AT LEAST two children with his DNA. Families in India are having ten children while here in North America the average is 2. That is unacceptable to him. He thinks it's an imbalance and he doesn't want his DNA wiped from this Earth. I told him I'd be willing to look into surrogacy/freezing eggs/fertility treatments/etc. This is not good enough for him. I'm devastated. Six months is not a long time but I thought we were solid. What are your opinions on this?? Is he shallow? I feel like less of a woman knowing I can't have more than one child naturally. I've never felt bad about that till now. Now I question so many things. Obviously he never truly cared about me....I ask myself how I could have made such a wrong choice. It may take several weeks or even months, but I can almost guarantee that you'll be able to revisit this thread and accept it as an indication that the right/best thing happened with no second-guessing yourself. Easy to say now, but give it time.I'm quite confident in the likelihood of the above scenario happening. I have been dating this guy for 6 months...thought he was truly amazing....we just clicked. So we have slowly started to talk about the future. I can only have one kid naturally....the rest I will have to adopt....I have cervical complications from way back when. That has never ever bothered me. I'm fine with adoption and I'm fine with my own children. Either way adopted or mine.....I'm happy. This is no good to him. He insists that he has AT LEAST two children with his DNA. Families in India are having ten children while here in North America the average is 2. That is unacceptable to him. He thinks it's an imbalance and he doesn't want his DNA wiped from this Earth. I told him I'd be willing to look into surrogacy/freezing eggs/fertility treatments/etc. This is not good enough for him. I'm devastated. Six months is not a long time but I thought we were solid. What are your opinions on this?? Is he shallow? I feel like less of a woman knowing I can't have more than one child naturally. I've never felt bad about that till now. Now I question so many things. Obviously he never truly cared about me....I ask myself how I could have made such a wrong choice. Yet he's willing to toss you to the side just because you have a slight egg issue. It's a shame... He should love YOU before he decides to have children... If he does love you, then THAT is what matters... YOU... Not whether or not he can spread his love frosting all over the planet. Basically, he is saying that any woman who can catch jizz is fine... No respect for you what so ever. Hope you find someone truly ready for all that you are willing to give him... including a ton of shit.

Q: Trouble changing port in Confluent 2.0.0 Kafka 0.9 Seeing some strange behavior with Confluent 2.0.0 Kafka 0.9, wondering if anyone has any ideas. I had started up a broker with the PLAINTEXT listener, on 9092. worked great. I am trying to change it to listen to a different port. I tried 9095. When it starts up I see this in the log: [2016-01-14 18:11:43,511] INFO Awaiting socket connections on 0.0.0.0:9095. (kafka.network.Acceptor) But then later, I see this [2016-01-14 18:11:43,906] INFO Registered broker 0 at path /brokers/ids/0 with addresses: PLAINTEXT -> EndPoint(ec2-54-164-3-183.compute-1.amazonaws.com,9092,PLAINTEXT) (kafka.utils.ZkUtils) This is concerning, why is it still registering on 9092??? At this point, if I try to produce on 9095 I get tons of these until I kill it: [2016-01-14 18:14:42,614] WARN Error while fetching metadata with correlation id 0 : {plaintext=LEADER_NOT_AVAILABLE} (org.apache.kafka.clients.NetworkClient) [2016-01-14 18:14:42,745] WARN Error while fetching metadata with correlation id 1 : {plaintext=LEADER_NOT_AVAILABLE} (org.apache.kafka.clients.NetworkClient) [2016-01-14 18:14:42,850] WARN Error while fetching metadata with correlation id 2 : {plaintext=LEADER_NOT_AVAILABLE} (org.apache.kafka.clients.NetworkClient) ... And if I try to produce on 9092 it fails after 1 minute with this: [2016-01-14 18:30:11,845] ERROR Error when sending message to topic plaintext with key: null, value: 10 bytes with error: Failed to update metadata after 60000 ms. (org.apache.kafka.clients.producer.internals.ErrorLoggingCallback) I think this may have something to do with my host names not being set up properly... but I'm not sure how to do that... FYI this is an EC2 instance. hostname is ip-10-0-0-22. /etc/hosts has 127.0.0.1 localhost The public DNS is ec2-54-164-3-183.compute-1.amazonaws.com. And in my server.properties I have advertised.host.name=ec2-54-164-3-183.compute-1.amazonaws.com (This last I found I had to set to be able to connect to the broker from outside of amazon). So... any suggestions from any Kafka experts? A: Turns out I needed to use advertised.listeners. I bet Alexander Zolotko's suggestion to use advertised.port would have worked too, although I didn't try tat.

Our One Year Anniversary just past and we celebrate in this episode! We continue our Star Trek The Next Generation movie discussion with Star Trek Nemesis and what we would have liked to have seen in a fifth movie. The crew also reveal what you picked as your favorite TNG movie. Sit back, relax, and escape into the Star Trek Universe with us here on the Four Eyed Radio Network! Download Episode or Stream in Your Browser: Blogtalk Radio

MUSKEGON, Mich. – A 17-year-old girl who didn't even know she was pregnant gave birth to a baby boy in a Michigan hospital and quickly found herself in the middle of an adoption battle. The Local 4 Defenders took a look at the intense custody battle for baby Maverick, who was born in the middle of the night to a scared teenager. Within hours, the boy's mother had signed paperwork to relinquish her rights, and an adoption agency was ready to find Maverick new parents. But days later, the 17-year-old girl changed her mind and wanted her son back. Safe Surrender was created as a way for pregnant women to legally abandon their babies in safe locations. The organization saves unwanted newborns from being abandoned in dangerous environments. But an Illinois family said Safe Surrender might be used as a way to take advantage of vulnerable mothers. Maverick didn't have an ideal welcome to the world. He was delivered early, at 29 weeks, by a mother who had no idea she was pregnant. The baby weighed just 2 pounds and was delivered by doctors who rushed him to an incubator in the intensive care unit. Maverick's mother didn't even get to hold her baby. "I noticed a little bit of weight gain, but not enough to where I would've thought that I was pregnant," Alex Robinson said. Robinson is a high school senior from Illinois. For a last blast of summer fun, she and her friends traveled to West Michigan for a day at the beach. In a matter of minutes, she went from the beach to the back of an ambulance. "I was just, like, 'Oh my God,' and they were, like, 'What?' and I look down and there was just a huge puddle of blood," Robinson said. "Then I felt my whole body tense up, and I just couldn't move." She found out her pain and bleeding were due to the fact that she was about to deliver a baby. "They did an ultrasound and a woman told me, she was, like, 'You're going into labor,'" Robinson said. "I was, like, 'No I'm not. There's no way.' And she was, like, 'Yeah, you are. There's a baby in there.' And I was, like, 'No, there's not.'" The 17-year-old said she couldn't believe it. "I was at the beach yesterday in a bikini," Robinson said. "I'm not pregnant. I'm telling you guys, I'm not pregnant." But it was true. "I was, like, 'I can't be having a baby. Are you kidding me?'" Robinson said. "I didn't have to push very much at all, and then he was born." Maverick was born, and Robinson was in a panic. "I was, like, 'I can't tell my friends. I can't tell my mom. I can't go home with a baby,'" Robinson said. She didn't want anybody to know. She said she just wanted to go back in time. "I didn't care about anything more than what homecoming dress I was going to get, and what prom dress I was going to get," Robinson said. A counselor at the hospital told her if she gave the baby up for adoption, nobody would have to know. "They were, like, 'Well, you have options,'" Robinson said. Robinson's mother was five hours away in Illinois. She said she got a call from a nurse who never told her her daughter had given birth. "She's a 17-year-old girl," Leah McDonald, Robinson's mother, said. "They exploited her. You know, they took advantage of her because they wanted her baby." Robinson was exhausted and scared. She agreed to talk to someone from an adoption agency, and just a few hours after delivering Maverick, a representative of Bethany Christian Adoption Services was on-site with papers for her to fill out. "I just wanted somebody to help me," Robinson said. "I didn't know what to think." "She's a kid," McDonald said. "She's in shock. She didn't even know she was pregnant." In addition to adoption forms. Robinson was given a Safe Surrender form to sign, which revokes all her rights to Maverick after a 28-day waiting period. "There was no reason why they would've thought I was mentally OK to make that decision," Robinson said. Just 12 hours after Maverick was born, Robinson was sent out the door with a cab voucher. "This needs to stop, because they just sent her out the back door, down the stairs, cab, gone," McDonald said. "She could've hemorrhaged. She could've died. This needs to stop." When Robinson got back to Illinois, her mother found out about the baby. "Then, I told her everything, and then she picked me up from work, and we were in the car, and she was, like, 'If you want your baby, like, you can have your baby,'" Robinson said. "'I'm not going to judge you for it.'" McDonald wasn't mad. She was supportive, seeing that Robinson had changed her mind and wanted Maverick. They called the adoption agency, making it clear they wanted to keep Maverick. When they showed up at the hospital where Maverick was still in the intensive care unit, they were turned away by officials who said Robinson had signed away her rights. "She's the mom," McDonald said. "She should be doing skin-to-skin contact with the baby. You know, mom's scent, sound." They scrambled for a lawyer. The first one failed to properly file paperwork, and they found themselves in court. Bethany Christian Adoption Services wanted to go forward with the adoption process, and Maverick's father filed paperwork saying he wanted custody. "I'm all for adopting kids and giving them new homes, but not in a way like this," Lucas Zbinden said. "Not at all." The judge ordered a two-week delay to find out what was going on. The hearing was to be held Aug. 31, but that would have been 29 days after Maverick's birth, so the 28-day Safe Surrender rule would have expired. The hearing was moved up, and the judge ruled in favor of the birth mother and father. "I broke down bawling because I was just so excited," Robinson said. "Up until he said I had custody of my son, I was, like, super scared and on the edge of my seat the entire time." The representative from Bethany Christian Adoption Services in Muskegon wouldn't comment on camera. The corporate office in Grand Rapids didn't return Local 4's calls, and neither did representatives of Muskegon's Hackley Hospital, where Maverick was born. Maverick's family feels fortunate to have him, but they're worried the system is stacked against vulnerable mothers. They hope sharing Maverick's story will educate others and encourage lawmakers to do more for the rights of birth mothers. "You've got to think twice before you adopt a baby and do some research on an adoption agency that you're going through," Robinson said. "See how they get their babies." Local 4 will follow Maverick's progress and keep viewers updated. You can visit the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services FAQ here. Click here to visit the website for Adoption & Birth Mothers. Below is the state of Michigan's educator toolkit for people who work with adolescents and young adults:

import React, { ReactElement } from 'react'; import { render } from 'react-testing-library'; import { Provider } from 'react-redux'; import Theme from 'common/lib/components/Theme'; import configureStore from '../pages/Editor/store/configureStore'; import { IState } from '../pages/Editor/store/reducer'; export const renderWithTheme = node => { return render(<Theme host={'EXCEL'}>{node}</Theme>); }; // re-export everything export * from 'react-testing-library'; export const renderWithRedux = ( ui: ReactElement<any>, { initialState }: { initialState: Partial<IState> }, ) => { const store = configureStore({ initialState }); return { ...renderWithTheme(<Provider store={store}>{ui}</Provider>), store }; };

You have clicked on them many times: “I agree to the Terms and Conditions of this web site.” But you never read them. But by agreeing, you empower the surveillance state by giving the government data through corporations that it cannot get directly from you. This shocking film should dramatically change the way you use the internet. Shadows of Liberty reveals the extraordinary truth behind the news media: censorship, cover-ups and corporate control. In highly revealing stories, renowned journalists, activists and academics give insider accounts of a broken media system. Controversial news reports are suppressed, people are censored for speaking out, and lives are shattered as the arena for public expression is turned into a private profit zone. Why have we let a handful of powerful corporations write the news? We’re left in no doubt – media reform is urgent and freedom of the press is fundamental. In this explosive follow-up to his Oscar®-nominated film GASLAND, filmmaker Josh Fox uses his trademark dark humor to take a deeper, broader look at the dangers of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, the controversial method of extracting natural gas and oil, now occurring on a global level (in 32 countries worldwide). This is a visually stunning film about urban planning. Yep! Hear from architects and planners as they look at what makes cities awful and what makes cities wonderful. They believe that if we research what makes cities great, we can plan thoughtfully for the inevitable growth of the world’s cities WITH A FOCUS ON PEOPLE.

Promising Pedagogy: Advancing the Educational Experience of Queer Students Through Transformative Leadership. The school experience for queer youth is often quite different from that of their heterosexual and gender-conforming peers; yet it is often the c ase that little attention is given to the disparate and inequitable educational and social conditions under which lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) youth must learn. In fact, the entirety of pedagogical structures in many schools creates milieus where queer youth, those who have loved ones who are queer, and those who are merely perceived to be queer are systematically marginalized and deprived of their right to a safe, supportive, and equitable educational experience. Transformative leadership theory (TLT) inspires educational leaders to create inclusive and excellent schools for all youth. Neither a prescriptive model nor a process-oriented theory, TLT offers eight tenets that operate in concert to form an authentic way of being informing and guiding leaders' decisions and actions toward the goal of individual, organizational, and societal change.

Executive | Petrol-White Executive | Petrol-White 130.00 The Crosley Executive is slightly bigger than the Crosley Cruiser and therefore perfect for home use. Lined with tweed, suede and leather-like materials. The case design with built-in speakers is as portable as the Cruiser. Connect the Executive to your computer via USB in order to enjoy all your classics digitally.

Monday, October 27, 2008 Transparency Jensen-style When it comes to discussing little Pete Jensen and his developmentally delayed family of Sydney Anglicans there’s no secret about the fact that I’d rather shift the conversation to more uplifting topics like bestiality or tropical skin disease. Yet sometimes there’s no alternative for Bible-believing Christians other than to face their objectionable cousins from the south square-on. After all, not even a creative genius like little Martyn Minns can come up with all of ++Akinola’s ramblings, so it’s important that those of us in the rest of the Communion keep an eye on who else is writing the great wise man of GAFCON's cue-cards. Otherwise there’s no telling how many folk might start believing the future of North American Christianity really does lay with Nigeria – and where’s little Bobby Duncan’s dream going to be if that idea catches on? And mark my words, while the world has gone into an uproar over Sydney’s latest delusion of orthodoxy, little Pete has managed to slip something smelly underneat everyone’s doormat. The final paragraph of this piece from the Church Times makes public what the world’s favourite nepotist would rather have kept private; that the Sydney synod has “made provision of appropriate financial support to enable Archbishop Jensen to adequately discharge his responsibilities as Honorary Secretary to the GAFCON Primates’ Council.” In other words, and as I’ve said before, admin and communication costs for the glorious world-wide schism are now funded by the faithful putting their pennies in Sydney offertory plates. Which means it’s a safe bet that much as his bold fellow Gafconeers detest little Pete’s Eucharistic doctrine of the Real Absence, none of them are going to give more than the mildest of squeaks in protest at this particular tear in the Communion’s fabled fabric. What’s more, you’ve got to admire the grip he’s got on his flock: how many other organisations give their beloved leader permission to spend whatever it takes to “adequately discharge his responsibilities” with no further accountability? We’re talking Kim Jong-il, Robert Mugabe, and just possibly David Virtue, but that’s about it. Sure, it can’t take much in real terms to buy off some the flakier nations on the world’s least stable continent, but just think how much enough pâté de foie gras to stop Layman Schofield whinging must cost. Nor bother trying to kid yourself about that being just a one-off expenditure either. No, if there’s one thing to be said for the Anglo-Catholic members of GAFCON it’s this: that they’re all certainly men who stand by their principles. And when it comes to the Sacraments it’s wonderful to see them put them being put second to the greatest principle of all – money talks loudest 8 comments : Otherwise there’s no telling how many folk might start believing the future of North American Christianity really does lay with Nigeria – and where’s little Bobby Duncan’s dream going to be if that idea catches on? Fr. Christian, As a follower of ++Akinola I think I would object to this intimation! Comrade Christian, English not so very good, but cannot help but wonder if theological thought of Australikan Peter Jensen (we can call this "Jensenism") is very closely related to theological thought of Cornelius Jansen (known as "Jansenism")? Amerikan boyfriend write article on his blog (in his very awful French, click on my name to read) about poignant problem of torture, the nature of the Holy Eucharist, and boyfriend's own understanding of "real absence" of Christ. Seems like real absence of Peter Jensenism is very different from Marko's idea about real absence. Of course Father you will be glad to know that I am donating to this program. By placing my small offering in the church plate, a proportion of it goes to pay the parish dues to the diocese and thus a yet smaller proportion goes to fund GAFCON. Perhaps Father might instruct me as to how I can put something like miniature bomb into one coin which is only activated when it finds itself in a cash box labelled GAFCON. Just to give the treasurer or perhaps Petie himself a little excitement in his dreary life answering FOCA correspondence. I once used the Parish photocopier to take images of my firm, athletic buttocks and I put an extra $10.00 in the collection plate and said 25 Hail Mary's, feeling guilty for using company equipment for my personal Christmas cards. I can't imagine stealing Parish funds to bankroll my agenda for world domination. It takes a very specific personality type that strokes a crucifix with one hand and his genitals with the other, impassioned by the sound of jingling change. It is not only he who should be ashamed but those who allow him to continue without justice. ... takes a very specific personality type that strokes a crucifix with one hand and his genitals with the other Two Cents: you have such a charmingly graphic way with words, but I believe in little Pete's case crucifixes only serve to render him impotent with sectarian protestant rage. His much loved Annotated Evangelical Study Bible (words of St.Paul in gold lettering), on the other hand, reduces his knees to jelly every time. BTW, you wouldn't happen to have a spare copy of that xerox I could have for research purposes, would you?

Check out the rest of my recipes in the index. It has been a little while since I have done a proper beer review, opting instead to do previews of the beers I am going to make. I was also in a bit of a rut this summer: heat, extensive travel, and brewing do not make an optimal mix for brews and reviews. Mostly, I was not super pleased with how my last few batches turned out–I will happily blame that on the goofball restrictions for the BrewUnited Challenge 🙂 Well, I am back on track! A new nano brewery/homebrew supply named Bear Roots Brewing Co has opened nearby and is issuing its first homebrew competition, focused solely on IPAs the prize is “bragging rights as the first local home brew recipe on our community tap and will also get their own customized pint glass that will sit above our bar.” As someone who 1) wants to support new and local businesses and 2) loves the idea of having my own customized pint glass above a bar I figure it is worth a shot! Entering more competitions is also the only way I can achieve my ubergoal of winning a best in show ribbon. Read on and check out my German inspired American IPA: Ain’t No Hallertauer Girl. (It is B-A-N-A-N-A-S) IPA Technique Let’s talk IPA strategy for a moment, shall we? First of all, if you have not gone through and read everything from Bertus Brewery go and do so immediately–brother is the gold standard of hop-forward homebrew blogs. Now that you are back, here is what I consider necessary for a successful West Coast (aka best coast) IPA: Simple malt bill. You are looking for just enough malt to provide a framework for the hops–the star of the show. Any specialty grain should be kept to ~5% of the malt bill. You can add a mix of other base malts (Maris Otter, Vienna, Munich, etc) for a dash of complexity, but I would keep them under 25% of the grist. Clean yeast. You are looking to minimize any esters and alcohol heat that might get in the way of hop character. Fermenting on the low side for the strain will help this too. Some low complementary esters (e.g. peachy Conan) is okay as long as the strain mostly emphasizes hop expression. Low final gravity. The drier the beer finishes the more impact the hops will be making. If your IPA is finishing higher than a gravity 1.010 consider mashing lower (~148ºF) and/or replacing up to 10% of your malt with dextrose. This also aids in what the Belgians would call “digestibility,” which we might call “drinkability” here in the states. Think back to the last authentic Tripel you had: sneaks up on you, huh? Easy drinking, FTW. Maximize flavor and aroma extraction. A combination of first wort hopping, hop bursting, whirlpooling, and double dry hopping will make the hop character explode into your face. Using a tiny amount of clean bittering hop at the start of the boil is fine, but you should be adding most of your hops in the last 10 minutes and the whirlpool. Overload the hops. In a five gallon batch you should be using at least 1/2 pound of hops (and that is just to get your foot in the door). Overloading hops is the only way you are going to get the in-your-face hop character folks expect. Sulfate water . High sulfate water will make the hops pop and enhance the bitterness. I shoot for at least 150 ppm of SO4 in a ratio of 3:1 SO4:Cl. Some folks go nutso with their Sulfate additions, but I find generally less is more when it comes to mineral additions so I try not to exceed ~200 ppm or so of any particular ion. Serve fresh. Hop aroma is one of the first characteristics of a beer to fade so serve it as fresh as possible to capture the delicate aromatics. Ain’t No Hallertauer Girl My goal with this IPA was twofold: 1) try to do something a little bit different than the citrus/piny/tropical IPAs that are super popular in San Diego and 2) experiment with the new German aroma hop varieties. After centuries of shunning non-noble varieties, German hop growers, led by the Hop Research Institute in Hull, have really started to step up their game. I have been hearing some good things and really wanted to check them out for myself. My original plan was to use Hallertau Blanc (passion fruit, grapefruit, pineapple, grape and lemongrass), Mandarina Bavaria (tangerine and citrus), and Hull Mellon (honeydew melon and strawberry), but Bear Roots was out of Hull Mellon so I called an audible and decided to go with Halltertau Tradition to stay on the theme. I also opted not to go with German malts as the neutral character of American 2-Row is more fitting for showcasing hop character. Ray and Marshall over at Brulosophy have turned me on to using a small amount of honey malt in my IPAs too, I feel it ads a complementary sweetness that enhances fruity hop character. Otherwise, I just went down my checklist: ✓ Simple malt bill. Just a dash of Vienna and Honey malts for a some malt nuance. ✓ Clean yeast. WLP090 is a fast, clean yeast with awesome attenuation, 2nd only to Conan for hop forward beers. ✓ Low final gravity. Dextrose and mashing low put me down to ~1.008 FG. ✓ Maximize flavor and aroma extraction. All the hops were added in the last 20 minutes, with a 15 minute whirlpool to top it off. ✓ Overload the hops. In a perfect world I would have added even more hops, but at LHBS prices ($3.00+/oz) I could not bring my self to justify a double dry hopping. ✓ Sulfate water. A few grams of gypsum in the mash gets me all the sulfate I need. ✓ Serve fresh. I brewed this so it would be ready ~4 days before the competition entry closed. Just enough time for the beer to settle in the keg a few days before pulling a few bottles off. Recipe Details Batch Size Boil Time IBU SRM Est. OG Est. FG ABV 5.5 gal 60 min 61.0 IBUs 5.3 SRM 1.062 1.007 7.1 % Style Details Name Cat. OG Range FG Range IBU SRM Carb ABV American IPA 21 A 1.056 - 1.07 1.008 - 1.014 40 - 70 6 - 14 2.4 - 2.9 5.5 - 7.5 % Fermentables Name Amount % Pale Malt (2 Row) US 10 lbs 80 Vienna 1.25 lbs 10 Honey Malt 8 oz 4 Corn Sugar (Dextrose) 12 oz 6 Hops Name Amount Time Use Form Alpha % Magnum 0.5 oz 20 min Boil Pellet 14.7 Hallertau Blanc 1 oz 10 min Boil Pellet 8.8 Mandarina Bavaria 1 oz 10 min Boil Pellet 7.2 Tradition 1 oz 10 min Boil Pellet 6.8 Hallertau Blanc 1 oz 15 min Aroma Pellet 8.8 Mandarina Bavaria 1 oz 15 min Aroma Pellet 7.2 Tradition 1 oz 15 min Aroma Pellet 6.8 Hallertau Blanc 1 oz 3 days Dry Hop Pellet 8.8 Mandarina Bavaria 1 oz 3 days Dry Hop Pellet 7.2 Tradition 1 oz 3 days Dry Hop Pellet 6.8 Yeast Name Lab Attenuation Temperature San Diego Super Yeast (WLP090) White Labs 80% 65°F - 68°F Mash Step Temperature Time Saccharification 150°F 60 min Mash Out 168°F 10 min Notes Water profile: Ca 74 | Mg 6 | Na 22 | Cl 51 | SO4 148 Download Download this recipe's BeerXML file Tasting Notes Follow along with the BJCP guide for American IPA (2015) [PDF]. Aroma Moderate/high levels of fruity hop character greet the nose with notes of floral white wine, passionfruit, and tangerine. There is a low complimentary malt sweetness which enhances the sweet fruity hop character. A low grassiness is present, but expected and the beer is other wise clean with no ester or diacetyl character. Appearance A clear (though not crystal) golden/light orange that is lighter than the pictures suggest. Two fingers of fluffy white head with fine bubbles that form a meringue like texture with strong persistence and great lacing. I am not joking when I say I was spooning the head off and eating it like Cool Whip! Flavor Again the hops dominate with moderate/high levels of passionfruit, tangerine, floral white wine, and grassy character. A slightly sweet malt backbone is present with just enough structure to bolster the hops, but otherwise hides in the background. Balance is firmly to the hops and the finish is bitter, but not harsh or lingering–exactly the kind of bitterness I prefer in IPAs. No esters, diacetyl, or astringent off character. I have heard these noble & derived verities can exhibit excessive grassiness/vegetal when used in large quantities, but I would not say the grassiness is any more or less than other heavily hopped IPAs. In fact, the grassiness is at the levels one would expect in a heavily hopped IPA, so I would not worry about using these new varieties in your hop bills. Mouthfeel For as dry as this beer is (~1.008) it does not feel thin at all, there is a light amount of creamy fullness that stands up to the moderate/high carbonation and feels crisp, but full. Firmly bitter, but not astringent nor does the bitterness linger in an unpleasant way. This is exactly the kind of mouthfeel I love for an IPA–nailed it! Overall Impression To be honest, this is the first time I have really been pleased with an IPA I have made. I am extra hard on myself because I am in San Diego and the IPA-game is strong here, but this is the first time I really feel like I nailed that heavy lupulin-rich hop-juice character folks expect from the West Coast. A few folks told me I was crazy for attempting an IPA with the German varieties, since they are not considered “IPA hops” and are not as potent as the new US/NZ/AUS varieties. Well, I think I proved the new German varieties are just as good and certainly worth your time! I am a little disappointed that I did not reach stratospheric levels of hop overload, but my buddy Ryan (from the duo that won the Stone homebrew comp with the R&R Coconut IPA) mentioned he really enjoyed the smooth drinkability (and preferred it over my buddy’s extra-dank IPA that was also entered in the comp). If I were to do it again (able to buy my hops in bulk online) I would swap out the Hallertau Tradition for Hull Mellon 1:1 and go for double dry hop with the same amounts. I really feel like I am on to something here and love the juicy/fruity/floral character of the German varieties. Check out the rest of my recipes in the index. Like this: Like Loading...

Business relocation – bigger warehouse for floor boards 15/09/2011 by Steven Chen · When a family gets growing, like a newborn baby coming, people usually need to get a new house with more rooms. A business is the same. Thanks to the clients’ support during the past few years, our business has been developing to a new stage. The old place is nice, but felt smaller and smaller. More room is needed. We moved to a new place with double size of storage. It took the last whole mother. We moved everything, tons of stocks, to the new warehouse. At the same time we have to operate the business as usual, check emails, make phone calls, schedule staff, and check inventories… we squeezed as much time as possible to do the major task of the month – moving. We hired a truck, a forklift, and I asked another two guys who usually just do the job on site to be back in warehouse and help us. So the truck and two forklifts can work together. Upload, shipping, download; upload, shipping download… one by one, very efficient. Here are two pictures of the new warehouse. Just warehouse. The office and showroom are still in a big mess, of course.

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Marks, Scars: She has a scar from appendix surgery and a scar on the upper leg close to hip. Circumstances of DisappearanceBarker was last seen at at the trailer she shared with her son, in the area of the 3400 block of South 29th Street in Ashland, Kentucky in the morning of February 8, 1983. No one has heard from her since. No eyewitnesses ever came forward to say that they saw her leaving the trailer park, which had approximately 60 homes. There was nothing missing from her trailer to suggest that she had left willingly. Her clothes, purse and other personal belongings were there when her disappearance was reported three days after she was last seen. Police have had several suspects but have not had enough evidence to arrest anyone. InvestigatorsIf you have any information concerning this case, please contact: Ashland Police Department 606-327-2072 Agency Case Number: 83-03673 NCIC Number: M-190351526Please refer to this number when contacting any agency with information regarding this case.

Q: Joomla Email virus Hello everyone I have Joomla system under DA management. For awhile now I'm receiving into my DA message system alerts that PHP is sending too much emails. This is the message I'm receiving from Direct Admin: > The X account has just finished sending 50 emails. There could be a spammer, the account could be compromised, or just sending more emails than usual. After some processing of the /etc/virtual/usage/X.bytes file, it was found that the highest sender was [email protected], at 15 emails. The most common path that the messages were sent from is /home/x/domains/X.com/public_html/images/stories/virtuemart, at 51 emails (102%). The path value may only be of use if it's pointing to that of a User's home directory. If the path is a system path, it likely means the email was sent through smtp rather than using a script. The top sending script was /home/X/domains/x.com/public_html/images/stories/virtuemart/proxy98.php(1958) : eval()'d code:775, at 30 emails, (60%). This warning was generated because the 50 email threshold was hit. Now, it seems like there's multiple PHP's implemented around the system that send out those emails, in this case its proxy98.php and in other cases it was other files that I deleted but it kept sending emails. Here's a link to the proxy98.php's code. I'll be more than happy if you could help me sort this thing out. A: Your site has been compromised. You need to take immediate actions, to clean it up and secure it. You should hire experts, If you are in doubt or don't know how to proceed. Check these topics for further help: Joomla Site Hacked Secure Joomla Joomla Security Checklist Joomla! 2.5.4 Hacked: Having trouble with diagnosis

National Bird Debate kicks off Canada-wide conversation Experts weighed in on Canada's national bird in debate at the Canadian Museum of Nature Host George Kourounis grills the expert panel at the Great Canadian National Bird Debate on Sept. 19. Left to right: George Elliott Clarke, Mark Graham, David Bird, Alex MacDonald and Steven Price. (Photo: Tamam Ahmed Jama) Is the cry of the loon a hauntingly beautiful lament or the stuff of children's nightmares? Is the Canada goose a messy, ill-tempered brute or a unifying symbol that is also surprisingly delicious? These were just some of the (only semi-serious) questions up for discussion at the Great Canadian National Bird Debate, a Can Geo Talks event hosted by the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa Sept. 19. The debate, conducted by a panel of five experts and hosted by George Kourounis, was the second phase of Canadian Geographic’s National Bird Project. With the help of Bird Studies Canada, National Conservation Partner on the undertaking, Can Geo aims to designate an official national bird for Canada by 2017. Nearly 50,000 Canadians voted in the initial poll, with 13,000 submitting English and French comments, essays and even poems. The top five birds (as voted by Canadians) were on trial at the debate, which was held in the sold-out Barrick Salon at the museum, with Canadians in other cities, provinces and territories watching live online. Defending the candidates were George Elliott Clarke, Canada's Poet Laureate (chickadee), Mark S. Graham, Vice-President of Research and Collections for the Canadian Museum of Nature (Canada goose), David Bird, Professor Emeritus of Wildlife Biology at McGill University (gray jay), Alex MacDonald, Senior Conservation Manager, Nature Canada (snowy owl) and Steven Price, President of Bird Studies Canada (common loon). Shirley Ida Williams, Professor Emeritus of Indigenous Studies at Trent University, originally slated for the panel, was unable to attend. Each panellist was prepared to champion their chosen bird and disparage all others, and the debate raged on through four timed rounds with a mix of academic, insightful, emotional and hilariously irreverent arguments for and against all birds involved. “Birds are every bit as important to our environment and to our national identity as the beaver, a large, primarily nocturnal, semi-aquatic rodent once at the centre of a flourishing top-hat industry,” said John Geiger, CEO of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society. “The RCGS and its magazine Canadian Geographic had their ‘feathers ruffled’ over the fact that on the eve of Canada’s 150th birthday, the country still does not have a national bird. So we’re here this evening to further explore that idea, and more to the point, to determine what bird best represents this great country.” Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, provided opening remarks and was active on Twitter throughout the debate, egging on supporters of various birds. Catherine McKenna delivers opening remarks at the Great Canadian National Bird Debate on Sept. 19. (Photo: Tamam Ahmed Jama) The debate stirred up a much broader discussion on social media, as #CanadaBird quickly became the top trending hashtag in the country — and was still going strong the following day. These tweets capture the flavour of the night: In spite of the lighthearted banter, however, McKenna, the panellists, the RCGS and its partners all echoed a central message: all birds are important, and no matter what species receives the honour, Canada needs a national bird. “It’s clear we love our birds,” said McKenna. “They are an integral part of our culture, and they play a critical role in our ecosystems. They eat insects, disperse seeds, pollinate plants, and they are also a critical indicator of a healthy environment.” She went on to stress that cooperation — from the local to the international level — is essential to the continued monitoring, research and conservation of Canada’s birds, and that the government is committed to continuing its partnerships with communities, provinces and indigenous peoples, and funding programs such as the Habitat Stewardship Program to benefit species at risk and habitats. May be time to bring the Great Canadian National Bird Debate to the House of Commons! No fowl play#CanadaBird The Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s official recommendation for Canada’s national bird will be announced at its College of Fellows Annual Dinner on Nov. 16, and a feature story about Canada’s national bird will appear in the December 2016 issue of Canadian Geographic. Get it on newsstands Nov. 21, or subscribe today.

using System; using System.Collections.Concurrent; using System.Data; namespace NHibernate.SqlTypes { /// <summary> /// SqlTypeFactory provides Singleton access to the SqlTypes. /// </summary> [Serializable] public static class SqlTypeFactory { // key = typeof(sqlType).Name : ie - BinarySqlType(l), BooleanSqlType, DecimalSqlType(p,s) // value = SqlType private static readonly ConcurrentDictionary<string, SqlType> SqlTypes = new ConcurrentDictionary<string, SqlType>(4 * Environment.ProcessorCount, 128); public static readonly SqlType Guid = new SqlType(DbType.Guid); public static readonly SqlType Boolean = new SqlType(DbType.Boolean); public static readonly SqlType Byte = new SqlType(DbType.Byte); public static readonly SqlType Currency = new SqlType(DbType.Currency); public static readonly SqlType Date = new SqlType(DbType.Date); public static readonly SqlType DateTime = new DateTimeSqlType(); public static readonly SqlType DateTime2 = new DateTime2SqlType(); public static readonly SqlType DateTimeOffSet = new DateTimeOffsetSqlType(); public static readonly SqlType Decimal = new SqlType(DbType.Decimal); public static readonly SqlType Double = new SqlType(DbType.Double); public static readonly SqlType Int16 = new SqlType(DbType.Int16); public static readonly SqlType Int32 = new SqlType(DbType.Int32); public static readonly SqlType Int64 = new SqlType(DbType.Int64); public static readonly SqlType SByte = new SqlType(DbType.SByte); public static readonly SqlType Single = new SqlType(DbType.Single); public static readonly SqlType Time = new TimeSqlType(); public static readonly SqlType UInt16 = new SqlType(DbType.UInt16); public static readonly SqlType UInt32 = new SqlType(DbType.UInt32); public static readonly SqlType UInt64 = new SqlType(DbType.UInt64); public static readonly SqlType[] NoTypes = Array.Empty<SqlType>(); private delegate T TypeWithLenOrScaleCreateDelegate<out T, in TDim>(TDim lengthOrScale); // Func<int, T> private static T GetTypeWithLenOrScale<T, TDim>(TDim lengthOrScale, TypeWithLenOrScaleCreateDelegate<T, TDim> createDelegate) where T : SqlType { var key = GetKeyForLengthOrScaleBased(typeof(T).Name, lengthOrScale); var result = SqlTypes.GetOrAdd(key, k => createDelegate(lengthOrScale)); return (T) result; } private static SqlType GetTypeWithPrecision(DbType dbType, byte precision, byte scale) { string key = GetKeyForPrecisionScaleBased(dbType.ToString(), precision, scale); SqlType result = SqlTypes.GetOrAdd(key, k => new SqlType(dbType, precision, scale)); return result; } public static AnsiStringSqlType GetAnsiString(int length) { return GetTypeWithLenOrScale(length, l => new AnsiStringSqlType(l)); } public static BinarySqlType GetBinary(int length) { return GetTypeWithLenOrScale(length, l => new BinarySqlType(l)); } public static BinaryBlobSqlType GetBinaryBlob(int length) { return GetTypeWithLenOrScale(length, l => new BinaryBlobSqlType(l)); } public static StringSqlType GetString(int length) { return GetTypeWithLenOrScale(length, l => new StringSqlType(l)); } public static StringClobSqlType GetStringClob(int length) { return GetTypeWithLenOrScale(length, l => new StringClobSqlType(l)); } public static DateTimeSqlType GetDateTime(byte fractionalSecondsPrecision) { return GetTypeWithLenOrScale(fractionalSecondsPrecision, l => new DateTimeSqlType(l)); } public static DateTime2SqlType GetDateTime2(byte fractionalSecondsPrecision) { return GetTypeWithLenOrScale(fractionalSecondsPrecision, l => new DateTime2SqlType(l)); } public static DateTimeOffsetSqlType GetDateTimeOffset(byte fractionalSecondsPrecision) { return GetTypeWithLenOrScale(fractionalSecondsPrecision, l => new DateTimeOffsetSqlType(l)); } public static TimeSqlType GetTime(byte fractionalSecondsPrecision) { return GetTypeWithLenOrScale(fractionalSecondsPrecision, l => new TimeSqlType(l)); } public static SqlType GetSqlType(DbType dbType, byte precision, byte scale) { return GetTypeWithPrecision(dbType, precision, scale); } private static string GetKeyForLengthOrScaleBased<T>(string name, T lengthOrScale) { return name + "(" + lengthOrScale + ")"; } private static string GetKeyForPrecisionScaleBased(string name, byte precision, byte scale) { return name + "(" + precision + ", " + scale + ")"; } } }

Shenandoah GC in JDK 13, Part I: Load Reference Barriers May 15, 2019 In this miniseries, I’d like to introduce a couple of new developments of the Shenandoah GC that are upcoming in JDK 13. Perhaps the most significant, even though not directly user-visible, change is the switch of Shenandoah’s barrier model to load reference barriers. It resolves one major point of criticism against Shenandoah, that is their expensive primitive read-barriers. Shenandoah (as well as other collectors) employ barriers in order to ensure heap consistency. More specifically, Shenandoah GC employs barriers to ensure what we call ‘to-space-invariant’. What it means is this: when Shenandoah is collecting, it is copying objects from so-called ‘from-space’ to ‘to-space’, and it does so while Java threads are running (concurrently). This means that there may be two copies of any object floating around in the JVM. In order to maintain heap consistency, we need to ensure either of: writes happen into to-space copy + reads can happen from both copies, subject to memory model constraints = weak to-space invariant writes and reads always happen into/from the to-space copy = strong to-space invariant And the way we ensure that is by employing the corresponding type of barriers whenever reads and writes happen. Consider this pseudocode: void example(Foo foo) { Bar b1 = foo.bar; // Read while (..) { Baz baz = b1.baz; // Read b1.x = makeSomeValue(baz); // Write } Employing the Shenandoah barriers, it would look like this (what the JVM+GC would do under the hood): void example(Foo foo) { Bar b1 = readBarrier(foo).bar; // Read while (..) { Baz baz = readBarrier(b1).baz; // Read X value = makeSomeValue(baz); writeBarrier(b1).x = readBarrier(value); // Write } I.e. whereever we read from an object, we first resolve the object via a read-barrier, and wherever we write to an object, we possibly copy the object to to-space. I won’t go into the details of this here, let’s just say that both operations are somewhat costly. Notice also that we need a read-barrier on the value of the write here to ensure we only ever write to-space-references into fields while heap references get updated (another nuisance of Shenandoah’s old barrier model). Seeing that those barriers are a costly affair, we worked quite hard to optimize them. A very important optimization is to hoist barriers out of loops. We see that b1 is defined outside the loop, but only used inside the loop. We can just as well do the barriers outside the loop, once, instead of many times inside the loop: void example(Foo foo) { Bar b1 = readBarrier(foo).bar; // Read Bar b1' = readBarrier(b1); Bar b1'' = writeBarrier(b1); while (..) { Baz baz = b1'.baz; // Read X value = makeSomeValue(baz); b1''.x = readBarrier(value); // Write } And because write-barriers are stronger than read-barriers, we can fold the two up: void example(Foo foo) { Bar b1 = readBarrier(foo).bar; // Read Bar b1' = writeBarrier(b1); while (..) { Baz baz = b1'.baz; // Read X value = makeSomeValue(baz); b1'.x = readBarrier(value); // Write } This is all nice and works fairly well, but it is also troublesome: the optimization passes for this are very complex. The fact that both from-space and two-space-copies of any objects can float around the JVM at any time is a major source of headaches and complexity. For example, we need extra barriers for comparing objects in case we compare an object to a different copy of itself. Read-barriers and write-barriers need to be inserted for *any* read or write, including primitive reads or writes. And those are very frequent, especially reads. So why not short-cut this, and strongly ensure to-space-invariance right when an object is loaded from memory? That is where load-reference-barriers come in. They work mostly like our previous write-barriers, but are not employed at use-sites (when reading from or storing to the object), but instead much earlier when objects are loaded (at their definition-site): void example(Foo foo) { Bar b1' = loadReferenceBarrier(foo.bar); while (..) { Baz baz = loadReferenceBarrier(b1'.baz); // Read X value = makeSomeValue(baz); b1'.x = value; // Write } You can see that the code is basically the same as before – after our optimizations- , except that we didn’t need to optimize anything yet. Also, the read-barrier for the store-value is gone, because we now know (because of the strong to-space-invariant) that whatever makeSomeValue() did, it must already have employed the load-reference-barrier if needed. The new load-reference-barrier is almost 100% the same as our previous write-barrier. The advantages of this barrier model are many (for us GC developers): Strong invariant means it’s a lot easier to reason about the state of GC and objects Much simpler barrier interface. Infact, a lot of stuff that we added to GC barrier interfaces after JDK11 will now become unused: no need for barriers on primitives, no need for object equality barriers, etc. Optimization is much easier (see above). Barriers are naturally placed at the least-hot locations: their def-sites, instead of their most-hot locations: their use-sites, and then attempted to optimize them away from there (and not always successfully). No more need for object equals barriers No more need for ‘resolve’ barriers (a somewhat exotic kind of barriers used mostly in intrinsics and places that do read-like or write-like operations) All barriers are now conditional, which opens up opportunities for further optimization later on We can re-enable a bunch of optimizations like fast JNI getters that needed to be disabled before because they did not play well with possible from-space references For users, this is mostly invisible, and the bottom line is that this improves overall Shenandoah’s performance. It also opens the way for follow-up improvements like elimination of the forwarding pointer, which I’ll get to in a follow-up article. Load reference barriers have been integrated into JDK 13 development repository in April 2019. We will start backporting it to Shenandoah’s JDK 11 and JDK 8 backports soon. If you don’t want to wait, you can already have it: check out The Shenandoah GC Wiki.

Bet Bet Bet Against eager and competitive, but ultimately limited opponents, the hosts claimed three points thanks to two first-half goals from Kevin Gameiro. Making his first start of the season, the former Lorient man finished well after being released by Javier Pastore and then stretched to turn home an inviting cross from Maxwell. Efficiency was the watchword for Carlo Ancelotti’s side in this encounter. Sochaux, on the other hand, were busy and hungry. They took the game to their opponents in the early stages of the match, but they lacked the quality to unhinge the home defence. PSG, on the other hand, were more measured and had greater quality about them. This was emphasised when Pastore’s wonderful defensive-splitting pass picked out Gameiro, who slotted through the legs of the exposed Simon Pouplin. Despite this blow, Sochaux continued in their energised state. Cedric Bakambu was particularly lively, fashioning some space for himself to get a rare shot at Salvatore Sirigu’s goal. Although the Italian saved, the rebound went loose and he was fortunate to see the resultant cross drop to a defender after he fumbled. Comfortable but by no means inspired, PSG added to their tally with a swift move 10 minutes prior to the interval. After retaining possession for a prolonged period, Pastore and Zlatan Ibrahimovic quickly raised the tempo, with the ball fed out to Maxwell on the left. The Brazilian’s cross for Gameiro was perfect, with the striker sliding to give Ancelotti’s men a cushion that it rarely looked like they would need. The second half was played at a stroll by the home side. Neither goalkeeper would be particularly heavily worked, with Sochaux boasting a good share of the ball. Though Ryad Boudebouz’s influence increased for the visiting side, he was not able to show enough imagination to worry Thiago Silva and Alex, who dominated in the heart of the home defence, while les Lionceaux were reluctant to push too many men forward and get exposed on the counter. For their part, PSG cruised through the latter stages, making a number of changes as they began to switch their focus towards Tuesday’s meeting with Porto in the Champions League. In Portugal, Ancelotti’s men will have to be a great deal more focussed and serious, yet they manoeuvred through this fixture in a thoroughly professional manner to increase the heat on Ligue 1 leaders Olympique de Marseille ahead of their fixture against Valenciennes on Sunday.

Q: Find total number of Unit Test in different DLLs I have a Project where we have different kinds of unit tests in different DLLs. I want to know total number of unit tests in whole solution as well as the Test Category, Owner name, etc. using some VB/C# code. Actually, I need to prepare report daily, where I need to show how many unit test are written by whom and under which category I do not want to open Visual Studio to know this. This is an example signature for one of the unit tests: <TestMethod()> <Owner("OwnerName"), TestCategory("Category22")> Public Sub TestName() ............ ............ End Sub A: Since the test methods are documented using .Net Framework attributes, you can use reflection to obtain the information you need. In VB.net, you can do it as follows. 'Imports System.Reflection 'Imports TestLibrary <- wherever the attributes are defined Dim assy As Assembly = Assembly.LoadFrom(filename) Dim owner As OwnerAttribute Dim category As TestCategoryAttribute For Each t As Type In assy.GetTypes() For Each mi As MethodInfo In t.GetMethods(BindingFlags.Public Or BindingFlags.Instance) If Not mi.GetCustomAttributes(GetType(TestMethodAttribute)).Count() = 0 Then owner = mi.GetCustomAttribute(Of OwnerAttribute)() category = mi.GetCustomAttribute(Of TestCategoryAttribute)() System.Diagnostics.Debug.Print("{0} : Owner='{1}' Category='{2}'", mi.Name, owner.OwnerName, category.CategoryName) End If Next Next You do have to add the test framework DLL as a reference to the project. filename is the full path to the compiled assembly (EXE, DLL, etc). I didn't include error checking for space reasons. If your test method isn't public, or it's static you can get it by changing the binding flags to BindingFlags.NonPublic or BindingFlags.Static respectively. (More information is available in the documentation.) Note that this method also works in C# Assembly assy = Assembly.LoadFrom(filename); OwnerAttribute owner = null; TestCategoryAttribute category = null; foreach(Type t in assy.GetTypes()) { foreach (MethodInfo mi in t.GetMethods(BindingFlags.Public | BindingFlags.Instance)) { if (mi.GetCustomAttributes(typeof(TestMethodAttribute)).Count() != 0) { owner = mi.GetCustomAttribute<OwnerAttribute>(); category = mi.GetCustomAttribute<TestCategoryAttribute>(); System.Diagnostics.Debug.Print("{0} : Owner='{1}' Category='{2}'", mi.Name, owner.OwnerName, category.CategoryName); } } }

Yoga Found to Affect Inflammation Many massage therapists practice yoga; and, as both are holistic health-care practices dating back many thousands of years, massage and yoga are complementary aspects of a health-care regimen. New research shows yoga reduces cytokine levels known to promote inflammation. Researchers at Ohio State University found that women who routinely practiced yoga had lower amounts of the cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) in their blood. The women also showed smaller increases in IL-6 after stressful experiences than did women who were the same age and weight but who were not yoga practitioners. IL-6 is an important part of the body’s inflammatory response and has been implicated in heart disease, stroke, type-2 diabetes, arthritis and a host of other age-related debilitating diseases. Reducing inflammation may provide substantial short- and long-term health benefits, the researchers suggest. Ron Glaser, a co-author and a professor of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics, said that the study has some fairly clear implications for health. “We know that inflammation plays a major role in many diseases. Yoga appears to be a simple and enjoyable way to add an intervention that might reduce risks for developing heart disease, diabetes and other age-related diseases” he said. “This is an easy thing people can do to help reduce their risks of illness.” Comments Current Issue Articles include: – Running on an Earth-Friendly Practice is More Important than Ever – Scrape, Tape and Move for Whole-Body Health – Self-Defense Skills for Dangerous Situations – Guide to Natural and Organic Products» View Current Issue Insurance Plus is included as a member benefit of Protection Plan Association, Inc., an association for health, wellness and beauty professionals and students created for the purpose of providing valuable and important benefits and services to its members. Insurance Plus is not an insurer.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Sunday described President Trump as "the grand wizard of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.," invoking the Ku Klux Klan title while speaking at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event. "These are challenging times in the United States of America - we have a hater in the White House, a birther in chief, the grand wizard of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.," Jeffries said at the National Action Network's annual celebration of the late civil rights leader. "One of the things that we've learned is that while Jim Crow may be dead, he still got some nieces and nephews that are alive and well," he added. Jeffries, who is the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, has often been a vocal and fierce critic of the president and has previously decried Trump's comments on race. Jeffries has said Trump fans the "flames of racial hatred," and has called the president a "racial arsonist." The president has reportedly referred to Haiti, El Salvador and some African nations as "shithole countries," said "both sides" were to blame for violence at a white nationalist rally in 2017, and for many years pushed the false conspiracy theory that former President Obama was not born in the U.S. Some progressive lawmakers, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), have labeled Trump a racist, citing those comments and his immigration policies. Throughout his time in the Oval Office, Trump has emphasized economic improvements he says his policies are responsible for bringing to African-Americans and other minority groups and has touted his support among those groups in polls. Trump on Tuesday marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day by visiting the memorial to the civil rights leader in Washington, D.C. The stop lasted a couple minutes in frigid D.C. temperatures, according to the White House pool.

Mineral resource imports were valued at $12,123m in 1999-2000, an increase of $3,157m (35%) on 1998-1999. The main contributors to the rise in imports in 1999-2000 were: crude oil, up $2,545m (67%) to $6,339m; and refinery petroleum products, up $508m (59%) to $1,376m. Smaller increases were also recorded for diamonds, gold, iron ore and steel. In 1999-2000 Australian imports of crude oil and other refinery feedstock decreased by 9% to 27,014 ML and imports of petroleum products increased by 14%. Major petroleum products recording significant increases were fuel oil by 34% to 798 ML, automotive gasoline by 20% to 1,065 ML and aviation turbine fuel by 22% to 171 ML, while diesel fuel decreased by 3% to 1,400 ML. The major sources for Australian imports of crude oil and other refinery feedstocks were Viet Nam (6,034 ML), Saudi Arabia (541 ML), Indonesia (301 ML), and Papua New Guines (292 ML). The major sources of automotive gasoline imports were Singapore (93 ML) and Saudi Arabia (18 ML). The majority of diesel fuel imports originated in Singapore (85 ML).

All releases of iF.SVNAdmin Release Notes: The repository browser works on all Windows and Unix platforms now. The basic authentication module supports all types of hashes that Apache provides for the "passwd" file format (SHA1, CRYPT, and MD5). Release Notes: The table filter no longer hides the table footer buttons (it searches over the whole row now). All user, group, repository, and access path tables have a filter now. The Repository-Add link is no longer shown if the RepositoryEditProviderType is off. The “selectAll()” function of tables only selects the visible rows. A Chinese translation has been added. The repository browser supports all Unicode characters and shows the latest author and revision. Release Notes: This release introduces ACL permission management by pre-defined roles. It also comes with the new Project-Manager feature that lets you define Administrators for the different Access-Paths. Basic users are now able to change their own password. There is a new design for the application.

MADISON, Wis. -- Gov. Scott Walker's plan for a new Milwaukee Bucks arena has "zero chance" of passing the Wisconsin Legislature in its current form, Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told county officials at a meeting Wednesday. The plan's odds improve dramatically -- up to 80 percent -- if the city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County join the state in helping to pay for the arena, Vos said at a meeting of the Wisconsin Counties Association. Walker, a likely 2016 Republican presidential candidate, last week said he would call for the state to issue or contract $220 million in appropriation bonds to help pay for the project. Walker officially released his plan Tuesday in the state budget, which now goes to the Republican-controlled Legislature for consideration. Walker's proposal would pay off the bonds by 2046 through projected growth in income taxes paid by NBA players. Some lawmakers, including Vos and other Republicans, have balked at the idea of having the state contribute to the arena without money from local governments. Republican Sen. Tom Tiffany, a member of the Legislature's budget committee, said Wednesday he wants to see the state commitment for the Bucks less than half of what Walker proposed -- closer to $100 million. Still other conservatives have objected to diverting income taxes away from the state to pay off the bonds. "Funding for sports arenas should not be the responsibility of the state and the hard-working taxpayers of Wisconsin," said David Fladebow, director of Americans for Prosperity's Wisconsin chapter, when Walker released his plan. New owners bought the team last April and have promised to contribute $150 million toward building the arena. Former owner and ex-U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl has promised $100 million of his own money to help replace the BMO Harris Bradley Center, which was built in 1988. The new arena is estimated to cost between $400 million and $500 million. Walker said last week that he doesn't oppose requiring the city and county to contribute toward the project, and he anticipated that that would be a part of whatever the Legislature ultimately passes. The Bucks could leave Milwaukee in 2017 if there is no new arena.

"On an otherwise ordinary Sunday in late January, a 32-year-old web editor for a chain of local radio stations in Central Texas ran across a news item that he found interesting. Ten minutes later, he had written and published what would become Facebook’s most-shared story of 2019 so far." "Facebook has responded with countless tweaks over the years designed to promote “high-quality content,” discourage clickbait and like-bait, fact-check bogus stories, and punish pages that peddle misinformation. In 2018, Facebook announced a set of major algorithm changes designed to prioritize news from “trusted” and “local” sources, and to boost content shared by users’ friends and family over content published by professional Facebook pages. It said users would see less news in their feeds overall, but what they did see would be more reliable, and that it would focus on facilitating “meaningful interactions” among users." "In practice, the levers that Facebook’s engineers pull tend to be blunter instruments than you might think. Facebook’s mechanism for determining “trusted sources,” for instance, turned out to be a two-question survey. It assumes news is “local” to you if it’s being shared by a publication that has an audience tightly clustered in your area—regardless of whether the story’s topic is actually local. It defines “meaningful interactions” partly based on the number of comments on a post." These stories are always fascinating to me, even in the real world with humans to pick talent and great stories. How does a story like Harry Potter become so big from such an unlikely source after so much rejection? Anyone who produces videos for YouTube, any teen who posts to Instagram, knows that some things get inexplicably picked up and some don't. Did the content unlock the power of the algorithm or did the algorithm make the content? Did the musician wow the agent or did the music label make the musician? At a little conference in 2006, Jeff Bezos told me as we walked on the grass: "It takes mysterious planetary alignment." Don't miss a post Follow this conversation to get notified about new posts. Find it later in the "Following" feed.

1. Please provide a brief overview of the project. Goal: The design intent is to create a memorable and flexible place for this growing, arts-based non-profit that embodies their mission, engages the site's unique existing structures, utilizes the best sustainable practices possible within a constrained budget, and provides a public landscape to an underserved neighborhood of Providence. Location: Providence RI. The Steel Yard is located in Olneyville, a blighted neighborhood of Providence characterized by abandoned and contaminated industrial lots like the project site, surface parking, and dilapidated housing stock along the Woonasquatucket River. While improving the site's functionality, a primary goal was to retain the ecological and visual character of 'urban wild' in keeping with the context and the site's abandoned-state beginnings. Approximate Size: 3.5 Acres Former Use: Steel fabrication for construction projects. Three industrial buildings exist on the site: One Sims Avenue, a twostory brick building, originally the office and fabrication facility (artist workspaces and a cafe); 27 Sims, a two-story brick office building (Steel Yard administrative and commercial rental spaces); and the Long Building, a repeatedly expanded corrugated metal and brick fabrication building (workshop space). Five sets of overhead gantry cranes, all of which are working and were incorporated into the project, allow steel to be moved anywhere on site, and give the site its unique character. The buildings and cranes were designated historic landmarks by the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission, whose approval of the new landscape was also required. Actual End Use: Required exterior spaces include a primary central space (fashioned as a multi-colored paved 'carpet') that allows for individual and group work, staging of large events with audiences of up to several hundred, car rallies, farmer's markets, etc., and whose character defines a sense of place. This is surrounded by secondary work spaces such as interior/exterior spill-out shop spaces, an outdoor foundry, a 'hang-out' space for movie nights and relaxation, and a future visiting artist's studio (each ~1000-2000 sf). Tertiary service spaces include storage for raw materials and finished art pieces, a paved space serving incubator businesses and artists in shipping container studios, and 20 parking spaces. ARI memeber login Please note. The site is available to members of the Association for Redevelopment Initiatives. If you are not a member of the Association, click here. If you need assistance, please contact us at: [email protected]. Social Impact Award-Winners 2015 Three Bridges Park WINNER After decades of decline, public and private sectors have made substantial progress in redeveloping Milwaukee’s Menomonee Valley. Since 1999, 39 companies have moved to the Valley, more than 5,000 jobs have been created, and the Hank Aaron State Trail now runs the length of the Valley. The site of the former Milwaukee Road Shops, which once employed hundreds of people… 2014 Bornstein & Pearl Food Production Center WINNER Goal of the project: The Bornstein & Pearl Food Production Center is a gut rehab of a former meat packing facility, home to the Pearl Meat Packing Co., Inc. In 2006, the Pearl Meats factory relocated its operations, and the 36,000 SF industrial building sat vacant in the heart of a residential Boston neighborhood for four years. In 2010, Dorchester… 2013 Elven Sted WINNER Goal: The initial focus of the Elven Sted project was on creating a state of the art housing development that was sustainable, affordable and accessible to households that include family members with disabilities. 2011 Woonsocket Middle School WINNER The project was conducted primarily as a "Voluntary Clean-up" by the City of Woonsocket, as the City was classified as a bona fide prospective purchaser of many of the individual parcels assembled to facilitate the project.

One way to think about the store is as a cache of all of the records that have been loaded by your application. If a route or a controller in your app asks for a record, the store can return it immediately if it is in the cache. Otherwise, the store must ask the adapter to load it, which usually means a trip over the network to retrieve it from the server. Instead of waiting for the app to request a record, however, you can push records into the store's cache ahead of time. This is useful if you have a good sense of what records the user will need next. When they click on a link, instead of waiting for a network request to finish, Ember.js can render the new template immediately. It feels instantaneous. Another use case for pushing in records is if your application has a streaming connection to a backend. If a record is created or modified, you want to update the UI immediately. ### Pushing Records To push a record into the store, call the store's [`push()`](https://api.emberjs.com/ember-data/3.14/classes/Store/methods/push?anchor=push) method. For example, imagine we want to preload some data into the store when the application boots for the first time. We can use the `route:application` to do so. The `route:application` is the top-most route in the route hierarchy, and its `model` hook gets called once when the app starts up. ```javascript {data-filename=app/models/album.js} import DS from 'ember-data'; export default DS.Model.extend({ title: DS.attr(), artist: DS.attr(), songCount: DS.attr() }); ``` ```javascript {data-filename=app/routes/application.js} import Route from '@ember/routing/route'; export default Route.extend({ model() { this.store.push({ data: [{ id: 1, type: 'album', attributes: { title: 'Fewer Moving Parts', artist: 'David Bazan', songCount: 10 }, relationships: {} }, { id: 2, type: 'album', attributes: { title: 'Calgary b/w I Can\'t Make You Love Me/Nick Of Time', artist: 'Bon Iver', songCount: 2 }, relationships: {} }] }); } }); ``` The store's `push()` method is a low level API which accepts a JSON API document with a few important differences from the JSON:API document that the JSONAPISerializer accepts. The type name in the JSON API document must match the type name of the model exactly (In the example above the type is `album` because the model is defined in `app/models/album.js`). Attributes and relationship names must match the casing of the properties defined on the Model class. If you would like the data to be normalized by the model's default serializer before pushing it into the store, you can use the [`store.pushPayload()`](https://api.emberjs.com/ember-data/3.14/classes/Store/methods/pushPayload?anchor=pushPayload) method. ```javascript {data-filename=app/serializers/album.js} import DS from 'ember-data'; export default DS.RESTSerializer.extend({ normalize(typeHash, hash) { hash['songCount'] = hash['song_count'] delete hash['song_count'] return this._super(typeHash, hash); } }); ``` ```javascript {data-filename=app/routes/application.js} import Route from '@ember/routing/route'; export default Route.extend({ model() { this.store.pushPayload({ albums: [ { id: 1, title: 'Fever Moving Parts', artist: 'David Bazan', song_count: 10 }, { id: 2, title: 'Calgary b/w I Can\'t Make You Love Me/Nick Of Time', artist: 'Bon Iver', song_count: 2 } ] }); } }); ``` The `push()` method is also important when working with complex endpoints. You may find your application has an endpoint that performs some business logic then creates several records. This likely does not map cleanly to Ember Data's existing `save()` API which is structured around persisting a single record. Instead you should make your own custom network request and push the resulting model data into the store so it can be accessed by other parts of your application. ```javascript {data-filename=app/routes/confirm-payment.js} import Route from '@ember/routing/route'; import fetch from 'fetch'; export default Route.extend({ actions: { confirm(data) { fetch('process-payment', { method: 'POST', body: JSON.stringify(data) }) .then(response => response.json()) .then(digitalInventory => { this.store.push(digitalInventory); this.transitionTo('thank-you'); }); } } }); ``` Properties that are defined on the model but are omitted in the normalized JSON:API document object will not be updated. Properties that are included in the normalized JSON:API document object but not defined on the Model will be ignored.

Comprehensive targeted and non-targeted lipidomics analyses in failing and non-failing heart. Myocardial infarction (MI) and subsequent progressive heart failure pathology is the major cause of death worldwide; however, the mechanism of this pathology remains unclear. The present work aimed at testing the hypothesis whether the inflammatory response is superimposed with the formation of bioactive lipid resolving molecules at the site of the injured myocardium in acute heart failure pathology post-MI. In this view, we used a robust permanent coronary ligation model to induce MI, leading to decreased contractility index with marked wall thinning and necrosis of the infarcted left ventricle. Then, we applied mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) in positive and negative ionization modes to characterize the spatial distribution of left ventricle lipids in the infarcted myocardium post-MI. After micro-extraction, liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry was used to confirm the structures of the imaged lipids. Statistical tools such as principal component analysis were used to establish a comprehensive visualization of lipid profile changes in MI and no-MI hearts. Resolving bioactive molecules such as resolvin (Rv) D1, RvD5, RvE3, 17-HDHA, LXA4, and 18-HEPE were detected in negative ion mode MSI, whereas phosphatidyl cholines (PC) and oxidized derivatives thereof were detected in positive ion mode. MSI-based analysis demonstrated a significant increase in resolvin bioactive lipids with comprehensive lipid remodeling at the site of infarction. These results clearly indicate that infarcted myocardium is the primary location of inflammation-resolution pathomechanics which is critical for resolution of inflammation and heart failure pathophysiology. Graphical abstract Applied scheme to determine comprehensive lipidomics in failing and non-failing heart.

A Parent's Guide to Anime Contributor's Biographies Erica Evans I'm a chemistry major at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and have been a member of Anime Anonymous *the anime club on campus* for three years. My favorite anime are Cowboy Bebop, Kare Kano, and Excel Saga.

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De acuerdo con datos de la Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económicos (OCDE), México ocupa el primer lugar entre los países de la OCDE en prevalencia de obesidad entre adultos mayores (33,3%) y el cuarto en prevalencia de sobrepeso y obesidad tanto en niñas (35,1%) como en niños (34,9%), respectivamente, además de ser el país con mayor prevalencia de diabetes ([@B1], [@B2]). Estas condiciones representan un problema grave en materia de salud pública en México que se trasladarán en presiones fuertes para las finanzas públicas del país y para las familias en el mediano plazo y el largo plazo ([@B3]). Una de las posibles causas de la prevalencia de sobrepeso y obesidad en niños y adultos se atribuye al consumo elevado de bebidas gaseosas ([@B4]) y de alimentos con contenido alto de grasas ([@B5]). Algunos enfoques de salud pública proponen la aplicación de impuestos especiales sobre el consumo como herramienta de política pública para combatir estos problemas ([@B6]). En el año 2014, el gobierno mexicano comenzó a gravar alimentos de contenido calórico alto y bebidas gaseosas con el impuesto especial sobre productos y servicios (IEPS). La reforma hacendaria de ese año estableció un impuesto fijo de MXN 1 por litro a las bebidas saborizadas con endulzantes calóricos, así como un impuesto de 8% a los alimentos con contenido calórico igual o mayor a 275 kilocalorías por cada 100 gramos ([@B7]). Los productos gravados pertenecen a las siguientes categorías: botanas, productos de confitería, chocolates y productos derivados del cacao, flanes y pudines, dulces de frutas, cremas de cacahuate y avellanas, dulces de leche, dulces y confitería, alimentos preparados a base de cereales, helados, nieves y paletas de hielo, bebidas saborizantes y energizantes. Los productos no gravados considerados para este estudio por su contenido calórico alto son el azúcar, la manteca, el chorizo, el tocino, la manteca vegetal y las pizzas. Este impuesto especial también tiene objetivos extrafiscales, puesto que buscan incidir en el consumo de la población ([@B6]) para disminuir problemas de salud tales como sobrepeso, obesidad y diabetes ([@B8]), al tiempo que se incrementan los ingresos fiscales ([@B7]). Para el caso mexicano en 2014, estos ingresos significaron un aumento de 51,7% con respecto al año anterior ([@B9]). México no es el primer país en utilizar este tipo de impuestos. Países como Australia en el 2000, Fiyi en 2006, Naurú en 2007, Finlandia y Hungría en 2011, Francia en 2012 ([@B10]) y Barbados en 2017 ([@B11]) adoptaron impuestos especiales sobre el consumo de bebidas gaseosas. También lo implementaron en Estados Unidos ([@B12]), Bélgica, Dinamarca, Irlanda, Reino Unido y Tailandia, mientras que en América Latina lo adoptaron Brasil y Chile ([@B13]). La teoría microeconómica muestra que los precios, más que los impuestos, tienen efectos sobre las decisiones de consumo de los consumidores ([@B14]), por lo que la efectividad del impuesto para reducir el consumo de los productos gravados dependerá de la magnitud y la persistencia del trasladado a los precios de mercado. Haciendo uso de datos mensuales y de un modelo de datos panel con efectos fijos que incluye efectos estacionales, se ha encontrado que el impuesto se trasladó a los precios de las bebidas gaseosas de manera proporcional en las áreas urbanas de México ([@B15]), mientras que para productos con contenido calórico alto, el impacto del impuesto sobre el nivel de precios fue menos que proporcional. Haciendo uso de un método de control sintético con series de tiempo y de un análisis de intervención con datos mensuales por ciudad, Grogger muestra que en México el traslado del impuesto al precio de los refrescos fue mayor ([@B16]). En contraste, mediante el uso de un modelo de datos panel con efectos fijos semanales y control por estacionalidad, Aguilar et al. ([@B9]) monitorizaron el precio semanal de los productos gravados, y confirman que el traslado del impuesto a los precios de bebidas gaseosas fue menor, mientras que el traslado del impuesto a los precios de los productos con alto contenido calórico fue menor. La diferencia de traslado, es decir, cuánto del impuesto se refleja en la inflación o los precios, entre los estudios puede deberse al enfoque metodológico empleado, la frecuencia de los datos (semanal versus mensual) y la posible distinción por zonas urbanas.En Francia, se ha encontrado que el impuesto se traslada en forma proporcional al precio de los refrescos, mientras que para otro tipo de bebidas gaseosas el traslado del impuesto fue menor ([@B10]). Bergman y Lynggärd ([@B8]) analizaron un impuesto de este tipo sobre bebidas alcohólicas y no alcohólicas en Dinamarca y concluyeron que el impuesto se traslada a precios más que proporcionalmente. Por último, se ha reportado que el traslado del impuesto aplicado en Berkeley, California a precios fue menor ([@B12]). Si bien hay evidencia creciente de que el impuesto se ha trasladado a los precios, aún falta determinar su impacto sobre la dinámica inflacionaria y si este es transitorio o persiste en el tiempo. Tampoco hay evidencia sobre si el traspaso del impuesto a los precios en México coincidió con la fecha de aplicación del impuesto, o si el traslado fue anticipado por el mercado, como ha sucedido en otros países ([@B11]). Existen pocos estudios que examinen si el impuesto genera quiebres o cambios de regímenes inflacionarios, así como la duración del impacto. Este estudio se refiere a la persistencia como la probabilidad de que la inflación económica permanezca en un régimen inflacionario alto o en uno bajo. El objetivo de este estudio es analizar la fuerza del traslado, la transición y la persistencia del IEPS sobre la tasa de inflación anual de los productos de densidad energética alta y sobre las bebidas gaseosas, y evaluar la probabilidad de que el IEPS influya de manera temporal en la dinámica inflacionaria. MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS ==================== Materiales ---------- Este es un estudio observacional que analiza el comportamiento longitudinal retrospectivo del crecimiento anual de los precios mensuales de cada uno de los grupos de productos gravados con el nuevo IEPS, desde su implementación en enero 2014 hasta diciembre de 2016. La inflación anualizada de cada alimento y bebida se calcula a partir del índice nacional de precios al consumidor (INPC) por objeto del gasto, reportado por el Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI) ([@B17]) con la siguiente fórmula: π t = ( p t / p t − 12 ) − 1 Donde: *p~t~* representa el INPC de un alimento en un mes *t* específico *p~t-12~* representa el INPC del mismo alimento 12 meses antes. Modelo de cambio de régimen inflacionario ----------------------------------------- El orden autorregresivo del modelo de Markov se elige con base en los criterios de información de Akaike (AIC) y Schwarz (SBIC). El modelaje incluye promedios condicionales para dos estados no observables y las varianzas. El modelo de regresión de Markov permite analizar el comportamiento de las series de inflación anualizada en dos regímenes ("inflación baja" *s = 1* o "inflación alta" *s = 2*); el tiempo de transición de un estado a otro y la persistencia o duración de cada régimen inflacionario ([@B18]). El modelo de inflación anualizada (*π~t~*) de alimentos con densidad calórica alta es el siguiente: π t = μ s t \+ ε s Donde: *μs* es el promedio condicional de la inflación en cada uno de los estados latentes *s*, desconocidos a priori *εs* es el error que se distribuye de forma idéntica e independiente como una normal con media 0 y varianza $\sigma_{s}^{2}.$ En caso de que la variación de la inflación anualizada no sea estable en el tiempo, también se estima la varianza para cada régimen *s*. El modelo maximiza la siguiente función de log-­verosimilitud ([@B19]): L ( θ ) = ∑ t = 1 T ln f ( π t \| π t − 1 , θ ) Donde: $\theta = \left\lbrack {p_{ij},\,\mu_{s},\,\sigma_{s}^{2}} \right\rbrack$ es el vector de parámetros a estimar *π~t~* es la tasa de inflación anualizada en el tiempo *t*. El modelo supone dos estados latentes *s* que determinan el valor de la inflación promedio a través de la siguiente matriz de probabilidades de transición condicionales: P = \[ p 11 p 12 p 21 p 22 \] la cual se obtiene mediante una cadena de Markov ([@B19]). El valor individual *p~ij~* representa la probabilidad de transición del estado *i* al estado *j*. Por ejemplo, *p~12~* arroja la probabilidad de que el estado *1* sea seguido por el estado *2*. La persistencia en cada régimen puede calcularse como 1/(1-*p~ij~*), lo que arroja la duración promedio en meses de seguir en cada régimen. RESULTADOS ========== Estadística descriptiva de la inflación anualizada -------------------------------------------------- En el [cuadro 1](#tbl01){ref-type="table"} se presenta estadística descriptiva de la inflación anualizada de los alimentos y bebidas. La inflación anualizada de los alimentos con impuesto presenta un rango que va desde 2,64% en las bebidas concentradas, hasta 36,01% en el pan dulce, producto que presenta también la mayor variación temporal (desviación estándar: 4,63%), seguido de la variación de los refrescos con 4,42%. Entre los productos sin impuesto, destaca el azúcar con la mayor variación con una desviación estándar de 19,52%, pero una inflación promedio de 1,34%. Estimaciones del modelo ----------------------- En los [cuadros 2](#tbl02){ref-type="table"} y [3](#tbl03){ref-type="table"} se presentan las estimaciones de los efectos de traslado transición y persistencia de la inflación, antes y después de la introducción del IEPS sobre los alimentos y bebidas en este estudio. Todos los promedios condicionales de la inflación anualizada estimados (*μ~1~* y *μ~2~*) son estadísticamente significativos, salvo para el estado de inflación baja (*s = 1)* de las bebidas concentradas, la leche condensada y la gelatina. En el estado *s = 1* (primera línea de los cuadros [2](#tbl02){ref-type="table"} y [3](#tbl03){ref-type="table"}), el azúcar presenta períodos deflacionarios fuertes y significativos (-20,09%), en contraste con el resto de los promedios de inflación anualizada (*μ~1~*) que muestran inflaciones bajas, pero positivas, con un rango que va de -2,46% (manteca vegetal) a 5,43% (tocino). En el estado de inflación alta (*s = 2),* se registran rangos de inflación anual que van desde 3,86% (gelatina) hasta 13,15% (panecillos), 14,46% (azúcar) y 14,94% (refrescos). Persistencia y duración de los regímenes inflacionarios ------------------------------------------------------- Los paneles de probabilidad de transición de los cuadros [2](#tbl02){ref-type="table"} y [3](#tbl03){ref-type="table"} muestran que la probabilidad de permanecer en un estado inicial de inflación baja es cercana a 1 en todos los alimentos, lo que implica que la probabilidad de que un mes de inflación baja sea seguido por otro mes de inflación baja es muy alta (en promedio, 96,00%): el régimen de inflación baja tiene una persistencia promedio de 1/(1-*p~11~*) = 25 meses (ver panel de duración promedio en los cuadros [2](#tbl02){ref-type="table"} y [3](#tbl03){ref-type="table"}). La probabilidad de que un régimen de inflación baja (estado *s = 1*) sea seguido por un régimen de inflación alta (estado *s = 2*) alcanza, por tanto, *p~12~* = 4,00%, en promedio. De manera similar, la probabilidad de que un mes de inflación alta sea seguido por otro mes de inflación alta resulta *p~22~* = 93,53%, con una persistencia de 1/(1-*p~22~*) = 15,46 meses, en promedio. De la misma forma, la probabilidad de pasar al régimen de inflación baja después de haber permanecido en un régimen de inflación alta alcanza *p~21~* = 6,47% en promedio. ###### Estadística descriptiva de la inflación anualizada (enero 2010-diciembre 2016) Producto Promedioa DE Mínimo Máximo Sesgo Curtosis ----------------------------- ----------- -------- --------- -------- ------- ---------- Azúcar 1,34% 19,52% -36,17% 33,75% -0,40 2,07 Bebidas concentradas (T)^c^ 2,64% 3,50% -3,12% 11,19% 0,36 2,39 Cajetas y mermeladas (T) 4,47% 2,21% 0,19% 9,11% 0,46 2,36 Chorizo 5,70% 2,74% 1,52% 12,29% 0,60 2,34 Dulces (T) 4,87% 3,88% -0,83% 13,52% 0,60 2,25 Frituras (T) 5,11% 3,10% 1,09% 11,17% 0,05 2,30 Galletas (T) 4,42% 2,10% 0,82% 9,67% 0,54 2,78 Gelatinas (T) 2,71% 2,49% 1,84% 9,21% 0,31 2,55 Helados (T) 4,21% 2,53% 0,06% 10,84% 0,73 3,14 Leche condensada (T) 3,05% 3,07% -5,02% 9,06% -0,21 2,86 Manteca 3,84% 5,20% -0,64% 14,78% 0,25 2,46 Manteca vegetal 2,77% 6,05% -4,92% 15,87% 0,66 2,41 Mayonesa 3,91% 3,11% 1,87% 10,28% 0,22 2,41 Pan dulce (T) 36,01% 4,63% -3,08% 13,10% -0,55 2,08 Panecillos (T) 6,32% 3,82% -0,10% 15,32% 0,57 2,82 Pasteles (T) 5,37% 2,96% -0,37% 10,53% -0,22 1,98 Pizza 3,08% 1,69% 0,18% 6,99% 0,10 2,23 Refrescos (T) 5,21% 4,42% 1,97% 15,94% 1,74 4,15 Tocino 7,69% 3,38% 1,04% 16,31% 0,23 2,69 Fuente: elaboración propia con datos de la INPC mensual por objeto del gasto reportado por el INEGI (17). ^a^ El cálculo del promedio utiliza 72 observaciones. DE, desviación estándar; (T), indica que el producto está sujeto a impuesto. ###### Estimaciones del modelo de cambio de régimen inflacionario (enero 2010-diciembre 2016) para azúcar, refrescos, pan dulce, panecillos, pasteles, galletas, manteca, chorizo y tocino Resultados Azúcar Refrescos (T) Bebidas (T) Pan dulce (T) Panecillos (T) Pasteles (T) Galletas (T) Manteca Chorizo Tocino ------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------- --------------- -------------- --------------- ---------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- Estado *s = 1* -0,2009\*\*\*[^d^](#tab02fn4){ref-type="fn"} 0,0326\*\*\* 0,0023 0,0107\* 0,0495\*\*\* 0,0322\*\*\* 0,0368\*\*\* 0,0082\*\* 0,0399\*\*\* 0,0543\*\*\* \[Promedio de baja inflación\] (0,0284)[^e^](#tab02fn5){ref-type="fn"} (0,0008) (0,0105) (0,0059) (0,0032) (0,0054) (0,0017) (0,0048) (0,0022) (0,0056) Estado *s = 2* 0,1446\*\*\* 0,1494\*\*\* 0,0596\*\*\* 0,0931\*\*\* 0,1315\*\*\* 0,0822\*\*\* 0,0816\*\*\* 0,1003\*\*\* 0,0904\*\*\* 0,1061\*\*\* \[Promedio de alta inflación\] (0,0176) (0,0016) (0,0139) (0,0029) (0,0042) (0,0043) (0,0018) (0,0067) (0,0041) (0,0068) Varianzas Sigma[^a^](#tab02fn1){ref-type="fn"} 0,0973 0,0059 0,0201 0,0274 0,0224 0,0189 0,0125 0,0282 0,0130 0,0217   (0,0073) (0,0004) (0,0019) (0,0025) (0,0019) (0,0025) (0,0009) (0,0028) (0,0013) (0,0018) Sigma(2)[^b^](#tab02fn2){ref-type="fn"} \- \- \- 0,0174 \- 0,0108 \- \- \- \-         (0,0016)   (0,0028)         Probabilidades de transición P~1~,~1~[^c^](#tab02fn3){ref-type="fn"} 0,9471 0,9853 0,9552 0,9495 0,9852 0,9583 0,9852 0,9627 0,9629 0,9314 P~1~,~2~ 0,0529 0,0147 0,0448 0,0505 0,0148 0,0417 0,0148 0,0373 0,0371 0,0686   (0,0352) (0,0153) (0,0323) (0,0239) (0,0111) (0,0240) (0,0154) (0,0201) (0,0211) (0,0333) P~2~,~1~ 0,0361 0,0936 0,0803 0,0373 0,0937 0,0756 0,0939 0,0957 0,0928 0,0848 P~2~,~2~ 0,9639 0,9064 0,9197 0,9627 0,9063 0,9244 0,9061 0,9043 0,9072 0,9152   (0,0168) (0,0744) (0,0443) (0,0267) (0,0561) (0,0375) (0,0738) (0,0393) (0,0383) (0,0330) Duración (persistencia) promedio del régimen en meses Inflación baja 18,9117 68,1006 22,3340 19,8025 67,7584 23,9759 67,6589 28,8249 26,9901 14,5876   (12,6021) (70,9189) (16,1254) (9,3897) (50,8443) (13,8141) (70,3944) (14,4792) (15,3546) (7,0823) Inflación alta 27,7008 10,6862 12,4592 26,8383 10,6727 13,2327 10,6460 10,4465 10,7772 11,7904   (12,8602) (8,4924) (6,8832) (19,2271) (6,3862) (6,5650) (8,3664) (4,2944) (4,4439) (4,5943) Criterios de decisión Log verosimilitud 55,7190 258,6035 167,4424 164,5797 162,9166 188,2442 204,9204 142,3791 197,4731 161,4526 AIC -101,438 -507,2069 -324,8847 -317,1594 -315,8333 -364,4885 -399,8407 -274,7582 -384,9463 -312,9052 BIC -90,0547 -495,8236 -313,5014 -303,4994 -304,4499 -350,8285 -388,4574 -263,3749 -373,5629 -301,5219 Fuente: Elaboración y estimaciones propias en base a datos del INEGI (17). ^a^Desviación estándar entre estados. ^b^En los casos donde aplique, cada sigma hace referencia a la desviación estándar en el estado de baja inflación y en el estado de alta inflación, respectivamente. ^c^Probabilidad incondicional de comenzar en el estado i y terminar en el estado j. ^d^El nivel de significancia de la prueba t para probar H0: bi = 0 se indica con \*P \< 0,1, \*\*P \< 0,05 y \*\*\*P \< 0,01. ^e^Errores estándares robustos entre paréntesis. (T), productos con impuesto; AIC, criterio de información de Akaike (por sus siglas en inglés); BIC, criterio de información de Bayes (por sus siglas en inglés). ###### Estimaciones del modelo de cambio de régimen inflacionario, enero 2010-diciembre 2016 para manteca vegetal, leche condensada, helados, mayonesa, frituras, dulces, cajetas y mermeladas, gelatina y pizza Resultados Manteca vegetal Leche condensada (T) Helados (T) Mayonesa Frituras (T) Dulces (T) Cajetas y mermeladas (T) Gelatina (T) Pizza ------------------------------------------------------- ----------------- ---------------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- -------------------------- -------------- -------------- Estado *s = 1* -0,0246\*\*\* 0,0019 0,0312\*\*\* 0,0180\*\*\* 0,0319\*\*\* 0,0216\*\*\* 0,0332\*\*\* -0,0011 0,0196\*\*\* \[Promedio de baja inflación\] (0,0052) (0,0048) (0,0023) (0,0036) (0,0049) (0,0024) (0,0024) (0,0036) (0,0017) Estado *s = 2* 0,0734\*\*\* 0,0504\*\*\* 0,0799\*\*\* 0,0682\*\*\* 0,0834\*\*\* 0,0896\*\*\* 0,0738\*\*\* 0,0386\*\*\* 0,0473\*\*\* \[Promedio de alta inflación\] (0,0103) (0,0039) (0,0049) (0,0043) (0,0067) (0,0051) (0,0044) (0,0030) (0,0016) Varianzas Sigma[^a^](#tab03fn1){ref-type="fn"} 0,0170 0,0191 0,0148 0,0184 0,0181 0,0152 0,0120 0,0010 0,0097   (0,0029) (0,0017) (0,0013) (0,0013) (0,0013) (0,0015) (0,0011) (0,0023) (0,0008) Sigma(2)[^b^](#tab03fn2){ref-type="fn"} 0,0452 \- \- \- \- 0,0239 \- 0,0192 \-   (0,0043)         (0,0025)   (0,0019)   Probabilidades de transición P~1~,~1~[^c^](#tab03fn3){ref-type="fn"} 0,9610 0,9562 0,9686 0,9612 0,9599 0,9870 0,9465 0,8899 0,9868 P~1~,~2~ 0,0390 0,0438 0,0314 0,0388 0,0401 0,0130 0,0535 0,1101 0,0132   (0,0230) (0,0210) (0,0158) (0,0210) (0,0265) (0,0079) (0,0280) (0,0460) (0,0172) P~2~,~1~ 0,0184 0,0184 0,0842 0,0497 0,0867 0,0159 0,1199 0,0369 0,0161 P~2~,~2~ 0,9816 0,9816 0,9158 0,9503 0,9133 0,9841 0,8801 0,9631 0,9839   (0,0126) (0,0153) (0,0482) (0,0243) (0,0443) (0,0204) (0,0623) (0,0190) (0,0109) Duración (persistencia) promedio del régimen en meses Baja inflación 25,64 22,82 31,82 25,77 24,93 77,24 18,68 9,08 75,68   (15,05) (10,94) (16,04) (13,98) (16,494) (47,08) (9,75) (3,79) (98,59) Alta inflación 54,31 54,35 11,88 20,10 11,54 62,92 8,34 27,06 61,95   (37,06) (45,34) (6,81) (9,83) (5,89) (80,70) (4,33) (13,94) (41,89) Criterios de decisión Log verosimilitud 146,80 176,80 190,50 175,90 174,62 181,30 201,28 184,32 226,05 AIC[^g^](#tab03fn4){ref-type="fn"} -281,60 -343,59 -370,99 -341,80 -339,24 -350,60 -392,55 -356,64 -442,09 BIC[^h^](#tab03fn5){ref-type="fn"} -267,94 -332,21 -359,62 -330,42 -327,85 -336,940 -381,17 -342,98 -430,71 Fuente: Elaboración y estimaciones propias en base a datos del INEGI (17). ^a^Desviación estándar entre estados. ^b^En los casos donde aplique, cada sigma hace referencia a la desviación estándar en el estado de baja inflación y en el estado de alta inflación, respectivamente. ^c^Probabilidad incondicional de comenzar en el estado i y terminar en el estado j. ^d^El nivel de significancia de la prueba t para probar H0: bi = 0 se indica con \*P \< 0,1, \*\*P \< 0,05 y \*\*\*P \< 0,01. ^e^Errores estándares robustos entre paréntesis. (T), productos con impuesto; AIC, criterio de información de Akaike (por sus siglas en inglés); BIC, criterio de información de Bayes (por sus siglas en inglés). {#fig01} Los resultados en los cuadros [2](#tbl02){ref-type="table"} y [3](#tbl03){ref-type="table"} también muestran cinco casos con cambios de varianza estadísticamente significativos: pan dulce, pasteles, manteca vegetal, dulces y gelatina. En las [figuras 1](#fig01){ref-type="fig"} y [2](#fig02){ref-type="fig"} se muestra el comportamiento de la inflación anualizada de productos seleccionados en el período de estudio (primera columna), así como la probabilidad no condicional de permanecer en el estado de inflación baja (segunda columna). La inflación anualizada de los refrescos, por ejemplo, responde de inmediato a la aplicación del impuesto, lo que eleva la inflación de porcentajes menores a 5% (estado *s = 1*) a valores inflacionarios cercanos a 15% (estado *s = 2*). DISCUSIÓN ========= En este estudio se estima la fuerza de traslado, la transición y la persistencia de la inflación anualizada después de la implementación del IEPS mediante un modelo de Markov de cambio de regímenes a partir de índices de precios disponibles para el público. El estudio encuentra que la dinámica inflacionaria de los alimentos de contenido calórico alto y bebidas gaseosas sujetas a impuesto tiene una varianza alta; que la inflación de varios alimentos aumentó incluso antes de la introducción del impuesto y que el régimen de inflación baja es muy persistente, ya que muestra una duración promedio mayor que el régimen de inflación alta. La inflación anualizada de los productos sin impuesto mostró una dinámica sin rupturas alrededor de la fecha de aprobación del impuesto (manteca vegetal y mayonesa), lo que sugiere que la dinámica inflacionaria de estos productos no se relaciona en forma directa con el impuesto. La mayoría de los productos gravados en la muestra trasladaron el impuesto a la dinámica inflacionaria de los precios meses antes de la entrada en vigor del impuesto nuevo a bebidas y alimentos de contenido calórico alto ([@B11]). La evolución de la inflación anualizada (panel izquierdo) y la transición de cambio de régimen (probabilidades en panel derecho) de las [figuras 1](#fig01){ref-type="fig"} y [2](#fig02){ref-type="fig"} confirman que, para algunos artículos, el traslado del impuesto a la inflación ocurrió antes, aproximadamente en noviembre de 2013, fecha de aprobación de la Reforma Hacendaria al IEPS, aunque el consenso social sobre la necesidad del impuesto inició mucho antes ([@B20]). Obsérvense los puntos de inflexión en las series de inflación de las bebidas concentradas, la pizza, las cajetas y las mermeladas. El IEPS se trasladó de manera notoria a la dinámica inflacionaria de los refrescos, pan dulce, panecillos, pasteles, galletas, frituras, cajetas y mermeladas. La dinámica inflacionaria de estos productos se ubica históricamente en regímenes de inflación baja. La aprobación del IEPS en noviembre de 2013 y su aplicación en enero de 2014 forzó la ruptura del régimen de inflación baja de estos productos y detonó el cambio a un régimen de inflación alta. La probabilidad de permanecer en niveles de inflación baja es más alta para productos gravados como los refrescos (98,53%), los panecillos (98,52%), las galletas (98,52%) y los dulces (98,70%), al tiempo que estos productos muestran las probabilidades más bajas de mantenerse en regímenes de inflación alta. El impuesto se trasladó a la dinámica inflacionaria de manera gradual, mes a mes, como lo muestra la reacción de la inflación anualizada de estos productos, para al final regresar al estado habitual de inflación baja. El período de inflación alta de los refrescos también es transitorio y, a partir de enero de 2015, regresa a los niveles preimpuesto, con inflaciones menores de 5%. El comportamiento de las series de inflación anualizada, de las estimaciones de las probabilidades de transición y de la persistencia, no se vieron afectadas con la continuación del impuesto año con año desde 2015. No se registran cambios de régimen significativos que puedan atribuirse a la aplicación del IEPS en fechas posteriores a la primera vez que se introdujo el impuesto en enero de 2014. {#fig02} Estos hallazgos sugieren que la efectividad del impuesto para afectar la inflación de los refrescos y de productos de alto contenido calórico es transitoria; es decir, la inflación de los productos gravados retorna a niveles preimpuesto en el corto plazo. El comportamiento habitual de inflación baja en los productos examinados en este estudio puede ser resultado de la adopción del esquema de objetivos de inflación económica de 3%, implementado por el Banco de México, que arrastra a estos alimentos hacia la tendencia seguida para controlar el crecimiento del nivel general de precios. Los resultados de este estudio complementan los reportes de diversos estudios sobre el impacto de los impuestos sobre el nivel de precios y la inflación de los alimentos de alto contenido calórico y de bebidas gaseosas ([@B8], [@B14], [@B21]). También concuerdan con una investigación reciente para Chile que sugiere que los impuestos específicos, como el de las bebidas gaseosas, puede diluirse con el tiempo. Por esta razón se sugiere que los impuestos específicos se indexen a la inflación ([@B21]). El impuesto *ad valorem,* aplicado a los alimentos con contenido calórico alto, debería ajustarse en forma automática con la inflación, pero este estudio encuentra evidencia mixta, por ejemplo, la inflación anualizada de los helados y los dulces no reaccionan al impuesto, mientras que la inflación del pan dulce, las frituras y las cajetas reaccionan de forma inmediata. La inflación de los alimentos es uno de los componentes más volátiles de la inflación general de precios y quizá el más regresivo ([@B21]), ya que afecta de manera más directa a los estratos sociales de menores ingresos. Por esta razón se ha sugerido que el ingreso fiscal generado se reintegre a los consumidores en forma de agua potable en escuelas públicas o programas educativos para mejorar los hábitos de consumo ([@B20]). El comportamiento de precios y la transmisión de la inflación de los alimentos domésticos tienen un origen multifactorial: estructura de competencia, precios internacionales y política monetaria, entre otros ([@B22], [@B23]). El esquema de objetivos de inflación adoptado por diversos países, muchos de los cuales han también aplicado impuestos a los alimentos de contenido calórico alto y bebidas gaseosas, busca frenar el crecimiento de los precios al establecer metas de inflación subyacente anuales. Una investigación reciente ha mostrado que la inflación de los alimentos y la inflación subyacente muestran efectos de propagación y retroalimentación importantes en países emergentes, donde la proporción de los alimentos en las canastas de consumos es muy alta ([@B24]). De esta forma, los resultados sobre la transición y persistencia del cambio de un régimen inflacionario a otro reportados en este estudio son relevantes para otros países emergentes con esquemas de objetivos de inflación que buscan acabar con el sobrepeso y la obesidad a través de impuestos como los aplicados en México. La probabilidad alta de mantenerse en regímenes de inflación baja implica que el impacto del impuesto es muy transitorio. Este resultado sugiere que la capacidad de respuesta de la industria para contener el traslado de los precios a sus productos es eficiente y, tal vez, que el cambio hacia conductas sanas de los consumidores también puede ser transitorio. La respuesta de las empresas al impuesto debe estudiarse con mayor precisión, así como sus mecanismos de ajuste y absorción de precios y los impactos sobre la inflación de los alimentos de contenido calórico alto y de bebidas gaseosas. De manera inicial, la estructura oligopólica del mercado puede explicar el traslado diferencial del impuesto a los precios ([@B6]). Los índices empleados en este estudio limitan la distinción del impacto del impuesto sobre el crecimiento de los precios de los alimentos por tipo de producto, tamaños, presentaciones, calidad o por tipo de tienda ([@B21]). Sin embargo, los hallazgos en este estudio distinguen características no estudiadas antes en la literatura, como la probabilidad de cambio de régimen inflacionario alrededor del impuesto, así como su persistencia o duración en cada régimen inflacionario. Estudios futuros pueden considerar el rol de variables de estructura de mercado, la distancia y del manejo de la política monetaria. La ausencia de datos de sobrepeso y obesidad por mes no permite evaluar el impacto del impuesto, de los precios y de la inflación de los alimentos y bebidas gravados. No se pueden establecer ligas causales entre la implementación de impuestos a bebidas gaseosas y alimentos de contenido calórico alto y variables de salud ([@B21], [@B25]). Los cambios inflacionarios sugieren cambios de comportamiento anticipados por parte de la industria alimenticia y las refresqueras que, sin embargo, tampoco han logrado medirse en este estudio. CONCLUSIONES ============ Esta es la primera investigación acerca del traslado, la transición y la persistencia del cambio de régimen inflacionario de las bebidas gaseosas y alimentos de contenido calórico alto después del impuesto implementado en México en enero de 2014. El estudio encuentra que el traslado de la inflación es solo transitorio y que la probabilidad de cambio a un régimen de inflación baja es muy alta. El trasladado del impuesto a la inflación de estos productos se distribuye de manera gradual y es poco persistente, antes de regresar a niveles inflacionarios preimpuesto. La continuación del impuesto no afecta la dinámica inflacionaria de los alimentos a partir de 2015 y debería ir acompañada de medidas que aseguren el traslado y la persistencia del impuesto a la dinámica de los precios de los productos específicos y en los puntos de venta. Las autoridades sanitarias que busquen implementar este tipo de impuestos deberían aprovechar el impacto sobre el precio y la inflación, sobre todo en los primeros meses de su aplicación, para fomentar y facilitar el consumo de alternativas saludables como el agua potable, así como acompañarlo de medidas educativas que modifiquen los hábitos de consumo de manera sostenida en el mediano y largo plazo. Con el fin de amortiguar efectos recesivos, los ingresos fiscales captados por los dos tipos de impuesto deben reintegrarse a los consumidores facilitando el acceso a fuentes de agua potable o programas educativos para mejorar los hábitos de consumo de los habitantes. Contribución de los autores. ---------------------------- AM concibió la idea del estudio original. DA planificó y recolectó los datos. AM y DA interpretaron los resultados, escribieron y revisaron el manuscrito. Todos los autores revisaron y aprobaron la versión final. Declaración. ------------ Las opiniones expresadas en este manuscrito son responsabilidad de los autores y no reflejan necesariamente los de la *Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública* o la Organización Panamericana de la Salud. [^1]: **Conflictos de interés.** Ninguno declarado por los autores

US Officials report that 71 people, including 12 children, drowned as a ferry capsized on the Tigris River in Northern Iraq on Thursday. Nearly 150 people, including 80 women and children, were on board the boat that was destined for a popular tourist island in Mosul as part of the Kurdish New Year celebrations, AP News reports. The overcrowded ferry exceeded the permitted capacity by two times and most of the passengers on board could not swim, reported BBC. Over 50 people have been rescued so far, as ambulances and helicopters arrived to continue the search for survivors and bodies of the victims. A local information source called Mosul Eye tweeted an appeal for people to go down to the river and help with the rescue operation. The ferry sank halfway on the trip to the island across the river because of a technical problem and high water levels, said Ninevah Mayor Abd al-Sattar Habu. “The Department of Water Resources warned a few days ago that the level of water will rise as a result of the opening of dams,” said Habu. General view of the scene where an overloaded ferry sank in the Tigris river near Mosul in Iraq, March, 21,2019. (REUTERS/Stringer) The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said that the accident was a “terrible tragedy.” “This is a terrible tragedy. We express our deep sorrow at the deaths. Our hearts go out to the families and relatives of the victims,” wrote Hennis-Plasschaert. “A thorough investigation will tell us what exactly happened and why there was this loss of life.” *Some of the questions and answers have been slightly edited for clarity and smoothness. We’ve been off the air now for about two months (interview was conducted Wednesday before the newest episode aired). We’re coming back tonight. What’s it like to finally be back? Lot of anticipation, lot of fans that were waiting. What’s it like to know we finally got some new episodes? Oh man, it’s a relief. … One of the hardest things … I think is keeping everybody waiting, and in a holding pattern, waiting to see new episodes because I know there are a lot of people who are itching to watch them. So, I’m excited. I think leading up to this last eight-nine episodes of the season, I can say confidently that the back half of the season is awesome. I mean, it really ramps up. There is some really really great action stuff along with a great storyline, character development stuff. We kind of dive into a lot of stuff we really haven’t really talked about before. It’s great. We got some of our best episodes ever for sure are coming up. One of the big storylines was when Jason’s wife was killed off the show — a gut-wrenching turn of events. Was the cast pretty surprised to find out that was going to happen? Because as an audience member who watched all of it, that was like getting hit by a train. If I’m being honest, I think yes and no. We were surprised because it’s such a big decision; it’s such a big commitment to make and such a bold card to play that early on such a great character. But at the same time, from a film and television viewer, it’s also weirdly important sometimes to do that stuff because it keeps the audience on their toes. You don’t want people to be able to think they will be able to expect everything all the time. As far as us being surprised or not, the only reason why we weren’t totally surprised is [because] Michaela’s a fantastic actor, and she had booked another television show that she was going on to do. And so, scheduling-wise, it was going to be really hard to work it out. That sort of helps in that decision-making process. Speaking of women on the show, can we expect anything between Clay and Stella going forward, or is that pretty much over? Because it obviously didn’t end well. Clay carried a lot of that with him when he deployed right afterward. Is that storyline done or can we, as fans, hold out hope that those two might still have a future? As far as the future, I’m not sure. But, I think, as fans, you can expect that it hasn’t been fully resolved and figured out. We’ll see some of Stella again. It’s just a matter of what way we are going to be seeing her. We have a huge military audience, and they really like how the show shines a light on the personal aspect of the military. How important is it to you guys when you’re out there — both in the action scenes and in the personal life stuff — to really give the respect and shine a light on the people who have actually been through this? Is that always in the back of your mind, that, ‘Hey, we really got to hit home runs here because this isn’t a game. There are people who actually make these sacrifices every day.’ One-hundred percent, David. I think the thing is, to be honest, that’s the most important thing to us. Whether the technical aspect [of] the military tactics or the stuff that now goes on in this community or if it’s the personal life stories or, like you said, the sacrifices that these men and women make … to make sure we are as authentic as we can possibly be is, by far, the most important thing. And sometimes, like Adam’s death, those things aren’t necessarily what we want to see, but they’re realities. They’re realities of the job and what these people go through. And so, obviously, it’s the most important thing for us, to show it in the best possible way, but also the most real way. Speaking of the tactics and stuff, what type of training do they run you guys through to make sure that when you are handling the weapons it looks realistic, when you’re moving, when you’re breaching doors, it all looks realistic? How much time did it take for you guys to go through before you started feeling comfortable with it? [For] the pilot, we sort of jumped right into it. We didn’t have a whole lot of time. We had amazing technical advisors on set and we still … have a couple Delta guys, guys from various field teams, we have Marine Force Recon, we have guys from all different branches of the military that are on the show as producers, writers, actors, stuntmen, crew and, so, we have a lot of time rehearsing now. It’s repeated motion, right? It’s like riding a bike. The more and more you do it, the more comfortable you get and the more normal it looks. I’m a country boy so I came from a small town, Northern California, where everybody owned guns. We grew up, you know, hunting and fishing. It’s obviously not the same gun movement, but I spend a lot of times around guns and have been around them since I was eight or nine years old. For me, it was kind of more learning some of the technical stuff. One of the neat things about the show, especially the Mexico storyline and the storyline about the rescuing of the ISIS bride — there really seems like there are a lot of things that are in the news that are often reflected in the show. Do the writers try to leave a lot of room so that they can try to mold things to current events? Or is it just kind of coincidence when stuff like that happens? Both. I think the writers’ goal is to half an overlying arch that the audience can track, but also we can have these missions and things going on that are current events. We can kind of jump in and out of those while following character development and these storylines throughout the season. A lot of those current events and things going on, we try to not remake identically, but certainly, the cartel stuff and those things are all sorts of related to things that are going on. If any of the actors on Bravo Team actually had to go through BUDS, who would be the first one to quit? Who would likely make it the farthest? I can say confidently that I would make it the farthest. The first one to quit? I think that AJ will willingly say that he would probably be the first one to quit. He’s kind of stated that before. I think he’s like, “Dude, you’re out of your mind.” On the show, characters are, obviously, a really tight-knit group, a lot of great comradery stuff like that. When cameras aren’t rolling, do you guys like to do anything fun? Keep loose? Pranks on set? Or anything like that to keep morale high? Yeah, I’m the biggest prankster on set. As you can see on my Instagram, I’m pretty much always, specifically, I prank AJ more than anybody. But, it’s because he and I are just such buddies and he’s an easy target and I’m always around him. So he makes it easy and fun to pick on [him]. But, yeah, we kind of keep it as light as we possibly can in between. Clearly, there are days that are really serious and emotional and, on those days, yeah, things are a little different. But, when we’re out there running in the hills and shooting late nights and stacking up on doors to breach, we keep it as light as we possibly can and joke around. Make sure to tune in to “SEAL Team” Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. EST to catch new episodes. You know that I’ll be watching and keeping you all as updated as I can on the show! President Donald Trump said Thursday that it's time for the United States to recognize Israel's control over the disputed Golan Heights, an announcement that signals a shift in U.S. policy and comes ahead of the Israeli prime minister's planned visit next week to the White House. The administration has been considering recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan, which Israel captured from Syria in 1967. Last week, in its annual human rights report, the State Department dropped the phrase "Israeli-occupied" from the Golan Heights section, instead calling it "Israeli-controlled." "After 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel's Sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is of critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and Regional Stability!" Trump tweeted. Minutes later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted his appreciation. "At a time when Iran seeks to use Syria as a platform to destroy Israel, President Trump boldly recognizes Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Thank you President Trump!" In addition to its policies toward the Palestinians, the U.S. has taken a hard line toward Iran, much to Netanyahu's delight. Trump's announcement came as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in Jerusalem, lauding warm ties with Israel and promising to step up pressure on Iran. Pompeo's words gave a public boost to the Israeli leader at the height of a tight re-election campaign. Netanyahu is to be in Washington for two days next week — two weeks before Israel's April 9 ballot. Standing together in Jerusalem Thursday, neither Netanyahu nor Pompeo mentioned the heated Israeli election campaign. But Netanyahu, facing a tough challenge from a popular former military chief and reeling from a series of corruption allegations, has repeatedly sought to focus attention on his foreign policy record and strong ties with Trump. Pompeo has said his trip has nothing to do with politics. Netanyahu thanked Pompeo for the Trump administration's strong stance against Iran, which Israel regards as an existential threat. Netanyahu has accused Iran of attempting to set up a terrorist network to target Israel from the Golan Heights, using the incident to repeat his goal of international recognition for Israel's claim on the area. "You could imagine what would have happened if Israel were not in the Golan," he said. "You would have Iran on the shores of the Sea of Galilee." Pompeo paid a solemn visit Thursday to Jerusalem's Western Wall along with Netanyahu in an apparent sign of support for Israel's control of the contested city. Pompeo is the highest-ranking American official to tour the holy site with any Israeli leader. His visit was likely to further infuriate the Palestinians, who already have severed ties with the U.S. over its Jerusalem policies. Pompeo and Netanyahu prayed at the wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, before depositing written prayers in its crevices and then touring nearby tunnels and synagogue. Neither made any public comment at the site. The secretary said he thought it was important to visit the wall with the Israeli leader as a show of support for Israel. "I think it's symbolic that a senior American official go there with a prime minister of Israel," he said before making the trip. "It's a place that's important to many faiths and I'm looking forward to it. I think it will be very special." Israel captured east Jerusalem and the Old City in the 1967 Mideast war, and for decades, U.S. officials refrained from visiting the Western Wall with Israeli leaders to avoid the appearance of recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the city's most sensitive holy sites. The Palestinians seek east Jerusalem as the capital of a future state. But the Trump administration has upended the longstanding policy, moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem last year after recognizing the city as Israel's capital. Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its eternal and indivisible capital. Senior U.S. officials, including Trump and numerous predecessors, have visited the wall privately in the past, but never with an Israeli leader. The Old City is home to Jerusalem's most sensitive holy sites, including the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where tradition says Jesus was entombed and resurrected. Pompeo, a devout Christian, also stopped at the church. Next to the Western Wall is a hilltop compound revered by Jews as the Temple Mount and by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. The spot, which once housed the biblical Temples, is the holiest site in Judaism and today is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam. The competing claims to the site are a frequent source of tension and lie at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. When Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, he said it did not determine the city's final borders. But the gesture was perceived as unfairly siding with Israel and prompted the Palestinians to sever ties with the U.S. The Palestinians already have rejected a planned Mideast peace initiative by the administration. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said Pompeo's visit added additional obstacles to peace hopes. "While they are claiming to be trying to solve the conflict, such acts only make it more difficult to resolve," he said. While previous secretaries of state have traditionally met with the Palestinians when visiting the region, Pompeo has no such talks planned. "The Israelis and Palestinians live side-by-side. We need to help them figure out how to do that," Pompeo said. "It's a fact, and this administration wishes well for the Palestinian people." In addition to the Jerusalem recognition, the administration also has cut hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the Palestinians, helping fuel a financial crisis for Abbas' Palestinian Authority. At a meeting with Pompeo, Israel's President Reuven Rivlin expressed his deep concern about the Palestinians, both in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip and under the internationally backed Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. "If the Palestinian Authority will collapse, we will have to take care about what is going on," “And here he is demonstrating how it’s possible to be an asshole and a crybaby at the same time.” — former Rep. Joe Walsh (R), now a radio host, on President Trump‘s latest jabs at the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). Trump told a crowd at an Ohio tank factory on Wednesday that he never got “a thank you” for allowing McCain to have the funeral he wanted. McCain died from an intense form of brain cancer eight months ago. One Q: Was McCain supposed to thank him for that before or after he was six feet under? Journo wants #MeToo movement for fake claims “Saw @TPAIN last night and a woman behind me shoved me 3 different times because she couldn’t see (she was maybe 5’2, it was general admission w/ no seating). When I turned around to tell her to stop, she claimed I grabbed her breast. Is there a #MeToo for fake sex claims?” — Eddie Scarry, The Washington Examiner. The shoving continues… “Also, at what point is it okay to physically retaliate when you’re being very aggressively shoved? It was very literally bullying because of the power dynamic: I, male, had no power to act. She, female, knew that and kept shoving me #MeToo.” “First incident was prior to the show starting. She asked me and friend to move apart so she could see. Obviously not, given we were there together and it was general admission. So she literally used her weight (she was… what’s the word I’m looking for… fat) to move me #MeToo.” Other women start yelling at her “I told her she could stand somewhere up closer but that she couldn’t just take my spot using her weight. I s*** you not, she said to me, ‘I just did.’ Two women who saw what happened started yelling at her and told her she should have gotten here earlier #MeToo.” “A guy, I assume her bf, eventually took hold of this tiny big girl and pulled her back. She screamed at him for an hour about not being able to see. When show started, that’s when she began, at random, shoving me forward. #MeToo.” Uh oh… “The first time it happened, I turned around and she pretended not to even see me. Second time, I turned around and she screams ‘STOP TOUCHING ME!’” “And btw, this whole time, out of bitterness for being short but large, she held her hand up with her phone in it, camera on. THAT’S how she was viewing the stage and her arm was hitting my head over and over. #MeToo.” BTW, the concert was great! “Each time, her bf would hold her back, as if she was a celebrity he was protecting. Felt embarrassed for him. Why not either leave your violent little gf there alone or maybe take her away? The concert otherwise was great! #MeToo.” To Mirror readers: I can vouch for Eddie Scarry that he would never grab a woman’s breast. Joe and Mika are gaga over Pete Buttigieg, campare him to Barack Obama “Mika and I have been overwhelmed by the reaction @PeteButtigieg got after being on the show. The only other time in twelve years that we heard from as many people about a guest was after @BarackObama appeared on Morning Joe.” — Joe Scarborough, co-host, MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” Reaction to the McCain kerfuffle: What the hell, Lindsey Graham? “Trump says about McCain that he gave him the kind of funeral he wanted but didn’t get thanked. This is all about the fact that Trump wasn’t invited to McCain’s funeral and that Meghan McCain was clearly talking about him in her eulogy. He’s not over it.” — Yashar Ali, HuffPost, New York Mag. “I assume he means a thank you from the family. Trump may be a moron but he does understand that dead people can’t talk.” — Jonathan Chait, New York Mag. “Trump has usually gotten a positive reception at his rallies when he has gone after McCain. But today, at an army tank plant in Lima where POTUS said a third of the workforce is comprised of veterans, there was a very quiet response.” — Maggie Haberman, White House correspondent, NYT. Former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri): “I can’t understand how @LindseyGrahamSC can remain silent when his best friend in the world is trashed by POTUS. For gosh sakes Lindsey.” Meghan McCain recently pointedly explained on ABC’s “The View” that it is ex-Sen. Joe Leiberman (D-Conn.) who is her father’s real “best friend.” She shook her head adamantly no when one of the ladies suggested that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) was his best friend. McCain, the talkshow host, then urged her co-host, Joy Behar, to keep talking as she bashed Graham. Graham has tweeted tepidly kind things about Sen. McCain in recent days, but has not condemned or even named Trump when tweeting about the late senator. Trump is supporting Graham in his reelection efforts. On Wednesday, Graham FINALLY told NBC News, “I think the president’s comments about Sen. McCain hurt him more than they hurt the legacy of Sen. McCain … I don’t like it when he says things about my friend John McCain.” Sen. Graham: “I think the president’s comments about Sen. McCain hurt him more than they hurt the legacy of Sen. McCain … I don’t like it when he says things about my friend John McCain.” pic.twitter.com/GD9lppUIWt “Trump is gonna be shit talking John McCain and the pee dossier til the day I die and there’s nothing any of us can do about it, and he will be a major force in Republican politics and a kingmaker and a conservative media star long after he’s done presidenting.” — Asawin Suebsaeng, reporter, The Daily Beast. Journo Love FNC’s Janice Dean: Dear @MeghanMcCain, I love you. [heart emojis] ABC “The View” co-host Meghan McCain: Love you too. [heart emoji] Twitter recommends that a journo follow himself This is deep. “Pretty sure Twitter just suggested I follow me. Refreshed page too quickly and now can’t get it back. It just happened again. It was suggestion me as a ‘revenant person.’” — Josh Greenman, op-ed editor, New York Daily News. Daddy gets in NYT for cow news 12-year-old son: I got a 97 on my math test. Me: That’s nice. Daddy’s in the New York Times for helping a cow get twitter followers. Jenny McCarthy recalls the “Mommy Dearest” treatment she endured while working for ABC’s “The View” under Barbara Walters. How will the current ladies react to these memories? McCarthy made the claims in Ramin Setoodeh‘s impending book, Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Story Inside ‘The View.’Here. The excerpts were published in Vulture. Journo Britni de la Cretaz writes about BDSM and finding God. Just before midnight Wednesday, she expressed her fear about publishing this. She wrote, “The most personal thing I’ve written is publishing tomorrow and I might vomit when it does.” Here. John Hickenlooper, a former Democratic Colorado Governor and now a 2020 hopeful, once took his mom to see Deep Throat. CNN’s Dana Bash asked him about it during a CNN town hall Wednesday night. He was mortified, but answered the question. Here. Katie Couric once went on a date with Corey Booker. She dished to Wendy Williams about it. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer testifies at a House Ways and Means Committee on U.S.-China trade in Washington U.S., February 27, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque March 21, 2019 By Philip Blenkinsop BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union’s plans for trade negotiations with the United States fall far short of what is required and any idea of delaying formal talks would not work, the U.S. ambassador to the EU said on Thursday. The European Commission, which negotiates trade deals on behalf of the 28 EU countries, has presented two negotiating mandates to governments for approval, one on reducing tariffs on industrial goods, the other on making it easier for companies to clear their products for sale on both sides of the Atlantic. “The mandate that is being circulated falls far short of what even (Commission) President Juncker and President Trump discussed in July in Washington. The idea was to have a wide-ranging conversation about all aspects of our relationship,” Gordon Sondland told an AmCham business conference in Brussels. The EU and the United States ended months of standoff in July when President Donald Trump agreed with Jean-Claude Juncker not to hit EU car imports with extra tariffs while the two sides worked on improving economic ties. EU governments have failed so far to agree on launching formal trade talks, Germany pressing for a quick start, and France bidding for more time. Stalling, said Sondland, would have consequences. “The more the EU leadership plays the delay game the more we will have to use leverage to realign the relationship,” he said. Some in Europe, he said, believed they could simply wait for a new U.S. president, but this tactic would not work. “The (U.S.) Democrats disagree with President Trump on many issues…. but when it comes to fixing our trade imbalance with the EU there is no daylight between (us), none,” he said. A key part of the July agreement was to remove import duties on “non-auto industrial goods”. The EU has said cars should be included and rejected Washington’s demand that agriculture should feature in talks too. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told Congress last week that discussions were at a “complete stalemate”. The EU says progress has been made – its two negotiating mandates, discussions of possible regulatory cooperation and the doubling of U.S. soybean imports into Europe since July, although mainly because they are cheaper than rival imports. Sondland repeated the U.S. line that agriculture had to be part of trade discussions, but acknowledged that the two sides could build up deals piece by piece, as long as they did move though the issues. Beto O’Rourke campaigns in Conway, NH: “I just keep going back to Senator McCain himself and the example that he set for all of us, running for the presidency in 2008… The bar was really set by Sen. McCain.” pic.twitter.com/t4Q7QMO8pY “I just keep going back to Sen. McCain himself and the example that he set for all of us, running for the presidency in 2008,” O’Rourke said. “That kind of dignity and civility, and mutual respect in our politics is missing right now.” “The bar was really set by Sen. McCain,” O’Rourke said. “He really was extraordinary in that way.” Elected officials from both parties have taken Trump to task for his attacks on McCain, and Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer recently announced his intentions to reintroduce a bill to rename the Russell Senate Office Building after the 6-term Arizona Senator. FACT, an ethics watchdog group, filed a complaint with the IRS against Fair Fight Action, a nonprofit organization founded by Stacey Abrams. FACT says Fair Fight is violating its tax-exempt status by promoting Abrams’ political career instead of solely focusing on its stated goal of promoting voting rights. After losing her 2018 gubernatorial bid, Abrams openly considered a 2020 run for Senate and the White House. An ethics watchdog group filed a complaint with the IRS against Stacey Abrams’ nonprofit organization, Fair Fight Action, alleging it violated federal law. The Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) — a government watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. — is saying Fair Fight is working to promote Abrams’ political career in lieu of promoting voting rights, which, if accurate, it says would be in violation of its 501(c)(4) tax-exempt status. Originally founded in 2014 as Voter Access Institute, Abrams changed the name to Fair Fight Action in December 2018. Fair Fight’s stated goal is the promotion of voter rights, and it advocates for a number of different election reforms. However, under its 501(c)(4) tax-exempt status, it cannot provide “support for an individual’s personal political activities.” In its complaint to the IRS, FACT argues Abrams used Fair Fight to promote her own political ambitions. The complaint says since Abrams lost her gubernatorial election, Fair Fight has helped pay for Abrams’ statewide speaking tour, Facebook ads that attacked Georgia GOP Gov. Brian Kemp and promoted herself, a Super Bowl ad, hosted watch parties for supporters to “cheer” for Abrams as she gave the Democratic response to the State of the Union, and accepted donations from a “Stacey Abrams Fundraiser.” These activities have gone on as Abrams openly mulled a 2020 Senate candidacy and even a presidential bid. Former Vice President Joe Biden is reportedly considering Abrams as his running mate, should he run and win the Democratic presidential nomination. Any political run for office by Abrams, experts argue, would elevate concerns over Fair Fight’s activities. “It is extremely concerning that Stacey Abrams appears to be abusing our nation’s tax laws for her personal political gain,” Kendra Arnold, the executive director of FACT, said in a statement Tuesday. “The IRS has on numerous occasions ruled against groups trying to advance personal interests, and it is imperative the IRS investigate Fair Fight Action’s conduct.” Abrams’ team hit back against the complaint. “We know the playbook for Trump and his allies. They’re going to do whatever it takes to undermine our movement to ensure free and fair elections. We have to fight back now,” said Lauren Groh-Wargo — Abrams’ 2018 campaign manager who runs Fair Fight — in an email to supporters. Groh-Wargo called the complaint “baseless” and said her group was not promoting Abrams. ATLANTA, GA – NOVEMBER 02: Georgia Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams walks on stage and waves at the audience for a campaign rally at Morehouse College with Former US President Barack Obama on November 2, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. Obama spoke in Atlanta to endorse Abrams and encourage Georgians to vote. (Photo by Jessica McGowan/Getty Images) FACT pushed back against the accusation that it is a partisan organization, pointing out that it filed similar complaints with Republicans as well. This is not the first time a nonprofit led by Abrams received negative headlines. Third Sector Development, a nonprofit launched by Abrams that focuses on registering black voters, has been hit with seven different tax liens over the past few years for unpaid employment contributions. Georgia state regulators filed three tax liens against the group in the past year, and the Georgia Department of Labor filed four tax liens between 2014 and 2016. Abrams blamed the issues on clerical errors. Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected]. Actress Kate Beckinsale is taking her relationship with comedian Pete Davidson to the next level. The newly confirmed couple was spotted Tuesday at Nobu in Malibu, California, along with Beckinsale’s mom, Judy Loe, and her step-father, Roy Battersby. The group was photographed leaving the restaurant with Davidson driving. Davidson has openly talked about his relationship with Beckinsale and their 20 year age difference on “Saturday Night Live.” “Apparently, people have this crazy fascination with our age difference, but it doesn’t really bother us,” Davidson told his co-host on “SNL.” I have to give major props to Davidson to securing this relationship. I honestly doubted he’d be able to make it last when they first got together. If he’s meeting the parents, I’m sure the pair will be around for a while. Cristobal brought the entire Oregon coaching staff to Tuscaloosa to attend Alabama’s practice and meet with the Crimson Tide coaching staff on Monday and then headed to Athens, Ga. to meet with Georgia’s coaching staff and attend the Bulldogs’ first spring practice, according to a source with knowledge of the staff’s trip. … Cristobal served on as offensive line coach for the Crimson Tide from 2013-16 and Oregon tight ends and special teams coach Bobby Williams also worked at Alabama from 2008-17. What is Alabama doing here? Alabama is a national championship powerhouse of a program. Why the hell are they letting potential opponents check out their secret sauce? It makes no sense at all. When somebody breaks into your house, do you hand them a loaded gun? No, you blast them through the dry wall with as many .223 rounds as fast as possible. Yes, I understand Oregon and Alabama are in different conferences, but they could play in a bowl game. If that happens, I highly doubt the Crimson Tide and their faithful fans would want the Ducks to get an inside look at what they’re doing. Again, this isn’t some scrub school. This is Oregon that we’re talking about here. They’ve been really good for a really long time now. Saban must be trying to rehab his image and make people believe that he’s a nice guy. I’m not buying it. Allowing other coaches around you is insanely stupid. Why not just tweet out the whole playbook while you’re at it and save us all some time. What a sad fall from grace for Alabama, which was once such a proud program. P.S. Nobody cares about the Georgia visit because the Bulldogs haven’t won a title in my lifetime. Asked by Dana Bash if he would vow to put a woman on his presidential ticket, John Hickenlooper replied, “Of course,” and then said, “How come we’re not asking, more often, the women, ‘Would you be willing to put a man on the ticket?’” #CNNTownHallpic.twitter.com/AC7hWtyZ7D Several other male Democratic 2020 presidential candidates have encountered the same question regarding their vice president selection. When asked if he would consider a female running mate, former Democratic Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke said, “That would be my preference.” Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders expressed that he will be looking for a young female candidate upon announcement of his 2020 presidential bid. “I think we would look for somebody who is maybe not of the same gender that I am, and maybe someone who might be a couple of years younger than me, and somebody who can take the progressive banner as vice president and carry it all over this county,” Sanders said to the Young Turks. “I’m not going to box myself in, but should I become [the presidential nominee], you know I’ll be looking to women first.” Sanders continued. New Jersey Democratic Sen. Cory Booker stated outright that “there will be a woman on the ticket,” to reporters last week. “This campaign will comport itself according to the values of Senator Sanders, which means we will not engage in mudslinging or character assassination. That said, one of the reasons we hired Tyson is to prepare this campaign for whatever false accusations and allegations are leveled against us,” Shakir said in a statement. “Most importantly, Tyson’s work on this campaign will help us educate voters about the issues, policies and stances that the Senator has taken over the course of a lifetime fighting for working people.” Brody’s acquisition comes on the heels of the Sanders campaign hiring David Sirota as a top communication aide and speechwriter. Sirota wrote an opinion piece in 2013 headlined “Let’s hope the Boston Marathon Bomber is a white American.” Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected]. FILE PHOTO: Jane Philpott, when she was newly appointed president of the Treasury Board, signs a book in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, January 14, 2019. REUTERS/Patrick Doyle/File Photo March 21, 2019 By David Ljunggren OTTAWA (Reuters) – A Canadian cabinet minister, who had quit in protest over the government’s handling of a corruption scandal, said she and others had more to say about the matter, indicating more pain to come for embattled Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Trudeau has been on the defensive since Feb. 7 over allegations that top officials working for him leaned on former justice minister, Jody Wilson-Raybould, last year to ensure that construction firm SNC-Lavalin Group Inc avoided a corruption trial. “There’s much more to the story that should be told,” former treasury board president, Jane Philpott, told Macleans’ magazine in an interview released on Thursday. “I believe we actually owe it to Canadians as politicians to ensure that they have the truth,” she said. Philpott added that she and Wilson-Raybould had more to say but did not elaborate further. Philpott, a close political ally of Wilson-Raybould, quit on March 4. Trudeau has denied any political interference to protect SNC-Lavalin from a bribery trial. The crisis may threaten Trudeau’s reelection chances in the upcoming October vote. Polls show Trudeau’s center-left Liberals, who as recently as January looked certain to win the election, could lose to the official opposition Conservatives. As well as the two ministers, the affair has claimed Trudeau’s closest political aide and the head of the federal bureaucracy. A Liberal legislator who backed Wilson-Raybould quit on Wednesday to sit as an independent. Trudeau suffered further potential embarrassment on Thursday when SNC-Lavalin Chief Executive Neil Bruce denied he had told government officials that 9,000 jobs could be at risk if the firm was found guilty of offering bribes to Libyan officials. Trudeau has often referred to the 9,000 potential job losses as a reason for helping the firm, which wanted to take advantage of new legislation to pay a large fine rather than be prosecuted. “Until we are able to put this behind us, it’s pretty difficult to grow our Canadian workforce,” Bruce told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. on Thursday. Asked whether he had mentioned a specific number of jobs that could be at risk, he replied: “No, we never gave a number.” A court conviction would bar SNC-Lavalin from bidding on federal government contracts for 10 years. Bruce added that if the company’s share price continued to suffer, it might become a takeover target. He played down comments by officials that the company might move abroad. SNC-Lavalin’s headquarters are in the populous province of Quebec, where the Liberals say they need to pick up more seats in the October election to retain a majority government. Trudeau has dismissed calls for a public inquiry, noting the House of Commons justice committee was probing the matter. That committee – dominated by Liberal legislators – shut down its inquiry on Tuesday, saying no more action was needed. In protest, the Conservatives forced the House to sit through the night on Wednesday casting votes on hundreds of confidence motions. The marathon continued into Thursday. “We’ll keep fighting and we hope Canadians join us in this cause and raise their voices,” Conservative legislator Michelle Rempel told reporters. Browning shared the interaction on his Facebook page on Monday. He wrote, “The awesome crew at Petco-Atascocita did not disappoint!! They welcomed Oliver the African Watusi with open arms. The staff members here are always super friendly and courteous to us. We really enjoy coming to this location … our favorite Petco BY FAR!! The video has received over 500,000 views as of the publication of this piece. Oliver the steer is trained by Browning to compete in rodeos and other shows. Even though his specific weight is unknown, African Watusi bulls can weigh up to 1,600 pounds, according to Fox News. Oliver has his own Facebook page where Browning posts photos of the bull and announces places where Oliver is making appearances around the Houston area. As a native Houstonian, seeing a leashed bull enter a Petco would not shock me. In Texas, you’ll occasionally see a person riding a horse down the side of a street. All this story shows is that everything is truly bigger and better in Texas. Expanding the size of the Supreme Court: Sens. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Warren – all presidential candidates — told Politico they would consider increasing the number of justices on the high court. Addition of a new state: CNN noted every Democrat making a bid for the White House, who serves in the House or Senate, has endorsed making Washington D.C. a state. Lowering the voting age: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has endorsed lowering the voting age to 16, which would require a constitutional amendment. CNN noted the idea have little or no chance of becoming reality in the near future. And President Donald Trump commented on the proposals on Wednesday calling the Democrats "strange" for pushing them. LONDON (Reuters) – If British Prime Minister Theresa May hoped a televised address late on Wednesday would help persuade wavering lawmakers to support her Brexit deal, it appears to have backfired, instead alienating the very people she needs to win over. On Thursday, lawmakers lined up to attack the statement in which May blamed parliament for the need to seek a delay to Britain’s March 29 European Union exit. They branded it dangerous, reckless, toxic and irresponsible. May’s Brexit deal has twice been crushed by parliament, first in January in the largest government defeat in modern history and again this month by a smaller, yet still sizeable, margin. She needs to win over at least 75 lawmakers to get it through. “The Prime Minister’s statement was disgraceful,” said opposition Labour lawmaker Lisa Nandy, who represents a Brexit-supporting area. “Pitting parliament against the people in the current environment is dangerous and reckless,” she added on Twitter. “She’s attacking the MPs (Members of Parliament) whose votes she needs. It will have cost her support.” Nandy had put forward a proposal which backed May’s deal on the condition parliament has a greater say in the next phase of Brexit talks, but told ITV: “I will not support a government that takes such a dangerous, reckless approach to democracy.” After writing to the EU on Wednesday to request a three-month delay to Brexit, May told Britons parliament had done “everything possible to avoid making a choice”. “Of this I am absolutely sure: you the public have had enough. You are tired of the infighting. You are tired of the political games and the arcane procedural rows,” she said in the televised statement from her Downing Street office. “You want this stage of the Brexit process to be over and done with. I agree. I am on your side. It is now time for MPs to decide.” May’s statement succeeded in uniting both pro-Brexit and pro-EU lawmakers – against her. “If you are trying to persuade numbers of MPs to back a proposition, you don’t do that by insulting them,” pro-Brexit Conservative lawmaker Mark Francois told Sky News. Conservative Sam Gyimah, who quit as a government minister over the Brexit deal and now supports a second referendum, said May resorting to a “blame game” was “all part of her strategy to run down the clock and rule out other options. Toxic.” “DIAL DOWN THE HATE” Several lawmakers said they had received death threats in recent weeks as Brexit has come to a head in parliament, and warned May’s comments had fueled the flames. “Last week I received a message saying that my head should be chopped off,” said Labour lawmaker Paula Sherriff, who represents an electoral district neighboring one where Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was killed by a man obsessed with extreme right-wing ideology a week before the 2016 Brexit vote. “I apprehended the prime minister last Thursday evening and I begged her ‘dial down the hate prime minister,’” she told parliament. “People are frightened … and the prime minister must show some leadership.” Fellow Labour lawmaker Wes Streeting said May’s speech had been incendiary, warning on Twitter “If any harm comes to any of us, she will have to accept her share of responsibility.” Asked about the suggestion May’s speech had put lawmakers at risk, her spokeswoman said: “I would flatly reject that.” “It was a message to the public on a significant decision she has taken,” she said. In response to the concerns, parliament’s Speaker, John Bercow, told lawmakers: “None of you is a traitor, all of you are doing your best … I believe passionately in the institution of parliament, in the rights of members of this House and in their commitment to their duty.” “The sole duty of every member of parliament is to do what he or she thinks is right.” The chairwoman of the Tennessee Democratic Party admitted this week that she “used a poor choice of words” when she dismissed her state as “racist.” In her apology, published by the Tennessean newspaper of Nashville, Mary Mancini suggested Republicans in Tennessee are guilty of “bigotry, misogyny and homophobia.” Mancini wandered into the political minefield earlier this month at a meeting with County Coffee Democrats when she mused about the candidates that Tennessee Democrats were nominating — supposedly not selecting enough people of color, millennials or members of the LGBTQ community. In response to her frustration, Tennessee Republican Chairman Scott Golden told the Tennessean that Mancini’s words only hurt the image of the state while insisting Republicans are committed to “lift all Tennesseans up,” through education and employment. In the lead-up to that election, a Democratic communications officer said the “idiots” who voted for President Donald Trump “aren’t listening” to other viewpoints. US President Donald Trump arrives for a “Make America Great Again” campaign rally at McKenzie Arena, in Chattanooga, Tennessee on Nov. 4, 2018. (Photo by Nicholas Kamm / AFP/Getty Images) Mancini made her initial comments about race when she suggested a black candidate couldn’t win his state constituency because there are few minority voters and “two out of the three counties in that area are extraordinarily racist,” Mancini told the County Coffee Democrats, according to Fox. “I wasn’t the only one who was told that we need to run someone who is not African-American in that district, because (some believed) an African-American cannot win in that district because white people will not vote for an African-American,” Mancini told the Tennessean. It’s easy to do this once. It’s very easy for someone to be given something and to do it just one time. You put your absolute all into it. But to do it time after time and year after year, that’s when the motivation kind of dips, that’s when the dedication kind of lacks, and that’s when people creep up. That’s what I feel has happened here. I didn’t give him his respect. McGregor: “There was dispute in this last fight. I slapped his brother and cousin around on top of the cage. He tried to jump out and run. This is not over. So there’s dispute, there’s got to be a rematch. pic.twitter.com/PLDcxavMWV These two just need to do us all a favor and fight again immediately. Their fight at UFC 229 and the melee that followed was awesome. It’s what the UFC is all about. Dana White can claim it’s bad and all that stuff, but we know what the fans want. McGregor might not fight him right away again. He might have to take a smaller fight first, but make no mistake this isn’t settled yet. There is blood that has yet to be spilled between these two, and I can’t wait to watch them into the octagon together again. DUBLIN (Reuters) – The small Northern Irish party that props up British Prime Minister Theresa May’s government is no closer to backing her EU divorce agreement as talks between the sides continue, the party’s Brexit spokesman said on Thursday. The Democratic Unionist Party’s (DUP) 10 lawmakers in London have twice opposed the agreement May struck with the European Union and their support is vital if she is to stand any chance of reversing two heavy defeats. “No, we’re not yet. We will however continue to talk to the prime minister because we think it is our duty to try and undo some of the damage included in the Withdrawal Agreement,” the DUP’s Sammy Wilson told Irish national broadcaster RTE when asked if they were any closer to backing the deal. “We have made it quite clear that unless there is a legal means by which Northern Ireland would not be treated differently from the United Kingdom, not just assurances or promises but acting legislation, we will not be supporting the Withdrawal Agreement.” May made an impassioned appeal to British lawmakers to support her on Wednesday after the EU said it could only grant her request to delay Brexit for three months if parliament next week backed her plans for leaving. Wilson described the plea, in a televised address, as an attempt by the prime minister to try to shift the blame from “her own incompetent negotiations” and said she seemed to lump all those who voted against the deal together. In a bid to win over the DUP, May also said on Wednesday that she intended to put forward further domestic proposals to protect the internal market of the United Kingdom. Wilson said any proposals to keep Northern Ireland aligned with the rest of the United Kingdom would also have to be acceptable to the faction of Brexit hardliners in May’s own Conservative Party who are opposed to her deal and want a clean break from the EU. “There is no point in us agreeing to something that is not deliverable anyway, nor do we have any intention of doing so. That’s why there are a lot of gaps in the negotiations at present. We will continue to talk but time is running out,” he said. “It seems that if the agreement ever comes back to the House of Commons next week, those matters are not going to be resolved.” FILE PHOTO: Families and relatives of Islamic State militants are seen after they surrender themselves to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in al-Ayadiya, northwest of Tal Afar, Iraq, August 30, 2017. REUTERS/Ari Jalal/File Photo March 21, 2019 By Raya Jalabi BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The hallways of the Rusafa Central Criminal Court in Baghdad teemed with anxious toddlers on the days their mothers were on trial. Then they vanished again, into the women’s prison, where they have lived for the past year and a half. They sleep on thin mattresses in crowded cells, bored, hungry and often sick. They are the foreign children of Islamic State. Among them is Obaida, the two-year-old son of a Chechen woman, Laila Gazieva. Gazieva was detained in late 2017 while fleeing the Islamic State stronghold of Tal Afar in northern Iraq, and convicted six months later for belonging to the militant Islamist group. On the day Gazieva was sentenced to life in prison, so too were at least a dozen other young women, court records show. Obaida remains with his mother in a Baghdad women’s jail, according to Russian government records. About 1,100 children of Islamic State are caught in the wheels of Iraqi justice, said sources with knowledge of the penitentiary system. The youngest, like Obaida, stay with their mothers in prison. At least seven of these children have died because of the poor conditions, according to detainees, embassy records reviewed by Reuters and sources familiar with the prison. Several hundred older children are being prosecuted for offences ranging from illegally entering Iraq to fighting for Islamic State. Some 185 children aged nine to 18 have already been convicted and received sentences from a few months to up to 15 years in juvenile detention in Baghdad, said a spokesman for the judicial council that oversees the Rusafa Central Criminal Court, which is hearing most of the Islamic State cases involving foreigners. Seventy seven of those convicted children were girls. The children are the forgotten victims of Islamic State: betrayed by the parents who took them to a war zone, groomed from the age of four in the militants’ poisonous ideology and, in many instances, abandoned by the countries they came from for fear they are a future threat. In some 20 interviews, diplomats, the children’s mothers and sources familiar with their cases and the penitentiary system described the youngsters’ ordeal. Nadia Rainer Hermann, a German woman in her early twenties, serving a life sentence for belonging to Islamic State, told Reuters her two-year-old daughter spent her days on a dank mattress in a filthy and cramped cell in the women’s jail. “I’m afraid every day my daughter might get sick and die,” she said. The older children were angry and frustrated with their captivity, she said, and lashed out at the guards and one another. Iraqi government officials declined to comment about the foreign women and children in Iraqi custody or about the jail conditions. Iraq has said previously it wants to help those who aren’t guilty of any crime to return to their home countries. “IT WAS A GOOD LIFE” Gazieva spoke to Reuters in September 2017 when she and her son, an infant at the time, were being held in a camp near Mosul, in northern Iraq. She hoped that she and Obaida could return to France, where she lived before traveling to Iraq. But she doesn’t hold a French passport. “I don’t want to stay in this camp, or in this country. I’m terrified of what will happen to us,” she said. Gazieva, then aged 28, was sitting cross-legged on the floor of a large tent next to a small pile of her few remaining belongings, her hands fiddling with her French residence card. On her lap lay Obaida, his small body sweating under the Iraqi sun. He was crying and hungry; Gazieva said she wasn’t producing enough milk to feed him properly. Dressed in the black clothing favored by followers of Islamic State, Gazieva was among 1,400 women and children packed into overflowing tents in the dusty encampment. She spoke to her son in Russian, while dozens of young mothers with infants nearby spoke in German, French and Turkish. They sat in clusters, on mounds of blankets. Armed guards walked among the older children. The Iraqis had no idea what to do with their captives. They presented Iraq and nearly two dozen foreign governments with an unprecedented legal and diplomatic challenge. While there was nothing unusual in men going abroad to fight, this was the first time so many women and children had joined them. There is no universal law governing repatriations, said Clive Stafford Smith, the founder of Reprieve, a legal charity that campaigns for human rights. Gazieva said she had ended up in Islamic State territory unwittingly. Aged 17, she fled separatist violence in Russia’s Chechnya region and settled in France. Then, in 2015, after divorcing her husband – a man who, in her view, was not sufficiently devout – she said she set off on a tour of Turkey with some Russian women she’d met in a chat room. She left her three children behind in France, for what she said was a short holiday. Gazieva said the women convinced her to drive down the coast. She realized too late that they had entered Syria. She was scared at first, but then grew to like Islamic State. Within a few months she had married a Chechen Islamic State fighter, “because that’s what you did,” and moved to Iraq. For a time, at least, life in the so-called caliphate was good, Gazieva said. Obaida was born in the general hospital of Mosul with the help of Iraqi midwives conscripted by Islamic State when the Iraqi city was still firmly in its grip. Foreign fighters and their families held elite status in the city. They were given nicer homes – confiscated from Iraqi owners – and better rations and medical care. “Life here was like in France, except that here I was free to practice my religion in peace,” she said. “My mother didn’t understand, she said I’d changed. But I’m like before, I just wear a niqab,” she added, referring to her face covering. A few months after Obaida was born, Iraqi and U.S. forces began a campaign to take back Mosul. By then, Gazieva was a widow and living in the northern town of Tal Afar, where she escaped the fighting. Once again, life was charmed, according to Gazieva and fighters and their families interviewed by Reuters. In Tal Afar, the women had chicken coops and friendly neighbors. “It was a good life,” she said, “except for the bombings. But when I was a child, there was a war in Chechnya, so I’m used to bombings.” Things changed in August 2017. Iraqi forces had taken back Mosul and the fighting moved north. Women, children and the remaining Islamic State men fled from Tal Afar through Kurdish-held territory towards the Turkish border. They traveled on foot in groups of 20 or more, describing a harrowing journey which lasted days, walking on roads strewn with body parts, drones buzzing overhead. They said they had been told by diplomats and friends who’d made the trek in the weeks before that the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters would let them cross into Turkey. Instead, they were made to surrender. After several days in Kurdish custody, Gazieva and her son were transferred with the other women and children to Iraqi federal authorities in Mosul, going from the dusty refugee camp to a detention facility where they lived in an uncovered prison yard. The captives were taken to Baghdad in late 2017, where they have remained ever since, joined by foreign women and children detained elsewhere in Iraq. In all, up to 2,000 foreign women and children are in Iraqi custody, said sources with knowledge of the penitentiary system. ANXIOUS, IDLE AND TRAUMATIZED Documents from the Rusafa Central Criminal Court, reviewed by Reuters, show that Gazieva was one of 494 foreign women convicted there between late 2017 and August 2018 for belonging to or aiding Islamic State. The women are citizens of more than 18 countries, mainly Turkey, Russia and countries of central Asia. Records from one of the two chambers that are hearing the cases showed that up to 20 women were sentenced to death by hanging for belonging to Islamic State or participating in its activities. So far, none of these sentences have been carried out, judicial sources said. The women’s prison in central Baghdad was not equipped to handle the arrival of so many women and their children. The jail is overcrowded and rife with disease, said inmates, diplomats who have visited the captives and sources familiar with the prison. Hermann, the German woman who was sentenced to life in prison in August 2018, spoke to Reuters through the bars of a courthouse holding cell, about three by 10 meters large. “We sleep 12 to a room smaller than this, not counting the children,” she said. Hermann was one of six women interviewed by Reuters. The majority of the children are still living with their mothers in prison, anxious, idle and traumatized, said diplomats and sources close to the penitentiary system. They include toddlers, like Obaida, and children as old as 12. There is limited medical attention, and many of the foreign women and children are suffering from a scabies infestation and malnutrition, among other ailments. They didn’t have enough clothes to keep warm during the winter. Some of the women cut up the abayas, or robes, they wore on arrival, to make hats and socks for their children. The women sleep on thin mattresses on the floor with a few blankets to share, food is served in meager portions, and the guards have on many occasions kept flickering lights on for days at a time, three women told Reuters. Aid agencies are helping the Iraqi government provide essentials for the women and children, including clothes and milk, but funds are limited and foreign governments are barely pitching in. At least seven young children, including Russians and Azeris, have died in the jail because of the squalid conditions, according to several detainees, two prison guards, people who have visited the prisoners and embassy records reviewed by Reuters. At least three women have also died, intelligence and diplomatic sources said. Iraqi government officials declined to comment. Confirming the identities of the women and children is hard in a maze of conflicting testimony and unreliable paperwork. There were few original documents to work with because many of the women parted with their identity cards in a pledge of allegiance to Islamic State. Family ties, nationalities and identities were mostly compiled from interviews with the detainees. In some instances, Iraqi authorities carried out DNA tests. Some children are tethered to women who aren’t their mothers. Four women told Reuters they believed it was their duty to look after the children of dead friends or relatives. Others had taken into their care kidnapped Iraqi children, their fellow prisoners said. When questioned by authorities, the women identified these children as their own. During the fight for Mosul, Iraqi security forces found about 90 foreign children wandering the battlefield alone or in the care of strangers. In most cases, the children were identified and many were sent home. But some were too young or too traumatized to tell aid workers who they were, and about a dozen remain, unidentified, in an orphanage in Baghdad. “THE LONGER WE KEEP THEM, THE HARDER IT WILL BE” In September 2017, Iraq’s prime minister at the time, Haider al-Abadi, said his government was “in full communication” with the foreign children’s home countries “to find a way to hand them over.” But by January 2018, talks had stalled, and Iraq began prosecutions, diplomats said. Children over the age of nine are held criminally responsible under Iraqi law, compared with 11 at a federal level in the United States and 14 in Germany. The children’s cases are heard by a juvenile court, where they face three possible charges under Iraq’s counter-terrorism laws: illegally entering Iraq, which carries a maximum one year in detention; membership of Islamic State, which carries five to seven years; and assisting Islamic State in carrying out terrorist activities, which can bring up to 15 years. Some child defendants had joined attacks on Iraqi forces, blown up checkpoints and built explosive devices, said an expert on Iraqi juvenile justice. Judge Aqeel al-Birmani, a counter-terrorism judge who has sentenced some of the children’s parents, told Reuters: “Some of them may be young but they knew what they were doing. They were trained to lie.” Children under 13 who haven’t committed violence generally receive sentences of three to six months for illegally entering Iraq. They are then free to return home, in theory. But in reality, many of them end up staying in Iraqi children’s homes, unwanted by their home countries. Sentences are harsher for older children. German teenager Linda Wenzel, for example, is serving six years in juvenile detention for membership of Islamic State and illegally entering Iraq. German officials declined to comment on specific cases. The Interior Ministry said it estimates up to 150 adults and children who are German nationals or may have a claim to German residency are in detention in Iraq. Social workers worry about the long sentences, particularly for older children who will be moved into adult facilities after they turn 18. There, they fear, any efforts made to rehabilitate the detainees in juvenile facilities will be undone by exposure to violent criminals. “Children should be detained only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest period necessary,” said Laila Ali, a spokesperson for Unicef Iraq. “When children are detained, specific measures adapted to their age must be taken to protect them, regardless of the reason for the deprivation of their liberty.” Fionnuala Ni Aolain, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights While Countering Terrorism, said in terms of international law, reintegration and rehabilitation “the longer we keep them there, the harder that is going to be.” Across the border in Syria, foreign children of more than a dozen different nationalities have been lingering in camps, while European governments wrangle over their fates. France said on March 15 it had repatriated several young children from camps in northern Syria. The children were orphaned or separated from their parents. For Gazieva, the choices over her son’s future are bleak. Since she doesn’t hold a French passport, her son has no claim to French nationality. Russia, the country Gazieva ran away from, might be her son’s only option to leave Iraq. Russia’s Foreign Ministry didn’t respond to questions about Gazieva’s case. It said an operation to evacuate Russian children from Iraq had begun in the autumn of 2017 and Russian officials in Baghdad continued to work to bring home all Russian minors. The fates of the children of some other nations are less clear. Turkey accounts for the largest number of foreign children in Iraqi custody, people familiar with the penitentiary system said. Turkish diplomats are monitoring the health of these children and providing medicines, a Turkish official said. Efforts are being made to bring home Turkish citizens who are not guilty of any crime, starting with the children, the official added. Other children are from Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan with a scattered few from Jordan, Syria, France, Germany and Trinidad and Tobago. Legal charity Reprieve is involved in the cases of foreign fighters and their families detained in Syria and to a lesser extent Iraq. Founder Stafford Smith said countries “have a legal responsibility to their citizens, particularly vulnerable ones like children who are in detention through no fault of their own.” But some countries are dragging their feet, according to diplomats and other sources familiar with the cases. Some children born in Islamic State territory don’t have recognized birth certificates, making it difficult to prove their nationality. Germany, Georgia and France have repatriated some children. A French official said such decisions were made case by case, taking into consideration whether the mother wanted to give up her child and whether separation was in the child’s interest. Tajikistan has said it will take children back soon. But some governments have little incentive to bring women and children back. There is little public sympathy for the children of militants. “It’s a sensitive issue given the public’s reaction,” said a Western diplomat in Baghdad. “We’re discussing returning the children of people responsible for blowing up their cities.” (Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad, Alissa de Carbonnel in Brussels, Maria Tsvetkova in Moscow, John Irish in Paris, Tulay Karadeniz in Ankara and Andrea Shalal in Berlin; editing by Janet McBride and Richard Woods) A man removes broken glass from a window after multiple explosions in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 21, 2019. REUTERS/Parwiz March 21, 2019 By Akram Walizada and Hameed Farzad KABUL (Reuters) – Several explosions in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Thursday killed six people and wounded 23 in an attack during celebrations to mark the Persian new year, government spokesmen said. The attacks came on Nowruz, an ancient Persian festival to mark the start of spring that is widely celebrated in Afghanistan but has also faced opposition from some hardline Islamists, who say it is un-Islamic. There were conflicting reports about of the cause of the blasts near the Kart-e Sakhi shrine, in a heavily Shi’ite Muslim area in the west of Kabul. An interior ministry spokesman said mortar bombs had been fired. The defense ministry said in a post on twitter that three rockets were fired at civilian homes and Nowruz gatherings. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Broken windows and collapsed walls were visible on homes and shops near the blast site. Blood stained the side of the road. “It was terrible,” said Sayed Samim Sadit, a shopkeeper, who said he and his family were unhurt. “We were all sitting in our home and all the glass blew in on us.” Elderly resident Haji Rajab Ali said he saw two explosions in front of him and later awoke to find himself in hospital. Afghanistan’s defense ministry said police had arrested Thursday’s attacker and secured the area. The attack happened two weeks after a mortar attack on a Shi’ite Muslim gathering in Kabul that killed 11 people. Islamic State claimed responsibility for that attack. Shi’ites are a minority group in Afghanistan and they have been repeatedly attacked by Sunni Muslim militant groups. Violence has been relentless in Afghanistan even though Taliban militants are in talks with U.S. officials. The latest round of talks wrapped up this month, with both sides citing progress, but no agreement to end the 17-year war. The Taliban are fighting to expel foreign forces and to oust the Western-backed government of President Ashraf Ghani. (Additional reporting by Rod Nickel and Hamid Shalizi in Kabul; Editing by Robert Birsel) LONDON (Reuters) – The European Union could next week hold an emergency summit to offer a Brexit extension with potentially onerous conditions such as holding another referendum, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Thursday. “There could be and we don’t know there will be an EU emergency summit to offer us an extension,” Hunt told BBC radio. “We don’t know what the length would be and it could have some very onerous conditions,” such as holding another referendum. He said such an option would be unlikely to be supported by the British parliament. Hunt said the government did not yet know whether Prime Minister Theresa May’s twice-defeated Brexit deal would be brought back to parliament next week. “Do we resolve this or have Brexit paralysis?” Hunt said. He said a no-deal exit on March 29 remained the legal default. Hunt said if the deadlock remained next week – parliament still had the option to vote to revoke Article 50 and cancel the entire Brexit process, though it was “highly unlikely” TOKYO (Reuters) – China’s Olympic silver medalists Sui Wenjing and Han Cong took the pairs skating crown at the World Championships on Thursday after a breathtaking free skate at the Saitama Super Arena. Despite a season blighted by injury, the 2017 world champions skated a lyrical, moving program for a season’s best 155.60 (234.84 combined), drawing a packed crowd to its feet with their clean jumps and gorgeous lifts. “This has been a difficult year for us, we’ve had injuries and other issues,” said Sui, who laughed as Han pumped his fists at the end of the routine. “But our coaches and team gave us support that we were able to turn into strength.” Russians filled out the rest of the podium with second place going to Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov after a regal but mistake-marred program that included the latter putting his hand to the ice in the wake of their Triple toe loop. “In the free program it was tough and we had to fight for every single element,” Morozov said after their routine, which garnered a season’s best 147.26 for a total of 228.47. “It was totally different to yesterday, we were struggling to get everything right.” Third place went to Natalia Zabiiako and Alexander Enbert, whose dynamic program earned them 144.02 and a combined total of 217.98. European champions Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres, favorites going into the worlds after an undefeated season, were only able to manage fifth. Frenchwoman James collided with Italian skater Matteo Guarise during warm ups for the short program on Wednesday and fell after a botched landing in their routine. “Worlds hasn’t been our best friend, I fell on the twist in the short program once and I fell on the triple Salchow before, but we know that each time we are getting stronger,” said Canadian-born James. Cipres echoed her determination. “I think we did our job today and we are never giving up. We won’t give up until we get the world title.” The World Championships continue at the arena north of Tokyo until March 23, with the most-watched contest – the men’s singles – beginning later on Thursday. TOKYO (Reuters) – China’s Olympic silver medalists Sui Wenjing and Han Cong took the pairs skating crown at the World Championships on Thursday after a breathtaking free skate at the Saitama Super Arena. Despite a season blighted by injury, the 2017 world champions skated a lyrical, moving program for a season’s best 155.60 (234.84 combined), drawing a packed crowd to its feet with their clean jumps and gorgeous lifts. “This has been a difficult year for us, we’ve had injuries and other issues,” said Sui, who laughed as Han pumped his fists at the end of the routine. “But our coaches and team gave us support that we were able to turn into strength.” Russians filled out the rest of the podium with second place going to Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov after a regal but mistake-marred program that included the latter putting his hand to the ice in the wake of their Triple toe loop. “In the free program it was tough and we had to fight for every single element,” Morozov said after their routine, which garnered a season’s best 147.26 for a total of 228.47. “It was totally different to yesterday, we were struggling to get everything right.” Third place went to Natalia Zabiiako and Alexander Enbert, whose dynamic program earned them 144.02 and a combined total of 217.98. European champions Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres, favorites going into the worlds after an undefeated season, were only able to manage fifth. Frenchwoman James collided with Italian skater Matteo Guarise during warm ups for the short program on Wednesday and fell after a botched landing in their routine. “Worlds hasn’t been our best friend, I fell on the twist in the short program once and I fell on the triple Salchow before, but we know that each time we are getting stronger,” said Canadian-born James. Cipres echoed her determination. “I think we did our job today and we are never giving up. We won’t give up until we get the world title.” The World Championships continue at the arena north of Tokyo until March 23, with the most-watched contest – the men’s singles – beginning later on Thursday. FILE PHOTO: A Lockheed Martin F-35 aircraft is seen at the ILA Air Show in Berlin, Germany, April 25, 2018. REUTERS/Axel Schmidt -/File Photo March 21, 2019 By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States could soon freeze preparations for delivering F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, officials told Reuters, in what would be the strongest signal yet by Washington that Ankara cannot have both the advanced aircraft and Russia’s S-400 air defense system. The United States is nearing an inflection point in a years-long standoff with Turkey, a NATO ally, after so far failing to sway President Tayyip Erdogan that buying a Russian air defense system would compromise the security of F-35 aircraft. “The S-400 is a computer. The F-35 is a computer. You don’t hook your computer to your adversary’s computer and that’s basically what we would be doing,” Katie Wheelbarger, acting assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, told Reuters. While no decision has been made yet, U.S. officials confirmed that Washington was considering halting steps now underway to ready Turkey to receive the F-35, which is built by Lockheed Martin Corp. “There (are) decisions that come up constantly about things being delivered in anticipation of them eventually taking custody of the planes,” said Wheelbarger. “So there’s a lot of things in train that can be paused to send signals to them (that we’re serious),” she added, without detailing those steps. However, another U.S. official said one of the measures the United States was looking at was alternatives to an engine depot in Turkey, without giving more details. The official said any potential alternatives would likely be somewhere in Western Europe. Turkey is home to an F-35 engine overhaul depot in the western city of Eskisehir. If Turkey was removed from the F-35 program, it would be the most serious crisis in the relationship between the two allies in decades, according to Bulent Aliriza, director of the Turkey project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The strains on ties between Washington and Ankara already extend beyond the F-35 to include strategy in Syria, Iran sanctions and the detention of U.S. consular staff. “This (the F-35 standoff) is really a symptom, not a cause of the problem between the two countries,” Aliriza said. Many U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, worry that Turkey is drifting away from NATO and watch improving relations between Ankara and Moscow with concern. The prospect of Russian contractors or officials on Turkish bases that also are home to the F-35 is unfathomable to many U.S. officials. The tensions could further escalate. If Ankara goes ahead with the Russian deal, Turkey also could face U.S. sanctions. ERDOGAN IMPASSE Despite U.S. hopes that Turkey may still forgo the S-400, experts say Erdogan may have already backed himself into a rhetorical corner. He has repeatedly said he would not reverse course on the S-400, saying earlier in March: “Nobody should ask us to lick up what we spat.” A decision to drop Turkey from the F-35 program would have broader repercussions, since Ankara helps manufacture parts for the aircraft, including components of the landing gear, cockpit displays and aircraft engines. Wheelbarger acknowledged that the Pentagon, in light of the standoff, was looking “across the board” at potential alternate suppliers for F-35 parts, including in other NATO countries. “It’s prudent program planning…to ensure that you have stability in your supply chain,” she said, without speculating that Turkey might be dropped from the program. Washington has sought to persuade Turkey to purchase the American-made Raytheon Co Patriot defense system, instead of S-400s. Erdogan has said that Turkey was still open to buying Patriot systems from the United States but only if the conditions are suitable. Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said that in addition to the Patriot air defense system, the American offer “includes significant government-to-government cooperation on advanced system development.” Although Turkey has held out the prospect of buying both the S-400 and the Patriot system, the United States has warned Turkey it will take its offer of Patriots off the table unless it changes course. A Turkish S-400 purchase could also trigger a fight with the U.S. Congress, which has already blocked all major arms sales to Ankara while the S-400 deal is pending. Lawmakers could renew attempts to introduce legislation that would legally prohibit the Trump administration from allowing Turkey to have the F-35 if it secures the S-400s. Morris Dees, the group’s co-founder, was abruptly fired last week for failing to meet “the mission of the organization and the values we hope to instill in the world,” according to a statement from SPLC President Richard Cohen to The Daily Caller News Foundation. Carlson noted Dees’ firing “under mysterious circumstances” and the irony that a group that often falsely labels others as “racist, sexist bigots” would be accused of those things itself. WATCH:[embedded content] “This group has been rotten for years,” said Carlson. “Why are people just now noticing?” “The story actually is really, really bad,” said O’Neil. “You had 13 black former employees of the SPLC interviewed. Twelve of them said they witnessed racist incidents in their time there and three of them called the organization a plantation for its black workers.” Dees’ firing was first reported by the Montgomery Advertiser, which included a reference to its 1994 series on racism within the organization and the co-founder’s “near singular control over the organization and its mammoth budget.” The series, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, revealed a figure seen as heroic by some and single-minded by others. Dees’ critics said he was more concerned with fundraising than litigating. The series also alleged discriminatory treatment of black employees within the advocacy group, despite its outward efforts to improve the treatment of minorities in the country. Staffers at the time “accused Morris Dees, the center’s driving force, of being a racist and black employees have ‘felt threatened and banded together.’” The organization denied the accusations raised in the series. The Milwaukee Bucks played without All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo for a second consecutive game Wednesday night as he continues to nurse a sprained right ankle. Antetokounmpo, a candidate for MVP, did not play in the Bucks’ road game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. He also missed Tuesday’s victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, who were without their own superstar, LeBron James (sore left groin). Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said of Antetokounmpo before Wednesday’s game, “He’s making progress, he just can’t go tonight. It’s us hopefully being smart and being somewhat cautious, but it’s more than that. He can’t play. We’ll see how the next 24-48 hours go, and I’m hopeful he’ll be in a good place as we move forward.” The NBA-best Bucks (53-19) fell 107-102 to the Cavaliers, who own the third-worst record in the league at 19-53. Milwaukee returns home Friday for a game against the Miami Heat. –Bucks power forward Nikola Mirotic will miss two-to-four weeks with a “slight fracture” of his left thumb, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported. The Bucks acquired Mirotic from the New Orleans Pelicans at the trade deadline to provide depth off the bench. The team confirmed the injury but did not update his status. Since the trade, Mirotic has played in 14 games (three starts), averaging 11.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 22.9 minutes per game. Mirotic sustained the injury in the Bucks’ 115-101 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday. The injury likely will keep him out the rest of the regular season. –The NBA Summer League will have an international flavor in 2019, as the Chinese and Croatian national teams will join all 30 NBA teams in participating in the league, which will be held July 5-15 in Las Vegas, the NBA announced. Team China played in Las Vegas at the 2007 NBA Summer League, but Team Croatia is making its debut at the event, marking the first time the league will have two international teams. Each of the 32 teams will play four preliminary games, with the top eight teams seeded into a tournament to determine the champion. Those that don’t make the championship bracket will play a consolation game. “It’s a litmus test, right? Is there a Democratic candidate who is saying no? Cory Booker kind of tapped the breaks on it, whoa, whoa, whoa, I don’t know. But he will get there. This is happening,” Perino stated. “Remember, it’s Eric Holder also, I think, who during the Obama administration suggested this. But the Democrats didn’t need to talk about this when President Obama was president because he won the Electoral College. Okay?” (RELATED: Democratic Lawmaker Introduces Constitutional Amendment To Abolish The Electoral College) “The institutions have held up but the Democrats are now talking about actually dismantling those institutions. And what is interesting to me is that the reason that the country is set up this way with different states is because we are republic. You have a representative government,” she continued. “If you do away with that and you just elect the president by whoever lives in New York and California, then, and you just erase all of those boundaries, then you truly are for open borders,” Perino concluded. “Then you are no longer of the United States of America. You are like united people of America where perhaps, not so united, right, just the people of America.” Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio rebuked the Democrats’ plan to get rid of the Electoral College on twitter Tuesday morning. US senator Marco Rubio, addresses the press on the humanitarian aid shipments sent by the US government for Venezuela that are stockpiled at a collection center in the Colombian border, at the Simon Bolivar international bridge in Cucuta, Colombia, border with San Antonio de Tachira, Venezuela on February 17, 2019. (LUIS ROBAYO/AFP/Getty Images) President Donald Trump also supported the Electoral College on Twitter, saying, “Campaigning for the Popular Vote is much easier & different than campaigning for the Electoral College. It’s like training for the 100 yard dash vs. a marathon. The brilliance of the Electoral College is that you must go to many States to win.” Twelve states have passed laws mandating that their Electoral College votes go to the winner of the national popular vote, but none of the laws will go into effect unless the combined number of Electoral College votes reach 270 — the number of votes needed for a presidential candidate to win. I also want to congratulate all of you who will be taking this journey with me for another run through March and into early April. The eyes of the world are upon us as we prepare to do battle against one another. While I might hate you all on the court, we share a bond as college basketball fans that is simply unbreakable. We walked on the moon and we play basketball. Find me another country that can say the same. You can’t. I hope you all are even a fraction as excited as I am. We’re going to drink some beers, debate nonstop for the next three weeks, win some money (probably won’t come out on top) and maybe we’ll even get smitten with a few young ladies that share our desires for great post defense, boxing out and working the shot clock. If only we could be so lucky. FILE PHOTO: Mar 5, 2019; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Novak Djokovic (SRB) works on the practice court in preparation for the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports March 21, 2019 By Steve Keating MIAMI (Reuters) – World number one Novak Djokovic on Wednesday dismissed any suggestion of friction with Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal as tennis politics spilled over to the Miami Open. Tension between the three biggest names in men’s tennis appeared on the rise after Djokovic, president of the ATP Player Council, rebuffed a request by Federer to meet during the BNP Paribas in Indian Wells earlier this month to discuss the future of ATP chairman Chris Kermode. Despite a tenure which brought record prize money and growth, Kermode was ousted as ATP chief when players’ representatives on the ATP Board failed to endorse an extension of the Englishman’s contract. As head of the 10 member Player Council Djokovic had been pushing for change while Federer and Nadal backed Kermode or at the least felt the issue needed more discussion. “I saw Roger today, we were in the opening ceremony cutting the ribbon on center court,” said Djokovic during his pre-tournament press conference on Wednesday. “We had a small chat there was no time to talk about the political stuff. “That is hopefully something we will have time in the next few days to go through. “It’s not necessary for you guys to create any tensions between us. In contrary I have a very good relations with both of them.” With Kermode’s status decided Federer said on Wednesday that he is still willing to talk to Djokovic but with the decision made saw no urgency to meet. “A lot of stuff has been decided already so we’ll see if this week is going to happen or not but we are not chasing each other at this point,” said Federer. “If it happens, it happens.” For his part Djokovic appeared eager to wash his hands of the entire affair reminding everyone that it was the three players representatives on the ATP board that voted not to renew Kermode’s contract and not the Player Council, which was only part of the discussion. The Serb added that if Federer and Nadal have opinions they were welcome to share them with the Player Council at any time. “The player council is only part of the structure,” said Djokovic. “We are not part of the board or deciding anything that is voted on later on. “We are in consultation and collaboration with our player board representatives. “Board members are the ones voting on what they think is appropriate for the players side. “Federer and Nadal have been icons of our sport for so many years and their opinions are extremely important to everyone. “If they want to be active and part of it, either officially or unofficially, I think it’s only positive news for us.” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is coming to the defense of his late friend John McCain in the face of continued attacks by President Donald Trump. After Trump threw another volley of verbal shots at McCain, a war hero, former POW, and retired Republican senator who died after a battle with brain cancer last August, Graham told reporters Wednesday that Trump's words are doing more damage to himself than McCain. "I think the president's comments about Sen. McCain hurt him more than they hurt the legacy of Sen. McCain," Graham said. "I'm going to try to continue to help the president. "My job is to represent the people of South Carolina. They want me to work with the president where I can. I've gotten to know the president. We have a good working relationship. I like him." Graham, however, added he is not happy when Trump takes aim at McCain. The president and the late senator feuded ever since Trump questioned his status as a war hero during the 2016 campaign. Trump is still bitter about McCain's no vote on the Obamacare repeal in 2017, which killed the measure. "I don't like when he says things about my friend John McCain," Graham said. "The best thing that can happen, I think, for all of us is to move forward." Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is coming to the defense of his late friend John McCain in the face of continued attacks by President Donald Trump. After Trump threw another volley of verbal shots at McCain, a war hero, former POW, and retired Republican senator who died after a battle with brain cancer last August, Graham told reporters Wednesday that Trump's words are doing more damage to himself than McCain. "I think the president's comments about Sen. McCain hurt him more than they hurt the legacy of Sen. McCain," Graham said. "I'm going to try to continue to help the president. "My job is to represent the people of South Carolina. They want me to work with the president where I can. I've gotten to know the president. We have a good working relationship. I like him." Graham, however, added he is not happy when Trump takes aim at McCain. The president and the late senator feuded ever since Trump questioned his status as a war hero during the 2016 campaign. Trump is still bitter about McCain's no vote on the Obamacare repeal in 2017, which killed the measure. "I don't like when he says things about my friend John McCain," Graham said. "The best thing that can happen, I think, for all of us is to move forward." Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is coming to the defense of his late friend John McCain in the face of continued attacks by President Donald Trump. After Trump threw another volley of verbal shots at McCain, a war hero, former POW, and retired Republican senator who died after a battle with brain cancer last August, Graham told reporters Wednesday that Trump's words are doing more damage to himself than McCain. "I think the president's comments about Sen. McCain hurt him more than they hurt the legacy of Sen. McCain. I'm going to try to continue to help the president," Graham said. "My job is to represent the people of South Carolina. They want me to work with the president where I can. I've gotten to know the president. We have a good working relationship. I like him." Graham, however, added that he's not happy when Trump takes aim at McCain. The president and the late senator feuded ever since Trump questioned his status as a war hero during the 2016 campaign. Trump is still bitter about McCain's no vote on the Obamacare repeal in 2017, which killed the measure. "I don't like when he says things about my friend John McCain," Graham said. "The best thing that can happen, I think, for all of us is to move forward." FILE PHOTO: The logo of Amnesty International is seen next to director of Mujeres En Linea Luisa Kislinger, during a news conference to announce the results of an investigation into humans rights abuses committed in Venezuela during protests against President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela February 20, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Jass March 21, 2019 LONDON (Reuters) – Amnesty International attacked the electric vehicle (EV) industry on Thursday for selling itself as environmentally friendly while producing many of its batteries using polluting fossil fuels and unethically sourced minerals. Manufacturing batteries can be carbon intensive, while the extraction of minerals used in them has been linked to human rights violations such as child labor, a statement from the rights group said. “Electric vehicles are key to shifting the motor industry away from fossil fuels, but they are currently not as ethical as some retailers would like us to believe,” it said, announcing the initiative at the Nordic Electric Vehicle Summit in Oslo. Production of lithium-ion batteries for EVs is power intensive, and factories are concentrated in China, South Korea and Japan, where power generation is largely dependent on coal or other fossil fuels, Amnesty said. Global automakers are investing billions of dollars to ramp up electric vehicle production. German giant Volkswagen for one plans to raise annual production of electric cars to 3 million by 2025, from 40,000 in 2018. Amnesty demanded the EV industry come up with an ethical and clean battery within five years and in the meantime that carbon footprints be disclosed and supply chains of key minerals identified. Last month, a letter seen by Reuters showed that 14 non-governmental organizations including Amnesty and Global Witness had opposed plans by the London Metal Exchange to ban cobalt tainted by human rights abuses. Instead of banning the cobalt brands, the LME should work with firms that produce them to ensure responsible souring, they said. Major breaking news is going uncovered as the lose ends of Jeffrey Epstein plea deal are being pulled on and anonymous names are trying to keep them tied. Tommy Sotomayor joins us to talk the war on masculity and how it is destroying the family. Laura Loomer also joins to talk #StopTheBias. BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union leaders meet in Brussels on Thursday to give Prime Minister Theresa May an offer to delay Brexit beyond March 29, on condition that she can finally win over her many opponents in parliament next week. Nearly three years after Britons narrowly voted in a referendum to leave the EU, May has been unable to unite her divided cabinet, parliament or nation behind her exit plan. Increasingly embattled, she asked the EU on Wednesday to postpone Brexit until June 30 to give her time to secure a deal in parliament and avoid an abrupt departure next week that could spell economic chaos. “We could consider a short extension conditional on a positive vote on the Withdrawal Agreement in the House of Commons,” summit chairman Donald Tusk said in a letter inviting all 28 EU national leaders to Brussels talks. Any delay must be unanimously approved by all the other 27 national EU leaders, increasingly exasperated with Britain’s inability to find a way of a domestic political deadlock that is weighing heavily on the whole bloc. Raising the stakes, France threatened to reject May’s request and the EU’s executive said Britain had to be out by May 23 to avoid having to take part in European Parliament elections. May said in London late on Wednesday that she opposed any further postponement, telling parliament to pick between her deal, a no-deal divorce, or no Brexit. “It is now time for MPs (lawmakers) to decide,” May said in a televised statement. “You want us to get on with it. And that is what I am determined to do.” All 28 leaders assemble in Brussels at 1400 GMT. May will address her peers before leaving the room while they discuss the issue. The 27 are then expected to agree what will amount to a technical extension, intended to give Britain time to pass the necessary exit legislation – if the House of Commons approves the divorce package before March 29. EXIT DATE APPROACHING FAST The chamber has already twice voted it down heavily, with some saying May’s deal would leave Britain too closely aligned with the EU, others arguing that it would not be close enough. If Britain fails to ratify the deal in time, and with the legal exit date of March 29 approaching fast, Tusk could then call an emergency summit for late next week. At stake would then be a “no-deal” Brexit or a much longer extension to give the British parliament time to find a notional consensus approach. Brexit’s backers fear that, with such a long delay, their project might never materialize. EU supporters hope a longer delay could pave the way for a new vote in Britain or a reversal of May’s strategy to leave the EU’s single market and customs union, a policy that has exposed intractable differences over how to handle the Irish border. But this would appear to require Britain to take part in European elections in late May that it had never expected to participate in – or present the EU with a painful constitutional conundrum. The EU wants to avoid repeated Brexit delays or more renegotiations of the legally binding Withdrawal Agreement, put together in months of painstaking talks with London. It is designed to settle Britain’s bill with the EU, guarantee expatriates’ rights and provide a status-quo transition period after Brexit. As Brexit is sapping EU resources, the leaders will also turn to other pressing issues on Thursday and Friday. These include the state of their economies, their ties with China, climate change and ringfencing the European elections from illegitimate interference. Eyes will also be on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who will be meeting his EU peers a day after his Fidesz party was suspended from Europe’s main center-right alliance over a venomous campaign against EU institutions and migration policies. (Reporting by Brussels, London and Paris bureaux; Editing by Kevin Liffey) A boy walks past a sign with voting instructions on his way to school in Honiara, Solomon Islands, March 11, 2019. Picture taken March 11, 2019. ISHMAEL AITOREA/Handout via REUTERS March 20, 2019 By Charlotte Greenfield and Tom Westbrook WELLINGTON/SYDNEY (Reuters) – As politicians hit the hustings across the Solomon Islands two weeks out from a general election in the South Pacific archipelago, the loyalty of one of Taiwan’s few remaining allies is in the balance. Some Solomons’ candidates are promising to review lucrative, but loosening, ties with Taipei that if broken, could trigger a reshaping of diplomatic relations in a region home to a third of Taiwan’s shrinking list of allies. Although Pacific island states offer little economically to either China and Taiwan, their support is valued in global forums such as the United Nations and as China seeks to isolate Taiwan. China see the democratically ruled island as a renegade province with no right to state-to-state ties. In the Solomons, where two-thirds of exports go to China, many politicians are questioning whether diplomatic ties with Taiwan are still in their best interests. “Sooner or later, when we see our country hasn’t been able to grow out of this relationship, we are at liberty to review our relations and to explore other avenues,” said former Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo, who is contesting the election. Lilo’s views, echoed in the rival ruling Democratic Alliance Party policy manifesto, and by other candidates, have caught Taipei’s attention. Taiwan this month sent its deputy foreign minister to the tropical capital of Honiara shore up the alliance. President Tsai Ing-wen is also touring the South Pacific this week, visiting other allies Palau, Nauru and the Marshall Islands to “deepen ties and friendly relations”. Already five countries have switched recognition to China since Tsai took office in 2016, leaving just 17 mostly small, undeveloped countries that formally recognize Taiwan. Four of the six Pacific island nations aligned with Taiwan have elections this year, putting its Pacific stronghold under increasing pressure. The elections also come at a time when traditional regional powers from the West and Japan have been boosting their presence in the Pacific due to unease at China’s growing influence there. Last week, the new U.S. ambassador to Australia said China was using “pay-day loan diplomacy” to exert influence in the Pacific. “The West is watching the outcome of the election in the Solomon Islands very closely. There is no doubt that there are some Solomon Islands lawmakers who would like to align with China,” said a senior U.S. diplomatic source. “There is a legitimate worry that it will have a domino effect.” FLASHPOINT OR CASHPOINT? Acknowledging that China takes the position that there is “one China” and Taiwan is part of it is the “common consensus of international society”, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang. “The Chinese government, under the one China policy and the principles of peaceful coexistence, develops friendly cooperation with countries across the world,” he said, without elaborating. Shifting allegiances are nothing new in the South Pacific. Vanuatu flirted with recognizing Taiwan in 2004 but ultimately stuck with Beijing, while Kiribati and Nauru have each switched sides in the past. The Solomons have recognized Taiwan since 1983. The chain of islands stretching across some 600,000 sq km (232,000 sq miles) of ocean is a strategic gateway to the South Pacific and was the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in World War II. It is the largest of Taiwan-aligned Pacific countries, with access to the airfields and deepwater ports the conflict left behind. The Solomons’ situation is further complicated by an unpredictable coalition building process after the vote, expected to last weeks before a government is formed. FUNDING CRITICISMS Taiwan is fighting to retain its ties. “I think China is trying everything they can do to replace us in our diplomatic allies,” Taiwan’s deputy chief of mission to the Solomons, Oliver Liao, told Reuters in a phone interview. He said Taipei was cautiously optimistic of retaining Honiara’s friendship because it has a long history of rural-development donations. “Many friends here continue to share with us how much they appreciate Taiwan’s support and how they appreciate the flexibility this budgetary support allows – politicians and also the citizens.” Its strategy, though, has come under fire. Taiwan’s support of around $9 million a year is paid directly into a government account which lawmakers tap for projects in their far-flung provinces, with little oversight. “In the rural areas there is no tangible development,” said Andrew Fanasia, politics reporter at the Solomon Star newspaper. “Mostly these people blame their leaders and this fund.” Anti-graft agency Transparency Solomon Islands says “vote buying” with cash linked to development funds is by far the most common complaint it fields, according to data it collected in 2017 and 2018. Lawmakers say there are successes, and the government’s rural development website lists health and sanitation projects, community buildings, and text-message testimonies from citizens about improvements to their lives. But even Taiwan’s Liao – and former prime minister Lilo – say economic progress has not been fast enough. And in the capital, patience with the incumbents charged with disbursing Taiwan’s largesse is in short supply. “Most students would really like to see a change in the leadership and style,” said law student Ishmael Aitorea, 25, on the phone from the student association office of the University of the South Pacific in Honiara. “The perception is that if the old parliament members go back, nothing will change.” (Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield in WELLINGTON, Tom Westbrook and Colin Packham in SYDNEY, Yimou Lee in TAIPEI and Philip Wen in BEIJING; Editing by Lincoln Feast) A boy walks past a sign with voting instructions on his way to school in Honiara, Solomon Islands, March 11, 2019. Picture taken March 11, 2019. ISHMAEL AITOREA/Handout via REUTERS March 20, 2019 By Charlotte Greenfield and Tom Westbrook WELLINGTON/SYDNEY (Reuters) – As politicians hit the hustings across the Solomon Islands two weeks out from a general election in the South Pacific archipelago, the loyalty of one of Taiwan’s few remaining allies is in the balance. Some Solomons’ candidates are promising to review lucrative, but loosening, ties with Taipei that if broken, could trigger a reshaping of diplomatic relations in a region home to a third of Taiwan’s shrinking list of allies. Although Pacific island states offer little economically to either China and Taiwan, their support is valued in global forums such as the United Nations and as China seeks to isolate Taiwan. China see the democratically ruled island as a renegade province with no right to state-to-state ties. In the Solomons, where two-thirds of exports go to China, many politicians are questioning whether diplomatic ties with Taiwan are still in their best interests. “Sooner or later, when we see our country hasn’t been able to grow out of this relationship, we are at liberty to review our relations and to explore other avenues,” said former Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo, who is contesting the election. Lilo’s views, echoed in the rival ruling Democratic Alliance Party policy manifesto, and by other candidates, have caught Taipei’s attention. Taiwan this month sent its deputy foreign minister to the tropical capital of Honiara shore up the alliance. President Tsai Ing-wen is also touring the South Pacific this week, visiting other allies Palau, Nauru and the Marshall Islands to “deepen ties and friendly relations”. Already five countries have switched recognition to China since Tsai took office in 2016, leaving just 17 mostly small, undeveloped countries that formally recognize Taiwan. Four of the six Pacific island nations aligned with Taiwan have elections this year, putting its Pacific stronghold under increasing pressure. The elections also come at a time when traditional regional powers from the West and Japan have been boosting their presence in the Pacific due to unease at China’s growing influence there. Last week, the new U.S. ambassador to Australia said China was using “pay-day loan diplomacy” to exert influence in the Pacific. “The West is watching the outcome of the election in the Solomon Islands very closely. There is no doubt that there are some Solomon Islands lawmakers who would like to align with China,” said a senior U.S. diplomatic source. “There is a legitimate worry that it will have a domino effect.” FLASHPOINT OR CASHPOINT? Acknowledging that China takes the position that there is “one China” and Taiwan is part of it is the “common consensus of international society”, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang. “The Chinese government, under the one China policy and the principles of peaceful coexistence, develops friendly cooperation with countries across the world,” he said, without elaborating. Shifting allegiances are nothing new in the South Pacific. Vanuatu flirted with recognizing Taiwan in 2004 but ultimately stuck with Beijing, while Kiribati and Nauru have each switched sides in the past. The Solomons have recognized Taiwan since 1983. The chain of islands stretching across some 600,000 sq km (232,000 sq miles) of ocean is a strategic gateway to the South Pacific and was the scene of some of the fiercest fighting in World War II. It is the largest of Taiwan-aligned Pacific countries, with access to the airfields and deepwater ports the conflict left behind. The Solomons’ situation is further complicated by an unpredictable coalition building process after the vote, expected to last weeks before a government is formed. FUNDING CRITICISMS Taiwan is fighting to retain its ties. “I think China is trying everything they can do to replace us in our diplomatic allies,” Taiwan’s deputy chief of mission to the Solomons, Oliver Liao, told Reuters in a phone interview. He said Taipei was cautiously optimistic of retaining Honiara’s friendship because it has a long history of rural-development donations. “Many friends here continue to share with us how much they appreciate Taiwan’s support and how they appreciate the flexibility this budgetary support allows – politicians and also the citizens.” Its strategy, though, has come under fire. Taiwan’s support of around $9 million a year is paid directly into a government account which lawmakers tap for projects in their far-flung provinces, with little oversight. “In the rural areas there is no tangible development,” said Andrew Fanasia, politics reporter at the Solomon Star newspaper. “Mostly these people blame their leaders and this fund.” Anti-graft agency Transparency Solomon Islands says “vote buying” with cash linked to development funds is by far the most common complaint it fields, according to data it collected in 2017 and 2018. Lawmakers say there are successes, and the government’s rural development website lists health and sanitation projects, community buildings, and text-message testimonies from citizens about improvements to their lives. But even Taiwan’s Liao – and former prime minister Lilo – say economic progress has not been fast enough. And in the capital, patience with the incumbents charged with disbursing Taiwan’s largesse is in short supply. “Most students would really like to see a change in the leadership and style,” said law student Ishmael Aitorea, 25, on the phone from the student association office of the University of the South Pacific in Honiara. “The perception is that if the old parliament members go back, nothing will change.” (Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield in WELLINGTON, Tom Westbrook and Colin Packham in SYDNEY, Yimou Lee in TAIPEI and Philip Wen in BEIJING; Editing by Lincoln Feast) Pro-choice students at the University of Michigan were caught on video Friday allegedly vandalizing a pro-life display created by the Students for Life organization. [embedded content] Though Students for Life had the university’s permission to set up their display, a women with purple hair and a black trench coat—along with several others—proceeded to collect pink crosses that were stuck in the ground. The display was comprised of 1,000 pink crosses, that were arranged at 9 a.m. Friday. The pink crosses were a part of Students For Life’s #PlannedParenthoodTruth Tour, in which the pro-life organization tours college campuses to spread the word about “Planned Parenthood’s poor track record on helping women,” according to the Students for Life website. She then continues to contest the fact that the crosses in the display are Students for Life’s property, refusing to stop throwing them away. She only complies after being instructed by campus police to stop what she is doing and return the crosses to Students for Life. In response, she dumps her trash bag full of crosses on the ground and walked away, refusing to put the crosses back where she found them. Pro-choice students at the University of Michigan were caught on video Friday allegedly vandalizing a pro-life display created by the Students for Life organization. [embedded content] Though Students for Life had the university’s permission to set up their display, a women with purple hair and a black trench coat—along with several others—proceeded to collect pink crosses that were stuck in the ground. The display was comprised of 1,000 pink crosses, that were arranged at 9 a.m. Friday. The pink crosses were a part of Students For Life’s #PlannedParenthoodTruth Tour, in which the pro-life organization tours college campuses to spread the word about “Planned Parenthood’s poor track record on helping women,” according to the Students for Life website. She then continues to contest the fact that the crosses in the display are Students for Life’s property, refusing to stop throwing them away. She only complies after being instructed by campus police to stop what she is doing and return the crosses to Students for Life. In response, she dumps her trash bag full of crosses on the ground and walked away, refusing to put the crosses back where she found them. A federal judge temporarily blocked new oil lease auctions in Wyoming on Tuesday after finding the Department of the Interior “did not sufficiently consider climate change” when proposing the lease sales, The Washington Post reports. Contreras did not void leases already sold, but he ordered the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to redo the environmental reviews used to approve the leases. The BLM must include in the redone reviews the effects of each new oil well on overall emissions in the U.S., including the pumped oil’s downstream effects, Contreras’s ruling said. “Given the national, cumulative nature of climate change, considering each individual drilling project in a vacuum deprives the agency and the public of the context necessary to evaluate oil and gas drilling on federal land before irretrievably committing to that drilling,” he wrote, according to WaPo. Former President Barack Obama appointed Contreras to the federal bench in March 2012. Contreras’s ruling came after the activist groups WildEarth Guardians and Physicians for Social Responsibility sued the federal government over the lease sale in 2016. “In spite of the President’s commitment to US leadership in moving towards a clean energy future … Federal Defendants continue to authorize the sale and issuance of hundreds of federal oil and gas leases on public lands across the Interior West without meaningfully acknowledging or evaluating the climate change implications of their actions,” the two groups wrote in their lawsuit, according to Ars Technica. The BLM’s original environmental assessments included information on Wyoming’s climate and how climate change might factor into its future. The assessments granted that oil drilling in the area would increase the effects of climate change but declined to say by how much. Accurately predicting how many oil wells would eventually be dug is too difficult for any meaningful analysis, the BLM said, according to Ars. Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected]. A growing number of Americans say immigration levels should remain the same or increase, according to a major U.S. survey, a shift that comes as the Trump administration has ramped up immigration enforcement. At the same time, the latest data from the General Social Survey — a widely respected poll that has measured trends on American attitudes since the 1970s — shows a growing partisan divide on the topic over the past decade. The 2018 survey was released this week and shows 34 percent of Americans want immigration levels to be reduced, down from 41 percent in 2016, according to an analysis by The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and GSS staff. That's compared with 23 percent of Americans who want more immigration, up from 17 percent in 2016. Forty-one percent say they want immigration levels to stay the same. It's the first time since the survey question was first asked in 2004 that more Americans want immigration to remain the same than to be reduced. The survey is conducted every two years, and the question was last asked before President Donald Trump took office and made it harder for people to immigrate to the United States. Trump — who made immigration enforcement a centerpiece of his election campaign — has repeatedly called for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, and his push for wall funding last year drove the federal government to a monthlong shutdown that furloughed hundreds of thousands of government workers. The administration enacted a travel ban for citizens of mostly Muslim countries, including Iran and Yemen, that has torn many families apart. And officials last year separated immigrant parents from their children to prosecute illegal border crossers, a move that sparked an international outcry. "People are more tolerant of immigration than the president and the far right would have us believe," said Louis DeSipio, a political science professor at the University of California, Irvine. According to the survey, nearly three times as many Democrats as Republicans want more immigrants allowed into the country, while Republicans are more than twice as likely as Democrats to favor less immigration. But fewer Republicans want a reduction in immigration than did in 2016. In 2018, 52 percent of Republicans said they wanted less immigration, down from 62 percent two years earlier. Forty-four percent of Democrats say they want immigration levels to remain the same, while 34 percent want an increase in immigration. The survey — which does not distinguish between illegal and legal immigration — also looked at Americans' views on the issue by race. About 41 percent of whites want a decrease in immigration, while only 24 percent of blacks and 22 percent of Hispanics say the same. Trump has made immigration an intensely political issue, and also an issue of race, said Manuel Pastor, director of the University of Southern California's Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration. "Trump is trying to create a Republican Party that's much more based in an older, white electorate in nonmetropolitan areas of the country," Pastor said. "The Democrats are trying to put together political coalitions that have a deep base in metropolitan areas, and that includes many more people of color." The General Social Survey has been conducted since 1972 by NORC at the University of Chicago, primarily using in-person interviewing. Sample sizes for each year's survey vary from about 1,500 to about 3,000 adults, with margins of error falling between plus or minus 2.2 percentage points and plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. The most recent survey was conducted April 12 through November 10, 2018 and includes interviews with 2,348 American adults. MARGIN OF ERROR? A growing number of Americans say immigration levels should remain the same or increase, according to a major U.S. survey, a shift that comes as the Trump administration has ramped up immigration enforcement. At the same time, the latest data from the General Social Survey — a widely respected poll that has measured trends on American attitudes since the 1970s — shows a growing partisan divide on the topic over the past decade. The 2018 survey was released this week and shows 34 percent of Americans want immigration levels to be reduced, down from 41 percent in 2016, according to an analysis by The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and GSS staff. That's compared with 23 percent of Americans who want more immigration, up from 17 percent in 2016. Forty-one percent say they want immigration levels to stay the same. It's the first time since the survey question was first asked in 2004 that more Americans want immigration to remain the same than to be reduced. The survey is conducted every two years, and the question was last asked before President Donald Trump took office and made it harder for people to immigrate to the United States. Trump — who made immigration enforcement a centerpiece of his election campaign — has repeatedly called for a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border, and his push for wall funding last year drove the federal government to a monthlong shutdown that furloughed hundreds of thousands of government workers. The administration enacted a travel ban for citizens of mostly Muslim countries, including Iran and Yemen, that has torn many families apart. And officials last year separated immigrant parents from their children to prosecute illegal border crossers, a move that sparked an international outcry. "People are more tolerant of immigration than the president and the far right would have us believe," said Louis DeSipio, a political science professor at the University of California, Irvine. According to the survey, nearly three times as many Democrats as Republicans want more immigrants allowed into the country, while Republicans are more than twice as likely as Democrats to favor less immigration. But fewer Republicans want a reduction in immigration than did in 2016. In 2018, 52 percent of Republicans said they wanted less immigration, down from 62 percent two years earlier. Forty-four percent of Democrats say they want immigration levels to remain the same, while 34 percent want an increase in immigration. The survey — which does not distinguish between illegal and legal immigration — also looked at Americans' views on the issue by race. About 41 percent of whites want a decrease in immigration, while only 24 percent of blacks and 22 percent of Hispanics say the same. Trump has made immigration an intensely political issue, and also an issue of race, said Manuel Pastor, director of the University of Southern California's Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration. "Trump is trying to create a Republican Party that's much more based in an older, white electorate in nonmetropolitan areas of the country," Pastor said. "The Democrats are trying to put together political coalitions that have a deep base in metropolitan areas, and that includes many more people of color." The General Social Survey has been conducted since 1972 by NORC at the University of Chicago, primarily using in-person interviewing. Sample sizes for each year's survey vary from about 1,500 to about 3,000 adults, with margins of error falling between plus or minus 2.2 percentage points and plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. The most recent survey was conducted April 12 through November 10, 2018 and includes interviews with 2,348 American adults. MARGIN OF ERROR? Barker pleaded down to reduced charges of manslaughter after she was first indicted for second degree murder. “I don’t know what I could ever do to you that could be worse than what you’ve already experienced,” Harrison County Circuit Judge Larry Bourgeois told Barker. “You will forever be entombed in a prison of your own mind.” Barker and the other officer, Clark Ladner, who was her supervisor at the time, were immediately fired following Cheyenne’s death. Ladner claimed he was unaware Cheyenne was in the car and was consequently not charged in her death. This was not the first time Barker had left Cheyenne in the car alone, the Sun Herald reported. Ryan Hyer, Cheyenne’s father, believes Mississippi Child Protective Services and the police department failed to act appropriately to protect his daughter and filed lawsuits against the organizations. “As a parent, you are supposed to protect your child, and Cheyenne is gone because her mother didn’t protect her, not once but twice,” Hyer said. “May God have mercy on her soul.” The Hancock County sheriff’s department told The Daily Caller News Foundation that Barker will be sentenced on April 1, and can receive up to 20 years in prison. Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected]. Freshman Florida Rep. Greg Steube was one of four Republicans to introduce a resolution last week condemning anti-Semitism that specifically addresses comments made by Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar. Steube introduced the resolution, which he doesn’t believe will get passed, with Reps. Jim Sensenbrenner, Jeff Duncan and Louie Gohmert in response to the resolution the House passed condemning all forms of bigotry that didn’t name Omar. Many have interpreted the freshman Minnesota rep.’s comments as anti-Semitic. “I filed my own resolution because I believe that we need to set an example, not just for the country as members of Congress calling out racial and anti-Semitic remarks,” Steube told The Daily Caller Wednesday, adding, “but we need to set an example for the world that we’re not going to put up with that type of behavior, especially from a member of Congress and deal with it directly.” Ilhan Omar, newly elected to the U.S. House of Representatives on the Democratic ticket … (Photo by Kerem Yucel / AFP) The “dual loyalty” comment specifically spurred the resolution condemning all types of bigotry, which is why Steube felt like he needed to draft a separate resolution specifically addressing anti-Semitism. Omar has apologized for the 2012 tweet and for the congressional support allegation but has not issued an apology for posing the “dual loyalty” question. Steube added, “So, after the first time when she got called out for the first remark when she was a congress[wo]man. After her own leadership condemned her statements, she apologized and then she had, after that anti-Semitic remarks that she hasn’t apologized for. The result of that was a watered-down resolution condemning hate in general and not addressing her specific anti-Semitic remarks.” Many of the people who defended Omar were quick to suggest that the criticism against her was misguided and disingenuous with some bringing up the question of whether or not criticizing the Israeli government is considered anti-Semitic. “Anyone can be critical of policy decisions. I mean, we have that debate in the halls of Congress every day,” Steube said, but explained that Omar’s “remarks” were “nowehere near” criticizing policy decisions. “I think anybody can debate policy and decisions that are made by leaders of different countries, but that doesn’t give you latitude to be anti-Semitic.” The Florida Republican said that he had read parts of Omar’s op-ed. In response to what her stance is, he said: In order to truly have peace in that region the Palestinians are going to have to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a country and denounce terrorism. And they still have failed to do that and they still, as far as I know, unwilling to do that. And until you have the Palestinian government say, Palestinian Authority, say that Israel has a right to exist in the country, in that region and denounce terrorism, I don’t see how you can ever have, even start to begin the process of negotiating a peace agreement because the very existence of Israel as a country, they don’t support. Freshman Florida Rep. Greg Steube was one of four Republicans to introduce a resolution last week condemning anti-Semitism that specifically addresses comments made by Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar. Steube introduced the resolution, which he doesn’t believe will get passed, with Reps. Jim Sensenbrenner, Jeff Duncan and Louie Gohmert in response to the resolution the House passed condemning all forms of bigotry that didn’t name Omar. Many have interpreted the freshman Minnesota rep.’s comments as anti-Semitic. “I filed my own resolution because I believe that we need to set an example, not just for the country as members of Congress calling out racial and anti-Semitic remarks,” Steube told The Daily Caller Wednesday, adding, “but we need to set an example for the world that we’re not going to put up with that type of behavior, especially from a member of Congress and deal with it directly.” Ilhan Omar, newly elected to the U.S. House of Representatives on the Democratic ticket … (Photo by Kerem Yucel / AFP) The “dual loyalty” comment specifically spurred the resolution condemning all types of bigotry, which is why Steube felt like he needed to draft a separate resolution specifically addressing anti-Semitism. Omar has apologized for the 2012 tweet and for the congressional support allegation but has not issued an apology for posing the “dual loyalty” question. Steube added, “So, after the first time when she got called out for the first remark when she was a congress[wo]man. After her own leadership condemned her statements, she apologized and then she had, after that anti-Semitic remarks that she hasn’t apologized for. The result of that was a watered-down resolution condemning hate in general and not addressing her specific anti-Semitic remarks.” Many of the people who defended Omar were quick to suggest that the criticism against her was misguided and disingenuous with some bringing up the question of whether or not criticizing the Israeli government is considered anti-Semitic. “Anyone can be critical of policy decisions. I mean, we have that debate in the halls of Congress every day,” Steube said, but explained that Omar’s “remarks” were “nowehere near” criticizing policy decisions. “I think anybody can debate policy and decisions that are made by leaders of different countries, but that doesn’t give you latitude to be anti-Semitic.” The Florida Republican said that he had read parts of Omar’s op-ed. In response to what her stance is, he said: In order to truly have peace in that region the Palestinians are going to have to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a country and denounce terrorism. And they still have failed to do that and they still, as far as I know, unwilling to do that. And until you have the Palestinian government say, Palestinian Authority, say that Israel has a right to exist in the country, in that region and denounce terrorism, I don’t see how you can ever have, even start to begin the process of negotiating a peace agreement because the very existence of Israel as a country, they don’t support. The Washington Post offered Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a platform to express his opinion Tuesday for the second time in less than five months, despite the unparalleled number of journalists imprisoned by his government. Sixty-eight journalists are imprisoned in Turkey, more than any other country in the world, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Nevertheless, in an op-ed entitled “The New Zealand killer and the Islamic State are cut from the same cloth,” Erdogan used WaPo as a soapbox from which to scold Western nations for failing to adequately distinguish Islam from terrorism. Likening the New Zealand mosque shooter to radical Islamic terrorists, Erdogan maintained that the shooter’s motives were a distortion of Christianity and admonished that the world “must establish that there is absolutely no difference between the murderer who killed innocent people in New Zealand and those who have carried out terrorist acts in Turkey, France, Indonesia and elsewhere.” (EXCLUSIVE: A Look Inside Andrew Brunson’s Harrowing Turkish Courtroom Experience) Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends a ceremony marking the 104th anniversary of Battle of Canakkale, also known as the Gallipoli Campaign, in Canakkale, Turkey March 18, 2019. Cem Oksuz/Presidential Press Office/Handout via REUTERS “Unfortunately, Islamophobia and xenophobia, among other practices incompatible with liberal values, were met with silence in Europe and other parts of the Western world,” he continued. “We cannot afford to allow this again. If the world wants to prevent future assaults similar to the one in New Zealand, it must start by establishing that what happened was the product of a coordinated smear campaign.” Erdogan’s op-ed was a continuation of sentiments he expressed last week at the funeral of a Turkish minister, where he condemned the entire world — and the West, especially — for rising Islamophobia and racism. The Post, which uses the slogan “Democracy Dies in Darkness,” also published Erdogan in a Nov. 2, 2018, op-ed that condemned Saudi Arabia for the murder of journalist and WaPo columnist Jamal Khashoggi. “Erdogan makes a solid point that all murderers or terrorists of innocent people should be treated alike and equally condemned,” said Jeffrey McCall, a communications professor at DePauw University who specializes in journalism ethics. “Letting Erdogan come off as all righteous, however, given his track record of curtailing free expression in his own country, is quite unnecessary.” “It was a curious move when the Post gave Erdogan op-ed space last fall in the wake of the Khashoggi murder, but a case could be made at that time because the assassination took place in Turkey,” McCall continued. “There is no particular need now to give Erdogan a platform to broadly criticize other governments and suggesting the West is normalizing extremism.” (RELATED: Turkey’s Erdogan Wants Twitter To Silence American Critic) “The Post, in a sense, seems to be giving Erdogan a legitimacy that is undeserved, given his own record on human rights and the many other measured voices that are available to weigh in on such a serious topic,” he added. Shortly after the 2016 presidential election, WaPo executive editor Martin Baron used Erdogan as an example of the possible dangers that could befall American journalists under President Donald Trump. In remarks delivered at a Manhattan dinner party upon winning an award, Baron quoted CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, saying: This is how it goes with authoritarians like Sisi, Erdogan, Putin, the Ayatollahs, Duterte, et al. … First the media is accused of inciting, then sympathizing, then associating—until they suddenly find themselves accused of being full-fledged terrorists and subversives. Then they end up in handcuffs, in cages, in kangaroo courts, in prison — and then who knows? “When the press is under attack, we cannot always count on our nation’s institutions to safeguard our freedoms—not even the courts,” Baron then warned, adding, “Many journalists wonder with considerable weariness what it is going to be like for us during the next four — perhaps eight — years. Will we be incessantly harassed and vilified? Will the new administration seize on opportunities to try intimidating us? Will we face obstruction at every turn? If so, what do we do?” (RELATED: Koppel: NYT And WaPo Not What They Used To Be Thanks To Trump Vendetta) Baron went on to emphasize the importance of “holding the most powerful to account,” and that failing to do so raises the question, “If we do not do that, then what exactly is the purpose of journalism?” FILE PHOTO: Soy beans are seen at a storage plant in Carlos Casares, Argentina, April 16, 2018. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo March 20, 2019 By Hugh Bronstein and Karl Plume PERGAMINO, Argentina/CHICAGO (Reuters) – Francisco Santillan, 55, a grains farmer from the heart of Argentina’s soybean country, has two things on his mind: the rains and twists and turns in a bitter trade war between the United States and China that has hurt prices. The weather-worn farmer, who rides a Harley-Davidson around the 4,500 hectares of farmland he manages, is expecting a bumper soybean crop when he begins harvesting this month, but he and his neighbors are holding off from sealing deals with buyers in the hope a trade war breakthrough will bolster prices. The United States and China, the world’s top soybean producer and importer respectively, have slapped import duties on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of each other’s products in their dispute. Tariffs made U.S. soybeans too expensive so Beijing stopped buying them, resulting in a glut that has hit soybean contracts in Chicago, the reference price for the global trade. Trump said on Wednesday that a trade deal with Beijing was coming along nicely, with U.S. negotiators poised to head to China next week for another round of talks. Negotiations to resolve the dispute have been turbulent – Trump also said on Wednesday tariffs would remain in place for a long time and last week that he was in no rush to reach a deal. Benchmark Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures are hovering near $9 per bushel, only about 90 cents above decade lows posted in September. “I am waiting for a better price,” said Santillan, one of a group of farmers who spoke to Reuters among fields of green, knee-high soy plants in the country’s fertile Pampas, where the ground was damp from heavy rains. “The season is coming along very well. The harvest will be above 55 million tonnes and that will have a huge impact on the economy,” Santillan said. “But with news about the U.S.-China trade war determining Chicago reference prices, rather than supply and demand, it’s like we are flying without instruments.” CASH CROP Much in Argentina, the world’s No. 3 soybean producer and the top exporter of soyoil and the soymeal livestock feed that is fuelling Asia’s shift in diet from rice to pork and poultry, hangs on the soy crop. A severe drought last year dragged the economy into recession, while bumper tax revenues this year could help support government spending and prop up President Mauricio Macri’s bid for re-election. Delayed sales could hamper that. Just 16.2 percent of this season’s expected crop was sold by early March versus 30.5 percent at the same point a year earlier, government data show. The uncertainty over prices – and the delays to deals – could also rattle the global trade as major buyers look to lock in supply, namely Archer Daniels Midland Co, Bunge Ltd, Cargill Inc and Louis Dreyfus Co. The “ABCD” quartet, which dominates global grain trade, rely on a steady flow of grain to turn a profit in a typically thin-margin business. Farmers’ reluctance to sell at low prices has stung the grains merchants recently, particularly Bunge, which blamed limited farmer selling in Brazil for earnings misses last year. Bunge’s acting Chief Executive Gregory Heckman called Argentina “one of the larger wild cards” for the firm’s oilseeds business in 2019, and said the firm anticipated farmers would hold more of their soybeans as a hedge against inflation and currency fluctuations. “Soybean sales are happening slower this season than at any point over the last 10 years,” said a Buenos Aires-based grains broker. “Farmers are saying ‘I don’t like the price and I don’t need the money now because I was able to make cash with wheat and corn. So I’ll wait’.” The uncertainty for the soy harvest comes at a complex time for President Macri too, who is battling to revive the economy while fending of challenges from political rivals ahead of national elections in October. “For Argentina, the trade war between the United States and China is piling uncertainty on a country that is already full of uncertainty,” said Jorge Bianciotto, who manages a 2,300-hectare farm called La Lucila in Pergamino. “This generates risks in terms of next year’s planting and investment decisions.” His neighbor, Juan Girado, who manages a 500-hectare plantation, shared his concern. “When they say the conflict is likely to end, prices rise. When the conflict looks like it’s deepening, prices fall,” he said. “So with a big crop on the way, and with prices as low as they are, it would be good for us for the trade war to end.” FILE PHOTO: Soy beans are seen at a storage plant in Carlos Casares, Argentina, April 16, 2018. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo March 20, 2019 By Hugh Bronstein and Karl Plume PERGAMINO, Argentina/CHICAGO (Reuters) – Francisco Santillan, 55, a grains farmer from the heart of Argentina’s soybean country, has two things on his mind: the rains and twists and turns in a bitter trade war between the United States and China that has hurt prices. The weather-worn farmer, who rides a Harley-Davidson around the 4,500 hectares of farmland he manages, is expecting a bumper soybean crop when he begins harvesting this month, but he and his neighbors are holding off from sealing deals with buyers in the hope a trade war breakthrough will bolster prices. The United States and China, the world’s top soybean producer and importer respectively, have slapped import duties on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of each other’s products in their dispute. Tariffs made U.S. soybeans too expensive so Beijing stopped buying them, resulting in a glut that has hit soybean contracts in Chicago, the reference price for the global trade. Trump said on Wednesday that a trade deal with Beijing was coming along nicely, with U.S. negotiators poised to head to China next week for another round of talks. Negotiations to resolve the dispute have been turbulent – Trump also said on Wednesday tariffs would remain in place for a long time and last week that he was in no rush to reach a deal. Benchmark Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures are hovering near $9 per bushel, only about 90 cents above decade lows posted in September. “I am waiting for a better price,” said Santillan, one of a group of farmers who spoke to Reuters among fields of green, knee-high soy plants in the country’s fertile Pampas, where the ground was damp from heavy rains. “The season is coming along very well. The harvest will be above 55 million tonnes and that will have a huge impact on the economy,” Santillan said. “But with news about the U.S.-China trade war determining Chicago reference prices, rather than supply and demand, it’s like we are flying without instruments.” CASH CROP Much in Argentina, the world’s No. 3 soybean producer and the top exporter of soyoil and the soymeal livestock feed that is fuelling Asia’s shift in diet from rice to pork and poultry, hangs on the soy crop. A severe drought last year dragged the economy into recession, while bumper tax revenues this year could help support government spending and prop up President Mauricio Macri’s bid for re-election. Delayed sales could hamper that. Just 16.2 percent of this season’s expected crop was sold by early March versus 30.5 percent at the same point a year earlier, government data show. The uncertainty over prices – and the delays to deals – could also rattle the global trade as major buyers look to lock in supply, namely Archer Daniels Midland Co, Bunge Ltd, Cargill Inc and Louis Dreyfus Co. The “ABCD” quartet, which dominates global grain trade, rely on a steady flow of grain to turn a profit in a typically thin-margin business. Farmers’ reluctance to sell at low prices has stung the grains merchants recently, particularly Bunge, which blamed limited farmer selling in Brazil for earnings misses last year. Bunge’s acting Chief Executive Gregory Heckman called Argentina “one of the larger wild cards” for the firm’s oilseeds business in 2019, and said the firm anticipated farmers would hold more of their soybeans as a hedge against inflation and currency fluctuations. “Soybean sales are happening slower this season than at any point over the last 10 years,” said a Buenos Aires-based grains broker. “Farmers are saying ‘I don’t like the price and I don’t need the money now because I was able to make cash with wheat and corn. So I’ll wait’.” The uncertainty for the soy harvest comes at a complex time for President Macri too, who is battling to revive the economy while fending of challenges from political rivals ahead of national elections in October. “For Argentina, the trade war between the United States and China is piling uncertainty on a country that is already full of uncertainty,” said Jorge Bianciotto, who manages a 2,300-hectare farm called La Lucila in Pergamino. “This generates risks in terms of next year’s planting and investment decisions.” His neighbor, Juan Girado, who manages a 500-hectare plantation, shared his concern. “When they say the conflict is likely to end, prices rise. When the conflict looks like it’s deepening, prices fall,” he said. “So with a big crop on the way, and with prices as low as they are, it would be good for us for the trade war to end.” Post Calendar Finance Minister Olaf Scholz addresses a news conference to present the budget plans for 2019 and the upcoming years in Berlin, Germany March 20, 2019. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch March 20, 2019 BERLIN (Reuters) – With solid public finances and a vibrant domestic economy, Germany is well placed to withstand headwinds from a weakening world economy, trade […] FILE PHOTO: Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., March 13, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid March 20, 2019 By Medha Singh (Reuters) – U.S. stock futures were little changed on Wednesday as investors waited for more clarity on the Federal Reserve’s interest rate outlook for the year, […] FILE PHOTO: An attendant walks past EU and China flags ahead of the EU-China High-level Economic Dialogue at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China June 25, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee March 20, 2019 BRUSSELS (Reuters) – European Union leaders will coordinate their positions on Thursday evening on a number of issues they intend to raise with […] FILE PHOTO: A Federal Express delivery truck is shown in downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S., October 24, 2018. REUTERS/Mike Blake March 20, 2019 (Reuters) – Shares of FedEx Corp fell about 7 percent before the bell on Wednesday after the package delivery company cut its 2019 profit forecast for the second time blaming slowing global […] FILE PHOTO: Moldovan President Igor Dodon addresses the media as he visits a polling station during a parliamentary election in Chisinau, Moldova February 24, 2019. REUTERS/Vladislav Culiomza March 20, 2019 Source: OANN President Donald Trump jabbed Democrats, saying they are getting very “strange” for a series of proposals from presidential hopefuls. Trump’s comments came in a tweet shortly after midnight Wednesday. He wrote: “The Democrats are getting very ‘strange.’ They now want to change the voting age to 16, abolish the Electoral College, and Increase significantly the […]

Q: XDocument.Root : Possible System.NullReferenceException It looks like R# is detecting a possible null reference in the following code: var importedDoc = XDocument.Parse(importedXml); var importedElements = importedDoc.Root.Elements().ToList(); When accessing importedDoc.Root property. The awkward thing is that now I want to unit-test my method but I'm not able to pass importedXml so that the resulting XDocument.Root throws NullReferenceException. I have added null-checking code to throw exception if that is the case and I want to cover that branch: if (importedDoc.Root == null) throw new NullReferenceException("There is no root element"); Can anyone provide a way to make this happen or, if not, at least explain how does R# come up with this code warning? Is the Root property not marked [NotNull] because there might be a different way to construct XDocument in which Root actually is null? If so, is not this a bug in System.Xml.Linq? A: resharper doesn't know about any type of runtime checks XDocument.Parse may or may not do to ensure there is a root level element. It just sees XDocument.Parse as the invocation of a function that may return null and suggests you should test for a null condition where you actually use a member of the returned object. since importedDoc.Root realistically can't be null since XDocument.Parse will throw when doing the parse in that case, you can either turn off the resharper warning with a comment // ReSharper disable once PossibleNullReferenceException var importedElements = importedDoc.Root.Elements().ToList(); or you could just add the null checks yourself and re-raise the exception if you want like this to make resharper happy: var importedDoc = XDocument.Parse(importedXml); var importedElements = importedDoc?.Root?.Elements().ToList() ?? new List<XElement>(); if (importedElements.Count == 0) throw new InvalidOperationException("No root"); or you could totally ignore the whole thing knowing that this particular warning isn't completely valid in this scenario.

"911." "What is your emergency?" "This is subway train operator 4827." "There's been an accident." "I couldn't stop the train in time, and I hit a kid." "I think he might've been pushed." "Open." "I want 'em held in isolation, no contact... not with their lawyers, not with each other... not with anybody." "This is a matter of national security." "They're terrorists?" "They look more like investment bankers to me." "Well, warden... 3 of them may be." "But one of them is the most dangerous criminal I've ever pursued." "I can hold them for 72 hours without charging them, and I fully intend to." "Then you have 72 hours." "This is Rikers, not Guantanamo." "You don't... plan on asking them any questions?" "Don't worry, Carter." "We've got the DNA evidence from New Rochelle, we got the blood from the burned car... and, thanks to you, fingerprints." "He's ours." "How did I know the federal government would be no match for you?" "As I suspect it might be compromising for you to be found with a phone, I'll be brief." "The matter is in hand, John." "We'll get you out of there." "I took too many risks." "It's my fault." "I'll handle it." "Listen to me." "I made preparations for a scenario like this." "In 72 hours, you will walk free." "What if another number comes up?" "Unfortunately, as I told you... they never stop coming." "I'll have to manage as best I can." "I sincerely hope our next conversation is under better circumstances." "I'll be in touch." "My name is Mr. Swift." "I'm your substitute teacher." "Ms. Benthem received a last-minute opportunity... to attend an all-expenses-paid teaching seminar in Maui." "I see in Ms. Benthem's lesson plan that today we're doing... addition." "That can't be right." "It's busywork, punishment." "We're supposed to add all the numbers from 1 to 100." "Math is not punishment." "You know, in the late 18th century, there was a math prodigy named Carl Friedrich Gauss... who was faced with the same... tedious problem that you are." "He figured a way around it." "1 to 100." "Who'd like to take a crack at working out Gauss' equation?" "Anybody?" "Mr..." "Phipps?" "Uh... prrrr..." "I got to be honest, "Mr. Swifty," you..." "lost me at "Friedrich." So" "I'll give you a hint." " Fusco." " Good morning, Detective." "I trust that you received my email?" "And the entire roll call for Brooklyn Science." "I need you to tell me everything you can about Caleb Phipps." "Couple run-ins with the NYPD." "Typical kid stuff." "Nothing exceptional." "I'll say. 2.6 GPA and test scores that sit squarely in the mid-range." "He spent my whole class doodling in his notebook." "Hey, you still there?" "Please continue." "1 thing did come up." "Caleb had an older brother Ryan... killed 2 years ago in a subway accident." "Kid was drunk." "Slipped on the tracks and got clipped." "Sounds awful." "Any further details?" "I'll pull the incident report." "Now Caleb lives alone with his mom." "She's an administrative assistant in Kensington." "Hey, Caleb." "You going to that party Saturday?" "Uh, no, that's not my kind of thing." "Oh." "Besides, I'm heading out of town." "Taking a trip." "*" "*" "*" "*" "They never seem to stop texting." "Beginning to feel like I'm on another planet." "Get used to it." "Their planet's gonna be running ours in about 10 years." "High schools are different nowadays." "Gang fights, drug searches, and pregnancies." "This kid could be into anything." "You weren't exaggerating about the drug problem." "Kids ain't what they used to be." "Be careful in there, pal." "I-I won't even ask." "Probably best." "Besides... we have more urgent matters to discuss." "Our friend in Rikers." "I have the situation in hand." "I don't want you crossing some kind of line to do" "This?" "Already deleted them from the network too." "*" "That line you're talking about..." "I crossed it a long time ago." "Now we have to deal with the DNA sample." "FBI keeps it in a secure lab here in New York." "I know what to do." "But I'm gonna need a couple things from you." "This is principal Lawton, reminding you that the Brooklyn School of Science Humanities closes promptly at 5 pm." "Thank you." "*" "Mr. Swift." "A word, please." "It has come to my attention that you tried to show Ms. Benthem's students how to get around one of her assignments?" "Well, the assignment seemed a bit remedial." " I was hoping to teach them" " Teaching is Ms. Benthem's job." "Your job is to ensure that her students do the work that she prepared." "Don't sweat Lawton." "She thinks schools would run better if they just got rid of the students and teachers." "Chris Beckner... computer science." "Harold Swift." " Nice to meet an idealist." " No, no, not me." "Throw all this stuff online, I say." "Let me teach in my boxers." "Run wild, man." "I believe I will." "Yes, Detective Fusco?" "Do you have some new information for me?" "Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do." "I took a look at the report of his brother's death." "Caleb was the only witness." "He was there?" "His brother died right in front of him?" "Yeah, but something's not right." "I looked at every incident report that night." "The transit cop called for a backup... to dispatch, and then canceled the request." "Why would a policeman rescind a request for backup?" "That's what I'm trying to figure out." "I'm waiting on the transcripts to find out why." "Maybe it's time I go meet Caleb's mom and find out what his home life is like." "Interesting." "Caleb's latest national aptitude test score is exactly 50%, a statistically improbable score." "Unless you try to get it." "You see, Caleb knew the answer to every question." "But he chose only to fill in every other one." "I don't get it." "He tanked on purpose?" "Why would you want to hide the fact you're a genius?" "*" "Why, indeed?" "Caleb, a word?" "I could-couldn't help but notice this." "No offense, Mr. Swift, but now you're going through the garbage?" "Pi." "Can any of you tell me what it means?" "I'll settle for an intelligent question here." " Yeah?" " My friend has a question, Mr. Swift." ""What is any of this good for, and, uh... when would we ever use it?"" "Let me show you." "Pi." "The ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter." "And this... is just the beginning." "It keeps on going... forever... without ever repeating." "Which means that contained within this string of decimals... is every single... other number." "Your birth date... combination to your locker... your social security number." "It's all in there, somewhere." "And if you convert... these decimals into letters... you would have every word that ever existed in every... possible combination." "The first syllable you spoke as a baby... the name of your latest crush... your entire life story from beginning to end." "Everything we ever say or do... all of the world's infinite possibilities rest within this 1... simple circle." "Now what you do with that information... what it's good for... well, that would be up to you." "Yep." "NYPD, ma'am." "We're investigating a string of burglaries in the area." "Talking to residents about things they might've seen or heard." "Mind if I come in and ask you a few questions?" "I'm running a little late." "So you, uh... you live alone?" "With my son Caleb." "We don't have a lot of room, so Caleb takes the couch." "Uh, that's work." "Just give me a sec." "So you and your son see anything suspicious lately?" "Any... strange comings and goings?" "Anyone who stands out?" "Nothing I can think of." "Cops come a few times a year." "It's domestic stuff mostly." "Some families have it rough, you know?" "Yeah." "I know exactly what you mean." "Thanks for your time." "Yes, Detective." "I planted that webcam for you." "Met Caleb's mom." "Late for work, rolling out the door with the shakes." "My guess is she's hitting the bottle." "No wonder Caleb doesn't care about his grades." "Anything new on our 2 dealers?" "Diego Velasquez and Ronnie Samms." "Used to deal for a guy by the name of Lorenzo." "Type of guy you don't wanna cross." "But now they're working for some new up-and-comer that narcotics hasn't been able to identify." "I tell you, that school's a real minefield." "Okay." "Gonna keep your mouth shut, right, Chief?" "Yeah." "Sure." "Except to say this." "The next time you decide you want to deal E to a kid who's clearly never bought in his entire life... do it in the locker room downstairs." "Because this jumpy fool... is a neon sign shouting "drugs ahoy."" "Chief." "Hmm!" " Ah!" " That's enough!" "Unless you want to settle this in the principal's office." " Are you Okay?" " I don't need your help." "Okay?" "Hacker... used to refer to... industrious coders... who... pushed the boundaries of modern computing." "Then that word... became misappropriated by those who pushed the boundaries so far... that they ended up with jail time." "Like Kevin Mitnick, back in the 1980s." "Eh, he was just trying to see how stuff worked." "Mitnick was looking for flaws in the system." "And he did so by breaking the law." "But he proved... people were the flaw, not the code." "Now they're paying him millions for the same thing that got him locked up in the first place." "Perhaps the most notorious hacker of them all was the one that got away." "Back when Uncle Sam was trying to maintain its iron grip on the budding Internet or Arpanet, as it was known then... this... hacker, this coder, hacked into the system and laid its secrets bare... ensuring... that the Internet... would become an open forum." "Plus that hacker made his mark without ever getting busted." "True." "Whoever it was... that person's still out there." "Hey, I'm checking on the boy genius." "Not you, the other one." "Turns out he's quite the little coder." "He's been coding a massive program." "In longhand, as he doesn't have a computer at home." "Then he writes it into a computer in the lab." "If the partial code I've discovered... is a snapshot of his work... what he's creating... could be groundbreaking." "Detective Fusco, can you do something for me?" "I need you to follow Diego and Ronnie." "Caleb had a run-in with them today that might lead to trouble." " Is there a history there?" " Hard to tell." "But..." "Caleb seemed to take an outsized interest in their drug dealing." "If someone's pulling their strings, I'd like to know who." "Finch, whoever this drug dealer is, he's careful." "Detective, how goes phase 1 of your plan?" "I got the package you sent over, but if I'm gonna wade in this pool, I need the right specs." "Yeah." "Sending them to you now." "Our friend in Rikers is counting on you." "*" "Okay." "Knock 'em dead, Detective." "They won't know what hit 'em." "Hm." "Wow." " Hi, I'd like to have" " The first one, on me." "How are you doing?" "Thanks, but, um..." "I'm looking for something a little more... specific." "Detective Fusco, our young man is on the move." "Give you a ride home?" "Car is right down there." "I'd like that." "I have to admit, you kind of threw me at first... asking all those questions about my background, my health." "I couldn't tell whether we were flirting'... or filling' out my medical history." "I'm a practical girl." "I like to know what I'm getting into." "H-h-hm." "So are we... getting into anything tonight?" "I am." "Ooh..." "I don't know what happened, but..." "I didn't even have that much to... drink." "Yeah." "Open wide, big fella." "I've been following this drug money all night." "Diego and Ronnie handed a bagful of it to a homeless guy, who I followed till he dumped it off at a money transfer place." "The worker there wired it to another money hub across town... where I hoofed it over there just in time... to see some other guy pick up the cash... and drop it in a PO box right here in Crown Heights." "Our mysterious drug lord is laundering his money, making it untraceable." "Well, not untraceable enough." "Whoever comes in for this cash is our guy." "Where are you anyway?" "I'm looking at you." "I thought you were following the kid." "I am." " Here you go, sir." " Thanks." "Well, I'll be damned." "Our mystery drug lord is Caleb." "Graded your quizzes." "Some of you have been paying attention." "Caleb, I expected better." "Prrrf." "*" "What did the kid do now?" "Caleb just got a message." "He's supposed to meet his supplier at 2:00." "We have to follow 'im." "Tricky little bastard, keeping his identity a secret." "He's better than most dealers twice his age." "I'll be sure and tell him how impressed you are with his criminal aptitude." "Beckman just broke into Caleb's account, Detective." "He copying a file named 17-6-21 onto a thumb drive." "Whatever Caleb's making... his teacher's interest in it... is far from academic." "Oh, Mr. Phipps!" "Look, I'm kind of on my way somewhere." "I just wanted to return something of yours." "You dropped this yesterday." "You really got to stop going through the trash, Mr. Swift." "You know, I used to do a little coding myself." "That's an elegant string you have." "But it occurs to me that if you want to implement multi-threading, you'd do better to use atomic variables." "Just a thought." "Wait, that, that works." "Yes." "That's why I suggested it." "Uh, thanks." "I hope you have your service weapon with you, Detective." "Yeah, I got you a machine gun too." "Very funny, Detective." "Let's try not to lose him." "Yo, Roman." "You here?" "Aw." "Oh, jeez." "Whoa." "That's what you came for, right?" "So tell me... why would a kid like you do something so stupid..." "like dealing at a school in my neighborhood?" "That's Lorenzo, all right." "Diego and Ronnie's old boss." "What's the plan?" "Crap." "You know, before he had his little accident here..." "Roman was telling me how you're just trying to score some bank to take a big trip." "That true?" "Yeah." "You pay back every dime you made selling to my customers, I'll let you leave town intact." "Be back here tomorrow night... 8 pm... or I'll come find you." "How do you expect me... to score that kind of cash in a day?" "Relax." "All right, I'll... rob a bank or something." "I like you." "You got brass." "But you don't show tomorrow night... break a lot more than your legs." "Kid's got it tough." "But picking a fight with a drug dealer?" "I mean... a dumb move for a genius." "Why would a young man with such potential risk it all just to get some easy drug money?" "I don't think it's about the money." "I think it's about the brother." "Dispatch transcripts from the night Ryan Phipps died." "Now the transit cop who filed the report called for backup." "Because Caleb initially reported that 2 youths got into a shoving match with Ryan... pushed him onto the tracks." "But the officer canceled the backup call and filed an accident report instead." "Why would Caleb change his story?" "Maybe he knew the killers." "Maybe he was thinking about taking care of them himself." "Diego and Ronnie?" "He's manipulating those morons." "Got 'em running drugs for him, a-and they don't even know it." "What's Beckner so absorbed in?" "That's Caleb's work." "Howard, it's Chris." "Can you still meet up tonight?" "I think you'll be impressed with what you see." "Great." "I'll see you there." "Change of plans, Detective." "Let me guess." "You need me to keep an eye on little Einstein myself tonight." "Keep me posted." "So..." "Mr. venture capital firm partner..." "Junior... partner." "Long way from the corner office." "Still have to... watch my step..." " pick my... projects carefully." " I get it." "When you see this" "Well, then, let's..." "Let's just see it..." "Chris, so I can... get back to my wife and kids." "What the hell was that?" "The Library of Congress." "What?" "235 terabytes on-on 1 thumb drive?" "The Internet's choking on streaming video." "They're gonna need a new compression algorithm to continue growing." "And I've got it." "All I need is an investment from a firm like yours to help me get it off the ground." "So... here's the thing, Chris." "I remember your code from back in college." "You were a medium talent at best." "There is no way... that that Chris Beckner designed something... this extraordinary." "Unlike our old friends..." "I didn't peak in college." "So no one else knows about this project?" "Programmers?" "Developers?" "No other entanglements?" "I can guarantee it." "Well..." "let's hope so." "Because I would hate for, uh... anyone to come between you and what I believe is... going to be a very large check." "I finally tracked down that transit cop, Murphy... the one who was first on the scene when Caleb's brother died." "Left a message for him to come down to the 8th after his shift." "Speaking of which, where's the kid now?" "He's moving money around, large amounts." "Getting the cash to pay off Lorenzo?" "No, he set up some kind of a trust, and he's pouring all his money into it." "Maybe he's thinking about taking that trip he's always talking about." "Beckner just texted Caleb." "He wants to meet at 8 tonight." "The same time he's supposed to meet Lorenzo." "And quantum physics notwithstanding, he can't be in 2 places at once." "Unless I'm right, and this kid's got a plan... time's running out on 2 fronts." "Maybe skipping town's the best thing for 'im." "Then we could focus some on getting your pal out of lockup." "Mr. Reese can take care of himself, Detective." "And right now, he's in very capable hands." "Detective Carter?" "Time is ticking away fast for our friend in Rikers." "Don't worry." "I know what to do." "*" "Here you go." "Mm." "Sorry, honey." "I'll be better tomorrow." "I promise." "Yeah." "Everything's gonna be better tomorrow, ma." "Detective Fusco." "I just want to remind you that I need your help tonight." "Caleb has 2 appointments, and we have no idea which one he intends to keep." "I'll be there." "You wanted to speak with me?" "Yeah." "Have a seat, Officer Murphy." "Like I said, I'm, uh... working on a cold case." "Commuter got pushed." "Looking for related cases, this popped up." "Ryan Phipps." "Says here you were first on the scene?" "Yeah, that's right." "Kid was 6 months shy of his 18th birthday." "Coming home with his little brother Caleb." "Ryan was horsing around, drinking a little bit." "Slipped on the tracks and got clipped." "Yeah, yeah, I remember." "It was a rough one." "Because it was a kid?" "Or because you didn't report the whole story?" "I know about the kids who pushed Ryan on the tracks." "I'm no detective, Detective." "I'm just a lowly transit cop." "I seen a lot of things in my time." "And I made a lot of decisions I regret." "This is not one of those times." "You may regret it when Caleb becomes a killer." "What are you talking about?" "You think revenge is gonna make Caleb feel better about seeing his brother die?" "You're a long ways off, Detective." "Then give me some directions." "You know, I did to the kid what you're doing to me right now." "When I asked him for descriptions of the other kids... kept changing it up." "There were no other kids." "No." "Just... 2 brothers... drinking... bored... waiting for a train to go home." "So they... dare each other to, uh... cross the tracks." "You know... how many times you can cross back and forth before a train comes?" "Well, Ryan doesn't want to lose to his little brother." "One kid makes it, the other kid doesn't." "I don't know who got the better deal." "So I told him I'd leave all that out of the report... write it up as an accident, and for him to keep it to himself." "So no matter what he had to tell his mom... or the cops, or God himself... nothing was gonna bring his brother back." "What can I tell you?" "Some things you can't fix." "Hey, I just talked to Murphy." "Brother's death was an accident, but it sounds like Caleb blames himself for it." "Well, that's a problem, Detective, because I lost Caleb." "He got on a city bus, and it left before I could catch up." "You're kidding me." "May I remind you that of the many things I'm equipped to do, pursuit would not be chief among them." "Our only option now is to wait for Caleb at the 2 places he's likeliest to turn up." "I'll stake out Beckner at the High School." "You keep an eye out for our aggrieved drug dealer." "Get everyone, and hunt that kid down!" "Our boy is a no-show, and Lorenzo wants his head." "You worry about the kid." "I'll take care of Lorenzo." "He's not here either, Detective." "I may be too late." "Swift, what are you doing here?" "I was gonna ask you the same." " I-I left some papers on" " Stop it." "I saw you break into Caleb's account and copy his files." "Is that what you're willing to stoop to?" "Stealing the work of a student and passing it off as your own?" "I am not gonna stand here and be accused of plagiarism by some substitute teacher." "Besides, why would I copy work off of a C-grade student?" "Because Caleb is anything but average." "And you know it." "That's why you took his work to your friend." "Caleb... approached me a few months ago... about this project he was working on." "I was skeptical, but when I... saw his code I couldn't believe my eyes, so I decided to help him." " By cutting him out of it." " No." "All he wanted was some money up front for this trip that he wants to take." "He said he didn't even want any credit." "Why on earth would you agree to that?" "I didn't." "Have read it for yourself." "Caleb gets all the credit." "It was just easier for me to... pitch the idea with him myself... get some capital... and then reveal the true brain behind it." "He offered me half if I put the other half in a trust that he set up for his mom." "But I'm giving him the whole thing." "All the money from 17-6-21." "17-6-21?" "It's the name he gave the program." "He said it was some kind of dedication." "Look, I am telling you, 6 months from now, Caleb is going to be the richest 18-year-old in the country." "No." "No, he won't." "Dispatch." "Officer Murphy, regarding the subway fatality." "10-80 on the backup request." "10-5, Officer." "Cancel backup request?" "Affirmative." "This seat taken?" "What are you doing here?" "You're so smart, Caleb." "Ask me something you don't know." "The thing about being reckless... taking chances... is that you make a lot of mistakes, cause a lot of grief." "Gonna start lecturing me on mistakes?" "How I need to live and learn?" "Move on?" "That's really inspiring, Mr. Swift." "I'd stand up on my desk and clap for you." "But" "No." "Your mistakes, like mine... are part of who you are now." "You can't move on... from that." "Believe me." "I've made a sizable number." "But... sometimes your mistakes can surprise you." "My biggest... mistake... for instance... brought me here... at exactly this moment... when you might need some help." "17 years, 6 months and 21 days into your life." "The age at which your brother died." "The age you've chosen to end your life... too." "17-6-21." "So, you see... maybe you and I are connected." "2 reckless people." "Yeah?" "Then what's the use?" "We're just gonna keep breaking things... over and over?" "Why not save everyone the grief?" "The thing about the world... is that it doesn't have any extra pieces." "It's like pi." "It contains everything." "You remove... a single piece... no circle." "Your recklessness, your mistakes... are the reason why, when they say "you can't change the world..."" "you won't listen." "The world is better off... with both of us in it..." "Caleb, rather than the alternative." "Yeah, you sure about that?" "Yes, and your mom is better off with you in it." "If you think money can replace you... you haven't seen the whole equation." "Take it from someone who thought that leaving... would make it easier on everyone... and then learned otherwise." "Say it to me again." "Slowly." "According to the lab results, none of the DNA we took from these 4 men matches any of the DNA in our database." "They're clean, sir." "All 4 of 'em." "I want every one of those samples sent to Quantico, reviewed through CODIS, and inspected for tampering." "They got to it." "I don't know how, but those bastards got to it." "Go." "1 more thing." "Get me Carter." "You really ought to be more careful with your code." "Thanks." "I grew up during the Cold War... when computer networks were just a gleam in the eye of the Department of Defense." "Things seemed more black and white then." "Arpanet was the new frontier." "Till a kid with a homemade computer turned the whole thing inside out." "All I'm saying is... it's a new era now, and things are about to get really weird." "So you should keep your code close to your vest." "And pick your friends wisely." "Pi." "The first... 3,000 digits." "My number's in there, somewhere." "You're smart, you'll figure it out." "Wait, uh... the hacker... the one who got away." "How'd you know he did that with a homemade computer?" "I've read all that research." "No one's ever mentioned that." "I must've heard it somewhere." "Detective Carter." "Has our friend in Rikers been released?" "Almost." "I'm going to meet 'im now." "Your DNA wasn't a match for whoever they're looking for." "We'll be processing you out momentarily." "Stop right there!" "These men have all been classified as unlawful combatants by the AUMF." "Until we can establish that they're not a threat to national security, they're not going anywhere." "Put him back." "Just the person I wanted to see." "What... is going on?" "I thought the evidence cleared these guys." "The DNA, the fingerprints, it's all too neat." "I've been burned too many times trying to bring this man to justice." "There's only 1 person that I know I can trust anymore." "You." "You've been chasing him from the beginning." "And we've only got 1 shot left at him, Detective." "If he walks out of here, we're never gonna see him again." "I know you were a senior interrogator in Iraq." "It's time to put those military skills to use." "I want you to interrogate every last one of these men, find out who they are, what they know." "Start with him."

249 So.2d 228 (1971) Wilma C. BANKS and Albert Banks, Sr. v. JEFFERSON BOTTLING COMPANY. No. 4385. Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit. June 7, 1971. Levy, Smith & Pailet, Adolph J. Levy, New Orleans, for plaintiffs-appellants. Porteous, Toledano, Hainkel & Johnson, James P. Conner and Christopher E. Lawler, New Orleans, for defendant-appellee. Before SAMUEL, REDMANN and GULOTTA, JJ. SAMUEL, Judge. Wilma and Albert Banks filed this suit against Jefferson Bottling Company for $1,000 to compensate Mrs. Banks for the aggravation of a pre-existing colostomy and her husband for medical expenses allegedly incurred as a result of the plaintiff-wife ingesting a roach in a soft drink bottled by the defendant. Defendant filed a general denial. The suit was dismissed after trial and plaintiffs have appealed. Testimony offered by plaintiffs is to the effect that sometime during the morning of October 16, 1967 their daughter purchased a Big Giant Cola from a neighborhood cleaning establishment. When the daughter returned with the unopened bottle Mrs. Banks removed the cap and started drinking the contents. Suddenly she felt something stick in her throat. She became ill and began vomiting. When her retching had subsided, she noticed a roach in the regurgitated material. Her brother, who was present, found a second roach and a small black object in the contents remaining in the bottle. Later that day she and her husband returned to the cleaning establishment to show the proprietor what was left of the beverage and to recount the incident. Nathanial Reed, the proprietor, who was called as a witness for the plaintiffs, verified the fact they returned with the soft *229 drink and that Mrs. Banks appeared to be "gagging". But he refuted the claim there was a second roach and another foreign object in the remaining contents. He examined it by holding it up to the light and pouring out some of the remaining cola on paper. The bottle and contents were not introduced in evidence and the record fails to explain what disposition was made thereof after plaintiffs delivered it to their attorney. This probably is the most damaging inconsistency contained in the evidence offered by plaintiffs which, together with many others, casts doubt on the accuracy of Mrs. Banks' testimony that she had swallowed a roach in the cola. Some of those inconsistencies are: The pleadings indicate Mrs. Banks purchased the Big Giant Cola while the testimony is that her daughter did. The daughter claims the incident occurred in the afternoon while her mother testified it happened before noon. Plaintiffs themselves explained Albert Banks returned home from work early that day because rain prevented work by the construction crew in which he was employed. The daughter was positive it did not rain that day. As to the alleged aggravation of the pre-existing colostomy, Mrs. Banks attributes bleeding from the rectum and the colostomy to ingestion of the roach. For plaintiffs to establish a prima facie case against the bottler they must prove: (1) the beverage was purchased in its original container; (2) the bottle apparently was in good condition when it was purchased and when it was opened; (3) it contained a foreign substance; and (4) the contents were consumed and injuries resulted therefrom. See LeBlanc v. Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Ltd., 221 La. 919, 60 So.2d 873; Givens v. Baton Rouge Coca-Cola Bottling Company, La.App., 182 So.2d 532. After hearing the evidence, the trial court apparently concluded plaintiffs failed to meet this burden by a preponderance of credible evidence. As our review of the record fails to disclose manifest error in this factual finding, we will not disturb the conclusions of the lower court. See United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company v. Fiffie, La.App., 211 So.2d 690. For the reasons assigned, the judgment appealed from is affirmed. Affirmed.

Wake up! It’s time for a new adventure, readers; Bobby’s going to Japan! Woop woop! Hurrah! Huzzah! Yatta! (That’s Japanese for “I did it!” – check me out). It’s been a long while since I’ve written on these humble pages and I’d love to say that a lot has happened since then, but it hasn’t really, and that’s part of the reason I’m writing this in the first place. Since 2007 and my return from my legendary journey around the earth I have drank a lot of beer, eaten in a lot of restaurants and visited Germany, Amsterdam and The North (it’s grim up there). I have a 9-to-5 job in IT, I buy my groceries in Sainsbury’s, I read the paper, sip Cappuccinos in cafes and eat pizza in posh pubs. Basically I’m a good little citizen doing exactly what every other good little citizen does. My best mate William and I can never go out for a drink without a deep chat about our careers and where they’re going. We both met at university where we were doing the same degree in Computer Network Management; a fascinating concoction of the study of sine waves, frequency modulation, tort law, artificial intelligence and maths, amongst other things. Suffice to say they failed to teach us the basics of IT support (where most people in this industry start on the career ladder); that is to say, “switch it off, and switch it back on again”. This is a cliché for a reason my friends; because it works. Take heed and you will be able to hang out with your IT department like you are one of them. After they have cracked a few jokes at your expense and shown themselves as technically superior they will happily converse with you about cars, graphics cards, politics and Blackberries because you are one of the fabled few who decided to take The IT Crowd seriously, rather than dismiss it as a crap comedy. One of the many discussions William and I, and I’m sure many other people doing their 9-to-5s like good little citizens have had is the one about your Passion. You know; the belief that everyone has a purpose in life; that your purpose should be as much a part of you and your everyday life as the skin you’re in. I’m not talking about divine right, fate or anything remotely religious here; rather that there are probably a number of different careers that are perfect for you that you wouldn’t mind working on day and night, or that – shock, horror – you might actually look forward to doing every day of your life. My career in IT stems back to my days as a socially repressed teenager living in a small town in England. I found people confusing and uninteresting, especially when compared to the logical, simple world that computers live in. If your computer is slow, stick more RAM in it, if the hard disk thrashes all the time even after you’ve upgraded the RAM, get a new hard disk (bet you never thought you were going to get inside information reading this blog did you, you lucky things?). People are infinitely more complex and, for an 18 year-old boy who goes to college, gets home and then plays Counter Strike until 4am before getting up for college again, they’re terrifying. Fortunately I went to university, which I liken to a great big washing machine for humans. You jump into it a spotty, clueless teenager who thinks he knows everything and drinks himself blind at karaoke nights in a sweaty pub every Saturday night (no? just me?). It then chucks you around a bit, washes you, pulls off your Argos neck-chain, and spits you out with a better haircut, better clothes and a piece of paper that says that you’re marginally more intelligent; except you don’t feel that way because your world has just expanded by a massive amount and your knowledge of it only marginally. You now need to learn as much as you possibly can about everything so you go travelling, which makes you wiser about the world but again, expands your world by an even more massive amount and you come back feeling like you’ve actually got thicker. I’m not sure if anyone has ever documented this phenomenon before but if not, I dub it The Bobby Effect. You heard it here first. Err… Where was I? Oh yes! Passion. I needed to find mine… The main problem with my job is that I’m making no impact on anyone; I’m not changing anything or doing anything particularly worthwhile. You could make the argument that I’m a cog in the proverbial machine; that my job is essential to keep my sports company and its computers running smoothly, and that helps to get more people involved in sport, possibly changing lives in the process. However this is nonsense because: I believe it’s a justification that people use when they’re unhappy in their work and unwilling/don’t know how to do anything about it and… They don’t feel they need to replace me. …and so I’m going to Japan to teach English, driven by a desire for a massive personal challenge and a desire to make a difference. If I can teach a Japanese student to speak a language that will empower him/her to travel and communicate through a vast array of other countries and cultures, then I’ve directly made a difference in someone else’s life rather than vicariously through resetting their Windows password.

DAYS: May Sweeps I hope that the stories play to the characters strengths and relationships. I miss soaps being able to do scenes with a lot of people really well. I thinks Days has gotten better at that as of late. I did love the scene with all the Bradys at the pub the other day. I feel like Kayla is chained to that bar though; has she even seen Horton town square yet? So Sami and EJ are in her apartment, undressed basically. He ends up on the phone with Billie who is at the ISA and Sami ends up blindfolded and in the safehouse. Bo & Hope goes from ISA to safehouse as well. And Stefano is not mentioned in any of this so he is clearly behind it.

Computed Tomography Scanning for Early Detection of Lung Cancer. Parallel and often unrelated developments in health care and technology have all been necessary to bring about early detection of lung cancer and the opportunity to decrease mortality from lung cancer through early detection of the disease by computed tomography. Lung cancer screening programs provide education for patients and clinicians, support smoking cessation as primary prevention for lung cancer, and facilitate health care for tobacco-associated diseases, including cardiovascular and chronic lung diseases. Guidelines for lung cancer screening will need to continue to evolve as additional risk factors and screening tests are developed. Data collection from lung cancer screening programs is vital to the further development of fiscally responsible guidelines to increase detection of lung cancer, which may include small groups with elevated risk for reasons other than tobacco exposure.

“It is a nation in this contest that we are now engaged in with Vladimir Putin, who has committed to extending the reach and influence of the Russian government … to the point where he attempted a coup to overthrow the freely elected government of Montenegro,” Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said on the Senate floor Monday. “If we turn down Montenegro, it will not remain the democracy that it is today.” AD AD Authorities in Monte­negro claim that pro-Russian factions attempted to stage a coup last October during parliamentary elections. Russia has denied any involvement. The Kremlin also is strongly opposed to any more expansion of NATO. Three Balkan countries that were once in Russia’s Cold War sphere of influence are in the process of joining. Georgia, a former Soviet republic, has also expressed interest in joining. All current NATO member states must ratify Montenegro’s bid in order for it to accede to the treaty — or become a member. The road to ratifying Montenegro’s bid in the U.S. Senate has not been entirely smooth. During the last Congress, the term clock ran out before the Senate got a chance to vote on Montenegro — leading many to wonder whether Republicans were dragging their feet because Trump had struck a conciliatory tone on Russia. AD AD The president spoke highly of Putin on the campaign trail, and the intelligence community determined that Russia had attempted to interfere in the 2016 election with the intention of promoting Trump’s candidacy. Two congressional committees, as well as the FBI, are currently investigating possible ties or collusion between the Kremlin and members of Trump’s campaign and transition teams. But the administration urged the Senate to approve Montenegro’s effort to join NATO. In a letter, first reported by Reuters, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson wrote to Senate leaders earlier this month that ratifying Montenegro’s membership is “strongly in the interests of the United States.” In fact, the opposition to Montenegro’s bid came from just two senators — Kentucky Republican Rand Paul and Utah Republican Mike Lee. Paul argued that supporting it is a waste of U.S. taxpayer money. AD AD Accusing his fellow senators of simply using the issue as an excuse for “a punching session about Russia,” Paul said Monday that “admitting Montenegro to NATO will do nothing to advance our national security and will do everything to simply add another small country to the welfare wagon of NATO.” Paul’s tone was reminiscent of Trump’s disparagement of NATO during his presidential campaign, when he told the New York Times that member states “aren’t paying their bills” — suggesting that the U.S. commitment to fulfill its treaty obligations to other members of the alliance might be leveraged by whether those countries had settled their accounts. As president, he appears to have altered his stance, pledging earlier this year that the United States will “strongly support NATO,” as reported by CNN — though he continued to stress that other NATO members have to contribute more toward collective defense. AD AD NATO members agreed in 2014 to a 10-year timetable to spend 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense. Most do not at the moment. Montenegro’s contribution, as a country with a GDP of about $4 billion and a standing army of about 2,000 soldiers, would likely not contribute much, even if it meets the 2 percent target.

1. Introduction {#sec1-jcm-08-01960} =============== Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of visual loss in working-age adults in developed countries \[[@B1-jcm-08-01960]\]. In some studies that reported incidence in Italy, the cumulative incidence of DR ranged from 34% to 59% during a four-year period, depending on the age of patient and severity of disease \[[@B2-jcm-08-01960],[@B3-jcm-08-01960]\]. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is the worst stage of DR, and is characterized by the development of retinal neovascularization, which usually leads to serum leakage, hemorrhage, and fibrovascular proliferation in the vitreous--retinal interface. Fibrosis and neovascularization ultimately lead to vision loss due to tractional retinal detachment (TRD) in untreated eyes \[[@B4-jcm-08-01960]\]. Pars plana vitrectomy is broadly considered the gold standard for management of this condition; however, the occurrence of intra-operative hemorrhage when dissecting the epiretinal neovascular membrane can reduce the outcome of surgery both anatomically and functionally. Reiterated bleeding can also prolong operation time and significantly increase the rate of complications \[[@B5-jcm-08-01960],[@B6-jcm-08-01960]\]. The pathophysiological basis of PDR is angiogenesis \[[@B7-jcm-08-01960]\]. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been confirmed to be a crucial driver of vascular permeability, diabetic macular edema, neovascularization and PDR \[[@B8-jcm-08-01960],[@B9-jcm-08-01960],[@B10-jcm-08-01960]\]. Intra-vitreal administration of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) is variably used as an addition to vitrectomy to improve the outcome of surgery by reducing the incidence of intra-operative and post-operative vitreous hemorrhage and to ease the delamination of fibrovascular membranes \[[@B11-jcm-08-01960],[@B12-jcm-08-01960],[@B13-jcm-08-01960]\]. Intra-vitreal injections of anti-VEGF in adjunct to vitrectomy can therefore determine better visual acuity, fewer retinal breaks, fewer endo-diathermy applications, decrease the duration of surgery, and intra-operative bleeding \[[@B13-jcm-08-01960],[@B14-jcm-08-01960],[@B15-jcm-08-01960],[@B16-jcm-08-01960],[@B17-jcm-08-01960]\]. On the other hand, intra-vitreal anti-VEGF has been proved to be able to increase the severity of fibrosis with progression or development of TRD shortly after injection in patients affected by PDR. Similarly, a fibrotic switch has been shown in diabetic fibrovascular proliferative membranes after bevacizumab \[[@B18-jcm-08-01960],[@B19-jcm-08-01960],[@B20-jcm-08-01960]\]. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the incidence and risk factors of tractional macular detachment (TMD) following intra-vitreal anti-VEGF pretreatment before vitrectomy for complicated PDR. 2. Materials and Methods {#sec2-jcm-08-01960} ======================== In this retrospective multicenter cohort study, we included all consecutive patients who had undergone primary pars plana vitrectomy for TRD, fibrous proliferation, or a combination of these, related to active PDR after anti-VEGF pretreatment, from January 2012 to 31 December 2018, at 4 tertiary vitreoretinal centers in Italy: the Eye Clinic of the University of Catania; the Eye Clinic of the University of Sassari; the Eye Clinic of the University of Bari; and the Eye Clinic of the University of Palermo. Anti-VEGF is indicated for the treatment of patients with diabetic macular edema. The "off-label" status of this medication for PDR, and possible systemic and ocular complications, was discussed in detail, and informed consent was obtained from all patients. The study protocol, approved by the institutional review boards of the coordinating center (University of Catania, Catania, Italy, Ethical code 39/724/2011/pol) and the other participating centers, conformed to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki. Inclusion criteria for the use of intra-vitreal anti-VEGF before vitrectomy for the management of PDR included active proliferative diabetic retinopathy, TRD not involving the macula, fibrous proliferation, or a combination of these with associated reduced visual acuity. Exclusion criteria consisted of dense vitreous hemorrhage preventing visualization of the posterior pole preoperatively and grading of fibrovascular membranes, eyes that had undergone any previous ocular surgery, except uncomplicated cataract surgery, a history of ocular inflammatory disease, patients with other intraocular diseases that may have affected the vitreoretinal surgery, such as retinal vascular disorders, traumatic retinal detachment, uveitis, and congenital vitreoretinopathies, and patients who had undergone any previous intra-vitreal anti-VEGF injections in the previous 6 months. All patients were divided into two groups according to the presence or not of TMD on the day of vitrectomy. Patients were considered to have a TMD when preretinal membranes exerted traction on the retina resulting in the presence of sub-macular fluid on Spectral-Domain OCT (SD-OCT). Patients were considered to have fibrovascular proliferation when preretinal membranes exerted traction on the retina with or without intraretinal edema but without subretinal fluid on SD-OCT \[[@B21-jcm-08-01960]\]. Only eyes with a valuable OCT performed within 5 days before injection of anti-VEGF and on the day of vitrectomy were included. The interval between anti-VEGF injection and vitrectomy was also assessed. Only 1 eye of each subject was permitted into the study. If both eyes of 1 patient qualified for enrollment, the most affected eye was selected for the study \[[@B21-jcm-08-01960]\]. Patient demographics, complete medical and ophthalmic history, the most recent hemoglobin A1c level, years affected by diabetes, ophthalmic data including phackic/pseudophakic condition, and laser photocoagulation partial/panphotocoagulation before anti-VEGF injection were drawn from electronic medical records. In each center, 2 separate investigators qualified in the methods of chart abstraction were committed to the task of reviewing the charts of patients separately. Definitions for key variables and all data abstraction forms were reviewed. Chart abstractors were blinded regarding the aim of the study. Statistical Analysis {#sec2dot1-jcm-08-01960} -------------------- The total number of anti-VEGF injections and vitrectomy procedures was identified, and the overall incidence rate of TMD was calculated. Using the chi-square or Fisher exact tests for categorical variables, and Mann--Whitney tests for quantitative variables, potential risk factors for TMD were identified in univariate analyses. Odds ratio was also calculated; for the continuous variables, Exp(B) from binary logistic regression was used. Risk factors that were significant at the *p* = 0.2 level, and the univariate analysis was included in the multivariable logistic regression analysis. We also investigated the predicting capability of variables using a regression based on conditional inference decision trees. Risk models were developed using a decision-tree induction from class labeled training records: the development of TMD was the dependent variable, and the other attributes were the predictor variables; the individual records are the tuples for which the class label is known, as previously described \[[@B22-jcm-08-01960]\]. All differences were considered to be statistically significant at a 5% probability level, and all reported *p* values are 2-sided. Statistical analysis used IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows (Version 21.0; IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, USA) 3. Results {#sec3-jcm-08-01960} ========== The recruitment flowchart is shown in [Figure 1](#jcm-08-01960-f001){ref-type="fig"}. Overall, charts from 1011 eyes that had anti-VEGF injection before vitrectomy at 4 surgical units between January 2012 and December 2018 were reviewed. 608 eyes were included in the analysis. The mean ± SD age was 48.7 ± 10.8 years in patients who developed TMD after anti-VEGF injection and 54.8 ± 10.9 years in patients who did not develop TMD after anti-VEGF injection. There were 33/(n = 61) (54.1%) male patients who developed TMD after anti-VEGF injection and 279/(n = 547) (51%) male patients who did not develop TMD after anti-VEGF injection. 3.1. TMD Incidence {#sec3dot1-jcm-08-01960} ------------------ Overall, the incidence of TMD after anti-VEGF was 10%, 61/608 in the eyes that had anti-VEGF before vitrectomy (chi-square; *p* \< 0.001). 3.2. Univariate Analysis {#sec3dot2-jcm-08-01960} ------------------------ Univariate analysis showed that significant variables related with increased risk of TMD included: younger age (48.7 ± 10.8 years in eyes that developed TMD after anti-VEGF, 54.8 ± 10.9 years in in eyes which did not develop TMD; odds ratio \[OR\], 0.95 \[95% CI 0.93--0.97\]; *p* \< 0.001), higher HbA1c, (7.9 ± 0.7% in eyes that developed TMD, 7.7 ± 0.4% in in eyes that did not develop TMD; OR, 2.12 \[95% CI 1.27--3.53\]; *p* = 0.004), days between anti-VEGF and vitrectomy (11.8 ± 6.1 days in eyes that developed TMD after anti-VEGF, 5.7 ± 2.7 days in in eyes that did not develop TMD after anti-VEGF; odds ratio \[OR\], 1.40 \[95% CI 1.30--1.52\]; *p* \< 0.001) ([Table 1](#jcm-08-01960-t001){ref-type="table"}). 3.3. Multivariable Analysis {#sec3dot3-jcm-08-01960} --------------------------- Significant variables at univariate analysis were taken forward to multivariable analysis. A regression model was constructed for the risk of developing TMD after anti-VEGF injection. Significant risk factors for developing TMD included days between anti-VEGF and vitrectomy (OR, 0.71 \[95% CI 0.65--0.76\]; *p* \< 0.001), vitreous hemorrhage (OR, 0.23 \[95% CI 0.11--0.49\]; *p* \< 0.001), and younger age (OR, 1.05 \[95% CI 1.02--1.08\]; *p* \< 0.001) ([Table 2](#jcm-08-01960-t002){ref-type="table"}). 3.4. Decision-Tree Analysis {#sec3dot4-jcm-08-01960} --------------------------- The outcome of the decision-tree analysis for the prediction of TMD is shown in [Figure 2](#jcm-08-01960-f002){ref-type="fig"}. The most significant prediction factor was the time between anti-VEGF injection and vitrectomy (*p* \< 0.001). TMD development is reduced when surgery is performed within 6 days from anti-VEGF injection. Secondary predictors were the presence of vitreous hemorrhage (*p* = 0.012) in eyes that had undergone vitrectomy between 6 and 10 days after anti-VEGF injection and younger age (*p* = 0.031) in eyes that had undergone vitrectomy more than 10 days after anti-VEGF injection. 4. Discussion {#sec4-jcm-08-01960} ============= A challenging condition faced by vitreoretinal surgeons is the surgical management of PDR complications. The most reported post-operative complication after vitrectomy is vitreous hemorrhage, reaching 75% in some studies when pre-operative anti-VEGF was not administered \[[@B23-jcm-08-01960],[@B24-jcm-08-01960],[@B25-jcm-08-01960],[@B26-jcm-08-01960]\]. Neovascularization, secondary to PDR, can effectively be reduced \[[@B27-jcm-08-01960],[@B28-jcm-08-01960]\], and surgical visualization can be improved by pre-operative anti-VEGF, which were shown to reduce intra-operative hemorrhaging and facilitate fibrovascular membrane delamination resulting in a lower incidence of iatrogenic breaks \[[@B17-jcm-08-01960],[@B19-jcm-08-01960],[@B20-jcm-08-01960],[@B27-jcm-08-01960],[@B29-jcm-08-01960],[@B30-jcm-08-01960]\]. However, development or progression of TRD soon after pre-operative anti-VEGF injection may occur in as many as 5.2% of cases \[[@B31-jcm-08-01960]\]. Vitrectomy should therefore be performed after sufficient time has passed to allow regression of neovascularization but before fibrovascular contraction. Some studies have reported regression of neovascularization during the first week after treatment with intra-vitreal bevacizumab in PDR patients \[[@B14-jcm-08-01960],[@B32-jcm-08-01960]\]. In patients affected by PDR who had anti-VEGF at various intervals before Pars Plana Vitrectomy (PPV), El-Sabagh and associates \[[@B30-jcm-08-01960]\] analyzed different components of proliferative fibrovascular membranes (collagen, CD34, and smooth muscle actin). The vascular component of proliferation was significantly reduced 10 days after intra-vitreal bevacizumab injection, whereas the contractile components were not abundant; therefore, 10 days might be considered the ideal timing for pre-operative intra-vitreal bevacizumab injection. They also showed that pan-endothelial marker CD34, expressed significantly in neovascular vessels, was not significantly reduced until 5 days after intra-vitreal bevacizumab injection, suggesting that pre-operative intra-vitreal bevacizumab administered before 5 days may not provide enough time for neovascular regression. Van Geest and associates \[[@B33-jcm-08-01960]\] showed that connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) levels were highly correlated with the degree of vitreoretinal fibrosis in PDR. Furthermore, they established that the CTGF/VEGF ratio was the highest predictor of fibrosis in PDR patients and that intra-vitreal anti-VEGF treatment determined augmented fibrosis in PDR patients \[[@B33-jcm-08-01960]\]. Wei and associates \[[@B34-jcm-08-01960]\] showed that the fibrin--fibronectin complex is the key factor that directly promotes the progression of fibrosis, while CTGF increases fibrosis by enhancing the affinity of fibronectin to fibrin in pathologic conditions. They suggested that fibrin--fibronectin complex formation is a molecular mechanism underlying the development of TRD after intra-vitreal anti-VEGF injection. Our results show that the presence of vitreous hemorrhage increases the risk of TRD, therefore it is conceivable that the risk increases with copious vitreous hemorrhage. This might explain why, in our study, the patients diagnosed with dense vitreous hemorrhage were more likely to develop severe TRD after intra-vitreal anti-VEGF injection. Castillo and associates \[[@B21-jcm-08-01960]\] compared two different pre-operative intra-vitreal bevacizumab treatment intervals in PDR patients undergoing PPV. Pre-operative intra-vitreal bevacizumab performed 5--10 days before PPV produced a significantly better best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and fewer post-operative complications at 6 months compared to pre-operative intra-vitreal bevacizumab performed 1--3 days before, principally in cases with worse vitreoretinal adhesion and when the indication for surgery was fibrous proliferation, TRD, or a combination of fibrous proliferation, vitreous hemorrhaging, and TRD. Their results suggest that pre-operative intra-vitreal bevacizumab performed 1--3 days before PPV may not allow enough time to effectively regress neovascularization, compared to intra-vitreal bevacizumab performed 5--10 days before PPV \[[@B21-jcm-08-01960]\]. Previous studies reported a pre-operative injection of intra-vitreal bevacizumab from 1 to 33 days before PPV for PDR-related complications \[[@B11-jcm-08-01960],[@B14-jcm-08-01960],[@B15-jcm-08-01960],[@B17-jcm-08-01960],[@B19-jcm-08-01960],[@B20-jcm-08-01960],[@B29-jcm-08-01960],[@B30-jcm-08-01960],[@B35-jcm-08-01960],[@B36-jcm-08-01960]\] and TRD incidence between 5.2% \[[@B31-jcm-08-01960]\] and 9% \[[@B37-jcm-08-01960]\]. The results of our study, performed on over 600 eyes, identified less than 6 days as a safe period to perform PPV following anti-VEGF and an incidence rate of TMD after anti-VEGF of 10%. The possible differences are due to the different inclusion criteria that have been used in various studies. Furthermore, in our study, we evaluated the presence of TMD with OCT examination to have a more sensitive evaluation than just the examination of the fundus. In our study, multivariate analysis showed that 3 factors had a significant effect on the incidence: days between anti-VEGF and vitrectomy, vitreous hemorrhage, and age. We used a decision-tree analysis to analyze the interactions and priorities among them; this is a modeling procedure that has several advantages, including automatically capturing multilevel interactions among predictors, handling nonlinear relationships, rule generation, and ease of visualization and interpretation \[[@B38-jcm-08-01960]\]. In addition, a decision-tree model can be successfully used in clinical settings since the primary related factors can be identified \[[@B39-jcm-08-01960]\]. The decision-tree model identified the time between anti-VEGF injection and vitrectomy as the main variable associated with TMD. In eyes where vitrectomy was performed within 6 days of anti-VEGF injection, the risk of developing TMD was extremely low, regardless of other variables. TMD developed in 12% of patients who received vitrectomy between 6 and 10 days after anti-VEGF injection; in this group, the risk significantly increased if there was a vitreous hemorrhage associated with Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (PDR). Finally, in the eyes where vitrectomy was performed more than 10 days after anti-VEGF, the risk of developing TMD was very high (over half of the eyes), particularly in patients with a younger age. Therefore, it can be useful to perform surgery within 10 days from anti-VEGF injection or within 6 days in the presence of vitreous hemorrhage. This study has some limitations. First, some bias in the identification of variables might be introduced by the retrospective nature of the study; however, to minimize bias, a rigorous protocol of data extraction was defined at the study planning stage for all variables. Another limitation of the study is that eyes that had vitreous hemorrhages not allowing the exploration of the fundus were excluded. Furthermore, our results do not necessarily apply to the general population, as they were found in 4 Italian tertiary facilities and we did not evaluate association of the treatment outcome on the type or class of antidiabetics that the patients were taking to keep their diabetes under control. In conclusion, TMD occurs in 10% of eyes after anti-VEGF injection, the main risk factors being days between anti-VEGF injection and vitrectomy, vitreous hemorrhage, and age. Further prospective studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy of potential strategies in the prevention of TMD. We wish to thank Dott. A. Bridgewood of the Scientific Bureau of the University of Catania for language support. Conceptualization, T.A. and M.R.; Data curation, A.L., M.F., R.R. and K.N.; Formal analysis, A.L.; Investigation, A.R., V.B., F.B., C.F. and S.C.; Visualization, M.T.; Writing -- original draft, A.R. This research received no external funding. The authors declare no conflict of interest. {#jcm-08-01960-f001} {#jcm-08-01960-f002} jcm-08-01960-t001_Table 1 ###### Univariate Analysis of Variables in eyes with and without tractional macular detachment detected at OCT after anti-VEGF intra-vitreal injection. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Variables Eyes with TMD after anti-VEGF\ Eyes without TMD after anti-VEGF\ *p* Value OR (95% CI) n = 61 n = 547 --------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ----------------------------------- ------------- ------------------- Age, mean ± SD (years) 48.7 ± 10.8 54.8 ± 10.9 \<0.001 ^a^ 0.95 (0.93--0.97) Males, n (%) 33 (54.1) 279 (51.0) 0.686 1.13 (0.67--1.92) Diabetes type 1, n (%) 4 (6.6) 26 (4.8) 0.758 0.71 (0.24--2.11) HbA1c, (%) 7.9 ± 0.7 7.7 ± 0.4 0.004 ^a^ 2.12 (1.27--3.53) Length of diabetes, (years) 16.3 ± 4.9 16.3 ± 3.4 0.969 0.99 (0.94--1.06) Pseudophakic/aphakic, n (%) 18 (33.8) 194 (35.0) 0.397 0.76 (0.43--1.36) Vitreous hemorrhage 44 (72.1) 301 (55.0) 0.014 ^a^ 2.12 (1.18--3.80) Localized photocoagulation, n (%) 51 (86.6) 385 (70.4) 0.035 ^a^ 2.14 (1.06--4.33) Extensive photocoagulation, n (%) 10 (16.4) 162 (29.6) 0.035 ^a^ 0.47 (0.23--0.94) Days between anti-VEGF and vitrectomy 11.8 ± 6.1 5.7 ± 2.7 \<0.001 ^a^ 1.40 (1.30--1.52) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SD = standard deviation; OR = odds ratio; CI = confidence interval; IOL = intraocular lens; ^a^ Statistically significant. jcm-08-01960-t002_Table 2 ###### Independently significant risk factors for developing tractional macular detachment detected at OCT after anti-VEGF intra-vitreal injection in the multivariate logistic regression. Variables OR (95% CI) *p* Value --------------------------------------- ------ ------------ ----------- Days between anti-VEGF and vitrectomy 0.71 0.65--0.76 \<0.001 Vitreous Hemorrhage 0.23 0.11--0.49 \<0.001 Age 1.05 1.02--1.08 0.001 OR = odds ratio; CI = confidence interval.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday said he expected US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for the Middle East to be “historic” ahead of a trip to Washington. “An opportunity such as this comes once in history and cannot be missed... I am full of hope that we are on the verge of a historic moment in the annals of our state,” Netanyahu, who has been invited to meet Trump at the White House on Tuesday to discuss the plan, said in a statement. Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 10:05 - GMT 07:05

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870 F.Supp. 304 (1994) Greg NOBLE, Elizabeth Clark, Ronda Duran, and all others similarly situated, Plaintiffs, v. Donna E. SHALALA, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Defendant. Civ. A. No. 92 N 2495. United States District Court, D. Colorado. November 30, 1994. *305 Linda J. Olson, Judith Caron Stein, Legal Aid Soc. of Metropolitan Denver, Denver, CO, Barbara L. Hughes, Pikes Peak Legal Services, Colorado Springs, CO, Melody K. Fuller, Boulder County Legal Services, Boulder, CO, for plaintiffs. Chalk S. Mitchell, Asst. U.S. Atty., Denver, CO, for defendant. MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER NOTTINGHAM, District Judge. This action challenges the validity of federal and state regulations which set a $1500 limit on the equity value of an automobile owned by a recipient of either Aid to Families with Dependent Children ("AFDC") or Medicaid. See 45 C.F.R. § 233.20(a)(3)(i)(B)(2) (1993); 9 Colo.Code Regs. 2503-1, § 3.661.13(c) (1991). All of the named plaintiffs own or have owned vehicles which exceed this limitation and, as a result, have been denied AFDC and/or Medicaid *306 benefits. Plaintiffs claim that Defendant Donna E. Shalala, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services ("HHS") [hereinafter the "Secretary"], or her predecessors, lacked a sufficient factual basis for the $1500 limit when the AFDC regulation was adopted in 1982. According to plaintiffs, the $1500 limit is "arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law" and violates both 5 U.S.C.A. § 706(2)(A) (West 1977), and the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Plaintiffs seek declaratory and injunctive relief. Jurisdiction is based on 28 U.S.C.A. § 1331 (West 1993). The matter is now before the court on cross-motions for summary judgment. The central issue raised by the parties' motions is the extent to which the federal government may circumscribe a means-tested program, such as AFDC or Medicaid, in order to save funds and still maintain a rational relation to the purpose of the program. See Hazard v. Sullivan, 827 F.Supp. 1348, 1350 (M.D.Tenn. 1993). Because I conclude that the $1500 limit maintains this rational relationship, I deny plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment and grant defendant's motion for summary judgment. My decision concerning the summary judgment motions renders plaintiffs' motion for class certification moot. FACTS Plaintiff Greg Noble, his wife, and their three children applied for public assistance when he was unable to secure full-time employment. (Pls.' Mot. for Summ. J., Statement of Undisputed Material Facts ¶ 1, Ex. E [Noble Aff. ¶ 1] [filed Aug. 27, 1993] [hereinafter "Pls.' Mot."].) On November 19, 1992, Mr. Noble applied for Medicaid benefits for his children. (Id. ¶ 2 [Noble Aff. ¶ 4].) On December 30, 1992, he applied for financial assistance under the Aid to Families With Dependent Children-Unemployed Parent ("AFDC-UP") program, which is available to needy two-parent families. Eligibility for AFDC-UP includes Medicaid eligibility for the whole family. (See id. ¶ 3 [Noble Aff. ¶ 5].) Mr. Noble was notified that the value of his resources made him ineligible for any assistance. (Id. ¶ 4 [Noble Aff. ¶ 6].) Specifically, in a letter dated February 16, 1993, the El Paso County, Colorado, Social Services Department stated that, according to the "Gold Book," a 1988 Firebird V6 in fair condition, such as the one owned by Mr. Noble, was worth $3520. (Id. ¶ 5 [Noble Aff. ¶ 9].) The value of this vehicle exceeded the $1500 limit established by the Secretary. Because Mr. Noble needed reliable transportation in order to look for a job and to go to medical appointments, (id. ¶ 6 [Noble Aff. ¶ 6]), he kept the vehicle despite the resulting denial of benefits. In mid-January, Mr. Noble finally secured full-time employment; however, he remains unable to pay his medical bills and other bills incurred during the period when he applied for and was denied financial and medical benefits. (Id. ¶ 7 [Noble Aff. ¶¶ 8-9].) According to Mr. Noble, but for the application of the $1500 limit, he would have received AFDC benefits and/or Medicaid benefits for the period of November 1992 through March 1993. (Id. ¶ 8 [Noble Aff. ¶ 10].) In January 1993, Plaintiff Elizabeth Clark applied for Medicaid assistance through the "Baby Care/Kids Care" program for her fourteen-month-old son, Steven. Ms. Clark's application was denied based on her ownership of a 1987 Toyota Pickup. (Id. ¶ 9 [Am. Class Action Compl. ¶¶ 42-43, Ex. F (filed Feb. 26, 1993) (hereinafter "Compl.")].) Ms. Clark had obtained two estimates from dealerships which valued the vehicle at $2500 and $2600. The Colorado Department of Social Services [hereinafter "CDSS"] averaged those two estimates to $2550, and found Ms. Clark ineligible because she exceeded by $50 the $1500 vehicle resource limit plus the $1000 liquid resource limit. (Id. ¶ 10, Ex. F, Compl. ¶ 43.) Although CDSS later agreed to accept the lower estimate, it nevertheless denied Ms. Clark eligibility based on the value of her boyfriend's used car, a 1969 Ford Pickup truck. (Id. ¶ 11, Ex. F, Compl. ¶ 43.) Ms. Clark has no medical insurance and needs Medicaid benefits in order for her son to receive the medical care he requires. (Id. ¶ 12 [Compl. ¶ 44].) In April 1992, Plaintiff Ronda Duran and her four children were denied Medicaid and *307 AFDC benefits based on her ownership interest in a 1989 Ford Aerostar van which her mother had purchased for Ms. Duran's use. The vehicle's value was estimated at $4400. (Id. ¶ 13, Ex. G, Compl. ¶ 45.) After her benefits were denied, Ms. Duran gave the vehicle back to her mother and the title was changed to her mother's name. On January 25, 1993, Ms. Duran again applied for assistance. This time she was denied assistance because she had transferred a resource without adequate consideration. Ms. Duran requires financial and medical assistance in order to meet the needs of her children. (Id. ¶ 14, Ex. G, Compl. ¶¶ 46-46.) At least two of the three named plaintiffs were denied AFDC and/or Medicaid benefits based on the $1500 motor vehicle equity limit, see 45 C.F.R. § 233.20(a)(3)(i)(B)(2), and its Colorado counterpart, see 9 Colo.Code Regs. 2503-1, § 3.661.13(c). (Id., Other Undisputed Facts ¶ 15 [Compl. ¶¶ 1, 4]; see Def.'s Reply to Pls.' Summ. J. Mem., Resp. to Statement of Undisputed Material Facts at 7-8 [filed Sept. 16, 1993].) Pursuant to rule 23(c)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, plaintiffs request that I certify a class comprised of the named plaintiffs and the following similarly situated persons: All Coloradans who own a motor vehicle and who, within the three years immediately preceding the date this action was commenced or at any time thereafter, were denied or terminated from AFDC and/or Medicaid, solely because the equity value in their respective motor vehicles exceeds the $1,500 automobile resource limitation as set forth in 9 CCR 2503-1, § 3.661.13(c). (See Pls.' Mot. for Class Certification at 1 [filed Aug. 20, 1993].) ANALYSIS A federal court has the power to declare unlawful and set aside agency regulations which are arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or not in accordance with the law. See Motor Vehicle Mfrs. Ass'n v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 463 U.S. 29, 37, 103 S.Ct. 2856, 2865, 77 L.Ed.2d 443 (1983); Sullivan v. Zebley, 493 U.S. 521, 527-29, 110 S.Ct. 885, 890, 107 L.Ed.2d 967 (1990). Under Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 467 U.S. 837, 104 S.Ct. 2778, 81 L.Ed.2d 694 (1984), a court undertakes a two-part analysis when reviewing an agency's regulation. First, a court looks to the "plain meaning" of the statute to determine if the regulation responds to it. Where there is an express delegation of rule-making authority, the first prong of the analysis is unnecessary. See Sullivan, 493 U.S. at 527-29, 110 S.Ct. at 890. Second, if the statute is silent or ambiguous, a court must determine whether a given regulation is a permissible construction. Chevron, 467 U.S. at 842-43, 104 S.Ct. at 2781-82. A court must defer to an agency's construction of a statute if it is reasonable and consistent with the underlying congressional purpose. Id. Where the congressional delegation explicitly leaves a "gap" for the agency to fill, the deference accorded to the agency's construction is especially great, so long as the agency has considered the matter in a detailed and reasoned manner. Id. at 843-44, 104 S.Ct. at 2781-82. See generally Falin v. Sullivan, 776 F.Supp. 1097, 1100 (E.D.Va.1991), aff'd, 6 F.3d 207 (4th Cir.1993), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ____, 114 S.Ct. 1551, 128 L.Ed.2d 200 (1994). The AFDC program was established by title IV of the Social Security Act of 1935, Pub.L. No. 74-271, 49 Stat. 627 (1935) (current version at 42 U.S.C.A. §§ 601-627 [West 1991 & Supp.1994]). AFDC is a cooperative federal-state program which was established to provide "financial assistance to needy dependent children and the parents or relatives who live with them." See Champion v. Shalala, 33 F.3d 963, 965 (8th Cir.1994) (quoting Shea v. Vialpando, 416 U.S. 251, 253, 94 S.Ct. 1746, 1750, 40 L.Ed.2d 120 [(1974)]). A principal goal of the program is "to help such parents or relatives to attain or retain capability for the maximum self-support and personal independence consistent with the maintenance of continuing parental care and protection." Id. at 253, 94 S.Ct. at 1749 (citing 42 U.S.C.A. § 601 [West 1991]). Originally, AFDC included an exemption for one automobile, a family home, personal effects, and income producing property. In 1973, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Education and Welfare *308 (the predecessor to HHS) gave notice of a revision. That final revision allowed excess income of $2250. The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit struck down the $2250 limit in National Welfare Rights Organization v. Mathews, 533 F.2d 637 (D.C.Cir.1976). The court found that (1) the Secretary erroneously counted property at market value without regard to encumbrances and (2) the Secretary failed to articulate the facts underlying his decision. See Falin, 776 F.Supp. at 1099. As a result of this ruling, the Secretary replaced the $2250 limit with a $2000 limit and did not set any amount for the maximum allowable worth of automobile. In 1981, Congress passed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act ("OBRA"), Pub.L. No. 97-35, 95 Stat. 357, 844 (1982), in which it decreased the $2000 limit to $1000, and expressly delegated to the Secretary authority to set a limit on the equity to be exempted for an automobile for AFDC eligibility purposes. See 42 U.S.C.A. § 602(a)(7)(B) (West Supp.1994); 45 C.F.R. § 233.20(a)(3) (1976). (See Federal Def.'s Mot. in Supp. of Summ. J.Mot., Statement of Undisputed Material Facts ¶¶ 1-2 [filed Aug. 27, 1993] [hereinafter "Federal Def.'s Mot."].) The Secretary subsequently published an interim regulation which set the maximum automobile equity exemption at $1500. (Id. ¶ 3, Ex. 1 [46 Fed. Reg. 46750, 46755 (1981) ].) In the Federal Register, the Secretary stated that the $1500 automobile equity exemption was based on a Spring 1979 survey of food stamp recipients. (See id. ¶ 4, Ex. 2 [47 Fed.Reg. 5657 (1982)]; Pls.' Resp. to Def.'s Mot. for Summ. J., Resp. to Statement of Undisputed Material Facts ¶ 4, Ex. 2 [filed Sept. 16, 1993] [hereinafter "Pls.' Resp."].) The Secretary explained: We chose $1,500 as the maximum equity value for an automobile on the basis of a Spring 1979 survey of food stamp recipients. Data from that survey suggest that 96 percent of all food stamp recipients who own cars had equity value in them of $1,500 or less. In that the Federal maximum limit should be set within the range of the vast majority of current recipients and given that the food stamp population tends to be, on the average, more affluent than AFDC recipients, this limit appears reasonable and supportable. We Who Care, Inc. v. Sullivan, 756 F.Supp. 42, 44 (D.Me.1991) (citing 47 Fed.Reg. 5657]). The Spring 1979 survey supplied the principal data for the January 1981 Report to Congress by the Food and Nutrition Service of the United States Department of Agriculture entitled, "Assets of Low Income Household: New Findings on Food Stamp Participants and Nonparticipants," [hereinafter the "Food Stamp Survey"]. (See Federal Def.'s Mot., Statement of Undisputed Material Facts ¶ 5, Ex. 6.) The Food Stamp Survey was cited in the preamble to the final regulation setting the automobile exclusion limit. See 47 Fed.Reg. 5657 (1982). (Id. ¶ 6, Ex. 7 [Bordes Decl. ¶ 4].) The Secretary's final regulation, which limits the maximum automobile equity exemption to $1500, was codified at 45 C.F.R. § 233.20(a)(3)(i)(B)(2). (Id. ¶ 9.) In H.R.Conf.Rep. No. 998, 100th Cong., 2d Sess. 188-189, reprinted in 1988 U.S.C.C.A.N. 2776, 2976-77, the conference committee directed the Secretary "to review regulations establishing limits on the value of a vehicle and to revise them if [s]he determined revision would be appropriate." (Id. ¶ 10, Ex. 4 [Dawson Decl. ¶ 2].) In 1990, the Secretary published in the Federal Register a notice that the $1500 automobile equity exemption was under review to determine an appropriate revision and indicated that a "Notice of Proposed Rulemaking" would be published. (Id. ¶ 11, Ex. 4 [Dawson Decl. ¶ 4, Attach. B at 1 (55 Fed.Reg. 16219 [1990])].) However, a "Notice of Proposed Rulemaking" was never published, and, on December 15, 1990, the rule was withdrawn. (Pls.' Resp., Resp. to Statement of Undisputed Material Facts ¶ 11 [citing 56 Fed.Reg. 17358 (Apr. 22, 1991)].) Although the Secretary had considered raising the automobile equity exemption to $3000, (see Fed. Def.'s Mot., Statement of Undisputed Material Facts ¶ 12, Ex. 4 [Dawson Decl. ¶ 7]), she declined to do so. The Secretary determined that "it [was] not appropriate to modify the regulation at this time" and stated that "[u]nder the terms of the budget agreement, the *309 Department would need to offset these increased costs [of increasing the $1,500 automobile equity exemption] through reductions in other programs for poor families and children." (Id. ¶ 14, Exs. 3-4 [Jan. 21, 1992 letter from Louis W. Sullivan, M.D., Secretary, to Hon. Thomas J. Downey, Acting Chairman, Subcommittee on Human Resources, Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives; Dawson Decl. ¶¶ 7-8].) According to plaintiffs, the Secretary acted arbitrarily and unreasonably in declining to raise the $1500 automobile equity limitation. Plaintiffs advance two levels of attack against the limitation. First, plaintiffs argue that the limitation has no rational relation to the purposes of the statute and is therefore arbitrary. As part of this first contention, plaintiffs argue that the $1500 limitation is unreasonable because (1) reliance on the Food Stamp Survey was irrational; (2) the effects of inflation rendered the Secretary's reliance on the 1979 figure unreasonable; and (3) the $1500 limit conflicts with Congress' intent to encourage self-sufficiency on the part of recipient households. The Fourth and Eighth Circuits have previously addressed identical attacks against the $1500 limit. After an exhaustive examination of the various contentions, both circuits found the $1500 limit to be reasonable and neither arbitrary nor capricious. See Falin, 776 F.Supp. at 1100; Champion, 33 F.3d at 966-68. Although these circuits are not controlling, I find their treatment of these issues persuasive. Those district courts which have found the regulation to be arbitrary have done so according to the following rationale. Assuming that it was reasonable for the Secretary to rely on the Food Stamp Survey in establishing the $1500 automobile limitation, it is no longer reasonable, given the effects of inflation, to rely on this figure. See Brown v. Shalala, 868 F.Supp. 405, 407 (D.N.H.1993); Hazard, 827 F.Supp. at 1351; Lamberton v. Shalala, 857 F.Supp. 1349, 1355 (D.Ariz. 1994). These courts do not dispute that, at the time the Secretary selected the $1500 limit, the Secretary's decision was reasonable. Rather, these courts conclude that due to the subsequent change in market conditions, the $1500 figure is no longer valid. While it is true that, in adopting the regulation, the Secretary gave no consideration to the effect of inflation between 1979 and 1982 and that there has been no periodic adjustment for inflation (see Pls.' Mot., Statement of Undisputed Material Facts ¶ 17 [Compl. ¶ 9; Federal Def.'s Answer to Am. Class Action Compl. ¶ 9 (filed Mar. 8, 1993)]), Congress has never directed the Secretary to make any adjustment for inflation. (Id. ¶ 15 [citing OBRA § 2302].) In fact, Congress has twice considered raising the automobile limitation amount to adjust for inflation, but has twice declined to do so. First, Congress rejected the House version of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987, which contained a provision for up to five states to carry out AFDC programs with automobile exemptions that were adjusted for inflation. See H.R.Rep. No. 3435, 100th Cong., 1st Sess., § 9111(c), 133 Cong.Rec. H9284 (daily ed. Oct. 19, 1987) (proposal), Pub.L. No. 100-203, 101 Stat. 1330 (1987) (enacted). Second, Congress considered changing the $1500 limit during its consideration of the Family Support Act of 1988. However, the conference committee declined to do so and instead directed the Secretary to review the regulation and left to her discretion whether a revision was appropriate. See H.R.Conf.Rep. No. 998, 100th Cong., 2d Sess. 188-89, reprinted in 1988 U.S.C.C.A.N. 2776, 2976-77. Since Congress has elected not to impose review requirements, I cannot find that the Secretary acted arbitrarily in failing to revise the equity limit based on the effects of inflation. See Hall v. Towey, No. 93-1780-CIV-T-21B, slip op. at 7, 1993 WL 738454 (M.D.Fla. Dec. 10, 1993) (citing Falin, 776 F.Supp. at 1101; Garnett v. Sullivan, 905 F.2d 778, 782 [(4th Cir.1990)]); see also Gamboa v. Shalala, No. 92-00397, slip op. at 11, 1993 WL 738386 (D.Haw. Nov. 4, 1993) (distinguishing cases which required Secretary to adjust other regulations to market conditions). Plaintiffs advance a second attack against the $1500 automobile limitation. They argue that the Secretary failed to follow *310 required administrative procedure in exercising his rule-making authority with respect to the regulation. According to plaintiffs, approximately ten commentators objected to the $1500 limit as too low to allow recipients to maintain decent and reliable automobiles. Plaintiffs maintain that the Secretary failed to adequately respond to these comments, in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act ("APA"), 5 U.S.C.A. §§ 553-559 (West 1977 & Supp.1994). The APA requires that the Secretary provide a reasoned response explaining why comments were rejected. The Secretary responded to the commentators by stating that he stood by his original decision as reasonable and supportable. See 47 Fed.Reg. 5648, 5657 (1982). Although the Secretary did not provide a detailed response to each criticism of the equity limit, his response implies that despite the commentary, he would continue to rely on the Food Stamp Survey as reasonable and reliable. See Hall, No. 93-1780-CIV-T-21B, slip op. at 7-8, 1993 WL 738454. Furthermore, as defendant points out, only one of the commentators suggested an alternative figure, and none suggested another source of evidence or data. Since none of the commentators articulated a persuasive basis for rejecting the $1500 figure, the Secretary's response — that he would continue to rely on the $1500 figure — was adequate to satisfy the requirements of the APA. Conclusion I conclude that the Secretary's continued reliance on the $1500 figure is reasonable and that Congress has not imposed any requirement to adjust the figure periodically for inflation. Accordingly, I do not find the $1500 limit to be "arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or not in accordance with the law." Motor Vehicle Mfrs. Ass'n, 463 U.S. at 37, 103 S.Ct. at 2865. On the basis of the foregoing, it is therefore ORDERED as follows: (1) Plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment is DENIED. (2) Defendant's motion for summary judgment is GRANTED. (3) Plaintiffs' motion for class certification is DENIED as moot.

Understanding Fusion UNDERSTANDING FUSION Figuring Out Nuclear Fusion.… Contrasted against nuclear fission, the type of nuclear reaction currently in use in our nuclear power plants, nuclear fusion has presented unique challenges that has resisted decades of global efforts and investments into unlocking its secrets. The intense heat and pressure needed to make hydrogen atoms fuse together represents a huge technical problem of nuclear fusion, compared to the simple splitting of heavy atoms (uranium or plutonium) in nuclear fission. Nuclei of lighter atoms collide and fuse together to produce nuclei of heavier atoms and release vast amounts of energy in the process —this is the essence of fusion, and also the energy of this process that powers our Sun. Can we harness this process to meet Earth’s energy demands? Fusion is the process that produces the amazing quantities of energy that pour out of stars, such as our sun. It occurs when light atoms such as hydrogen become so hot that they fuse, into new elements, such as helium, in the process releasing large amounts of energy. The ingredients for this amazing process are abundant on earth, and no greenhouse gases or long-lived nuclear waste are created by fusion. Once harnessed,…Learn more>> euro-fusion.org ccfe.ac.uk- Nuclear fusion is one of the most promising options for generating large amounts of carbon-free energy in the future… To get energy from fusion, gas from a combination of types of hydrogen – deuterium and tritium – is heated to very high temperatures (100 million degrees Celsius). One way to achieve these conditions is a method called ‘magnetic confinement’ – controlling the hot gas (known as a plasma) with strong magnets. The most promising device for this is the ‘tokamak’, a Russian word for a ring-shaped magnetic chamber…Learn more>>ccfe.ac.uk WHY FUSION New, environmentally sustainable forms of electricity will be required to meet the aspirations of a growing world population. By 2050, an expected rise in global population from six billion to nine billion and better living standards could lead to a two to threefold increase in energy consumption. No single technology will fulfil this demand. Each has strengths and weaknesses, and a mix of power sources will be needed to meet the challenges of energy security, sustainable development and environmental protection. Future energy supply options may comprise fossil fuels, nuclear fission, fusion, and renewables. euro-fusion.org- Our current energy landscape is heavily dependent on the fast-depleting fossil fuels, with 80% of the global energy consumption being based on fossil fuels, and changing this dependence is critical for two main reasons. First, to meet the growing energy demand, which is set to increase by 37% by 2040 according to the IEA 2014 Executive Summary, and second, to cut down on the greenhouse gas emissions. Once harnessed, fusion has the potential to be nearly unlimited, safe and CO2-free friendly energy source.euro-fusion.org FUSION PHYSICS…High-school physics teaches us that equally charged particles, instead of colliding, would repel each other. To overcome this repulsion, the nuclei need to collide at high speed, and this is achieved by heating the plasma, which makes all the nuclei whiz around faster. As the plasma gets hotter nuclei start to collide at high speeds, and a small fraction of them stick together, releasing a large amount of energy. euro-fusion.org It seems confusing that energy can be generated by both fusion (the coalescence of two nuclei) and fission (splitting the nucleus), as they appear to be quite opposite processes. The explanation lies in the size of the nuclei… Learn more>>euro-fusion.org FUSION TECHNOLOGYAt the core of the fusion device is a ring-shaped metal vessel. The inner wall of the vessel is lined with removable heat-resistant tiles, and has numerous openings for heating devices and measuring systems. Equally spaced around the device are electromagnets that provide strong magnetic fields to keep the hot plasma away from the reactor walls.…Learn more>>euro-fusion.org JET OPERATIONSLearn more about how tokamaks work by taking a tour through the operation and technology of JET. For anyone looking for even more detail we recommend the book “Focus on” in our download-section.euro-fusion.org JET TECHNOLOGIESJET is a lot more than a doughnut-shaped metal vessel. There is an entire plant comprised of many different systems that work together to create the superheated moments in the torus Myriad systems pump out the air, cool some parts of the experiment, heat others, inject the fuel and control the plasma, and then clean up afterwards, ready to do it all again. euro-fusion.org

Acumen Fund Uses Entrepreneurial Strategies to Fight Global Poverty Using entrepreneurial strategies, the international non-profit Acumen Fund aims to fight global poverty. While Acumen’s concerns are traditional as far as international development goes, including water, housing, health and energy, the way that it goes about it is not the norm. Traditional charities often focus on short-term needs and aid, for instance in times of natural disasters, famines and/or war. This sort of immediate relief creates a dependence and doesn’t allow local communities to play an active role in solving the problem of poverty in the long-term sense. On the other side of the spectrum is a market-based strategy to alleviating poverty, but this has its faults too. Low-income areas are either unattractive to businesses, or completely invisible. So, how does Acumen Fund do it "Dignity, not dependence. Choice, not charity. We combine business an philanthropy to break the cycle of poverty," says Acumen Fund on their website. Therefore, Acumen Fund takes a bit of both the charity vein and the marketplace vein in order to reinvent the way we look at development. By supporting entrepreneurs that offer crucial services like water, agricultural inputs, health, energy and housing, the Acumen Fund ensures that those who need these services the most can get them at affordable prices. Acumen Fund’s approach is something called "Patient Capital," which the non-profit describes as "a third way that seeks to bridge the gap between efficiency and scale of market-based approaches and the social impact of pure philanthropy." It’s now clear that the market has failed to provide for certain areas of the world. The emergence of this third space allows business models to bring necessary but affordable products and services. Acumen Fund’s "patient capital" investments aren’t focused on high returns, but giving the ability of enterprises to improve the lives of the poor worldwide. A business doesn’t have to solely focus on financial return. What social business shows us is that social returns are increasingly possible—and increasingly necessary—in order to bring about social change on a global level. Acumen Fund invests in businesses to serve low-income people all around the world.

/* * Copyright 2015-2018 Jeeva Kandasamy ([email protected]) * and other contributors as indicated by the @author tags. * * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. * You may obtain a copy of the License at * * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0 * * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and * limitations under the License. */ package org.mycontroller.standalone.provider.rflink; import org.mycontroller.standalone.offheap.MessageQueueImpl; import org.mycontroller.standalone.offheap.MessageQueueSleepImpl; import org.mycontroller.standalone.provider.ExecuterAbstract; /** * @author Jeeva Kandasamy (jkandasa) * @since 1.2.0 */ public class RFLinkExecutor extends ExecuterAbstract { public RFLinkExecutor(MessageQueueImpl _queue, MessageQueueSleepImpl _queueSleep) { super(_queue, _queueSleep); } @Override public void executeFirmwareRequest() { // Not implemented or not supported } @Override public void executeFirmwareConfigRequest() { // Not implemented or not supported } @Override public void nodeEuiRequest() { // Not implemented or not supported } }

TripAdvisor Reviews Apartamentos Turquesa Playa Puerto de la Cruz Travel Blogs from Puerto de la Cruz This is it. I'm sitting in my residencia now on the final night of my time here in Tenerife. I cannot believe I've been here for five weeks and that I won't be going to the hospital on Monday...it feels like I've started a new life here and now I'm throwing away something I got so used to! Either way, I'm excited for what the rest of my summer, year and life hold, so though I'm sad to leave, I'm also happy to go. ... unit. Unfortunately, today was a very quiet day and they only had two patients on the unit. Mary Hunter and I stood around for awhile and didn't get to see anything too exciting, so after about a half hour, one of the residents took us down to la planta where other patients were staying. In la planta, we saw mostly women who had either recently completed labor, were experiencing premature contractions or who had super high hypertension/large ... ... so when he/she tries to translate for the physician, certain ideas get lost. I realized this week that by becoming a doctor, I am taking on a much bigger responsibility than most people can handle: to understand my patients and communicate to them the way they can understand. Hopefully my French and Spanish come in handy to this end, but regardless, there is a way to speak to patients, and as a doctor, I will need to master this communication. ... of flying has always curled my toes because it means another adventure to somewhere new has started. Looking out at the brilliant silvery white cotton wool clouds in anticipation of spotting a harp playing angel soon gave way to clear skies as we past over the Bay of Biscay and ship spotting took my attention. As we reached the Canaries the black volcanic rock of the mountains soon gave way to beach fringed blue seas next we were down, through ... ... As I said, the sun was out and the sky was super blue, so the water was this pleasant blue/turquoise color, and the waves were so big some of them went over my head. There were these giant rocks to walk and climb on off to the side of the beach, and we found all kinds of crabs and little sea animals hanging out on them in the sun. We also swam out to this huge rock structure about 100 meters away from the shore. It was cool to sit out in the sun on the rocks, and while ...

[Prescribe and advise freely]. Physicians know how totally unrealistic it is to expect drug companies to furnish reliable comparative information to assist therapeutic decision-making. All hope in this regard must be founded on personal effort to sort through available data and on independent reasoning. This evaluation process must be based on international nonproprietary names (INN) far removed from the advertising campaigns devised by companies.

Ultrastructural demonstration of iodine binding and peroxidase activity in the endostyle of Oikopleura dioica (Appendicularia). The endostyles of cephalochordates, ascidians, and larval petromyzontids have the capacity to organify iodine. A similar mechanism in the appendicularian endostyle has hitherto been unknown. Observations in this study of Oikopleura dioica with electron microscopic autoradiography and cytochemistry show that also the appendicularian endostyle has iodinating capacity and that the iodinating cells contain peroxidase, an enzyme responsible for iodination. After incubation in seawater containing 125I-, autoradiography revealed a selective labeling in the dorsal portion of the endostyle. The endostyle of O. dioica is on each side lined by four rows of corridor cells. The autoradiographic grains were mainly located over the endostylar lumen or associated with the luminal surface of the two central rows of corridor cells. These cells, but no other endostylar cells, also showed a positive reaction for peroxidase. The reaction product was distributed along the luminal plasma membrane and was also present in the cytoplasm within rough endoplasmatic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, and vesicles. The selective labeling as well as the cytochemical reaction were abolished by incubation in methimazole, an inhibitor of peroxidase. It is suggested that the two central rows of the corridor cells can be considered as homologs to iodine-binding zones in other endostyles and also as a primitive forerunner to the vertebrate thyroid gland.

She will love decorating her favorite bracelet or purse with this gorgeous charm. Featuring a convenient lobster clasp, the girl charm is decorated with a mixture of dazzling clear and lime green crystals. More

A new women’s independent clothing boutique Lola & Odin has opened on Almon (between Robie and Agricola) The new Chatime (bubble tea) and Crepe Crepe have opened at the southern end of Barrington between Green and Smith. Zara will be opening August 16th at Halifax Shopping Centre Pannizza is now open the Scotia Square Food Court. Pita Pit at the Sackville Superstore has now opened. RW&Co in Halifax Shopping Centre closed at the end of 2014 just before the major renovations at Halifax Shopping Centre began, and now they will be returning, next to the Gap this fall. Blue Elephant (Thai) will be taking over the former Cherryberry space at Larry Uteck. A new virtual reality place called Reality Stop is opening where American Apparel was on Queen St. Adding to a growing trend with VR places opening on Oxford and Gottingen in the last year or so. Prospector’s Pub at Larry Uteck didn’t pan out and has closed. Quinpool’s Modern Shanghai Bistro closed its doors last Sunday. Choco Cafe on the corner of Lower Water and Salter has closed. At Mic Mac Dynamite has completed its move downstairs to the 2nd floor, and next door Garage is reopened after a store refresh. Meanwhile, Pumpkin Village who has been a holiday tenant at Mic Mac for 23 years was told there is no space available for them this year. Earlier this year I mention a place called Golden Samosa going in on Parkland Dr in Clayton Park, well gears have switched a bit, and samosas are no longer the focus, and it will now be Lazeezo Restaurant and have other Halal options, like Burger, Wings, Shawarma as well as Samosas. Bagel Montreal Style (Wyse Rd) is already a huge success with lines out the door and very positive reviews. I had an Onion Garlic that was still warm from the wood fired brick oven, amazing! They also have Indian desserts and Jamaican patties. The Coast Best of Halifax changed a bit this year, and there are two rounds of voting Round 1 was nominations, Round 2 is the final vote. So thank you to everyone who nominated me I am a finalist for Best Blogger and Best Twitter. As Joe Fresh rolls out its fall women’s line this week, it will now up to size 22.

1922 U.S. National Championships – Women's Singles First-seeded Molla Mallory defeated Helen Wills 6–3, 6–1 in the final to win the Women's Singles tennis title at the 1922 U.S. National Championships. The event was held at the West Side Tennis Club, Forest Hills, New York City. It was Mallory's seventh U.S. National singles title. Draw Final eight References Category:U.S. National Championships (tennis) by year – Women's Singles Category:1922 in women's tennis Category:1922 in American women's sport Category:1922 U.S. National Championships (tennis)

After then-NOPD officer David Warren fired the single shot that killed Henry Glover in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath, Warren was calm and nonchalant, a fellow officer told jurors Thursday during the second full day of testimony. "I walked over to officer Warren, and he had this really calm demeanor, very nonchalant, and said, 'I shot at him,'" Officer Keyalah Bell testified. "I said, 'shot at who?' [Warren] said, 'they were looting'... those are the only statements he made to me ... It was calm and nonchalant." His response, according to Bell's testimony, was chilling considering the circumstances: When Bell surveyed the scene outside an Algiers strip mall where Warren and another officer had been stationed, she discovered a towel soaked in a puddle of fresh blood. In a morning of testimony from law enforcement officials in Warren's retrial, Bell recalled the events of Sept. 2, 2005, and her interactions with Warren. He is charged with depriving Glover of his civil rights and illegal discharge of a deadly weapon. Defense attorneys tried to discredit Bell's testimony, asking her to explain why her account of that day has, over the years, changed - especially after federal agents visited her home in 2009, leaving behind a manila folder containing the details of their mounting case against Warren. NOPD Officer Keyalah BellOrleans Parish Sheriff's OfficeBell told the jury that on the day Glover was killed, she and her superior, Sgt. Purnella Simmons, responded to a frantic report that an officer had fired a round at a civilian. When the officers arrived at the scene, Bell met a hysterical Officer Linda Howard, Warren's partner for the day. But Warren, the rookie officer and former engineer who had been wielding his personal assault rifle fixed with a red-dot scope, was cool and collected, Bell said. Bell said she recognized Warren and the rifle he was cradling. The day before, Bell and Warren had been assigned together to patrol the Algiers strip mall that housed a police substation. At the time, Warren had been on the force just over a year, and Bell only had a few months more experience. Bell told the jury that officers of their rank weren't authorized to carry the type of firearm Warren had. "We weren't authorized to carry [an assault rifle], so why he had it I'm not sure," Bell told the jury. "I found it strange. The day before I found out he only had a few months less experience than myself. I was not authorized, I had not been trained with a rifle, so to me, it was strange." But Warren knew his way around a firearm, according to government witness Robert Williams, a former commander of the Police Academy now working as an operator in the city's Office of Homeland Security. Williams on Thursday told the jury that in fact, Warren is such a sharpshooter that he earned a perfect score on his 2004 in-service exam. The prosecution is expected to use that testimony to challenge Warren's prior statements that he believed he missed Glover. As part of the NOPD qualifying exam, Williams said during his testimony, all NOPD recruits must complete a rigorous training, and pass an exam that includes firearm certification. That test requires a score of 80 percent or more, and consists of 60 rounds, worth two points each. Warren hit all 60: 120 out of 120. A perfect score, Williams said, "is not frequent but it does occur ... maybe once or twice a year." All prospective NOPD officers also receive extensive use of force training. Another witness, Officer Charles Badon of the New Orleans Police Academy, administers such training, and testified that "deadly force is always a last resort. "If there are any reasonable options that can be taken to avoid deadly force, they should be taken," Badon said. "The officer must believe that he fears for his life, and his perception of the threat must be such that it would raise the fears of any person that...they are about to be killed." During her testimony, Bell said she'd only been at the scene of the Glover shooting for a short time when a dispatch came over the transom: a gunshot victim had arrived at nearby Habans Elementary School, a campus that after the storm housed an NOPD emergency center. Bell and Simmons immediately drove to the school. There, Bell noticed a white car. When she was first interviewed in 2009, Bell told investigators that she had not seen what was inside the car. But on Thursday, Bell told jurors that indeed she had seen Glover's bloodied body. After federal agents visited Bell's home in 2009 and took an initial statement, Bell said she began to remember more and more, and hours later called an FBI agent to correct her statement, including the new detail about Glover being in the vehicle. Jurors did not hear this, but Bell was fired from NOPD in 2012 after she drove drunk and crashed her personal vehicle into a parked car in Algiers the year before. She was reinstated in June of 2013 because the internal investigation exceeded legal time limits. During cross examination, defense attorney Rick Simmons called into question Bell's motive. Simmons said the agent left a file on the Glover case at Bell's home, before Bell amended her statement. Bell said she didn't look at the file. Bell, much like Howard who testified Tuesday, said she was so traumatized by the event that her memories had clouded. But as time went on, she began to remember more and more. "There had been many years where you just get traumatized having to look at it again and again and again and again," Bell said. "When [the agents] left, I started playing everything back. Piece my piece, I remembered seeing [Glover in the car], so I immediately called her back. "Even now, I see more things," Bell continued. "Playing it back like a video, you can see it like a movie." -- Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly described the strip mall where the shooting took place as a makeshift detective bureau. It was a regular police substation for 4th District investigators located in a strip mall.

[Tako-tsubo-like syndrome without emotional stress: a case report]. The tako-tsubo-like syndrome (also named left ventricular apical ballooning) is an unusual cardiomyopathy with a high incidence in the Japanese female population, following an emotional stress. The clinical features (typical chest pain), electrocardiographic (negative T wave and persistent ST-segment elevation in anterior leads), echocardiographic (transient left ventricular apical dysfunction with hyperkinesis of basal segments) are suggestive of an acute anterior myocardial infarction; nevertheless all reports in the literature show coronary arteries without angiographic lesions. We report the case of a 77-year-old female (without cardiovascular risk factors) with two prior episodes of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, who arrived to the emergency department with chest pain, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic features, suggestive of an acute anterior myocardial infarction, not preceded by any emotional stress. Coronary angiography showed coronary arteries without atherosclerotic lesions; left ventriculography showed an anteroapical dysfunction. The follow-up performed with transthoracic echocardiography (2 months later) showed complete regression of regional wall motion abnormalities. The pathophysiological determinant seems to be related to the release of catecholamines (such as epinephrine and norepinephrine) able to create a transient board of ischemic cardiomyopathy through a direct cellular damage.

Aromatisation of androstenedione by human breast cancer tissue: correlation with hormone receptor activity and possible biologic significance. The conversion of 1 beta [3H] androstenedione to estrone in the presence of NADPH by breast cancer homogenates was assessed in tumors from 35 subjects together with estrogen and progesterone receptor concentration. Breast cancers from post menopausal women had significantly higher aromatase activity than those from premenopausal women. Although in many instances the local production of estrogens was sufficient to the capable of exerting a biologic effect, there was, however, no correlation with tumor estrogen or progesterone receptor content. Further studies of the biological significance of tumor aromatisation will depend on direct observation of tumor aromatase and response to suitable doses of aromatase inhibitors.

Q: html date format yyyy mm dd hh24 mi ss AS INPUT TYPE IN HTML TODAY I tried IN HTML TAG INPUT with DATETIME attribute but It's not warking AS shown below Start Time: <br><input type="datetime" name="TOI" ><br> But There is only A input Type Box Not calender AS I papoose there.. I have to submite a value="2015-04-01 12:52:19".. Need both Time and date but in input type it's not working... Can anyone tell me why it's not working.. A: <input> elements with type="datetime" are not supported in Chrome, Internet Explorer, Firefox or Opera 15 and newer. Partial support in Safari. Full support in Opera 12 and earlier versions. Access an Input Datetime Object You can access an <input> element with type="datetime" by using getElementById(): var x = document.getElementById("myDatetime"); Try it Tip: You can also access <input type="datetime"> by searching through the elements collection of a form. Create an Input Datetime Object You can create an <input> element with type="datetime" by using the document.createElement() method: var x = document.createElement("INPUT"); x.setAttribute("type", "datetime"); OR you can use <input type="datetime-local" name="date"> You can also use many built libraries available like bootstrap.

Looking for an overview of the new site of UT’s recently-announced Houston campus? Your best bet may be to stop in at the Wildcat Golf Club, located directly across Holmes Rd. from the site of UT’s planned purchase. Native Houstonians may experience a touch of vertigo trekking up the club’s grassy peaks to catch the view of NRG Park and downtown (see above) — hills on the site reach more than 115 feet above sea level in places. (Downtown, for comparison, stands at roughly 50 feet, and the big hill at Miller Outdoor Theater tops out around 65.) The golf club’s topography is a byproduct of its original gig as a major municipal landfill, operating for nearly two decades until 1989; clay and topsoil were imported to sculpt the waste heaps into today’s smoothly rolling hills and water features: HIGH VOLTAGE NEWS FOR HOUSTON BICYCLISTS Parks and Rec department director Joe Turner tells the Chronicle‘s Mike Morris that a powerline right-of-way crossing on University of Houston property northeast of the intersection of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Old Spanish Trail will be the first improvement allowed by a new agreement between the city and CenterPoint Energy (subject to city council approval this week) that will allow hike-and-bike trails to be cut along electrical transmission-line right of ways throughout the city. Most likely the next up, according to Turner: a trail from Sims Bayou to Cambridge Village Park in southwest Houston. That route, along with others being contemplated, runs north to south. As Mayor Parker noted in her announcement, that should complement the bayou-side (and therefore mostly east-west) trails being created as part of the Bayou Greenways 2020 project. CenterPoint is donating $1.5 million toward the creation of new trails on their property, possibly because it got what it wanted in the deal, which also involves the conversion of all 165,000 city traffic signals to LEDs over the next 5 years. Writes Morris: “Bills to allow trails on utility right of way were filed as early as 2007 but stalled over questions about how much liability CenterPoint should face in opening its land for recreational use. A compromise was reached last year. The utility is liable only for a serious injury or death caused by its ‘willful or wanton acts or gross negligence.’ Under the agreement announced Friday, the city would pay the utility’s legal bills if lawsuits are filed.” [Houston Chronicle ($); more info; previously on Swamplot] Photo of bike trail along Brays Bayou: Dave Fehling/State Impact Here’s a rendering that shows how that informal dog bowl along Buffalo Bayou near Montrose Blvd. will be formalized and capitalized into a Dog Park. Construction, says a PR rep for the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, will begin the first of the year; the park should be open next winter. Why, you might wonder, would it take that long to build a place for dogs to romp and run and bark and stuff? Part of it will be creating the pond you can see in the rendering. The pond, which will be treated with a “bio-filter” and native vegetation, is meant to keep said dogs 1) safe and 2) away from the bayou, so they don’t muddy up the banks scrambling in and out of the water and contribute to erosion. Other additions? A purty fence that will separate the pups from the joggers and 2 pavilions, at the top of the hill, that will provide a bit more shade. Construction began yesterday on a new 1.35-mile segment of hike and bike trail on White Oak Bayou, the first of 5 planned sections that will more or less formalize the route that some trail users have taken it upon themselves to blaze. Eventually, the $3.4 million that the Bayou Greenways project will spend here will create about 11 miles of off-street passage from Hollister Rd. in Spring Branch to Downtown. But first things first: This new segment will span Shepherd and Durham and W. 11th St., where, as this rendering from SWA Group shows, that charred MKT railroad trestle will be replaced with a snazzy new one — somewhat to the chagrin of John Nova Lomax, you’ll remember, who’s on the record lamenting the yoga dads and their ilk that that char might have once scared off. At a meeting yesterday, reps from the Houston Parks Board told reps from the Idylwood Civic Club that the HPB would agree to let alone that grassy knoll, shown here, where a trailhead providing access to the Brays Bayou hike and bike was to have been installed. Described in 2009 documents as “Sylvan Dell Parking Lot,” it appears that the proposed trailhead would have provided 19 off-street parking spaces, benches, lighting, a gazebo, and exercise equipment. Though those specs don’t really matter now: Houston Parks Board rep Jen Powis tells Swamplot that the Idylwood residents “chose to eliminate” the project. Across town from the molten-zinc-dipped pedestrian bridges and Bud Light Amphitheaters going up along Buffalo Bayou, site prep is underway to build a new section of hike and bike trail along Brays Bayou in Mason Park. Paid for by the same federal scratch that will fund a yet-to-be-designed pedestrian bridge spanning the bayou on the south side of 75th St. (or behind that bridge in the photo), this section will connect 75th to Forest Hill Blvd., where the trail picks up and splits, running west to Lawndale and east to Capitol near the Magnolia Transit Center. Metalab recently collaborated on and completed this so-called “architectural folly” commissioned by those staunch advocates of play, The Art Guys. Dubbed the “Tumbling House,” the private playshack rests atop a 50-ft. galvanized arch of rolled pipe; the pipe spans much of the backyard and branches off into a manic jungle gym of swings, slides, monkey bars, and ladders. Metalab declined to give many more details about the project, since it’s a private thing and all, but you can see more photos of the whimsical whozee-whatzit from the firm’s blog: COMMENT OF THE DAY: HUNTING FOR BURIED TREASURE AT CAMP STRAKE “I was once on a campout there and some guy in my troop, in the process of digging a hole for something, found an early 1940′s Walking Liberty half dollar, the most beautiful coin the U.S. mint ever produced. Suddenly we were all seized with hysteria. Old silver coins! In the ground! Right beneath us! And it just so happened that one of the scout masters had a metal detector. So at the behest of a dozen crazed boys in their early teens, he led us off on an afternoon mission seeking treasure. Each boy took turns claiming whatever was unearthed in the next metal strike. The beeping sounded, the digging commenced, up came an old rusty nail. Ten minutes later beeping again, excitement, digging, rusty nail. On and on, crisscrossing Camp Strake, through the woods, down the dirt roads, along the lake: rusty nail, rusty nail, rusty nail. Our numbers dwindled; soon it was just me and one other guy, dreaming of coins, digging up nails. And then it was evening and we gave up. All those little holes. A bucket full of rusty nails.” [Mike, commenting on Boy Scouts Sell Camp Strake in Conroe To Master-Planned Community Master Planners] Illustration: Lulu You’ve got to make some divots before you can start replacing them: Construction will begin this week in Spring on another TopGolf in Houston. This 65,000-sq.-ft. bar, event venue, and aim-required golfing alley will be located on almost 11 acres at 560 Spring Park Blvd., a few miles south on I-45 of the coming-along-now ExxonMobil campus. In December, TopGolf opened its first Houston location at 1030 Memorial Brook Blvd. You can see more renderings of what to expect after the jump.

Breakout Coin (BRK) is a product of Breakout Gaming which is a new, globally accessible online gaming entertainment company that plans to provide poker, sports wagering, casino games, fantasy sports, and other popular gaming options. The original currency, Breakout Coin, was later integrated into a unique multi-currency wallet system called "Breakout Chain". While Breakout Coin (BRK) remains the principal currency for Breakout Gaming, there are also Breakout Stake (BRX) and Sister Coin (SIS) which serve to secure the ledger through a combined proof-of-stake (PoS) and proof-of-work (PoW) model. The PoS system uses Breakout Stake as the stake, minting Breakout Coin. As such, the Breakout Stake money supply will never increase, whereas the Breakout Coin money supply increases at a rate of approximately 5% per year. Breakout Chain’s PoW system produces Sister Coin as an incentive to miners. Original announcement.

Menu The Humanity of the Rebel The love of violence is, to me, the ancient and symbolic gesture of man against the constraints of society. Vicious men can exploit the impulse, but it is a disaster to treat the impulse as vicious. For no society is strong which does not acknowledge the protesting man; and no man is human who does not draw strength from the natural animal. Jacob Bronowski from The Face of Violence. I love the insights of Rollo May and I recommend his books to you. Below are some of his thoughts on the rebel in his book, Power and Innocence. What is the central element that constitutes the human being? It is the capacity to sense injustice and take a stand against it in the form of I-will-be-destroyed-rather-than-submit. It is a rudimentary anger, a capacity to muster all one’s power and assert it against what one experiences as unfair. However it may be confounded or covered up or counterfeited, this elemental capacity to fight against injustice remains the distinguishing characteristic of human beings. It is, in short, the capacity to rebel. In the present day, when multitudes of people are caught in anxiety and helplessness, they tend psychologically to freeze up and to cast out of the city walls whoever would disturb their pretended peace. Ironically, it is during just those periods of transition when they most need the replenishing that the rebel can give them that people have the greatest block in listening to him. The rebel is “one who opposes authority or restraint: one who breaks with established custom or tradition.” His distinguishing characteristic is his perpetual restlessness. He seeks above all an internal change, a change in the attitudes, emotions, and outlook of the people to whom he is devoted. He often seems to be temperamentally unable to accept success and the easy it brings; he kicks against the pricks, and when one frontier is conquered, he soon becomes ill-at-easy and pushes on to the new frontier. He is drawn to the unquiet minds and spirits, for he shares their everlasting inability to accept stultifying controls. No matter how much the rebel gives the appearance of being egocentric or of being on an “ego trip,” this is a delusion; inwardly the authentic rebel is anything but brash. He rebels for the sake of a vision of life and society which he is convinced is critically important for himself and his fellows. Every act of rebellion tacitly presupposes some value. The rebel does not seek power as an end and has little facility for using it; he tends to share his power. The rebel fights not only for the relief of his fellow men but also for his personal integrity. The humanity of the rebel lies in the fact that civilization rises from his deeds. The function of the rebel is to shake the fixated mores, and the rigid order of civilization; and this shaking, through painful, is necessary if the society is to be saved from boredom and apathy. Civilization gets its first flower from the rebel. The rebel insists that his identity be respected; he fights to preserve his intellectual and spiritual integrity against the suppressive demands of his society. He must range himself against the group which represents to him conformism, adjustment, and the death of his own originality and voice. The rebel rises from the society, criticizes it, and aligns himself with those who are trying to reform it; and all the while he is a member of the very culture he opposes. The rebel is continually struggling to make the society into a community. In our particular day, the rebel fights the mechanizing bureaucratic trends not because these in themselves are evil, but because they are the paramount modern channels for the dehumanizing of man, the stultifying loss of integrity, and the indignity of man. For the rebel does what the rest of us would like to do but don’t dare. Through his rebellion the rebel saves us. Civilization needs the rebel. I salute the rebels in our organizations, institutions, and communities for they are the energy of renewal and growth.

Mystery reborn as Glitch returns to screens Camera IconEmma Booth returns in season two of Australian paranormal drama series Glitch. When filming wrapped on the first season of the ABC’s paranormal drama Glitch, actress Emma Booth had a barrage of questions she hoped would be answered in season two. Airing in 2015, the six-part series centred on a group of people who mysteriously rose from the dead in the town of Yoorana and, for reasons unexplained, cannot physically move beyond the town’s boundaries or else wind up dead, again. It wasn’t until Netflix added Glitch to its TV content last year that the series, dubbed by some US critics as “the next Stranger Things”, went on to amass a cult international following and subsequently set the wheels in motion for season two. “We weren’t sure if it was going to happen,” Booth recalls. “Everyone was going a little bit crazy but when it eventually got picked up by Netflix I think it had that second instalment of life breathed into it and everyone went crazy for it. So they were all like ‘Quick, let’s make a second one’.” Co-produced by Matchbox Pictures, Netflix and the ABC, Booth returns as Kate, who is none the wiser since mysteriously rising from the dead only to find herself confined to live within Yoorana’s borders. While Booth has notched up a string of notable roles since filming the first season, she relished the chance to revisit her character’s strange predicament. “The minute I put the costume on, boots and all, and having all (the cast) around, it was like I never left,” she recalls. Camera IconBooth with Glitch co-star and fellow West Australian Sean Keenan. “It kind of felt like Kate made the decision to move on and there’s a really beautiful strength in her that came out. She is such a wonderful character to play, she’s very complex and layered, which always keeps me very interested in my job in general. “I have to play characters that I really get to go deep with, or so I hope. That’s what I really enjoy, exploring the inner psyche and she’s a pretty amazing character so it was awesome to get back into playing her.” Also returning is Patrick Brammall as Kate’s ex-husband James, who is still digging for answers as to why his dead wife has returned; fellow WA actor Sean Keenan as back-from-the-dead Charlie; and Genevieve O’Reilly as Dr Elisha, who reveals a shocking new twist in the season two opener. WAAPA graduate Luke Arnold and Rob Collins also join the cast this season as enigmatic characters with an unknown agenda. “There’s definitely a different feel this season,” Booth says. “It gets very interesting. They certainly brought out the questions for everyone, and it’s like, ‘How are they going to explain this?’ It gets so much weirder, you have no idea what’s coming. But pretty much all the questions get answered, and it gets a lot weirder, that’s all I’m going to say.” Booth says the complex mysteries woven throughout the series are a credit to writer Louise Fox, who co-created Glitch with award- winning writer/director Tony Ayres (The Slap, Nowhere Boys). “Lou is a brilliant writer. For something as insane and unbelievable as six people crawling out of their graves, she’s just managed to keep it really special and really grounded in realism. She’s done a brilliant job at explaining,” she says. “I think that it’s always interesting when you first read the script, I mean I’m just as curious as any other person out there, and the amount of times I’ve gone ‘Are you kidding me?’ It keeps it interesting.” Another TV project that has Booth excited is her upcoming role in the hit US fairytale drama Once Upon A Time. Booth is set to portray “a witch” in the show’s upcoming seventh season, which is shot in Vancouver and will air in the US in October. “It’s another interesting character, and I love fairytales. I’m obsessed with them,” she says.

Latest smartlipo review Both the salon and the therapist were very nice but the experience is not exactly what it says in the description. There is no full body exfoliation or massage. The therapist exfoliated and wrapped my stomach and leg areas and then I sweated it out for the next hour and a half. Actually it would have been a lot nicer with a bit of a head massage or something to help relax. It is quite hot and uncomfortable lying there and the salon is noisy so it is quite hard to relax.

MMB - Elders Butler, Peterson and Brother Samuels Part 1 - Siesta A few weeks ago, Elder Butler, a cute Mormon missionary, interrupted his companion, Elder Peterson, during a workout and seduced him into an intense sex encounter. Like most 18 year old boys, these two are horny all the time, and since they first got off, they have gotten into the habit of fooling around every night before bed and first thing in the morning. As far as Elder Peterson can tell, the sex has only made them better missionaries. They are more loving and more trusting with each other, and they’re happy all the time. This particular morning, they were accompanied by a local member of the Church, Brother Samuels, to their meetings with potential converts. Brother Samuels was the ward mission leader in his previous ward, and still tries to make time for missionary service. He’s older. About the age of the boys’ fathers if he had to guess. Without fail, he finds the elders are polite, hard-working and a joy to be around. After going door to door all morning in the heat, the three are wiped out and head back to the missionary apartment for a nap. There’s no furniture in the bedroom except for the boys’ bunkbed, so they decide to take the bottom bunk and let Brother Samuels be on top. Elder Butler immediately second guesses this decision, remembering the glory hole in the top bunk mattress, cut out by some previous elders. Elder Peterson, not wanting to bring any attention to it, reassures Elder Butler of this decision, hoping Brother Samuels just doesn’t notice. Both of the missionaries are secretly pleased that they’ll be able to cuddle unseen and possibly even fool around without him noticing. It’s not that they aren’t interested in the older man. He’s sexy enough. He’s got such a deep voice, and he’s so serious and stern, and he’s got such big hands, which made Elder Peterson think he must also have a big, thick cock. Peterson didn’t have to wonder for long. A few weeks ago Brother Samuels showed up in Elders Quorum in a new European cut suit. It added a lot of clarity to what he was packing. Since then, the elders can’t help looking at his obviously large basket instead of his face when they have conversations with him at church. So obviously last week, while staring of the outline of his plump dickhead snaked down his pant leg, when he asked if they needed any help they quickly agreed to have him along for member visits. And frankly, although neither of them says it out loud, they both have fantasized about crawling into bed with him, if only to get their hands on his impressive organ. They know it’s wrong…gay Mormon sex is taboo. But that hasn’t stopped them from acting on their desires so far. Each of them take off suit and tie, covertly looking at one another as they do so. Once the boys’ are stripped to their garments, Elder Peterson notices that Elder Butler’s penis is hard, and he hopes Brother Samuels doesn’t notice. But Brother Samuels doesn’t stop at his garments — he gets completely naked, and the boys gape at his muscular, hairy chest, his big arms, and his meaty dick. Brother Samuels can’t take his eyes off the boys’ bodies, Elder Butler’s skinny frame and Elder Peterson’s ripped torso. As he climbs up to his bunk, he’s already starting to sport a boner. The two boys crawl in to the bottom bunk and immediately start to cuddle. Elder Peterson grabs his companion’s dick and strokes it gently. Elder Butler moans. The boys think they’re being sneaky, but Brother Samuels hears everything, and when he discovers that there is an opening between the slats in his bunk, he lowers his boner down to the boys. Neither of them has ever seen such a fat dick before, and they lick and suck it, hesitantly at first, and then eagerly, both of them competing to milk out a huge load of cum…

Accurate thermochemistry and spectroscopy of the oxygen-protonated sulfur dioxide isomers. Despite the promising relevance of protonated sulfur dioxide in astrophysical and atmospheric fields, its thermochemical and spectroscopic characterization is very limited. High-level quantum-chemical calculations have shown that the most stable isomer is the cis oxygen-protonated sulfur dioxide, HOSO(+), while the trans form is about 2 kcal mol(-1) less stable; even less stable (by about 42 kcal mol(-1)) is the S-protonated isomer [V. Lattanzi et al., J. Chem. Phys., 2010, 133, 194305]. The enthalpy of formation for the cis- and trans-HOSO(+) is presented, based on the well tested HEAT protocol [A. Tajti et al., J. Chem. Phys., 2004, 121, 11599]. Systematically extrapolated ab initio energies, accounting for electron correlation through coupled cluster theory, including up to single, double, triple and quadruple excitations, have been corrected for core-electron correlation, anharmonic zero-point vibrational energy, diagonal Born-Oppenheimer and scalar relativistic effects. As a byproduct, proton affinity of sulfur dioxide and atomization energies have also been obtained at the same levels of theory. Vibrational and rotational spectroscopic properties have been investigated by means of composite schemes that allow us to account for truncation of basis set as well as core correlation. Where available, for both thermochemistry and spectroscopy, very good agreement with experimental data has been observed.

Regulation of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels in the early developing heart: role of beta1 integrins. In contrast to adult ventricular cardiomyocytes the developmentally early stage cardiomyocytes show a suppression of the basal voltage-dependent calcium channels (DCC L-type Ca2+ channels, I(Ca)) by carbachol (CCh). This effect is mediated by the endothelial NO-synthase (NOS III). In contrast late stage and adult cardiomyocytes a direct coupling of the muscarinic receptor to the adenylyl cyclase. Thus, NO may function as an early signal transduction molecule during development. This review elucidates the role of beta1-integrins in mediating signal transduction between muscarinic receptors and coupled downstream target proteins such as ion channels. The key finding is that in embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes deficient of beta1-integrins, the modulation of L-type Ca2+ channels via the M2 receptor is absent. Experiments indicate that this selective signaling defect occurs at the G-protein level. This suggests a novel critical role for integrins in membrane delimited signal transduction processes.

.TH USBFS 2 .SH NAME usbreadbuf, usbfsadd, usbfsdel, usbdirread, usbfsinit, usbdirfs, usbfs \- USB device driver file system library .SH SYNOPSIS .EX .ta 8n +8n +8n +8n +8n +8n +8n #include <u.h> #include <libc.h> #include <thread.h> #include "../lib/usb.h" #include "../lib/usbfs.h" .sp 0.3v enum { Hdrsize = 128, /* plenty of room for headers */ Msgsize = 8 * 1024, Bufsize = Hdrsize + Msgsize, Namesz = 40, Errmax = 128, ONONE = ~0, /* omode in Fid when not open */ }; .sp 0.3v struct Fid { int fid; Qid qid; int omode; Fid* next; void* aux; }; .sp 0.3v struct Usbfs { char name[Namesz]; uvlong qid; Dev* dev; void* aux; .sp 0.3v int (*walk)(Usbfs *fs, Fid *f, char *name); void (*clone)(Usbfs *fs, Fid *of, Fid *nf); void (*clunk)(Usbfs *fs, Fid *f); int (*open)(Usbfs *fs, Fid *f, int mode); long (*read)(Usbfs *fs, Fid *f, void *data, long count, vlong offset); long (*write)(Usbfs *fs, Fid*f, void *data, long count, vlong offset); int (*stat)(Usbfs *fs, Qid q, Dir *d); void (*end)(Usbfs *fs); }; .sp 0.3v typedef int (*Dirgen)(Usbfs*, Qid, int, Dir*, void*); .sp 0.3v long usbreadbuf(void *data, long count, vlong offset, void *buf, long n); void usbfsadd(Usbfs *dfs); void usbfsdel(Usbfs *dfs); int usbdirread(Usbfs*f, Qid q, char *data, long cnt, vlong off, Dirgen gen, void *arg); void usbfsinit(char* srv, char *mnt, Usbfs *f, int flag); void usbfsdirdump(void); .sp 0.3v extern char Enotfound[], Etoosmall[], Eio[], Eperm[], Ebadcall[], Ebadfid[], Einuse[], Eisopen[], Ebadctl[]; .sp 0.3v extern Usbfs usbdirfs; extern int usbfsdebug; .EE .SH DESCRIPTION This library provides an alternative to .IR 9p (2) for implementing a file server within a USB driver. Drivers using this library may be embedded into .IR usbd (4). It may be also desirable to use this library when drivers are not embedded because it is tailored to work well with the library for handling USB devices. .PP A USB file system is described by a .I Usbfs structure. In most cases, the driver is not responsible for the root of the file tree. It is customary that a driver creates a file server for each device handled and links all of them to a root directory implemented by the .I usbdirfs file system implemented by the library. This root directory is bound to .B /dev in most cases. .PP .I Usbdirfs implements a root directory populated by named file trees, each one described by a .B Usbfs structure. .PP The field .B Usbfs.name contains the name for the root directory of the file system, usually a directory seen at .BI /dev/ name when the driver is embedded. .PP .B Usbfs.qid maintains a value used to decorate qids for the file tree. This may be ignored when .I usbdirfs is not used. Otherwise, .I usbdirfs assigns a unique value kept at the high 32 bits of .B Qid.path for all files on each file tree bound to it. Each .I Usbfs server must bitwise OR .B Usbfs.qid to all .B Qid.path values returned by its functions. In the same way, functions usually clear bits in .B Usbfs.qid before processing .B Qid.path values supplied as input. .PP The USB device handled by a file tree is referenced from .B Usbfs.dev (and a reference must be counted for it). This permits the following functions to quickly locate the device of interest, and also permits releasing the device when no request is outstanding. .PP The field .B Usbfs.aux is for the device to use. The rest of the fields implement the 9P protocol for the device. Not all the operations need be implemented. Only .IR walk , .IR open , .IR read , .IR write , and .IR stat , must be implemented (and their corresponding fields in .B Usbfs may never be .BR nil ). These functions must return -1 upon failure and set the error string to reflect the cause of a failure. .PP In all the functions, a 9P fid is represented by a .B Fid structure. It contains the 9P .IR fid , the corresponding .IR qid , and an auxiliary pointer for the driver to use. Open .IR fid s have a valid open mode in .I omode while others have .B ONONE to indicate that the .I fid is not open. The library takes care of which fids exist and which ones do not. .PP .I Walk must walk .I f to .I name (a single name, not a file path) in the supplied .IR fs . Its implementation should update the qid in .I f to reflect the walk. This function must bitwise OR any returned Qid with .B Usbfs.qid , if .I usbdirfs is used. .PP .I Clone must clone fid .I of onto .I nf so that, upon successful completion, .I nf also refers to the file that .I f refers to. An implementation must update the Qid of the cloned fid. If this function is not supplied, the library copies the .I aux field to the cloned fid. .PP .I Clunk clunks .IR f . It usually releases data kept in the .I aux field, but may be set to .B nil otherwise. .PP .I Open prepares the fid .I f for I/O according to .IR mode . The open mode in the fid is updated by the library upon return. The library checks trivial cases like opening already-open fids. The implementation performs most permission checking. .PP .I Read reads up to .I count bytes into .I data starting at .I offset in the file referenced by .IR f . .I Write is the counterpart. To read from directories, the function .I usbdirread may be called. It returns the return value of .I read or -1. .I usbdirread calls .I gen to iterate through files as needed. The .B Dirgen function will be called with index values of 0 and up to ask for the first file and following files. To read from data already in buffers, the function .I usbreadbuf may help. It must be given the arguments supplied by the user, plus the buffer and buffer size. .PP .I Stat must fill .I d with the directory entry for the file identified by .IR q. As an aid, .I d is initialized to fake access and modification times, and user and group ids. Also, the field .B name in .I d is initialized to point to a 40-byte buffer. If the file name fits, it may be copied directly into .B d->name without allocating memory for that purpose. Otherwise .B d->name must be initialized to point to static memory. .PP The function .I end is called upon termination of the file tree to release resources. .PP Calling .I usbfsinit starts a file server for .I f that mounts itself at .I mnt and posts .I srv at .IR srv (3). In most cases, the file system supplied is .IR usbdirfs . The .I flag is used for .IR mount (see .IR bind (2)). Once .I usbdirfs is started, calls to .IR usbfsadd add a file tree implemented by .I dfs to the root directory of .I usbdirfs and calls to .I usbfsdel remove that binding (and release resources including the reference to the USB device). .PP Various error strings are declared as an aid. The global .B usbfsdebug may be set to trigger diagnostics and protocol tracing. .SH EXAMPLE See .B /sys/src/cmd/usb/disk for an example driver that uses this library. Looking at an example is strongly suggested to see how reference counts for the USB device and the file system are handled. .SH SOURCE .B /sys/src/cmd/usb/lib .SH "SEE ALSO" .IR usb (2), .IR usb (3), .IR usb (4), .IR usbd (4)

Israel is close to exploding. And that’s because Benjamin Netanyahu has successfully cultivated a new way of understanding the Israeli Palestinian conflict. Listen to the last two labor party prime ministers of Israel Ehud Barak and Yitzhak Rabin to hear what the difference sounds like. How did they speak about their Palestinian enemies? In 1998, Barak, then-chairman of the Labor Party, said that if he were a Palestinian he might have joined a terrorist organization. When attacked by the Likud, the former chief-of-staff and the most decorated soldier of the Israel Defense Forces responded: “What would they have wanted me to say, that if I were a young Palestinian who has from birth undergone a Palestinian experience, I would have become a third- grade teacher in an elementary school?” Ehud Barak can be objective about the Israeli Palestinian conflict. He can see it from both sides. Now listen to Yitzhak Rabin address the Palestinian people in 1994 a year and half before his assassination. Like Barak, Rabin had the ability to see the I/P conflict from the other side: “I appeal now to the Palestinian people and say: Our Palestinian neighbors, one hundred years of bloodshed implanted in us hostility toward one another. For one hundred years we lay in wait for you, and you lay in wait for us. We killed you, and you killed us… Today, you and we stretch out our hands in peace. Today, we are beginning a different reckoning. “…The new hope which we take with us from here is boundless. There is no limit to our goodwill, to our desire to see a historic conciliation between two peoples who have until now lived by the sword in the alleyways of Khan Yunis and the streets of Ramat Gan, in the houses of Gaza and the plazas of Hadera, in Rafah and Afula.” And this Rabin sentiment is genuine. He is telling Palestinians we both love this land and we can split it up. How shocking Rabin’s outreach reads now indicates how much has changed in Israeli political culture. Contrast those sentiments with what the Israeli discourse sounds today What did Netanyahu say was Omar al-Abed’s motive for the killing of three Halamish family members in a west bank settlement? Netanyahu claimed he was a: “Beast incited by Jew-hatred.” https://www.facebook.com/IsraeliPM/ This was no slip of the tongue. The Palestinian beasts motivated by anti-Semitism is Netanyahu’s explanation for the conflict. And he has proselytized this understanding of Palestinian violence against Jews so well that it’s become conventional wisdom in Israel. When a Palestinian recently killed an Israeli police woman in E. Jerusalem Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely proclaimed: “Hadas Malka, heroine of the war of light against darkness, the war of purity against brutality,” That extreme Manichaeism is precisely what Netanyahu preaches: “A deep and wide moral abyss separates us from our enemies. They sanctify death while we sanctify life. They sanctify cruelty while we sanctify compassion.” http://www.pmo.gov.il/English/MediaCenter/Events/Pages/eventeulogy010 714.aspx This view of the Palestinian enemy has been behind a host of bitter battles between Netanyahu and Israeli security experts. Because whether Palestinians are born again Nazis or just like any other people under occupation will lead to very different policy prescriptions. http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.802607 Netanyahu policies suggest he believes what he says about the Palestinians. Because if Palestinians are motivated by Jew-hatred what does it matter what Israel does anyhow? This is why Netanyahu overrules the security experts so often when they advocate for a policy of restraint in the Occupied territories. It was “understanding” the Muslim perspective why the Mossad, the Shin Bet, and the IDF thought it “madness, sheer madness” not to remove the metal detectors from the Temple Mount. But Netanyahu is not inclined to ponder the Palestinian Muslim experience to help him reach a decision. Because “understanding” the Palestinian perspective is legitimizing the Palestinian perspective for Benjamin Netanyahu. And in Netanyahu’s Israel, legitimizing or empathizing with the Palestinian perspective and narrative is taboo. There are no two sides to the Israeli Palestinian conflict. There is only the Jewish Zionist narrative. That is the moral clarity Netanyahu has successfully sold to his people. But the result for Israel is a cultural catastrophe and an existential crisis. That is what the Elor Azaria case represents. Elor Azaria was caught red handed on video executing a prone Palestinian in March 2016 in Occupied Hebron. Even a child watching the video can see the killing was an act of revenge against Abd al Fatah Al-Sharif for injuring his friend. http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.710853 They recognize his “take that” expression at the end from the bullies in their school. So, what then are Azaria’s loudest supporters like Naftali Bennett shouting about? Have they found some exculpatory evidence for Azaria by scrutinizing the B’Tselem video? “Talk of a murder charge against a combat soldier during a combat operation is a moral mistake that blurs the lines between good and evil. I expect this mistake to be mended.” That Azaria arrived 10 minutes after the “combat operation” and was avenging his friend’s stabbing does not interest education minister Bennett. What Bennett finds morally objectionable is “good” Azaria going to prison for killing “evil” Abd al Fatah Al-Sharif. This is the Israel of 2017. Look at the overreaction by Israeli political culture to the tragic killing of three Israelis by Omar al-Abed. Only in this new Netanyahu extreme Manichean world does it make any sense. Netanyahu and Bennett have called for the death penalty for Omar al-Abed. (Adolf Eichmann was the last person executed by Israeli) One Likud MK offered to personally execute Omer al-Abed family and another threatened the Palestinians with another Nakba if they don’t cut out the commotion. https://www.facebook.com/oren.pan This conflict whether the Palestinian people are a Nazi- Jihadi amalgam, fixated on killing Jews or like any other people under occupation will be on full display after the July 30th final judgment on the Azaria act. The question whether Azaria should be pardoned is a question whether Israel wants to be part of the western world. Because “we are the best good and our enemies are the worst evil” is not how trials are decided anymore unless that is you want to live in the Israel of Ofer Winter. What was the rallying cry of then colonel, since promoted, Ofer Winter, commander of the elite Givati brigade as he sent his troops into Gaza in July 2014? “History has chosen us to spearhead the fight against the terrorist Gazan enemy who curses, vilifies and abominates Israel’s God,” It is this Manichean tribal perspective that can’t tolerate Elor Azaria going to prison. And it is this perception of the Palestinian people that needs to be discredited before it’s too late.

Concerns about privacy are running so high that 60 per cent of the 1,588 Facebook users questioned by Sophos, a computer security organisation, said they were considering deleting their accounts on the social networking site. A further 16 per cent said they had already stopped using Facebook because they felt they had inadequate control over their data, while a quarter said that they would not be quitting the social networking site, which has almost 500 million users worldwide. Facebook has attracted criticism in recent weeks for the perceived complexity of its privacy settings, and the fact that users have to opt-out of sharing some of their information with third parties, rather than give explicit consent by opting in. Although Facebook is expected to look again at its privacy policy in the coming days, it may not be enough to halt an online campaign for a mass Facebook "suicide" on May 31, with thousands of users encouraged to delete their accounts. "This poll shows that the majority of users are fed up with the lack of control that Facebook gives users over their data," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos. "Most still don't know how to set their Facebook privacy options safely, finding the whole system confusing. What's needed is a fundamental shift towards asking users to 'opt-in' to sharing information, rather than to 'opt-out'. "A mass exodus from Facebook seems unlikely, but users are clearly getting more interested in knowing precisely who can view their data. People use Facebook to share private information and are unlikely to want their holiday snaps or new mobile number accidentally popping up all over the internet."

Arlington House Arlington House may refer to: Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial Arlington House (London) a hostel for the homeless in London, England, and one of the Rowton Houses Arlington House, Margate, an eighteen-storey residential apartment block in Margate, Kent, England Arlington House in London, the demolished home of Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington on the site of Buckingham Palace Arlington House Publishers, a now-defunct American book publisher that published jazz discographies, as well as conservative, anti-communist titles Arlington Beach House, one of the first hotels built in Saskatchewan and was one of the first buildings constructed along Last Mountain Lake

In Narendra Modi’s India, to be Indian is to be Hindu. By connecting the national identity to the dominant faith in the country, the Prime Minister has led a campaign to disenfranchise millions of people who don’t share his beliefs, particularly the minority Muslim population, which represents 14 percent of the country. By blurring the line between politician and spiritual leader, Modi has secured an unprecedented mandate to carry his policies, which tend to affect adversely those who don’t share his faith. GroundTruth Fellow Soumya Shankar was one of the first reporters on the ground in Kashmir during the recent military takeover by Modi’s government, reporting on the tactics used to secure control of the territory and the protests by its residents. Shankar also traveled to the border with Bangladesh, where thousands of people, mainly Muslims, are being denied their right to vote and even their very citizenship, as Modi tries to redefine Indian identity along religious lines. Read Shankar’s dispatches from the ground Follow the entire series

Eusko Trenbideak – Ferrocarriles Vascos Eusko Trenbideak (in Basque), Ferrocarriles Vascos (in Spanish), and under the commercial brand Euskotren (in English: Basque Railways), is a public railway company controlled by the Basque Government and officially established in 1982 to operate several narrow gauge railways inside the autonomous community of the Basque Country, under the terms of the Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country. Originally operating under the commercial brand "ET/FV" (standing for Eusko Trenbideak/Ferrocarriles Vascos), it took control of the management and operations of the narrow gauge lines formerly operated by the railway company Feve. The commercial brand eventually changed to Euskotren, as it remains today. Services Euskotren operates several public transportation services; including commuter rail, inter-city rail, urban rail transit and public bus services as well as freight rail transport. Each of the transport services is operated under a global commercial brand.). The company also aims to operate high-speed rail services on the Basque Y. Euskotren Tranbia Euskotren Tranbia (tranbia being the Basque word for tram) is the commercial brand for the urban tram services operated by Euskotren. Currently, it operates two services in two cities; Bilbao's Tram, in Bilbao and Vitoria's Tram in Vitoria-Gasteiz, while one more line is being constructed in Leioa and another one is planned in Barakaldo, both in the Greater Bilbao area. From the opening of the first line in Bilbao in 2002 until 2012 the commercial brand for these services was "Euskotran". Euskotren Autobusa Euskotren Autobusa (autobusa being the Basque word for bus) is the commercial brand for the operator of several bus lines in the provinces of Biscay and Gipuzkoa. Euskotren Autobusa serves as an operator for the services among other companies; the commercial brand for the services is Bizkaibus in Biscay and Lurraldebus in Gipuzkoa. Euskotren Kargo Euskotren Kargo is the commercial brand for the freight rail transport services operated by Euskotren. Euskotren Kargo operated only during nighttime, sharing the railtracks of Euskotren Trena. Until 2012 the commercial brand for the service was "Euskokargo". References External links Euskotren official website Bizkaibus official website Lurraldebus official website Euskotren's schedules Euskal Trenbide Sarea Category:1982 establishments in Spain Category:Railway companies established in 1982 Category:Railway companies of Spain Category:Basque companies Category:Metre gauge railways in Spain Category:Basque Government

It may be hard to believe in the midst of another contentious election cycle, but the next quarter century in the United States promises to be a period of increasing moderation and stability—at least according to a little-known but compelling theory about how the ratio of available men to available women alters our lives. Ups and Downs of America's Sex Ratio Harvard social psychologist Marcia Guttentag began formulating her theory in 1975, after watching Mozart’s The Magic Flute with her second husband, psychologist Paul Secord, and her two children, Lisa, 16, and Michael, 14. “Nothing is more noble than wife and man, man and wife, and wife and man … [reaching] to the height of Godliness,” sang Papageno and Pamina onstage. Hearing them extoll the virtues of marriage so extravagantly put Guttentag into a kind of “cultural shock,” she later wrote. These were the 1970s, after all, when millions of marriages—including both Guttentag’s and Secord’s first marriages—had collapsed in the chaos of the free love movement spawned during the previous decade. When Guttentag returned home, she and her daughter listened to songs that were popular at the time, all of which had a “love ’em and leave ’em” theme. Why were views on marriage in these two eras—Mozart’s 1790s and America’s 1970s—so very different? Maybe, she conjectured, women were in short supply in Mozart’s day, and perhaps now, in the 1970s, there were just too many women. That became the title of a book Guttentag began writing soon after she had her insight, which she knew was the most important of her career. For the first time in U.S. history, she soon learned, the “availability sex ratio”—the ratio of adult men to adult women who are available to marry—had dropped well below 1.0, to perhaps 0.7 by 1970. This meant that there were now 10 available women for every 7 available men, an excess of millions of women of marrying age. What had caused the sex ratio to drop so dramatically, Guttentag wondered, and what impact did this change have on society? While busy directing two research centers at Harvard University, Guttentag began Too Many Women as a true labor of love. She examined imbalances in the ratio of men to women in various cultures and at various times throughout history and the effects they had on social systems. Among other things, she found that where the sex ratio was high, marriage was stable and women tended to stay home, but where the sex ratio was low (too many women, that is), marriage was unstable and women moved into the workplace. The dramatic differences between Sparta and Athens during the fourth century B.C. drove the point home for Guttentag. Ancient Athens most likely had a sex ratio between 1.43 and 1.74 (based on a historical analysis) because of rampant female infanticide and neglect. With three men for every two women, women were kept uneducated and at home. Sparta, in contrast, was a military state in which males were removed from their families early on to be trained as soldiers. With an extreme shortage of men in Spartan society, girls received educations and even physical training similar to that of boys, and women controlled and inherited property. Fourth century B.C. Spartan women controlled 40 percent of the land and property in Sparta; Athenian women controlled no property at all. But Guttentag’s book was not to be, at least not the way she planned it. On November 4, 1977, just five days short of her 45th birthday, she died from a heart attack while alone in a hotel room in New York City. Her husband, Paul, completed her manuscript, but the book that finally came out in 1983 was academic in nature, not the mainstream “big think” book she intended. With her death, the book deal she had made with a major publisher disappeared, and sex ratio theory stayed mainly in the obscure recesses of various academic specialties. Biologists have looked at the sex ratio in animal populations for generations, typically just by counting the males and females in a pack or herd. The natural sex ratio for the American alligator, for example, is about 0.2, or one male for every five females. That kind of ratio makes sense when males fight a lot and female fertility is low. To study the sex ratio in humans is more challenging, especially if your goal is to determine how the sex ratio affects social systems. Nigel Barber, an evolutionary psychologist based in Birmingham, Alabama, has tested its power more than any other scholar. Among his recent findings: When the sex ratio is low (too many women), women are more slender; when women are in short supply, as was the case in the United States in the 1950s, women are more curvaceous, perhaps because they are trying to look the part of traditional wife and mother. Barber’s studies, which often look at patterns in 40 countries or more, have shown the power of the sex ratio in predicting such things as the rate of nonmarital births, the practice of polygyny, and even the likelihood that men will grow facial hair. The more men there are, he found, the more hair they grow to attract mates. United States Births, 1940-Present In a study of divorces in the U.S. from 1896 to 1992, Barber reports that the divorce rate could be predicted remarkably well from the sex ratio. The success or failure of marriage, in turn, ripples though social systems, affecting prevailing values. When there is an excess of available men—as was true during most of U.S. history because most immigrants are male—marriage is generally revered and values are conservative. When available women outnumber available men, women are set free of the home, and values shift toward liberalism. But a low sex ratio also lowers the living standards of women and causes turmoil in relationships, mainly because men typically have more power in society, which they tend to exercise crudely when there are extra women around. The chaos associated with low sex ratios has been confirmed by several other studies, including a 2010 college-campus investigation by sociologists Jeremy Uecker of Baylor University and Mark Regnerus of the University of Texas at Austin. In a survey of about 1,000 college women, the researchers found that on campuses where women outnumber men, women date less, criticize men more, and are less likely to have a college boyfriend, even though they are also more active sexually. One kind of chaos that seems to flow from a low sex ratio is counterintuitive. In multiple studies that examine this issue both across countries and over time, Barber has shown that a shortage of men is associated with higher rates of rape, violent crime, and assault. When women are in short supply, men compete for resources like good jobs and fancy cars that make them more attractive to potential mates. But when there are too many women, factors such as an absence of fathers from the home and conflict between the sexes act to raise the level of violence. The sex ratio is pushed up or down by many factors, including environmental influences in the womb. A 2010 study conducted in the U.K. found that babies born to two nonsmokers were more likely to be male (birth sex ratio of 1.14), whereas babies born to two smokers were much more likely to be female (birth sex ratio of 0.77). Worldwide, the birth sex ratio is generally above one, about 1.07—nature’s way, perhaps, of compensating for the higher mortality rate of males throughout life. By the time people are in their eighties, however, the sex ratio drops to 0.7 or less. Men are in short supply among the elderly. The sex ratio that is most important in influencing social systems is the one that applies to men and women of mating and child-rearing ages—the availability sex ratio. The fact that women usually prefer marrying men who are slightly older can shift the availability sex ratio up or down almost overnight. This is because the number of people born each year can change dramatically when a war ends or a recession begins. It is this phenomenon, which demographers call the “marriage squeeze,” that led to the enormous excess of available women in the U.S. in the generally liberal 1960s and 1970s. Because of sharp increases in the number of births in the years following World War II and the Korean War, women born two decades later were typically seeking older partners born in years when far fewer babies were born, hence the big drop in the availability sex ratio. So a woman born in 1957, when births were numerous, would, in 1977, be seeking a male born a few years earlier than she—say, in 1954—when far fewer males were born. That’s the “squeeze.” Conversely, birth patterns in the 1970s created an excess of men in the 1990s. In other words, the nationwide shift toward conservatism, and even the election of George W. Bush in 2000, was predictable from sex ratio data. A host of effects produce differences in sex ratios around the world and between racial and ethnic groups. The highest sex ratio in the world right now—4.15—is in Qatar, where thousands of men have immigrated to work on construction and oil projects. The lowest sex ratio—about 0.79—is in Djibouti on the Horn of Africa, where an unemployment rate of 40 to 50 percent has forced men to emigrate. Here in the U.S., African Americans have had a low sex ratio since the era of slavery, in part because they have a low birth sex ratio and in part because many black males are in the military or incarcerated. The absence of men keeps many black women living in poverty, bound to the welfare system. Hispanic Americans, on the other hand, have the highest sex ratio of any ethnic group in the country—over 1.5 for people in their twenties—mainly because far more men immigrate than women. The high sex ratio should make that community politically conservative, yet Hispanics generally support liberal politicians, perhaps because liberal politicians are perceived as more pro-minority and pro-immigrant, overriding the sex ratio influence in this case. In Asian countries, particularly China and India, the ratio of males to females has remained stubbornly and artificially high, causing concern among government officials. Because male offspring are preferred in many Asian cultures, sonograms are now being used to identify female fetuses, which are then aborted in large numbers. The birth sex ratio in China is now an alarming 1.13. The fear in some circles that an excess of men will lead to cultural chaos is actually inconsistent, though, with the views of Secord, Guttentag, and others. Barber’s research suggests, for example, that a high sex ratio generally leads to less violence toward women. But the excess of men in China and India has led to new kinds of abuse—women being abducted from Bangladesh, for example, to serve as brides for single males in India, as well as the trafficking of young women within India. Even the election of George W. Bush in 2000 was predictable from sex ratio data. In relatively stable societies like the U.S., the most powerful factor determining the balance of men and women is that marriage squeeze, and birth patterns over the past 25 years make it possible to estimate the availability sex ratio in the U.S. through the year 2035. The trick here is to determine whether the different numbers of people born each year between 1986 and 2010 are likely to cause marriage squeezes in the future. My computations suggest that we are unlikely in coming years to run into either the liberalism of the ’60s and ’70s (when there were too many women) or the conservatism of the late ’90s (when there were too many men). Instead, we will be trending toward a balance between men and women, and therefore, a prolonged period of moderation in all things political and social: a stable divorce rate, reasonable satisfaction in relationships, and greater gender equality. Absent major natural or human-made disasters that are sex-selective or extreme changes in immigration patterns, the next quarter century should be a time of relative calm. Marcia Guttentag would be pleased. Robert Epstein, senior research psychologist at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology, provided original research for this piece.

The recovery, it was learnt, occurred three days after the army launched a special operation, `Harbin Kunama II,’ to flush out armed bandits from the area. The special operation, Harbin Kunama – `Scorpion Sting,’ was launched in Kaura Local Government Area of the state on April 19. Speaking earlier today, Brig.-Gen. Sani Usman, the Director of Army Public Relations, who said the recovery was made on Saturday, added that the arms and ammunition were discovered when troops embarked on cordon and search of Gwaska, Dangoma, Angwan Far and Bakin Kogi general area of Southern Kaduna State. He listed them as 73 dane guns, four locally made rifles, one locally made machine gun and one locally made pistol. Others were 260 cartridges, 14 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, 63 rounds of 9mm ammunition, one locally made small machine gun magazine and a pair of worn out military boot. Usman also said that some quantities of assorted improvised ammunition and pyrotechnics hidden in dug out pits were recovered. “While efforts are ongoing to track down the owners of the arms and ammunition, it is imperative to state that the good people of the area have been very supportive and cooperating with the military which led to these unprecedented findings. “Similarly, in Sector 1 of the operation which covers Kano State, troops in conjunction with other security agencies are carrying out operations in suspected armed bandits camps in Falgore forest,’’ he said.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Jack Ma founded Alibaba in 1999 Revenue at e-commerce giant Alibaba jumped 60% in the first three months of the year, powered by a growing customer base in China. More than 450 million Chinese shoppers used its sites during the quarter, with the average annual spending up by about a third, Alibaba said. The growth pushed revenues for the period to $5.6bn (£4.3bn). But investors weren't satisfied, sending shares down 3% on Thursday. Alibaba, started by billionaire Jack Ma, is the dominant online retailer in China. The Chinese business accounts for 67% of Alibaba's revenue, or $3.7bn - a 41% rise on the same period last year. Like its US rival Amazon - which claims more than 300 million customer accounts - Alibaba has expanded into a wide range of services, including cloud computing and media, via its Youku Tudou video hosting service. Alibaba said it had more than 870,000 customers for its cloud computing services at the end of March. Quarterly revenue from that unit doubled from last year, reaching $314m, the firm said. Digital media and entertainment revenue grew even faster, rising 234% year-on-year to $571m. Alibaba's Ant Financial buys MoneyGram for $880m Alipay takes on Apple in US expansion Alibaba forecast up after Singles' Day Alibaba has said it also plans to expand internationally for future growth. International retail sales in the quarter more than tripled from 2016, to $353m. The firm acquired the Singapore e-commerce site Lazada last year. Total profits in the quarter were $1.5bn, up 98% year-on-year. But for the financial year that closed in March they declined about 40%, a drop the firm attributed largely to its film division, Alibaba Pictures Group. "Our robust results demonstrate the strength of our core businesses, as well as the positive momentum of our emerging businesses," said Maggie Wu, the firm's chief financial officer.

-- -- Republicans in the senate. Tried to block characters to go further. And pay discrimination once and brawl. But hey we the women in the senate with President Obama -- -- British keep Friday. Our shoulders square. I draw and because shootings are equal pay for your car while. Not yet gotten more work to improve the day -- -- the lives of American women in our families and Health Care Reform. Before Health Care Reform winning and you believe this women would be charged 50%. More for their health insurance and in -- mistakes. Doesn't -- yes. A nice days. Victims of domestic violence were denied coverage simply because of those victims millions of American families know. There -- just my medical catastrophe. Away from financial disaster. Now we Democrats believe -- family responsibility. Not family bankruptcy. With Health Care Reform. We're making gender discrimination. By those insurance companies illegal. And cost of president Obama's leadership being a woman. There's truly no longer a pre existing condition. -- -- -- -- And for that we need reinforcements. Take a look. At the women running this year those who can help us and the president. Get the job done for you and god bless you and god bless America. This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

Vivus sees EU regulators rejecting diet drug JosephWalker --Vivus sees European delay in getting diet drug approved --Company cites tough regulatory environment --Shares slide 10% (Updates throughout with details and comments from Vivus's president.) Vivus Inc. VVUS, -12.72% said a European drug regulator is unlikely to recommend marketing approval for the obesity drug Qsiva next month, a setback as the company races to sell its diet treatment on the continent. Peter Tam, president of Vivus, cited a tough regulatory environment in Europe for the decision and declined to speculate on how long Qsiva would be delayed there. After the ruling, which is expected in mid-October, Vivus can appeal the decision or refile the drug's application. "We await the official decision and the formal report, which should provide us specifics on any additional requirements leading to the approval of Qsiva in Europe," Mr. Tam said. He added that the company learned about the expected decision Wednesday in discussions with the regulator, the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use. Qsiva is the European name for Vivus's drug marketed in the U.S. as Qsymia. Mr. Tam said it was unclear what specific issues the committee would cite in its decision, but committee members had expressed concerns about the European withdrawal of Abbott Laboratories' ABT, -0.16% weight-loss drug Meridia in 2010 and Sanofi S.A's (SAN) obesity drug Acomplia in 2008. Despite the epidemic of obesity, especially in developed markets like the U.S., diet drugs have faced intense scrutiny because regulators are mindful of the damaging side effects caused by older obesity treatments as well as the fact that the drugs are likely to be taken by millions of people for a long period of time. Mr. Tam also said European regulators are less comfortable with the use of phentermine, one of Qsiva's two active ingredients, than their American counterparts. Phentermine hasn't been on the European market in more than a decade, he said. The E.U. regulator's rejection of Qsiva could delay the drug's entry into the European market by at least 12 months, said equity analyst Simon Davison of Edison Investment Research. The delay could mean that Belviq, a competing drug from rival Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. ARNA, +1.76% will be approved first in the E.U. Vivus shares slid 10% to $21.27, while Arena's stock gained 3.3% to $9.05. Vivus shares have more than doubled over the past year but have lost some gains in recent weeks. Arena's Belviq was approved first in the U.S. but has yet to reach the market because it had to go through a classification review with the Drug Enforcement Administration. The review, which lasts up to six months, is given to drugs with a likelihood or potential of being abused. Vivus's Qsymia was made available to U.S. consumers this week after U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval in July, a month after Arena. Qsymia didn't have to undergo the DEA process because Qsymia has been classified as a non-narcotic drug by the agency based on a prior scheduling for one of its two generic components. Qsymia--previously known as Qnexa--is a controlled-release formulation that combines low doses of two older generic drugs: the stimulant phentermine, which cuts appetite, and topiramate, which increases the sense of feeling full. Topiramate is also sold under the brand name Topamax by Johnson & Johnson JNJ, +0.37% to treat migraines and seizures. Phentermine was part of the fen-phen obesity drug that was taken off the market in the 1990s because of links to heart-valve damage. Evidence now indicates the increased risk for heart problems was attributable to fenfluramine and not to phentermine. Intraday Data provided by SIX Financial Information and subject to terms of use. Historical and current end-of-day data provided by SIX Financial Information. Intraday data delayed per exchange requirements. S&P/Dow Jones Indices (SM) from Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All quotes are in local exchange time. Real time last sale data provided by NASDAQ. More information on NASDAQ traded symbols and their current financial status. Intraday data delayed 15 minutes for Nasdaq, and 20 minutes for other exchanges. S&P/Dow Jones Indices (SM) from Dow Jones & Company, Inc. SEHK intraday data is provided by SIX Financial Information and is at least 60-minutes delayed. All quotes are in local exchange time.

# Copyright 2016 Google LLC # # Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); # you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. # You may obtain a copy of the License at # # https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0 # # Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software # distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, # WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and # limitations under the License. require "helper" describe Google::Cloud::Spanner::Results, :merge, :mock_spanner do it "merges Strings" do results_hashes = [ { metadata: { row_type: { fields: [{ name: "f1", type: { code: :STRING } }] } }, values: [{ string_value: "abc" }], chunked_value: true }, { values: [{ string_value: "def" }], chunked_value: true }, { values: [{ string_value: "ghi" }] } ] results_enum = results_hashes.map { |hash| Google::Cloud::Spanner::V1::PartialResultSet.new hash }.to_enum results = Google::Cloud::Spanner::Results.from_enum results_enum, spanner.service _(results).must_be_kind_of Google::Cloud::Spanner::Results _(results.fields).wont_be :nil? _(results.fields).must_be_kind_of Google::Cloud::Spanner::Fields _(results.fields.keys.count).must_equal 1 _(results.fields[:f1]).must_equal :STRING rows = results.rows.to_a # grab them all from the enumerator _(rows.count).must_equal 1 row = rows.first _(row).must_be_kind_of Google::Cloud::Spanner::Data _(row[:f1]).must_equal "abcdefghi" end it "merges String Arrays" do results_hashes = [ { metadata: { row_type: { fields: [{ name: "f1", type: { code: :ARRAY, array_element_type: { code: :STRING }}}] }}, values: [{ list_value: { values: [{ string_value: "abc" }, { string_value: "d" }] }}], chunked_value: true }, { values: [{ list_value: { values: [{ string_value: "ef" }, { string_value: "gh" }] }}], chunked_value: true }, { values: [{ list_value: { values: [{ string_value: "i" }, { string_value: "jkl" }] }}]} ] results_enum = results_hashes.map { |hash| Google::Cloud::Spanner::V1::PartialResultSet.new hash }.to_enum results = Google::Cloud::Spanner::Results.from_enum results_enum, spanner.service _(results).must_be_kind_of Google::Cloud::Spanner::Results _(results.fields).wont_be :nil? _(results.fields).must_be_kind_of Google::Cloud::Spanner::Fields _(results.fields.keys.count).must_equal 1 _(results.fields[:f1]).must_equal [:STRING] rows = results.rows.to_a # grab them all from the enumerator _(rows.count).must_equal 1 row = rows.first _(row).must_be_kind_of Google::Cloud::Spanner::Data _(row[:f1]).must_equal ["abc", "def", "ghi", "jkl"] end it "merges String Arrays With Nulls" do results_hashes = [ { metadata: { row_type: { fields: [{ name: "f1", type: { code: :ARRAY, array_element_type: { code: :STRING }}}] }}, values: [{ list_value: { values: [{ string_value: "abc" }, { string_value: "def" }] }}], chunked_value: true }, { values: [{ list_value: { values: [{ null_value: "NULL_VALUE" }, { string_value: "ghi" }] }}], chunked_value: true }, { values: [{ list_value: { values: [{ null_value: "NULL_VALUE" }, { string_value: "jkl" }] }}]} ] results_enum = results_hashes.map { |hash| Google::Cloud::Spanner::V1::PartialResultSet.new hash }.to_enum results = Google::Cloud::Spanner::Results.from_enum results_enum, spanner.service _(results).must_be_kind_of Google::Cloud::Spanner::Results _(results.fields).wont_be :nil? _(results.fields).must_be_kind_of Google::Cloud::Spanner::Fields _(results.fields.keys.count).must_equal 1 _(results.fields[:f1]).must_equal [:STRING] rows = results.rows.to_a # grab them all from the enumerator _(rows.count).must_equal 1 row = rows.first _(row).must_be_kind_of Google::Cloud::Spanner::Data _(row[:f1]).must_equal ["abc", "def", nil, "ghi", nil, "jkl"] end it "merges String Arrays With Empty Strings" do results_hashes = [ { metadata: { row_type: { fields: [{ name: "f1", type: { code: :ARRAY, array_element_type: { code: :STRING }}}] }}, values: [{ list_value: { values: [{ string_value: "abc" }, { string_value: "def" }] }}], chunked_value: true }, { values: [{ list_value: { values: [{ string_value: "" }, { string_value: "ghi" }] }}], chunked_value: true }, { values: [{ list_value: { values: [{ string_value: "" }, { string_value: "jkl" }] }}]} ] results_enum = results_hashes.map { |hash| Google::Cloud::Spanner::V1::PartialResultSet.new hash }.to_enum results = Google::Cloud::Spanner::Results.from_enum results_enum, spanner.service _(results).must_be_kind_of Google::Cloud::Spanner::Results _(results.fields).wont_be :nil? _(results.fields).must_be_kind_of Google::Cloud::Spanner::Fields _(results.fields.keys.count).must_equal 1 _(results.fields[:f1]).must_equal [:STRING] rows = results.rows.to_a # grab them all from the enumerator _(rows.count).must_equal 1 row = rows.first _(row).must_be_kind_of Google::Cloud::Spanner::Data _(row[:f1]).must_equal ["abc", "def", "ghi", "jkl"] end it "merges String Arrays With One Large String" do results_hashes = [ { metadata: { row_type: { fields: [{ name: "f1", type: { code: :ARRAY, array_element_type: { code: :STRING }}}] }}, values: [{ list_value: { values: [{ string_value: "abc" }] }}], chunked_value: true }, { values: [{ list_value: { values: [{ string_value: "def" }] }}], chunked_value: true }, { values: [{ list_value: { values: [{ string_value: "ghi" }] }}]} ] results_enum = results_hashes.map { |hash| Google::Cloud::Spanner::V1::PartialResultSet.new hash }.to_enum results = Google::Cloud::Spanner::Results.from_enum results_enum, spanner.service _(results).must_be_kind_of Google::Cloud::Spanner::Results _(results.fields).wont_be :nil? _(results.fields).must_be_kind_of Google::Cloud::Spanner::Fields _(results.fields.keys.count).must_equal 1 _(results.fields[:f1]).must_equal [:STRING] rows = results.rows.to_a # grab them all from the enumerator _(rows.count).must_equal 1 row = rows.first _(row).must_be_kind_of Google::Cloud::Spanner::Data _(row[:f1]).must_equal ["abcdefghi"] end it "merges INT64 Arrays" do results_hashes = [ { metadata: { row_type: { fields: [{ name: "f1", type: { code: :ARRAY, array_element_type: { code: :INT64 }}}] }}, values: [{ list_value: { values: [{ string_value: "1" }, { string_value: "2" }] }}], chunked_value: true }, { values: [{ list_value: { values: [{ string_value: "3" }, { string_value: "4" }] }}], chunked_value: true }, { values: [{ list_value: { values: [{ null_value: "NULL_VALUE" }, { string_value: "5" }] }}]} ] results_enum = results_hashes.map { |hash| Google::Cloud::Spanner::V1::PartialResultSet.new hash }.to_enum results = Google::Cloud::Spanner::Results.from_enum results_enum, spanner.service _(results).must_be_kind_of Google::Cloud::Spanner::Results _(results.fields).wont_be :nil? _(results.fields).must_be_kind_of Google::Cloud::Spanner::Fields _(results.fields.keys.count).must_equal 1 _(results.fields[:f1]).must_equal [:INT64] rows = results.rows.to_a # grab them all from the enumerator _(rows.count).must_equal 1 row = rows.first _(row).must_be_kind_of Google::Cloud::Spanner::Data _(row[:f1]).must_equal [1, 23, 4, nil, 5] end it "merges FLOAT64 Arrays" do results_hashes = [ { metadata: { row_type: { fields: [{ name: "f1", type: { code: :ARRAY, array_element_type: { code: :FLOAT64 }}}] }}, values: [{ list_value: { values: [{ number_value: 1.0 }, { number_value: 2.0 }] }}], chunked_value: true }, { values: [{ list_value: { values: [{ string_value: "Infinity" }, { string_value: "-Infinity" }, { string_value: "NaN" }] }}], chunked_value: true }, { values: [{ list_value: { values: [{ null_value: "NULL_VALUE" }, { number_value: 3.0 }] }}]} ] results_enum = results_hashes.map { |hash| Google::Cloud::Spanner::V1::PartialResultSet.new hash }.to_enum results = Google::Cloud::Spanner::Results.from_enum results_enum, spanner.service _(results).must_be_kind_of Google::Cloud::Spanner::Results _(results.fields).wont_be :nil? _(results.fields).must_be_kind_of Google::Cloud::Spanner::Fields _(results.fields.keys.count).must_equal 1 _(results.fields[:f1]).must_equal [:FLOAT64] rows = results.rows.to_a # grab them all from the enumerator _(rows.count).must_equal 1 row = rows.first _(row).must_be_kind_of Google::Cloud::Spanner::Data _(row[:f1]).must_equal [1.0, 2.0, Float::INFINITY, -Float::INFINITY, Float::NAN, nil, 3.0] end it "merges Multiple Row Chunks/Non Chunks Interleaved" do results_hashes = [ { metadata: { row_type: { fields: [{ name: "f1", type: { code: :STRING } }] } }, values: [{ string_value: "a" }], chunked_value: true }, { values: [{ string_value: "b" }, { string_value: "c" }] }, { values: [{ string_value: "d" }, { string_value: "e" }], chunked_value: true }, { values: [{ string_value: "f" }] } ] results_enum = results_hashes.map { |hash| Google::Cloud::Spanner::V1::PartialResultSet.new hash }.to_enum results = Google::Cloud::Spanner::Results.from_enum results_enum, spanner.service _(results).must_be_kind_of Google::Cloud::Spanner::Results _(results.fields).wont_be :nil? _(results.fields).must_be_kind_of Google::Cloud::Spanner::Fields _(results.fields.keys.count).must_equal 1 _(results.fields[:f1]).must_equal :STRING rows = results.rows.to_a # grab them all from the enumerator _(rows.count).must_equal 4 _(rows.map(&:to_h)).must_equal [{ f1: "ab" }, { f1: "c" }, { f1: "d" }, { f1: "ef" }] end end

Infinity Longwear Mascara - Lush lashes can now be yours! This is a luxurious mascara with a whipped formulation that allows for buildable results. It is both lengthening and curling giving depth and dimension to lashes and eyes. It is also long-lasting and water resistant.

NIKECOURT VAPOR RF X AM95 GREEDY 180 € Eine Audienz mit exklusiver Air. Der Vapor RF x AM95 "Greedy" verbindet die leichtgewichtige Innovation von Roger Federers NikeCourt Vapor X mit dem legendären Air Max 95. Der Sneaker präsentiert ein aufregendes Obermaterial mit auffälligen, kontrastierenden Farbtönen und anatomisch angehauchtem Wildleder. Darunter findet sich die Außensohle des Vapor X für optimale Performance. Der Vapor RF x AM95 "Greedy" wurde aufgrund seiner Liebe zum Air Max speziell für Federer gefertigt. Die Farben des Sneakers erinnern an den Court, wo der Champ seine rechtmäßigen Titel einfordert.

Natalizumab discontinuation and disease restart in pregnancy: a case series. The humanized monoclonal alpha4-integrin antibody Natalizumab (NTZ) (Tysabri(©) , Biogen Idec, Cambridge, MA, USA) has shown to be effective in multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy; however, the interruption of the drug has been related to a disease restart. This risk has to be carefully considered in case of accidental or desired pregnancies. To report the risk of disease restart in patients who interrupted NTZ because of pregnancy and discuss the implication of NTZ choice in female childbearing patients with MS. Clinical histories and MRI images of four pregnant women with MS who interrupted NTZ. Despite pregnancy is usually related with disease stability, the cases presented here showed an abrupt increase of disability with high number of MRI lesions, some of them with a mass effect. We recommend that female patients on childbearing age must be informed before starting NTZ treatment of the risk of a return of disease activity when the drug is discontinued. The risk occurs even during pregnancy a condition that is considered as protective for women with MS.

WASHINGTON — A dim view of the U.S. job market emerged Tuesday with a report that employers cut back on hiring in September just before a partial government shutdown began. Just 148,000 jobs were added last month, a steep drop from August’s gain, though they were enough to lower unemployment to 7.2 percent from 7.3 percent in August. The report bolsters expectations that the Federal Reserve will maintain its pace of bond purchases for the rest of 2013 to try to keep long-term loan rates low. The government’s release of the September jobs report had been delayed 2½ weeks by the shutdown. Temporary layoffs during the 16-day shutdown will probably depress October’s job gain. That means a clear picture of the job market won’t emerge before November jobs figures are issued in December. “The economy is too fragile for the Federal Reserve to touch,” Sung Won Sohn, an economist at California State University, Channel Islands, said. “The shenanigans in Congress have hurt confidence and increased uncertainties, most likely hurting both consumer and business spending as well as hiring.” Average U.S. job growth has fallen sharply in the past three months after a promising start this year. The economy added an average of 143,000 jobs a month from July through September. That was down from the 182,000 average gain during from April through June and well below the 207,000-a-month pace from January through March. The report “reinforces the impression that the labor market was losing a little momentum heading in to the shutdown,” said Josh Feinman, global chief economist at Deutsche Asset and Wealth Management. “The labor market is continuing to create jobs. …It’s just frustratingly slow.” Stocks rose after the report was released, in part because slower job gains mean the Fed will continue its stimulus efforts. The Dow Jones industrial average was up about 50 points in midday trading. Economists at Barclays now predict the Fed won’t trim its bond purchases until March, much later than its previous forecast of December. A tight job market has discouraged many Americans from looking for work. The percentage of Americans working or looking for work remained at a 35-year low last month. The government doesn’t count people as unemployed unless they are actively looking for work. Most of the drop in the unemployment rate this year has occurred because many people have either given up looking or have postponed their job searches by remaining in school. The September jobs report showed that some higher-paying industries added jobs at a healthy pace. Construction companies, for example, added 20,000. The budget impasse didn’t stop Accumold, which makes components for medical devices, smartphones and other electronic goods, from boosting its workforce. CEO Roger Hargens said the Ankeny, Iowa-based company filled jobs in September and plans to add up to 65 to its 185-worker staff in the next few months. Hargens says he is seeing more orders from customers who are shifting from Chinese manufacturers to U.S. suppliers. “There’s a big trend to move manufacturing back to the United States,” he said. “It’s really speeding up now for us.” Last month, average hourly U.S. pay ticked up 3 cents to $24.09. In the past year, pay has risen 2.1 percent, ahead of the 1.5 percent inflation rate. The government revised its estimates of job growth in July and August to show a slight net gain of 9,000. It said employers added 193,000 jobs in August, more than the 169,000 previously estimated. But it said just 89,000 were added in July, the fewest in more than a year and below the earlier estimated 104,000. The deceleration in job growth was a key reason the Fed decided in September to hold off on slowing its $85-billion-a-month in bond purchases. Many economists think the lack of clean data will lead the Fed to put off any decision on the bond purchases until 2014. “It reinforces their hesitancy,” Feinman said of the September jobs report. “It’s more validation for their hesitancy to taper in September.” Many economists say the shutdown cut $25 billion out of the economy and slowed growth to about a 2 percent annual rate in the October-December quarter. That’s down from estimates before the shutdown that the economy would expand at a 2.5 percent annual rate. Robert Mellman, senior U.S. economist at JPMorgan Chase, forecasts that October’s job gains will be lower by about 35,000 because of cutbacks at government contractors and other companies affected by the shutdown. Many of those jobs will be regained in November. Growth is expected to rise slightly in the first three months of next year, as consumers and businesses make purchases and investments that were delayed during the shutdown. More in News An Anaheim tagging crew member accused of stabbing a 12-year-old rival to death testified on Monday that he acted in self-defense and denied claims by a prosecutor that he yelled “Die! Die! Die!” as he delivered the fatal blows.

Whoa, now this is a cool idea. The Emscripten guys are back at it again compiling LLVM itself to JavaScript to run in the browser. Now you can compile and run LLVM IR assembly directly in the browser using LLVM.js. Emscripten, for those that don’t know is an LLVM bytecode to JavaScript compiler. LLVM is a compiler backend for many languages like C and C++ via the Clang compiler, Objective-C and several others. Those compilers generate LLVM bytecode which LLVM normally compiles to native machine code, but Emscripten replaces that output with JavaScript instead, enabling programs written in any language supporting LLVM to be run wherever JavaScript runs. LLVM.js takes Emscripten a step further by compiling LLVM itself to JavaScript, using Emscripten (which uses LLVM). Whoa! This means that you can now compile and run LLVM assembly directly in JavaScript without installing the native LLVM tools. If language compilers supporting LLVM such as Clang were also compiled to JavaScript, you could compile and run C/C++ code directly in JavaScript as well. This is a very cool demo. I’m not sure how practical it really is to wait until runtime to compile your code rather than precompiling it, but it could be useful to avoid having to install the LLVM tools, or for platforms where the LLVM compiler cannot run (such as mobile operating systems). Check out the code on Github, and try your hand at LLVM assembly on the demo page.

The invention relates to an apparatus for feeding fuel from a supply container to an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle as generically defined by the preamble to claim 1. One such apparatus is known from German Patent Disclosure DE 195 49 192. The fuel feed module described has a mushroom-shaped closing element in the bottom region of its suction container. This closing element is received in axially movable fashion. The mushroomlike part of the closing element spans an opening in the bottom of the suction container of the fuel feed module, by way of which the interior of the suction container of the fuel feed module communicates with the interior of a supply container. By its own weight, the closing element rests on the inside of the bottom of the suction container, spanning the opening, so that the opening is sealingly closed. When fuel is now introduced into the supply container, the fuel level in it rises, and as a result the static pressure acting on the underside of the closing element increases as well. This opens the valve, and fuel flows out of the supply container through the opening in the bottom of the suction container into the interior of the suction container. From the interior of the suction container, the fuel is delivered to the motor vehicle engine by means of a fuel feed module. So that fuel can be delivered to the engine by the fuel feed unit, it is therefore necessary for relatively large quantities of fuel to be introduced into the supply container, so that an adequately high static pressure can be built up to open the closing element and thus enable the fuel to flow into the interior of the suction container. A disadvantage of an initial-fill valve actuated by the static pressure is thus the relatively large quantity of fuel that must be fed into the supply container in order to actuate the initial-fill valve. It is therefore the object of the invention to create an apparatus for feeding fuel from a supply container to an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle which in particular assures reliable initial filling of the fuel feed module after the final assembly of a motor vehicle the first time its tank is filled, or if the supply container has run empty, or only slight fuel quantities are present. This object is attained by an apparatus having the characteristics of claim 1. Expedient refinements are defined by the dependent claims. The apparatus according to the invention for feeding fuel from a supply container to an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle. The apparatus has a fuel feed unit which on the intake side communicates with a suction container, communicating with the supply container, and on the pressure side communicates with the engine, and having a return line for feeding excess fuel into the suction container. In its bottom region the suction container has a closing element, which is movable between a first position, in which the suction container is opened relative to the supply container, and a second position, in which the suction container is closed relative to the supply container. According to the invention, the closing element has an actuating device, preferably a float body, which in particular at a low or zero fuel level in the supply container keeps the closing element in the first, open position, and which when at least enough fuel is located in the suction container so that the fuel feed unit can still furnish enough fuel to the engine, keeps the closing element in the second, closed position. One essential advantage of a closing element having an actuating device is that the sealing function and closing function of the closing element are decoupled from one another. This kind of closing element according to the invention, also known as an initial-fill valve, is connected to the actuating device in such a way that when the tank is empty, the closing element is opened. Accordingly, for actuating the initial-fill valve, there is no need for a static pressure to be built up. As a result, even when the slightest fuel quantities are introduced, an immediate inflow of fuel from the supply container into the interior of the suction container is assured. A further advantage of a closing element embodied in this way is that when the tank is empty, the initial-fill valve is kept in the open position, so that sticking effects at the sealing seat that would otherwise occur are eliminated. Especially with an actuating device that is controlled as a function of the fuel level in the supply tank, a precisely defined closing point of the closing element is settable or attainable. In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, the actuating device is embodied as a float body and is connected to the closing element. The closing element is attached to the bottom of the suction container of the fuel feed module in such a way that when no fuel is present, the closing element is located in the open position by its total mass, comprising the mass of the closing element itself and the mass of the float body, since in the absence of fuel the float body is not lent any buoyancy. The float body is dimensioned such that in the event that the float body is immersed in the fuel or surrounded by it, a buoyant force develops which is greater than the mass force exerted by the total mass of the closing element. As a result, the closing element is put in the closing position. The closing forces are greater, the larger the dimensions of the float body, because its buoyant force corresponds to the quantity of fuel positively displaced. One essential advantage of such an embodiment is also that a reliable sealing function of the closing element is thus attained, even if the sealing seat is dirty, since the buoyancy of the float body increases the sealing force, and the closing element is thus sealed off even better. The closing element is preferably embodied as a flap or umbrella valve, whose sealing function and closing function are decoupled by the fuel level-dependent positioning controlled by the float body. The term xe2x80x9cdecoupledxe2x80x9d should be understood in this context to mean on the one hand that the buildup of a static pressure from an adequately large quantity of fuel placed in the supply container does not actuate the closing element, and on the other that by the dimensioning of the float body, with the closing element already closed, as a consequence of the buoyancy of the float body located in the fuel, the sealing function of the closing element can be increased still further, if only the float body is dimensioned as large enough, thus making its buoyancy correspondingly great enough. In further exemplary embodiments, the float body is either secured directly in the closing element or is connected to the closing element via a lever, which is supported between the closing element and the float body. A substantial advantage of a float body connected directly to the closing element is that the entire closing element is structurally especially simple and thus functions reliably, especially in a failsafe manner. The substantial advantage of a closing element in which the float body is connected to the actual closing element via a lever is that by a suitable choice of the lever length and the position of the float body, which is preferably disposed displaceably on the lever in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the lever, is that the closing moment in particular and thus the sealing force of the closing element, embodied as an umbrella valve, can be designed to be settable. The closing element is preferably disposed on the bottom of the suction container in such a way that the umbrella of the umbrella valve is disposed on the outside of the bottom of the suction container, that is, the outside oriented toward the bottom of the supply container, while the float body is disposed in the interior of the suction container. However, it is also possible to dispose the closing element in the region of the bottom of the suction container, on its side wall, in which case the actuation of the closing element takes place via a float body connected to the closing element by a deflection lever. Along with the use of a size of the float body adapted to the particular location and desired sealing force of the closing element, it is also possible to provide an electromagnet, for instance, as the actuating element, the electromagnet being controlled as a function of the fuel level. For detecting the fuel level, in such a case, fuel fill level sensors of a type known per se should be provided. An actuating device of this kind has the advantage that the closing element is completely decoupled from the fuel level or from the quantity of fuel introduced.

Patients and medical professionals may call 1-800-533-UPMC (8762) for more information. Main Content Special Lecture on Nazi Eugenics Dec. 7 A Prelude To “Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race” Exhibition at the Warhol PITTSBURGH, December 4, 2006 — The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the C.F. Reynolds Medical History Society will present a special lecture on Nazi-era eugenics and medicine at 6 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 7, at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The lecture, titled “Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race,” will be given by Susan Bachrach, Ph.D., curator of the Holocaust Museum’s exhibition of the same name, which will make its first stop on a North American tour at The Andy Warhol Museum from Dec. 17, 2006 to March 18, 2007. Dr. Bachrach’s lecture will be held in Lecture Room 6 of Scaife Hall, 3550 Terrace St., Oakland, and is free and open to the public. Dr. Bachrach has been curator of special exhibitions at the Holocaust Museum since 1992, overseeing historic research, identification of artifacts, exhibit design and creation of related publications. A graduate of Wellesley and the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Bachrach is the author of award-winning educational materials, including Tell Them We Remember: The Story of the Holocaust (Boston: Little, Brown, 1994). The exhibition, Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race, includes 40 archival sources from around the world and is the first U.S. exhibition to represent a history of the Nazi biological state. More than 50 artifacts, 200 photographs and photographic reproductions, as well as survivor testimony, are featured. Following an extended two-year run at the Washington, D.C., museum, it comes to Pittsburgh through a collaboration between The Andy Warhol Museum and the Holocaust Center of the United Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is the presenting sponsor of the local presentation. The exhibition will be accompanied by creative programming, lectures and community forums presented in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh Center for Bioethics and Health Law. Those planning to attend the Dec. 7 lecture being given by Dr. Bachrach are asked to call or e-mail Jonathon Erlen, Ph.D., at 412-648-8927 or [email protected] so that organizers can effectively plan for the number of anticipated attendees. For more information about the Deadly Medicine exhibition at The Andy Warhol Museum, please call 412-237-8300. For help in finding a doctor or health service that suits your needs, call the UPMC Referral Service at 412-647-UPMC (8762) or 1-800-533-UPMC (8762). Select option 1. UPMC is an equal opportunity employer. UPMC policy prohibits discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, sex, genetics, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, familial status, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected group status. Further, UPMC will continue to support and promote equal employment opportunity, human dignity, and racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity. This policy applies to admissions, employment, and access to and treatment in UPMC programs and activities. This commitment is made by UPMC in accordance with federal, state, and/or local laws and regulations. Medical information made available on UPMC.com is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. You should not rely entirely on this information for your health care needs. Ask your own doctor or health care provider any specific medical questions that you have. Further, UPMC.com is not a tool to be used in the case of an emergency. If an emergency arises, you should seek appropriate emergency medical services.

That fondness for science, … that affability and condescension which God shows to the learned, that promptitude with which he protects and supports them in the elucidation of obscurities and in the removal of difficulties, has encouraged me to compose a short work on calculating by al-jabr and al-muqabala , confining it to what is easiest and most useful in arithmetic. As quoted in: Victor J. Katz (2009) A history of mathematics: an introduction. p. 271

Press event: RIG headsets (Hoofddorp, The Netherlands) 28/11/2017, LifeisXbox was invited for the Plantronics gaming press event in The Netherlands. With an office tour, press conference with the RIG product portfolio and a hands on experience. Read about how Dae Jim experienced this day! 06u15 | Despite the early morning I was pretty excited to get up and start the day. After feeding my dogs, making sure I didn’t smell and checking my social feeds I started the journey to Plantronics. 11u37 | I finally arrived at Schiphol, this train and airport station is really impressive but sadly no time to check it out. We don’t want to miss our appointment after all. 11u51 | We finally arrived at the office from Plantronics. This is located at Park 20|20, a place where the environment is very important. (Read more about that HERE) 12u00 | After receiving our visitors pass and getting a warm welcome by the Plantronics people we are invited to grab a bite to eat. Sandwishes with cheese (and lots of garlic.. mmmmm!) Roastbeef and more. 12u38 | Having filled out our stomachs the tour around the office starts, it is immediately obvious that no money was spared to have a great working atmosphere, the place is full with nuances towards sound too. All very impressive and nothing like I’ve ever seen. 12u42 | It starts with a little history lesson, Plantronics was actually the supplier for NASA and was founded on 1961 by two adventurous pilots. The famous sentences “The Eagle has landed” and “… One giant leap for mankind” were transmitted through Plantronics equipment. This was called the Snoopy Headset. 13u20 | The interesting office tour has ended, we are invited by Gregory Morquin (Gaming Segment Manager EMEA at Plantronics) for the RIG product portfolio speech. This friendly French dude with good English (for real) explains in full detail what the inspiration for the RIG headsets is and how it benefits gamers. He also explains Doly Atmos and why the sound experience is so different and great. 13u59 | Time to get some hands on with Dolby Atmos and the RIG headsets. Overwatch is the first game I test, one thing I notice is how comfortable the RIG headsets are for people like me with glasses. Next game is Star Wars: Battlefront 2, it is honestly a great experience and very immersive with Dolby Atmos. We might have heard a lot of talk about how great it was, but actually experiencing it is something totally different. 15u20 | The hands on experience is over and an enjoyable day at Plantronics is coming to an end. The way home is long but it was really worth it. 21u01 | Back home, I unpack my officially licensed review RIG 800LX for Xbox One. The packaging is nicely done (as you can see in the image), while it might not be a reason to buy this headset it is pleasant to see that Plantronics spend love and attention to packaging too. “Dolby Atmos is currently exclusive for Xbox One and Windows 10 and trust me when I say that this is something that greatly benefits gamers and enriches a game immensely!” – Dae Jim